2998 Delicious pumpkin recipes

As announced publicly here 4 weeks ago (after a summer of wonderful travel and even more wonderful eating on the run) I planned to cut back on the calories and step up the exercise. I posted my 13 food triggers. So far, that has worked very well. I'm not a list maker by nature, but this is working for me, and I would probably throw out my shoulder again patting myself on the back. I'm feeling something I haven't experienced in a long, long time--space in my jeans.

But it is boring! Say what you want about fruits and vegetables, all their health benefits and antioxidants, vitamins, etc., they just don't satisfy the way a cracker with butter and cheese would. However, let me tell you about pumpkins.
Photo borrowed from "on the rock."
Pumpkin doesn't have to be cut from the vine and cooked and mashed. No, Libby's has done that for you! If you're the mother earth type, be my guest. One serving (can label) has only 40 calories, 20% of your fiber needs for the day, and a whopping 300% of Vitamin A (80% as beta carotene), and also has small amounts of C, E, Calcium and iron. And there's nothing in the can except pumpkin.

"The key nutrient that boosts pumpkin to the top of the SuperFoods Rx list is the synergistic combination of carotenoids, powerful antioxidants which have been shown to decrease the risk of various cancers, including those of the lung, colon, bladder, breast, and skin, lower the rate of heart disease, and decrease the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Pumpkin contains one of the richest supplies of bioavailable alpha-carotene and beta-carotene to be found. Canned pumpkin is one of those foods that give the lie to the notion that fresh is always best." SuperFoods Rx.

So here's what I did:
1 8oz. fat free cream cheese blended with
3/4 C. Splenda
drop or two of vanilla
pinch of salt
2/3 can of pure pumpkin (about 10 oz.)
1/2 8 oz. carton of sugar free Cool Whip
Use spices accordingly--label calls for cinnamon, ginger, cloves in varying amounts--because this isn't cooked after you mix it, I'd go easy.

Put in a graham cracker 8-9 in. crust, or to reduce calories more, use small dessert cups. Top with some Cool Whip after letting it set-up in the frig for a few hours.
I drizzled some sugar free hot fudge on top--yummy combination. Neither chocolate nor graham cracker crust are food triggers for me, even so this is so yummy, next time I'll put it in a dish.

Then because I had 1/3 of a can left over, I decided to try pumpkin egg nog. I wasn't sure how this would work out--had never even thought about it, but here's what I did, and it is yummy too.

1 qt. low fat milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
teeny pinch of salt

Beat with egg beater until eggs are thoroughly mixed.
Put 5 oz. pumpkin puree in the blender and add about a cup of the milk/egg mix.
Whirl a few seconds. Canned pumpkin is sort of thick and this smooths it out. Add back to the milk/egg mix.
Cook at low heat for 5-10 minutes or so. (Don't ever eat raw or uncooked eggs--I was a vet med librarian and trust me on this! The stories I could tell!)
Sprinkle to taste with cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

Chill. Although warmed up is good too. Enjoy a healthy, low fat, refreshing and seasonal drink in front of the fireplace.

Elevator accident at Ohio State

You probably saw this story on the national news--about the freshman at Ohio State who was crushed by the dorm elevator. According to the report I heard yesterday, there were 24 students jammed in the elevator, about 1100 lbs. beyond the weight limit. The accident is under investigation, but the version I heard was that the doors wouldn't close as it started to move, so Andrew Polakowski, a freshman pre-business major, tried to escape by climbing out. The other 23 were stuck in the elevator and I just can't even imagine their horror as they watched him struggle. I know they get counseling for elementary kids after school disasters, but surely this is an image that will stay with them the rest of their lives.

The elevator passed inspection in July, but now the local news is finding students who report problems they've had in the past. The crowd around that freshman dorm is probably made up of lawyers.

Columbus Dispatch account

Monday Memories

October is National Roller Skating Month! Take the family skating. When I was a young girl, there was a roller rink across from the White Pines State Park, about 7 miles south of our town, near Dixon, Illinois. There is still a rink at that location, but I don't know if it is the same building. The rules certainly look the same. The floor was made of terrazzo, there was an audience seating area, a place to check out skates if you didn't own them, a changing area with nice murals of the area, and a snack bar. I'm not sure when it was built but I remember that my mother used to take us there on Saturday afternoons when I was in grade school, and if she would fall down, all of us would rush over and help her up.

White Pines Rink in early 50s

Borrowed from the rink site
On Sunday afternoons, someone would beg a parent (often my father who didn't seem to mind even though he drove a truck 6 days a week) to drive a carload to the rink. When I was a freshman in high school I dated a senior from Polo, Illinois, called "The Cisco Kid" by my schoolmates because he wore a leather fringed jacket and cowboy boots. He was a wonderful, graceful skater, so in order to keep up, I had to learn too. My skating days outlasted the relationship.

There was a short, plump woman who played the organ. The sides of the rink rolled up in sections like garage doors and the gravel drive way was slopped allowing people in their cars and watch the skaters. Sometimes in the summer you might look out in the dark and see a disgruntled boy in a car, and the ex-girlfriend was skating with someone else. Oh, it was very exciting! In the winter, the rink was all closed up, so you skated in extremely dusty conditions, and when you got home, your hair was gray!

The rink manager would announce certain "skates," and the really good skaters would show their skills--a waltz, or backward skate, or ladies choice, or a progressive skate, where you skated in a large circle and the men moved forward to a new partner. I don't remember the name of the owner, but for awhile in the 1970s my cousin Ron owned it.

First I used my mother's skates, then she gave me my own pair in a fancy blue case for Christmas one year. I think I kept them for over 40 years, and probably donated them when we move here. Skating isn't like riding a bicycle, I discovered. It's a skill that must be used or you forget how to balance. If I were to get on skates today, it would be the same as the very first time--but the bones are not quite as flexible. The last time I was on roller skates was probably in college.

View More Monday Memories Participants
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My visitors and those I'll visit this week are:Ma, Viamarie, Mrs. Lifecruiser, Debbie, Lazy Daisy, Lady Bug, Janene, Michelle, Anna, ChelleY. Jen, Melli Becki, Paul, Friday's Child, Irish Church Lady,Cozy Reader

National Roller Skating Month
roller rinks
1950s

2995 American families are unprepared

"Drs. Richard Dagrosa and John McManus, both emergency physicians in the military, surveyed people in San Antonio, Texas, including patients in two military hospital emergency departments. The survey results show no significant differences among military, retired military and civilian families in regard to having a disaster plan, designating a meeting place or having a disaster kit. Only half the families in the survey had prepared any kind of disaster plan, and only one-third possessed a disaster kit." Their survey was released during the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in New Orleans, October 15-18. Dagrosa is stationed at Wright-Patterson near Dayton.
Story from Responder Safety.

You can get the Emergency guidelines and recommendations from the American Red Cross which provides a list for Disaster Supplies Kit.

2994 Two day golf tournament

Friday when I was returning from a few errands, streets around here were filled with cars and the golf course was crowded with young people. It was a 2-day, 36 hole tournament, and the Upper Arlington (our community) team beat the defending Division I Dublin Jerome team. UA had two powerhouse members, but they couldn't have won without the full team.
The sun came out the second day

Same scene with zoom
As I've mentioned before, I think golf is as much fun as watching ice melt, but I have to admit, it makes more sense for a young person to build their eye hand skills and team rapport in golf than in basketball or football, or in computer gaming, because they can play well into their 80s, if they like the game. My father-in-law had knee replacements from punishing his legs in basketball long after they should've been benched, and my brother-in-law has done the same thing in hand-ball. Not that you can't throw out your shoulder or back in golf, but most of the life time injuries I've seen from sports have been from over use and under smarts.

Newly renovated Scarlet course, which was built in 1938, and completely revamped supervised by Jack Nicklaus in 2005-2006.

golf tournaments, high school sports, leisure activities

2993 The New York Times Editor admits to being a blabbermouth

Now he admits the terrorist banking data surveillance program was legal and that there's no evidence that anyone’s private data had actually been misused, so the story shouldn't have been leaked! Well, isn't that just so special. Michelle Malkin takes him to the woodshed. His reason--that the Bush administration had been critical of the Times--makes no sense at all. It's not like the Times hasn't been dishing it out. Besides, it's a newspaper, not a kid getting bullied on the playground. Riehl World View suspects the NYT wants Hillary in the White House, so they don't want the uber-left mucking around for 2 years.

New York Times, Byron Calame, surveillance program

2992 The Foley Follies

Flipping through the channels yesterday, I skipped c-span's coverage of the Foley investigation. I noticed there was a WaPo story in the paper today. Buried in it was:

"No one interviewed could cite any instance in which Foley had sex with a former page."

Three dozen interviews.

. . .his behavior was within "well-accepted norms of the page program."

Three dozen interviews.

"one page played along" because he had political ambitions. He never considered reporting Foley.

Now, when does the investigation begin of Congressmen who approached female pages and staff with inappropriate or sexual remarks, innuendo and little side trips to death? You know, those who know how to drive a car and use a phone, but might not be capable of IMs or who follied in the days before e-mail? Massachusetts seems to have a corner on the sex with staff and page problem--Kennedy and Studds.
Even so, I award this to the media, who just can't get enough of this non-story.

Media bias
Mark Foley
Liberal MSM

2991 The scariest blog out there

Last night blogger seemed to be down--so if your site meter took a hit, that's why. I couldn't read a single blog hosted at blogger.com--not my own, and not yours. So I flipped through my bookmarks just to see if I had some that were not located on this blog's links (which is usually how I find my favs). Sort of wish I'd watched TV instead. I read through 5 or 6 items in Counterterrorism Blog, and folks, I gotta tell ya, that's one scary website. You won't need any Halloween preparations--just read that one.

Scanning the list of biographies of the contributors, I thought this author has an interesting perspective, having been a member of all the "big-3" religions, and on both sides of the terrorism fence.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a senior consultant for the Gerard Group International, a Massachusetts-based counterterrorism and homeland security firm. He frequently works with federal and local law enforcement, providing analysis of possible terrorist threats and activity as well as conducting topical training seminars. Daveed brings a unique perspective to his work. Born into a Jewish family, he converted to Islam in his early twenties and ended up working for the head U.S. office of the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, an international Wahhabi charity that served as a major al-Qaeda financier. Prior to 9/11, Daveed left the Islamic faith for Christianity. By the time the FBI raided the Al Haramain offices where he worked, he was ready to assist the investigation. The experience is detailed in Daveed's first book, My Year Inside Radical Islam, which will hit stores in February 2007.

counterterrorism
Homeland Security
War on Terror

2990 Halloween Party

It's probably been 20 years since we've been to a Halloween Party, so when my husband asked yesterday if we still had our masks and costumes to wear to T & J's, I was pretty sure we didn't. When we were celebrating our son-in-law's birthday Friday night at the Rusty Bucket, they mentioned their friends T & J were having a party and would we like to tag along as their guests. We had nothing going on, so we said yes. It was within my husband's 24 hour range for being spontaneous.

T's father brought along some emergency costumes, so my husband did dress up a bit after we got there in a pink hat and glasses--actually a good disguise--I pretended not to know him! The food was catered--yummy brisket, bbq pork, baked beans and cole slaw, with a dessert contest, contributed by the guests. The hosts have a home with a big yard in our old neighborhood with lots of activities for the children--karaoke, one of those inflatable play gyms, a haunted house, and even a porta-potty to take care of the beer that was passing through. Free standing log burners provided us some warmth for the night chill. With the catered meal and the activities for children incorporated, the hosts were able to mingle and have a bit of fun with their guests.

I visited What Geeks Eat this morning and found a recipe for bbq and cole slaw--just in case you want to have a party.

Halloween Costumes
party ideas

2989 Ranting about Safire

One of my links, Language Hat, doesn't much like William Safire's columns on language. Here's a recent rant. . . about the word rant. It's a word that bloggers use frequently, so you need to compare and contrast the two versions.

"Today's column is about the word rant. I'm used to his pretending that whatever word or phrase he's decided to pick on is "enjoying a boom" and having a "sudden, unforeseen blossoming," so that's not what bothered me. No, it was this, from his obligatory paragraph on etymology: "The German verb ranzen, 'to dance about gaily, to frolic,' was picked up in English in Richard Brome’s 1641 play, 'The Joviall Crew': 'The more the merrier, I am resolved to Rant it to the last.'" There are two species of idiocy here. The first, the Common or Garden Variety of Safire Idiocy, is the pretense that the first citation in the OED is the very first time the word was used in English, so the user (in this case Ben Jonson's pal Richard Brome, pronounced "broom," whose comedy A Jovial Crew was the last play performed before the closing of the theaters under the Puritans) is said to have invented it or personally imported it, whichever applies. The second is the claim that it is from German ranzen. Every dictionary I have says it's from the (obsolete) Dutch verb ranten, which (as you will note) looks and sounds a lot more like the English word; the OED (presumably where Safire or his assistant went for the information) adds "cf. G. ranzen to frolic, spring about, etc." Cf. means 'compare,' and the German is added as a related word; it clearly was not the direct source. And whatever the source, the word was presumably borrowed by somebody who hung out with foreigners and liked the word enough to start using it; it caught on and was used by an unknowable number of merrie olde Englishmen before Brome put it in his comedy and became the First Citation. Please, Safire & Co., use your heads before repeating this tiresome error!

William Safire
English language
blog rants

2988 Fiddling with the template

I subscribe to Boogie Jack's Almost a Newsletter. He's really writing for those of you who have web pages for business, and he's got a new book just about due, but I often find little tips I can use for my blog. Today, I learned how to bold an italicized phrase or quote. It's pretty simple, and is imbedded now in my template, so you'll probably be seeing it often if I can remember to use it. I also learned how to make an outlined indented list of items, but I don't have any particular use for tha at the moment.

Also I've created another blog! This one will have a limited audience and will disappear sometime during 2007 because I made it for my class reunion next July. I'm hoping to find some other class members to be on the "team" but it will be my first time at creating a blog with other writers. The instructions at blogger weren't all that clear. Here's the site for the reunion.

The Flower Quiz

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

The explanation on the quiz said something about my smile (that part doesn't print), however, this site says some not very nice things about sunflowers.

they are passive aggressive
they kill other flowers
they keep gardeners from reaching their full potential
their husks can be used as a weed killer, so don't compost them

Maybe I should try for a different flower.

The Circleville Pumpkin Festival

Congratulations to our neighbor to the south, Circleville (est. pop. 13,559 in 2005), which is celebrating its 100th festival honoring the pumpkin. We took our children to this about 30 years ago. I had never seen so many food stands in one small space in my life. . . except everything was made from pumpkin. It's cool and rainy this week--as it often is for this celebration.


This image is from "daily dose of imagery," ©2006 sam javanrouh used with permission. He has some terrific photos and he was sweet to let me use this very appropriate photo.

2984 New Cybils award for children's and YA lit

There are many bloggers that review children's literature. Kiddie lit is something I never got into--never had a course in it, didn't care much about it when I was a child, and preferred reading "My Bookhouse" to my own children. But I do adore the illustrations and like reading the reviews. These very talented bloggers have inaugurated their own book award, honoring books published in English for children in 2006. Anne Boles Levy, of Book Buds, launched the site this week and will administer the awards process. I link to her. As I understand De Rewels, anyone can nominate a book--you don't have to be a blogger, and you can even be an author.

There are 8 categories and nominations close November 20--some of the categories already have quite a few titles suggested, others are wide open for suggestions.

Cybils Award
Children's literature
Children's Books
blog awards
book reviews

Thursday Thirteen--13 of my favorite posts

In no particular order, here are 13 of my favorite posts I've written. Actually they aren't THE 13 favorite, but I don't have time to reread all 3,000 of them. You don't need to click on all, maybe try just one.

1) Where were all the allergies when I was growing up? So I try to figure it out. See what you think of my unintended consequences of progress as the cause.

2) The premiere issue of Wired. My hobby is collecting first issues of magazines. To track them I started a blog. However, I'm behind in this blog. Wired started in 1993 and I'm still subscribing, although I didn't think much of the first issue.

3) Sewing for sons is on my sewing blog which I did for one month last year. The pictures on this one are some of my favorites.

4) Thirteen things I blog about. Until I wrote this one, I didn't know it would work out to 13.

5) Dance with the one who brought you is about the myth of "budgeting" with coupons. Oh how people hate to hear that retailers aren't in business to give their products away! I may be the only person to tell you the truth about coupons!

6) I feel their pain is my rant about people with 6 figure incomes who can't balance their budget. I've got some good advice for them that you might agree with.

7) Good reasons you shouldn't be feeding the birds. If you've got a bird feeder in your yard, you probably will be shocked!

8) 10 things you might want to know before opening a bookstore (or any small business). Ah, these are great memories of the year I decided I'd give up librarianship and think about opening a bookstore.

9) Health issues. Don't talk to me about the dangers of bird flu or mad cow 'til you read this one.

10) Consistency Counts. This one's really brief and quick to read. Add something if you find an item I forgot.

11) How to donate books to a library. If you're doing a big clean out of your books, take a look at this. I used to get really stinky donations (I was a veterinary medicine librarian). This journal I do not keep at Blogger, but I think anyone can read it.

12) Safe salads and safe sex. I was way ahead of the spinach scare on this one.

13) The value of a college education. This was just about money, and even though no one could disprove it, they still disagreed and tried to shift the topic to non-monetary values of education (it got picked up and discussed at another blog).

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! Leave a comment and I'll add your name and URL. View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Visitors and visited:
Amy, BabyBlue, Barb, Barbara, Beckadoodles, Blessed Assurances, Bubba, Buttercup and Bean, Carey, Carmen, Caylynn, Chaotic Mom, Chelle Y., Cheryl, Dane, Danielle, Darla, Dawn, Denise, DK Raymer, Domestic Geek, Dorothy, Factor 10, Faerylandmom, Expressing myself, Friday's Child, Gattina, Ghost, Irish Church Lady, It’s all about me, Jane, Janeen, JB , Joan,, Joy Renee, Just Tug, Kate, Kaye, Kelly,Kendra, Lady Bug, Lazy Daisy, Mrs. Lifecruiser, Lyndsay, Lynn, Ma, Mar, C.A.Marks, Mary, Michelle, MommyBa, N.Mallory, Nat, Nathalie, Raggedy Randy, Ribbiticus, Shannon, The Shrone, Southern Girl, Sunny Days, Sunshine Blues, Susan, TC, Test, Tigerprr, TNChick,

2981 Am I a loser?

Not as much as the guy where I saw this quiz! I scored as normal.



internet quizzes
personality tests
Surveys

2980 The adorable, perfect birthday card

Yesterday my husband asked for a birthday card from my stash. I poured pored through them. Not much in the birthday category--lots of get well, thinking of you, and sympathy (must be our age group). Yes, I still send cards and letters via the U.S. mail and don't e-mail them. Nothing thrills me more than a first class letter coming through the mail slot, and I'm assuming it is the same for others. If I get sick--don't send an e-mail--send me a REAL card.

But I found just the right card--two dalmatians (my favorite dog) sitting on a couch together with a dark blue envelope. "You have to sign my name too," I said, "because it is a 'from both of us' card." And he did, and this morning set off for Bob Evans Restaurant with our photos from Russia and the birthday card for Tom. (This group meets weekly.)

Cuter than this
When he came home he had a sad story to tell. He had propped the card up at the edge of the table next to a divider, and it dropped down a crack where the divider can be lowered or raised! Gone forever until the next time Bob Evans is remodeled. I'll bet those workmen will find a lot of junk--including money.

And it was an expensive card too! Next time, he'll get one of my homemade cards from one of my paintings if he wants to say "Happy Birthday."

2979 How do you count a dead Iraqi? As many times as possible.

Steven E. Moore points out in today's Wall St. Journal the many holes in the methods and conclusions of the Johns Hopkins war dead study done in Iraq. Instead of an error margin of plus or minus 3 or 5%, he estimates 1200%.

"[T]he key to the validity of cluster sampling is to use enough cluster points. In their 2006 report, "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional sample survey," the Johns Hopkins team says it used 47 cluster points for their sample of 1,849 interviews. This is astonishing: I wouldn't survey a junior high school, no less an entire country, using only 47 cluster points."

Other studies, other cluster points, pointed out in the article:

For its 2004 survey of Iraq, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) used 2,200 cluster points of 10 interviews each for a total sample of 21,688.

A 2005 survey conducted by ABC News, Time magazine, the BBC, NHK and Der Spiegel used 135 cluster points with a sample size of 1,711. . .

The International Rescue Committee in the Democratic Republic of Congo, used 750 cluster points

Harvard's School of Public Health, in a 1992 survey of Iraq, used 271 cluster points.

Another study in Kosovo cites the use of 50 cluster points, but this was for a population of just 1.6 million, compared to Iraq's 27 million.

Let's have a do-over.

2978 Have you ever been polled?

I seem to get polled so often, I'm getting suspicious. What am I, the sampled Republican? Mrs. Average Retiree? Next time, I'll ask, and write down the name of the polling company and look them up. Today it was just 2 questions: 1) If the election happened tomorrow, would you vote for Pryce (R) or Kilroy (D). Answer: Pryce. 2) Are you pro-life or pro-choice? Answer: Pro-life. Thank you. Click. The one before this was so skewed to the left, it was almost laughable. I suspect today's was to determine if I needed further encouragement to go to the polls or needed more literature.

Still it might have been a trick question. I think the pollster asked about the Senate race, and Pryce and Kilroy are running for the House (Congressional District 15, Ohio).

political polls
poll questions
poll bias

2977 A pool of peace while driving

I enjoy listening to the radio in the car. My car radio gets better quality sound and more distant stations than anything I have in the house. But sometimes I don't want to hear Glenn Beck screaming, or Rush opining, Paul Harvey's rest of the story, or the clanging rock of contemporary Christian music, so I listen to the Catholic station. Sometimes it is the soothing sounds of the rosary, or a liturgy I'm not familiar with. This morning I heard the best sermon on baptism and confirmation that I think I've ever heard. Some parts were a bit different than Lutheran, and certainly different than Anabaptist, but excellent in presentation and thought. After that there was a touchy-feely chat call-in show by a woman talking about sex roles that wasn't much different than what you'd hear elsewhere, but for a few moments---ah, there was peace.

One of the advantages of listening to Latin hymns is there aren't any new ones. Link to Heretical hymns.

St. Gabriel Radio
Catholic radio
Christian programming
am radio

2976 Help for military families

You'll see a different side of the military experience at Spouse Buzz, virtual Family Support Group, where contributors celebrate and embrace the tie that binds them -- military service. Good stuff here. Issues many of us can identify with even if we've never said good-bye/hello at the base or airport. You'll see the war on TV; now see what's going on at home for the families

deployment
military spouse
marriage
parenting

2975 Searching for your lovey?

That's not your old boyfriend. It is a stuffed or plush toy or animal that you remember and would like to replace. Plush Memories is a blog set up to help you find that little treasure and is written by Dirty Butter who also keeps a memory blog, Yesterday's Memories. My kids both had Snoopy plush dolls when they were little--soft as pillows and almost as big as they were. My husband's parents gave them to them and they really got the use. We still have them someplace.

2974 Lawnmower injuries and children

Billo has an interesting story at his blog about children injured by lawn mowers. Over 9,000 injuries a year, and more from power push mowers than riding mowers. 80% of the injuries are to boys--are we surprised? And compare this to the 260 children a year that are injured by firearms. Are there any requirements for parents to lock up their mowers like there are for guns? Can kids ride a lawnmower to school? Should Brian Ross do an expose on lawn mowers? Billoblog has the stats and cites.

2973 Conservative Blogger DJ

There's an interesting play list at Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler. I think he keeps 15 up on the site at a time. No changes since July. Everything from Dean Martin to The Byrds to Alice in Chains. Right now I'm listening to "Cotton Eyed Joe" by Rednex.

2972 On parenting

Are you a good parent? I noticed this at The Corner--can't vouch for the statistics--don't know the author:

"Your life outcomes are determined 45-50 percent by genetics, 45-50 percent by outside-the-home socialization (which is affected by parental decisions about housing, schooling, etc.), 0-10 percent by in-home socialization (=parenting). That's what the evidence tells us, as I read it. Parenting has been WAY over-sold. And Freudianism (in-home socialization determines 100 percent of life outcome) is dog poop." The Corner, July 26, 2006

I agree--although I'd put genetics (personality, intelligence, physical attributes, talents) a bit higher, and parenting (values, discipline, religion) I'd put at about 1-2%. You've pretty much got the game plan when the baby pops out of the womb. If your daughter is 5'8" and a size 10, she just will never work for Abercrombie & Fitch no matter what you do. You can chose a good school, or have a good health plan to help things along, but the kid will grow up to be the one God gave you at the beginning. If you're a parent, it would be smart (and gracious) to not take the credit and never take the blame.

Parenting comes at you in stages. What works at 2 definitely doesn't fly at 12. I was a fabulous parent for the early years--not so great for teens. The kids are 38 and 39 (or is that 39 and 40?); just ask 'em. Had the proverbial eyes in the back of my head, I did. Although most of the time they were growing up, my hair was too long to peek through. Now, we socialize occasionally and help each other out--my husband's helping our son paint his house and our daughter has been taking care of our cat during all our travels lately. I do try to mind my own business, and only nag occasionally--usually about health--but it's tough considering I was very over protective. Afterall, I want them to take care of me in my old age!

As children they never missed church; never even asked. As adults they attend on Christmas Eve. I think my husband and I said prayers with them every night practically until they left home--or at least until they were bigger than we were. As the saying goes, God has no grandchildren. My husband still prays for them every day!

I was room mother, choir mother, Campfire leader, and VBS teacher. I took them to art shows and libraries. Heck, I taught them to read before kindergarten, and supervised all the homework. I used to storm into the school and demand that the teacher keep my kid after school until the work was completed! (They were sooo happy to have my kids graduate!) I gave up all sorts of perks I probably didn't need and ate macaroni at the end of the month just so we could live in the best school district in Columbus. I made sure they always had holidays with the relatives so they knew what an extended family was (we have no relatives here).

I taught them to cook, clean and sew (don't bother with the sewing--Wal-Mart is cheaper). We took them to restaurants for family time, but also they learned how to behave in public. They ate better than most of their peers and we always ate meals as a family, so they learned good table manners. Fast food or pop? They didn't get it in our home. I remember the shocked look when they were adults and found pop in our refrigerator and learned we occasionally went to McDonald's.

They took piano lessons and one even had 2 clarinet lessons! Our daughter took voice lessons for awhile. I hired a really neat guy to teach my son to play the guitar by ear; and 25 years later he still plays and once had long stringy hair and played in bars with other guys who thought they'd be famous some day.

My kids were in every imaginable sport activity when they were young, and one is a natural athlete. But I was on the job and didn't let them join up until at least 3rd or 4th grade because I thought I was smarter than the other mommies and that kids needed time to be kids. Of course, that meant no one else was around to play with--so you're fighting a losing battle there. Swimming, tennis, and ice skating lessons. Neither one of us plays golf, but we talked a golfer friend into teaching our son a few basics as a teen, and I think he still goes to the course and throws his back out from time to time.

I said "No," a lot. Much more than was necessary. "No, 6 weeks in France in 5th grade will not benefit your education." "No, you can't go to Florida on Spring break with your friends." "No, you can't leave the house until you write Grandma a thank-you note." "No, that outfit is too expensive." "No, you're not leaving the house looking like that." Playing with matches with friends? I called the fire chief and arranged a little chat while the other mommies said their little sweeties would never do such a thing.

We laughed and played a lot--went on picnics down by the river, bike rides around the neighborhood, put on records and danced, played dress ups and made forts, had overnights with friends, family camp, birthday parties, made a zillion crafts at the kitchen table, dressed the cat in doll clothes, went to Tullers for fresh cider and donuts on Saturday mornings, ice skating, movies--the same kind of stuff I did when I was young. In fact, except for the TV and the community sports, I was surprised by how similar the activities were.


Oh sure, I made mistakes. They could probably tell more than I know about. The teen years I would never want to do over. But if I could have a "do over," I'd never sign a permit for my teen-ager to work. This wasn't the 50s or 60s; it was the 80s. Fast food and retail jobs don't build character, work ethic, or good values, etc., it just puts them under the influence of 22 year old assistant managers, and in close association with school drop outs and kids you'd never let through your front door. Let's see, what else. I'd never put a child in a special class unless the regular work was totally out of reach--and even then I'd tighten the belt and go for tutoring. If the school says your daughter doesn't pronouce a consonant correctly, just lisp at the teacher and tell her that's how it's done in your family. No one wants to be your pet project--children don't like to feel like they need to be fixed, and they hate being different.

Another mistake I admit to--I'd never let a minor living under my roof own an automobile, not even with their own money. Because of insurance laws, you actually have this decision in your hands. A 17 year old that can afford a car, probably can't afford the insurance. You might think it will help transportation problems, but trust me, mommies and daddies, you want to keep them driving 4 door sedans as long as possible. Some things need to be done or not done just to help the parents!

But we hope it all pays off. Parents try to raise up adults, not children. They grow up, come home to visit, invite us for dinner, visit when we're sick, call just to chat and make us proud. The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Scripture is a bit vague about just when "Old" takes place, however.

parenting, children, family, Education, children's sports

Monday Memories

Brethren Volunteer Service, pt.1
Brethren Volunteer Service was started in 1948 training young people and adults in groups to help in a variety of community projects in many countries. Service might be in a hospital, a small struggling church, Appalachia, a migrant camp, blighted urban area, nursing home, or school. Both my sisters had served, so I signed up for a summer unit in 1957 and left for California right after high school graduation, traveling to Fresno by myself on the Greyhound Bus. This memory is not about all the strange people I met on the bus, but rather I want to post some photos because my album has fallen apart after almost 50 years. I've adjusted the posting time so you can scroll down, instead of up. There are 3 parts, otherwise it would take too long to load.

I was assigned to a community center that served Black agricultural workers. The community looked rural and had tidy little houses; the house in which the volunteers lived looked much the same as the rest of the community. We had 4 rooms, no air conditioning. The director of the project and his family lived next door in a slightly better house. All the land for the center and the two houses had been donated by a Hoff family who were members of the Church of the Brethren.
121 West North Ave., Fresno 6, California, front of the volunteers' residence
Back of our house on W. North Ave. There was a large garden, but I don't think we took care of it. Laundry is on the line--wringer washer, no dryer. Addition to the back was the laundry room and tool shed. Addition on the side was two bedrooms, one for four women, one for four or five men. With 9 people living in a tiny house we had to be scrupulously neat; beds made up first thing; dishes washed and put away after meals; no clutter at all.
Our BVS group, but I don't remember all the names. Judy Haldeman, Imogene Traughber, in front, Rufus Wagner, Terry Thoreen, back. The other three guys are Don Jordan, next a relative of the director, Clare Stein (can't remember his name) and possibly Tim Guest. We had a "housemother" a few years older than me whose name was Barbara, but she isn't in the photo. From the clothing, we must have been at church. I was the photographer using my little Brownie Hawkeye. Only 3 of us were summer workers--the rest had been through regular training in Maryland.

Check the two previous posts for pt. 2 and pt. 3, rather than scrolling up.

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Brethren Volunteer Service
Church of the Brethren
Fresno, California
community centers
volunteerism

Monday Memories

Brethren Volunteer Service, pt.2
To make this load faster, I'm dividing the photos into 3 entries. Go up one for the first part.

Generally, the girls did all the shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry for the whole unit; the guys took care of the grounds, maintenance and vehicles. We all had playground duty; taught classes to the children; did surveys in the community about needs. On Friday nights there were movies for the community, and candy was sold at the center. There were sports teams coached by our volunteer staff, and the children were in leagues and transported around the area to play. Also ping pong tournaments. The BVSers worked hard and played even harder. We took some interesting trips to the California parks and mountains, agricultural areas, miniature golf, and to Sacramento in the center's van. For someone from a tiny town in Illinois, there was a lot to see and do. But I was only 17 and had never been away from home except for camp; so I think I would have been more useful had I been older.

Making ice cream; Barbara standing on the pail and Rufus churning. I believe this block building was built by the BVS-ers who came before us by a year or two.
Enjoying the ice cream. This looks like we were in the director's house and one of his small children is in the foreground. I think I see a Bible or two, so maybe we had a lesson before the treat?
We didn't have a TV, but we had a record player and we sang. The fan in the living room window was connected to a hose which helped cool the house with running water.
My Bible class. We had made potato head puppets (I learned this from my mother) and put on a play we wrote. I believe they performed for the community and parents, because usually they wore play clothes when they came to the community center (built by the volunteers).

Brethren Volunteer Service, Church of the Brethren, Fresno, California, community centers,
volunteerism, Monday Memories

Monday Memories

Brethren Volunteer Service, pt. 3
Here's a few more photos. Scroll up for pt. 2 and pt. 1 and the explanation of what you're seeing. I reversed them.

The kitchen was really pretty nice, and we had great meals--many of the Cal-Mex type things I'd never had before. Lots of beans, rice and onions, smothered in cheese, seconds on bread and milk. We had one tiny bathroom off the kitchen and 9 people living in the house. We must have had assigned times. I think the women got up first. Someone would turn on Mahalia Jackson gospel and blast everyone out of bed in the a.m.

I doubt that we could all sit down at the same time in the living room, and I'm certainly taking up more than my share here, so perhaps some were out this evening at a ball game with the kids.

It must have been my day to cook because I have on an apron--the same one Genie is wearing in the above photo. I'm showing off my new shoes bought in Fresno. Our pay was $7.50/month (or was it a week?), which actually goes pretty far if your board and room is taken care of (or it did 50 years ago), so I probably saved mine and bought new high heels. And yes, that is a sun tan because we were outside much of the day.

Please check out pt. 1 (above) for the beginning of the story.

Brethren Volunteer Service
Church of the Brethren
Fresno, California
community centers
volunteerism
Monday Memories

2968 There is no media conspiracy

They aren't colluding. They are just liberals doing what they do best. Reporting what they truly believe. That's not conspiracy; it's ignorance. Recent media bias stories that report otherwise are analyzing "talking heads," not the basic news stories. Anybody can scare up a few minutes of a former Republican senator or a fading moving star. The only professionals more liberal than journalists (4:1) would be university faculty (estimates range between 7:1 and 30:1) and librarians (224:1). I'm not counting Hollywood because most aren't professionals; they are unemployed a large part of their working life.

Mark Foley stories: NBC 56; ABC 50; CBS 46. Via Glenn Beck radio, 10-16-06. So far, the only sure thing is the Page was no longer a Page and was over 18. It was e-mail and IMs, not sex with a minor like Congressman Studds, who mercifully died last week before his tawdry behavior and the Democrats' support of him (including Nancy Pelosi) gets any more publicity. The other charges against Foley, which are coming to a call-in line, until they are investigated may be at the same level as the rape charges against the Duke la crosse players, all of whom proved innocent with DNA tests, and the "victim" says no condoms were used.

Death and taxes. Politics and sex. Democrats with no program. Sigh.

"Of the 20 major media outlets studied, 18 scored left of center, with CBS' "Evening News," The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times ranking second, third and fourth most liberal behind the news pages of The Wall Street Journal." UCLA study

Brian Ross
Media bias
Mark Foley
Liberal MSM

2967 Voting for King and Queen of Homecoming

Doesn't that sound--I don't know--so retro? I noticed a photo of the court in today's OSU Lantern. I discovered I actually can vote by using my university login, but I didn't--didn't seem fair. I really don't consider myself a "Buckeye" even though that's where I spent most of my working years.



But back to the court. This is one good looking bunch! Wow! I've clicked under their photos and read the little bios. They seem to be limited to listing 5 activites while on campus. A number are in sororities or fraternities, and Stephanie Wiseman is President of Panhellenic. I was never a greek, but that's a big deal! Three seem to be of middle eastern or east Indian ethnicity, and one appears to be Asian, despite a Scots Irish surname. No one is overweight--chubby maybe, but just a bit. Considering Ohio is one of the fattest states in the country, I find that awesome. Maybe I'll post this at my Hugging and Chalking blog.

None of the girls have short hair and none of the guys have long hair. These hair styles look right out of the 1970s for the women. Pressed and straight. Put heavier mascara on them and you probably can't tell them from their mothers. The majors are interesting too (all are seniors)--criminology (2); international business, finance, marketing and economics (3); political science (5); sciences--microbiology, biology, geriatrics, nutrition, physics; special education (2). Two are from my community; four are out of state. Looks like a very bright, beautiful, and socially alert group. I have no idea how the court was selected, but the country looks to be in good hands.

Ohio State University, Homecoming, Buckeyes, college students, college majors, hair styles

2966 The Education Myths

"Few people are aware that our education spending per pupil has been growing steadily for 50 years. At the end of World War II, public schools in the United States spent a total of $1,214 per student in inflation-adjusted 2002 dollars. By the middle of the 1950s that figure had roughly doubled to $2,345. By 1972 it had almost doubled again, reaching $4,479. And since then, it has doubled a third time, climbing to $8,745 in 2002." The American Enterprise.

If spending more money on education worked, why don't we see better results? Instead, we just get asked for more money. Sometimes they don't even pretend they need it, like Danbury in Ottawa County, OH. That's where we have our summer home. They've just raised our taxes by 30%--but most of us don't live there and don't send any children to their schools. They must have gold plated computers--two for each child.

"Economist Eric Hanushek of Stanford University examined every solid study on spending and outcomes--a total of 163 research papers--and concluded that extra resources are more likely to be squandered than to have a productive effect."

Feeling sorry for poorly paid teacher? Don't.

"Data from the U.S. Department of Labor show that in 2002, elementary school teachers averaged $30.75 per hour and high school teachers made $31.01. That is about the same as other professionals like architects, economists, biologists, civil engineers, chemists, physicists and astronomers, and computer systems analysts and scientists. Even demanding, education-intensive professions like electrical and electronic engineering, dentistry, and nuclear engineering didn't make much more than teachers per hour worked."

Read the whole article for more myths about class size, school choice, insurmountable social problems and the effectiveness of certification.

2965 Sprint to the Finish

"I just went through the list of all 40 competitive House races on Real Clear Politics, and I found only 8 clear pickups for the Democrats."

Read the whole blog, then go up and read Dafydd at Big Lizards Manifesto

2964 Judges are not free to create rights and rewrite statutes

A decision by the California First District Court:

"All can agree that California has not deprived its gay and lesbian citizens of a right they previously enjoyed; same-sex couples have never before had the right to enter a civil marriage. It is also beyond dispute that our society has historically understood “marriage” to refer to the union of a man and a woman. These facts do not mean the opposite-sex nature of marriage can never change, or should never change, but they do limit our ability as a court to effect such change. The respondents in these appeals are asking this court to recognize a new right. Courts simply do not have the authority to create new rights, especially when doing so involves changing the definition of so fundamental an institution as marriage. "The role of the judiciary is not to rewrite legislation to satisfy the court's, rather than the Legislature's, sense of balance and order. Judges are not ' "knight[s]-errant, roaming at will in pursuit of [their] own ideal of beauty or of goodness." ' [Citation.]" (People v. Carter (1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 128, 134.) In other words, judges are not free to rewrite statutes to say what they would like, or what they believe to be better social policy."

2963 Putting Mark Foley in perspective

The U.S. government estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Of these, approximately 80% are women and girls, and most are sold into the sex industry. President Bush denounced this at the U.N. in 2002 (Yeah, that should get some action) and in 2005 and 2006, and the U.S. Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act to expand existing laws. Many Christian organizations have pushed for stronger action. (Stats from Christian History, Issue 90, Spring 2006)

"Many victims of human trafficking are forced to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry. But trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, restaurant work, janitorial work, sweatshop factory work and migrant agricultural work.

Traffickers use various techniques to instill fear in victims and to keep them enslaved. Some traffickers keep their victims under lock and key. However, the more frequent practice is to use less obvious techniques including:

• Debt bondage - financial obligations, honor-bound to satisfy debt

• Isolation from the public - limiting contact with outsiders and making sure that any contact is monitored or superficial in nature

• Isolation from family members and members of their ethnic and religious community

• Confiscation of passports, visas and/or identification documents

• Use or threat of violence toward victims and/or families of victims

• The threat of shaming victims by exposing circumstances to family

• Telling victims they will be imprisoned or deported for immigration violations if they contact authorities

• Control of the victims' money, e.g., holding their money for "safe-keeping"
Gayle Christie

The Democrats and the $oros organi$ation who knew about the page homosexual problem and did nothing until it suited their political purposes (i.e., more important to embarrass a Republican than save a child), need to find a bigger target. This might be a place to start. Or will saving women and children not get as much publicity?

We spent millions investigating the non-issue of Plamegate, ruining reputations and careers willy-nilly, finding out in September that Richard Armitage and Patrick Fitzgerald knew all along what the score was. THERE WAS NO CRIME. Let's not waste more time and money on another trumped-up-by-Democrats scandal. If they want to win an election, let them come up with some issues and solutions--the old fashioned way.

2962 Behind closed doors

It's time to see what's in the closets, cabinets, and under the sinks and be ruthless. In our home of 34 years--a 3 bedroom house--we didn't have an attic or a basement, and I was much better about clutter. Now we're in a condo and have both. And we have clutter! Yesterday I was going to make a list--thought it might be a good Thursday Thirteen topic, but I made the mistake of looking in a box that had photos, so I spent 4 hours scanning and drafting a Monday Memories about my time in Brethren Volunteer Service. Hope to have it ready by tomorrow.

However, I did strap on my audio book of "Master and Commander" and rearranged two shelves in my bathroom linen closet. I really didn't throw out much. My sister Carol sold Avon when she was in high school, and I see I still have a blue tin of bath powder that I got from her--oh, maybe 50 years ago. That would be fine if I collected Avon memorabilia, but I don't. And half used bottles of various lotions, mouth wash, tiny bottles of goop from hotels, a stash of bath soap, and not even the kind I really like (Palmolive).

My clothes closet had become a jumble over the summer--after each trip things were hung anywhere. So I moved the hot weather items to the guest room, moved some sweaters to my closet, and color coded. There's nothing like putting your shirts and sweaters on the pole by color to see that you have things you'll never wear or haven't worn in 4 years. I have four black skirts, 2 for summer, 2 for winter; 2 denim skirts; maybe 5 or 6 black slacks, only 2 of which fit (hope to change that, but then the larger sizes won't fit). Usually I buy cheap stuff, so I don't know why I hang on to them for such a long time. I pulled out a really lovely outfit--blazer and straight skirt--(in a size 8 and doesn't fit) that my daughter bought me maybe in 2001. I do have a storage area for clothing I love but don't wear anymore that goes back 50 years. So I may retire it. I looked at 3 plaid wool skirts--from my working days--that must be over 20 years old. They definitely need to go to the archives.

Then I popped over to read Neo-neocon, and I see she is cleaning closets too, while she tries on clothes for a trip, destination is a surprise. Maybe I should have cleaned the closets before we traveled.

2961 This post is about sex

While I was making a wonderful salad with dark green leafy stuff ("absolutely no spinach" the package read), two hard cooked eggs, grilled onions and broccoli, and about a third of a cup of mild salsa, I was listening to WOSU NPR, which is doing a fund raiser (what a concept!).

Much to my surprise it was two guys talking about testosterone. Except one guy started out as a woman, attended a woman's college, and had grown up accepting all the feminists said about the differences between men and women all being a social and cultural construct. Then, after she decides to become transgendered (don't know if that is the right term, but she is on her way to being a he with no penis), she starts getting hormone injections--testosterone. S/he discovered that her brain changed!

Griffin (the female to male person) talked about being filled with lust and pornographic thoughts on the subway--not from noticing a sexy babe, but from seeing just an ankle or a knee. He was terribly embarrassed and really had to struggle to avoid being crude, but the thoughts were unstoppable.

He began to lose some of his verbal acuity over time. He now has to look up more words than he used to as a woman, and the stumbles more in his speech.

He began having trouble crying when he was upset or stressed. Even when he can cry, it isn't the same with very few tears.

He developed an interest in science (this caused so much laughter I wasn't sure he was serious, but he said he'd been reading in areas that had never interested him before).

He became more visual. He now enjoys pornography and strip joints, whereas before he had no interest and thought that was sexist.

I didn't find the exact interview but here is one on Grrl Talk Borders that covers pretty much the same thing, except the interviewer is a woman and the two were girl friends in college.

2960 Family Man Librarian comments

on the world of evil he sees around him, including the killing of children:

"I haven’t felt this way — highly concerned and anxious about the state of affairs around me — since September 11, 2001. I know who is the author and promoter of evil: Satan. I know that his power is great and that his weapons include fear, doubt, and destruction. But I also know that his power is in no way comparable to God's; that his efforts are ultimately fruitless; that the only sure thing I have in this world is the promise that God will never leave me or forsake me. Jesus said to his followers: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)" Family Man Librarian

2959 What's a Democrat to do?

Campaign issues are tough. The Democrats have no plan--not just for Iraq, but for anything. 1) The economy is going great guns, 2) The Dow nears 12000, 3) unemployment is very low--even older workers are in demand, 4) gasoline prices are down--they were below $2 here in Ohio last week, 5) there have been no new terrorist attacks on our soil--they seem to be killing only Muslims, 6) the Jew-baiting hasn't been successful and Joe Leiberman is pulling ahead. So what's left? Go after the gays! That's novel. It's never been tried in the time I've been following politics for a work-up to an impeachment.

Here in Ohio Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is running against Republican incumbant Deborah Pryce. The ads have been negative all along, but Pryce's haven't been Miss Nicey-Nice either reporting how incompetent Kilroy has been in previous low level, local jobs. However, now Kilroy is accusing Pryce of being friends with Mark Foley! Even best friends. Now we all know, that if we have gay friends we're supposed to know what they are doing with their private sex life, right?

All Kilroy is trying to do is keep Republicans from showing up at the polls. I'm betting she even can say, "some of my best friends are gay," and keep a straight face. I don't know a single Republican who doesn't have a gay friend or gay relative, which may come as a shock to her ad agency, so this simply looks like gay bashing. John Kerry looked stupid when he did it, and so does Mary Jo Kilroy.

Mary Jo Kilroy
Mark Foley
negative campaigning
Democrat campaigns

2958 Friday Family Photo

Isn't this the most magnificent woodwork? It is called "pumpkin pine" and was used throughout my grandparents' home in Franklin Grove, IL. It is the heart wood from old growth white pine, so is extinct, I think. When I was a little girl, it had darkened, or may have even been stained dark, but my mother refinished every square inch in the house in the late 1960s. In fact, because she did it all by hand, she developed carpal tunnel and had surgery on her wrists. At one time there was a huge left over board in the garage--boards that width just don't exist anymore for pine.
My grandparents were lured back to Illinois from Kansas around 1908 with this farm (my interpretation) to help her father, then in his 80s. She was the only survivor of their four children, her oldest brother having recently died of blood poisoning from an injury on his farm near Ashton. The farm house was pieced together from a small house ca. 1850s, and a larger early 1900's style. Grandma completely remodeled it, adding this gracious dining room with a bedroom and balcony above it where she had hanging plants and flowers.

The photo was taken in July 1987 at an impromptu family picnic with a bunch of cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and siblings from both sides of my family, some meeting for the first time and probably last time. For over a decade, Mother had used the house as a retreat center for church groups and family reunions, but by 1987, my niece was renting it from her and that very happy period of Mom's life was over.

Mother is the little one on the left--all the furniture you see--the oak dining room table and chairs, and the birch kitchen chairs--was refinished and recaned by her in the 1960s. Next to her is my father's cousin Sharon, her daughter Christie, then my sister and me. I think we had about 20 people at the picnic--played badminton, croquet and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, which might just look like soy beans, corn, towering pine trees and acres of blue sky to the rest of you, but looks like home to me.

HT to my niece Amy, who gave me this photo, languishing in the attic of the farm house for years.

2957 High tech, high touch

That's an old 80s expression for people who worked on computers all day then went home to eat tofu and quilt by the light of homemade candles. While I was on the road in California and Illinois, two new stores opened, side by side, near my home. Stitching Post Super Store and a Sunflower Market. Sunflower was very pleasant and had many nice items, but I think it is higher priced than Trader Joe's, but I'll definitely run in there from time to time just because it is so close. Stitching Post is amazing, but I think it is basically a store to sell robotic sewing machines with tiny human brains. There was one doing some fancy embroidery all by itself as I walked by. The store also has huge classroom all set up with cutting tables, machines, pressing stations, etc., and a large floor area devoted to cutting and sewing tables. I used to sew. . .

Story of this dress is at my pattern blog.

sewing machines, Crafts, organic produce, high tech high touch, Trader Joe's

2956 Checking the triggers

On September 28 I wrote a Thursday Thirteen on my food triggers, those items or events that make me hungry. I've done pretty good. By paying attention to this list and walking more, I've dropped 5 lbs., which could come back in a flash I'm sure with the first pizza. We were with family and friends this week, so that is a huge test. One day my niece brought over pumpkin donuts. OH my! One of my favorites. But I resisted.

When we went out to eat at Maxon's to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday (actually today), I ordered a Chef's salad--the only time I've ever seen sliced processed cheese on a bed of lettuce. Need I say more? I did eat a few low-cal desserts, one stale saltine, and sprinkled some salt on a few rice cakes she had in the cupboard (without the salt they taste like fresh wall board). Monday and Tuesday we had great weather, so I walked 3 or 4 miles each day. On Tuesday I had a breakfast date with a high school friend, so we walked in the park, then stopped at a restaurant and she had coffee and I had water. No use getting the taste of pancakes in my mouth. But I did leave a tip--the waitress doesn't need to suffer too.

Driving home yesterday I did discover that McDonald's has a fruit cup with yogurt which comes with a low cal granola sprinkle. It was really pretty good, strawberries and blueberries. And the price was right--$1.00. Not exactly the yummy sausage biscuit I usually get on long trips, but a nice treat.

Friday is my indiscretion day--we go out to eat with friends, and I get my Philly-cheese sandwich with french fries and a glass of wine. I'll dream about it all day! The sandwich is so huge I bring 1/2 home--but now I let my husband have it for Saturday lunch instead of enjoying it twice.

2955 Happy Birthday, Jerry Rice

Two "old" Jerrys have made it this far in Dancing with the Stars, Jerry Rice, and Jerry Springer. Rice is a decent dancer--probably his 15 years of running around and dodging other big guys on the football field. Springer is a talking clown, but his performance on Tuesday night pleased even the judges, who consistently rated him low. Because he has a lot of fans, his audience votes pull him through.

"Wide receiver Jerry Rice is the National Football League's all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Rice played college ball at Mississippi Valley State, where he caught 310 passes for 4,856 yards and 51 touchdowns in 42 games. He began his professional career in 1985 when he was picked 16th in the first round of the draft by the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers he became one of the NFL's biggest stars, catching pass after pass from quarterback Joe Montana and then from Montana's successor, Steve Young. Rice played for the 49ers from 1985-2000, winning Super Bowls in 1989, 1990 and 1995. He later played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004) and the Seattle Seahawks (2004). . . Rice is credited with 38 different NFL records, including career totals of 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns." From Answers.com.

Jerry Rice
Jerry Springer
Dancing with the Stars

No Thursday Thirteen this week

We're heading back to Columbus, so I don't have time to write a 13 (we'll be 9.5 hours in the car and then off to a meeting at church right after we get home). Actually, I did write one about the 13 people (10 relatives, 3 friends) I saw this week, but it looked a bit silly, since you don't know them. I deleted it. So I'll try to come up with something next Thursday. Have a good week.

2953 Freedom of thought control

Isn't this odd. Kooky I hope. Is "global warming" science so fragile, so insecure that it can't stand a little competition? I can be an advocate for saving trees and a proponent for safe and abundant water without believing puny human beings are changing the ever changing climate cycle. But some folks are just threatened by the idea that human beings aren't the end-all, be-all of the universe.

"A U.S. based environmental magazine that both former Vice President Al Gore and PBS newsman Bill Moyers, for his October 11th global warming edition of “Moyers on America” titled “Is God Green?” have deemed respectable enough to grant one-on-one interviews to promote their projects, is now advocating Nuremberg-style war crimes trials for skeptics of human caused catastrophic global warming. Grist Magazine’s staff writer David Roberts called for the Nuremberg-style trials for the “bastards” who were members of what he termed the global warming “denial industry.”

Roberts wrote in the online publication on September 19, 2006, "When we've finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we're in a full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we should have war crimes trials for these bastards -- some sort of climate Nuremberg.” Read full account here. It will supply links.

Hat tip Amy

2952 Not Cheap

No wonder so many people depend on the internet to do genealogy. Yesterday I went to the court house and got copies with the official stamp of 8 birth certificates, 3 death certificates and one marriage license, and it cost $97! Wow. I had no idea. We went in the wrong building first, made some inquiries about genealogy, and were ushered into a small room with a film reader. But when I said I wanted birth certificates she said I had to go to the "county building" (I thought I was there), that she had only the criminal stuff! So I must have looked like someone checking out the skeletons in the closets. We said we didn't think we'd find any relatives in her department and went across the street.

I think everyone around here goes to Rockford or Freeport (different counties) to die, so the sources were limited, which is probably good considering how much I had to pay.

2951 A brief genealogy trip

We're here in the county seat this week, so we plan to take a trip to the court house and see what relatives we can dig up. I'm not sure what resources are here, but I think getting all your information from the internet probably isn't the best way to do it.

Had a nice long walk at a park in Mt. Morris today with a high school friend. The weather has changed and it is quite nippy today. We got a lot of nice autumn photographs yesterday when the sun was out. My niece and great-niece came by today bringing pumpkin donuts for tea time, and my brother came for dinner last night. We visited my aunt Muriel in Mt. Morris yesterday. She will be 90 soon but looks good.

Tiny Library

I think I'm in the country's smallest public library--in Oregon, Il. May add some photos later. The sign says I must register at the desk. Good old fashioned library rules. Gotta love 'em.

Updated October 14:

Oregon, IL Public Library

The building is on the historic register which is probably working against getting a larger facility for a thriving small town.

Monday Memories

For some reason, when I was in my 20s I thought a home wasn't complete without a piano. We bought our second home (keeping the first as a rental) in 1965 when I was a graduate student in library science at the University of Illinois, and I was spending my graduate stipend making payments on a piano! I didn't even play--had stopped taking lessons in grade school. After I bought it, my husband and I both took piano lessons from a grad student, but very briefly. I think we must have broken the poor girl's heart, we were so bad.


Our son could play piano by ear and even did a little composing, and our daughter took lessons in elementary school. When I stopped lessons around age 10 or 11, I just rarely played, but after she quit, she would play the piano almost every evening after supper for an hour or so for her own enjoyment. I was careful not to tell her how much I loved it, because you know how teens are! When she would come to visit (with her laundry) after she had her own apartment, she always spent time playing the piano. After she bought a house in 1996, I gave her the piano. And now it is just as lonesome and quiet in her house as it was in ours.

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2948 We've arrived

We rolled into Oregon about 1:30 p.m. and worked our way through streets jammed with cars for the "Autumn on parade." I'm not sure how strangers get through not knowing the streets and detours, but we finally made it to my sister's house on the other edge of town. We unpacked a few items, then went back to watch the parade, which seemed to be about 2 hours long.

The craft booths, as I understand it, are all by people from Ogle County, and we saw some wonderful items and great food (too bad, since I'm watching that). We would have stayed longer, however, there was a drill team from Chicago in the parade with amplified, canned music (no instruments that I could see). They were so loud that I could feel the vibrations through the sidewalks even a block away. We finally had to leave the area to get away from them. I think it is a form of child abuse to subject teenagers to that level of decibels, which must be like standing next to a jet plane holding a chain saw if you are in the group!

Later my Uncle Gene and Aunt Betty stopped by for a visit. Always good to see them. He is the next to youngest of my Dad's siblings. This week, I have some friends and relatives to see, but each time I come, there are fewer and fewer people I know.

I'm using a borrowed machine--can't find a spell check, so will just have to trust my instincts.

2947 Gitmo prisoners getting fat and well read

The detainees at Guantanomo Bay have access to a nice Arabic language library according to ABC News (HT Conservator):

"Nonfiction particularly philosophy, biographies and Arabic history is most popular, the librarians say. But fiction is also big. Popular authors include Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American; Agatha Christie; and J.K. Rowling, who penned the Harry Potter series about an English wizard in training.

The detainees are avid readers, according to the librarians. With detainees largely confined to cramped cells most of the day, reading provides an outlet and can help take their minds off the prospect that they may be jailed for years or even the rest of their lives with no trial."

But they are also getting fat because they can choose from a selection of about 4200 calories, one guy blimping up to 410. They get special cuisine and meals for holy days. The defenders will complain about lack of exercise, but we all know what taking in too many calories will do. And they can't even blame McDonald's or the fast food industry. They are choosing to over eat. What other bad Western habits are they absorbing?

"Most of the prisoners at Guantanamo picked up in Afghanistan and other conflict zones were slightly underweight when they arrived. Since then, they've gained an average of 20 pounds, and most are now"normal to mildly overweight or mildly obese,"according to the most recent measurements, he said.

The meals include meats prepared according to Islamic guidelines, along with fresh bread, vegetables and yogurt. With nearly all detainees fasting in the daytime during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, authorities have arranged for a post-sunset meal and a midnight meal. Traditional desserts and honey also are served during the Ramadan observances."

Guantanamo Bay
Terrorists
Muslims
libraries

2946 We're back

My blog has been displaying a blank page; have no idea why, but that's certainly scary. I periodically save my template as a text file, but I'm not sure I'd know how to reload it if I had to. I've made a bazillion changes in it over the years, some of which I don't know how to undo.

But actually, we're leaving again. First to Lake Erie, then to Illinois. I never know if I'll be able to log in somewhere. Maybe the library in Oregon (IL) has Wi-Fi. Oregon is having its "Autumn on Parade"--not sure we'll see much of it except for the traffic jam. Fall events are nice. There's one at Lakeside and Marblehead next week-end too, but we'll miss that.

"AUTUMN ON PARADE
Corner of Rt 64 & Rt 2, Oregon
Autumn is celebrated with enthusiasm in Oregon, Illinois at the annual Autumn on Parade (AOP) festival. Autumn on Parade features a Farmer's Market, with homemade items from over 100 vendors, plenty of live entertainment, a variety of food, and the ever popular Harvest Time Parade held on Sunday afternoon. Most of the activities and vendors will be found at the Ogle County Courthouse Square located at the corner of Ill. 64 and Ill. 2 in downtown Oregon." Oregon site