Discipline...or the lack of.

I awoke early this morning with the urge to write about something, but with no idea what I wanted to write about. Then I read Big John Lipscomb's latest blog about children in Walmart acting like monkeys on crack.

I'll admit it....I have three children that do act like monkeys on crack when they are at home. Teen recently had to pay to replace an oil lamp globe he broke. Pretty princess has turned many of our walls into an art gallary. The middle child climbs the walls...literally. Every wonder why we use the "Shrek" picture as a family portrait? Its a completely acurate portrayal, right down to hair color (substitute blond for bald).

Yet, for some unknown reason, they behave themselves when it comes to being out in public. Our refridgerator is filled with more commendations for exceptional behavior at school than it can hold. And even though pretty princess is the biggest handful, she will look at the other squalling children at Walmart with a look that says, "Jeez, girl, get over yourself."

And yet, if you have ever watched those nanny shows, you can see why kids act the way they do. Its almost as if the parents expect the kids to act that way 24/7. One woman I remember even dropped a bombshell. "She's crying...isn't that abuse?"

And there is the problem. Between psychologists telling us how we are to raise our kids and the fear of CPS, we have become a nation that is scared of teaching our children the proper way to behave. Parents have very quickly gone from "spare the rod, spoil the child" to thinking that even a constructive, verbal correction is bad for the child's self esteem. Let me tell you something...several years ago, a University gave a self esteem test to 50 inmates and 50 undergrads. Guess who had the low self esteem according to that test....nope, it was the college kids.

It goes to show you...psychology is crap science. And its compounded by overworked day care people who just don't give a crap anymore. And even more, its compounded by overworked parents.

No, you don't have to abuse your children. Yes, I know and see what abuse is, but I know there is a very clear line between abuse and discipline. You also don't have to be a control freak. When Little Man started climbing the walls, it was simply a matter of asking him not to do it and telling him why. When Mr. Man broke the lamp globe, it was, "Get your money out...we're going to purchase a new one." (Lucky for him, they were half price that day, too.) As for Pretty Princess....well, mom had learned from grandma long ago that little kids don't scream their heads off if the mouth is busy. Yes, it gets tiring to sit in a cart for an hour or more, and that can make one cranky...but a juice box and lolly pop can perk you up and keep you from getting fussy, which in turn keeps the people on the next aisle from having to listen to a wailing youngster.

What about those older children too old to sit in the cart? Well, moms and dads....you are their conscience. All it takes is a little, "Hey, boys....we're not going to act that way." But today, I'll see kids as old as ten being Mr. Lipscomb's "monkeys on crack", and mom doesn't even give them a stern look.

Society has consequences for poor behavior. You loose friends. You wreck your car. You get fired. You get sent to jail. You get tasered. Aside from simply learning proper behavior, kids need to know that there are consequences to their actions, and the fact that there are consequences needs to be taught in a safe, loving environment before they are thrown into the real world. Time out, extra chores, taking the video games away....and don't just threaten it, do it! And while they may act like you are the meanest parent in the world at the world, one day they'll thank you.

The word "discipline" means to teach. So teach them now, in the warmth and safety of your loving arms, before they get thrown to the wolves. After all, it is your job.

"Mother is the name of God on the lips and hearts of little children."

Survival Cooking 101: Shepherd's Pie

Okay...so you went to mom's or grandma's for Thanksgiving, and they sent you home with more bird and stuffing than you handle.

Let me guess...its still sitting in your fridge because you don't relish the idea of sitting down to a traditional turkey dinner all by yourself. Well, the alternative is easy.

I can't say which country first created the meat pie, but I do know that they were popular for city folk in medieval England. The butcher's wife would often be the one who made the meat pies to sell to the folk in the neighborhood who either couldn't afford the cuts of meat, or didn't have a large enough heating device to cook their own food.

I've tried several versions of meat pies over the years, including one that included game birds and dates...better tasting than we thought! But one of the easiest has to be Shepherd's pie.

Simply take your leftover veggies, turkey, and gravy; mix them together; and put them in the bottom of a pie pan or casserol; then top with mash potatoes. Put in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Or, if you are just by yourself, you could layer them in a bowl and nuke it (I prefer to not use the microwave, but to each his own).

Voila! Shepherd's pie.

And best of all, this can be done with many types of food...leftover stews and soups. You aren't restricted to leftovers, though...another favorite meat pie involves ground beef, veggies, and a can of tomato soup mixed together and topped with mashed potatoes....this recipe is often called Hamburger Pie.

If anything, this is a great way to reduce the elaborate turkey dinner down to a simple, yet delicious, meal.

V vs. Obama

Even before Sean Hannity mentioned it, I saw the parralels, too. According to an article I had read this morning, I guess a lot of people missed it...but I didn't. The parallels between the aliens in "V" and Mr. Obama.

A beautiful, sexually appealing figure. Asking the press to not show anything negative. Offering to cure all of socities ills, including "free" health care for all. Offering hope. And a bevy of worshipful youth following him or her. Infiltrating so many things, from the FBI down to the terrorists groups the FBI is countering. Spying on everyone.

Toss in a little bit about "false flag terrorism" and "deliberately putting something in the flu vaccine that will injur us", ala Alex Jones. And yes, there is the conspiracy theory floating around out there that the "elites" are actually shape-shifting lizard aliens. Just look on Youtube...people claim to have caught Hillary Clinton shape shifting. I personally don't buy the idea of shape-shifting aliens, and comparing some of these people to lizard-aliens is an insult to the lizard-aliens.... but putting something bad in the vaccines and then manipulating us to take them...well, I'll just let you decide for yourself on that one.

Oh, please...if Hillary was really a shape shifter, do think she'd look the way she does? Or would she choose something a little closer to Morena Baccarin ("Anna")?

Well, now suddenly, the liberals are freaking out. So much so that its rumored that some people who created the recent incarnation have been fired or moved to another position within the company. And, after only four episodes, the show has already been on hiatus until March...a weird move that often kills shows....why would something that did so well on its pilot be squished so early by execs?

The sad part is that this incarnation of "V" is not new. The original incarnation was exactly the same way, and its been decades since it first aired. The special effects are better than in the original. The sets, costumes, and even the acting are better. And Morena Baccarin...well, I liked her in her "Firefly" days, as well as several of the other actors I recognize. (Has Alan Tudyk become the "Kenny" of Sci Fi? Oh my God, they killed Wash...you bastards! But its okay, he'll come back....)

Now back to the paralells...I guess it is kinda freaky. Its almost as if Mr. Obama read the script from the original and followed it, and now suddenly people recognize it. And they are insulted. So insulted that its put on hold for four months after only 4 episodes, despite its popularity, and punish the higher-ups involved. The show, both its original and current incarnation, have always been about anti-fascism (fascism behind a pretty smile, that is)...and yes, the original did include Universal health care. But even funnier...these scripts were written during the BUSH administration...Obama wasn't even running for President at the time.

Does this mean its too close to the truth? And what are they really afraid of? Did they watch the show and thought they were looking in a mirror? And if someone is taking an anti-fascism parable so personally....what does this mean about themselves?

On a lighter note....Morena Baccarin hasn't aged since Firefly. Still inhumanly beautiful. If she isn't an alien....well, I'm gonna have to smack her.

survival cooking 101: Stir fry

Have ya'll been practicing making real rice? Good! Well, here's a tip on what to serve with it; food that is commonly (in the U.S.) associated with rice.

There really isn't that much of a mystery to stir fry. Rumor has it that stir-fry started as a way of cooking food that takes less fuel. Excellent for summer cooking, as you don't have to slave over a hot stove. However, a heavily sauced stir fry can be wonderfully hearty in the winter, too. Meat and vegetables are cut into bite-sized peices that enable them to be cooked thoroughly for a shorter space of time. Of course...this can mean a lot of labor at the cutting board if you are cutting meat or carrots slender-thin.

Aside from the cutting, prep is rather quick and easy. After getting the rice started cooking, that's when I start the cutting (unless I have two lbs of partially frozen steak to cut razor-thin...that is time consuming). I like to have everything, including the sauce, sitting on a dish or in bowls next to the pan before I start cooking. Then about ten minutes before the rice is at its earliest "done" point, I put a small amount of fat in the pan and heat it up. Most purists use peanut or canola oil; we use olive. Okay, occasionally we use butter. Just remember that with olive oil or butter, you will need lower temps, or it will scorch. A medium to medium high heat should work with most oils.

Purists also want to use a wok. I don't have a wok. I just use my trusty cast-iron skillet on the stove top.

With meat, the time that you cook it depends upon whether its raw or already cooked. Generally, raw meat is browned (or even thoroughly cooked and then removed to be added back later) before the vegetables are added. Previously cooked meat can be used, though, and it is generally added last...just enough to heat it up. Last night, we used leftover turkey to make spicy orange turkey (with onions and green peppers), and the turkey was added at the same time as the sauce.

The biggest question in stir-fry is how do you like certain veggies cooked? The key to cooking the veggies perfectly is throwing them in at the time that allows certain vegetables to get cooked longer. Onions, carrots, broccoli, and other hardy vegetables that you want thoroughly cooked will certainly be added first (if you like these veggies crispier, don't cook them quite so long). Delicate vegetables, such as mushrooms or green onions, are barely given any time in the pan at all. When making fried rice, I add the green onions in at the same time as the rice.

At the last, add whatever sauce you want. You don't have to have your food smothered in gravy if you don't want...a little bit of soy sauce, just for flavor, can be good enough for flavor. I do, though, recommend stocking up on sauce packets or bottled sauces in your food storage, though. If you have nothing more than your home veggie garden, rice, and ramen noodles stored up, a variety of flavorings (spicey one night, sweet and sour the next, and then savory the next) can help alleviate boredom. And yes...I do keep the huge bottles of soy sauce. Call my boys crazy, but they sometimes top off a rice-based meal with nothing more than rice and soy sauce (even if we had Chicken Ala King...kids are weird).

The nice thing about stir fry is that you don't have to follow a specific recipe to get a good meal. There are times when I've simply cut up some odd veggies and stir-fried in a little bit of butter or olive oil with salt and pepper with no sauce at all. Zucchini and onions are one of our favorite combos. Mr. Picky eater (the middle child) is happy with nothing more than broccoli lightly cooked....while a picky eater, he likes the idea of eating crunchy little trees. Did I mention my kids were weird?

Bon Appetite!

More information on Climate Gate

For those who do not know this particular radio host...he is NOT a pollution denyer. In fact, he endorses companies that sell products to clean the air, clean your drinking water, and that offer pure (chemical-free) cleaning products, organic non-GMO seeds...okay, I could go on and on about the real, pollutant free products and lifestyle he endorses. But at the same time, he did (well before climate gate) put into perspective for me the fraud that was being perpetrated upon people who simply care.

Yes, that's right...we all care about the world we live in, and all the creatures that we share this beautiful rock with. But if you lead too much with your heart, you can forget that your head is there for a reason.

Now, onto Climate Gate:

~ A Gardener's Thanksgiving ~

~ A Gardener's Thanksgiving ~

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people:
For children who are our second planting, and though they grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where their roots are;
For generous friends with hearts and smiles as bright as their blossoms;
For feisty friends as tart as apples;
For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we've had them;
For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn, and the other, plain as potatoes and as good for you;
For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels Sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem Artichokes, and serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;
For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter;
For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;
For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;
And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, and who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;
For all these we give thanks.
~ Reverend Max Coots1928-2009

Climate Gate vs. Real Pollution

Yes, it is one of the worst governmental scandals to hit the internet...the global warming scheme has been uncovered to be a total fraud, with its intention mainly to scare people into paying a hefty "carbon tax" to some global government. (And, as always, that tax would more than likely go to pay for $50,000 a night hotels and private jets for those world government leaders rather than saving the planet. Nice, huh?)

Anyone who has gotten a decent grade in 4th grade science should have known from the first place that carbon dioxide is not a dangerous gas. Animals breath it out. Trees breath it in, and in turn breath out oxygen. Plants and animals live a symbiotic relationship...they would not be able to live without the other. Paleoclimatologists have been screaming for decades that our planet was once greener, and that was during a time when carbon dioxide was ten times higher.

Now, having said that...

Whenever fundamentalist republicans ever brought up the fact that global warming isn't real, the thing I always said was, "forget global warming....there's real pollution out there that we need to clean up." For which, of course, those fundamentalist republicans called me liberal. Eh, I've been called worse.

But that is entirely true. There is far worse pollution out there that needs to be cleaned up. And some global warming carbon tax is, in no way, going to fix it. Chemicals in our drinking water. Chemicals in our food. Fish contaminated with mercury. Medicines contaminated (on purpose) with poisons. Our land contaminated with industry waste "they" call fertilizer...which, later, turns out to cause brain tumors. More industrial sludge dumped into our drinking water that we have been told for years is good for us...but evidence points to the fact that it may be more dangerous than beneficial. You just wanted a blanket to sleep in...you didn't want to purchase something that would destroy your lungs!

There's a neuro-toxin that is purposely put into your food to make you eat more of it...its proven to cause problems with many, if not most, people...and yet the FDA laughs and pats us on the head and tells us we're too stupid to realize that our migraine headaches and acid reflux are caused by this chemical. Just take more chemicals to stop the problem that the first chemical caused. And if you try to talk to the common person about it, they just shrug their shoulders and say its only in certain Chinese foods...yikes, read the label, sister. Its in your potato chips, soup, gravy, crackers, salad dressing...its frickin' everywhere. And the latest studies show that it even causes obesity when calorie count says your shouldn't be obese!

Doctors who have switched to naturopathy will tell us time and time again that modern living is killing us. Most dis-ease today, particularly the chronic ones, are often caused by the poisons we are exposed to every day. And quite often, we are paying for the privelage of these chemicals to hurt us.

Conspirators say that these poisons are purposely dumped all over us because "they" want us dumbed down, feminized, constantly ill, controllable sheep. Personally, I don't know if its on purpose, or if its just plain corporate greed and stupidity. Either way, this crap is out there...and its destroying our health. And if its not good for us, then it can't be good for nature either.

Carbon dioxide, carbon footprint, global warming, climate change....its a distraction at best, a fraud at worst. But you can take control of your life and seek out those things which really cause the problems with our health and environment. The government doesn't really give a damn about you unless you aren't paying your taxes, so forget them....they're the morons that let these poisons into our environment in the first place. Seek out information about REAL pollution and take your own steps to remove these things from your environment.

So, to my environmental friends....I love you...you have a lot of great ideas for helping to remove the true poisons from our lives, and many of the "green" living ideas can help people save some money and become more autonomous and healthier. But you have been scammed. It wasn't too long ago that liberals didn't trust the government....maybe we (both liberals and conservatives) need to get some of that scepticism back. The green movement should NEVER have been picked up by corporations, the government, and those whose "carbon footprint" is 1000 times greater than your own (I'm pointing my finger at you, Al.)

Clay soil? Grow carrots in pots.

We live a bit too far south of the Missouri River's alluvial basin to take advantage of the wonderful soil it had built over time. As such, we have the Kansas heavy clay soil...and even after a decade of soil amendments, it makes even the short, round-rooted carrot varieties grow into even shorter, odd shapes. Carrots really do need soft, fluffy soil in order to grow well, and grow perfectly. The solution is to grow carrots in the fluffy potting soil in pots.

Lining the stairs that lead to our front door are pots of carrots. Yes, our weather has bebopped between cold and warm (common for a Kansas November), but even last night I was still pulling beautiful, perfect carrots from the pots to turn into the night's dinner. I should have taken a picture, because those cuties were even more perfect than what you find at the grocery store.

Potted root crops can be used as a part of "ornamental edibles". While carrots aren't necessarily a beautiful flower, they do make an interesting fern-looking plant. Some other root crops, like parsnips, can be grown right alongside in their own pots for even more contrast, as can herbs like Rosemary, or vining plants (tomatoes or cucumbers) in hanging planters nearby.

For those who rent and are not allowed to dig in the soil (or have no soil), these types of arrangements may be just the very thing. And while all of your neighbors have nothing more than a chair and an ashtray out on their apartment balcony, you can have a little minature jungle of edible plants.

The biggest thing to remember is to water your plants...potted plants, especially on a south-facing concrete step, can dry out easily. (I would like to note, however, that the south-facing concrete steps are warmer in early spring and late fall than the traditional garden, thus extending our season by a nice margin).

There are two ways to help combat this...the first is to have many, many plants...that minature jungle, if you will. The second is to generously use those little trays that go under the pots. No, those trays are not just for keeping your floor dry, or keeping the water run-off from hitting the head of the person on the balcony below. Water that is left in those trays will be evaporated before the water in the soil, which also creates a humid environment around the plants which helps keep the plant from drying out. Several years ago, a fellow survivalist blogger attempted to grow tomatoes in buckets on his wood deck...he complained that he couldn't keep his toms watered. He had simply forgotten those trays.

The sin of hanging laundry on the line

I have said it before and I will say it again....whether you are implimenting a "green" lifestyle to save money, be more self-reliant, or to save the planet, someone (usually the government) comes along and tells you that you can't do that. Below is a story that illustrates this.

(Winter time tip...if you are using your dryer in the winter, unhook your outlet hose and let the humid, warm air blow into your house...both the heat and humidity will be welcome, and cut down on winter heating bills).

We've personally found the only two things that don't dry well outside are jeans and towels.






From Reuters:
U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry



By Jon Hurdle Jon Hurdle – Wed Nov 18, 11:32 am ET
PERKASIE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.

Froehlich is among the growing number of people across America fighting for the right to dry their laundry outside against a rising tide of housing associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.

Although there are no formal laws in this southeast Pennsylvania town against drying laundry outside, a town official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbors saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.

"They said it made the place look like trailer trash," she said, in her yard across the street from a row of neat, suburban houses. "They said they didn't want to look at my 'unmentionables.'"

Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside. The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite local rules and a culture that frowns on it.

Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group's executive director, Alexander Lee.

Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce U.S. energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use.

Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines. Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.

'RIGHT TO HANG'

His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population. About half of those organizations have 'no hanging' rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.

Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities' developers along with regulations such as a ban on sheds or commercial vehicles.

The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.

"The consensus in most communities is that people don't want to see everybody else's laundry."

He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.

"There is more awareness of impact on the environment," he said. "I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions."

For Froehlich, the "right to hang" is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom.

"If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry," said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.

Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.

Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.

"It made me angry and upset," said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter. "I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It's something I have always done since I was a little kid."

(Editing by Mark Egan and Paul Simao)

Some Inspiration

When I first started my quest into semi-urban homesteading ten years ago, the first real website I came across was that of the Dervaes family. They subsist entirely on the tiny plot of land in the suburbs of Pasadena, California. They sell what extra they have, which enables them to purchase those things they cannot grow on their own.

Although we don't exactly have the beautiful, year-round California weather, we do have quite a bit more space...and if they don't inspire you to make use of your glorified golf-course (as they have us), perhaps they can shame you into it.

Income here vs. Income there...

Some moron finally said it. I don't remember who it was, or where on television I heard it (I'm usually too busy to look at the boob tube, even if it is on), but someone finally croaked that "Americans want too much money" as compared to the Chinese or Indians.

I don't know much about life in China (aside from what I've seen on the news about slave labor.) But I have studied life in India a wee bit. So, lets see what's up there.

The basic comparison...why should American companies pay an American employee $14 an hour plus benefits plus the taxes that go along with it (such as unemployment) when, over in India, you can simply pay them $10 an hour and be done with it.

So, lets look at one simple cost analysis of living here vs. living there. All-you-can-eat crap Chinese buffet cost about $7. Not a bad price, eh? Until you hear that, in India, all you can eat crap buffet (rice and a wide variety of sauces...not too different from Chinese buffet) will cost you only a quarter. Okay, maybe by now its $0.50. But the guy on the travel channel had said it was $0.25 in American money.

Now lets add a few things on top of that. If lower class people here in the United States even tried to live as the lower classes in India, what would happen? Your children would be removed from your custody, never to be seen again. You would be harassed by local law or code enforcement. In some areas, your house and all of your possessions could be confiscated, because not living in a perfect home with ALL of the utilities turned on is illegal. You are required to have so much space per person. In some states, you can't even have an outhouse way out in the boonies anymore...it goes against code. Yes, I even know someone who went to trial because his tenants had the wrong type of furniture on the porch.

And of course, who is doing this bitching and complaining about how greedy and lazy we are? The idiots that make multi-millions in their bonuses alone. Just remember...those greedy Americans wanting wages that will allow us to live the way the law REQUIRES us to live are also the people who are purchasing your products. Stop paying those greedy Americans (English, French, German, Australian...name any so-called 1st world country, and I'm sure its the same), and what happens? Well, gee....a world-wide spiraling downward depression. The less people make, the less they can spend, the more jobs get cut, the less people make, the less they can spend...all the way downward....until your company is a mere shell of itself because nobody has any money.

And these multi-million screwballs at the top will end up having to do the work all by themselves in order to keep those multi-million bonuses. Good luck with that.

So, I challenge all you tycoons who are doing this bitching to try it...just try it. Try living on $14 an hour here in the United States. I bet you can't.

Our experience with Colodial Silver

I'm one of those people who gets those little naggy feelings, but usually tries to ignore them. But when I act on those naggy feelings, I usually end up being right. (Stronger-faithed Christians would probably say that its the Holy Spirit talking to me.)

One of those things that I've had naggy feelings about was Colodial silver. I had seen it for years. 16 years ago, I had been prescribed a silver medication for an oil burn (work related...). Well, back in August, I finally broke down and purchased a small bottle from a near-local patriot radio show.

It sat in our medicine cabinet for only three weeks before we broke into it. The teen and I started having the same symptoms as a group of kids at the closest state college who had been quaranteened for swine flu...turns out, one of those college students was the daughter of the teen's teacher.

The bottle suggested a tablespoon. Liking to stretch things, we each took only a teaspoon...once that morning. Once after lunch. Once after dinner. The next morning, I was feeling fine. Teen needed only one more teaspoon...by that afternoon, he was fine.

Since then, any hint of dis-ease (sore throat, sneeze, general uck), and the bottle is whipped out. For most of these, only a single teaspoon has been necessary. And despite two kids in two different disease factories (public schools), we really haven't suffered any illness other than one individual in the household having a bout of eating too much candy after Halloween (and that first 24 hours of possible swine-flu). Comparing the cost of the silver we've used so far and the cost of the remedies sold in the drug store, we've already saved about half.

I'm not a doctor...I'm not selling colodial silver or the generators...I'm not even making a claim of healing. I'm just relating what our experience with colodial silver has been. Make your own conclusions.

Urban patio gardening, part 4

Before we get to the video, I'd like to say something about radishes...something I noticed when I was drying our first batch. Cooked radishes smell and taste a bit like broccoli, but the red skin has a kick to it (peel them if you don't like the kick). If you like broccoli, but don't have the space...grow radishes. These are one of the easiest veggies to grow (as even this video shows), and don't take much time to get to an edible state.

Something's fishy here...

My heart goes out to all those injured at Fort Hood, and to all those who lost friends and loved-ones.

Now having said that....something about the entire situation smells fishy.

The first thing I would like to point out is that when a military person makes the news, the pictures they usually display are profession pictures of them in their military uniform. And yet...somehow, we've got pictures of this guy in nothing but Middle-Eastern garb.

Secondly...the man was promoted recently to major. However, what we keep hearing is that he was troublesome with patients, was under constant scrutiny, made anti-American and pro-Muslim comments on his webpages, kept trying to leave the military, was having mental problems, was being watched by the FBI...

Okay, fine. Maybe he was under emotional distress. But I knew someone who was a clerk in the military. He had no problems...until he believed a fellow base personal hit on him (he claimed the individual pinched his behind), and he beat the crap out of the guy.

He wasn't promoted. In fact, they forcefully discharged him, and said he could keep his discharge honorable if he followed their "mental health" discharge plan. Three psychologists and one psychiatrist on a weekly basis, which went on for years. He wasn't being watched by the FBI for six months. He wasn't asking time and time again to leave the military....he had been planning on a military career, and loved it. He wasn't unhappy, and spouting anti-military stuff all over the internet for years. He was just an individual, paranoid that all gay men were after his ugly butt, that thought another man had pinched his ass.

In fact, from what my ex-military friends say, one bad word said about the military, the government, or any of their projects is enough to get a military person court martialed.

And yet this "Muslim extremist terrorist and psychologically broken individual" who had "begged to be let out of his military contract" and "watched by the FBI for six months" and could only work "under extreme supervision" had gotten a promotion rather than a mental-medical discharge.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but something doesn't sound right to me.



Update: Oh NOW they are printing pictures of him in uniform....and its not even his dress uniform (which is what we usually see pictures of). Maybe someone, listening to Alex Jones make the same comment yesterday, decided they had to.

Patio Gardening Part 3: Failure?

My assessment of their experiment?

A. If it was too wet (remember the suggested drain holes), the seeds that did badly may have rotted. (This family had an excellent vegetable garden on their land, so I know they know how to grow veggies).

B. Veggies need lots of sun. That much shade is only useful in the hight of summer.

C. Cold can be countered by putting a clear plastic or glass lid over the plants. Plastic 2-3 liter pop bottles with the bottom cut off can make excellent cloches.

D. It might also be helpful if they remove the acorns. Lots of tanin (the stuff used to preserve animal hides) in acorns....

Survival Cooking 101: Stretching your food supplies

It was funny....as I was pondering writing an article dedicated to soup, I was half-listening to the "Armchair Survivalist" radio show (Sunday, 5 p.m. Eastern time, Oracle Broadcasting Network and shortwave), and in one short segment, Kurt mentioned stretching your food dollar with soup. Or rather, adding ingredients to a can of soup to stretch it in order to feed many people.

I know about stretching the food dollar...I'm the mother of a ravenous teenager. They say that teenagers eat 150% of the average male adult...mine is capable of eating 400% (and he's still slender, too. His father was the same way as a teen.)

Stretching your food dollar can come in several ways.

The first is having your own vegetable garden. You heard me....having your own vegetable garden. My kids have eaten salads since they were eating solid food, and even the picky eater will still quickly gobble them down. Home grown zucchini, lightly stir fried with a steak seasoning mix, is a family favorite. Veggies, full of good fiber, add a lot of bulk to little bellies...and lots of nutrition on top of that.

The next comes the carbs. I know...we have been somehow led to believe that carbs, rather than sitting on our fat asses and eating MSG smothered deep fried potato chips, is the enemy of looking slim and trim. And I'm sure many of you have heard your mothers say, "Don't fill up on bread" while out at a nice restaurant. Its all bull. You need carbohydrates to fuel your body. Not to mention that carbohydrates provide part of the protein your muscles need.

Home made bread vs. store bought bread full of chemicals. Baked potatoes vs. potato chips. Real rice vs. minute rice. Corn bread vs. fried corn chips...trust me, its the way you eat the carbs that is the enemy...not the carbs themselves. Kurt Wilson mentioned that soup can be beefed up by adding potatoes to it. Add some home-made bread to the side. Make fajitas or home-made burritos and fatten them up with real rice.

Soup is another great way to stretch the food dollar. Every study done shows that soup is far more satisfying (in other words, you feel like you are full) than the individual ingredients and a glass of water alone. It is also more nutritious...any nutrition leaked during the cooking process stays in the liquid. Home made soups are far superior tasting to canned ones. Make up a large batch....you can always freeze or can any extra to have for later. If you are worried about the MSG in boullion cubes, there are MSG-free versions out there that are just as good. There are also vegan versions of boullion cubes in several flavors...I can't vouch for their taste, as I haven't tried our "no-beef" boullion yet.

Beans have also been mentioned as a way to stretch the food dollar....they are certainly less expensive than meat, although they (along with a carb) provide the same protein nutrition. You can find clever ways to add beans to your diet...however, if you are not use to beans, I would start introducing them slowly. It does no good to your gastro-intestinal tract or your pallet to suddenly change your diet drastically.

There are clever and nutritious ways to beef up your food dollar. Try a few...your wallet will thank you.

Survival Cooking 101: Stew

Okay...so now you have all those veggies growing in your back yard, and all you can afford is the cheapest cuts of meat or beans...or better yet, you caught your own food ;) Now what do you do?

Soups and stews are inexpensive, easy to make, and yet one of the most nutritious ways of preparing food. Yes, inexpensive. You can use the cheapest, toughest, crapiest cuts of meat out there...the stewing process of cooking low and slow improves nearly any meat...don't quote me, though, because I haven't stewed oppossum yet...and I've heard how unappetizing oppossum meat is. I have, however, used venison and elk in stews, and found them to be very good. And yes, its healthy...just like a soup, you consume the liquid the food is cooked in. Any nutrients that are leached out into the water still goes directly into your body. Stews, like soups, are also more satisfying than the individual foods cooked dry and served served seperate, thus you are bound to eat less....another good thing for those times of fewer means.

Most of us are familiar with the Dinty Moore style of stew...chunks of beef with carrots and potatoes. You are not limited to these three ingredients. In general, stews tend to consist of a meat (or, for vegetarians, beans) and plenty of root vegetables. However, if you wish, you can eliminate meat and beans all-together. Softer vegetables can be used as well...simply add them last so they cook, but don't turn to mush.

Now, I don't suggest stew meat purchased at the store. Usually, the stew meat is simply the least expensive cut of meat the store offers, but you pay $1-2 more a pound simply to have someone cut it up for you...and usually, it is cut up in chunks far too big to easily injest. This means you have to go through the process of cutting it anyway, so what is the use of spending that extra money?

For most meats, you will want to cut it up, and then brown it on the bottom of the pan before adding onions and water. Don't like onions? Sorry...mom always used onions because they are nature's meat tenderizer. Browning the cut up meat before hand helps keep it from disintergrating. Yes, when meat gets tender, it falls apart. Most fish will fall apart no matter what you do, so just be prepared for that.

The browned meat and onions are added with about a cup of water first and cooked low and slow. If you are making a bean stew out of dried beans, I suggest starting with beans and tomatoes...the tomatoes will allow the beans to get soft, but will keep them from turning to mush. The next thing you will want to add are the harder root veggies, like carrots or turnips, cut up to bite size. The third step would be potatoes. Its ideal that each of these steps is done about an hour or two apart, but not exactly necessary. You can simply do steps one, two, and three in order a minute after the other...just be warned that the potatoes could get mushy before the meat is tender enough. (If you making a bean-free vegetable stew, you can eliminate step one). The final step, during the last 15 minutes to 1/2 hour, would be the softer vegetables.

Mom always added gravy to hers. You can add the gravy at just about any time. You can either use a gravy packet, thinned out, or you can make it yourself. To do this, follow the directions on your boullion to make a stock. (Or you can get really nutty and make home-made stock before hand, but that is an all-day process in itself...just warning you.) Then you mix flour or corn starch with cold water...make it nice and smooth...and add it to the hot stock. If you mix flour or corn starch directly with the stock, rather than mixing it with cold water first, will get you nothing but doughy lumps. Not appetizing, don't do it. This would be the idea time to add any spices you wish to have in your stew. Bay leaves and pepper corns are common with beef stews and soups...just remember to remove them before consuming. (An easy way to accomplish this is to put the bay leaf and pepper corns in a tea strainer...then all you have to worry about is fishing out the strainer rather than searching through the stew or soup for however many tiny pepper corns you tossed in there).

Once everything is nice and tender, the stew is done. You can serve it with any kind of bread that would sound good with whatever kind of stew you are making.

You can even make a stew out of fruit if you really feel the need...I made something last year that inlcuded pork butt and apples....delicious, but since Mr. Picky Eater (who will scream bloody murder if you put tomato sauce on his spaghetti) absolutely refused to touch it without compromise, we haven't had it since. Just remember that fruit, when cooked, can easily turn to mush. Think apple sauce.

Frugal Tip for Fall

Did you get a pumpkin for Halloween? Don't throw it away! Although it is not a "pie" pumpkin, it is still edible. And at around $4 a pumpkin, its a waste to simply toss it in the trash.

Break Mr. Pumpkin apart, and cut him into 1-inch strips. Cut off the peel and any "stringy" parts still left. Dice it.

Now, you can either can it, dry it, or freeze it.

For canning, do not puree' it. A pumpkin puree may be too thick to heat thoroughly. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Boil 2 minutes. Pack into jars, and pour hot water in, leaving a 1-inch headspace. Pressure can at 10 lbs. 55 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts.

To dry, blanch cubes, then dry. Simple.

To freeze, cut up, then cook...375 oven, a microwave, or steam...until soft. Puree may be frozen.

Here's hoping everyone had a happy and safe All-Hallow's Eve.




And don't jump all over me about Halloween...I'm mostly Irish, its a part of my heritage (a fall harvest festival), and to disparage it is a hate crime against the Irish worthy of me demanding a public apology...or a butterfinger.

And to all my Scots-Irish brothers and sisters out there...Happy New Year!

Does Swedish-style socialism end poverty?

I admit it. I'm a geek. I will look up information just to look it up, for my own knowledge and benefit.

This morning, I was pondering socialism. Is it truly better? Conservatives point to the largest models of socialism as we know it...China, Russia, and Cuba. Liberals point to successful models, such as in Sweden.

Since I already knew about the socialist models of China, Russia, and Cuba, and the decrepid situation their poor live in, I decided to study up on the Swedish model.

I came across two things...first, I came across people who insisted that everyone in Sweden was middle class due its socialist model, and how wonderful it was because there were also wealthy people in Sweden.

Then I came across the actual statistics. Poverty STILL PERSISTS in Sweden. In fact, so much so that they keep decrying it and keep trying to do something about it. And the percentage of those in poverty hasn't changed since before they went socialist. While the poor might get better health care and education, there is also a lot less upward mobility than in the United States. In another set of statistics, the Swedish poor live about the same as the American poor in terms of "stuff". I think the most disparaging number was those who owned a clothes dryer...very few people of poverty status in Sweden own a dryer as compared to American poor (although a near equal number own a clothes washer...I guess more people in Sweden line dry).

Of course, it also helps to know someone who lives in Sweden. A friend of mine, born here in the United States, followed his lady love over there. Today, they have two children, and we keep in touch via SKYPE.

The truth is...he doesn't live any better over there than he did over here, except now he has a wife who works and is a good cook. They don't eat out very often because its too expensive, even during economic upswings. His kids had never been to Pizza Hut until the DH took them when all the guys went to visit. Their home is heated by wood because the other alternatives are just too expensive. And recently, some friends moved in with them. Times there are just too tough, as it is here.

Socialism does not make everyone equally poor except in the poorest of countries...so conservatives are wrong on that theory. And in the richest of countries, it doesn't make everyone middle class, so liberals are wrong on that theory, too.

Its a sweet sentiment that Swedish style socialists in the United States want everyone to be middle class. But the truth is, poverty still exists there as it does here. Their lives aren't any better than ours. And the American government has a worse track record of handling our money than the Swedish government.

Sorry, but that's the truth.

So...what model worked the best at reducing poverty? Oddly enough, it was the British-owned Hong Kong style of capitalism. There was the occasional poverty-stricken person, but taxes were low, incomes were high, and it was easy to either find a job or start up your own business. Of course, Hong Kong is now owned by China....and every since China re-took possession of it, the entire country has turned to a limited form of capitalism...and now more people in China can afford to purchase a car, a home, Western-style fashions....odd, isn't it? Capitalism works...if you let it.

Survival Cooking 102: Yeast Bread tips

Survival Cooking 102 will be an article series for those who have some experience in home cooking, but perhaps need a few pointers.

In tough times such as these, a wee bit of luxury is helpful in keeping one's sanity. One of the least expensive ways to trick yourself that you are getting luxury is with making your own bread at home.

At one point in time, I worked in a bakery...however, it is completely different than making bread at home. At the bakery, we got cases of pre-made dough, nice and frozen. We let it thaw, placed it on the trays, let it rise, then cooked it. Sad, isn't it? That the fresh-baked stuff you purchase at the grocery store isn't really fresh baked? And in some cases, it isn't even baked in the store anymore.

I don't remember my original reason for baking bread at home for the first time. But I can say, over the years I've learned a few things. The primary thing I've learned is that I can get artisan breads for 1/4 the cost.

If you can afford it, a bread machine (or a food processor that will make bread) is one of the best investments you can make. (I got mine for Christmas). Even just kneading the bread can be long and laborious. We don't use ours for baking, however, as I never liked the shape, nor did I like digging the mixing paddle out of the center of my bread. However, mine does a great job of mixing and kneading the dough for me, leaving my hands clean and free to keep the two-year-old out of things. After the first rising, I still take the dough out, punch it down by hand, and shape it by hand. Even if you have never kneaded by hand, you should learn how your bread is suppose to feel by touch....just in case your bread machine breaks down, the power goes out, or something else that could interfere with your home cooking process.

However, even with a bread machine, you don't want to just throw the ingredients in and walk away. Lately, the flour we've been getting has been far too dry, meaning I have needed to add water. Each bag of flour will be different in terms of moisture content, which can affect how much water your bread needs. You will want your dough to feel mildly sticky to the touch, but not to where it actually sticks to your hands.

Bread flour, or regular flour? You will probably notice the difference in price between bread flour and regular flour. Bread flour contains a protein, called gluten, that helps in building the structure of your yeast breads. You can dispense with purchasing the bread flour. Simply purchase all-purpose flour in bulk (saving as much money as you can), and then purchase a package of wheat gluten. A tablespoon or two in the mix is all you need to help create a better structure for lighter, fluffier bread.

Rising...bread needs a warm place to rise. One of my favorite tricks is my oven itself. I turn the oven onto "warm" while I am shaping the bread. Then, I turn the oven off, and place the shaped bread inside. If you keep the oven turned on, the outside of the bread will start to cook, even at such a low level. Just pre-heat the oven to warm, then turn it off...it will stay warm enough to allow your bread to rise, but not cook.

Keep an eye on the time, all the time. If you let it sit for too long while rising, it will rise too high, and then fall flat like the dot com or housing bubble. Also, keep an eye on the time for baking. My bread recipes tell me to cook for x amount of time, but as we've discovered....its far too long. Yes, the bread looks nice and brown on the outside, like manufactured breads, but that outside tends to be far too crusty. Sometimes you want that (as with French Bread), other times you don't. Manufactured bread has all kinds of chemicals in it to allow it to turn brown, but stay nice and soft.

Another trick for softening the crust of your bread is a trick we used at the bakery. The baker took the breads out of the oven, and sprayed them with cooking spray...yup, that same stuff you use to keep stuff from sticking to your pans. Sounds appetizing, doesn't it? If that doesn't float your boat, you can rub butter or olive oil on the darkened crust and achieve the same result.

Odd flours...want more nutrition, but don't like the taste? Substituting as little as 1/2 a cup per loaf will help retain the flavor of white bread, while giving you the nutrition of other breads. Two of my favorite flours to "add in" to our white bread family is duram (a wheat normally used for pasta) and oats.

Herbal breads. Let me tell you, I love herbal breads...a wonderful Italian seasoning bread (see the previous blog entry for my Italian seasoning mix), or a luxurious rosemary. Take your herbs and spice (whether dry or fresh) and pour boiling water over them. Let them steep like a tea until the water is just warm, and use the water for making your bread.

Survival Cooking 101: Making it taste better

We all know the problem with cheap food...it tastes like crap. And today, many high-end companies use the cheapest (and most dangerous) of flavor enhancers to cover up the generally foul taste of the cheap ingredients they use. Yes, I am speaking of the use of MSG by companies such as Campbells, Doritos, and others.

When we first start cooking from scratch, many of us note that our own food tastes bland, or odd. The solution is simple. Culinary herbs.

Several weeks ago, I had made a huge batch of ham and bean soup. Hubby had turned his nose up at it as tasting okay, but not his cup of tea. Two nights ago, I had opened up two canning jars I had previously made up of the same batch....remembering his face, I promptly added my favorite blend of Itallian spices. Hubby ate two bowls of it, and teenager ate four bowls, and both remarked how good it was.

The seasoning mix is easy...one or two tablespoons of garlic powder, a tablespoon of onion powder, a teaspoon of basil, a teaspoon of oregano, and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Trust me, if you have ever tried to make garlic bread with just plain garlic, you will note that there is "something wrong" with it. This mix tastes 100 times better.

Here's a hint...take this same Italian mix, and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes. Put in in a small dish (like the saucer your coffee cup sits on top), and add a nice flavored olive oil. This is the exact same bread dip from "The Olive Garden". You can use this Itallian mix (with or without the salt and hot pepper flakes) to make garlic bread, or to make a garlic butter sauce (half butter, half garlic) to toss with pasta, veggies, and bits of meat.

Herbs are easier to grow than one thinks. On our own property, herbs such as basil, cilantro, rosemary, and parsley have come back on their own. Onion bulbs can be planted in the ground and left on their own until you need the green tops. Garlic is another one of those that can planted in the ground, and simply forgotten until you need to dig it up. However, if your ground freezes in winter, you may wish to pull some of us before the cold sets in...its the one thing I can have sitting on my counter top that the fruit flies don't bother, and two months after I have dug them up, they haven't gone bad. Like the green onion tops, garlic greens can also be used in cooking (they taste a bit like garlic and chives).

In terms of cost per how long a bottle lasts, spices and culinary herbs are surprisingly inexpensive....which is why I can't figure out why companies don't simply just use herbs and spices rather than MSG. A small amount can go a long way. Still, there are some herbs that are just far superior when used fresh (such as cilantro).

Experiment with spices, and discover for yourself what herb and spice mixes you like. You may find your own cooking to be far superior to purchasing a can of crud at the store.

Urban Survival Gardening-part II

A couple of points with this...commenter John pointed out with the first video that SurvivalistBoards forgot to mention (and I vegged it off, too) to drill holes in the plastic tubs to allow excess water to seep out.

With this particular video, I'd like to point something out myself...you could replant green onions purchased from the store. Or, you could simply plant onion bulbs and cut the green tops... even in heavy clay soil, bad for the development of the bulb, the onion bulbs will green year after year, like a perenial. We have had the same bulbs for eight years, and onion greens every time the weather is cool.

Our only problem is that a sweet little chipmunk has discovered that onions are a great substitute when a late frost destroys any berries on the trees and bushes. He was nice enough to leave us some, but we're going to have to cover our onions with some chicken wire to keep him from stealing our bulbs in the future. I'm willing to share, but not that much.

Truth About the Oath Keepers

Chris Matthews is a putz. I'm sure he's paid to be a putz, but he's still a putz. He tried to make the "Oath Keepers" out to be a group of people out to commit a military coup against the government of the United States.

Our police officers, military, and even our politicians take a oath...to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. Unfortunately, our politicians seem to have forgotten what the Constitution means.

Tyrants require the police and military to follow illegal, unethical, and immoral orders in order to oppress the people. The Oath Keepers is simply a group of police and military who have sworn, a second time, to NOT follow any order given to them by a politician that clearly goes against the Constitution of The United States. That's all. They aren't going to overthrow the government....they are going to ensure the continuity of our true government, our true law.

Its clear that with all of the propoganda, someone, somewhere, wants you, the average American, to believe that anyone who holds dear to the Constitution is an anarchist, anti-government, or a traitor. Let me remind you again....The Constitution of the United States IS the government. It is the high law of the land. Anyone who wants to overthrow it is the traitor, the anarchist, the anti-government person, and the tyrant. If you don't like the Constitution...well, you can always move to another country.

And I want to applaud the Oath Keepers for reminding our police and military what they swore to.

Eat Meat, and the Planet Will Die

I remember writing (in a previously owned blog) about this several years ago. However, I have seen this headline over and over the past several days, and I feel compelled to comment on it once again.

The idea is that there are just too many animals creating greenhouse gasses. Not only do cows breath out CO2 (do I have to remind you that trees breath IN CO2?), but they also fart. And poop. And lambs? Well, they burp. They also take up a ton of space, and need to be hauled thousands of miles in order to get to your table. And, according to the "experts", you need twice the amount of land to produce a pound of beef as you do a pound of vegetables.

Never mind that humans, without meat, will have to eat legumes. And those legumes will create an excess amount of methane in your system. And thus we'll have more human farts to replace the cow farts. Sweet, isn't it? Oh, don't worry. The eugenicists want you to die, too, in order to save the planet. I've got an idea...they can go first.

Okay, so lets take industrialized bovine agriculture out of the picture. Lets put our animals right back where they have traditionally been, for thousands of years, where God intended them to be. Out of the feed lot and into the field.

Cows use to be much smaller, for one. During our industrialized agriculture revolution, bigger was considered better. Children use to be in charge of caring for the beasts, now we're lucky if a grown man could do it. Today, these cattle are returning as "heirloom" breeds. Guess what? As goat owners have figured out, the smaller beasts produce more meat per pound of feed than the large ones.

But even then, lets look at agriculture in general. First, we'll look at the myth: "It takes twice as many acres to grow 1 pound of beef as it does to grow 1 pound of grain or vegetable". Hmm, maybe. But are you aware that 1/4 of beef contains all the nutrition of 1 lb of vegetable or grain? Its true! So, by simple calculation, it takes 1/2 acre to produce the nutrition of 1 acre of vegetable or grain.

But then, again, the information may be tainted by feed lots rather than free range. So, lets look at the additional benefits of free range.

In traditional farming, the farmer had several fields. He would rotate them....the grain would be in one field this year, the next field the next. His animals also factored in this equation. Allowing a cow to graze in a fallow field would improve that field. Yes, my stupid city children...cow dookie is a fertilizer. An ORGANIC fertilizer. So are their blood and bones. The organic GURUS over at Pathtofreedom.com are certified vegetarians, but they still raise rabbits for the dookie the rabbits provide.

A second benefit is that not all land is capable of supporting crops. Perhaps its too rocky. Perhaps the soil is heavy clay, which would require tons and tons of plant matter to be trucked in to improve the soil. Perhaps the land is too dry, requiring energy to pump precious water out of the ground to feed the crops. Perhaps its too cold, requiring hothouses to be built and power to go to those hot houses.

Enter, the animal. Traditional farming also held that if the land is incapable of supporting crops, it could support animals. Virginia mountain woodland held tons of half-wild hogs. The farmers would simply turn the animals out into the woods, where growing crops wasn't beneficial, and then go get them late fall. Sheep and goats are taken to the tops of mountains in summer...remember Brokeback mountain? Okay, forget Brokeback...remember Heidi? They were goat herders! Cattle and buffalo ate the long grass of the prarie, land too dry, rocky, and heavy clay to support many food crops, but just perfect for animal raising. Even the desert and semi-desert (scientificly, its called Arid and semi-arid) lands are capable of supporting herders...hardier goats, camels, and other animals....without the massive inputs of water pumped out from the ground. Saudi Arabia, having bullied its traditional herders into the cities, and using the vast waters under the ground for raising crops, has figured this one out.

How is it saving the earth when vast amounts of water needs to be pumped out of the ground with vast amounts of CO2-producing energy? But what happens when the cow gets thirsty? Well, it simply walks to the nearest pond or stream to drink. Fruit trees, wheat, and corn can't get up and walk. And cows aren't likely to kill the delta smelt the same way that the water pumps in Southern California will.

Now, lets look at the benefits on the scale of wildlife. What happens when bambi eats corn? Either human goes hungry, or bambi gets shot. What happens when bambi eats in a cow field? Anyone? That's right! Nothing. Bambi and the free-ranged cattle can eat the same food without competition! Free-range fields can support a large variety of wildlife in addition to the food crop animal. No nasty pesticides needed.

And what about those who live further north? You know, the ones who eat caribou and bear? It sounds horrible, doesn't it? Hunting? Well, hunting prevents those animals hunted from starving to death. It also allows those people to live in areas where food crops can't be grown, thus reducing the population strain in those areas where food crops can be grown.

So, what about us in the city? Us suburbanites? As I cited with Pathtofreedom, backyard gardens often include backyard animals. Goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits....even pigs can be raised in the back yard. These animals are efficient at turning what we would consider waste into compost, the natural fertilizer for your veggie garden...but what happens when that animal dies a natural death? Or if they get too overpopulated? The methane that comes off its rotting corpse....okay, I'm getting too grosse, here, but you get the picture.

Forget those idiots who tell you that eating meat is going to destroy the planet. These are the same people who want you to just roll over and die. Screw them. They probably put out more greenhouse gasses than you do.

Thank God for Liberal Wimpiness!

About a decade ago, during a time when I debated with so-called "fundamentalist Christians", I came up with a saying...."Thank God for Christian Fundamentalism". Essentially, I gotten a look inside the minds of some of these people. Unspeakable acts were always on the minds of some of these people. And when pressed, they would admitt..."If I found out there was no God tomarrow, I would probably..." And among those answers was rape, robbery, child molestation, murder, alcahol, drugs. It was only the unswerving belief that a stern paternal figure was watching their every move that kept them in check.

And now, 10 months after the inauguration of President Obama, I say, "Thank God for liberal wimpiness!" No, I don't debate with liberals...but I see what they say. And it seems they actually want racist conservatives to come out of the woodwork and plot against Mr. Obama, to whatever nefarious ends. Why do I say this? Because THEY keep saying it. It almost seems as if this is in the forefront of their minds. They want the President to be harmed. And if it weren't for the fact of their own non-violent beliefs (at least, non-violent against those who follow their doctrine), I would be afraid that someone might actually try it so they could blame the conservatives. If they prayed, they are probably fertively hoping that he becomes a martyr.

As a libertarian who thinks both sides of that left-right paradigm are cracked, I can step back and actually see this. But I am not the only one who sees it...so do conservatives. Yes, they can clearly see a "liberal" making a martyr out of Obama. Yes, it is in the leftist brain, stewing and spinning. And the only thing holding them back is their own wimpiness about blood and violence.

Thank God for liberal wimpiness!



Why is it that people only wake up when the opposition is in power, only to fall asleep when their football team wins the touchdown? Well, it seems now that Bush is out of power, they now see the police state that Bush helped to create...and its smacking them straight in the face. I tried to warn them...even long before I started listening to patriot radio, long before 9/11...but they didn't listen.

And now I read their comments. I can assure you, all my liberal friends out there, conservatives do NOT want Obama to be harmed. Nor are (most) of them racist. And they certainly aren't terrorists. The smack in the face has woken them up. They are simply trying to prevent the coming tyranny they see, just as the liberals were trying to prevent the growing tyranny under Bush. Do you guys see a pattern here? You called another contractor to tear down the wall, but instead he's building it higher. And in 2012, when a republican is voted into office, the conservatives will cheer...and the liberals will find their own laws and rhetoric being used against them.

Yes, those in office are working together to build that wall around you. And all of this rhetoric, where the opposite voice is held in contempt, called a terrorist, harassed by police, harassed by bloggers (who are the same people who harassed liberals under Bush, btw)...they are setting up a state where you NEVER disagree with WHOMEVER is in power. Okay, so why would the same people who were gung-ho be so gung-ho under Obama? Because they are one and the same, that's why. They are helping to create a state where the American sheeple never disagree with whomever is in power. The current left-right bologne is just a distraction.

I hold out hope that those who have woken up stay awake...and those who have fallen asleep are woken by their own snoring. But, in three years, when a republican is voted into office, the conservative Americans will fall asleep, and the liberal Americans will awaken with a smack to their face.

Well, at least I can hope.

50 year old cartoon predicts future

Thanks to Jack Blood (Deadline Live Radio Show) for this.

The Media is LYING TO YOU!

Okay, so you probably can't read what the highlighted portion at the left says. Here's the link to the larger picture:

http://www.standeyo.com/NEWS/09_Pics_of_Day/091021.pic.of.day.html

The media has been telling you that there is no thimerosal in the vaccines. This is a picture of the insert that is included in the multi-dose H1N1 vaccine's box, which admits it contains Thimerosal. It is more than likely that you, the sheeple, will be given your vaccine from the multi-dose vial. On top of that, states have been raising the allowable dosage of mercury within these shots.

Don't believe me? Don't believe the Deyo's? Don't believe Alex Jones, Joyce Riley, or any of the other miriad of alternative media outlets trying to warn you? Then go down to where they are passing out the flu and H1N1 flu shots and ask to see the insert (if they hand you a propoganda sheet, hand it back and ask to see the INSERT).

Urban Survival Gardening Part I

From the gurus over at Survivalist Boards: Apartment dweller's survival gardening.

Survival Cooking 101: Eggs and egg substitute

Pictured: Candled egg. You can see the yolk and the white, but you can also see the "bloodspot" and bacterial ring.

Eggs are considered by some to be nature's perfect protein.

Unless, of course, you are allergic to chicken eggs. 20% of the world's population is allergic to chicken eggs. A much higher percentage are actually born allergic to chicken eggs, but grow out of it by the age of 4. Our ancestors knew this...they always prefered to raise ducks for eggs. The reason why all grocery store eggs are from chickens is because chickens are easier to raise in tiny, confined spaces than ducks or geese. (Most people allergic to chicken eggs can tolerate the eggs of other animals.) Egg allergies can manifest as gas, stomach pains, back pain (from the swollen intestines pressing on the spine), heart burn, or even bronchitis and asthma. I have noticed, however, that FACTORY-RAISED eggs that cause more of a problem than those which come from free-range chickens. We don't know why...they just do.

Side Note: Most parents of autistic children notice their child's condition arises soon after the administration of the MMR (measels, mumps, ruebella) vaccine. The MMR is generally the first of the childhood vaccines administered that was cultured in albumin, a substance derived from chicken eggs. This allergic reaction may be one of the contributing factors to autism. The flu vaccine is also grown in albumin, and may be a contributing factor to that "worse flu I've had in my life" many people feel after recieving a flu shot. Imagine injecting an indidual allergic to peanuts with peanut oil, on top of mercury, live viruses, and everything else contained within. If you suspect an egg allergy (or even a feather allergy), and still believe in vaccination, then you should avoid any vaccine with eggs/albumin. (However, the alternatives...abortive fetal tissue and swine blood...aren't much of an improvement.)

Thanks for putting up with my side note.

All bird eggs can be used the same as chicken eggs...however, as I've been told with duck eggs, I would cook them at a more gentle temperature than chicken eggs. I took a quick look to see if lizard and snake eggs are edible, and found nothing...so I won't say whether they can be used or not.

raised eggs: Chickens and most domestic duck species will lay eggs without the benefit of a rooster or drake (I don't remember my grandfather ever having a rooster for his hens). This is an advantage, as you will know that the egg will not be fertile. Healthy birds can lay eggs for quite a few years, but will slow down during the winter months. If you plan on raising birds for both meat and eggs, I would keep the meat birds and their male seperate from the laying birds, or otherwise mark (such as with a permanent marker) any eggs that you are keeping for incubation. Eggs you plan on keeping for eating can be "addled"...pick it up and shake it. Even if it is fertile, the peep will not develop.

Preserved eggs: Most dried eggs that one finds in storable food is chicken eggs. Most often, it is scrambled, cooked, then dried and powdered. (If you are brave enough, you can preserve eggs from your own birds exactly this way). Powdered eggs that are reconstituted can be used in cooking the same as fresh eggs for your pancakes, quick breads, and other baking needs.

Duck eggs may be found in Asian markets, either soaked in a salt brine or preserved in lye. Those preserved in lye will have a green color than may make some people balk...but in my opinion, they are far superior to those soaked in brine. I have not attempted to use preserved ducks eggs in baking yet, but I have been thinking about it. Those soaked in brine would be far too salty to use in baking.

Wild Eggs: There is only one problem I can think about with eggs found in the wild...how long ago was it laid? To determine this, hold a light to the opposite side of the egg (known as candling). This is kind of like X-raying the egg. A six-day old egg will either have a "blood spot" (which is a bad egg that bacteria may have attacked...don't eat it), or you will see veins. After 8 days, the peep will begin to develop at the fat end of the egg. Later than this, the peep may be floating towards the side you are holding up.

Be sure, when candling, that you turn the egg around a bit...you might mistake a particularly thick part of the shell for a blood spot.

Technically, developed eggs are edible...but unappetizing. Some people might be squeemish upon seeing blood veins in their eggs, even if they don't see a peep. You want a nice egg that you can see nothing but clear white and yolk through with no blood spot.

Egg substitute: Yes, I have quite a bit of experience with egg replacers. Ener-G and Bob's Red Mill both make non-egg-derived egg replacer, good for those with allergies that cannot find duck eggs, or those who are vegans. (Be cautious in purchasing anything...there are items sold out there as egg replacer, but they are derived from eggs. Read the label carefully).

Egg substitutes cannot be used to make scrambled eggs, or anything where eggs are the main base. However, they can be used in most baking and bread recipes. The substitute will provide the leavening that the egg normally provides. My only caution is to NOT use for making brownies...it has failed every time! (In this instance, eggs are used as a binder, not a leavener.) You will need to find a binder substitute...we've tried apple sauce...it works okay, but...its still way below par.

With any recipe that you use egg substitute, I would increase the amount of fat in the recipe (unless, of course, you are on a low-fat diet). This is quite simple, really. The basic instructions on Ener-G Egg Replacer says to use 1 1/2 teaspoons of the powder mixed into 2 Tablespoons of water. I would use 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or butter, or lard). This will help provide the fat that you will miss from the egg.

We're capitalist? Since when?

Sorry, folks, but I had to rant this morning.

One of the problems with this depression is that everyone is blaming capitalism for the mess we're in.

Oh, really....

This country hasn't been capitalist in decades. In fact, I wouldn't even say we have had a constitutional republic with democratic overtones in decades.

Confused? Let me explain, then.

Capitalism is simply this...you make a product, you sell a product. If people like the product, you make and sell more. If you are not successful...well, you try something else. (Product can also mean a service, such as teaching or taxi service.) The government doesn't punish you for doing well, and they don't bail you out when you fail. There is enough law to keep you honest, but the smart and self reliant are equally free to simply walk away from a product they don't want or need.

Once upon a time, this country was capitalist. A man could build his house with scrounged materials. A woman could cut hair or make clothing in her living room. Her husband could build things in his garage. If they were successful, they could sell whatever extra they had. Their teenager could go out hunting or fishing for that day's meal. Their younger children could go pick berries. They had a vegetable garden and chickens in their back yard. Even if a family were poor, they could survive on very little money. If they had moxy, they could survive quite well...and even be quite happy.

Today, its all topsy-turvey.

It is illegal to build anything on your own property without a permit from the government. It is illegal to run a business without a permit from the government. In many places, it is illegal to have a business in a residential district. If a teen walks down the street with a shot gun, on his way to go hunting, all those neighbors who notice him call the police...the gun is emmedietly confiscated whether or not the teen has a permit. (This happens to farmers carrying a rifle on their own property, too.) If the children go pick berries, CPS is called because the children are "doing something dangerous". Keeping chickens in the back yard is illegal in many areas. And now...now the government wants to either license you to grow veggies in your back yard (with frequent inspections), or they want to ban it outright. You can't even have a garage sale anymore without the government coming to inspect it and make sure you aren't selling something that they have decided could be a no-no.



Oh, there is always some "reasonable" reason for these laws that discourage self-reliance.


But who is behind these laws? Well, we always thought that it was for our own safety. But as the noose gets tighter and tighter, we now realize that it was the corporations.

Case in point...guess who was behind the "public health insurance" bill. Can't guess? It was the health insurance companies. They knew that most people did not want a public option. But, also tucked neatly into the bill, was an excessive fine for not getting health insurance...over double the cost of having health insurance.

You see, there are groups of people who, for one reason or another, refuse health insurance. The Amish. Those wealthy enough to pay for their own medical costs should something suddenly happen. Those who believe in prayer rather than medicine. Those who believe in using the medicine God gave us. People who have dropped their health insurance because what they pay into it far exceeds what they have ever gotten out of it, and they just can't afford it any more.

Either way, there are just people who refuse to get health insurance. So, faced with an excessive fine, a horrible public option, or the private insurance, these people would be forced to go with the best option...paying for private health insurance.

Then someone dropped the cost of the fine to being just about the same, if not less, than actually purchasing private insurance. And now, suddenly, the insurance companies "cannot back the bill anymore". They actually stated this (yesterday, I think it was).




So, now...think about who is behind every "reasonable" law and bill out there. Who is behind it? Could it be someone selling that product? Could it be someone attempting to silence the opposition?

Now think of the way life is today, and the way it was just 60 years ago. How did you or your parents ever survive your child hood without all of the safety devices, trips to the doctor every two months (with about five shots every visit), and all of the psychologists telling our parents, and their parents before them, how their children should be raised!



No, today we are probably closer to Plutocratic Corporatism. Corporatism is a system of economic, political, and social organization where corporate groups, such as business, ethnic, farmer, labour, military, patronage, or religious groups, are joined together into a single governing body in which the different groups are mandated to negotiate with each other to establish policies in the interest of the multiple groups within the body. Plutocracy is simply rule by the rich. They are the ones who are writing the bills, lobbying the government...heck, they even control the voting machines! They control what you eat, down to the variety of tomato at the grocery store. They raise your children because both parents must work to buy those things in order that your children aren't "deprived". Some high fashion goonie-goohoo determines the color and cut and style of your clothes, your makeup, your hair, your scent...and all companies below them follow suit. They even tell you what you must put into your body. Don't worry about MSG...don't worry about mercury...we'll just tell you that these poisons are good for you!

And frankly, we're even touching upon Kleptocracy. Kleptocracy is where the plutarchs attempt to grab as much as they can for themselves...such as when a corporation convinces a local government that it is in the public interest to kick people out of their homes, at the compensation the corporation dictates, in order to build their business there....oh, and buy the way, tax dollars will go to build the business, and the business will not have to pay taxes for the next 15 years. But hey! They will provide jobs! That isn't capitalism....that's theft.

Socialist mentality seems to think that all forms of capitalism are Kleptocracies. While we have devolved into this, its only because we were too blind to see what was happening. Of course, there was always a public interest for this. Jobs. Public health. Saving lives. We lived for centuries on this land without the corporation controlling every aspect of our lives. Well, now they own everything...including you. "Buy n Large", as seen in WALL*E, may seem to be a farce...is it really?

They don't like us being self-reliant, either. When people find a legal way to skirt around government regulations, they'll send an under-cover agent to your door to bully you into selling him a gallon of unpasturized milk, a dozen eggs, or a pelt that is illegal within the state. And when you finally GIVE (not sell) something to the agent just to make him go away, that's when they'll send in the jack booted thugs to hold you and your ten children at gunpoint for hours and steal every scrap of food you have in your house, or destroy every aspect of your business.




But believe me...throwing off just one of the shackels is liberating. I was thinking this while I was working yesterday....I had just finished a batch of home-made pretzels, was working on preserving goodies from our garden, all while my pretty princess played with the water in the sink nearby, chatting away with me. Grow at least some of my own food. Bake my own food from scratch. Raise my own children.

They haven't made everything self-reliant illegal...yet. They can't, because then we would know what they were up to. But some day, they might convince the sheeple that there is a reasonable purpose for those laws.

Perhaps, with this depression, people will wake up and see that the corporate state is stomping on them. Maybe they'll start taking back some aspects of their lives...and feeling that freedom, maybe they'll take some more back.

I can dream.

Survival Cooking 101: Boiling water

Okay, this may sound dumb...but I know a lot of you young men (and women) out there have no idea what boiling water looks like. So those who know what boiling water is...just bear with me. Or read the funny story below.

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My grandfather knew how to cook. He had been a bachelor for some years before he found and married my grandmother. Plus, great-grandma was a no-nonsense woman, child of pioneers and a wee bit of a pioneer herself. Her boys knew how to cook as well as her girls. (In fact, grandpa's little brother ended up doing all of the cooking after his own wife took permanently ill...and he was a darn good cook, too.)

But when my grandmother took over the homestead's house, she went with the rule that her mother had. Her men weren't going to cook. (Never mind that her father and brother lived in a house with a gaggle of women...there were always female hands about to do "women's" work.) Grandpa always teased her, pretending he was going to come in and do some cooking. The effect was still the same, though...by the time my dad went off to college, he had no idea how to cook. Or even how to boil water.

Its true! It was my mother's favorite "dating" story. She had gone to dad's apartment for a study date, and he asked her if she wanted some tea. She said "yes." Then my dad asked, "Um...how do you know when the water is boiling?"

Don't worry...dad did finally learn how to grill. Or order pizza. Needless to say, my mother made sure that not only did I know how to cook, but so did my brother. In fact, I'd say my brother was a better cook than his first wife.

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Boiling is a necessity, and not just in an emergency situation (such as a water-main break). It is also necessary for reconstituting dried foods, making tea, cooking pasta and rice, and heating canned foods.

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So, how does one boil water?

Its simple. Put the needed amount of water in the pan (or tea pot). If you are getting your water from the tap, use HOT water. There is some axiom that cold water heats up faster and boiling water cools down faster...in theory, perhaps, but in practice...its got further to go, so don't believe that silliness.

Put the pot or pan over high heat, and cover it with its lid. (With all but rice, I suggest not putting the lid on tight...let a little bit of steam escape.) Now walk away from the pan. I'm serious. A watched pot never boils. Just come back every couple of minutes to check on the status of the pan. It may seem like an old wive's tale, but it seems to take forever to get the pot to a boil if you stand there and watch it.

You will begin to see tiny bubbles form on the bottom of the pan. No, this isn't boiling! I believe this is called "simmering". It is just beginning to boil. The bubbles will get bigger and bigger. What you want is a good, rolling boil. This means that there are so many bubbles that the surface of the water is in complete turmoil.

With most foods, once the liquid is boiling, you will move the pan to a lower heat (or turn the heat down) and let it "simmer". If you are boiling water for pasta or for drinking, you will want to remove the lid after it has come to a boil, and let it continue to boil on high heat. Otherwise, it will boil over. What this means is that the water gets so hot that it gets so many air bubbles in it that the water climbs to the top of the pan and starts pouring over the sides...not too different than if you open a soda or beer that was shaken up. However, even with the pan lid completely off, the water could still boil over when cooking pasta...adding a little bit of vegetable oil to the water can help prevent this without hurting the pasta.

Now...do we know how to boil water? I hope so. Try it. You might like making your own tea for once.