I Have a Cold and I’m Sooo Happy!

Tags

Common cold, health, Humor, Influenza, life in the foothills

Call me crazy. No please don’t. Enough people are already saying that. They whisper. I can hear them. “She’s crazy you know,” they nod knowingly at each other.

But I do have a cold. And I’m relieved. Because I don’t have the flu! The flu is way worth, attacking the tummy, and making you not sure whether you should sit or hang your head in the toilet, and frankly, sticking my head where I place my butt is not a comforting thought. It makes the flu worse just thinking about it.

Flu saps you of every will to live, and makes you swear off pizza and jalapeños for life, a promise you are surely going to break and that leads to being a sinner, and that leads to confession, and well, it’s all downhill with the flu.

Colds are noble. Truly they are. They are straightforward. They start with a dry cough, a bunch of sneezing, and that feeling that something is dripping softly at the back of the throat. You have time to prepare. You still have hours before you will feel really bad–time to get that cold medicine, run to the grocery store to stock up on good stuff to comfort you. Time for kleenex purchases!

Flu? It sneaks up like a thief in the night. You are sitting there, just fine and enjoying your favorite TV show, and suddenly, your tummy doesn’t feel quite right. Then in mere seconds, it feels really really not quite right. Then there is that haunting moment when your mouth fills with spit, and you find yourself projectile racing for the bathroom, Which end is going to erupt first? And then you can do nothing but drag yourself to the bed and moan, awaiting the next attack.

Flu is a mean sucker.

Colds are comforting. You get all snuggly warm in your jammies and robe and drink some nice tea with honey. You take some cold meds and get all drowsy and get that luscious nap that you usually forgo because you feel guilty wasting the time. You feel entitled for at least a day to just do nothing.

So I’m happy. Given the choices, I’m doing okay. I’m writing this, which I definitely would not be doing if I had the flu.

Diego? Not so happy. He noticed the slippers instead of the sneakers. He is not getting a walk today, and he’s stoic but sad. He gives me lots of encouraging kisses.

We’ve gone around the bend where he is concerned. I can’t tell you how much we have spent on him so far, in attempts to make him happy. Some of it is the usual stuff, collars and leads, but then there is the kennel which he now loves and runs into at the first sign that we are heading out together. But then there was the dog door which he adores and uses a hundred and seventy-two times every day. Now we are talking about putting up a wrought iron fence around the front because he just adores laying out and watching the activities of the neighborhood.

He’s a show off. I have to tell you. He likes to chase his ball down the street and we go out a good six times a day or more to throw it. He scampers after it, and then stands there, waiting for the backyard dogs to start to howling. Then he is happy. He just loves to lord it over them that he is free and they are not. Except for Rosie. Rosie is a big honking dog from the end of the street, two doors down. She gets out of her backyard and visits around. Diego is in love with Rosie, and she seems to feel the same way. She tries to walk into the house.

Well, we have reached the crazy when it comes to the boy. You see, we have taught him to retrieve the morning paper. It is sometimes there before we go on his walk at about 6:20 a.m. Sometimes he has to wait until we are back, and I unleash him at the corner. He runs over the paper every time and then picks it up, and runs it into the Contrarian, who praises him lavishly and then fights to get the paper. (If you ever wish to send Diego a present know that a subscription to the WSJ would be perfect!)

So today, given that I’m staying in, I suggested in jest mind you, that the Contrarian after finishing his paper, wrap it back up and sneak it out. Diego thinks there is a paper fairy and he’s quite sure that there will be more during the day. And, well, the paper is out there again, waiting for Diego to find it.

We have gone around the bend I tell ya.

Well, happy day to you, and if you come down with something, let it be a cold!

Related articles

• Natural tips to fight Mr. Cold & Ms. Flu (thegreensunshine.wordpress.com)
• How Scent Eases Cold and Flu Symptoms (scentsciences.wordpress.com)
• Respiratory Infections: Colds vs. Flus (modernhomesteaders.net)
• Cold or flu? How to tell the difference (cbsnews.com)
• How to tell a cold from the flu (newsnet5.com)

 

Time To Take Your Medicine Willard

Tags

diet, food, health, Mitt Romney. humor

“Mitt, oh Mitt, time to wake up darling.”

“Mitt? Mitt really, you must get up!”

“Lemme alone will ya? I’m sleeping. I don’t wanna go.”

“Willard Mitt Romney you get out of that bed immediately. It’s past eleven and you have to get dressed still!”

“Call and tell him I’m sick. I don’t feel good. I think I have a fever. My head hurts, and my stomach is queasy. Really I don’t want to infect the President of the United States. They wouldn’t want me to do that!”

“Stop it. There is nothing wrong with you and you know it. This is traditional, every candidate has done this. Just put on a bright face and shake hands like a man and congratulate him for winning. Eat a little of the soup and comment him on how nice the Christmas decorations look. Just be a man!”

“Please, can’t you come with me? I just can’t stand the idea of having to sit there and make small talk. He’s not a job creator like me. He can’t understand real Americans like us. He’ll say something nasty, I just know it, all wrapped up in a smile and a pat on the back, but he will get his digs in. I’m not some John McCain. I was a titan of capitalism, a major success. How could this have happened?”

“Will you stop whining? Get up and get dressed. Tagg is going to drive you.”

“Can we go to Disneyland again? I really liked it.”

“Yes Mitt, take another bunch of the grandkids if you want. They like to ride the car elevator at house. Just please get up!”

“Okay Annie, for you. And for the love of God, don’t send that maggot Christie a card this Christmas. I hate New Jersey!”

Ø Ø

Okay, so a woman at the pool recommended this book, so I ordered it and read it, and it’s called The China Study. And I believe it, really I do. It basically says that the science is pretty darn clear that eating only plants and fruits is great for you, and eating any meat of any kind and any dairy is just awful. And there is no way in God’s green earth that I can give up all meat forever and all dairy. Even if I could live another ten years beyond however long I’m gonna live, I don’t think I could do that.

I mean, if it were best for us to eat only plants and fruits, why are we able to digest meat and dairy at all? I mean really? I know some folks are intolerant of some dairy. I don’t do so well on milk, so I get the lactose free stuff. But no other dairy products really bugs me and I think the milk thing is more about what I thought was wrong with me, but which turned out to be something to do with our well water in Iowa. Which sounds crazy I know, but all my symptoms disappeared within two days of leaving Iowa.

So, I’m conflicted, since I’m aging and well you start to think about the BALANCE of your life, which is why I walk an hour in the desert every day when everyone I know who knows me, knows I don’t like walking. I find it freakin’ boring. But I do it, like I go to the pool three days a week. Women at the pool come up to me and say, “gee, you are so dedicated. You never mess around. You don’t gab, and just stand around chatting. You work out every minute you’re here. I commend you.” Blah blah. Well, I like swimming to a point, but I do it, cause I don’t want to be unable to walk and bend and so forth and so on in ten years.

And of course there are studies which suggest that we are only who we are because we ate meat.

And I know that sometimes studies are paid for by those who have a stake in the outcome.

And so I’m conflicted.

I figure we ate meat when we could get our hands on it, and we gorged on it. The rest of the time we ate wild grains and vegetables and bird eggs and fish and shellfish if we could get it. And fruit was a luxury which we enjoyed to the fullest when we found it. And honey was much prized. That’s how I figure it.

Dairy came a good deal later when we domesticated cattle. But damn, cheese is great stuff. It is the best of stuff. A great cheese is better than dessert.

It all makes me dizzy.

So I’m trying to eat mostly food that is whole and cooked by me, without additives. But of course meat is full of crap. I know that. What to do?

Explain your eating theories please.

That is your assignment. Due date is tomorrow.

You will be graded.

Has It Come to This Again?

Tags

basketball, economy, Election 2012, health, liberalism, NCAA, packing, pornography, racism, Rick Santorum, women's rights

Friday.

I meant Friday.

My sweet brain cells are under extreme tension and stress.

I have lots of teams in the NCAA that I have to root for.

Sometimes, well that brings me into conflict.

I used to live in Connecticut. You know. Connecticut. Where basketball is akin to the Mayflower and that great experiment? It’s like the MOST important thing.

So, I’m a Huskies fan.

But I live in Iowa. So it would be ungracious of me not to support Iowa teams.

And when Connecticut plays Iowa. . . sigh. . . well you see my dilemma.

And then of course I support MSU, because that is my alma mater. So I get all twisted when MSU plays either Connecticut or either of the Iowa teams.

And NOW there is my about to be state: New Mexico. So there are two teams there. And I want to be a good New Mexican.

So. . .the potential for conflict is growing, well, exponentially.

¶

What kind of packer are you?

No, not football. Geesh. You and my husband!

No, I mean packing as in boxing up all your crap to move it to another location, packing.

I like to think I’m a pristine packer. Nice sleek boxes, nice tape. Packing carefully, lots of bubble wrap and peanuts, and very clean items, carefully chosen as necessary to my new about-to-be life.

At least throw out the crap you haven’t seen since the last time you unpacked, thirteen years ago.

S I G H

Instead, I’m dumping it in, and sealing it up, and thinkin’, “I’ll sort through that when we unpack.” or “I wash all that when I have a dishwasher again.”  I suck. I know it, and I keep on suckin’ at packing.

Speaking of which. Guess who has not placed one single item in one single box so far?

Guess.

You women know of what I speak.

¶

The noodle heads of course claim that racism exited stage left when MLK was declared the new human shield used by racists to declare their lack of racism. Ain’t no racism no mo’, I only judge by the content of the character!

Bully-crap.

As Juanita Jean so perfectly points out. There is nothing left to the imagination with this little bumper sticker coming to a car near you.

The new hate.

Is there anything but hate and “otherness” to these people?

At long last, have they no shame?

When they are not wrapping themselves in the American flag and proclaiming their way is  “the way” they are slipping on the white robe of morality and telling everyone else how to live righteously.

All the while they are doing the nasty and lookin’ at the porn quicker than anyone else.

Speaking of which, Squatlo Rant has a link to the story of a woman and what it means to be subject to the Texas sonograms law from a real life example.

¶

Meanwhile Ragin’ Rick is busy telling Puerto Ricans that they gotta learn to speak English and promising the rest of us, or them too, that he will spare no expense in having the Justice Department devote it’s time to eradicate pornography. He said he would personally look at it all, cuz he sure does know it when he sees it. Look out BARBIE, no more chest bumps for YOU.

This comes as great news to Americans who are looking for work. Perhaps they can be English teachers or porn identifiers in the new Santorum regime. Probably only a minimum wage job. . .oh I think Santorum is probably against minimum wage. . .makes ya dependent ya know.

¶

Constant Weader points us to this older Vanity Fair article to understand the awful state that Republican policies have put this economy in. It’s a valuable read. Joseph Stiglitz is the author.

Did you know that “performance bonuses” were changed to “retention bonuses” to reflect that there was little performance but they sure wanted to pay themselves that money anyway.

It’s about greed. I bet that comes as a surprise.

¶

This one just gave me a giggle. Written by a “purported” liberal turned conservative, it suggests all sorts of things that are patently untrue on the surface and beneath. This guy is about my age, maybe a bit younger. I did not grow up thinking capitalism was somehow bad. And duh, you might want to look at the numbers. Americans are far from the happiest people on the planet. They regularly fall far below most Europeans in life satisfaction. That darned anecdotal evidence thing again. An anecdote does not make a generalization dude.

 

The Food Wars

Tags

evolution, FDA, food, health, Human Biology, medicine, nutrition

We are living in the WRONG century insofar as food is concerned. That’s obvious, and needs no explanation, but I’ll give you one just in case.

We are smart enough to manufacture the stuff that tastes and looks edible, but are just beginning to have the tools to determine whether we are in fact genetically destroying the human race as a result.

You know what I mean. I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and thus was in on the ground floor of manufactured edibles. Bisquick, tubed biscuits, mashed taters in a box, and some horrifying thing called “Helper” preceded by things life “beef” and “tuna.”

We were stabilized in all this by things called “preservatives” which basically meant that the shelf life of said faux food could be centuries. We are dripping in a thing called “high fructose corn syrup” cuz somehow it works better than plain old cane sugar.

Now, most of the crap we grew up eating was declared “safe” by an FDA which we thought was actually looking out for us, but we now know is just a shill for the food manufacturing industry, so all these decades later, some of us feel rightly SCREWED.

Americans spend a ton of dough on over the counter digestive aids. Look at Walmart’s my lovelies and see a whole section devoted to stuff designed to make it all go down and through and out without too much pain. We belch and gag and well, do other unmentionable things in an effort to extract some nutritional value out of soy-lent green masked as ding dongs.

Somewhere in the 70’s or so, people started to do actual studies which got everyone worrying. So we ingested tons of bran muffins, cut down on coffee, stopped drinking soda with real sugar, and a myriad of other rules of the road designed to improve our health, or at least stop the damage we had already done.

We are just beginning to have the capability to determine the long term genetic effects of all those chemicals. Who knows, it may already be too late. We may have introduced the genetic oops into the mix (sorry all you silly creationists, but evolution continues ya know even if you pretend it doesn’t) already for all we know.

Every few months we are admonished to stop eating so much of this, and add more that into our diet. If in fact we tried to follow all this goodly advice, I dare say we would spend the better part of every day just working out the schedule.

And, then there is that thing called exercise! It went from 15 minutes three times a week, to 4 times a week, then 2o minutes, then 5 days a week, then 6, and now its 30 minutes 7 days a week. It’s walking, and then it’s strength training too, and then, well it makes a body take to their bed in self defense and exhaustion, I tell ya.

And then, exercise the brain. Fend off Alzheimer’s–do math, puzzles, read, or don’t, since there is plenty of literature that say it won’t make a difference. Or eat broccoli, since it seems to be good for much that ails us.

I cannot imagine the young mother these days faced with trying to give her kids a decent chance at a long and healthy life. Where to begin? I have no clue, and frankly, I’ve given up.

What I do mostly and I say mostly most seriously, because my addictions to crap are well, addictions after all, and I’m a firm believer that we can only address about 2/3 of all addictions without going mad, so choose which 1/3 you intend to relish until you die an unnatural and earlier death than you should.

So I mostly stay away from processed food. I long ago tossed the Bisquick and tubes of dough. I don’t by frozen meals or canned gravies and all that jazz. I mostly stay away from a lot of processed meat and pretend side dishes with suspiciously weird looking “flavor” packets. Amazingly, most of this stuff can be cooked from scratch in a few minutes of time, and taste wildly better than their counterparts of ground up cardboard flavored with grape-like taste nuggets.

I have no idea whether I’m healthier or not. But it’s a measure of control, and it’s hugely cheaper as well, which is a bonus. We grow a big garden and I actually like making salsa and tomato sauce for my spaghetti from real tomatoes and garlic and onions and all that. Sure, it won’t last until Christmas like the jars I can get in the local assembly line “food” dispenser, called Piggly Wiggly or Walmart or HyVee or any number of silly names.

Course we eat meat, and I KNOW that is probably cancer on a plate, as well as plenty of other genetic mutating sludge, but there is, as I say, only so much one can do about addictions. And fish is no bargain either, since more and more it comes from polluted waters and is probably not fit for consumption.

We are out there alone my friends, in the big world of food. No one to protect or guide us much. In a couple more centuries, we should probably have this all down pat. No doubt we will be able to discern  the properties of every food with our new third eye. But oh, just think of the added expense of all that mascara!

Fighting Alzheimer’s

Tags

Alzheimer's, brain, health, medicine, psychology, science

I don’t know about you, but losing brain function is perhaps one of the most frightening ideas I can imagine. I worry about Alzheimer’s and this gets more pertinent the older I get. We all know that we start having some difficulty with retrieval as we age, but we can’t define this as excluding that we are in the very early stages of dementia. I recall seeing a news show about a disease that keeps individuals from recalling anything in the past more than a few minutes at a time. These folks can’t remember their family members, read a book, watch a movie or anything else. Every few minutes, they can start over all new. It sounds like a hellish existence.

This link will be a boon for all of us who want to keep the old brain ship shape and well oiled as we age. It’s another of those lists, (see the post below) and is also from Huff Po. Alvaro Fernandez gives us the best 15 (really 30) articles on keeping our brains in working order. Lots of games and tests and just oodles of strategies to use to lose weight, soft ware opportunities and basic eating practices that will keep that brain case clicking along in tip top shape.

This web post is worth spending some time on in my opinion. There is just a lot of information, and practical advice for making our brains better, faster and more reliable, and don’t we all want that?

Enjoy and remember to send it around to friends you want to remember you!

Oprah! Just SHUT UP!

Tags

Essays, health, Oprah Winfrey, psychology, weight

Okay, at the risk of ticking off tons of people, let me just say it. OPRAH!!!! Shut the bleep up will ya!

Let me explain my sordid affair with Ms. Winfrey, so that you know from where I come from. Then see if you do not agree.

Once upon a time in another time and place I too counted myself among the growing legions of fans who let nary a word that the high priestess of chat uttered fall on deaf ears. No, I listened to her wisdom like all the other lemmings and followed her advice. “Oprah said,” peppered my conversations, at least socially if not professionally. What happened to change all that? What happened that turned me from a loyal sycophant to a declared protester? I shall explain.

As I said, I watched Oprah a good deal in the early years. I often taped her show so that I could watch it when I returned home from work. I found her civilized, in a world where most talk show hosts were going the way of sensationalism and goofy sex shows, replete with transvestite family men and Dominatrixes. Oprah was refreshing, actually having valuable experts and stories that touched millions.

But, of course, with fame comes the testimonials, of which Ms Winfrey apparently got by the bucket load. You know what I mean, e-mails and snail mail all attesting that but for Oprah and this show or that, a life would have been lost or ruined. Thousands wrote to thank the diva of day time for saving them in the nick of time, and turning their lives around.

The problem with such accolades it seems to me, is that the person begins to think of themselves as somehow necessary to the world. Much like bloggers do! (Note the short post I made yesterday, advising why I was not posting a full essay. Of course, my legions would worry should I not post, I had to advise everyone of why!) Self-importance seems to follow and certainly did, in my opinion in the wake of Ms. Winfrey’s success.

I started to have difficulties with her, in the year of her “spiritual” adventure. Usually once a week she brought forth someone who is well known in the area. Gary Zukov, Deepak Chopra, and a group of others came on to share their experiences and hints to a better more serene life through various spiritual practices.

I personally loved these segments and looked forward to them. An unfortunate thing started to happen however. No sooner did the guest start to speak than they were interrupted by Oprah’s “explanation of what they meant.” She soon began giving her own examples. They, gracious beings that they were, smiled, remained quiet, and, well, in the end, I seldom got much if any information from them at all. It was simply Oprah’s version of what they meant.

Oprah you see had become the expert. I began noticing that this happened on every episode. She was the expert, whatever the topic might be. She had begun buying her own hype. I began to shy away from watching her, but so far, was not angry so much as just perturbed.

Then, one day, I saw something that flipped me out. First let me say this. I am not a person to begrudges anyone their wealth. Oprah has worked hard no doubt, and deserves the riches she has amassed. I do draw the line at what I call “wretched excess” however. I admit this is a personal line I draw, but nonetheless, I think I speak for many. It’s one thing to be wealthy, it’s another thing to think of money as nothing but a unending source of opportunity to splurge on any stupid thing that comes around.

Here is what happened. One day, I flipped on the show, and found Oprah talking about her eyebrows. Yes eyebrows. Did you know she found the most marvelous plucker on the face of  the earth? Yes indeed! Alas, the plucker lived and worked in LA. Not to worry, Oprah jumped a plane and flew there for this extraordinary experience. And at the bargain price of only $2000 an eyebrow! Yes, indeed. No I don’t know if there is a discount for unibrows!

That to me, is wretched excess; proof that said person has crossed over into the land of the super-out-of-touch humanity wherein said person can no longer relate to the rest of us. We are but lesser creatures who much be attended with advice, and certain charity, but we are no longer on the same playing field any longer. Oprah was now living in the rarefied world of the elite of all elite, the super duper duper rich.

Thus, she had no more to say to me. She cannot begin to remember it seems the world I live in, and the one she once inhabited. We are strangers, sharing only a final definition of homo sapien sapien. But we are as unlike as I am to the Sherpa guide of the Himalayas. We might well be from different planets.

Next, some months later, I happed upon the “My favorite things” episode. Not announced ahead of time, the lucky audience receives every single item that Oprah touts as a must have in your life. The book, the candle, the sweater, you name it. Oprah has spoken and it is the best. And if you happen to be in the audience that day, you too get one.

Well, have you ever seen one? Enough embarrassment for ya? Grown women squealing like stuck pigs, crying and hugging, all because they have the latest robotic floor sweeper! The screaming is deafening. This was well before the famous car giveaway. I was well in the anti-Oprah camp by then.

Speaking of said car giveaway. What a hoax. I mean really, do you think I am stupid? Most of the poor women who won cars never drove them home, ever. Why? Because they could not afford the local, state and federal taxes on them. Duh. Such is the lot of most game winners. There are companies that are in the business just to buy your “won junk” because you can’t afford the taxes. They settle with you, and give you some small amount of money after taking that item off your hands. Ain’t his fun?

But what prompted this latest rant, for really I pay virtually no attention to the talk show diva any more, was this. After at least three failed attempts, by my count (goodness knows there may be more), it seems Ms. Winfrey is again fighting the bulge. Yep, She has, horrors, gained 40 pounds! With a inauguration coming up, just what is one to wear, when the designed gown, not yet made, probably won’t fit!!!!!

Now let me get this straight. This woman has lost weight three to four times. She has a personal chef and a personal trainer. She has whatever exercise medium she enjoys in whatever location she chooses to have it. She has access to every expert on the planet. AND SHE CANNOT CONTROL HER WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

I say this not in criticism. I am all too aware of the issues involving weight. They are complex and to a large degree very personal to each person. What works for one will not work for another. I could be quite sympathetic to Ms. Winfrey’s plight, if she did not hold herself out as some expert on the subject. If she had not told me one too many times that she has the solution and it was X.

She helps no one by these announcements. After all, if she cannot managed to control her weight what possible chance do any of the rest of us have who have no personal chef, trainer, shopper and all the rest? No, in effect, Ms. Winfrey is no help to us, she is the poster child for proof that we are wasting our time trying!

Worse, this latest announcement is not even about that. It is about sympathy. Her loyal gal pal Gail was making the rounds of the morning shows talking about how “brave” and “courageous” Oprah was in coming out again with the story. How so, pray tell? Do I not have eyes? Cannot I and everyone see that she has gained weight? Is this some revelation now? Of course not, but we can all feel sorry for her, and we can all keep watching as she starts on yet another aha moment journey wherein she discovers the previously deeply hidden reasons for her addiction.

It’s but another advertising ploy. Buy the magazine, watch the show. Oprah will not stop until she finds the solution! And this time, it will be the REAL solution, one you can count on, and one that you can start doing (assuming you have the therapist, chef, trainer, shopper, and ginormous numbers of sycophants to support you). Hurrah! Got to love that woman and how brave she is!

She doesn’t of course see that she is not helping anyone, but in fact convincing many that it’s not worth the attempt. She cannot see that for she is now firmly ensconced in the world of Oprah. She has concluded that she must in fact have special wisdom in all matters. Everyone tells her so. So of course, she will uncover special insights and habits that will work for you too!

This is what happens when we make idols of average people with enormous drive and some talent. We look to them for advice. We look to them to lead us. We look to them to live life as we would if we had the means. We live vicariously through them and waste our talents and special insights into the world. Enough I say. SHUT UP OPRAH. Do us all a favor and just shut the f**k, go away to the fat farm and get into the fabulous dress costing tens of thousands. We do not live in the same world, and frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Pandora’s Proximity

Tags

American History, Asian, barbecue, beef, Cajun Spices, cake, chocolate, church/state, Civil War, Crafts, crochet, evolution, faith, fundamentalism, Gardening, gay rights, health, human physiology, John McCain, knitting, leafminers, marriage, racism, religion, salad, science, tex-mex, Watergate, Women's history, Zoology

Entitled “Pategonia, Chile #5, this was done by Rene Bass Forman in 2004.

Another day with sun! Will wonders never cease? I had another of my bad dreams this morning, actually two of them together. One is the infamous pee dream. I gotta go in reality, and keep dreaming that I am having trouble finding a bathroom. It always ends up being a fairly public affair, and when I go, alas, two minutes later, I’m desperately searching for another one. That was conflated with a recurrent dream of being back in Detroit, practicing law, and I’m horridly late for a trial in progress that I have completely forgotten to return to. I woke up grumpy!

On the home front, we continue to slowly dry out. The river is down to a trickle and the Contrarian is doing some weed eating around about and burning trash. I’ve done the day’s housework–bedroom and my craft room. I’ve developed a fairly strict cleaning regime that is about the only thing that works for me. It gives me three days off a week–bedroom/craft room Tuesday, office/living room Wednesday, kitchen Thursday, bathrooms Friday. I also made a batch of Pastitsio for dinner, a Greek dish that I’ve had a lot of in the past in Detroit’s Greektown. It’s basically a meat ragu with pasta and a bechamel sauce with flavorings of Parmesan and cinnamon, and tomato paste. A nice little casserole is ready to hit the oven later on.

Let’s see what is around the internet today that sounds tasty, fun to make or just thoroughly interesting to learn about.

~~~&&&~~~&&&~~~

For those who are as old as me, this story is well known. For younger folks, you may not know so much. Today is the anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate hotel, by five men in the employ of the White House. The coverup that followed and it’s uncovering led of course to the downfall of the Nixon presidency. Read about it at Martin’s American History Blog.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a lovely lacy daisy to crochet withthread. Of course you could do it with heavier weights as well. But as such it makes a nice applique to a T-Shirt or pair of jeans. It’s cute, and of course, the pattern is there for you as well.

Is McCain’s run for the presidency doomed? So say many historians, who always look at the big picture. The big picture of course means examining history and looking for parallels. They suggest that the Republican cycle is about done, and this is normal. American Presidents Blog has the story for you to ponder and agree with or not as your intellectual prowess dictates.

David Barton, mentioned here before as a fool with a penchant for spreading untruth about our founding traditions, is, according to American Revolution Blog up to his old tricks. That is, he, a exceedingly poor excuse for a historian, attempts to rewrite history to suit his motives of introducing Christianity into the public arena as THE religion of the country. Read this fine expose’ of his junk history regarding the Mayflower Compact.

I confess, I’ve never tried to cook an entire beef brisket. I’ve seen recipes that called for elaborate self-made smoking systems that require constant attention and hours of labor. Baking Delights claims that this one, done in the oven for 12 hours works perfectly well. She lays out all the particulars for you. She claims it is a true Texan perfection. Look it over, take a chance and dive in. She says it freezes just fine, because she says you must make a whole one to make it right, and they are huge. Given prices of everything these days, cheap meat is going to become increasingly welcome in our household, and I intend to make this soon.

Chocolate andhas the sublime, the incomparable, the tasting delight of  Molten Chocolate Cake for you today. Oh, I can sink into a pile of gooey ecstasy just at the mere thought of this. I’m thinking of the 4th of July for this gem.

Now for something completely different. Salad and a nice Asian one to boot. This might be a perfect foil for all manner of summer light dinners. It’s called Pickled Carrot-Cucumber Salad and comes to us from Coconut & Lime.Take a look and add to your repertoire if you so desire.

Fannie Lawrence Rickett‘s was a Civil War nurse. Civil War Womenfeatures her this week in a nice little biography. Daughter to wealthy Jamaican land owners, she later married a distant relative of her mothers who was a captain in the US army. He was badly injured during the war, and she made her way to where he was imprisoned. There she cared for him and other captured and wounded union soldiers.  Read about her life of dedication and hardship as the war progressed.

Commonweal, has an editorial entitled “Marriage, California Style” that examines the new same-sex marriage situation in that state that took effect yesterday I believe. They feel the decision is ill-advised. I do not of course. See what you think.

Steak Fajitas are a staple around the Meadow. We have them at least once a month, and sometimes two. In fact they are on the menu for later in the week, if I can get to the store and pick me up a green pepper. I thought you might like an authentic one from Epicurious today taken from Gourmet magazine. The only thing weird about this recipe is the basil, which I don’t find correct. I would change it to cilantro myself.

Free Sample Forager has a slew of new items for you. I saw cereal and acid reducer and rice, all free samples. There are a good dozen to look at and link to and acquire.

There are those in this country, and I am one of them, that fear that our respective bigotries are doing such damage to our country and our world that something must soon be done. It seem epidemic and endemic in our world. I’ll have more to say on this subject at a later date, but I urge you to take a look at this offering from History News Network, “A Passion for Overcoming Injustice has Seized America Once Again.”

Mary Towne Easty was another of those women who ended up on the wrong side of Salem religious fanatics and paid the price with her life. History of American Women, focuses on her story today and her death in 1692 at the gallows.

Serious knitters know about spinning and dying their yarn. I think it’s a fascinating idea, but know I’ll never get to that level of interest. I would love to weave as well, but know I never shall. Same for learning to play the piano. If you have this kind of serious interest, Knitting Dragonflies has some information for you. I am still puzzling over socks directions and scratching my head, thinking it doesn’t make a lot of sense with all these needles (five of them?).

Ever wondered about optical illusions? How exactly they “trick” the eye?I have, pondering how the neurons in our fabulous brains fire in exquisite synchronicity to do what they do so that we can do what we do. Well, Live Science has the answer for us. It has to do with the future, and how far we can see into it.

And if you think that only humans have the capacity to think and plan ahead, well, think again as they say. It turns out that apes and orangutans can as well, and do. But another indice of defining humanity that falls by the way side. It seems that there is less and less that separates us from our close cousins than ever we thought.

Wow, a totally awesome question this week on On Faith. Do you believe that faith affects health? Does it do so positively or negatively? Is this New Age? Lots of interesting ideas here. I think it can be both a help and a detriment. I think it depends on how you use it, and what exactly faith means to you. I’ve seen a whole plethora of people who have turned faith into mental illness, and others who have grown in vigor through quiet contemplative spiritual exercises. Read the varied approaches by the panel and delve into the comments.

Once Upon a Feast has more mouth-watering recipes to tempt you to get in that kitchen and really explore your culinary heart. I think  that Cajun Spices are a must, and it’s always better to do your own that buy that expensive packaged stuff. Also, you can wander over to the Pasta Roundup and find a ton of great dishes here. The true joy of this roundup are the pictures which are so glorious, I swear you could eat the paper and be satisfied.

Religion in American Historyhas a good one today. They feature on wingnutty Cal Thomas, popular from his idiotic featured editorials and his rightwing drivel on FoxyEntertainmentNews. Cal, using that damned if you aren’t a Christiannonsense, claims that Obama isn’t one. Why you say? Because Obama actually thinks a compassionate God doesn’t condemn 4/5 of all humanity to eternal hellfires because they haven’t had the benefit of Christianity as their source of religious training. Read the funny, but sick take by Mr. Thomas.

This recipe caught my eye at Simply Recipes. I’ve forgiven her for the Chipotle Chocolate Cake. Frankly I rather detested it, and finally threw out the last piece. i just couldn’t manage another slice. Her Tex-Mex recipe for Mexican Green Bean Salad sounded just right. We have yet to plant our beans given the lousy weather, but hope to before the end of the week. I can see making this fine offering to accompany some grilled fare.

A goodie, today we get another great post from Scandalous Women. Today she focuses on Grace Metalious, the author of that scandalous book Peyton Place!Remember the TV show? How we watched in titillation at the goings on of the families, sure that we were on the verge of naughtiness. Remember the waif thin Mia Farrow and Ryan O’Neal?  Read about Ms. Metalious’s life in all its detail. My deepest thanks to Elizabeth for her extraordinarily fine posts.

Tip Junkie is featuring a whole slew of crafters with lots of talent, and lots of stuff for sale. You might want to take a look, buy something, or get some ideas for crafting of your own. I thought there were a number of delightful products, and it certainly gave me ideas.

Veggie Gardening Tipshas an excellent post on that miserable ewww pest the leafminer. Those are those great big green sluggy things that eat the tomato plant you have been so lovingly tending in less than a day. I’ve not had much trouble with them here in Iowa, but in Michigan it seems I was always fighting them. Some great help on eradicating this beast.

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More of those wacky bumper stickers–read em here instead of rear-ending somebody trying to read them on the road!

huked on foniks werkd fer me

I am overjoyed with whelm!

I didn’t fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

I Don’t Suffer From Insanity, I Enjoy Every Minute Of It

I Feel Like I’m Diagonally Parked In A Parallel Universe

I Got A Gun For My Wife; Best Trade I Ever Made.

I Have The Body Of A God … Buddha

I Just Got Lost In Thought. It Was Unfamiliar Territory

I left the womb for this?

I put in contacts for this?

I took a pain pill. Why are you still here?