"Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
-- John Kenneth Galbraith
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Back to the creative grind . . .
I've enjoyed Christmas with all it's preparations, extra baking, and gifting. I have, however, missed my sewing machine and free moments for creativity. I'm looking forward to doing some Spring cleaning, clutter reduction, and getting my fabric and needles back into play.
Hard to believe it is 2010 coming up. I'm amazed at how much history we have lived through over the last few years. Not sure if I'm looking forward to some of the stuff that seems to be on the horizon for us in the next few years!
After a lot of mornings of waking up and worrying about the state of the nation (someone has to do it!), I've decided to keep informed but send off a prayer instead of fretting. In many ways, it is out of my hands. Naturally, I will fight against things that will jeopardize my life and my children's future but I hope to learn to turn it more over to God. Hey, He is in control even if He allows some of His children to wander drastically off the given path.
I'm also looking forward to being more politically aware and active. There are a lot of re-elections coming up that need our attention and educated vote. We need to keep justified anger going so the wrong politicians can't slip into office for any more years.
Now, I'm off to my clean up chores and should probably start with the leftover Christmas candy. I need my energy to keep up, you know!
Hard to believe it is 2010 coming up. I'm amazed at how much history we have lived through over the last few years. Not sure if I'm looking forward to some of the stuff that seems to be on the horizon for us in the next few years!
After a lot of mornings of waking up and worrying about the state of the nation (someone has to do it!), I've decided to keep informed but send off a prayer instead of fretting. In many ways, it is out of my hands. Naturally, I will fight against things that will jeopardize my life and my children's future but I hope to learn to turn it more over to God. Hey, He is in control even if He allows some of His children to wander drastically off the given path.
I'm also looking forward to being more politically aware and active. There are a lot of re-elections coming up that need our attention and educated vote. We need to keep justified anger going so the wrong politicians can't slip into office for any more years.
Now, I'm off to my clean up chores and should probably start with the leftover Christmas candy. I need my energy to keep up, you know!
Homeland Insecurity . . .
What is wrong with the Homeland Security people who are supposed to look out for our welfare? Recently, a Nigerian managed to board a plane and almost bring it down in flames during the holiday season. The quick thinking of the passengers and airplane staff prevented the unthinkable from happening. Good thing everyone had to board with little bags of miniature toothpaste and shampoo otherwise it could have been much worse, right?
I imagine that the terrorists have gottens ome good laughs over airport antics since
9/11. Instead of profiling very suspect people (we must be politically correct above all!), the people punished are the ones just trying to fly from one place to the next. The more rules and regulations that are put in place for average passengers, the less people want to bother, the flights lose revenue, and who wins? An ongoing, minor victory for the terrorists. They weren't looking for that but propbably don't mind the side benefit of inconveniencing the American people.
In view of the current aborted terrorist attack, flight passengers cannot have anything in their lap an hour before landing and cannot leave their seats for any reason in the last hour. No magazines or books? What about parents traveling with small children who live by the will of their bladder and won't understand why they can't make a quick trip to the restroom when needed? Do the powers that be really think that this will thwart any terrorist who really, really wants to make trouble? Are they going to board and mutter, "Oh, dear! Can't do anything an hour before we land. Guess that puts a stop to my mission." I can see a mass exodus from assigned seating to the restrooms an hour and a HALF before landing causing a lot of commotion.
From what I have read and heard, holding books or makeup kits in laps before landing did not contribute to the current terrorist attempt. It goes back to the security who let a reported terrorist board the plane. It goes back to inadequately screening passengers for information on file that should have prevented them from boarding any plane. Our administration let us down and ordinary people turned heroes saved a lot of people's Christmas.
Yet, in spite of the information of an administration failure, who is getting further punishment for wanting to fly home for an event, go on a vacation, and make a business trip? The American people get punished for the terrorists. I hear more horrer stories from people taking a plane trip than I do about terrorists. Now, you can only take one item on board. If you are a woman and carry a purse, you can't have a carry-on bag. You can't even have gel inserts in your shoes and if you happen to have a pair of shoes that have gel support built in, they will have to be checked thoroughly.
I was in Munich when there was the terrorist murders of the team from Israel. I was traveling with friends, one of whom was Hispanic. Let me tell you, the border guards at each and every country we passed through had absolutely no problem with profiling my friend because of his darker complexion and checking out their photo books against his passport picture, etc. He didn't mind because he respected their efforts in safeguarding their countries. He knew he wasn't a wanted character.
It seems to me that if we want to keep ahead of possible problems, we should take a closer look at people traveling from known countries that harbor terrorists. We shouldn't consider it profiling to stop someone and do a quick check of their documentation. There is a data base of people who shouldn't be allowed on the plane. They should make it their flight Bible. Right now, all I see are people missing planes, limping along to a flight about to take off and not having time to put their shoes back on, and little children getting frisked because the lost the check point 'lottery'.
You think the terrorists don't watch and enjoy making American sweat like this? Their first goal, of course, is physical distruction but I don't think they mind undermining the American way of life and leaving it to our government to inflict it on us, too.
I imagine that the terrorists have gottens ome good laughs over airport antics since
9/11. Instead of profiling very suspect people (we must be politically correct above all!), the people punished are the ones just trying to fly from one place to the next. The more rules and regulations that are put in place for average passengers, the less people want to bother, the flights lose revenue, and who wins? An ongoing, minor victory for the terrorists. They weren't looking for that but propbably don't mind the side benefit of inconveniencing the American people.
In view of the current aborted terrorist attack, flight passengers cannot have anything in their lap an hour before landing and cannot leave their seats for any reason in the last hour. No magazines or books? What about parents traveling with small children who live by the will of their bladder and won't understand why they can't make a quick trip to the restroom when needed? Do the powers that be really think that this will thwart any terrorist who really, really wants to make trouble? Are they going to board and mutter, "Oh, dear! Can't do anything an hour before we land. Guess that puts a stop to my mission." I can see a mass exodus from assigned seating to the restrooms an hour and a HALF before landing causing a lot of commotion.
From what I have read and heard, holding books or makeup kits in laps before landing did not contribute to the current terrorist attempt. It goes back to the security who let a reported terrorist board the plane. It goes back to inadequately screening passengers for information on file that should have prevented them from boarding any plane. Our administration let us down and ordinary people turned heroes saved a lot of people's Christmas.
Yet, in spite of the information of an administration failure, who is getting further punishment for wanting to fly home for an event, go on a vacation, and make a business trip? The American people get punished for the terrorists. I hear more horrer stories from people taking a plane trip than I do about terrorists. Now, you can only take one item on board. If you are a woman and carry a purse, you can't have a carry-on bag. You can't even have gel inserts in your shoes and if you happen to have a pair of shoes that have gel support built in, they will have to be checked thoroughly.
I was in Munich when there was the terrorist murders of the team from Israel. I was traveling with friends, one of whom was Hispanic. Let me tell you, the border guards at each and every country we passed through had absolutely no problem with profiling my friend because of his darker complexion and checking out their photo books against his passport picture, etc. He didn't mind because he respected their efforts in safeguarding their countries. He knew he wasn't a wanted character.
It seems to me that if we want to keep ahead of possible problems, we should take a closer look at people traveling from known countries that harbor terrorists. We shouldn't consider it profiling to stop someone and do a quick check of their documentation. There is a data base of people who shouldn't be allowed on the plane. They should make it their flight Bible. Right now, all I see are people missing planes, limping along to a flight about to take off and not having time to put their shoes back on, and little children getting frisked because the lost the check point 'lottery'.
You think the terrorists don't watch and enjoy making American sweat like this? Their first goal, of course, is physical distruction but I don't think they mind undermining the American way of life and leaving it to our government to inflict it on us, too.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas 2009 . . . A day of mourning?
Through tricks and no transparency, the senate may actually bring their health care fiasco to 'light'. The people spoke, as the president stated in a recent speech, too bad he didn't listen.
There are people who don't care what goes on in the country. They will find some financial surprises in their future paychecks.
There are people who think we are heading for FREE medical care. They will find some problems with that when they go to future doctor appointments.
There are elderly who think it is about time to ease things up for them. Should have read the bill and determine if they WANT rationed care because they are elderly.
There are families who thought the insurance burden would lift with the health care reform. Should have read the independent financial reports which showed it was impossible to make this work. What will they do when more and more of their income goes for health care they won't receive.
And, if any pro-life people thought the bill was a good idea, and I know a few, how will they face the babies that will die through tax dollars. I don't want to be in their shoes come Judgement Day when they have to see the thousand and thousands of aborted babies they 'helped' kill.
I get tired of people quoting 'hope and change' to me. Our country didn't need this kind of change and it certainly did away with a lot of hope. Hoax and chains is more fitting given the Christmas Eve gift presented to us by the Senate.
I contacted our Senators OFTEN. People told me it was no use. I have a friend who wrote or e-mailed our Senators EVERY day. Seems that even if the situation is on the hopeless side, NOT doing anything makes you less of a voter.
There are people who don't care what goes on in the country. They will find some financial surprises in their future paychecks.
There are people who think we are heading for FREE medical care. They will find some problems with that when they go to future doctor appointments.
There are elderly who think it is about time to ease things up for them. Should have read the bill and determine if they WANT rationed care because they are elderly.
There are families who thought the insurance burden would lift with the health care reform. Should have read the independent financial reports which showed it was impossible to make this work. What will they do when more and more of their income goes for health care they won't receive.
And, if any pro-life people thought the bill was a good idea, and I know a few, how will they face the babies that will die through tax dollars. I don't want to be in their shoes come Judgement Day when they have to see the thousand and thousands of aborted babies they 'helped' kill.
I get tired of people quoting 'hope and change' to me. Our country didn't need this kind of change and it certainly did away with a lot of hope. Hoax and chains is more fitting given the Christmas Eve gift presented to us by the Senate.
I contacted our Senators OFTEN. People told me it was no use. I have a friend who wrote or e-mailed our Senators EVERY day. Seems that even if the situation is on the hopeless side, NOT doing anything makes you less of a voter.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Every child on earth is holy
Every crib is a managaer lowly,
Every home is a stable dim
Every town is a Bethlehem,
Every star is God's own Gem &
every kind word is a hymn,
For Christ is born, born again,
When God's love lives in the hearts of men.
Author unknown
Every crib is a managaer lowly,
Every home is a stable dim
Every town is a Bethlehem,
Every star is God's own Gem &
every kind word is a hymn,
For Christ is born, born again,
When God's love lives in the hearts of men.
Author unknown
Friday, December 18, 2009
Too true . . . !
"Everybody hates me because I'm so universally liked."
-- Peter de Vries
"As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything."
-- George Carlin
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-- Douglas Adams
"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B."
-- Fats Domino
-- Peter de Vries
"As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything."
-- George Carlin
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-- Douglas Adams
"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B."
-- Fats Domino
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sugar rush . . .
After a day of candy making, I'm surprised I can even thing sugar much less be eating a piece of said product even as I type. What can I say? I make quick recoveries! I usually go with baking for Christmas (as I did recently), but decided to try a few interesting candy recipes I ran across. For the most part, they were pretty successful. I found out, however, that trusting my instincts still works best!
I found an easy recipe for chocolate truffles. I elaborated on the basic chocolate ingredients with orange zest and extract. The vanilla extract enhanced the flavors nicely. A quick test taste promised a good outcome. The recipe said to put the mixture into the refrigerator for at least three hours then form into small balls and roll in ground nuts and such. Great! I made this one first and went about my other recipes.
At the designated time, I got my bowl of truffle mixture out of the refrigerator and it was ROCK solid. Okay, I thought, I'll let it reach room temperature. Two hours later, it was ROCK solid. I finished off my other candy projects and took to the bowl of chocolate with a wooden spoon. It WAS my favorite wooden spoon and will be sorely missed!
Giving up on a seemingly hopeless mess, I ran hot water into the bowl and let it set while I cleaned up the kitchen. Guess what? It was still ROCK solid. I left it soaking overnight and it has now been over 18 hours later and it still resides in the sink with no intention of going away. I hate truffles!
On the bright side, I ended up with a great assortment of candy to gift. Even better, I managed to find all but one recipient at home to gift with the candy. Anyone interested in some easy but tasty candy recipes, I can post them here or on my other Blog - College Cusine.
Successful reciped enacted yesterday were:
Crispy Peanut Butter balls dipped in chocolate.
White Peppermint Cups
White Almond Cups
Cookie Dough Filled Chocolates
Walnut/Date/Cherry Filled Chocolates
White Chocolate Crispy Cups
I found an easy recipe for chocolate truffles. I elaborated on the basic chocolate ingredients with orange zest and extract. The vanilla extract enhanced the flavors nicely. A quick test taste promised a good outcome. The recipe said to put the mixture into the refrigerator for at least three hours then form into small balls and roll in ground nuts and such. Great! I made this one first and went about my other recipes.
At the designated time, I got my bowl of truffle mixture out of the refrigerator and it was ROCK solid. Okay, I thought, I'll let it reach room temperature. Two hours later, it was ROCK solid. I finished off my other candy projects and took to the bowl of chocolate with a wooden spoon. It WAS my favorite wooden spoon and will be sorely missed!
Giving up on a seemingly hopeless mess, I ran hot water into the bowl and let it set while I cleaned up the kitchen. Guess what? It was still ROCK solid. I left it soaking overnight and it has now been over 18 hours later and it still resides in the sink with no intention of going away. I hate truffles!
On the bright side, I ended up with a great assortment of candy to gift. Even better, I managed to find all but one recipient at home to gift with the candy. Anyone interested in some easy but tasty candy recipes, I can post them here or on my other Blog - College Cusine.
Successful reciped enacted yesterday were:
Crispy Peanut Butter balls dipped in chocolate.
White Peppermint Cups
White Almond Cups
Cookie Dough Filled Chocolates
Walnut/Date/Cherry Filled Chocolates
White Chocolate Crispy Cups
Friday, December 11, 2009
Man, that global warming is sure cold and wet . . .
According to REAL scientific facts and not the made up, forced conclusions of Al Gore and company, the last time there was a temperature change out of the ordinary was in 1998 and it was minimal. I always enjoy rainy, cold weather as it makes all the global summits on this 'warming' trend a bit amusing. Besides, what kind of carbon footprint did they all leave by flying into the current one in their private jets, etc.? If they let God be in charge, more would be right with the world.
Lots of sunny, California rain today. I promised myself during the last rain storm earlier in the week that I would remember to find that tin pan under the eaves that makes a delightful noise during the rain . . . in the middle of the night . . . when I would like to sleep!
Not complaining as my older daughter has taken up ice slipping for a hobby this week. The storm that hit California went on to Kansas and surrounding areas leaving them with snow and icy paths. Her record, yesterday, was five falls on the black ice and she added another one when she was talking to me on her way back to the dorm.
In spite of the dark, rainy forecast, I'm thinking about making dinner that requires long and hot use of the oven today, probably vegetable cheese pizza on a whole wheat crust. We don't use our central air so savor any activity that includes the use of the oven these days!
Just to brighten the gloomy day, here are some quotes that hit a bit too close to the truth!
"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff."
-- Frank Zappa
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago."
-- Bernard Berenson
"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."
-- Redd Foxx
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
-- Mark Twain
Lots of sunny, California rain today. I promised myself during the last rain storm earlier in the week that I would remember to find that tin pan under the eaves that makes a delightful noise during the rain . . . in the middle of the night . . . when I would like to sleep!
Not complaining as my older daughter has taken up ice slipping for a hobby this week. The storm that hit California went on to Kansas and surrounding areas leaving them with snow and icy paths. Her record, yesterday, was five falls on the black ice and she added another one when she was talking to me on her way back to the dorm.
In spite of the dark, rainy forecast, I'm thinking about making dinner that requires long and hot use of the oven today, probably vegetable cheese pizza on a whole wheat crust. We don't use our central air so savor any activity that includes the use of the oven these days!
Just to brighten the gloomy day, here are some quotes that hit a bit too close to the truth!
"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff."
-- Frank Zappa
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago."
-- Bernard Berenson
"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."
-- Redd Foxx
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
-- Mark Twain
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Christmas is coming . . .!
Rain, rain, and then some more rain yesterday! Our dogs took the rain as a personal affront but I decided it would make a great day for Christmas baking.
My early baking days (way back in the stone age of my youth!), often left the kitchen in complete shambles. The product result of those days was quite good but my baking time seeped into fixing dinner time and some of the ho, ho, ho went out of the holidays when hungry children and husband wanted something more than another cookie for dinner.
Old age has a few compensations! I've discovered organization and my baking shows the improvement. I actually got seven batches of cookies baked, iced, and packed away with time to spare. My one secret to getting a jump on the baking is to bake the brownies first. They take one pan and while they are doing their 20-minute time in the oven, I have time to mix up another batch of bar cookies. After that, comes the molded cookies likes snow ball cookies. Once the bulk of the baking is either under way or done, I get to think about more labor intensive types. At the close of baking, yesterday, I just has a few dishes left to wash (no dishwasher at our house) and an hour to work on some crocheting projects. Dinner was on time and it was definitely a nice beginning of the season. The end results of my cookie baking was white and chocolate chip cookies, almond snowball cookies, chocolate/cherry/nut cocoa snowball cookies, Snickerdoodles, brownies, date bars, Amish Sugar cookies.
Plates of cookies were distributed to friends today and the exclamation from one friend, "Oh, I'm so happy! Snowball cookies, my favorite!" made it all worthwhile.
Anyone interested in any of my recipes, please let me know and I'll post it. Anyone having a family favorite to share, please let us know and share.
A word to the wise . . . For the best (in my opinion!) spices, flavorings, and extracts, check out, on-line, Cook's Vanilla, Penzy Spices, and Spices, Etc. Did you know there is more than one kind of vanilla? Or, that cinnamon comes in different strengths and flavors?
My early baking days (way back in the stone age of my youth!), often left the kitchen in complete shambles. The product result of those days was quite good but my baking time seeped into fixing dinner time and some of the ho, ho, ho went out of the holidays when hungry children and husband wanted something more than another cookie for dinner.
Old age has a few compensations! I've discovered organization and my baking shows the improvement. I actually got seven batches of cookies baked, iced, and packed away with time to spare. My one secret to getting a jump on the baking is to bake the brownies first. They take one pan and while they are doing their 20-minute time in the oven, I have time to mix up another batch of bar cookies. After that, comes the molded cookies likes snow ball cookies. Once the bulk of the baking is either under way or done, I get to think about more labor intensive types. At the close of baking, yesterday, I just has a few dishes left to wash (no dishwasher at our house) and an hour to work on some crocheting projects. Dinner was on time and it was definitely a nice beginning of the season. The end results of my cookie baking was white and chocolate chip cookies, almond snowball cookies, chocolate/cherry/nut cocoa snowball cookies, Snickerdoodles, brownies, date bars, Amish Sugar cookies.
Plates of cookies were distributed to friends today and the exclamation from one friend, "Oh, I'm so happy! Snowball cookies, my favorite!" made it all worthwhile.
Anyone interested in any of my recipes, please let me know and I'll post it. Anyone having a family favorite to share, please let us know and share.
A word to the wise . . . For the best (in my opinion!) spices, flavorings, and extracts, check out, on-line, Cook's Vanilla, Penzy Spices, and Spices, Etc. Did you know there is more than one kind of vanilla? Or, that cinnamon comes in different strengths and flavors?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Words of Wisdom . . .!
"Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know."
-- Cullen Hightower
"Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others."
-- Samuel Johnson
"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today."
-- Laurence J. Peter
"The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide-open spaces surrounded by teeth."
-- Charles Luckman
-- Cullen Hightower
"Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others."
-- Samuel Johnson
"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today."
-- Laurence J. Peter
"The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide-open spaces surrounded by teeth."
-- Charles Luckman
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