Peace and a great explanation . . .

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

- Mahatma Gandhi

Makes you think . . .

A friend passed this on to me and it really shows the reality of how veering off the track on how things are perceived can lead to even more problems and confusion. Funny yet not!

A Scene at City Hall in San Francisco:

"Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license."
"Names?"
"Tim and Jim Jones."
"Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance."
"Yes, we're brothers."
"Brothers? You can't get married."
"Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?"
"Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!"
"Incest?" No, we aren't gay."
"Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?"
"For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other. Besides, we don't have any other prospects."
"But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get married to a woman."
"Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have.
But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want to marry Jim."
"And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just because we aren't gay?"
"All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next!"
"Hi. We are here to get married."
"Names?"
"John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson."
"Who wants to marry whom?"
"We all want to marry each other."
"But there are four of you!"
"That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express our sexual preferences in a marital relationship."
"But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples."
"So, you're discriminating against bisexuals?!"
"No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's just for couples."
"Since when are you standing on tradition?"
"Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere."
"Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples.
The more the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!"
"All right all right. Next!"
"Hello, I'd like a marriage license."
"In what names?"
"David Deets."
"And the other man?"
"That's all. I want to marry myself."
"Marry yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return."
"That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!"

The Mandate Against Catholics is being felt . . .

Ever since the president decided to cross the line that separated Church and State with his mandate re. all medical insurance companies provide contraceptive coverage and worse, we have kind of been waiting for the other shoe to fall. It is falling as Franciscan University will not be offering medical insurance to the students this Fall. Today, the news reports that Ave Maria University will probably follow suit. Given the previous attitude seen at Notre Dame, I'd really be surprised if they worried about it but I hope I'm wrong and they will stand by the Catholic conscience this time around.

It is fascinating to me that the president wanted the healthcare bill and such to make sure everyone was cared for yet he is making it impossible for Catholic institutions to take care of their students because of the president's lack of regard and lack of tolerance that isn't in line with his idea of what should or should not be tolerated.

My Midnight College Adventure . . .

Well, it is not exactly for me that I'm having a midnight college adventure. What is happening is that my son's registration date for classes is tomorrow but given the small amount of classes being offered, I know our only chance of possibly getting one class for the summer session is to be on the computer exactly at 12:01 Midnight! We have been watching the open class list today and it is somewhat hopeful that he will get something but we won't celebrate until they have accepted out fees and printed out a schedule. If all goes well, he is hoping to get US History at 8:00-9:40 a.m., European History Part 2 from 9:50-11:30, and Philosophy from 1:30-3:10.

With the economy such as it is and the college cutting classes back 25% and offering absolutely no art classes this summer, we are just sending off a prayer and hoping that God's Will is in line with our human wants.

I'd have either my husband or son stay up for this occasion but even with the best of notes, I know I will be awakened from a deep sleep by them with questions so here I sit, type, and wait.

Really Spicy Spiced Cookies - not for the timid . . .

I like interesting recipes that call for ingredients that don't seem to fit with the other ingredients but, somehow, end up being different and still tasty. My son still claims that the chocolate bean cupcakes were the best ever. This recipe is a bit more tame but still not run of the mill. My husband used to make a pepper cake cracker so this was just in line with our tastes.

Really Spicy Spiced Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon your favorite chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black or white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of cayenne pepper - depends on how much heat you like.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest*
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
(To really incorporate the fresh orange zest taste into your dough, you can grind the sugar and zest together in a blender or food processor before using.)

Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, baking powder, spices, vanilla extract, orange zest, and beat to combine thoroughly. Beat in the egg and milk and mix in the flour. Knead dough into a ball, divide into two, and shape into a long roll. The width of the roll depends on how big a cookie you want. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 2-4 hours or until firm but not frozen.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls of dough into 1/4th-inch thick slices and place about an inch or so apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake approximatel 8 minutes or until the cookies take on a golden edge. Cool on wire rack.

Ideas . . .
Melt 1 cup of milk or semisweet chocolate chips until smooth. Spread one cookie with the melted chocolate and top with a second cookie.

Melt 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips. Dip each cookie half way into the melted white chocolate. Place the cookies on sheets of waxed paper, grind a bit of fresh black pepper on the white chocolate, and let them harden and set.

Lay the cooled cookies out on waxed paper. Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips. Drizzle some of each on every cookie and let them harden before serving.

Mix one cup of apricot jam, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest together. Use this to sandwich the cookies together. You can still drizzle melted chocolate over the top of each one for added appeal.

Modesty?

There is always an ongoing argument about whether strapless dresses are appropriate for a bride and her wedding party. I think this picture answers that question!

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/02/21/strapless/

A beautiful thought . . .

The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.

- Heda Bejar