Susan L. Hubbard: Coward, Fraud, Judge.

What do you call a person who tells lies to lure a small child into a back room with the intent of taking her away from her home and family and sending her across state lines with a stranger and a convicted child abuser?
In Detroit, they call her a Judge, and she sits on the bench in the Family Division of the Third Judicial Circuit Court.

In fact, on November 12, 2012, with the help of a small gang of Wayne County Deputies, Judge Susan L. Hubbard did just that.
Diann and I had cared for our granddaughter Lia since she moved from Utah to stay with us, when she was seven weeks old. We were appointed temporary guardians for her when she was just five months old,


We were awarded full custody of her in April, 2010.
Although Lia had two biological parents out there somewhere, they had virtually no contact with her and provided nothing for her in the way of support, love or parenting.
We were the only parents Lia had ever known. We cared for her, raised her, fed her, clothed her, taught her and loved her.
We took her to dance class and karate class. We enrolled her in preschool and took her to church. We celebrated holidays with her, hugged her when she was sad, laughed with her when she was happy, involved her in our family business, and did everything that parents naturally do when they are raising a child.

In February of 2012, Amber, Lia’s biological mother filed a motion in The Third Judicial Circuit Court, to  give her full custody of Lia. Arguing that she now had a good job and another daughter, Amber had decided she was now ready to be a parent.

Judge Susan Hubbard held a hearing on October 10, 2012, to hear evidence as to what would be in the best interest of Lia.  We provided an abundance of evidence showing that Lias best interests would not be served if she were to be taken away from the safety and security that she knew and sent to live with someone who had not cared for her for most of her life.
During this hearing Ray, Amber’s husband, took the witness stand and testified that he had been compelled to give a previous child from a prior relationship up for adoption after he was convicted of  physically abusing her. Amber and Ray testified that Amber worked nights and Ray was home alone with their child.
Hubbard announced that she would issue a written order in a few weeks.

We had asked Hubbard to interview the Lia via camera but she declined to do so, stating that Lia was too young. However, on November 1, 2012 Hubbard issued an order that appeared to reverse that decision. Her order stated that she had decided that an interview and a continuation of the hearing was warranted. She ordered us to bring Lia to the court on November 12, at 2:00 pm so that the interview could be conducted.
We explained to Lia that it was very important to tell the truth when speaking with the judge, as courtrooms were a place to be serious and tell the truth. “Just tell the truth,” we told her “and everything will be all right.”
But in fact, nothing could have been further from the truth.
When we arrived for the hearing on the 15th floor of the Coleman A. Young Building, we were instructed to send Lia with a Wayne County Deputy, who would take her back to the judge. Once Hubbard had Lia in her chambers, she called Amber back into her chambers, and sent a deputy out to tell us  that Amber would be taking Lia with her. This was not an interview. This was not a continuation of a hearing. this was simply a ploy, a cheap trick to lure Lia into her office, where she could turn her over to Amber.
Hubbard then instructed a group of uniformed deputies to escort Amber and Lia from the building, giving them specific instructions not to allow us any contact with her.

Where was Hubbard during all of this? 
Where any coward would be. Hiding in her chambers, refusing to come out and face us.  Refusing to go on record to explain her behavior. Refusing to allow our attorney to go on record with an objection to her actions.  Refusing to come out of her chambers and hold the hearing that she had scheduled.
It is bad enough to be a bully, and to commit fraud, but she compounded that by being a coward too.  She didn’t even have the courage to admit in open court what she had done.


Well, Shame on You Susan Hubbard!
Shame on you for committing Fraud Upon the Court.  Shame on you for hiding in your chambers like a sniveling coward, and shame on you for orchestrating your little dog and pony show with malice aforethought, in such a way as to provide the greatest possible amount of emotional trauma to a young innocent child.
Shame on you!
I know that Fraud Upon the Court is a serious charge, so let me take a minute to explain, lest anyone think I am just ranting here.
I’m going to try to keep this basic here for those who don’t enjoy sorting through a bunch of legaleze…
The United States District Court, ruled in 1980, (People V Zajic)

“A judge is an officer of the court, as well as are all attorneys. A state judge is a state judicial officer, paid by the State to act impartially and lawfully. A federal judge is a federal judicial officer, paid by the federal government to act impartially and lawfully. State and federal attorneys fall into the same general category and must meet the same requirements. A judge is not the court.”

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled, in 1985: (Bulloch v. United States)

“Whenever any officer of the court commits fraud during a proceeding in the court, he/she is engaged in fraud upon the court. Fraud upon the court is fraud which is directed to the judicial machinery itself and is not fraud between the parties…  It is where the court or a member is corrupted or influenced or influence is attempted or where the judge has not performed his judicial function --- thus where the impartial functions of the court have been directly corrupted."

The term 'fraud' is generally defined in the law as an intentional misrepresentation of  material or fact made by one person to another with knowledge of its’ falsity and for the purpose of inducing the other person to act, and upon which the other person relies with resulting injury or damage.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2009 (Herring V. USA) that  the elements of fraud upon the Court consists of conduct:

• “On the part of an officer of the Court;
• That is directed to the judicial machinery itself;
• That is intentionally false, willfully blind to the truth, or is in reckless disregard for the truth;
• That is a positive averment or is concealment when one is under a duty to disclose;
• That deceives the court.”

The Sixth Circuit clarified in 2012, (General Medicine P.P v Horizon/CMS Healthcare,) the extremely high standard for showing fraud on the court, which encompasses only:

“the most egregious conduct involving a corruption of the judicial process itself.”

Is there any doubt in the mind of any reasonable person that a judge who issues an order under false pretense, which she has no intention of honoring, and which is in fact nothing more than a ploy to kidnap a child and transport her across state lines has in fact committed fraud?  Intentional misrepresentation of the fact for the purpose of inducing a party to act in a particular way?


So what does this mean?
Well, to us it means a long and expensive trip through the appeals court.
But for the court system of Wayne County Michigan, it means something entirely different.
A person is currently on the bench in Wayne County who knowingly and deliberately committed fraud.  She did so in the performance of her duties as judge, and in doing so compromised the integrity of her courtroom and the honor of the court.
As long as Susan Hubbard remains on the bench in Wayne County Court System, the integrity and honor of the court will continue to be compromised.
Here is why:
Every person who appears in Susan Hubbard’s courtroom and raises their arm and swears to tell the truth is now faced with a choice.  Do they tell the truth the way their parents taught them the meaning of truth? Or do they tell the truth according to Susan Hubbard’s definition of the truth?
Susan Hubbard seems to define the truth rather loosely as “Whatever you have to say to get what you want.”
So as long as she sits on the bench, her threshold of truth is the new standard for her courtroom, and testimony given in her courtroom, under her standard of truth is, by default, automatically suspect.
Every order that comes out of her courtroom is equally suspect.  Anyone who receives such an order must ask themselves.  “Does this order truly mean what it says, or is it simply a scam, to trick me into doing what the judge wants me to do, so she can pull a fast one at the last minute and hide in her chambers and laugh about how she fooled me?”
So any order issued from her bench is, by default automatically suspect.
Furthermore, anyone involved in a case in front of Susan Hubbard that involves a child, has to ask themselves: “At what point is the judge in this case going to deviate from the law and take matters into her own hands to accomplish her own personal agenda rather than what the law says should happen?”
So, any matter before Susan Hubbard involving a child is by default suspect.
And finally, as a Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit, Susan Hubbard represents the Circuit Court, The County of Wayne and the State of Michigan.  As long as her fraudulent behavior is allowed to go unchecked, and unpunished, it can be assumed that those who oversee the conduct and behavior of judges are comfortable with fraud upon the court being committed from the bench, and thus, all other courts in the Third Judicial Court, the County of Wayne and the State of Michigan must, be default be suspect.

Although Fraud is among the worst aspect of her behavior, during our hearing Susan Hubbard blatantly violated many of the rules set forth in the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct.
I don’t want to overwhelm everyone with those details today, but watch for an upcoming post where we discuss those rules and how they were ignored.


***UPDATE
We filed a Motion to Stay Judgment Pending Appeal. This would have kept Lia in a safe place until the Appeals Court has a chance to review the case and decide if there is any merit to anything Hubbard did.
That Motion came before Hubbard on December 21, 2012. There was an amazing outpouring of support from readers of our blogs, from friends and from family members who wrote to Hubbard, imploring her to consider the safety and well being of a small child, and to consider the honor and integrity of her own court.
Again, showing herself to be a coward, afraid to face us in open court, unwilling to explain herself, unable to offer any defense for her action, Hubbard dismissed oral arguments and issued her decision in writing.
On that same day, December 21, 2012, she denied that motion, from behind the closed doors of her chambers, where she didn’t have to look anyone in the eye, and she could wallow in her own deceitful shame.


***NOTE***

I am not an attorney or law enforcement officer.  Opinions expressed in this post regarding any criminal acts alleged to have been committed by any person are my opinion.  Everyone is deemed, by the US constitution, to be innocent until proven guilty.

The Cowardly Judge

First of all, I want to thank all of you once again for your support, your prayers, your words of encouragement, your positive thoughts, and for all of you who took the time to write a letter to the judge for and on our behalf.

Friendship like this is priceless, and I am amazed on a regular basis at the amount that has been shown, by people who we have never met face to face.

As any of you who read Diann's blog http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-cowardly-judge-susan-hubbard.html may know. Two days ago, we got a phone call from the judge's chambers. She was dismissing oral argument and she will issue a written opinion.

What does this mean?

It's anyone's guess.

We discussed it at length with our attorney, and we concluded that what it boils down to is that she is a coward and does not want to face us in open court and look us in the eye.

It could mean that she is embarrassed to actually admit that she was wrong publicly, and prefers to do it on paper, or it could mean that she knows that denying our motion is wrong, and she prefers to do it in private.

It could also be a knee jerk reaction to the fact that Channel 7 had requested permission to have their cameras in her courtroom today, and she balked at the idea.

So whatever the case, she has up to 21 days from today to render her decision.

Popular theory is that she will do so sooner.

My guess is that the sooner it happens the more likely it is to be favorable to us, and the longer it drags out the less likely.

But that is just me predicting the unpredictable.

We will keep everyone posted,and again, thank you so much.

It is friends like you who have carried us through these very difficult times.

Will You Help?

Hello Friends,

When the news first came out about the horrific way Lia was taken from us, so many of you asked if there was anything you could do to help.

At the time all we could do was ask for your love, your support and your prayers.

But with a hearing scheduled for the 21 of December, on our Motion to Stay Judgment Pending Appeal, we are now in a position where letters to the judge may help. If you feel like you can do so, we would like to invite you to send a letter to Judge Hubbard, asking her to do the right thing. Her information is below.

Also, please feel free to pass this along to those in your email list who you think may be willing to help. Our goal is for Judge Hubbard to be aware of the many, many people out there who are paying attention to this case and watching the way she handles it.

If you need a refresher on the details, the easiest thing to do is read Diann’s Blog post of Nov. 15. You can read that here:http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2012/11/no-ttf-im-taking-break.html

Below is a sample letter. Many of you have said that you would write something but are not sure what to say. This letter says everything that needs said. Of course, an individual letter from you will mean more than a copied and pasted version of our sample, but this may get you started. Just make sure that you include the case number and the case title Huffaker v Haning, on your letter, so it gets to the right file.

Thanks again for your friendship and support.
Troy & Diann.

Here is Judge Hubbard’s contact information.

In writing to Susan Hubbard, or calling her office it is very important that we refrain from using any offensive or abusive language, and of course anything that might be implied or construed as a threat would be inappropriate.

Hon. Judge Susan L. Hubbard
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Room 1507
Two Woodward Avenue,
Detroit MI 48226

Hubbard, Susan L. (313) 224-5183

Sample Letter

The Honorable Judge Susan L. Hubbard
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Room 1507
Two Woodward Avenue,
Detroit MI 48226
RE: Case # 09-112217-DC. Huffaker v Haning

Dear Judge Hubbard,

On December 21, 2012, you are scheduled to hear a Motion to Stay Judgment Pending Appeal on the above referenced case.

As a reminder, this case involves a four year old child who was raised by her grandparents since she was an infant.

On November 12, 2012 an order was issued by your court taking the child away from the only home and family that she had ever known and placing her in the custody of two strangers to her, both of whom testified in your court that they have mental health issues, and one of whom testified that he had been forced to give up a previous child due to a child abuse conviction.

I am asking you to take the opportunity, on December 21, to do the right thing, and return this innocent child to the only home, family and security that she knows, and in doing so to protect her from the danger of being left home alone at nights with a convicted child abuser, while her mother is at work.

Granting the Motion to Stay on December 21, would allow this little girl to be back in her home by Christmas, and enjoy the holidays with the family that she knows and loves.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely

The Hubbards of Michigan

Hi Friends,

I havent been here for a while, I have been very busy with my family business and my personal life, but I want to share something with you all.

Because what I have to SHARE is SHOCKING, SICKENING and SAD I am linking to ABC Wednesday where folks gather share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is S.

This is a tale of SOMEONE who has a false SENSE of SUPERIORITY.

Her name is SUSAN.

This week, our 4 1/2 year old granddaughter, who we have loved and raised in our home since she was 7 weeks old, was taken from us by a judge who felt she was above the law. 

In a bizarre twisted story that defies explanation, she sent out a phony order and then, under cover of that order, snuck the child down a back stairway of her courthouse and sent her away to live with a complete stranger and a convicted child abuser.

You can read more about it here


But I want to really share some of the background information as well.  It's a long story, but stay with me if you will....

Lets talk about a family here in the my home state, and their political interests and agenda...

Staring with Orville L. Hubbard

Now, I know Wikipedia is not the worlds most reliable source of information, but it provides a good starting point for a conversation.

From Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_L._Hubbard


Orville Liscum Hubbard (April 2, 1903 - December 16, 1982) was the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan for 36 years from 1942-1978. Sometimes referred to as the "Dictator of Dearborn", Hubbard was the most outspoken segregationist north of the Mason-Dixon line. During his administration, non-whites were aggressively discouraged from residing in Dearborn, and Hubbard's longstanding campaign to "Keep Dearborn Clean" was widely understood to mean "Keep Dearborn White." Hubbard is also remembered as a political boss who delivered a wide range of city services to his constituents, including the construction of a 626-acre (2.53 km2) rustic camp outside the city and the purchase of an eight-story senior citizen tower in Florida, all for use by Dearborn residents.

Hubbard was born April 2, 1903, and raised on a farm near Union City, Michigan. Before being elected mayor of Dearborn, Hubbard ran for office unsuccessfully nine times, including three unsuccessful campaigns for mayor of Dearborn, three campaigns for the Michigan State Senate and one each for Congress, Dearborn City Council and township justice of the peace.
Biographer David Good described Hubbard as a "one-time high school athlete, ex-Marine, nonpracticing attorney, self-acknowledged expert on matters from the milking of cows to the history of the American Revolution, and personal symbol of suburban America's resistance to racial integration."

Hubbard was elected Dearborn mayor 15 times, his last in 1973. Sometimes referred to as the "Dictator of Dearborn", he regularly won re-election with more than 70% of the vote and once recruited a candidate "to avoid the unseemly appearance of an unopposed election." Hubbard's "opponent" was reportedly seen on more than one occasion wearing a Hubbard button on his jacket.[5] He suffered a massive stroke on November 3, 1974, and the City Council president served as mayor pro tem, running the city on a day-to-day basis, for the rest of Hubbard's final term.

But wait, there's more...

In 2006, Orville Hubbard was the subject of a musical play, Orvie! The musical was written by David L. Good, a former Detroit News reporter and editor, who is the author of a biography of Mr. Hubbard, and the composer Bob Milne. Hubbard's daughter, Nancy Hubbard, then the president pro tem of the Dearborn City Council, described the play as "a put-down, like a joke", that distorted her father's contributions. She said her father was a popular mayor who shoveled snow, picked up trash and sent constituents birthday cards and post cards from his travels. "He did everything for this community -- the libraries, civic center, the pools. He put Dearborn on the map."

Yeah Nancy, your Daddy was a pillar of the community...

Where is Nancy now?

In 2009, Nancy A. Hubbard was elected to her sixth consecutive term as a member of the Dearborn City Council, having been first elected to Council in 1989.

Hubbard is well known throughout Dearborn for gaining first hand knowledge of issues by going out to locations to meet with the residents and investigating the facts of each situation.

A 1950 Fordson High School graduate, she is a lifetime resident of Dearborn. She attended Michigan State University for two years under the liberal arts program, and attended Dearborn Junior College (now Henry Ford Community College) for one year.

Hubbard is very active in the community and can be seen actively participating in most City sponsored events. She is a member of the East Dearborn Kiwanis Club, a member of the Dearborn Historical Society, the Women’s Association for the Dearborn Orchestral Society (WADOS), the Dearborn Historical Foundation, the Friends of the Dearborn Library and the Dearborn Community Arts Council. She also belongs to the Ladies Golf League, Dearborn Goodfellows, Fordson High Alumni Association, Chamber of Commerce, and previously volunteered for Meals on Wheels.

Hubbard is the only daughter of the late Orville L. Hubbard, who served as Dearborn’s Mayor from 1942-1977. In 1954 Hubbard’s father had a “Think” program going on for his department heads, which attracted national media coverage from Time, Newsweek and Life Magazine. A spread on his “Think” program was displayed and Nancy’s picture appeared in Life Magazine on February 22, 1954 and she received more attention than her famous father. She received a telegram from Solly Baiano, Casting Director for Warner Bros. Studio, which her dad quickly dismissed as someone playing a joke on her. She was also picked to be Sweetheart of Sigma Chi at the University of Michigan.

In her professional life, Nancy worked for Campbell Ewall Advertising as a secretary for Mr. John Reed and then worked at Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln Continental Division as a secretary for Mr. Richard Haupt. She later worked in several city departments including Building & Safety and Public Works.

Hubbard is very well known in Dearborn. She returns all her telephone calls and takes good care of people by taking the time to listen to their concerns or problems. She is very active in the community and attends ribbon cutting ceremonies and is seen out and about Dearborn all the time.

Hubbard has been married to John since she was 21 years old and is the mother of two sons and one daughter.http://www.cityofdearborn.org/city-depar....8-nancy-hubbard

Yep, still a Hubbard playing with the lives of people in Dearborn. She may not share her daddy's outspoken politics, but she defends his time as mayor...

With Orville Hubbard's daughter, Nancy, serving on the Dearborn City Council for the last 23 years the Hubbard Legacy lives on:

But wait there's more...

Nancy has a daughter, remember?

In 2005, Senator Carl Levin spoke at the funeral of Rosa Parks, making the following comments about Hubbard: "The South had Orval Faubus; Michigan had Orville Hubbard. Orville Hubbard vowed to keep Dearborn clean, meaning keep Dearborn white." Levin's comments drew an angry response from Hubbard's family. A letter published in the Detroit Free Press from Hubbard's granddaughter, Susan L. Hubbard, referred to Levin's comments as "mean-spirited ramblings of an arrogant, Washington politician", and attributed the following quotation to former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young: "Orville Hubbard was quite a man. Believe it or not, he was a person I admired. He and I disagreed on some things, but he was a hell of a mayor. I regarded him as one of the best mayors in the United States. ... He took care of business. He knew how to meet the needs of his people."
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_L._Hubbard[/url]Yeah Susan, those mean washington politicians, picking on your poor grandpa that way....

Washington politicians like to be mean and pick on people, didn't you watch the debates?

So, where is Susan L. Hubbard now?

Susan L. Hubbard is a judge of the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, Michigan. She was elected to this position on November 2, 2010 and took office the following January. Her current 6-year term will expire on January 1, 2017.

Hubbard received her B.A. degree from Wayne State University in 1985 and her J.D. degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1991. Prior to graduating from law school, she served as a Dearborn Councilwoman from 1985 to 1989

For those who are following the timeline, Susan served on the Dearborn City Council for one term before her mother was elected.

Meaning there was but a 7 year gap, from 1978 to 1985, when there wasn't a Hubbard in Dearborn City Management since 1942. 70 years of Hubbardness...

Why do I care about this political family, you may ask?

Because...

... the "Right Honorable" Susan L. Hubbard, Judge of the 3rd Circuit Court, in and for Wayne County Michigan...

... just happens to be the judge who I watched on October 10, rolling her eyes, making faces at her law clerk, arguing with witnesses, including a licensed psychologist,  and behaving in a manner inconsistent with the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct, which states in part:

Canon 1
A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary
An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society. A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should personally observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved.

and also states:

A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities
A. Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges. A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny.

And also states:

A Judge Should Perform the Duties of Office Impartially and Diligently
The judicial duties of a judge take precedence over all other activities. Judicial duties include all the duties of office prescribed by law. In the performance of these duties, the following standards apply:

...(3) A judge should be patient, dignified, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity, and should require similar conduct of lawyers, and of staff, court officials, and others subject to the judge's direction and control...http://coa.courts.mi.gov/rules/documents/8MichiganCodeOfJudicialConduct.pdf

Yes, This is the same Susan Hubbard who took our little girl,, with only the clothes on her back, and handed her over to a convicted child abuser, through tricks and lies, without even having the courage to come out of her chanbers and go on record justifying her behavior.

So, Thank you everyone for allowing me my little rant.

I know that nobody is responsible for the actions and opinions of the parents and grandparents, and I know that we all have a tendency to defend our ancestry, even though in our hearts we don't agree with everything they did.,

But perhaps it is time for us to consider that maybe, just maybe this family has become a bit full of themselves, and maybe, just maybe they have convinced themselves that they are somehow special.

And maybe, just maybe, they are wrong.

ABC Wednesday --Round 10 C

OK, Here it is, ABC Wednesday time again. This is the day to join in the ABC Wednesday Challenge, and share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is:




And today my C word is Compost.

At the Master Gardener Class last weekend, the instructor mentioned how valuable Compost is, but went on to say that it is so much bother to make it and you can never make as much as you need, so you should just go ahead and buy it, or try to get it free from your local city.

Now for those of us with more money than we have brains, this is of course the most logical solution, but for the rest of us, there are things we can do at home to help make our gardens better.

How many of you have a compost pile?

How many of you actually try to compost, vs having a pile you throw stuff in and just forget about it?

Have you tried worm composting?

Today, I spent the day at the princess's preschool, setting up a worm farm. The kids were all fascinated with the worms, the teachers too. They all held them and petted them, and I think maybe they were even trying to name some of them.

I am so glad that I am getting a chance to reach, not just one child but a whole group of them. I hope some of the things I teach them and show them about growing and using good clean healthy natural methods to produce your own food will stick with them in their lives.

Anyone else raise worms?

Tell me your composting stories!

ABC Wednesday Round 10 - B

OK, Here it is, ABC Wednesday time again. This is the day to join in the ABC Wednesday Challenge, and share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is




I was all set to write about Binomial Nomenclature, the process for assigning scientific names to living organisms.

But, between you and me, that can get boring.

I will try to add some life to that post and post it later, but something happened today that was of such significance to me that I had to Bypass Binomial Nomenclature.

**Warning, I am about to embark on a long rant about a personal experience. If you are here to planning read something deeply educational I suggest you stop reading now.


We bought Diann a new laptop for Christmas this year. (actually waited until after Christmas to buy it.) Her old one was worn out, and falling apart at the seams and it was time to replace it.

So, we spent a Bunch of Bucks at Best Buy and Bought a Beautiful new laptop.

Now, Before I go on, I have to note that in the last 9 months, between a new desktop, a new camera, a new printer and now this laptop, we have spent about $2000.00 at this particular Best Buy, so although we may not be their best customers, we certainly have been loyal and regular customers.

But that was all about to change.

I set up her laptop, downloaded the antivirus protection software offered by our ISP (Comcast) and Diann was ready to go.

Last night, for the first time, she opened it up, logged on and started reading comments on her blog. About 2 hours later, her screen went crazy, and the computer shut down.

It had a virus.

So, today we took the laptop back to Best Buy, to ask them for help.

Mike, the Geek Squad Tech offered to sell us a protection plan for only $200.00 that would include up to three computers in our home, and then he could fix the problem. Or, if we didn't want to do that, we could contact the manufacturer on our own and buy the disks to reformat and reinstall our operating system.

I explained, as politely as I could, to Mike the Geek Squad Tech that since we had just paid a whole bunch of money for this computer and since it wasn't really working, and since we have owned it less than 3 weeks, and since we had never even really used it yet, and since we had spent a great deal of money there in the last year, I had hoped that they would be able to help us fix our problem.

Mike the Geek Squad Tech, told me that there was nothing else he was authorized do, and so I asked if I could speak with someone who had authority to do more.

After a 15 minute wait, Eric the Assistant Manager came over and spoke with me and explained that since the way the Geek Squad makes their money is by fixing things, that it wouldn't be fair for him to ask them to fix this computer without first paying them $200.00.

I graciously offered to simply accept an exchange for a laptop that actually worked, but Eric the Assistant Manager said that they could not accept that computer as a return because it had a virus.

I pointed out that the virus was definitely a factor in my wanting to exchange it, and suggested that perhaps it was on the computer when we bought it, since it WAS in fact a factory refurbished model, but Eric the Assistant Manager bluntly told me that there was no way that could have happened, and that the virus was a result of our actions.

I asked Eric the Assistant Manager if perhaps they could run a smitrem or a malware removal program on our computer and see if that would help. I was annoyed at this time, but still willing to give Best Buy the benefit of the doubt.

This was when Eric the Assistant Manager started with the B.S.

Now, I may not be an expert on computers, but I am somewhat of an expert on B.S. and I know it when I hear it, so when Eric the Assistant Manager told me that they couldn't run anything on this computer in the condition it was in, I immediately recognized that he had no intention of doing anything to help me, no matter how much I may have spent in his store up to that date, and that he was simply throwing words at me to get me to go away.

So I did.

Best Buy lost more than just a $200.00 service contract today. They lost a loyal customer.

I may not have ever been their biggest customer, but as of today, I am no longer even their smallest.

I am personally Boycotting Best Buy.

Fortunately, all's well that ends well.

I called my Brother, who works on computers all day long. (I hate bothering him, because I know he does this at work all day, so when he gets home it seems like he should have some time off.) Actually, I left him a voice mail, since he was busy, and he responded with a text message. He was able to text me the information I needed to remove the virus by myself, at no cost to me.

Now why couldn't Mike the Geek Squad Tech, or Eric the Assistant Manager have taken the five minutes it would have taken to talk me through this process?

So for me, today, B stands for Bravo for Brothers, and Boo-hiss to Best Buy.

ABC Wednesday - Round 10 - A

OK, Here it is, ABC Wednesday time again. This is the day to join in the ABC Wednesday Challenge, and share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is


I have been ABSENT for this blog for a really long time, as I ALLOWED other things in life to take priority.

I'm going to see if I can give my blog some ATTENTION, now that the market season and the holidays are over.

In keeping with the herbal theme, which seems to be the primary focus of my life, today's A word is ASTRAGALUS.



I have been hearing a lot about this herb just recently. It seems like it is the new Buzzword for new age coffees and teas that are being sold at craft shows.

I have my own theories about this which I will cover in a moment, but for the record, here is a basic summary of ASTRAGALUS (Astragalus mollissimus).

A perennial plant, about 16 - 36 inches tall, that is native to the northern and eastern parts of China as well as Mongolia and Korea Astragalus mollissimus is characterized by hairy flower stems; numerous, hairy, small, light green leaflets, usually arching; and long and narrow pink-purple flowers that have a pronounced backward flare at the upper tip of the rather small banner. It blooms profusely in the early spring and where you find one plant you will usually find many. The root is the medicinal part, and is usually harvested from 4-year-old plants.


Astragalus has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It was often combined with other herbs to strengthen the body against disease. Astragalus is called an adaptogen, meaning it is thought to help protect the body against various stresses, including physical, mental, or emotional stress. It is believed to specifically promote immunity in the lungs.

Commonly known as: Goatsthorn, locoweed, bei qi, huang qi, ogi, hwanggi, or milk vetch, among other names.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of culinary use for this herb, it appears to be primarily a medicinal herb and is used both internally and externally. It is high in antioxidants.

Now, as to the fancy high dollar coffees?

I have seen these coffees selling for $1-$3 for a packet of instant coffee, which has some herb in it. The packet comes with a free cup of hot water so you can mix it up and drink it. By selling it that way, the vendor does not have to have a food license, and avoids a lot of paperwork.

They generally contain Astragalus and Ganoderma, a type of mushroom purported to have amazing health benefits.

Why use herbs and botanicals that few of us are familiar with and fewer of us can spell, or even pronounce?

Well, would you buy a cup of coffee that claimed it had garlic in it? Garlic has some incredible health benefits, but we have preconceived notions about it's taste and smell. Whether justified or not, these notions affect our decision to try a new product.

But by using unfamiliar products, the manufacturer avoids any preconceived notions about the herbs and supplements added.

If I tell you I have a glass of sugary lemonade, it sounds mundane. But if I tell you I have some water, infused with the essence of citrus fruit, and gently sweetened with crystals made from the sap of an all natural sustainable cane product grown in Florida, it sounds like I have some exotic new drink that you simply must have!

Well, it works the same way with most products, and especially well with things that sound exotic.

So, next time you hear about a cup of coffee, enriched with powdered mushrooms, and ground roots that are the secrets of ancient Chinese medicine, by all means go ahead and try it. But just remember that the value of any herb does not automatically increase in direct proportion to our inability to pronounce the name.

Herbs are good, they have a lot of health benefits and are part of an effective health regime, when combined with a good diet, active lifestyle and healthy habits.

But there is no "wonder herb" that will magically cure your ills, reverse aging, and make you more attractive all in one capsule.

They just don't work that way.

However, Astragalus certainly seems to be an interesting herb that those serious about herbalism may want to explore more fully.

Criminal Veggies

Do you have rogue, criminal vegetables in your neighborhood???


With all that has been happening this summer, between selling at six markets a week, working with the high school to maintain their herb gardens, keeping our own herbs in line, and making product to take to the markets, I havent had a lot of time to dedicate to my blog.

But I couldn't, just absolutely couldn't ignore this when I saw the story.

This is a local story... Oak Park Michigan, about 40 miles away from us.

Julie Bass, a homeowner in Oak Park, recently had her front lawn torn up to do some work on a sewer line.

Instead of replacing it with grass, she decided to plant a garden.

What a great idea!

What an opportunity, to instill a love of home gardening in the next generation. To follow the example set for us by the wife of our very own president, Michelle Obama, who planted gardens at the White House.

So, Mrs Bass, called the city and asked if she could plant a garden in her front yard. The helpful employee told her that since nobody had ever asked before the answer was probably not. She called another employee and was told that only "Decorative plantings" were allowed.

Mrs Bass was unable to find any rule or law that prohibited vegetables in the front yard, so the Bass family hired a contractor to build attractive raised beds, landscaped around them, added stones and ornamental elements and planted their vegetables.



Like I said, a great idea!

Unfortunately, the city of Oak Park didn't think it was such a good idea.

They sent her a warning, telling her that her vegetables would have to be moved to the back yard.

Back to City hall she went, seeking the ordinance that prohibited vegetables in the front yard. But alas, there was no ordinance to be found. The city ordinance says that " all unpaved surfaces shall be covered with grass, shrubbery, or suitable live plant material."

Apparantly a code enforement officer had decided that, absent any legal definition, vegetables were not suitable live plant material.

Mrs Bass was cited, and charged with a misdemeanor. She has now been informed that since she requested a jury trial, the city prosecutor intends to ask for the maximum penalty, which could be up to 93 days in jail.

That's right, 3 months in jail for planting a garden.

In her blog, oakparkhatesveggies Julie writes:

"rumor has it that the city will not back down on our case because they are afraid it’s a slippery slope.

i’m not sure what that means, exactly, in the context of our garden. are they afraid someone might decide to grow bigger tomatoes? more aggressive strawberries? i have heard whisperings that they are afraid of… (imagine the most menacing vegetable possible!)- corn. yep. if they give us permission to have a garden, someone might grow corn.

so, i guess based on the need to protect the citizenry from rampant cornstalks, they are probably right to be concerned…

i’m being sarcastic, in case you haven’t read this blog before…"

I spent the last hour reading her blog and shaking my head in amazement.

I have seen some boneheaded things done before, in the name of government, but this one breaks the cake.

When people started to find out about this, letters of encouragement started coming in, prompting Mrs Bass, to discuss with her attorney how people could best help her cause.

It was determined that the best thing those who are not local could do is make sure that their local news agencies get the story. Make sure Oak Park knows that the entire nation is watching with bated breath to see if they will really put a mother in jail for 93 days for planting a garden for her children.


So here you have it. I am officially letting the city of Oak Park know that I and my readers are watching.

Perhaps you can do the same.

You can read the story and watch a newsclip here

ABC 4.2.8 T

OK, Here it is, ABC Wednesday time again. This is the day to join in the ABC Wednesday Challenge, and share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is



But first, for those who collect my signs, here are the last two, I have been terribly delinquent, and have missed two weeks.

If Denise finds out, I will be in so much trouble!





Now, on the the letter T.

I wanted to talk about the THREE TYPES of THYME that we are growing this year, but then I realized that we have four, not three, and I could never admit that I have more THYME than I thought I had.

After all, we are all short on THYME.

So instead, I decided to repost an old, old, post from way back in the dark ages on my blog.

This originally appeared in August of 09, when I had less than 10 loyal readers, so I though I would share it with you now that I have made so many new friends.

T is for ...

TIRES!

OK, This post has nothing to do with herbs.

For some of you this may be boring, for some it may be interesting, for some it may be a review, but I wanted to share it.

We had to replace the tires on both of our vehicles this week. They have both been riding on a wing and a prayer for several thousand miles. The Original Equipment tires for our F150 were rated for 40,000 miles and we just passed 60,000 on them.

As for the tires on the Ranger, I have no idea how many miles they had, but they were dry rotted so bad that they were starting to leak, and I had to keep adding air to two of them. We put it off long enough. It was time to bite the proverbial bullet and buy new tires.

Some things to keep in mind when buying tires.

When comparing the cost of tires between different dealers, make sure and ask for "out the door" pricing.

Some shops will charge you for mounting, balancing, valve stems, old tire disposal, and anything else they can sneak in, while others will just charge a flat rate for tires. This is important to know when comparing prices.

For example. WalMart sells tires. They charge $5 to mount and balance, $2 for new valve stems, (they won't mount a new tire without a new stem) and $1.50 to throw away your old tire. So there is a minimum of $8.50 per tire added on to the price they quote you. They also do not include sales tax in their quote. So, a tire that they sell for $100 will cost you "out the door" $114.51. That $14.51 doesn't seem like that much until you multiply it by 4.

If a Mom & Pop shop tells you $450.00 out the door, for four tires and Walmart tells you the tires are $100 each, the Mom & Pop shop costs less.

The most important thing to remember however, above anything else, and I cannot stress this enough.
Never, ever let a salesman sell you a tire with a lower service description than your vehicle had originally. Even if they have them on sale, for a really great price, this is never a good deal.

How do you know your service description? It's one of that big string of numbers on the side of the tire. Have you ever looked at all those numbers and wondered what they mean?

Because I delivered tires for years, all those numbers made sense to me, but it occurred to me, as I was tire shopping, that not everyone delivers tires for a living. Before I had that job, those numbers would have all just been a meaningless stream of mumbo jumbo.

So, let's take a minute and explore the number on the side of a tire.

Our F150 Tires are P265/70R17 100S

For those who like secret codes, get your Goodyear Decoder Ring and lets go to work. First let's break the string up a little.

P -- 265 -- 70 -- R -- 17 -- 100 -- S

Now lets go to work:

The first letter indicates the service type, or what the tire is intended to be used for.

P = Passenger tires.
They could also say "LT" for Light Truck.

The difference between Passenger and Light Truck Tires, is the thickness of the rubber in the sidewall of the tire. An LT tire has a thicker sidewall and can hold more air. This allows your truck to carry more weight without damaging your tires. If you haul a lot of weight, if you use your truck for industrial work, or if you pull a fifth wheel trailer, LT tires may be a better choice.

If you use your truck mostly for light hauling, P Metric tires (as they are commonly called) will do the job just as well, and, as they have less rubber in the sidewalls, they will be a little more flexible and therefore will ride a little smoother.

If the first letter is a "T", these are temporary tires, such as an emergency spare, and are not intended for long term use or for highway speeds. (In the tire industry, these Mini spares are often referred to as Donuts)

"ST" indicates a Special Trailer tire, designed for use on a trailer. These tires should never be used on cars or trucks.

There may not be a letter at all. In that case, you probably have a Euro-Metric tire. Although they are used mostly in Europe, a few have found their way here, mostly on mid sized SUVs and mini vans. Euro-Metric tires are comparable to "P" metric tires, with only very minor weight differences.

The next number is the tread width.

265 - Means that the tire is 265 Millimeters across. This is the measurement of the amount of tire that touches the road, and not, as some people believe the width of the tire from sidewall to sidewall.

For those of us non metric people, 300 millimeters is about a foot, so 265 is about 10 inches. Those of you who are perfectionists can figure it our exactly if you want, but for most of us, That's close enough.

The next number is known as the Aspect Ratio.

This is a fancy term for the height of the sidewall, or the distance from the road to the rim. This number is a percentage of the tread width, so 70 means that the sidewalls of my tires are 70% of 10 inches, or about 7 inches tall.

The R indicates that these are Radial tires.

This used to be much more relevant than it is today. Most tires on the road today are radials.

This is a reference to the internal construction of the tire. There are cords, generally steel or fiberglass that run back and forth inside the tire and add strength. Radial tires have those cords running straight across the tire, while Bias ply tires have the cords running diagonal and criss crossing.

Radial tires get better fuel economy, and wear longer, since the cords do not rub back and forth against each other as the tire spins. Bias tires are almost obsolete.

The next number is the rim size.

For whatever reason, tires are measured in millimeters, but rims are measured in inches, so 17 means my rims are 17 inches across.

I was never much of an artist, but this may help:


The final numbers are what is known as the Service Description

The first part is the weight capacity and the second is the speed rating.

There are charts and tables available to break down service description codes, in fact you can find a good one, (and a lot of other helpful tire information) here
Click Me

By looking it up on the chart, I can see that the 100 S on my tires means that each tire can carry up to 1764 pounds and be safe at speeds up to 112 miles per hour.

If I ever decide to drive faster than 112 mph, I will run the risk of overheating my tires. My tires are simply not capable of dissipating heat at speeds higher than 112 mph.

Of course I also run the risk of getting a ticket, losing my license and having my wife take my truck keys away, but those are all insignificant when compared to a blowout at over 100 mph.

So, to recap,

P265/70R17100S Breaks down like this:

P..........Means my tires are designed to be used for standard highway use,
265/70......are about 10 inches wide and about 31 " tall (7+17+7)
R...........are radial tires
17..........Have a 17 inch opening in the center
100......And should be safe carrying a vehicle no more than 7056 lbs (1764 X 4) S ..........at speeds of less than 112 miles per hour.

Now that you understand my tires, you should be able to figure out your own. Armed with a basic understanding of what the numbers mean, you should be better equipped next time you have to go to the tire store. Remember, knowledge is power.

And the most important thing to remember? Above everything else, do not EVER put tires on your vehicle that have a lower service description code than the original tires.

If you do, your tires will not be designed to carry the weight of the car at the speed the car is designed to run.

Putting a lower Service Description tire on a car is like asking for a blowout.

As for the rest of the numbers, be familiar with what they mean on a general basis, but a good rule of thumb is to just buy the same size, and type that the vehicle came with.

You can find more helpful information about tires at these places:

How Stuff Works

Tire Tech, Tire Info.

If you want help with metric conversions, a handy guide can be found here:

Memorial Day 2011

Some call them veterans, I call them heroes.


The men and women who have answered the call when it came.


Who placed themselves in harms way.


Who wore and wear, our country's uniform.


From those brave colonists who took a stand against the British Government in our revolution, to those who fought side by side against neighbors and brothers in our civil war, to those who answered the call, and fought in WWI and WWII, to those who fought in a series of less and less popular wars in the last 60 years, and all those who wore the uniform in times of peace.


No matter why they wore it, no matter what they were asked to do, they are part of something bigger than themselves.


They are part of the great force that stands between me and the loss of everything I hold dear.


I thank them each for their service, pray for their safety, and dream of the day when their service will not be necessary.




Yeah, he's my brother, yeah, I'm proud of him.

Have a Happy Memorial Day everyone.

ABC.4.2.8 Q Quandary

OK, Here it is, ABC Wednesday time again. This is the day to join in the ABC Wednesday Challenge, and share a little bit of our world with friends all over the world, and learn about them as well, one letter at a time. You can participate too, in either the sharing, or the learning, or both, by visiting ABC Wednesday,Where this week, the letter is


But first, several people have told me that they like the little letter signs I make each week, and are saving them and using theme in teaching, so since I was away from my files last week and couldn't make the letter "P", I promised I would do one this week. So here it is:



Now, back to Q.

I am in a bit of a quandary and I need advice from my loyal readers.

I recently got some new herbs to add to our garden, among them soapwort and some medicinal herbs that are good for skin conditions: Feverfew, Lamium, Yarrow, along with the Comfrey we already grow.

So I wanted to make some herbal soap and shampoo to sell at the Farmers Market.

There are a couple of different directions I can go with this, and I need some advice.

Traditional soaps are made by adding Lye to fats and oils. This causes a chemical reaction, called saponification, which makes the oils water soluble and solidifies them so the can be molded into bar form.

A by product of saponification, should one choose to take the steps to separate and reclaim it, is s substance called glycerin, which is used a lot in making clear soaps and liquid sops.

Soaps made from glycerin, or saponified fats have a very low water content and are relatively shelf stable.

But they are made with Lye, which is a harsh chemical. Although the lye is no longer present in finished soaps, it is, nevertheless a component of the process.

However, using soapwort root, I can make a soap and a shampoo that are lye free and chemical free. I can use herbal extracts and tinctures to add the herbal elements.

These are a water based solution, and as such have a short shelf life. They should be kept refrigerated and will last for about 2 weeks. Or I can add a chemical preservative, glycerin based, that will prolong the shelf life substantially.

So that is my QUANDARY.

And here are some QUESTIONS:

Do I sell a chemical free soap product, that has a short shelf life, or do I add preservatives?

Or, do I sell a dry package that can be added to boiling water, allowed to stand for several hours and then strained? Kind of a do-it-yourself shampoo kit?

Or do I just go ahead and use traditional saponification methods with lye and oils to make bar soap?

Would you rather buy a completely natural chemical free product, that must be refrigerated and will only keep about 2 weeks, or would you rather buy a product that is mostly natural, but has a few chemicals to prolong shelf life?

This is my QUANDARY.

I need your help...

Hidden Treasures.

Today I am going to be joining my very favorite blogger in the whole world, Diann, at The Thrifty Groove, for her recently adopted blog party, Thrifty Things Friday.




While camping this last week, I had to go into town to get a few little things and I stopped at the library, just to see what it was like.

Like we always do when we go to any library, I looked at their used books for sale. I found one I liked, A gardening book, so I took it to the desk to pay for it.

The librarian suggested that I look in the cabinets in the back room, where they had more books that wouldnt fit on the shelf in front. So I did, and I found a treasure trove!



Any one of these books would have been enough to get my attention, but all of them at the same time made my heart all aflutter and my knees weak.









And then, just when I thought it couldnt get anybetter, what did I find???





And to top it off...






And the best part...

Softcover books are 10 cents, hard cover 15 cents, so I paid 15 cents each for these books.

A quick tally of cover price shows these books at right around $195 if I bought all nine of them new.

Now, head on over to The Thrifty Groove, to see the finds, steals, bargains, deals and thrifty escapades of other reades this week.