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Called, “Street, Dresden,” this painting was done by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in 1908. It was undated by the painter in 1919. It is from MoMA.

On the home front, things continue with house cleaning quite well. I have all the cabinets and drawers done but for a small thin one on the other side of the stove which I use to store pot lids and cooling racks mostly. I’ve really reduced a lot of clutter in all the cupboards and hopefully it will be a much friendlier work environment. Of course it’s maddening now, since one is constantly opening the wrong door looking for something.

We also got a lot of planting done this morning. Tomatoes, lettuce, beets, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet and hot peppers are all in. Tomorrow we will do corn, beans and probably peas. Squash, summer and winter will go in later as well as chard and a few other odds and ends. Gardens always look so great at this point, clean and tidy. We have been having a lot of trouble with rabbits the last few years so we fence in the cole crops and that does help. The dogs are too lazy to chase anything much. LOL.

On to the news:

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Abby Sweets has a nicemadeleines recipe. That is just a cake-like cookie that is baked in a special formed pan. I doubt you actually need one, but they are available in most high end stores that cater to kitchen wares. This has just that lovely hint of lemon that is so very nice.

I just found this article fascinating and thought you might be interested as well. Margaret McKeehan, a young woman from the South, tells us what sex education was like in her public school. She also relates what she learned from her minister in a similar class. You might be surprised and you might get to thinking. I know I did.

Read about the Creek Civil War, part of the War of 1812 at American Presidents Blog.Andrew Jackson figures in this part of the war. The tribe itself was somewhat split as to whether it wished to drive the whites out or assimilate into their culture. After the battle of Taladaga, Jackson ended up with an orphaned child whom he adopted. It’s a fascinating story.

American Revolution Blog has a great series starting on the founding fathers and faith. I keep telling you of the book review I have to do, and in truth I have about 80% of it done, but this will give you a nice flavor of that upcoming post. He starts with Madison who perhaps was the clearest in his statements of how faith fit into the newborn government.

I’m getting my act together one day this week and making lasagna. This recipe is not what I am doing, but it sure is one that I want to keep in my hip pocket for something very different. It is Eggplant Artichoke Lasagna. A very different kind of lasagna for sure, but a lovely one too. Baking Delights gives us the recipe.

God knows I don’t know how the people of Iraq continue to exist in that hellish environment. Blue Girl, Red State has a post on what is happening to psychiatric care in Baghdad, and it is sickening. The horrifying conditions the doctors work in, the limits of care, all just make one so angry and depressed. It seems the world is full of such utter meanness these days. Has it always been so ugly? I don’t know. It seems worse now, but then again, maybe I just pay better attention.

A nice salad that I would like, and the Contrarian would not is in the offing from Epicurious. It’sAvocado Watercress Salad. I love avocados and the Contrarian does not. He would be okay with the watercress probably. I’ll make it and let him pick out the avocado. Sounds good to me.

Bruce Braley is sure making Iowa proud in his thoroughinvestigation of the Postville raids.He is turning out to be one of the real shining stars among new House members. I wish he was representing me frankly. That is juxtaposed against Latham who has yet to even make a statement from the Republican side of things. Read about his ongoing questions to ICE at Essential Estrogen.

Free Sample Forager has a few new offers. Dove Body Lotion, Mighty Dog Canned food, and Purex Detergent are offered today. Stop by and get your free samples. I must say, I get my offers usually within 3 weeks of filling out the forms, and while all are not so great, I do get one free wash, or use, so hey, over time, it’s worth the few minutes it takes to type in the info.

Dick Morris is a Clinton Admin. reject, sent packing for his sexual indiscretions. He’s hated the Clintons ever since, and is  on board  at Foxy Giggle News as a resident opinionator on political things though he is mostly brain dead. Still he is laughably funny. Inside-Out the Beltwayhas a humorous take on his latest assessment of the proposed Obama/McCain run for the White House. Read it and chuckle along.

The hook said, mind-blowing new Creature found. Well, that caused me to run up the feed quite quickly. Live Sciencehas the story.  Called Y-larvae in the young stage, scientists were able to grow them up into slug-like masses. I have no clue why that is mind-blowing. They seem like parasites, they seem creepy and I don’t like em. Nexxxt.

I heard something to the effect that Karl Rove had concocted some red state/blue state thingie and decided Hillary had a better chance against McCain than Obama. The question is why would I believe anything that came out of the mouth of that so-called genius of the GOP?  Now it seems that the Pillsbury Dough Boy has such a nice deal with Foxy OopsNewsthat nobody seems to realize that he is the errr, campaign adviser to all things McCain, and is simply using his position at Fox to further that enterprise (among other devious things no doubt). Oh well, what would you expect from Fox and Idiots anyway?  And we are learning that we can expect absolutely no morality from the Crooked Mac either. Salon has the story.

Okay, listen up you dairy farmers. You have a new method of making some extra cash. Just advertise and welcome a tour of your barns filled with all those sweet cows to pregnant women! Yep, you should be able to set a fee of say $25 a head for a tour. Okay, I have your interest now, so follow the link and learn how you too can make money without even trying. Science Daily would never steer(haha) you wrong!

This is one that makes you go “whhhaaaat?” I thought that it was against the law to mix religion and state. I wonder how one gets through university with a science degree and an education certificate and then goes this route. One in eight students in America is being taught creationism along side evolution by their teachers, all of this against the law. Read it and weep. What is worse, fake history is also being taught, the type that emanates from David Barton from Wallbuilders–disguised Christian nation stuff. This is so tiresome and so unnecessary.

Jim Webb is sure the up and coming Senator these days. Many are talking that he would be a fine Veep for Obama. The Nation has an excellent post on Senator Webb and I urge you to learn more about this guy. He’s pushing through the New GI bill and giving McCain fits over his opposition.

Ya see, the reason the surge appeared to work is that the US was busy paying off insurgents to not shoot at us.Of course that only created another problem, and of course, they knew that, but hey, they are trying to protect the GOP this election cycle so I guess all is fair in love and errrr war. Course, the expected future has arrived a bit early and it seems Iraq is full of little warlords, all making their demands, just like they do in Afghanistan. The Washington Independent has the story.

Think Progress weighs in on the Rove/Foxy dilemma in this, can you believe the chutzpah?, post onFox accusing MSNBC of blurring the lines between news and commentary. Oh my goodness, I may piddle my panties I’m laughing so hard. Read it and try to keep the tears of laughter from your eyes.

To mulch or not to mulch. I think mulches are great in flower beds, but a pain in veggie gardens, and frankly us rural folks have big gardens and good mulch is prohibitive in terms of cost. But if you have questions about it, Veggie Gardening Tips has a good discussion about it.

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“If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.” Johnny Carson

“Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein.” Joe Theisman

“I would rather be a coward than brave because people hurt you when you are brave.” E.M. Forster

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Funny signs from around the world

In a Texas funeral parlor: Ask about our layaway plan.

In a toilet: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below

In the vestry of a New England church: Will the last person to leave please see that the perpetual light is extinguished.

In the window of an Oregon general store: Why go elsewhere to be cheated, when you can come here?

Notice in a field: The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.

On a fence: Salesmen welcome. Dog food is expensive.

On a plumber’s truck: We repair what your husband fixed.

On a Tennessee highway: Take notice: when this sign is under water, this road is impassable.

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And the oldest serving member of Congress, former Klan member Senator Robert Byrd, has endorsed Barack Obama for president. That’s got to make Hillary feel good, huh? Even the Klan guy is going, “I’m gonna go with the black guy.” Jay Leno

Oil is now $125 a barrel, a very, very high price. But if you return the barrel, you get a $2 deposit back. So that’s not so bad.

Ladies and gentlemen, President Bush is back from his trip to the Mideast. And he did accomplish one thing. He found the crystal skull. David Letterman

 John McCain is so old, he can remember when “Saturday Night Live” was actually funny. – Janice Hough, Palo Alto, Calif.

Big Brown’s trainer has admitted that he gives the horse the steroid Winstrol twice a month. That is the easy part. The hard part is getting Brown to hit away from the shift with two strikes. – Marc Ragovin, New York