Short Takes on the Day 10/30/08

Tags

astronomy, autumn, Barack Obama, cake, Crafts, dessert, economy, Election 2008, evolution, feminism, fruit, GOP, Neo-cons, paleontology, Sarah Palin, socialism, voters

The Obama campaign has been astounding in its breath. By that I mean, it’s desire to redraw the lines in America, and draw from groups long thought to be in the Republican column, never to budge. This is not so, as a report from AlterNet suggests today. In fact, Evangelicals, rurals, and Jewish voters are breaking for Obama this year in numbers that have made red states start to look more blue. This may indeed forecast a total restructuring and realignment of the parties, leaving the Republicans will little more than the deep South and the far West. Read this fascinating article that talks about the changing landscape in America. This may have a huge impact on the ability of Obama to govern from a position of extraordinary strength across the country.

We’ve been talking a bit about the economy and what makes a successful country, one that makes it citizens happy and prosperous. Slip by DistributorCap NY today and read an excellent post on the social fabric of our country versus that of others, and how we far on the success index.

If you are a Garrison Keillor fan, then your fix is right here. As might be obvious, the issue is the election, and Mr. Keillor true to form, pulls no punches with his smart sparkling talk. Enjoy.

Digby over at Hullabaloo has a nice report on feminism and Sarah Palin. Of course you haven’t missed, I’m sure, the new/old tack being used to defend Sarah. She’s just the victim of a misogynistic media after all. Nobody else would be treated this way. She’s a feminist so she says, or doesn’t. Role model and all that jazz right? Read the article and decide.

It will soon be Thanksgiving and you know that is the time to be thankful for all our blessings, both real and surmised. In These Times takes a break and thanks all those wonderful folks who have lead us to this point in time, when (hold your breath and cross your fingers) we are about to elect Barack Obama to be president of the US of A, and return this land to the column of sanity. The list is predictable, but it’s nice to reminisce about the “bad old days.” Wouldn’t you like to personally thank some of these bozos yourself? I sure would.

And if you want pure unadulterated fun, don’t miss Maureen Dowd’s column today. It is a blame hoot, a screen play entitled “And the Maverick wears Prada.” Don’t miss it if you need a laugh. This is one of the more telling events of the campaign season. When your running mate becomes the fodder for serious journalists’ foray into dramatic writing, you know you are in deep doo-doo.

Only five more days to go! Keep up the good work everyone, vote and never stop campaigning until the very end. We are almost there!

A nice fall dessert recipe from Simply Recipes. It’s called, Mrs. Paxton’s Raw Apple Cake. Be sure to look at the comments, since there are alternations that people tried and they worked out, so enjoy.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a neat project for making candle holders from corn husks. She bought her husks at Walmart, but us farm folks find that slightly laughable since husks are strewn everywhere from the wind. Take a look and make a cute cheap decoration for the fall and Thanksgiving. Plenty of pics to help you see how to construct them.

If you spend time every day wondering how planets form, then Live Science has some new information for you. The study of old meteorites help scientists flesh out the actions of all that primordial soup that ended up in our solar system. Knowing where we came from is about the only way to know where you are, so dutifully trot over there and find out this stuff!

A significant fossil discovery has been made in Utah. Utahnians must be thrilled to say the least. The rocks there show evidence of the earliest Jurassic flora known in the western US. This takes us back 200 million years folks, when I at least was still unborn. No doubt the news is very exciting all over the state, where hoards of brainiacs and other nerdish types have descended with pens and pen protectors in tow. (I made that last part up). But hey, presumably, local business does an up tick when all those science types show up!

Short Takes on the Day 10/11/08

Tags

Afghanistan, cake, Desserts, Election 2008, fruit, gay rights, Iraq, McCain, Presidency, Sarah Palin, War

I’m just pleased as punch to announce that the Connecticut Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage. This is so wonderful, and I think presages the failure of Prop 8 in California in a few weeks. I must confess that I am nearly as happy at the thought of the gnashing of teeth that is going on in the wingnuttery land of right wing evangelical discourse. Perhaps you folks might move to Alaska. From what I have seen, you might be right welcome there, or again, perhaps not. I’d not want to lay money on the re-election prospects of the disgraced Sarah Palin.

Well darn, another adage bites the dust. The apple does indeed fall far from the tree. Christopher Buckley, son of the famous conservative, may he rest in peace, William F. Buckley, is endorsing> > > > BARACK OBAMA!!! Slip by Break the Terror and read the details of his statement, which is worth the trip I tell ya.

Epicurious  has a lovely fall dessert. Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Cake.  It sounds heavenly. Just right for those days you spend outside in the clean fall air. A soup and salad and this for dessert would be just about perfect. Take a look and add it to your file.

Garrison Keillor  is a dude I can never get enough of. If you are the same, then link ’em up and move ’em out. He suggests that anyone still undecided today on this election can’t be persuaded by the use of English.  And I suspect he is right. Anybody realize that the mobs that now attend McCain’s mob scenes rallies, are huge turn off to the independents? I mean embarrassing to see walking talking human being calling Obama an Arab and a Muslim. Too bad they don’t have the courage to admit the obvious. I am a Racist would be the correct statement no?

Michael Tomasky  reports that General Petraeus at a recent Heritage Foundation luncheon, said some things that sound an awful lot like what Obama has been saying,  and an awful lot not like what McCain keeps trying to sell. This might play well in the last debate scheduled for next week. We shall see.

A very nice piece at the History News Network   on the Vice Presidency. It is my contention, and certainly that of many experts that an unacceptable VP candidate is more than enough reason to vote against the ticket. There have been way too many VP’s who have gained the main office through the death of the President. We cannot take a chance on a utter neophyte gaining the office. She would be at the total control of people we have not elected, and goodness knows who they might be. Sarah’s past practice has been to elevate unqualified high school classmates to positions of state power in Alaska. Anyone want the civics teacher as the Secretary of State?

Breathing Life Deeply

Tags

Archaeology, Breads, cake, coffeecake, corn, Crafts, dessert, dieting, evolution, fruit, geology, Italian, Literature, pasta, Pizza, potatoes, psychology, quilting, recycling, salad, science, volcanoes, world history

These haunting eyes are of  a Nova-Walpi, North American Indian. I sadly don’t know if Nova-Walpi is a tribe or Nova is his name. Such things didn’t seem important enough to record I guess. The picture was taken by Edward Sheriff Curtis in 1904.

One  can but guess at his thoughts, a whole different life and wayy of seeing the world are hidden from us, but we are called  inward and can somehow feel him through his penetrating eyes.

Oh a busy day, in fact, they are all busy at this point, trying to catch up for long days spent inactive while the rains continued. Now we are a buzz with busyness. The garden seems okay, but as i said, much may be so stressed that it will simply put on a quick flourish to set some seeds and then die. Nothing to do but wait and hope for the best.

I did my cleaning today and then went for my walk, something I started yesterday. Trudging up the hill is hard, so I don’t go far yet. It’s a half mile to the road, and i went at best 2/5 of a mile. Not far. At one time I walked sometimes six miles, though four was more normal. I’ll extend the distance next week. Bear went along with me, going into the corn fields to take a pee. Not very nice of him. I am as always enchanted by what I see, the lovely green fields, the sounds of so many birds, the tracks of so many animals.

A buck must have walked down the lane, since I saw a very large track today. No doubt following what was obviously a doe and her fawn. The cute little tracks of the baby, no doubt fascinated by all he or she saw. A coon also passed by, and a pheasant for sure. The coyotes have stayed away of late. We also think that a big cat is about though we only saw him once. He was running across the field to the north, and had that tale so like a cat, long and kind of swaying. It was definitely not a coyote. Such tales are always around, but nobody has every killed or found one dead, so it always remains mystery.

I made meatballs and sauce for spaghetti today. I had made foccacia a couple of weeks ago, and I got the leftovers into the freezer for just such a meal as this. I don’t think I’ll bother with a salad. Plenty to eat without it, and we had one a couple of days ago. I did the Cilantro Chicken from last weeks blog recipes. It really was good. Plenty of leftover chicken breast and that will make a nice chicken salad for Saturday. Tomorrow is hamburgers with some of that chipotle-cheese sauce that I also featured last week or the week before.

We watched something on the news that caught us up. Dogs and cats who have been given up due to floods or losing homes in the mortgage foreclosure disaster. We’ve decided to take in a new dog, and later I’m going to try to locate where to go here in Iowa. It just broke my heart, so many of the little guys in shelters not understanding what has happened to their world. Our two dogs are 9 and 11 respectively, so it’s a good time to transition we thought. We love them so much, and nothing can replace them, but we have room for more, and can’t stand to see so many lost when we can offer them a good home and safety.

Boy, I’m yacky. Better get on to see if anything new is out there in internet land.

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101 Cookbooks has some tips on making pizza on the grill. Although her ingredients are a bit foofoo for my more pedestrian tastes as far as pizza goes, the tips are still valid of course. If you are thinking of trying this, and it does sound fun, then give it a look.

If scones are something you would like to try, then skip over to A Mingling of Tastes and find her recipe for Oat Scones with Dried Cherries and Walnuts. They are easy to make and serve as a nice alternative to the usual muffins or toast. A bonus, there are two other muffin recipes that lead into the scone one, so you get three great recipes! 

Since the 4th is on the way, I thought I might give you my potato salad recipe. I have only found one other that matched it. But I realize that potato salad  is one of those things that people tend to like the way mom made it. Here goes, and these are estimates on ingredients, I don’t measure a thing.

Sherry’s Awesome Potato Salad

Potatoes, 5-6 medium large or equivalent of waxy potatoes like Yukon
An equal number of eggs hard boiled. 6 if using Idaho potatoes
scallions, about 6, tops and green parts sliced thin
radishes, about 8, chunked so they will hold up for a few days
sour dill pickles, about 2 medium finely diced
about 1/3 cup of green olives, diced
dressing:
mayo, a good cup
dijohn mustard, and yellow mustard, about 3 TBSP's in all
salt, pepper,
celery seeds
a bit of juice from the dill pickles or olives 1/4 c. or so
mix it all together, decorate if you desire with fresh chives,
parsley, and some like sweet pepper slices. That's it.
Adjust anything to the tanginess you like. It's the dill pickles
that make the difference here.

ALemon Glazed Bundt Cake might be just the thing for that 4th of July celebration. If so, Chocolate and has a nice recipe for you. I think I’m going for gooey Molten Lava cakes myself, but I love lemon desserts a lot and this will be on my radar for later this summer.

Garrison Keillor graces us again with his wit. Today he counsels that Barack Obama could learn a thing or two from Jesse Ventura. Do say? Always fun and a nice change of pace from our favorite pundit on life!

One of the things that keeps history interesting, is that there are so many different ways to approach it. It is surely true that history is written by and large by the victors, but today, with so many more tools of examination, historians can look at it from a number of different ways and pull out the threads of unknown facts drawing a clearer and very different interpretation. One way is to examine history from the point of view of colonialism. Read more at History News Network.

Another of those great science things. Archaeologists who look for bones, have uncovered the earliest known 4 legged animal scull. They expect that this will help them understand that important transition between fish and those creatures that first walked on the earth. I don’t know about you, but this stuff always fascinates me. I feel like I’m taking a walk along my family tree. It lived 365 million years ago, and lived in water. They think it looked a bit like an alligator but with fins. Cool eh? Thanks to Live Science for the story.

If you are a baby boomer as I am, this next one also from Live Science may be of interest. Are you blue, and prone to being in the dumps a lot? Seems there is a good reason for that. Boomers, says the Pew Report, are just not very enthusiastic about the future. Looking around the economy, and the world, I can see why. Sigh, boy this bums me out!

On Faith has a compelling question: What book has made a difference in your life? I mean, where do I start? It seems every ten years or so, I would revise the list. Most everyone would agree that the bible or your choice of religious book qualifies. But oh the other possibilities are endless. Mailer’s the Naked and the Dead made an impact on me on the subject of war that I have never forgotten. I think I see a separate post for this. How bout we look at the subject Sunday?

The Scythians were horsemen in Central Asia. A very well preserved body of a Cavalier was found in 2006. Much has been learned about the gentleman since then. He died some 2,300 years ago. An amazing amount is known about him and his life through the use of modern forensic tools. Read this interesting account at Rogueclassicism.

Scientists did not believe it possible. They were wrong. It seems volcanoes are busily blowing their cool, errr, hot in very deep waters in the Arctic Ocean. The great pressures and weight of the water were thought to prevent this occurrence. Not so, not so. Read more at Science Daily.

New news for dieters! If you want to lose weight, stop thinking about dying for crying out loud. And the thoughts don’t have to be directly about yourself. Watching death related material such as crime shows, and the awful news, also contribute. We get the munchies it seems. Wow, somebody will be writing a book about this. “Diet with Laurel and Hardy,” coming to a bookstore near you!

Truly, nothing says summer better than corn salad. You can make this in any number of ways, as long as you start with grilled or seared corn kernels. Then add whatever fresh veggies, (also grilled) and do the dressing and boy you have got a great accompaniment to just about any summer dinner. I’m adding it to my July 4th day menu I do believe. So far that makes the  Texas Brisket barbecue, potato salad, pea salad, and corn salad, and the molten chocolate lava cakes. Simply Recipes has the wonderful recipe.

I just love these copycat recipes. The Secret Recipe Blog today gives us the wonderful  Macaroni Grill’s “Penne Rustica.” This recipe should probably be cut in half for the normal family. I can’t even begin to think about a sauce that requires 8 cups of cream!

Oh I found a recipe that is well, time consuming and a tad expensive to make, but I think it worthy of your attention. Tuscan CoffeeCake Bread. I mean is this made for Sunday on a lazy hot day or what? The wonders of dried fruits and warm fresh bread, with butter melting. Oh, I may get the vapors just thinking of it. I have to get some of the dried fruit, but I am definitely making this recipe. The Sour Dough is to be thanked for this gem of a bread.

The Village Shop Blog shows off some of her work that is going in a new shop as “samples” of what a person can do. I’ve never been asked to do this, and with good reason! I think they are simply lovely and so very encouraging to me as a sometime quilter.

Tip Junkie has a host of tips. They go from fun and funky craft ideas to recycling ideas. The recycling craze is really catching on as more folks realize that with prices increasing everywhere on everything, a premium is now placed on getting the full usage possible out of everything. You can find some good stuff here.

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How about some Murphy’s Laws:

Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.

Two wrongs are only the beginning.

If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then..

If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

Trust everybody … then cut the cards.

All the good ones are taken.
If the person isn’t taken, there’s a reason

Money can’t buy love, but it sure gets you a great bargaining position.

Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.

Friendly fire ain’t.

Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he’ll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he’ll have to touch to be sure.

Atoms and Other Particles

Tags

American History, Applique, astronomy, beading, chicken, Civil War, crochet, Desserts, embroidery, founding faithers, fruit, Gardening, George Washington, herbs, Italian, Pennsylvania, pesto, quilting, religion, Rome, seeds, Women's history, world history

George Krause did this beauty, entitled “Fountainhead” in 1970. I suspect that in some parts of the west, such a delightful experience would be most welcome.

Well, the garden is officially planted for the second time. I couldn’t get any more tomato plants or any sweet peppers but I did manage to get four Anaheim peppers which are mildly hot and good for a lot of dishes. The garden doesn’t look too bad, and the corn seems to be going a bit. Some of the tomato plants look rather spindly, but who knows, they may take off. I’m wondering if I should get some fertilizer out on it. Perhaps the heavy rains have washed away nutrients. The little pepper plants, no more than about 7 inches tall are trying to set fruit. That concerns me, since I’m thinking they are not going to produce much. Nothing can be done.

It seems the story is the same everywhere. The Contrariansstep brother has sprayed his fields for weeds so apparently he thinks the corn will come along. Since we planted at nearly the same time, that gives us some hope. Surely he wouldn’t spend the money for nothing. He must feel that the chances are still worth it.

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A huge congrats to Deborah over at (Mis)Adventures of a Crafty Wifey. Seems they are pregnant. Stop by and give her and hubby a nice high five.

William Penn is of course the reason Pennsylvania is called, well PENNsylvania. Yesterday marked the anniversary of his penning ( no pun intended of course) a treaty between his white folks and the native tribe there, the Lenni Lenape. King Charles II had given Penn the land, but of course it was never his to give. Read more at Martin’s American History Blog.

Hannibal won a significant battle against the Romans on this date in 217 B.C.E. Of course in the end he lost. N.S. Gill’s Ancient/Classic History Bloghas the details. The Contrarian and I seldom hear of Hannibal when we don’t recall a funny incident. We were watching “Millionaire” back in its beginnings when Regis Philbinwas still hosting at night. The first question to a contestant was “What animal did Hannibal use to cross the Alps in his war against Rome?” Without batting an eye, the young man confidently exclaimed with obvious superiority, “Llamas!” ROFL. Now there is so much wrong with that that well it never fails to get us laughing like crazy.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog offers a pattern for an afghan, and she offers you three different sizes. The pattern is called shell triangles and it’s very lovely I thought. I have a couple of afghans in progress already, but of course I seldom work on them during the summer months. Just to hot and the yarn drags horribly and your hands sweat. (We don’t use air-conditioning) I have tried to leave comments on her site but they never open up. If any of you have any luck, let me know.

You can find a very interesting discourse on George Washington at American Revolution Blogtoday. He discusses at length Washington’s faith, and how he interpreted that in light of his responsibilitiesboth as Revolutionary General and later as President. A very impressive overview.

I’ve been on a cilantro kick for a while. The fajitas we had yesterday were so much enhanced by fresh cilantro in the salsa. So it should come as no surprise that I found this recipe from  Baking Delights enticing. It’s called Cilantro Chickenand is a quickie. I’m rather certain I shall make it before the end of the week, though I will be significantly cutting it down for two.

Today Civil War Women features Judith Carter Henry. The story is about the first battle of Bull Run and an unlikely victim of that battle. Mrs. Henry, 85 years old, was one of casualties and, and as Maggie points out, the romanticism of war soon faded.

My intestines have caught up with me so I’ve had to put on the breaks with my love affair with fruit for a bit. But that doesn’t mean that I want to deprive you of a great recipe. Mango Blueberry Fool is sure to please your family any day, but especially on the hot summer days when fruit tastes just so darn good. Thanks to Epicurious for another fine one.

I thought I would include this fromFeeling Stitchy today, in honor of our friend Vicki at Knitting Dragonflies. A plethora of dragonflies for your inspiration! Patterns, tutorials and links to other great dragonfly-inspired projects for embroidery and quilting. One is also beaded, so lots of different craft ideas are available.

Okay, have you tried planting an avocado seed? I have, and have actually grown one to a real plant, but then it just died. I think I may try again with the expert advice I found at Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas. Take a peek and don’t send that poor old avocado seed off to the compost heap again. Grow your own! Of course it takes years to produce fruit, so either grow as a houseplant or transplant to a movable container and eventually you will get fruit. We can’t plant outside here in Iowa, it’s too cold in the winter.

Alice Parker is another of those unfortunate women who was tried as a witch. While many try to play down this time in our history, especially the religious right who never want to admit that Christianity can get out of hand, History of American Womenmakes it very clear by her essays that it was indeed prevalent for a time. It is important that these poor women not be forgotten. Her conviction was later reversed and her family received 8 pounds in recompense. How very nice. 😦

Inspired by Antique Quilts has another one she is getting ready to finish. A lovely applique that is colorful and looks quite quick. The pattern is large as you can see if you follow the link and take a look yourself.

Science purely shocks me sometimes. It tells me things that frankly I never thought about before.  Most know of Homer’s Odyssey, if they haven’t read it, or seen some representation of it in film. Of course we know it is part fiction but also part fact, since Troy has long been known to exist, featured so prominently in the Iliad. In the Odyssey, an eclipse is mentioned in the 20th book. Astronomers have pinpointed the date of that eclipse as April 16, 1178 B.C.E. some months after Odysseus return, near in time to when he slayed the many suitors vying for his wife’s hand. Read all the fascinating details of how this was done at Live Science.

The new Pew Report is really fascinating as it looks at American views on religion. Some of the results are simply astounding in my view. Some of this I saw last night on the news. Apparently most of us, even most evangelicals don’t believe that their faith (Christianity) is necessarily the only way to salvation. A huge majority of Catholics (79%) feel this way, topped only by Buddhists at around 83%. That suggests I think, major room for interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The Politico has the story. Here is a link to the forum itself where you can spend a long time reading through this very detailed work.

Pesto! I love the stuff, and have about 8 basil plants doing just fine in a container by the front door. I plan on making pestowhen they are as big as i can get them. It’s very easy to make, just basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Whiz it in a food processor, spoon into ice cube trays and freeze, pop out and put in a freezer bag. You can add it to pasta, soups, well just about anything you wish. Once Upon A Feast has some great new and different ways to make it. Cilantro is a favorite substitute. Just looking at the photos are enough to make a person swoon.

Well I found this next one a bit weird to say the least. It seems glass is not a proper solid at all. It’s moving. Yeah, did I say weird? Atoms are prohibited from moving where they want to by being blocked by neighbors. All of this means (heck if I know why) that glass could be the new component in airplane construction. I’m not thinking I want to sit in a transparent plane anytime soon!

Canada can boast a new find archaeologically speaking, and we always like to speak archaeologically whenever possible. An ancient fort constructed by people before Europeans arrived in the area, has been located in Western Canada, near Cluny and east of Calgary. It is defined as a Siksika First Nation reservation and is around 250 years old. The site was long known to native peoples.

Wow, I sure missed a number of posts by Melisende at Women of History. There are several so I’ll just give you the main site and you can scroll down and read what you like. The first is onMaria Comnena, Queen of Jerusalem, grandniece to Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnena of Constantinople. Second is Theodora Comnena, niece of the same Emperor. Next is Margaret Anjou, Queen to the King Henry VI of England, Artemesia of Hallicarnassus, Queen, and lastlyGalla Placidia, Empress and daughter of Theodosius the Great of Rome. They are all from June 22, so she’s been quite prolific. A lovely run of important women

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More Sign Humor:

At a Music Store: Out to lunch. Bach at 12:30. Offenbach sooner.

At a tire shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout. 

At the electric company: We would be delighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don’t, you will be.

Church sign: To remove worry wrinkles, get your faith lifted

In a department store: Bargain Basement Upstairs.

In a Maine restaurant: Open seven days a week and weekends.

In a Pennsylvania cemetery: Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves.

Inside a bowling alley: Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop.

On a maternity room door: Push. Push. Push.

On a New York convalescent home: For the sick and tired of the Episcopal Church

Weep for Iowa

Tags

American History, astronomy, Civil War, crochet, cross stitch, fabric decoupage, founding fathers, ice cream, Italian, pasta, Presidents, quilting, religion, science, Unitarianism, Women's history

Another entry into the Spider Black-White Photography competition. This one is from an amateur Jason Robinette USA. It is such an anomaly in contrasts, the expected tilted back head so common to one who is arising from beneath the water of a pool, the hand placements so very odd. It other worldly in some sense, alien. I wonder if it was spontaneous or staged?

Horrors continue in Iowa. We learn that a boy scout camp was hit by a tornado last night with a loss of life of 4 and upwards of near 50 injured. It is almost beyond comprehension that so much misery is visiting our state. Cedar Rapids has no power, and the 500 year flood plain has been evacuated while the downtown begins to flood. Cresting has not yet even occurred. One can only wait in dejection as things just get worse and worse.

Our friend has has plenty of time to remove all his valuables and appliances from his home. At last check yesterday the waters from the Wapsi were about 40 feet from the house. The Wapsi has I believe crested in Independence which is the last stop before it hits us. Things look bleak. Well water must be boiled in our county if you live on a flood plain. We do not.

Our major concern now is power. It flicked off once yesterday and then went off for about 10 minutes. No sump is worth a dime if the power goes out. At this point, our basement would begin flooding I believe within a hour. That is simply nothing we can do anything about. As power fails on other parts of the grid, more stress is placed upon those still operating.  It has rained fairly steadily since about 6 am. We are now in a lull, and hope that perhaps we have now had the worst of it. Time will tell, but we are told that after today, things will be quite a bit better except for Sunday where rain is still highly likely.

Oh, the Chipotle Chocolate Flourless  Cake is well, HOT. If you make it, I would definitely not add the dash of cayenne suggested. I added a couple of scoops of ice cream and that tempered the heat enough that I could enjoy it, but I’m doubtful I’ll try this little number again. It would be okay I guess for something rather fancy, small pieces with ice cream or whipped with maybe some fresh raspberries for garnish. It definitely is a dish that would cause a good amount of chatter when served.

Let’s see what we can find that takes our minds off the sad state of affairs in my state.

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A lovely owl filet crochet  is offered by Sandi’s Crochet Blog. As always it comes with complete instructions and variations so that you can even cross-stitch it if you wish.

Iowa Public TV has been running a series on the American Presidents. We just finished watching the one on Harry Truman. I didn’t think much of the man after watching it frankly, and even less of his self-centered wife Bess. His adoration for her was slightly disgusting, given that she treated him rather badly in my opinion. American President’s blog  has a nice piece on his courtship of the woman. He was strange and they were a strange couple.

American Revolution Blog  looks again at religion, especially that of Unitarianism in our early colonial period. I believe that John Adams changed from his Puritan roots to the Unitarian church. It’s an excellent read and you shouldn’t miss it.

Okay, so we have been flirting with some recipes that are a bit out there. This one features that chipotle again, this time with blackberries. I thought it made an interesting possibility for summer barbecue. It’s called Chipotle-Blackberry Pulled Pork, and comes to us from Coconut & Lime. It’s a slow cooker recipe, with a long list of ingredients but oh it could be a huge winner!

Free Sample Forager  has Pantene hair product samples available. Vaseline samples as well.

Garrison Keillor  has a piece over at the Salon. This week he weighs in on Barack Obama and the challenges faced by a black man running for the country’s highest office.

Family Style Food  offers a recipe that is anything but Family Style. This is a lovely update of an old favorite. I can assure you that at the moment we actually have a wonderful beautiful ripe tomato of sufficient size, BLT’s are thfirst thing we consider. We gorge on them for a month, at least once a week, until the time has past. Take a look at BLT’s with aoili sauce and on Flatbread.Recipes for all including the flatbread. Oh I am definitely trying this one.

Maggie brings us another of her marvelous bio’s. This time the featured woman is Rebecca Towne Nurse. She arrived with her family in Salem, MA in 1640 and later married a man named Nurse. She was arrested as an elderly woman of 71 as a witch, and even though she had an impeccable history in the town, accusers (who may have had other personal reasons to get her out of the way) prevailed. Although the initial verdict was Not Guilty, the jurors were urged to return and rethink things which they did, and finally provided the Guilty verdict that was desired by some. Read about this sad story at History of American Women.

Niki’s Ventures  has a link to a big bunch of new quilting patterns. This is worth bookmarking if you are a quilter. She lists a very long list of sites which offer free patterns and then gives you a separate list for specific quilt types. An excellent resource. In fact there are several lists, and in total more than 2500 patterns. So this is the best of the best. I’ll add this site to my blogroll for crafts for sure.

The Hubble space telescope continues to show us new parts of our universe in all its splendor. The Coma Cluster contains thousands of Galaxies. Can you imagine what you are viewing here? Millions upon millions of stars and planets. I believe most  are older galaxies, no longer producing much in the way of new stars. It is an impressive wonder.

Did I tell you that I adore ice cream? And I adore cherries especially. They are so expensive here in Iowa. I remember as a kid stopping at a roadside stand on the way up to the lake and buying a quart for 50cents. Now it’s like $3 bucks for a quart. But oh so good to combine the two as Simply Recipes has done for Cherry Ice Cream. Oh did I say it also has chocolate chips? BONUS! And I bet that changes your mind!

Secret Recipe Blog  has a wonderful Olive Garden  entry today. Tortelloni Bologneseis available for the copying. Italian dishes are my super favorite ethnic food with Tex-Mex a close second. Try your hand at this crowd and family pleaser.

A wonderful fabric decoupage nightstands  for you from J Caroline Creative. I picked this up through Tip Junkie  and thank her alot. I can’t vouch for the colors chosen here, which are a little glaring to me, but I this tutorial is worth that and more. If you have a cheap piece of furniture that you would like to redo, this is great! Take a look and save this tutorial as the process can be used on anything I think. I’m now thinking of buying a really cheap chest of drawers just to try this.

If anyone is a Civil War buff or a military history buff, I found a nice site courtesy of World History Blog entitled Wig-Wags. It’s run by a graduate student in the subject so you will get some great information and as I perused it, some really good reviews of books on the subject. Stop by if so inclined.

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 HA!

 

 

 

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“I’m not against half-naked girls – not as often as I’d like to be…” Benny Hill

“TV has brought murder back into the home where it belongs.” – Alfred Hitchcock

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” –Mark Twain

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. –Gandhi

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. – Wayne Gretzky

“Happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got”. – Garth Brooks

“I’m an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house”. – Zsa Zsa Gabor

“Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special.” — Chris Rock

Are YOU Listening?

Tags

Asteroids, baseball, Breads, Breakfast rolls, Bush, chicken, chocolate, church/state, Civil War, Condiments, Constitution, Coolidge, Crafts, Desserts, eclipses, economy, Election 2008, environment, Father's Day, foreign policy, fruit, fundamentalism, Gardening, gay rights, greed, Iowa, lobbyists, Media, medicine, morality, pie, potpourri, quilting, SCOTUS, sin, witchcraft, Women's history, world history

After having done the laundry room yesterday, I can sure say I’m glad that I don’t have to do my washing outdoors like these women. This is listed as women washing from North Dakota 1900-1910 from the Fred Hultstrand Photo collection, located at the Library of Congress.

Did I tell you I’m totally blessed with a wonderful husband? The Contrarian has graciously taken on the task of some housework and cooking today as my digestive issues returned with a fury last night. It’s the most confounding disease, and you can never peg how long it will last and how severe it will be. The last time, hardly a week ago, was a cake-walk. This morning I awoke feeling beaten to a pulp and I’m still belching up a storm. Sorry for being so graphic. I’m just tired mostly and so this is the perfect place for me; a long session traveling the internet in search of the stories you can’t live without. So let’s get to it.

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101 Cookbooks has a most interesting dessert recipe made with cream cheese and tofu and chocolate. It sounds a bit weird but Heidi promises that it’s a real taste sensation. It’s called Heavenly Pie. Drop by and take a look and see what you think. She changed up some of the ingredients and I suspect you can do the same.

I think sweets are on my mind today. Abby Sweets has a delicious sounding recipe for  Pecan Honey Sticky Buns that I think might peak your interest. It sure did mine. This is the perfect brunch item for those lazy Sunday mornings, lolling on the terrace with coffee and the paper. Okay, sitting in a lawn chair, reading a good novel and swatting flies and trying to keep them off your buns!

First off let me say that I very much admire Tiger Woods. Even though I basically despise golf, we cheer him on in every contest that I am forced to watch. I find him a terrific roll model for kids and frankly a roll model for us all by and large. That said, I found this article disturbing. Does Mr. Woods owe us some kind of moral response to wrongs in society? Read about his partnership with Chevron and see what you think?

The sickening cesspool of Iraq seems to be sucking our money faster than water drains from a tub these days. In another stunner, a Pentagon audit finds 15 BILLION dollars unaccounted for. That’s your money and mine folks, and it’s intolerable as I see it. When oh when is somebody(s) going to be held accountable? It seems the only people doing well are Halliburton and Blackwater.

First Lady of Baseball? Oh I bet you wonder who that might be. It will be a surprise I can tell you, most unlikely. Travel to the American Presidents Blog and get the answer and a nice little vignette about the president’s wife who had a passion for the game.

I talk long and hard about the misuse of history to further personal agendas. No one is more guilty of that than David Barton, alleged historian and distorter of all that is history. Mr. Barton, head of “Wallbuilders” is on a crusade to prove that America is a Christian nation and he lets no facts get in the way of that mission. Read a scathing but accurate report from American Revolution Blogand Lindsay Shuman. We first heard of Mr. Barton on a skimming of the religious cable channels. He was doing a series based on his book before two evangelical preachers, who nodded and oohed and ahhed at his every “revelation.” Pure utter nonsense, but to the unlearned sounds mighty fine no doubt.

No one who reads this blog regularly has any real question about where I stand on most issues. I am pretty vocal. I am appalled a the idea that McCain could have the opportunity to continue the reorganization of SCOTUS to reflect an ultra conservative agenda which tramples on individual rights, protects business excess and promotes majority rule over protection of minority rights. But sometimes, I figure you are entitled to both sides, and I especially enjoy giving you that when I can send you to a place that gives you intelligent, fair coverage of both sides. Bill Moyers Journaldoes just that. Read the discussion of “How strictly should the Constitution be followed?” featuring Jeffrey Toobin and Thomas Sowell. Yes, Sowell writes for NRO, and mostly I think he is a wingnut, but read on and see what you think.

Say what you will, the Bushites continue to at least provide plenty of hysterical fodder for water cooler giggling. The latest is storming the airways and blogosphere today. Scott McClellan, former WH press secretary has a book out and boy is it causing a stir. The WH is exclaiming, “this ain’t the Scott we knew.” It’s a hoot I tell you, and everyone is talking. Read Blue Girl Red State‘s humorous biting take on the media frenzy that is just starting up. As I ran though a dozen or more stories about this, it seems apparent that the WH has joined ranks and officially are pretty much proclaiming that poor Scott has obviously lost his mind. To a person they say, “This can’t be Scott, something has happened to him.”

Still looking for more and better excuses to imbibe? Wine I mean. Well Britannica Blog has more for you. It actually may help prevent certain types of liver disease, and don’t we all want to do that? So sip away, and know that you are doing your heart and your liver good.

For some this is definitely too much effort period. But think again. Making hamburger buns homemade will surely set you apart, create lots of talk in the neighborhood and make lots of women hate you for being so, well, super! I suspect you will find that they, like most things, taste ever so much better than the gluey tasteless things we get from Wonder Bread. Coconut & Lime has the recipe.

Of course with the summer grilling season just underway, we are all looking for new recipes to wow friends and neighbors. Nothing gets more tiresome that the usual, ribs, barbecue chicken and brats, so take a look at Citrus Chicken under a Brick and do something new and exotic to boot. Thanks to Epicurious for this one. I love to butterfly chicken and weight it down like this. It just works wonderfully.

Lucy Rebecca Buck was a diarist, and if you are interested on her take on the Civil War as she lived through it, be sure to make it to Civil War Women and read her mini-biography of this woman. Different from her usual nurses, this lady wrote daily of what life was like for her during this period. I find these accounts simply fascinating. A snapshot of another world in another time and place. You come away with an entirely different feel for history and you undoubtedly realize how little we have changed over time.

Gardening Tips and Ideas has a great post on creating your own potpourri from your own garden. She gives you all the information you need to create your own jars of aroma. Just a few things will be purchased, the rest comes from your own lovely roses and herbs. Enjoy this crafting delight.

Garrison Keillor has a post on soldiering. A bit late, but certainly with so many of our young men and women still in harm’s way, it’s still topical. Mr. Keillor has a wonderful way of putting things in perspective and giving us a good ponder. Somehow I don’t think Harley Davidson will be offering Garrison a contract to promote hogs any time soon.

Monday in my Editorial, I alluded to the politics of yesterday promoted by Bush/McCain–one shall not speak to those we are opposed to. I find it more dangerous that the rational approach suggested by Mr. Obama. A couple of history profs tend to agree with me it seems and find that other US presidents also did as well. Read “Must We Ever Fear to Negotiate” at History News Network.

History of American Women features a lady accused of witchcraft back in our colonial time. Elizabeth Jackson Howe was born in England and immigrated to the colonies as a very young child. Things went bad in Ipswitch and poor Mrs. Howe was accused of causing illness through witchcraft. She was tried in Salem in 1692. Convicted, she was hung on July 19. A sad blot on our history indeed.

Are you sick of the media frenzy that we encounter daily on so-called gaffes of the candidates? I sure am. Inside-Out the Beltway has a fine post on being fed up with non-news and the increasing case that the media at large has lost its ability to report NEWS.

If you have a moment, drop over to inspired by antique quilts and get a look at the lovely butterfly motif quilt she has done. It’s simply lovely and perfect for a girl’s bed, or your own certainly. A wall hanging would be fine also. It certainly looks homey and comfy and just makes me feel warm all over on this still chilly day.

Sister Joan Chittister has a great post about how we are again losing our way in this election cycle. Much like Inside-Out the Beltway, she decries the non-news that the media remains focused on and finds again, that women take the brunt of the slams. Read her always interesting takes on the world, and politics today.

We talk about terrorism as a given,  and a growing crisis in the world. Certainly a number of folks, mainly McCain and the warmongering Bushites play on our fears almost constantly, mostly to hide their own ineptitude and personal agendas. However, what is the real state of terrorism today? Fareed Zakaria points out that the idea that terrorism is on the rise is flawed, and suggests that the culprit is, you guessed it, the American government. See how the Simon Fraser Study, done in Canada, sets the record straight.

The subject is greed, remember the movie with Michael Douglas? Greed he said was “good.” Well, we have been greedy haven’t we, we in the US that is, and we collectively in the West. How’s that doing for for ya now? On Faith takes on the subject with the posts from a the panel and plenty of comments. Weigh in on this fascinating moral, economic topic of the day.

George Will on Sunday’s George Stephanopolous show said in regards McCain’s cleaning house of his lobbyist bloated campaign, “he honestly believes it doesn’t matter since he is honest.” Well bully for him. I don’t buy it. I can swim with the slime but not get slimed is a poor way of convincing me for sure. It just makes me crazy to think that he proposed legislation some years ago to ban what he got caught doing to such an extreme that he instituted a “new” policy to do what he tried to legislate years before. Uh, what? Okay, let me start again. He introduced legislation I’m told to disallow candidates from hiring lobbyists for their campaigns. That didn’t pass so he then fills his campaign with lobbyists? And when the press called him on it time and again for their sleazy associations, he then institutes a “new” policy banning all lobbyists from his campaign. Is he nuts? Anyhoo, go to Political Animaland read Kevin Drum’s latest scoop from MSNBC. Seems McCain’s national campaign co-chair was working for a Swiss bank lobbying Congress about the mortgage crisis at the same time that he was advising McCain on economic strategy. McCain is obviously suffering from dementia.

I guess eclipses still cause a minor flurry of excitement around the world today. Solar more so than lunar certainly. Did you know that they have stopped battles and induced truces on the spot historically? Rogueclassicism has a nice piece on eclipses over history and how they effected the lives of those who witnessed them.

I believe that for the first time, polls in California suggest that the electorate there by a slim margin now favor gay marriage. This will come as a shocking thing to the reactionary right who claims they are the arbiters of all things moral. I can hardly wait to check out the forums where there will be much gnashing of teeth no doubt.

Oh and in case you missed it, McCain and Bush were scheduled to hold an open fundraiser a few days ago, which is why McCain couldn’t make the vote for the Iraq funding or the new GI Bill (convenient of course). Trouble is and was, that there were so few tickets sold, they turned it into a house party, and closed it, afraid that more protesters would show up than supporters. It’s too too funny. Seems the Mac is between a rock and hard place these days.

Glenn Greenwald has another of his killer posts on journalists and their desire to find themselves innocent of lazy work during the run-up to the war. Only Katie Couric it seems even suggested that the media could have done a better job. Most defended themselves saying they asked a lot of questions. LOL. It’s an excellent post, and one I suggest you should read. This is why blogging has taken on greater importance. Anyone who knows history knows that a free often belligerent press is what helps keep us free. These people cave in at the first threat of loss of access and its despicable.

Well ya can’t say that Iowa isn’t in the forefront of important stuff. Researchers at the University of Iowa are setting up the Asteroid Deflection Research Center to bring scientists from around the world together in the development of new technologies to protect the planet should we face an impeding killer asteroid strike. I feel a good deal safer knowing that, and I’m sure you do as well.

A strawberry rhubarb terrine? Oh that sounds mighty fine to me. I adore rhubarb as I might have mentioned once or twenty times. Simply Recipes has a great summery treat to make.

Are you addicted to Taco Bell’s hot sauce? Well probably not, but then again, maybe you are. Anyway, Secret Recipe Bloghas the copycat recipe for you. And hey, making your own taco sauce is not a bad thing, and it’s probably way cheaper than buying the bottled stuff. I may well give it a try when the jalapenos are ready to harvest.

This posting caught my eye, because, well frankly I think the dude is right. I’m outraged about torture being done in my name by my government. And if you peruse the blogosphere, plenty of other people are as well. But I don’t frankly see a lot of media attention being given to the subject. Believe me, if the media smelled in the lightest whiffs of a breeze that the public cared about this subject, they would be covering it daily. The Nation asks, “Where is the Outrage?” and I have to say, yeah, exactly where is it America?

To the seven deluded people in America who don’t think that McCain is just another Bush in disguise,the proof would tend to be in the voting record would it not? Obama will surely have a field day in arguing that McCain voted for Bush policies 100% of the time in 2008 and 95% of the time in 2007. So much for distancing! Think Progress gave us the news.

Tip Junkie has a number of links to sites with ideas for crafters who want to make something special for that man in your life for Father’s Day. There is quite a long list with plenty of variety, so get busy and make something special for Dad this year.

We linked you to a bio today of a woman hanged in Salem after being convicted of witchcraft. We look upon these things as horribly misguided actions by people who were backward in thinking. Amazing as it may seem, 15 women have been executed in Africa for just that offense recently. Kenyan mobs have done this, sad to say, rounding up “offenders” in villages and burning them to death.  Our thanks to Women of History for the story.

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“Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book.” Edward Gibbon

“Men live in a fantasy world. I know this because I am one, and I actually receive my mail there.”  Scott Adams

“We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” Anais Nin

“My mother buried three husbands, and two of them were just napping.” Rita Rudner

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More crazy product warnings:

Earplugs
These ear plugs are nontoxic, but may interfere with breathing if caught in windpipe

Mattress
Warning: Do not attempt to swallow

Fix-a-Flat
WARNING: Do not weld can to rim.

Rain Gauge
Suitable for outdoor use.

RCA Television Remote Control
Not Dishwasher Safe

Road Sign
Caution water on road during rain.

Road Sign
Cemetery Road. Dead End

Children’s Superman Costume
Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.

Rowenta Iron
Warning: Never iron clothes on the body.

Nabisco Easy Cheese
For best results, remove cap.

Japanese food processor:
Not to be used for the other use.~~~&&&~~~&&&~~~

 

The cruise liner Norwegian Spirit crashed into a Manhattan pier. The entertainment director tried to spin it positive. “Today our ship photographer will take your photo in front of some ruins. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

According to a new study, teenage girls whose boyfriends are gang members are nearly twice as likely to become pregnant as girls not dating boys in gangs. This study was conducted by Dilmore University of Hoboken (DUH).

A 77-year-old man has become the oldest person to reach the summit of Nepal’s Mount Everest. He made it by repeating over and over to himself, “I haven’t fallen so I CAN get up.” –– Paul Seaburn, Spring, Texas

Hillary thanked NASA profusely for the encouragement and vowed to fight on now more than ever after Phoenix’s photographs of Mars revealed there is as much life there as in her campaign. – Eugene Cappuccio

Both George Bushes have been accused of being in bed with the Saudis for years. But when they ask for a favor — more oil — they get a resounding no. I guess they just aren’t very good in bed. – Charles Almon

Living Large in Rural Iowa

Tags

Barack Obama, Catholicism, church/state, Civil War, courts, creationism, fundamentalism, Gardening, gay rights, History, immigration, Jam/jelly, John McCain, justice, mulches, quilting, salad, vegetables, Veterans, weeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece is simply called Goddess, and is from the Cypro-Archaic period mid 6th Century B.C. It can be viewed at the Louvre.

It’s a bit on the soggy side today but they say the rain will be moving off soon. It is however chilly again, and that is getting most depressing. It seems it’s never to be warm and stay that way.  We have tantalizing glimpses of summer then the cold returns. I am having digestive “issues” and so have decided to beg off the cleaning duties today, as I’m rather out of sorts. The Contrarian has risen to the occasion as he usually does and is doing the cooking today.  I’m putting up this blog which helps keep me occupied and away from my troubles. A bland diet for a few days should put things in order again. We are doing our standard holiday fare for Monday, ribs, potato salad and pea salad.

Nothing is happening in the garden so far, but the Contrarianis his usual impatient self in that regard. Each day he goes for a tour and reports that the corn is not up yet. Of course it was just planted Monday or Tuesday, and he grew up on a farm so he knows better. This does not dissuade him from his daily progress reports however. So far our plants have not been eaten. I found a dead baby rabbit in the bathroom a couple of days ago, thanks no doubt to Spencer the killer cat. That was the same day I was chasing him through the house with his latest dead bird, this time a goldfinch. He specializes in wrens usually.

On to the news of the day:

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We in this country, with the blessings of our dear Supreme Court, continue to murder in the name of law, and we call it fair punishment for crimes committed. The death penalty is a cause near and dear to my heart, having been a criminal defense attorney for more than 20 years. I know at first hand the incredible injustice of the “justice” system. I know of the miscarriages that occur, and know first hand of at least two cases in which innocents were convicted. One was later released after serving four or five years. The other is presumably still there having now served more than 25 by my recall. Even when the system corrects an error and releases an innocent, is this justice? Read about how prisoners newly released try to cope with their new found freedom at Alternet‘s exemplary post by Liliana Segura.

Meanwhile, some states continue to pursue a course of public education designed to move American students farther down the competitive ladder in science. Louisiana in its infinite lack of wisdom has passed state legislation that allows the teaching of non-science in the guise of “supplemental materials.”  These bills are called “academic freedom” bills and are being offered mostly in the deep south bible belt where backwards thinking is still all too common. They are pushed by reactionary right religious organizations who are determined that Christianity will be taught one way or another. Apparently they do not feel that they can teach Christian principles themselves in their respective churches.

John McCain has no integrity, none. Yesterday he lambasted Obama  claiming he knows zero about veterans rights since he hasn’t served. You can read his entire rant at Blue Girl, Red State. It’s an embarrassing loss of cool once again, as McCain tries to justify his refusal to vote for Webb’s new GI Bill. Of course as she points out in a earlier post, some of the folks that are on his bill aren’t veterans either, but that of course is not mentioned. Worse yet, McCain skipped completely the latest war funding vote because he decided to spend the day with the Governor of California. And that would be Arnold who admittedly went AWOL from his duties in Austria to compete in a bodybuilding meet. Seems old old Mac has trouble remembering things these days. This subject is huge on the internet blogging world today. Think Progress has some more details that might be of interest.

I sadly don’t often have the opportunity to praise my Church. Today I can. Both the archdiocese and the Sisters of Mercy are on record in Iowa calling for immigration reformafter the ugly raid in Pottsville. Calling the policies of the Governmentboth disastrous and inhumane, the Sisters call for changes that insure that dignity and human rights are respected.

If you are interested in learning a bit about yawning, slip by C’est La Vie and Josie will give you the ins and outs. It’s an annoying thing to endure some times, especially when you are trying to watch something really good on TV and keep being distracted by uncontrolled yawning. And it’s contagious as well, as we all know.

I don’t know about you but I love beets. I can’t eat a lot because of their high sugar content, but this recipe looked so good. I don’t like the bleeding idea in this recipe, but if you grow the golden ones, it would be absolutely perfect. In any case, its a great little summer salad. Coconut & Lime brings us Beet Potato Salad.

History News Network offers us a fine piece on the question of the Confederacy’s treasury which has long been the topic of speculation. Did it exist, how much did it contain, and more importantly, where is it? There were supposed to be some 35 kegs of Mexican silver that have never been accounted for. Read this fascinating account and decide what you think.

A pear jelly recipe is offered at Homemade Jam and Jelly blog. I really enjoy making jelly and jam and I find it quite easy to do, and frankly, I have to because I can control what type of sugar is used. I’ll file it away with my others choice jam and jelly recipes. This year I’m planning on making crab apple jelly if our huge tree produces a good set of fruit. They say apples are setting very well this year in Iowa.

Have you heard? McCain has renounced his friends and spiritual advisors, Hagee and Parlsey. His minions are across the landscape claiming that it didn’t take Mac 20 years to do so either. But of course that begs the question. Mac actively  sought the endorsement of Hagee. And Hagee’s pronouncements in all their vulgar ugliness existed well before. So does McCain have no vetting process? Inside-Out the Beltway has another great piece on the subject. Given that McCain has shown us again and again that he has no ability to assess the integrity of those he takes on board  his campaign, why should anyone trust him with the government? Simple answer: NOBODY.

Inspired by antique quilts has a look at a new quilting book. I don’t buy these because I simply don’t have that kind of disposable income, and you can get most patterns free on the web. But I sure like to look at the lovely pictures which do give you ideas as well as that ubiquitous inspiration.

The reason why I love the National Reviewis that they are wingnuts of the first order. The degree of their attack shows the degree of their fear that all will be lost this November. Given this post, I would guess they have given up.  Rich Lowry offers us a complete article claiming that Obama is gay-marriage’s best friend based on one word, and that word is “respect.” Obama said that he “‘respected’ the decision of the California Supreme Court.” With that alone, Lowry concocts an entire post of conjecture, supposition, and innuendo. Too funny for words. I’m still waiting for somebody to explain to me what marriage has to be protected from. Any takers?

If you would like to see a broader discussion of gay marriage visit On Faith wherein this issue is debated and you of course can add your two cents. The usual suspects are panelists. The comments are great, ranging from the outrageously idiotic to the intelligent and well thought out.  

Don’t know if you heard or not but Johnny Mac has invited some folks to his house for barbecue this weekend. Some of those invited are supposed to be on the short list for consideration of VEEP. One of those is the kid Jindal who is a whopping  37 years old and about as right wing as you can get. I mean he is a wingnut. American Prospect has a very thorough vetting on him today. Don’t miss it. I think he would be a grand choice, one we can all get behind to campaign against.

Tip Junkie has amassed a bunch of tutorials for you. There are ones to create a diaper cake for those baby showers, one to make soap, and about six or more others. Take a look and see if there is anything there that peaks your artistic interests.

The best mulch is a living mulch. That’s what I always say. Well, I guess i don’t always say it, but I have learned to plant in patterns that make the plants kind of help cover the area which does help the weeds to be kept at a minimum. Veggie Gardening Tips has plenty of advice as to how to do this technically speaking. Take a look and save your aching back.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.”  Elizabeth Taylor

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” Bertrand Russell

“A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top .”  Unknown

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More of those bumper stickers:

CAUTION: This car will be left behind during rapture

Coffee, Chocolate, Men. Some things are just better rich.

Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.

Conserve toilet paper – use both sides.

Constipated People Don’t Give A Shit.

Death is God’s way of telling you not to be such a wise guy.

Despite The Cost Of Living, Have You Noticed How It Remains So Popular?

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

Do they ever shut up on your planet.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

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John McCain is going to be the Republican nominee for president, so he is now auditioning candidates for vice president. And they’re visiting at his home in Arizona, which I believe is called the Lazy Artery. Wait, I believe it’s a ranch. I think it is the Double Hernia, or maybe it is called the Rancho Prostateo. David Letterman

A California biotechnology company is auctioning off five opportunities to clone your family dog, with the bidding starting at $100,000. The first bid came in from the parents of a boy named Timmy who want enough cloned copies of their collie that they never have to worry about Timmy falling down a well again.

It’s not Cannes, but the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia is holding that country’s first-ever film festival. The most popular movies at the Saudi festival are “Sand By Me,” “Like Oil For Chocolate” and “Sheiks and the City.” – Paul Seaburn, Spring, Texas