A Political Rant

Sometimes I wake up at night to worry about things I have absolutely no control over. And I have no control over the worrying part, either. In the past few weeks the 700 billion dollar bailout has kept me concerned about my dad's retirement accounts and Tim and my own 401Ks. I'm afraid to open the statement from Fidelity. I felt better when the bailout bill passed. Surely, if our legislative branch felt this was the way to save us from a repeat of the Great Depression then we should do it. Since then I see our bank, National City, is floundering and may be bought. AND I read today they're not sure the bailout will save Wall Street! Anyway, I think my fear of a Great Depression has me thinking of the parallels in our society today compared to that period of our history.

In The Derrick today was an article about Sarah Palin's inflammatory speeches. She has repeatedly made a link between Obama pal-ing around with a domestic terrorist (from the 60s). People at these rallies are being stoked into a rage about Obama. Here are some things that have been shouted by the crowds, "traitor"; "terrorist"; "treason"; "liar"; "off with his head". I think the last one made me wake up and see the potential danger we are in as a country. In a quaint European country called, Germany, another inflammatory speaker aroused the ire of his countryman by blaming his country's ills on a group of people about 70 years ago. Germany was still trying to recover from an unsuccessful war and their economy was terribly weak. This charismatic speaker was able to convince MILLIONS of people that Germany could once again be a great and powerful nation. He, of course, became the dictator responsible for millions of lives lost from many countries throughout the course of World War 2.

I do not think Sarah Palin is another Adolf Hitler. I don't think she is that smart. BUT the people who are running the show for the Republicans are putting her face on their ideology. I'm going to quantify a moment: I REALLY like John McCain. I think he is a man of honor and experience and had planned to vote for him. I'm registered as a non-partisan voter. But the more I read about Palin's background, lack-thereof and her interviews and speeches I can only surmise she is simply a pretty face/empty slate who can be controlled by those in her political party who have agendas they want to achieve. (If McCain should pass on.) I've read some on-the street interviews and there are women who think Palin is just like them: female; working mom; idiot husband. (I'm not referring to any husbands I know.) Honestly, she is not the one to break the gender barrier to the White House!!! When asked by Katie Couric to name magazines/periodicals she reads to keep up with world affairs Palin could not name one! Instead she said, "everything"!!!!! Whatever they put in front of her. She may read it but it's not sticking to the gray matter. It's like bringing one of "The Girls Next Door" to a high school assembly to talk about career opportunities!!!!! Please don't let Sarah Palin destroy what so many wonderful, intelligent, determined women have done so women have more rights and opportunities. I swear Palin was selected by the Entertainment industry moguls as 4 years of fodder for comedy sketch shows and comedians!

I'm still not done: One of Palin's speeches said Obama sees America as imperfect/ differently from the way you and I see it. I would love to know the yokels she is referring to when she says "you". OF COURSE AMERICA IS IMPERFECT! WE JUST SPENT $700 BILLION TRYING TO SAVE OUR ECONOMY. WE HAVE BEEN IN AN UNWINNABLE WAR FOR YEARS WITH NO END IN SIGHT. HALF THE COUNTRY HAS NO HEALTH INSURANCE. UNEMPLOYMENT CONTINUES TO RISE. I want to know WHO thinks this country is perfect! I love America but it definitely needs some repairs.

It's been said that Palin was brought in to pull in the evangelical vote. I'm not sure who or what the "evangelical vote" is, but if they are the people attending her rallies, I hope they get so fired up they forget to register. I'm going to get really radical here: If evangelicals are the ones who see America as perfect with no wrongs to correct then they are the "Islamics" of our country. The Islamic terrorists see no evil in bombing and killing innocent people. They do heinous things to their enemies and their own people. They believe in the infallibility of their leader/s and an extreme version of their religion. I'm afraid there is a core group of people in our country who are so fixated on the view America is right in whatever America does. Here's the kicker; to them America is only a country of people like them. To them minorities are the illegal immigrants of past generations. All our country's ills are blamed on them. I really think a large block of Americans can't see the WHOLE picture and want a government that caters only to them. Again, I'm seeing a parallel to that European country mentioned earlier!
People who shout"off with his head" and are not renounced immediately display a level of hate that, until now, has been kept status quo. I plan to vote for Obama. There is no other option for me. I don't think he is ready and I think there are Americans who are not ready for a black president. I fear for his life and that of his family if he is elected. It takes some brave people to make the presidency their life's quest. I wish instead of shouting racial epitaphs or incendiary remarks people would shout out some ideas for making our government a better system. That would be helpful. The former is just plain scary.

Now for another metaphor: I took the photo of Hunley and Jackson this morning. And as I was contemplating my "parallels" that picture made me think of my life and a lot of middle-class folk like us. We are the hamster in the cage. We have everything we need. Every so often we get out and take a walk to see new things. The way other people live. Sometimes we have events that stress us out. Or toxic bedding that makes us sick. But we recover and plow on doing what needs to be done to maintain our lovely way of life. But wait, there is evil waiting to swallow us whole. It's there, watching. Patiently waiting. Who is the cat? The government? The evangelicals? The suffering lower class? I feel like I should do something to protect myself but what could I do? Pet the cat and make sure he is fed so he doesn't try to eat me. What if I run out of food? HMMM what's that a metaphor for?

Am I using "metaphor" correctly? I just looked it up at dictionary.com and am still not positive.

Good Eats

(Try and find two eggplants in the photo.)

I read somewhere that as we age our taste buds become less sensitive. As a kid I would've stuck a salamander up my nose before eating brussels sprouts. Yet, I had brussels sprouts at a China Buffet recently and loved them. I think about that as my children make the 'I'm going to vomit face' when presented with a vegetable. (I remember making that face as a kid.) And hope at least one of them develops my passion for veggies. I say "one of them" because my husband's taste buds must still be sensitive because he won't eat most of the veggies I've come to relish.

And speaking of relish, a friend introduced me to Refrigerator Pickles. They are fantastic! And very simple to make. Cucumbers, vinegar, sugar (Splenda), and spices combined to make an eat- alone delight.

I've also discovered the Joy of Banana Peppers. I had an abundant yield from my garden this year and put them on anything and everything...subs, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, turkey wrap sandwiches, eggs, hot dogs, salads (of course). Banana peppers on pizza is just divine.

And in the divine category-I had a small crop of eggplant this year. I made eggplant parmesan and thought it was the best meal I ever made. I was already to make this a staple on our monthly menu when I looked up the nutritional value of eggplant: ZILCH. I have a book, Reader's Digest Foods that Harm/ Foods that Heal An A-Z Guide to Safe and Healthy Eating, and it says eggplant has no mentionable nutritional value! What a rip!!! And cucumbers are 95% water! But my book says they (cucumbers) are a good source of fiber. And banana peppers are the best of all three, "Ounce for ounce, peppers are a better source of vitamin C than citrus fruits."

And speaking of citrus fruits, pineapple has become our fruit of choice! This is the first year I've ever purchased a whole pineapple. I think it's odd, now, that in 43 years I've never purchased a fresh one. I always thought they were too hard to cut. They're not. And once I start eating those juicy chunks I can't stop! And it's the one food we ALL consume.

I want to mention my title for this blog: It's the name of a show on the Food Network hosted by Alton Brown. I REALLY like this show. It gives great cooking info and background on foods. Of course I can't remember the details when I finally purchase a food that was highlighted on the show. I've never tried to find episodes online. When I have more time I may do that. But it is a good show.
These little guys were at the China Buffet I mentioned in the first paragraph. My friend had a ziploc bag so they came home to greet Sarah and Jacob. I had tried eating them at an earlier visit and found them just repulsive. I wasn't even sure exactly WHAT to eat. I really wanted to sneak them to a friend's pond, but they smelled so bad after a day I just couldn't do that to them.


Finally, I recently finished Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth. It takes place in the 11th-12th century in England. Talk about Terrible Eats. They would boil water and add turnips and some herbs and spices and that was a meal. Yikes. I can't imagine any children being picky eaters. You ate what was served or starved!

Feeling Self-Satisfied

It's funny how doing something successfully on a computer can make you feel so self-satisfied. I just spent the last 45 minutes determined to add a visitor counter to my blog. I had to visit a different website to "copy" the code for a counter and THEN had to figure out where to put it on my blog site. Honestly, determination always triumphs. I kept getting an error message but when I finally decided to READ the message I tried a few simple tweaks and low an behold I have a lovely counter at the bottom of my blog.

Now to some important stuff: I had my 3-year old son to the doctor on Tues because he hasn't eaten any solid food for 6 days now. He has an instant breakfast in the morning and two Pediasure drinks during the day and that is it. He told the doctor he had a stomachache and when they listened to his belly they did hear some grumbling indicating some intestinal disturbance. We (Tim & I) thought it was a dental problem because for three days, he'd try and chew his food and spit it out! And this is stuff he loves: cookies, StarBursts, and other goodies. I did make some pudding which he will pick at. He insists he is not hungry, but will ask for something (like gummies) put one in his mouth and spit it back out. He will open the door to the refrigerator and just look longingly for something acceptable to put in his mouth. (The doctor did not see anything unusual in his mouth indicating a cavity or other tooth problem.) I think Jake has a strange-looking white tongue. I Googled white tongue. It is a sign of thrush- which I guess is always possible. The doctor felt he may be recovering from hand-foot-and mouth disease. There are so many possible symptoms for H-F-M disease everyone must be suffering from it! BUT Jake doesn't seem to be slowed by his lack of nourishment. I just don't know how long he can survive on liquids! It's a conundrum.

I attended my 25th class reunion this past weekend. It will definitely be a blog, but not until I've had enough time to let it make several laps around my cerebrum. I DID have a very enjoyable time.

Long Time No Post

I've thought of a number of things I'd like to "blog" about but of course when I sit down to do it I can't remember! So this may be a bit jumpy and scattered.

First, friends of mine were recently told they would be given a hot tub. They are the same age as me and I couldn't stop thinking about the SNL Eddie Murphy/James Brown hot tub sketch. My friend did NOT remember this bit. And I couldn't remember how it went. I was sure part of the song Murphy sang included the words he...' can't get in the hot tub 'cause my butt's too big.' Another friend suggested I Google Eddie Murphy/James Brown hot tub sketch. I found the video. Click on link listed here to reminisce. I was wrong about the lyrics, but I think I remember making those lyrics up with a friend. I don't think I could get in a hot tub with out that tune constantly floating on my brain waves.

Second, about a week ago it occurred to me I hadn't had a good belly laugh for a long time. Well, at a recent graduation party we were sitting at a long table under a canopy. There were about 4 tables with chairs on both sides. Now, we had had some good rain and I'm not sure how dry the ground was because the host had put some shims under the table legs. Fortunately the same could not be done for the chairs. The people sitting on my side of the table, the HIGH side seemed to be towering over the people across from us. But none so much as one man, sitting with his neck level with the tabletop, eating nonchalantly. I don't know if his chair legs had sunk into the wet ground or he had extra shims on his side of the table. Honestly, it was the funniest thing I'd witnessed in a long time. Then, watching old episodes of America's Funniest Videos (AFV), I saw the funniest video: a woman would lock a door when her boyfriend/husband would be entering and she would make him dance before she would unlock the door. She did it four times, twice in a car! That was hilarious but it was funny because the guy was sooooooo good-natured and he would do a little dance and laugh! It won the big money. I'm going to try the find the link to that video. (No luck with that.)

I had a successful Yard Sale last Saturday (June 21). Go to www.yegsyardsale.bravehost.com to view my sale items. The cost of a Classified Ad is ridiculous and the more words the more expensive the ad. We sold almost all the baby furniture in Jacob's room. Tim thought I should've asked for more, and he's probably right. BUT we had to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Jacob will get all of Sarah's furniture and Sarah is getting a new, white, girlie, set. And that is scheduled for delivery July 9. Currently he (and Sarah) are sleeping, quite happily, on an air mattress in Jacob's room. We hope to move the bed to his room tomorrow. We have to clear Sarah's room because we are also replacing her awful burnt-orange shag carpet and that will hopefully be done July 8!

I recently read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I really enjoyed it until the end. I would LOVE to know if anyone else read this and felt the same way. Even though the narrator was telling the story from heaven it read like a realistic fiction book until near the end when it turned into fantasy!!!!! The books most disturbing action takes place in Chapter 1 and you know who the perp is. The story is more about how a family deals with the loss of a child. I appreciate books like this. It makes you more empathetic with people who experience unbelievable tragedy. I'm afraid if my daughter disappeared I would end up in an asylum. I don't know how I could possibly cope with the loss! I feel similarly about the deaths of soldiers. It just seems arbitrary: who could be next?!?!? Entertainment Weekly named The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold as a Modern Classic.

I'm also a bit excited because I read an article about Angelina Jolie and she is supposed to be starring in an upcoming adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. That book and The Fountainhead are two of my all-time favorite books. And Jolie would be perfect as the main female character in either book! I've never seen The Fountainhead movie with Patricia Neal. I should see if it's available on Netflix. (I've never used this but I might need to start.)

Please feel free to add suggestions to: You Know You're Getting Old... I think of more of them when I'm not trying to!

Sex and the City of Cranford

We saw the Sex and the City movie Saturday and I must say it was very enjoyable. I wasn't a huge fan of the series, but I did watch almost every episode on TBS or TNT (I can't remember which) when they first came out in syndication. I'm not sure I watched them in chronological order. I have a terrible time remembering to watch TV shows. The later they are on the better, i.e. after kids are asleep I'm more likely to watch a show. Especially if I can watch them while in bed. About the movie- it was laugh-out-loud funny and sniffle-inducing. It satisfyingly ended the lives of these four girls or at least Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte. No, they did not die. Honestly, I don't need to know anymore about what goes on in their lives. If another SATC movie comes out I don't think I would rush to see it. I could spend another hour writing my opinion of the lives/loves/inanity of these 4 females, but I will save it. BECAUSE I have to recommend a Masterpiece Theater offering called Cranford. I think it is Sex and the City in 1800s England. I was just watching/listening to it as I was taking pictures for my Yard Sale website. I watched Cranford on PBS about a month ago and immediately ordered the DVD from them. It just arrived this past Friday. It is laugh-out-loud funny and sniffle-inducing. The men in this show are purely secondary. And I just caught the part where a cat ate some one's lace they were soaking in some concoction. Lace must have been a luxury at this time. So they rushed the cat somewhere to get a laxative. Then held the puss in a big boot and waited for .... it to come out. As gross as this sounds, it's just hilarious. I had to pause the movie there to write this. A similar occurrence happened in the SATC movie. But not to a pet. In fact, they could've used the same sound effects!

If you like Pride and Prejudice and /or Sense and Sensibility and Sex and the City you would LOVE Cranford!!! It's a show you can watch over and over and never get bored.

I have to mention the new swimming pool in Oil City that opened this weekend amid 90 degree temps and high humidity. The kids and I made it there Saturday at 4:45 and it was still packed. We stayed until it closed at 6pm. It really is a wonderful recreation area/pool. Both Sarah and Jake had a great time and couldn't wait to go back today, Sunday. Tim went with us. It makes it much easier to have him stay with Jacob and me tail Sarah! Sarah's classmates are there and she disappears quite quickly. Fortunately she is tall enough for most parts of the pool and it has a 0-depth entry. There are fountains and an area like a water park. There are 2 slides: one short/low one and one long/tall one. Sarah went down the short one and didn't realize she wouldn't be able to touch the bottom once in the water. The lifeguard had to go in after her. I was about 2 seconds behind the guard. She had swim lessons in May and thinks she is a much better swimmer than she is. She did not go back to the slide. And I stayed very close to her from then on. She starts swimming lessons again in a week.

Wildlife Too Close For Comfort

As I have previously mentioned my aversion to chipmunks this update is quite disturbing.

While toting my tender plants from the garage one chilly morning I saw a wily chipmunk zip into the garage. It went under Tim's car and I wasn't sure how I would grab it. I wasn't particularly concerned because I had more plants to bring out and felt the varmint would find its way back out.

But I did NOT factor in Jacob coming out of the house through the door that connects to our garage. OR the fact that he often leaves said door open. I continued to work and assumed the chipmunk had made its way back out. I closed the garage door and found the inner door open. Now, why would the chipmunk come in here? There aren't any nuts lying about or mounds of dirt in which to burrow holes, or delicate buds to nibble. Well, the next day I went downstairs to get something and I heard it- the chirping of the chipmunk- loud and clear. I did not see it. I had things to do and places to go and figured I'd get rid of it later. I did not warn my husband about our unwanted houseguest. The next day Jacob was jammering on about something and Tim went downstairs to check on it. I was on my way out to a lunch date. Tim called me down. Yes, I said, I knew he was there. Tim was just livid and seemed to think I'd purposely let that scoundrel in the house! The thing was just lying between Tim's weight bench and treadmill. Obviously, he wasn't a healthy creature. I told Tim to put something, a plastic bowl, over him and then slide a piece of cardboard under him and dispose of him. Which is what he did, I learned when I arrived home. Tim said one of our cats must've gotten him because he was leaking clear fluid. Honestly, from the cats point of view, they must've thought they'd gotten the perfect present. A "mouse" that never stops moving! It was probably exhausted when Tim and Jacob found him.

We have baby robins! Two summers ago they made a nest under our deck. This summer they made their nest in a rhododendron bush in front of our house and right below Sarah's bedroom window! Since the leaves have come in completely (and the bushes are blooming) that place is no longer a good spot to spy on them. These pictures were taken by simply holding my camera above the nest and hoping for the best. Today we can see the babies and when we first approached they would stretch their necks and open their beaks. Isn't it amazing how different they will look in a few short months?!? I spotted our first hummingbird today buzzing around my pink dahlias. Almost every plant I bought this year was to attract butterflies or hummingbirds.

After the marble-sized hail the sun came out today and we went out to play and garden. We found the cutest toad. It had such a pointed nose. I don't remember the other ones we've seen looking like this one. We also (Sarah) spotted a baby milk snake basking in the sun on our front sidewalk. There's just something thrilling and revolting at the same time when first coming upon a snake!

Tomorrow looks like another good day for outdoor activity. Who knows what creatures we'll commune with? My friend has had a bear as a regular guest and she just lives a little less than a mile up the hill from me!

Wildlife and Challenging Scientific Principles

What a great Memorial Day weekend! Sarah and I hit Kraynaks Garden Center in Sharon for all our plant needs on Saturday. It was the warmest, sunniest day we've had for a while. Sarah was very good- mainly because she knew a new Webkinz was in her future. Anyway, Sarah has just been preoccupied with swamps recently. I'm not sure if it was a book/s she's heard or the Shrek movies, or both. On the way to Sharon she asked if we could stop at a swamp. There are a lot of wetlands on the way to Sharon and we DID find a swamp and it even had a pull-off/parking area. It's a state game land. We really needed boots to make the trip around the swamp. As it were our sandals were no match for what was under our feet- GOOSE POOP EVERYWHERE! Fortunately the flock must've been there awhile ago- it wasn't too squishy. So it was a worthwhile trip for Sarah- a swamp visit, a chihuahua Webkinz, and plants. She really enjoys helping me with gardening.

Today and yesterday we worked to prepare our gardens. Today we found an abundance of wildlife. First, Sarah caught a toad. Then I found a brown salamander. It looked like an earthworm with legs. Then while thinning out some hostas I saw the first garter snake of the season. Now that I write those things together... that snake better not have snacked on the toad! And chipmunks galore. They are so bad around our house. They make huge holes in our gardens and are quite impertinent. They don't even run when we come out anymore! Although, I have to admit, I enjoy watching them chase each other through the dried leaves, Chip and Dale-like.

Now, on to new matters. I just finished an article in the June 2008 issue of Discover. It's called Peter's Principals. And it reminds me of another thing that annoys the heck out of me: close-mindedness It's about a man, Peter Duesburg, who was a pioneer in cancer research in the 60s-70s. In short he was part of the team that first mapped the genetic structure of retroviruses and co discoverer of the first viral cancer gene in 1970. Pretty smart guy. In the 80s he wrote a paper challenging the prevailing theory that HIV was the cause of AIDS. (A side note: I read a book called And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts in the 90s. It's an amazing story about how the disease was ignored, misinterpreted, and used as a tool for furthering careers and fame! So THIS article seems almost anticlimatic, but very interesting! I also recently read a biography of Albert Einstein- Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. I mention this because Einstein, a pretty smart guy, toppled what was believed to be some laws of physics. ) Because of Duesburg's insistence at being the devil's advocate for a different theory of causes of cancer he has lost major support for his work! HERE IS MY POINT: Didn't we learn anything from Albert Einstein that what we THINK is the truth/answer isn't always right. Now, I don't know enough about this gentlemen to know if he merits government support. BUT the fact that his contemporaries have labeled him a charlatan is quite depressing. I would think highly intelligent people would KNOW that a new way of looking at a situation just may be the ticket to solving a long-standing problem. John Kanzius from Erie invented a machine using sound (I think- or it may be radio) waves to dissolve cancerous tumors. And it is currently being tested in clinical trials at a Texas hospital! And he was no medical man. He was the general manager at a TV station in Erie!!! I understand standing up for your own studies, research and theories. But I truly think a little more open-mindedness in ALL aspects of life would do everyone some good. I'll jump off my soap box now.

The End.