I Love My Pets, But . . .

They take over, they really do. Even now as I typing in this post, our cat, Mr. Knightley, is hogging most of my office chair. I am sitting on the very edge, being oh so careful not to bother his midday nap. But still, it's nice to have the company.

And then at night, and especially with Ward off to war, my bed is filled with critters. I am an early to bed person, but Kip-the-wonder-dog usually beats me to a spot on our queen sized bed. We are later joined by Mr. Knightley, which is funny, because Kip usually chases him around the house, but when Kip sleeps, he sleeps hard. I can barely budge him to get some space. So there we are and if someone says, it's crowded, roll over, well we do and make room for Emma, our Golden Retriever. So it becomes a two-dog night and it's not even cold. I should have Beaver take a photo, but I would die of embarrassment as you would see that I cling for dear life to my space at the edge of the bed. But still, it's nice to have the company.

I'm sure my son-in-law thinks I'm crazy, as do my husband and my two sons. It's not funny to them that they have to make room on the sofa while watching TV. But still, it's nice nice to have the company.

Oh, and who do I have to thank for all of this company?! The one that begged and pleaded for first, Mr. Knightley, then Emma and finally Kip? To that unnamed person I'll just say, thank you for making sure I'm not alone!!

No Man Comes To Ruin Overnight

It is a process. And if you find yourself going in the wrong direction, stop, turn around.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.

II Timothy 3:11

But at what point do we turn away?

Truthspeak or Wordspeak or Blatent Lie?

What do you call saying things in terms that really does not speak truthfully about what you actually mean? Some people say “politics as usual” some say “wordsmithing” but I remember reading in the George Orwell novel, 1984, that describes it as truthspeak. We really should add truthspeak to our urban lexicon, because there is a lot of it going on in D.C. these days. Or maybe we should call it wordspeak, because there really is no truth in what passes as identifying laws or bills these days. Three cases in point:

1) The Stimulus Bill: this one is so obvious we don’t need to go into the details, it should have been called the Porkulus Bill.

2) FOCA, Freedom of Choice Act. Really?! As I read in this column, calling it this is an insult to our intelligence. What choice are we talking about here?

The Freedom of Choice Act, or FOCA, would eliminate all laws passed since Roe v. Wade that restrict or regulate abortion. Among them are parental notification laws for a minor’s abortion, informed consent (patient information on aftereffects of abortion and fetal development of the unborn child), waiting periods, and freedom of conscience rights for healthcare workers. It would also allow more tax dollars to be used to pay for abortions, allow healthcare workers other than physicians to perform abortions, and allow partial-birth abortion, which was deemed unconstitutional in 2007 by the United States Supreme Court.

In the past few months, I’ve heard the term “FOCA” so many times, but have never given serious thought to exactly what the consequences would be. snip

Why is it seen as a threat to women’s health for women to be given told that abortion could increase her chances of infertility, depression, breast cancer or subsequent pre-term birth? Why is it so dangerous to tell a mother that her unborn child has had his own heartbeat since he was just 21 days old?

Why should parents have no involvement with their teen daughter’s pregnancy, especially when school employees, abusive boyfriends, or ignorant girlfriends can be so manipulative and coerce her to abort?

I maintain that women are smart! If women were given accurate medical information, they would seek alternatives, not abortion. And, the abortion industry doesn’t make money from women who choose life.

As it stands right now, though some laws exist to ensure informed consent, women are not told the truth about their pregnancies or about abortion. They realize the harm done only after it’s too late, and the result is millions of wounded women who regret their choice.

To make FOCA the law of the land is to declare their pain invalid, plunging these hurting souls into depression. As a nation, we need to validate the pain of so many women suffering after abortion, not to continue to keep women in ignorance and pain before, during and after abortion.

For abortion advocates, it is a dream come true for abortion to remain shrouded in secrecy, however the result is a nightmare for women suffering after abortion as the entire culture shuns her pain and mocks her trial.

For more information about FOCA, please visit www.fightfoca.org.

3) Fairness Doctrine. Again, really?! This is about controlling what we hear. How is that fair? Why not let us choose, by say, turning the dial?

June 20, 2008
The Fairness Doctrine at Work
By William Tate
While some Democrats push to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine, an example of the harmful effects of doing so has played out in the most unlikely of places--the Aspen airport.

For those not familiar with the Fairness Doctrine, it was a Federal Communications Commission policy that required radio and TV stations to, in effect, provide equal time on matters of public importance. A station which did not do so ran the risk of losing its broadcast license, something which Rupert Murdoch once famously compared to having a license to print money.

The Fairness Doctrine was originally intended to encourage a public dialogue on controversial issues by ensuring that both sides of a topic were aired. As a former radio and TV journalist, I can assure you that the opposite was true. Station owners were afraid that their licenses would be yanked if there was the slightest possibility that they could be accused of violating the doctrine; it was far safer to simply avoid controversial matters.

That, and its questionable constitutionality, caused the Reagan-era F.C.C. to repeal the Fairness Doctrine. Within months, Rush Limbaugh's program was nationally syndicated, and radio programming has never been the same. Many industry observers credit Rush with single-handedly saving the AM band, one reason he has achieved cult-like status among broadcasters.

Does anyone else see the pattern here?

Oh wait, I forgot another one:

The Employee Free Choice Act, commonly called the "card-check bill," that died in the Senate in 2007, is expected to come before Congress again in spring or summer. It is often considered the most significant labor bill since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 established the ground rules for union organizing. What does it do? Under that act, in effect today, at least 30 percent of an employee group must sign cards requesting union representation. Once that threshold is met, the National Labor Relations Board certifies the cards and sets up a private vote. Approval by a majority of eligible employees puts union representation into place.

The new proposal would streamline the process, making unionization easier. Unions would be certified simply by getting a majority of workers to sign cards on the spot, avoiding the whole election process in which employers usually oppose organizing efforts.

Free Choice Act? How can it be free if you do not have a private vote? Can you imagine the pressure that could be put on from both sides?

Geesh, you cannot make this stuff up!

A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small

Do you think this twelve year old could speak to the President and get him to change his mind on FOCA? How about we send him and every member of congress a copy of Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears A Who!

International Bowling

I finally uploaded the pictures from our bowling outing last weekend. The International Group hosted students from around the world to bowling and pizza. I even talked the Beave into participating and he actually enjoyed himself. Look for him in the photo in the lower right hand corner, he is wearing his Be The Reds t-shirt from the 2002 World Cup which was the official Korea fans t-shirt. (Funny, huh, that it was in English.)

The students had a great time and as always we had to be careful and make sure we had plenty of veggie pizzas on hand. Some of the students had never bowled before and so we put up the bumper guards. A couple of times we had to rescue a ball when it was thrown as the pins were being set . . . I don't think the manager appreciated the balls hitting the set up device :)

This Is Dedicated To The One I Love

This was our song when we first started dating because Ward went to school an entire state away and our relationship developed the really old fashioned way, by written correspondence. So this is dedicated to my high school sweetheart and now my better half of over thirty years who is away . . . again! Some things never change!

Happy Valentine's Day Ward!!

(Check out the fashion revolution of 1974; the pantsuit!!)

A Box of Lemon

Lemon in a box, my new favorite food product! One of my favorite drinks is a squeeze of fresh lemon in plain old tap water. But that meant always keeping lemons on hand and remembering to use them . . . it doesn't sound hard, does it? But it just wasn't all that practical for my lazy self.

Introducing True Lemon, crystallized lemon, 100% natural, zero calories, no sweeteners, just really fresh-squeezed taste of lemon. It's actually almost better than fresh squeezed because there is no slight sharpness that you get with fresh lemons.

And convenience! There are 32 packets in a box and no rinds, no slicing, no "oops I forgot that lemon in the bottom of my fridge that now looks like a science experiment."

The packets fit in my purse and are less than the size of a small band aid, I just hope I don't confuse the two!

The cost is under $3.00 for me at the commissary, well under what I would pay in fresh lemons.

I will still keep fresh lemons on hand for cooking of course, but for my eight glasses of water (OK, at least I try to get that many in) I will be using True Lemon.

What's In Your Wallet (Handbag)?

Besides the kitchen sink?! Well, here's my list as I empty my purse:

Wallet (Fat, a few bills, lots of cards, some credit, one debit, driver's license, military I.D., emergency post numbers, voter registration card, stamps, multiple receipts)
Cell phone
Sunglasses and case
Comb
Lip glosses (yes, that's plural)
Hand cream
Tissues
Small zipped card holder
Mini emergency kit w/band-aids, antiseptic wipes
Checkbook
Small 2009 calendar booklet
Spare keys
Name tags
Car phone charger
Mini flashlight
Mini pocket knife
Pen
Small pack of business cards (some mine)

Gee, I seem to be missing my duct tape!

And that's all I need.

The Slanket Wars

Here you have a true American success story; a young entrepreneur solves a personal problem and then sees the value of his solution, how others could benefit from it, borrows money from family, patents his idea, manufactures it and starts a new craze! How could you not support this, especially if you are one who gets cold watching TV and want to change the channel without getting up?

And yet there are those that mock the idea. Shame on you! Allow those of us with poor circulation to enjoy a degree of comfort without making fun of us. This is not fashion, it's convenience. And don't get me started on the imitation Slanket. (I think the Snuggie is a cheap rip-off, not even worthy to be mentioned.)

I am happy to have the Slanket and happy that this young man is profiting from taking a chance. It's the American way!

Who Shrank My Pants?

Don't you hate when that happens. You go to put on your favorite jeans and they are just a bit, um, snug. Between the holidays and the below zero temperatures which make it impossible to do my runs, my pants shrank. Only time will tell if they will regain that extra measure needed to fit correctly again (meaning I can breath in them) or I will have to foot the bill for new ones a size larger, which is every woman's nightmare. And I've worn the same size since high school, though admittedly things have shifted . . . I blame gravity!

Things That Grow On You

The idiom “to grow on you” means to become increasingly liked or appreciated by you. Some changes, if they are gradual you can get used to, but here I am talking about things that grow on you literally! Those are the kinds of changes I really, really dislike.

And of course that’s different than things that grow IN you, like a little person, because they eventually come out and then you are physically back to square one. No, I’m talking about things that grow on you that aren’t supposed to be there, and that you will never like or appreciate.

Like a ganglion cyst for instance. When did that get there?! There on my ankle, how long has that little bump been there? I only noticed it after a run when it hurt a little and I thought I had tied my shoes too tight. At my age, you get a bump or a lump, you figure you’d better check it out. So I went in to see the DOC this morning and he said, “You’ll live,” doing his best Woody Allen impersonation which was funny because I’m pretty sure he was of Malaysian descent, though it’s best these days not to profile, if you know what I mean.

If it’s not bothering me there is no need to cut and I definitely have an aversion to cutting so I’m just going to loosen my running shoes and hope it doesn’t get bigger.

Cuisine For The Adventurous

I have had a couple of requests for recipes from foods I mentioned when our book club read The Shack. I did look those items up and found a couple of recipes, but I never have actually made them. Still the South Indian dish of kori bananje sounds like it could be good. It was only through digging through a MANGALOREAN CUISINE website that I found it. The Kori Bananje is just a variation of another dish substituting chicken for fish in a spicy chili sauce. But here is a snippet of the article where I found it:

The district is the local mouthwatering delicious cuisine. Kori roti (chicken curry and rice roti), varieties of fish food, local special eatables will definitely take you to the different world. Idly sambar, masal dosa, mangalore vada, golibaje, pathrode, etc. are some of the dishes, which are unique here.

People here use more of rice, coconut, coconut oil as they are plenty here. Even the use of boiled rice is more among the rural people. Boiled rice ganji and chutney or pickles is famous morning food among most of the people here, which they say would keep them active all the day. Even different festivals marked with preparation of different kind of food items. To enjoy the real taste of food of this region you have to visit here once.

Bangude pulimunchi, silver-grey mackerels straight from the seas lapping the Mangalore coast and cooked in a fiery tamarind-red chilli sauce without the ubiquitous coconut, its chicken equivalent “Kori bananje”, crawly-fresh crab masala, Marwai Aajadina (shell fish dry curry) and the steamed rice delicacies all - Aritha pundi (dumplings), Neer Dosa (lacy pancakes), Appam and Kori Rotti (dry rice flakes dipped in gravy before serving) A cuisine of flavoursome chicken and prawn curries made with fresh coconut milk and fiery masalas, and a vegetarian repertoire that ranges from red cucumber to raw jackfruit and white pumpkin to green banana and taste of its own Pork Bafat.

Puli Munchi (Meet Mirsang)
Ingredients

1. Salt ½ cup.
2. Long red chillies around 100.
3.Cumin seeds - 5 tsp.
4. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp.
5.Vinegar to grind.

Method: Grind all the ingredients with enough Vinegar without adding water.
*Bottle the ground paste.
*Can be used for frying fish, meat or vegetables.
*Can also be added to fish curry.

I’ve also listed another Kori recipe as the name was similar but used a few different spices, mainly ones we Westerners consider sweet, and was more like a stew that a rub, which is what the above seemed like.

Kori Sukka
Ingredients
1 kg Chicken (cut into medium pieces)
4 cloves
3 sticks of cinnamon
3 tsp ghee
1 onion (thinly sliced)
3 tomatoes
2 potatoes
Salt to taste

Masala for grinding:
4 Onions
6 Red Chilies
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp jeera
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp Coriander Leaves (chopped)
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
6 pepper corns
Small lemon sized tamarind
Method
Boil the Chicken and potatoes, with cloves, Cinnamon, Salt and keep aside.
Take ghee in a pan and fry one onion till golden brown, then add tomatoes fry and then add the masala and fry thoroughly for about 15 minutes. Add the cooked chicken along with stock and if required also add water and bring it to boil. Garnish with coriander leaves.