Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 10/03/08

Tags

bailout, Barack Obama, bible, dinosaurs, economy, Election 2008, evolution, foreign policy, fundamentalism, GOP, Iowa, Italian, Kissinger, McCain, pasta, religion, soup

Well, a bit of an abbreviated post today. It has been a hellish day, one that has you cursing. Since the Contrarian is still taking meds for strep throat and is going to an farm auction tomorrow, I talked him into staying home while I trucked off to Independence for shopping. This in the end turned out to be a good thing, though at one point, it seemed to be a very bad thing.

Anyhow, I got my groceries and was putting them in the back of the Bronco when a man walked up and announced, “Ma’am, do you know you have a flat tire?” Well, no, and of course I scurried around to look, like perhaps he was playing some cosmic joke on yours truly. No such luck of course, the dang thing was flatter than the proverbial pancake.

Said manworthless person, asked if I had a phone. “No,” I said. No phone was offered. “Well do you have someone to call?” “No,” I lied still holding out the hope that said person would do the chivalrous thing and offer to change the tire. No such luck. “Well, just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t drive off with it flat.” Gee that was helpful I wanted to yell, I’d surely have driven 25 miles on the flat without that alert.

I rummaged through my purse and found four quarters the outrageous price of a lousy phone call, and prayed the Contrarian was not on the internet. He was not, but then, the phone barely worked. I could not hear him, all I could do was yell out my predicament. I faintly heard, “I’ll be right there,” and a click.

About 35 minutes later, with my ice cream no doubt in a bad state, said husband arrived. Half way there, he pondered whether I had gone to Independence or had gone to Cedar Rapids, but luckily, picked the right direction.  After about ten minutes of cursing, jumping on the tire iron trying to release a lug nut, he announced, “Start moving the groceries into the truck.” Hmmmmm, this looked far worse now than anticipated.

“I’m sorry, I truly am.” “Not your fault babe,” he replied. “Just life.” A plan was hatched on the way home. We got the groceries inside, he called his closest friend and working buddy, and now both are on the way back up with more manly tools. Steve had four nearly new tires that we were thinking of buying, and so that deal was now struck. So I guess I’ll have brand new ones for Sunday and church.

Anyway, disruptions such as this always put me into a foul mood. I don’t like changes in my routine a lot, and we have had two major ones in a week. But, all in all, things could definitely be worse. The Contrarian dreams of the day when he has a flat and can call someone and dump the whole issue on them. I recall years of being single and facing this nasty problem more than once alone and at the mercy of some mechanic type who charged me a full months wages no doubt for the simple task. (NO I DON’T INTEND TO LEARN TO CHANGE MY OWN TIRES, SO DON’T ASK.)

As to the debate, I was hoping for a Palin melt down and a pretty much end of the election. Of course, I knew that would not happen, somehow that woman feels comfortable before millions and freezes up with a single human being interviewing her.  She is still dumber than the dirt I shake off my shoes, and it appears she changed no minds for the positive. Those that liked her, still do, those that don’t still don’t. Biden was fine, and substantively beat the pants off her. If you like giggles and winks, and inane grins and slopping pronunciation, she’s your girl.

So on with the news I picked up during the week.

Let’s start off with something good. Baking Delights  often gives us the best recipes, and today is a copycat one. Bennigan’s Baked Potato Soup. As the days and the nights continue that downward trend, this is just the thing to come in for after time outside cleaning up the yard. If you do that sort of thing, which I don’t, but hey, soup is still the best!

Another recipe that looked mighty good to me was this one from Coconut & Lime,  Baked Ziti with Rapini and Chicken Meatballs. I think you can substitute out the Rapini if you can’t find it, with spinach say, and the meatballs can definitely be other meat as you desire. I love to make casseroles that just have to be popped in the over an hour or so before dinner. I’m definitely a morning chef!

At the debates, at one point, Obama claimed that Kissinger agreed with some level of negotiations without pre-conditions. McCain said he was wrong, and later, Kissinger backed him up. Both were wrong and Obama was right, as Factcheck.org suggests in the actual transcript of Kissinger’s remarks. Read it at Democrat Dave’s Weblog.

Episcopal Cafe  reports that 33 pastors from the expected wingnuttery right have decided to actively urge their congregations to vote for McCain. In this, they are forcing a show down with the IRS which disallows political preaching in Church, especially endorsing candidates. It seems they think it a good idea given the current SCOTUS. Another reason Obama’s election is necessary, to stave off the reactionary appointment that a McCain win would almost necessarily bring.

Boy Garrison Keillor  is always good, but sometimes he is down right preacher, bible thumping good. Don’t miss his take this week at the Salon on the Wall Street mess and how McCain deserves so much blame. It’s a cutting and rip-roaring good read.

It is pretty much a political axiom that VP candidates in the end don’t matter. History News Network has a very detailed and interesting post on VP picks of times past and how those tickets did, and more importantly the impact of the second choice. It’s fascinating to see that, well maybe Sarah does matter. If she does, it assuredly won’t be good for McCain.

One thing is evident in the mess of the bailout. The Republican leadership leads nobody.That means Boehner has no authority, certainly Bush doesn’t and alas, poor John McCain has none either. But what is worse, behind the scenes Newt Gingrich was apparently playing both sides, publicly saying he was for the bailout, and behind the scenes working furiously to scuttle it. One can only surmise his purpose, but the Republicans are a mess as is their candidate.

There is evidence that some dinosaurs breathed like birds. This of course increases the likelihood that dinosaurs are related to birds, something that dinosaur investigators have been saying for some time. Turns out, much to my surprise, that birds don’t breath like mammals. Although they have lungs, they have these things called air sacs that somehow transfer air into the lungs without the usual in-out method that we use. This explains why birds can fly faster and higher than bats, I am told. Live Science  has all the particulars to read further.

Fareed Zakaria  is one of the smarter people on the block in Washington. His opinion is worth taking a look at. He has finally weighed in on the Palin effect.No doubt most people are sick of Palin and so I am tending to not put up that much new stuff, but Zakaria is a true journalist, one that is reasoned in the way of William F. Buckley and George Will. You won’t find better analysis than this.

If you haven’t had a chance to get to Out of Nowhere, you really should. Some very excellent writing. You may find this one particularly good. It’s on money and how we relate to it. How did Jesus? And if that one isn’t enough, another exceptional post is about the Gospel from last Sunday, the parable about the Kingdom, in Matthew 21:23-32. This one will be posted at Hear I Am Lord later this week.

McCain, meanwhile has been in Iowa. I don’t know why, since he has been far behind in the state for months now, and there is little if any possibility that he can win it. Nevertheless, he was here, and granted an interview with the Des Moines Register. By all accounts, it went badly with McCain getting pretty angry whenever his motives are questioned. Did ya know all his ads are 100% true? And don’t even suggest he’s wrong. He doesn’t like being told he’s wrong. There are some excerpts over at Political Animal,  and linkage to a full video of the interview.

Meanwhile, again, Glenn Greenwald takes on the neo-cons and their penchance for well, rewriting history. Everything that has gone wrong is somehow the fault of liberals again. This given their near stranglehold control of the presidency and for six years Congress. Oh, yeah, right. It’s quite a nice little piece and I urge you to take a look and laugh.

In general, if you don’t already, skip over to the NRO. Even Kathryn Parker is backstepping a bit from her “resign Sarah” stance. Seems she got so much hate mail from the belligerent and vicious right wing rednecks that she’s at least willing to hope that Sarah does well. The thing about NRO is that their pundits change their mind about Palin like every other week. As soon as they criticize her, then within days they are back to trying to blame it on the “liberal” media. These folks are wingnuts of the first order.

Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 9/12/08

Tags

Barack Obama, Election 2008, Individual Rights, John McCain, Media, pi, religion, Sarah Palin, science, soup, Veteran's issues, voters, Women's issues

It seems that life these days begins and ends with Sarah Palin,  the energizer bunny of the Redumplicans. Never was a candidate so beloved who, if elected, will be be seen so little. But for those still needing reasons for NOT voting for the moose gutting Alaskan, take a trip over to AlterNet  and view the record of her troubling views on any number of issues. Some should curl your nose hairs a bit.

Another good article from Alternet  about John McCain’s record vis-a-vis women’s issues, especially working women is located here. It’s worth your time to take a look.

American Street  has a good explanation of the polls and how to assess their reliability. I can sure say, they are worrying me plenty, but have to recall that bounces are bounces for a reason as the Street informs us. What comes up, comes down, and we still have the all important debates to do. If McCain does as poorly on them as he gives speeches, we are still hopefully in fine shape.

Given that we seem to be racing through fall directly into winter these days in Iowa, I found this lovely recipe for Cream of Cauliflower Soup and thought it was perfect. I have about half a head and may just make a smaller version tomorrow. The recipe is from Baking Delights. Note: Adding bacon or sausage to the soup makes it hearty indeed.

If you don’t think we are well on our way to a police state, brought to us by the Republican party, travel no further than Michael Winship’s report on what happened to the media at the St. Paul conventionlast week. It is enough to make you very scared indeed. Bloggers were especially targeted it seems, many held for more than a day without charges. Thanks to the Bill Moyers Journal for this article.

Before you go off and threaten to leave the country over this Palin crap, stop by Distributorcap NY  and get the sense beat back into you. DC is crazy as a fox and has the right take I believe. This is but a phase and reality will shudder back into place and we will win this thing!

Fran I Am  is irreverent, and she is wise, and witty, and worth reading every day. But do take a look at her Monday entry on hypocrisy. It’s a real head nodder you bet it is. I’m just giving you the main site because most everything she writes is worth the trip, so keep scrolling down and enjoy. Oh and a great post on Joe Biden and abortion is the second post for 09/07. Don’t miss that one either.

Not good news. Newsweekrecently interviewed Randy Scheunemann, foreign policy “expert” and McCain super advisor. Seems Randy thinks that Russia and China are not alliesand well, let the sabres rattle away. For those of us tired of war and the threat of war, Mr. Scheunemann, who we assume represents Mr. McCain, does nothing to reassure us that Mr. McCain doesn’t intend the same fist shaking mentality to prevail in his hoped for administration. Scary indeed.

Nothing much changes in the McCain slime war. Lies and more lies as FactCheck.org  says. They are taking to having to repeat themselves a lot these days, as McCain refuses to retrack lies from his ads when advised that they are lies. They just put them in the next one. This one about Obama voting for billions for oil subsidiesis just more lie. Further, McCain ads cherry picks quotes about Palin’s maverick status and being a reformer, when in fact such “quotes” can’t even be found in the AP report, and leaves out of course the AP statement that “she is less experienced and casts an ethical shadow on the party.”

I think I’m back in the corner where the Dems can pretty much leave Palin alone. She seems about to self-distruct with her out and out lies and the increasing media anger that she is being kept under wraps. Certainly they are reinforced in that decision when little Sarah demonstrated a clear lack of understanding of how Fannie and Freddie worked in the real world of economics. Even the Wall Street Journal is calling her on her lies, so McCain and his band of misfits can’t continue to scream “liberal media bias” forever. Thanks to Michael Tomasky’s Blog for this one.

For a terrific article on the Catholic vote, go over to the History News Network. What Catholics don’t do it seems, is follow the Church. Much as that must pain the ultra right in the church, Catholics like others, have a little more to them than blind allegiance to the Vatican.

The question becomes is John McCain just a douchebag or a monster? Oh I didn’t make that up. Kevin Drum did, and If I Ran the Zoo reported it. But I do think it sums up John Sidney quite well. His life pattern is simply that of a person who is not very nice, and gets what he wants, and doesn’t care who he cuts off at the knees to accomplish that.

If you need ammunition for friends, family or coworkers on what Obama has done as a junior Senator from Illinois, then It’s My Right to be Left, has a nice rundown of the 500+ pieces of legislation that Obama has sponsored or co-sponsored since he was elected. Pretty impressive I’d say.

I don’t know about you, but I was pleasantly surprised to wake up this morning. What with that big atom smasher thingie, I was expecting to wink out of existence at any moment. I suspect I wouldn’t have expected anything, just winked and been gone. Actually we might be in an alternate universe, and not know it. Anyone check the stars? Or would they be the same? My head is now spinning. Check out Live Science and they will explain all this to you, and me hopefully. But just in case, keep your vacuum handing in case a black hole floats by. Suck that baby up and put it out in the trash if you catch one.

We welcomeLotsa ‘Splainin’ 2 Do. And we send you there to learn about pi, for reasons we don’t even understand. I believe they do lots of other good stuff there politically speaking as well. So take a look and be a new fan. They will be added to the next update of the blogroll, but it’s not there yet!

Judith Warner has an excellent piece in the NYTimes this week. It’s about Sarah and how she is a disservice to women across America. It’s about more things than that, and it’s worth the three minutes it will take to read it. Do so, or, I’ll oh leave something nasty in your mailbox or somethin. LOL. And there is a terrific editorial calling on Mr. McCain to stop the culture war and begin talking civilly about issues. Don’t miss it.

This week’s On Faith at the Washington Post, is apropos. Are candidates religious views troubling to you?They sure are to me. Ms. Palin spends entirely too much time, IMO, telling us that God is for the things she proposed as Governor of Alaska. I sure don’t want that kind of nonsense in the presidency. Haven’t we had enough of “God’s” leadership in George Dubya?

This one is just thrown in for fun. Wednesday I posted about the extreme form of lying that is going on in the McCain campaign. Steve Benen from Washington Monthly‘s Political Animal, has a tongue in cheek request that, since the Democrats can’t bring themselves down to this level, readers should create their own lying ads. Read the comments and have fun. It’s all in good fun, and hey, you might learn a thing or two you actually didn’t know yet about old John Sidney.

We all know of course, that this lying campaign drivel goes on simply because the media not only permits it, but encourages it. It’s easy, no work political coverage for them.  Glenn Greenwald  has an excellent piece on the media. It is sickening to be sure, and what we can do about it is left unanswered.

Paul Waldman gives a drippingly sarcastic look at the Politics of Contempt which is how he views the Republicans this year. Gone is any semblance of issues or integrity, this is about painting all Democrats as elites and not “us” he claims. And I agree. A fine piece.

I must say, this report from the Huffington Post  really shocked me. I was well aware of McCain’s less than enthusiastic support for the Webb GI Bill, and how he fought it for a long time, but this run down of McCain’s position regarding GI and Veterans issues is truly appalling.McCain has long considered it absolutely wrong for anyone to question his “creds” with veterans, citing all the awards he has received from veterans groups. But we can now see why he brooks no discussion. His record is simply disgusting as are most Republicans. Read it and learn the facts.

If you want talking points for all the flip flopping McCain has done go by Urantian Sojourn  and take a look at their list compiled by the Carpetbagger. There are 76 in all.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Friday without our fix. Yes. The Angry African is at it again, and today there are two posts that you MUST ready. The first is a Dear John Letter to JSM, and the second, (be still my fluttering heart) is to a Dear Sarah letter. Oh they are deliciously good, so read them. I’m beginning to think AA is Garrison Keillor in disguise from South Africa. G’wan and read ’em. You know you want to.

Eat, Craft, Read, Be Merry

Tags

American History, Archaeology, beef, breakfast, cake, chocolate, Civil War, coffeecake, crochet, cross stitch, Desserts, evangelicals, founding fathers, Gardening, geology, History, Presidents, religion, science, soup, Women's history, world history

This is Called “The Threshing Floor” and was done by Diego Rivera in 1904. It is located at the Museum of Diego Rivera in Guanajuanta, Mexico.

The day breaks gloomy as it has been for days now, with little break. We got about two hours of showers yesterday, but after it stopped in mid-late morning, we got no more. So far today, we have gotten none, but as I said, its overcast. The air is thick because there is literally water everywhere, if not on the surface, then just below. Mostly it’s spongy wherever you walk. The dogs lay out, mostly on the porch or some dry place, the cats venture to the their porch as well, nobody wants to walk around much.

The cake by the way, was excellent, moist, and really tasted of root beer. The marbling worked nicely as well. If you make it, make at least a half more of the frosting if you want enough to frost two large layers which this batter does give you. The recipe is over at the old blogger site of the same name. Just put in rootbeer cake in the blogbar search engine and it will pop up for you.

Today I am doing a stir-fry with chicken and various veggies and some rice cellophane noodles for a change of pace.  Just finished the general housework, featuring the living room today. The Contrarian cleaned off the hearth for me, so I’ll address the stove itself tomorrow. I like to oil it down lightly once a year. It just looks so nice and brand new for a while.

Well, lets see what we can find around the arts and crafting world today and see what historical facts pop up.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a lovely looking pattern that really caught my eye. She calls it offset shell. As always she gives you the pattern and gives you the opportunity to use it in both a shawl or a granny square.

American Revolution Blog dissects quite thoroughly a new book by another religious right person determined to turn America into a Christian nation. This time the claim is that George Washington was an orthodox Christian. While he was no doubt a deep believer in God, Washington was very careful about NOT imposing religion on the resultant new Democracy. Read this excellent post and enjoy. If you are interested in this subject, you might want to back track to his original site and pick up the new blog he and others are starting about how the nation was created and the impact of religion on it.

Baking Delights has her Saturday surfing of recipes from around the net that she thinks you might like. I saw a couple that caught my eye, like a strawberry pie that sounds very luscious. Pulled pork is always a summertime favorite as well. Run by and see if you see something that you just have to make before the week is out.

Apparently Dick (Darth Vadar) Cheney made some “joke” about West Virginian natives that was stereotypical in its allusions to intermarriage. While this would usually put it into the political sphere, Catholic Anarchy does a fine job of explaining a good bit about Appalachian life that I thought was quite good. Hope you enjoy learning a bit more about a segment of America that most think they know a lot about.

Belle Boyd is the lady featured on today’s Civil War Womeninstallment. Belle was a lady who came from a family able to send her as a young girl to college, and from there on we learn that she was an ardent Confederate supporter. She killed a Yankee and became a spy for the Confederacy in the war years. She was a fiery person and had a long life after the war, always doing what she wanted, and not necessarily what was conventional. Read more.

Epicurious has great recipes, mostly I suspect because she reads some of the best culinary magazines around. These are both from Bon Appetit and I think both are lovely ideas for the summer season. Chilled Tomato Tarragon Soup is the first offering, followed by Chili Beef Skewers. I’m thinking together they make a meal!

We are in luck whenever Garrison Keillor has a new posting. This one is about kids and pools and is a nice relaxing respite from the busyness of the day. Take time to read this stress reducer!

Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas has a humorous take on compost and why it is like a man. You must take a look if you want to get a good giggle, so slip on over via the link and do just that.

History of American Women focuses on North Carolina today and zeroes in on the colonial period. The first two colonies started by Raleigh failed, otherwise NC would have been the first of the permanent English colonies. Originally named for the French King, it became associated with Charles II later on. As always, Maggie does an excellent job in giving us this little biography of another of our states.

Ever wondered about Old Faithful and what makes her tick, or should I say spout? It turns out that the amount of rain affects the timing of her explosions. That was news to me, I thought it had to do with pressures and venting underground that had to do with magma and all that geological stuff. Live Science gives you the low down on this icon of Americana.

I’ve suggested to some of you that the evangelicals in America, the mainstream ones that is, are frankly tired of being yoked to the reactionary right and their two-issue campaign, abortion and gay rights. In a refreshing report, the NYTimes reports on these mainstream evangelicals and their determination: “Taking their Faith, but not their Politics to the People.” An excellent article you shouldn’t miss. Our thanks to Religion in American History for the heads up.

Here’s one of those great ideas that your kids might love and benefit from. Certainly this is also true of adults. UofM archaeology and members of the team from Israel are doing an excavation this summer. They plan to run a website that you can use to follow their progress as they examine the Tel Kedesh. What a wonderful educational tool for all of us, most of whom will never have the opportunity to join in a dig. Rogueclassicism provides all the information and the link and when the site will start up. Have fun.

This was one scandal I can tell you. The murder of Lana Turner’s gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanado in the late 50’s rocked Hollywood and even I recall it, though I was a mere child at the time, not even old enough to be in “love” with Troy Donahue yet. In any case, Scandalous Women brings us all the steamy, sexy, and hush hush details of the killing by Lana’s daughter, Cheryl. This is just the most fun to read about!

I am a fool when it comes to chocolate cake, and this recipe, well, it’s gonna be made very soon in the Peyton household I can tell ya. The idea of marrying chipotle with chocolate cake makes me swoon with delight. Simply Recipes has this one, so you can count on it! It’s Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake. Try it or you’ll be sorrrrry.

I enjoy cross stitch a lot, and am stuck on a Native American one now that I lost my way on and am rather off pattern on. I don’t know how it happened, I try to count carefully, but it did, and I haven’t touched it in more than a year, because I can’t face taking out so much of the threads to set it aright. I do get a lot of inspiration from Threads of Desirethough. She is simply a master stitcher and her stuff is beautiful to me. See what you think.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a delicious sounding coffeecake for you. I love sweets for breakfast, though I tend to eat the same thing, day in and day out, peanut butter and toast. Maybe some french toast on Sunday, but that’s about it. This one looks easy and tasty and I’m sure to give it a try quite soon. Right after that decadent chocolate cake that is. Try the Cream Cheese Coffee Cake and see what you think.

US History Site Blog has an interesting report on the relationship between Martin L. King, jr and JFK during the 1960’s election. The actions of the Kennedy family to assist the King family during that time may have been an important reason that Kennedy ultimately beat Nixon. Nixon, on the advice of his handlers did nothing, while the Kennedy’s went out of their way to help the jailed King and his family.

Women in History reports that Australia has consecrated it’s first female bishop in Melbourne, Barbara Darling.  She is only the second woman so honored in Australia. This is to the Anglican faith of course, not Catholic, which still doggedly remains a male bastion, because, well, just because it’s always been that way.

World History Blog reports that Google Earth allows a lot of fun things, such as tracing the routes of Alexander the Great as he moved around the East and won battles and confiscated vast tracts of land. He also has some other suggestions and so stop by and take a look and get the instructions for how to do it.

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And now for something completely different:

If the sky is the limit, then what is space, over the limit?

Aren’t the ‘good things that come to those who wait’ just the leftovers from the people that got there first?

“Cute as a button” Is that supposed to be a compliment? Since when are buttons cute?

Are marbles made of marble?

Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken over there … I’m gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt”?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Can you get cornered in a round room?

In that song, she’ll be coming around the mountain, who is she?

“Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman Hitler?”

Isn’t it funny how the word ‘politics’ is made up of the words ‘poli’ meaning ‘many’ in Latin, and ‘tics’ as in ‘bloodsucking creatures’?

That’s all folks!

Oh Yeah? Back Atcha Double

Tags

death penalty, election, environment, Gardening, George Bush, health, Iowa, Joe Lieberman, quilting, robots, Rome, soup, US Gov., Women's history, world history

This lovely example of cubism was done by Marc Chagall and I couldn’t find a location for it. It was done in 1913 and is entitled “Self Portrait with Seven Fingers.” I’m sure there is a fascinating story behind that. I can tell you that Chagall did famous paintings involving the Eiffel Tower and donkeys both of which are pictured here. In the part of the painting to the right, the woman appears to be floating and this is part of another of his paintings involving a man and woman dancing, she in the air.

Things are going well on the home front. I’ve made serious progress on my crafting room. A couple of days should finish the job. At this point, I just have a lot of little things to put away. Most of the actual cleaning is done.

Even better, the Contrarian got a bit enthused as well and has cleared out a lot of clutter from his office. He’s not so big on the cleaning, but he now has a plan for where to put his tools and such, so that room should go a lot faster than I had anticipated.

Additionally, we made arrangements for a friend to come and pull us out, and when the Contrarian got down to the car, he pulled it out easily with no help. So we are now mobile again, and undoubtedly will be shopping, perhaps as early as tomorrow. So we are just now awaiting the rains to begin. We had the doors open and a window open all night. It was a bit chilly this morning but oh so nice to smell that fresh air. The dogs slept outside all night, only coming in to eat. This is what makes the meadow the special place it is for us.

And now to see what you must know before you can be declared a well-rounded intellectual!

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There was an unsettling year in Rome wherein there were four emperors. One of them was Otho and he committed suicide as did several others. His suicide occurred April 16, 69C.E. It seemed he had a rather unhappy time of it as Rome’s Emperor. Read more at Ancient History Blog.

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Many of you are no doubt enjoying the series from HBO on John Adams. We’ve seen some of it for free, and it is wonderfully done. The American President Blog has a nice piece from the series and with additional information about his son Charles, who had a difficult life it seems. He died from alcoholism at only the age of 30. Brush up on your knowledge of this president’s son and brother to another president.

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American Revolution Blog picks up the theme of the HBO series and focuses on the various flags that are found during the opening scenes. An explanation is given of each and I certainly learned something from the post. Hopefully you will to. Did you know Franklin wanted the rattlesnake depicted on the flag “Don’t tread on me” as our national symbol and pushed hard for this to be our national flag?

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Baking Delights gives us a heads up on a new food blog you might enjoy. This one specializes in quick, but healthy whole foods menus and recipes. That would be for me! The name is Busy Family Meals. Give it a look see. I’ll add it as a feed and monitor it and see what comes around. A quick perusal suggests it offers some good ideas and good food.

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Yesterday, Sally’s Gardening Tips gave us tips on houseplants. Today she continues that theme but turns her attention to flowering ones and how to care for them. Again, her information is most helpful and I’m thinking about what I might salvage at the end of the summer from the typical annuals and bring indoors and give it a go.

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If you happen to live in House district 71 in Iowa, drop over to Essential Estrogen and read a detailed profile on the Democrat running for that seat, Pat VanZante. As we have learned, we must as a responsible citizenry, become knowledgeable and involved in our political process lest we lose the right to control our government.

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Sister Joan Chittister has a great little post about stress and what she learned in Hawaii about it. Rather than attack the problem after it has occurred as we are wont to do, why not address some of the causes themselves? Take a look and see if she is on to something.

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I imagine you have seen some of the Japanese robots that have been developed in the last few years. They are quite cute and fun to watch. It’s amazing how you just naturally begin to interact with them as if they were human. It seems the newest models being developed by MIT will have faces that have a lot more expression. They are just so darn cute, we are going to think of them as very helpful pets in the future no doubt.

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Mamiedale brings us two new fabric lines. Having just sorted my stash into color groups and put it in its new home, I can tell you that I am more excited than ever to start a new quilt. This one will be mostly scraps and I realized how much I miss some of the fabrics I have and want to use them. I’m still, of course, always open to NEW ones! lol.

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Justice Stevens sided with the majority yesterday in allowing for the use of lethal injection to end the lives of some individuals that some states deem to be unworthy of life. Somehow plaintiffs had failed to show that lethal injection was “objectively intolerable” whatever that means, since we can’t ask the people it is used on SINCE THEY ARE DEAD. Of course Scalia and Thomas were the cruelest of all, saying that any method is legal if not set up to deliberately inflict pain. Come on, who are you kidding! However, in his concurring opinion, Stevens suggests maybe it is time to discuss the real issue again, do the benefits (whatever they could possibly be) any longer outweigh the costs. It’s a good article, and you should read it. Oh, and I’m thoroughly sick of the statement, “now the families can get some peace.” Do you really think that suddenly families of victims feel better after an execution? They may say so, but who are they kidding?

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I don’t know how you feel, but Joe Lieberman really really torques me. He is leaving open the door whether he might sneak over to the GOP convention and give a speech for his boy the MacNut. As usual, the Political Realm has the story, but the real fun is reading the comments. There is an overwhelming desire to see Joe get his in the butt and be relegated to some little office in the basement. This is all about Joe’s overwhelming desire to make the US the lifetime protector of Israel and nothing much more in my opinion. Enjoy the shooting match!

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Remember at every turn in the road how the Bushites claim that their mostly illegal tactics have actually prevented real attacks from occurring in this country? They say it in defense to almost every criticism of their wire-tapping, torturing activities. Well, it seems when you look at the individual cases, they mostly fade away like smoke. Politics Plus has the story for you.

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Woohoo, Scandalous Women has a great post today on Lillie Langtry. You remember her right? She became a star in the Victorian era. This is a thorough and delightful account of a woman who wanted to be “somebody” and achieved her goal. She was a beautiful woman to be sure.

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Scientists tell us that the Jet streams, planet wide, appear to be on the move. Well, the are always moving of course, but they tend to follow a pattern. That pattern is moving. It is thought that this may be in response to global warming, since the movements are predicted using current warming models. This will affect the movement of storms around the world.

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Oh i love curry, as I may have mentioned before and this lovely soup looks like a great recipe for a coolish, rainy day. Take a look at Curried Potato and Vegetable Soup and see what you think. Thanks to Simply Recipes.

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Veggie Gardening Tips has a list of common gardening assumptions and she pokes a hole in many of them. From growing in rows to the subject of weeds, you’ll find plenty of helpful hints that erase some of those old rules of road.

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“You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.” George Burns

“Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so.” Bertrand Russell

“All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” Sean O’Casey

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Actual Signs That We Have Found

A sign seen on a restroom dryer at O’Hare Field in Chicago: Do not activate with wet hands.

At a car dealership: The best way to get back on your feet? Miss a car payment.

At A Laundry Shop: How about we refund your money, send you a new one at no charge, close the store and have the manager shot. Would that be satisfactory?

At a Towing Company: We don’t charge an arm and a leg. We want tows.

At an optometrist’s office: If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.

Billboard on the side of the road: Keep your eyes on the road and stop reading these signs.

Door of a plastic surgeon’s office: Hello. May we pick your nose?

In a cafeteria: Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want.

In a non-smoking area: If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.

In a veterinarian’s waiting room: Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!

From: GoodQuotes.com

Falling into the Flower Bed of Life

Tags

astronomy, Catholicism, crochet, environment, Gardening, Greece, Iraq, John McCain, knitting, racism, religion, soup, vegetables, Women's issues, world history

This is Georgia O’Keefee’s “Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy.” It was done in 1928 and is at the Art Institute of Chicago.

I needed something that reminded me that flowers are real. One can easily conclude that they are a mere figment of one’s imagination given the weather these days. If you can believe it, it snowed yesterday, a good 3/4 of a inch and it came down in literal sheets. Most depressing.

I have little interest in cleaning today, but I have a good excuse. The Contrarian did not sleep well, and so returned to bed around 6:30 a.m., and slept in a bit, which is all I need to declare the cleaning schedule completely ruined and a wash for the day. Pretty clever huh? I did knock down the cobwebs around the small room because I could do that quietly. I’ll do some more tomorrow. It appears that we might, just might, get some sunshine today. That would be quite unusual to be sure.

Let us see what in the world is happening!

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Today is the sad anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Stopping for a moment to remember, I guess I am most sad that so much work remains to be done. Senator Obama is very correct in his assessment that we are indeed stuck. We no longer overtly show our bigotry, but indeed, it exists within us still. It gets in some sense diluted since we have so many other groups we can hate these days, Muslims and immigrants. Yet it is all the same isn’t it? Those who struggle to make a good life, feel somehow that whatever they have they have attained by their own efforts. They reject and resent any thought that those who are less fortunate are not necessarily lazy or to blame for their unfortunate circumstances. They tout the idea that hard work is all it takes, one raises oneself up by one’s own bootstraps. Such people are against government programs to support the needy. They are afraid it will decrease what they have. They pretend that the really needy can be adequately taken care of by charity. But of course they will determine who those “really needy” are. Things have changed, but they have largely remained the same, I fear. For one person’s take on that fateful day, read Michael C. Dawson’s, “April 4, 1968: The Moment that made me a Radical.”

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Speaking of history, and we were were we not? N.S. Gill’s Ancient History Blog has a nice little biography of Homer, the father of history. Certainly Homer did not understand history the way we do. He relied often on pure rumor and innuendo for historical claims. He believed in the ancient gods and certainly in their human manifestations. But, we find that those after him read him assiduously. It was the mark of an educated person to know your Homer. Read more by following the link.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a new stitch pattern she found and a new free pattern for you as well. Her blog has most all your crocheting needs imbedded somewhere within it, so be sure to spend some time looking around while you are there.

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Another asparagus recipe for you. This one is a Roasted Asparagus Soup. Oh spring soups can be so wonderful. I’m quite partial to one I no longer have a recipe for, a pea and lettuce curry soup, good hot or cold. But this one looks great and as soon as we get those new green shoots up sufficiently high, I’ll think about trying this recipe.

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The Contrarian and I have been talking about the excessive amount of wood chips and sawdust that have accumulated where the wood is being cut. He thought to gather them up and use them as mulch around the flower beds at the front of the house. After reading Home and Garden’s post on mulches, I’m not quite so sure anymore. Termites are an issue with wood mulches. Read what you can do to prevent an infestation.

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Sr. Joan Chittister is one of those people I look to to keep my moral compass aright. She is the perfect blend of Catholicism to me, pious, knowledgeable, and empathetic. She asks the question: What voice in religion is seldom heard by always there? The answer is not surprising to me at least, having had my own time in the pre-nun world of Catholicism. As always, Sister always makes you think, and usually makes you feel a bit ashamed of yourself. That is not a bad thing, but an energizing motivator.

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Knitting Dragonflies has a few neat sites she’s found. I thought this one was the most useful for our purposes, or mine I should say. I guess you, reader have little to say about this choice! This one is called, Knitter’s Review, and I thought it had some useful looking info. It also has a forum so you can ask questions and converse with other knitters.

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Communicating faults? No we aren’t talking about your marriage or your closest friendship. We are talking California and falling into the ocean. Yep, its earthquakes and they are communicating with each other! Seismologists are, well, jumping off the scale in their excitement. If I were you, I’d move.

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National Review has my kind of post today. One so thoroughly crazy and outside the realm of reality as to be the product of aliens from Planet X. Mona Charen ponders the question, just why exactly should we care what the world thinks of us? She says we shouldn’t care at all. I guess you might expect that from someone who calls the invasion of Iraq “essentially benevolent.” It gets worse, she claims that we have done nothing to those we confine at Gitmo but give them, “medical care, culturally sensitive food, prayer rugs, a Koran, and a dental plan.” Riiiighhhhht. What utter bunk. What utter chutzpah. How naive and backward thinking can one person get? Read the rest if you can stand it.

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Paul Krugman has a informative post on McCain’s health care plan, if you can call it that. The fact is, his plan is essentially more of the same tired GOP rhetoric, because fundamentally, Republicans believe that people succeed if they try, and we have plenty of charity for those who are suitably really really poor and can’t help it. Of course, the GOP is ruled by business and just maybe this Protestant work ethic idea that people are poor because they are mostly lazy is the refrain they use to keep working class and middle class people from thinking deeply. It’s always easy to dismiss the poor this way, if it means you can keep your profits high and keep the masses off your back. Because the business elite try so hard to convince you that anyone with effort can be a success, you keep plugging along, getting nowhere, and paying for everything so they don’t have to. Pretty good scheme. It’s time we woke up.

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Still listening to the rhetoric coming out of Washington and Baghdad about how well the government forces did in Basra? Still convinced that Maliki and his government, (if you can call it that) won the day against Sadr? Well think again. The Washington Post reports that in fact the Iraqi troops were overwhelmed by the second day of fighting. Thirty percent of them ran away and abandoned the fight entirely. There were shortages of ammunition and food, and some Iraqi police forces actually were helping the other side. The presence of both British and American troops saved the day as it were. It seems the lying about Iraq is so ingrained that truth is hard to come by. There is a lot more here, so pick up the link.

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Newborn brown dwarfs? No not baby Mexican midgets. Look up! They are inbetweens. No not quilting inbetweens. They are objects in our universe between planets and stars. Brown dwarfs, and they are found in stellar nurseries of course. Read all the fascinating details in Science Daily.

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Bumping into Myself

Tags

potatoes, seeds, soup

This painting hangs in MoMA and was done by Henry Matisse, 1909.

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One always wonders what caused the mind to come up with this theme. It seems to me a lot of male artists fantasized about women unclothed outside in groups. I personally have never come upon such a sight. Apparently they thought about it a good deal.

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Just a couple of general housekeeping details. I made the snickery bars or whatever they were called. I mean the one’s made from dulce de leche with peanuts, chocolate and shortbread. Much work involved, especially for the dulce de leche. It cooks for nearly 3 hours, and for me it was hard to find the exact right temp where it would simmer and not boil. I do not think I got it reduced enough, thus it did weep out when I cut the cookies. However it was very tasty. A small piece goes a long way however, they are very sweet. Worth the effort however but not a regular cookie recipe. I prefer them quicker than this was.

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Note some extra additions to the sidebar crafts section. Most are not blogs but give free patterns and lots of instructions, so if you are interested in those particular crafts, then bookmark them for use when you feel the urge to do that craft.

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Oh and don’t forget. Today is the infamous Ides of March, so if your name is Julius or you live near a forum, beware!

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Now on to what’s happening in crafts, food and gardening with a touch of historical insight here and there. More there than here today it seems. LOL….actually this entire blog is history, since it becomes so as soon as each letter is written, and oh dear my head is starting to hurt. Now is only now now. You see what I mean?

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If you feel the need to do something Irish on Monday and are not into the usual corned beef and cabbage, or like me are unwilling to go shopping again just for corned beef, you might want to try this recipe that is thoroughly Irish as well. Irish Potato Chowder would be perfect with those Irish soda biscuits I linked you to the other day. And who wants the same tired corned beef anyway?

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Free Sample Forager has a deal for free samples of Glad trash bags. The new flex ones. She has plenty of other offers so just go to this link and back off until the original address is there and enter and see the rest. This was the only one that interested me, and it’s my site! Just kidding.

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My thoughts turn more and more to that garden I so want to get into. Fresh veggies are just so enticing right now. Over at Veggie Gardening Tips there is a list of favorites which might jump start you, or even give you an idea or two about some new varieties you might way to try. The pictures just make me sooo hungry.

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I really haven’t mentioned the Yarn Harlot in a while. She has a pretty amusing post today about waiting to hear her interview on the radio. It’s worth a grin or two, and she is always a good read.

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It seems ominously quiet today, everyone seems out to play, or I’m so bored I’m not finding a lot of interesting stuff, or whatever. In any case, this abbreviated blog is get more abbreviated by the second. Did I mention we watched Lawrence Oliver’s “Hamlet” last night? Or as the Contrarian calls him, Larry O liver, not long V A as everyone else. Here in America we don’t do that British nonsense, we speak English as it’s meant to be spoken. No “Laboaratory”, no its laboratory (labratory). He forgets of course that we got the danged language from them, so I would assume they might be the authorities on pronunciation. No matter, the Contrarian has this weird patriotic arrogance about things like this. Don’t let me get started on royalty. Or, I should say him.
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Anyhooo, Hamlet with Sir Lawrence is ever so different from either Derek Jacoby’s version or Kenneth Branagh’s version. Both play Hamlet as a mad man, and thus all scenes seem to find Hamlet in some position along his descent to full madness. Oliver seems to play him as mad, but with long stretches of normalcy, only punctuated at times with true madness. He plays him more quietly. He has done many of the soliloquies as “thoughts” versus spoken out loud, and I thought he rendered those points more powerful. I can only conclude that both Jacoby and Branagh thought his performance so singular that they attempted to do something quite different. I like parts of all three portrayals, but overall the Oliver version is still the best I think. He directed himself and won an Oscar I believe as best actor for it.
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“No one wants advice, only corroboration.” John Steinbeck

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“I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.” Shelley Winters

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“It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over.” Edna St. Vincent Millay

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I’ve made 15 granny squares for the afghan. I’ve made nearly one potholder. I have yarn for making socks. I think 5 good crafts at once is the mark I want to achieve. I can’t start a 6th, but have 5 to choose from until one is done, then I can add another. That might make me productive and keep me from being bored. At least I’m hoping. Also it helps when I see that at least a couple of other people out there are working on crafts that they started more than a year ago. I don’t feel so lazy and unproductive then. I dream of having enough crafts to open a slot on Etsy, but heck for the time being a lot of my crafts will be used right here at the Meadow house. She is getting pretty rough around the edges and needs some serious care. She’s gonna get it too, just kick me, I’m moving!

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Oh, and I have no idea why pictures always seem to screw up the paragraphing. I cannot get it to stop, no matter how many times I redo it. So I put the little squiggly in between paragraphs as a stop gap. Blogger has some very interesting hidden dopey things like that, and they have apparently one of the worst group of tech people on the planet, or they don’t really care much about this platform. In any case, they don’t fix things until forever, and seem to let a lot of things just not work well at all. The paragraphing thing is one of them, the quote feature is another. Sorry for the bad form but I do the best I can to make it reader friendly.