Where will it all end . . .?

The United States certainly seems to continue in its decline. We still have much to be thankful for as we have one of best countries in which to live. It seems, however, that our political powers that be are doing all they can to stifle creativity, threaten jobs, and overtax our incomes. Although the economy is of importance, our smallest citizens tend to be overlooked in everyone's immediate anxiety - the unborn. We can live without a stable economy. The unborn can't live with abortion.

It puzzles me why our current administration is so set on making wholesale murder so accessible. If our president had been conceived in today's world, his college-age mother most likely would have taken the easy route and aborted him. Fortunately, for him, abortion was against the law in his womb time. There is also a higher percentage of abortions in the black community. Shouldn't a president of a definite ethnic background be concerned?

Now that the embryonic stem cell research has been given a huge green light, how much more danger comes to the unborn. We are cannibalizing our future when the deceased future may have held the answer to the questions we look for through research. The senselessness of embryonic stem cell research sickens me. To date, there have not been any grand successes to validate murder - not that it is ever validated. Meanwhile, adult stem cell research is showing promise and success - no babies harmed in the process.

Our vice president is Catholic. The speaker of the house is Catholic. Our governor and his wife are Catholic. They are all thoroughly in favor of abortion. I know you can't judge what is in a person's heart but when these people present themselves for Holy Communion, the administering priest should refuse to participate in a sacrilege. Their outward signs certainly attest to a lack of heart when they support pre-born infanticide.

And to the many Catholics who supported the president's election to office twice, I wonder if they did their research? President Obama voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act four times, horrifyingly voting against protecting babies who survived abortion and voting in favor of leaving them to die. A vote against this legislation was a vote for infanticide.

Rainy Days and Mondays . . .

The weatherman here in California forecast morning gloom with afternoon sunshine. As of 11:30, it is overcast and cold. My favorite kind of weather! I have bread rising, the house has been picked up, and an afternoon of quilting is before me.

My Lenten vow to complete projects is working out . . . so far! At least my pile of completed quilts is much higher than my quilts in progress. My husband treated me to six yards of a great floral fabric yesterday so temptation to veer off the set path looms.

Besides the bowls of rising bread dough, I have some boneless pork simmering in barbecue sauce. It is getting a long, slow, all-day cooking so we can have pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. Besides the usual slice of onion and cheese, we complete the sandwich with cole slaw dressed with Asian salad dressing. I know, it sounds odd but it works.

Although we have given up eating out for Lent, we are finding it enjoyable to have 'fast food' night at home. I never think to make tacos as they are easier to obtain already made and hot. Since the beginning of Lent, I'm finding it is more fun to prepare favorites at home and they taste better, too. One of the blessings of Lent? I like to think so.

As I finish up some of my quilts in waiting, ideas are running through me head for yet to be cut fabric. The fan pattern has been a favorite of mine but, recently, the rail fence pattern has been used for three of my quilts. Up until this year, I have never made a quilt with that pattern as it seemed too simple. I was amazed to realize how many nuances can be achieved with it. My favorite quilt was made with every scrap I could find. It was a pattern but it was not a pattern and very cheerful.

It is kind of like people. You don't all have to be one or two of a kind to work together!

Quotes with meanings . . .

Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real."
-- Iris Murdoch

"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way."
-- Franklin P. Adams

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
-- Leo Tolstoy

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
-- Paul Fix

Quotes to laugh or think about . . .

Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles."
-- Frank Lloyd Wright

"If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style."
-- Quentin Crisp

"I don't really trust a sane person."
-- Lyle Alzado

A site of interest . . .

Now, I'm speaking soley from an unbiased viewpoint here, but you should check out the following: www.recipescramble.com It is called The Recipe Ranch and it has an unusual but fun way of approaching the subject of cooking/baking. Make sure you go to the blog, too. I think the writer did a great job for a first web page. Oh, yeah . . . That part about the unbiased viewpoint? Forget it! The new web page was done by my daughter! : - )

Tax season . . .

The world just goes too fast for me! I tried Turbo Tax for filing our returns this year. It is rather intense as they seriously ask you every little question that might pertain to your income, etc. I finally got to an ending point and e-filed our returns. This morning, I got the news that while the State of California has accepted our return, as filed, the IRS did not. I can understand the State of California having no problem as it doesn't look like they are interested in actually refunding overpayment of taxes this year. I have yet to check on what the IRS requires for final acceptance of our return. Poor IRS! Whatever they may be concerned about, may be minimal as I forgot a substantial tuition deduction and can now refile with that in place. The IRS is going to be sorry they asked.

Anyway, this is still too fast for me! Other years when the IRS might have had a question, it was six or eight weeks before we found out and another six or eight weeks before any refund was forthcoming. In less than eight hours, we knew. Amazing but kind of scary world. I'm going to close the shades . . . just in case any tax authorities are looking in my window!

Safety thoughts . . .

As we gradually approach Spring, we notice more and more of our favorite fruits and melons coming into season. Living in California, however, many of them are available year round . . . at a price! Believe it or not, there are some safety concerns that you might not take into consideration.

I use to have a friend that made fun of me because we thoroughly washed our watermelon with dish soap and water before taking that first cut. She said that if the knife was clean, what was the problem. If the rind is dirty, the knife slices right through, spreading any possible germs across the edible portion. Melons grow in dirt, people with unwashed hands handle the melons, the melons are touched by prospective buyers . . . My husband and I got a massive stomach upset, one summer, after eating watermelon. It was years before we could even look at one so, yes, now we wash our melons and don't care who laughs!

Bagged salad greens can cause a problem, too. They do claim the lettuce or whatever is washed three times, but . . . A great investment is an expensive salad spinner. You put in your greens, spash them with vinegar, rinse, and spin. We also add a peroxide rinse just to make sure. The only thing we want to survive on our salad is the salad dressing!

We take precautions because we like to eat healthy and it is frustrating to get sick from eating food that is supposed to be good for you!