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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Cool As a Cucumber - Minted Cucumber Soup

I really don't deal with heat all that well.  How I survived 13 years in San Diego and 2 years in Palm Springs, I will never know.  Though there were a couple times, in the Coachella Valley, when the temperature was above 115, that I seriously contemplated filling the bathtub with ice and taking a long soak. I think it stems from the heat exhaustion I experienced one summer while helping a family friend re-roof their house in the middle of August.  Looking back, I see that it probably wasn't the BEST time of year to take on a project like that, but what did I know, I was only 17.

The point is, that I start becoming uncomfortably warm at 75 degrees.... by 80, I am pretty miserable.....  at 85 degrees Ugh!, at 90 degrees somebody just needs to shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

Conversely, I run around in 45 degree weather wearing a T-shirt and no jacket.  So I guess my comfortable temperature zone has just shifted slightly to the lower registers.

Be that as it may, the temperature has been in the 80s for the last couple weeks, thus I have begun to crave foods that cool me down on the inside.  Salads are at the top of the list in weather like this however, I have found that I can only consume so much salad before it begins to shred the edges of my sanity.  Before the psychological damage is irreparable, I turn to things like Ceviche or Sushi (though sushi can be a little tricky at home).... Then there is the issue of JUST how much seafood one can stomach in a week.  That is when it's time for soup.  Yep, soup...

I don't mean the hot, steamy, stick to your ribs kinds of soup that you consume during those cold months of the year.... I am talking about cold soups... Like Vichyssoise, Gazpacho and, of course, Minted Cucumber Soup.

If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you will be fully aware of my love of Greek food...  In particular things like Sopa Avgo-Lemono (Egg-Lemon soup), which is also delicious when cold I might add, and that ever so evocative Tzatziki sauce that so lovingly adorns most Gyros.  Well, Minted Cucumber soup is really just a less viscous version of Tzatziki.  And that makes it Uber-Tasty.  Don't let the yogurt fool you, it sounds like it would be a heavy "Cream soup" texture, but it really isn't like that.  It's extremely light and refreshing.  The small amount of heavy cream sort of plays down the "lactic tang" of the yogurt, making a clear path for the clean brightness of the lemon juice and the cucumber.

So the next time you need some cooling off, give this a try...  I am positive that you won't be disappointed.

Minted Cucumber Soup

24 oz Cucumbers
2 tsp fresh Dill, chopped
1 TB fresh Mint, chopped
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp White Pepper
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil
16 oz plain low fat Yogurt (preferably one without carageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum or pectin)
4 oz Heavy Cream

Peel the cucumbers and cut them into more managable chunks.

Slice each chunk in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Deposit the seedless cucumber chunks into the bowl of your food processor or your blender.

Blitz the heck out of them until you have a nice watery puree, then move the puree to a serving bowl.

Finely chop the Dill and the Mint.

Add the chopped Herbs, Salt, White Pepper, Lemon juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Stir to combine.

Add the Yogurt and the Heavy Cream.

Whisk everything together well.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.

Garnish if desired. (I like to save back a few slices of unpeeled cucumber and some mint tops to form a garnish)

Ahhhhhh....   The epitome of cool.

Friday, July 20, 2012

When I Say Hillshire, You Say Farms... Hillshire! (Farms!) GO SOY?? - Kielbasa and Kraut

So I was in the grocery store the other day and as I was meandering through the aisles contemplating my place in the universe... or rather, what I was going to eat for dinner.  My musings were suddenly focused on one thing I have not eaten in quite some time.  Sauerkraut and Kielbasa.

I think its the nitrates in the Kielbasa and the heavy amounts of salt in the Sauerkraut that cause me to avoid it as a regularly consumed meal.  But my taste buds were in rebellion and nothing else would suffice at that point.  besides, Kielbasa and sauerkraut are super easy to prepare.

I proceeded to Nitrate Central.  You know, where all the "Deli meat" that doesn't actually come from a Deli is located, along with the Bacon, Hot Dogs and various other forms of processed meaty goodness are all kept.   I went to grab the Hillshire Polska Kielbasa like I have done so many times in the past.  Though, again, not so much in the recent past.  I don't really know what it was that possessed me.  Maybe my higher self had an easier time communicating since I had been wandering the store in a sort of daze, but I looked at the ingredient list.

I have grown up on Hillshire products of some form or another, including the Kielbasa, since I was in diapers.  It is suppose to be a name that can be trusted.  When someone yells Hillshire, I yell "Farm" and subsequently "Go Meat!", but not anymore... Here is what I found......

ingredients: Meat Ingredients (Pork, Beef), Water, Corn Syrup, CONTAINS 2% or less of: Salt, POTASSIUM LACTATE, Dextrose, NATURAL FLAVORS, Isolated Soy Product, isolated soy protein,  Monosodium Glutamate, sodium diacetate, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, Sodium Nitrite.

I was completely taken aback, gobsmacked, flabbergasted, stunned and even dumbfounded.  Granted, it's been over 3 years since I have eaten Kielbasa.  I don't remember it containing soy before.  If it did, I would have been seriously ill after eating it.  And just what the heck is "Isolated Soy Product".  Is that like the Soy version of Cheez Whiz?  (Processed Cheese Food Product)

Luckily, Johnsonville makes Kielbasa now (which is news to me) so I took a look-see at their ingredient list...

ingredients: Pork, water, salt and less than 2% of the following: corn syrup, potassium lactate, dextrose, spices, monosodium glutamate, paprika, natural flavors, sodium diacetate, dehydrated garlic, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, collagen casing.

True, it contains MSG, which I usually try to avoid cause it gives me a headache, but on the whole it's pretty much a sausage without any fake stuff in it.  Johnsonville usually smokes their meats naturally as well, instead of pumping them full of liquid smoke flavorings.  I am just bummed that it doesn't come as one long sausage link, instead you get something akin to brautwurst or hot dogs...  But beggars can't be choosers, as the saying goes.

Soy avoided....  Yay!

I am kind of Kraut Krazy, so I use A LOT...  If you don't Konstantly Krave Kraut like I do, then you may want to only use a 24oz jar instead of a 32oz.

Kielbasa and Kraut

14 oz Kielbasa (Johnsonville, unless you can eat soy)
24-32 oz jar Sauerkraut (I recommend Bubbies)

Cut the Kielbasa on the bias (it makes the pieces look larger, and gives you a slightly larger browning area)

Drain your Sauerkraut (You can save the juice if you like, I have read that the Lactobacilli plantarum that is responsible for the fermentation is great for your digestive tract, prevents cancer growth and boosts your immune system)

Rinse your Sauerkraut under cold water and allow it to continue draining in the colander.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet.

When it's hot, add the Kielbasa slices.

Fry, turning as necessary until they are all nicely browned and slightly krispy on the edges.

Notice the lovely browning in the bottom of your pan?

Add the drained and rinsed Sauerkraut and begin stirring.

As you stir the residual moisture in the kraut will begin to lift up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, in effect deglazing it for you.

Once the Sauerkraut has begun to brown a little, it's ready to eat.

Voila!  Dinner is Served, in less than 15 minutes...

mmmmmmmm Comfort food!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Tortured Tubers - Whipped Potatoes

I don't often make "whipped" potatoes.  I am really more of a mashed potato kind of guy.  Seriously, lumpy with bits of potato skin = Awesome!  On occasion, however, I find that smooth, creamy, loaded with heavy cream and butter, whipped potatoes are just what the doctor ordered.

The only issue with making whipped potatoes is the amount of equipment necessary to execute them properly.  With mashed potatoes, you simply boil or steam the potatoes, then get all medieval on them with a potato masher, add some butter, mash that in as well and your good to go.  With whipped potatoes, however, lumps are to be avoided like crushed velvet stretch pants.  (Faux pas!)

To avoid said lumps one really needs to employ a potato ricer as well as an electric mixer.  Sure, you can whip potatoes by hand, but the electric mixer is much faster and ensures that the potatoes are still piping hot when they reach the table.  Just be sure to leave the mixer on low speed or you may over-whip them, and they will turn to "glue".

Your choice of potato can assist you in avoiding gluey potatoes.  My personal favorite potato for whipping is a "new potato" or the Yukon gold.  The skins are extremely thin, so they are quick and easy to peel after boiling.  Thus ensuring you have HOT potatoes when you begin ricing and whipping.  For the heat of the potatoes and the cream is very important.  The heat allows the starch granules to absorb more liquid...

Whipped Potatoes

3 lbs White Potatoes
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Whole Milk
3 cloves Garlic
2 sprigs of Thyme
6 TB Unsalted Butter
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

To being, place the potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water.

Place over High heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and allow the potatoes to simmer for 20 minutes, or until they can easily be pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile combine Heavy Cream and Whole Milk in a small saucepan with Garlic and Thyme.

Place over medium flame and bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover, and let the Garlic and Thyme steep for 10 minutes.

Once the potatoes are ready, drain them into a colander.

Place your ricer over the now empty pot.

Begin peeling the potatoes..... (sometimes you can even rub the skins off with your fingers)

Place them in the river and press to break up the tubers.

Once you have riced all the potatoes,

add the butter and allow it to melt.

Turn your electric mixer to low and mix just long enough to incorporate the butter and lubricate the starches.

Remove the Thyme and Garlic from the cream and begin adding the hot cream, in a thin stream while whipping.......

Once all the cream has been absorbed, you're all done!

Season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.
Move to a serving bowl and top with additional butter.

P.S. Normally I would only make about 1/2 this much, but I have additional plans for these whipped potatoes.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Hey! You! Get Off of my Raspberry Cloud

My initial intention was to link the teaser picture of the Raspberry Cloud, from my last Wordless Wednesday post, to Corningware411.  Alas, I have decided that since Culinary Alchemy has been sadly bereft of any entries for over a month, it was time to post something here.  In all honesty, you really don't have to use a CorningWare 10x14 Roasting pan to make this.  I made a double batch for my family's 4th of July celebration and decided that a 10x14 would be a better choice, but a 9x13 would have been a perfectly serviceable receptacle.

I am going to give the recipe in a single batch measurements, so the pictures will not really match as far quantities are concerned.  Thus a 9x9 pan will be the choice for the following amounts.

So what exactly is a Raspberry Cloud.....?

Well, it's a layered dessert consisting of a vanilla cookie crust (graham cracker is too intrusive) smothered with a pillowy soft meringue, which is then frozen.  This makes it kind of like a semifreddo, but just before serving you add a layer of fresh berries (though you can use frozen in a pinch) and surmount that with lemon juice laced whipped cream.  Which moves it from semifreddo to Awesome-freddo!  (I know, that is a total mistranslation, but I liked the way it sounded)

It is light, refreshing and delicious on a hot summer's day.  As luck would have it, here in the Pacific NW, raspberries are at their peak at the beginning of July, thus making this a natural fit for Independence Day celebrations.   Even if my blog post about it is a week late...   :)

Raspberry Cloud

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) (170g) Vanilla Wafer Crumbs (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup (2 oz) (56g) unsalted Butter, melted
4 large Egg Whites
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) (100g) Granulated Sugar
16 oz (453g) (~ 1 1/3 pints) fresh Red Raspberries (though you can use frozen raspberries)
2 tsp Granulated Sugar
8 oz (236ml) Heavy Cream
1 TB Confectioners' Sugar
1 TB Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Smash your cookies with a mallet or process them in the food processor (I prefer the more violent method employing a storage bag and the flat side of a meat mallet)

Place them in a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated.

Dump the mixture unceremoniously into a 9x9 baking dish or pan.

Press firmly.

Separate the eggs and save the yolks for another purpose.

Begin whisking the whites, on medium speed, until they reach soft peaks.

With the mixer still running, begin sprinkling in the 1/2 cup of Granulated Sugar a little at a time.

Continue mixing until the whites reach firm/stiff peaks.

Spoon over the cookie crust and spread it evenly.

Bake in the oven until the meringue is nice and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Allow this to cool to room temperature (don't worry if it looks super puffy or uneven when you remove it from the oven, as it cools it will sink slightly) before placing in the freezer for 2 hours.

Right before you are ready to serve, place your berries in a bowl.

Sprinkle them with 2 tsp Granulated Sugar and toss, then set them aside while you prepare the whipped cream.

In a chilled stainless steel bowl, combine Heavy Cream and Confectioners' Sugar.

Whisk until stiff, then gently fold in the lemon juice. (Do NOT add the juice before whipping, or the cream will curdle)

Remove the baking dish from the freezer and scatter the Raspberries over the Meringue.

Spread the Whipped Cream evenly over the top. (don't worry if some of the berries show through, that's part of it's charm)

Garnish with more berries and some mint if desired.

Personally, I prefer to dig in immediately, while the Vanilla Wafer Crust and Meringue still retain the chill from being in the freezer.


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Cinemalaya Awards Night on August 14 at the CCP

WINNERS of the 2016 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival will be announced at the Cinemalaya Awards Night on August 14, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

With the theme “Break the Surface,” this year’s Cinemalaya Festival boasted of 19 new digital films in competition.

In the full length feature, nine films competed. These were:  Ang Bagong Pamilya Ni Ponching by Inna Miren Salazar and Dos Ocampo, Dagsinby Atom Magadia, Hiblang Abo by Ralston Jover, I America by Ivan Andrew Payawal, Kusina by David Corpuz and Cenon Palomares, Lando at Bugoy by Vic Acedillo, Jr., Mercury Is Mine by Jason Paul Laxamana, Pamilya Ordinaryo by Eduardo Roy, Jr. and Tuos by Derick Cabrido.

Ten entries competed in the Short Feature category. These were: Ang Hapon Ni Nanding (Nanding’s Afternoons) by Rommel Tolentino, Ang Maangas, Ang Marikit at Ang Makata by Jose Ibarra Guballa, Bugtaw by Noah Del Rosario, Butas by Richard Cawed, Fish Out Of Water by Mon A.L. Garilao, Forever Natin by Cyrus Valdez, Get Certified by Isaias Herrera Zantua, Mansyong Papel by Ogos Aznar, Nakauwi Na by John Relano, Patrick Baleros and Luis Hidalgo, Pektus by Isabel Quesada.

Awards in the short film category will be given for Best Screenplay, Audience Choice, Best Film and Best Director. The NETPAC Prize and Special Jury Prize will also be awarded. The Best Film winner of the short film category will receive Php150,000 cash prize while all winners will receive the Balanghai trophy.

Awards in the full length category will be given for Best Sound, Best Musical Score, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Audience Choice, Best Film, NETPAC Prize, and the Special Jury Prize.  The winner of the Best Film will receive a cash award of Php350,000 and the Balanghai trophy.

Cinemalaya is a project of the Cinemalaya Foundation, the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with Ayala Malls Cinemas.  Established in 2005, Cinemalaya is an all-digital film festival and competition that aims to discover, encourage and honor cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers.

For more information, visit and the Cinemalaya Facebook page or call the CCP Media Arts office at telephone number 832-1125 local 1704-1705 and the CCP Box Office at 832-3704.

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text:
In 2009, an anonymous donor and the DSC jointly established an Emergency Student Loan Fun. This Fund is under the administration of the Director of Financial Aid, and decisions regarding loans, loan amounts, and repayment plans are subject to appeal by the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Emergency loans are capped at $500 if the student receiving the loan receives a fellowship or another source of financial aid (work study or a federal loan) for the semester in which the loan is disbursed.

If a student needs an emergency loan and does not meet the qualifying criteria above, they are eligible for up to $250.


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Foxglove Garden

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Cupick greeting cards are crafted with premium quality semi-gloss paper, with a writing surface that is just right for the choicest words. The greeting cards are sold in sets of four, and are placed in between two protective cardboard plates and shipped in a mailer envelope.

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Lovely garden fairy in watercolor. © Janna Prosvirina

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Gooseberry Ice Cream

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Unique flavored creamy delicious Ice Cream to beat the summer heat. Bring it on Summer!

Gooseberry Ice Cream

Hello folks, it’s been a while! If you were wondering what happened to me, let me tell you, I have been busy at home front. Renovation work is going on and home is a mess right now. Things have been scattered all around, in spite of cleaning every day, there is dust all over the place and I have been running behind the labor workers all day! And all this is keeping me inside the house and busy all day long. And right now it’s hard to find time to do anything that I want to do! All I’m hoping is, this renovation work to complete fast and I can have a home that is clean, dust free and no labor workers walking all over the house all day. Man I miss my “me time” when no one is at home and I can just do whatever I wish to do :D

A few months back before the renovation work started, we were at friends place having some good time. Sitting in living area we started discussing things, a lot of things in fact. About ones interest, about philosophy, about society…And suddenly during the discussion that I and Ka was having, he asked me a question. I heard the question but what made my eyebrows raise is “gooseberry ice cream”. It did not bother to answer his question right way, all I was thinking at that moment was, “wow, gooseberry ice cream uh!” I instantly told him “I’m making some gooseberry ice cream” instead of answering to his question: P. He knows how crazy I am when it comes to food! Sometimes delicious foods are made by accidents, according to me this recipe is one of them.

Anyways I have been meaning to post an ice cream recipe for a very long time now, and so many reasons have kept me away from doing it. First, I could not find fresh gooseberries in my area. When I went to drop off kiddos in brother’s place as mom was staying there for few days, I noticed the market lanes had loads and loads of fresh gooseberries on carts. I was so excited seeing them; my first job was to buy them soon I dropped the kids off. And the next day these fresh gooseberries were turned to ice cream. But I could not shoot them cause of the frequent power cuts we have been having throughout this summer. Getting time to shoot amidst all the work happening at home was a challenge, and when I did get few minutes to shoot, the power was off, and the ice cream had melted. So I kept pending it for a couple of days. Finally I decided to shoot one day when power was on and the workers were still running all over the house. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, no matter how hard the situation is that is trying to stop you from doing it! And I took literally 3 minutes 52 seconds to complete the shoot and another 2 minutes and 38 seconds to clean up! Yup that is exactly the time it took, how I know? I timed it! :D

Gooseberry Ice Cream

This recipe is simple and all you need is a handful of ingredients which I bet you already have in your pantry except for fresh gooseberries. If you don’t get fresh gooseberries in your world, use the canned ones. The result is yummy, creamy, subtle flavored ice cream, which when you serve to your guests would leave them guessing. The gooseberry flavor is subtle and we want to suppress the sour taste with sugar. Try the recipe you will LOVE it!

Gooseberry Ice Cream

Ice Cream styling is inspired from savorysimple

½ kilo gooseberries

250 grams caster sugar

200 ml double cream

2 egg yolks

80 ml milk

  1. Chop the gooseberries into smaller pieces. Discard the seeds. In a heavy bottomed pan add gooseberries, 60 grams sugar and 3 tablespoon of water. Bring to boil with constant stirring and then simmer and cook until gooseberries soften. Remove from pan and pass it through sieve. Mash well with back of spoon. Leave the smoothened gooseberry puree to cool and then cover and chill it in fridge. Gooseberry Ice Cream
  2. In another heavy pan add milk and 100 ml cream. Heat it until it’s just about to boil, do not boil it. Turn off flame. Whisk egg yolk and remaining sugar until creamy. Pour the milk-cream hot mixture over the whisked yolk slowly and continue to whisk. Transfer this mix back on stove and keep stirring. Cook till the mix turns think. Remove from flame and pass this through sieve. Let it cool. And then add the chilled gooseberry puree to the custard mix and whisk again. Cover and chill.
  3. Now whisk the remaining double cream until soft peaks are formed. Add the gooseberry custard mix and fold in gently until well combined. DO not over beat it.
  4. Transfer to freezer friendly bowl, cover it tight and freeze for minimum 4 hours. Remove the ice cream from freezer after it is set and whisk, transfer back to the bowl, cover and freeze. Repeat this 2 to 3 times to get creamier, smooth ice cream.
  5. Just before serving scoop out into serving bowls and serve. If you prefer you can add any topping, like chocolate syrup or shavings, nuts, sprinkles.

And if you are looking for some more amazing Ice Cream recipes, then here are few of my favorites. Thanks to all my blogger friends for sharing their wonderful recipes with us!

1. Toddy Palm Seeds Ice Cream

Courtesy Jyothi Rajesh from CurryTrail

Toddy Palm Ice Cream

Courtesy Rekha Vengalil  from foodoliciouspictured

Thai Coconut Ice Cream

3. Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

Courtesy Sowmya Sundararajan from tumastonguetreats

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

4. Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream

Courtesy Rafeeda from thebigsweettooth

Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream

5. Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream

Courtesy Priya Suresh from priyaeasyntastyrecipes

eggless apple icecream,apple cinnamon icecream

6. Blueberry Banana Chocolate Ice Cream

Courtesy Priya Srinivasan from icampinmykitchen

7. Mango Kulfi

Courtesy Divya from divyasculinaryjourney

Mango Kulfi G1

8.  Eggless Cherry Ice Cream

Courtesy Eliza Lincy from lincyscookart

Cherry Ice Cream

9. Strawberry Rose Kulfi

Courtesy Sonal Gupta from simplyvegetarian777

Recipe  –

10. Fig Ice Cream

Courtesy Binjal Pandey from binjalsvegkitchen

11. Coffee Ice Cream

Courtesy Anjana Bivin from happyandharried

12. Mango Ice Cream

Courtesy Shibani Hota from goldenspices

Recipe –

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27 Responses

  1. Sowmya says:

    Ice cream with Gooseberries!!!!!!!!!! Bookmarked right away and thanks much for the mention Jyoti. Any suggestion on what I can substitute for eggs?

    • jyothirajesh says:

      Thanks Sowmya.
      For eggless option make a eggless custard using cornflour and follow the rest of the recipe

  2. That is indeed a beautiful collection of ICe creams.. My eye brows did go up when I read Gooseberry Ice cream..
    And look at your precise timings.. for the shoot :)))

    • jyothirajesh says:

      Thanks dear. Oh yes the timing was a big challenge, and even though I managed to shoot it 2 minutes, look how much the ice cream melted! God the heat here is unbelievable

  3. Very interesting and unique flavour of Ice cream! I love gooseberry but never thought of ice cream with it.. Looks so delicious!
    You have shared a great collection of yummy recipes! Thanks for including my mango kulfi too! :)

    • jyothirajesh says:

      At first I was skeptical how the flavor will turn out, but I was amazed how delicious gooseberry ice cream is. Do give it a try :D and Thanks for sharing your recipe with us

  4. Ah jyothi, awesome! ! Gooseberry icecream, this is exotic ! I m going to make some icecream for the weekend now!! Thanks for including my post too!!

    • jyothirajesh says:

      Thanks for sharing your recipe with us Priya, do try this gooseberry ice cream, and tell us how you like it :D

  5. Meena Kumar says:

    Ahha that brings goosebumps :D gooseberry ice cream !! I would have never guessed that :)
    Wow u can work in seconds oblivious of workers all over the place ur blogger spirit girl !

    • jyothirajesh says:

      hehehe thanks Meena, I loved this gooseberry ice cream I remember making toddy palm ice cream same time last year and I loved working on it too. Making unique flavors that turn delicious is such a joy.
      Oh btw, I cant work in seconds dear, maybe minutes I can ;) :P
      Thanks for your appreciation, I have been meaning to post this recipe long back, I could not delay it anymore, so worked quickly this time :)

  6. Women’s need at least half an hour of me time every day is what i feel. Gooseberry ice cream is such an innovative idea jyothi. Glad it turned out to be so yummy.You know what i mean.

  7. Beautiful presentation..Really tempting me…

  8. shibani says:

    What an awesome recipe.bookmarked …love the icecream round up ve done …lovely collections..and thanks for including mine…i am really honoured

  9. shibani says:

    What an awesome recipe.bookmarked …love the icecream round up ve done …lovely collections..and thanks for including mine…i am really honoured

  10. shibani says:

    What an awesome recipe.bookmarked …love the icecream round up ve done …lovely collections..and thanks for including mine…i am really honoured

  11. Anusha says:

    This is a new level of ice cream making. Brilliant!

  12. I am big ice cream person! but I never guessed ice cream with gooseberry ! Amazing.. Beautiful and tempting presentation

  13. superb recipe !Amla ice cream looks awesome! pics looks so inviting :) thanks for include my recipe dear!

  14. shailaja says:

    This is absolutely new to me…. gorgeous clicks….will definetely try soon

  1. June 2, 2016

    […] of jackfruit bits makes this ice cream subtle, creamy and delicious! Let’s be honest, I like my Gooseberry Ice Cream a lot more than my Toddy Palm Seeds Ice Cream, but this jackfruit ice cream is not bad at all! […]

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Sunday, November 2, 2014

happy fall, all!!!

things are windy and sunny here today in DC. I'm waiting for my mama to arrive for a visit, and watching Mad About You. I'm working on an order for Urban Outfitters (we love them now), and dyed my hair kind of blue. Some photos:

BLUE HAIR. i loveeee.

I dressed up as Luke from Gilmore Girls for Halloween. Approx. 3 people got it.

I am in love with this ear cuff.

And this one

And I'm making a bundle of things for Urban, including these rings:


text:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5 and 6.0 allows remote attackers to view arbitrary files that contain the "{" character via script containing the cssText property of the stylesheet object, aka "Local Information Disclosure through HTML Object" vulnerability.
Note: References are provided for the convenience of the reader to help distinguish between vulnerabilities. The list is not intended to be complete.
Date Entry Created
20030402 Disclaimer: The entry creation date may reflect when the CVE-ID was allocated or reserved, and does not necessarily indicate when this vulnerability was discovered, shared with the affected vendor, publicly disclosed, or updated in CVE.
This is an entry on the CVE list, which standardizes names for security problems.


text:
Patient Stories

Heartfelt Hairstyles

High blood pressure almost took Raul Rodriguez’s life. He’s a professional hairdresser who lives in Los Angeles County. The 55-year-old man had to put his life on pause to undergo open-heart surgery to correct a problem with his aorta. “On the week of Christmas back in 2014, I started to get really tired and I ...   Read More »

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Inside Warren Knape’s La Habra home, the walls are lined with books. In the living room, a shelving unit overflows with paperbacks and hardcovers. Stacks of work-related reading material sit on his desk. Warren, 87, lives with his wife Doris in this cozy, sleepy town. A voracious reader, he started a book club at his ...   Read More »

A dime-sized device is helping to keep heart failure patients out of the hospital.

“It’s a cute little thing with sort of paperclips on each end,” says 73-year-old Carole Sharp. The Placentia resident isn’t referring to a whimsical handicraft posted on Etsy but, rather, the first and only FDA-approved medical device designed to keep heart-failure patients — like her — out of the hospital. Called the CardioMEMS™ HF System, ...   Read More »

Distance runner sees fast recovery with new type of pacemaker

Steve Chaffee loves to exercise. A former marathon runner, the Sierra Madre resident modified his routine as the years went by but he still ran every day, entered 10K runs and maintained a steady weightlifting routine. A couple of years ago he noticed he couldn’t run as long as he used to. Alarmed, he scheduled ...   Read More »

93 and Still Going Strong

For most of the 35 years since her retirement as a layout and graphic design artist, Eula-Lee Geisert, 93, has kept physically active. A Sierra Club leader, she regularly hiked in the San Gabriel Mountains and visited the gym five days a week. But early in 2013, she found herself short of breath, unable to ...   Read More »

Technology Takes on Hypertension

Technology Takes on Hypertension: USC clinical trial controls blood pressure with device Tim Shockley found hypertension medication as difficult to live with as the disease itself. He enrolled in a cutting-edge clinical trial at Keck Medicine of USC and is now controlling his blood pressure with the aid of a small medical device implanted in ...   Read More »


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April 5, 2012

Easter crafts

I made a little Easter sign for our door (Glad Påsk = Happy Easter in Swedish) using different kinds of papers and a few blings :)
The bunny template you can find in this post, its a bunny banner post but I didn't have enough fun papers for a banner so I changed mine to a Easter sign :)
This (pic below) vase I did a while back, got the idea from a crafting blog I happened to run by searching for inspiration, its an ordinary glass jar, I glued on some twine, a little flower and button. Easiest way ever to get a cute spring vase.
I made some eggs from paper, using simple decoration and some awesome stamps I got from Panduro's sale a few months ago.
 I was staying within the colors of white, black, silver and pink.
 Here is the results of my Easter twigs/ Easter table decoration. Pink and girly, since my son is still to young to have an input and my husband doesn't care about Easter decorations :D

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Perspectives from the field of Child and Youth Care

Giving students wifi has made lessons chaotic

Our school recently started providing in-school wifi access to pupils. Teaching staff were not privy to the logic – but when the leadership team announced the news in assembly, they were cheered to the rafters by grateful children. The schools grounds have poor phone signal, so logging on through 4G had not been an option, and the internet had only been available through school computers until this point.

I doubt that a decision was made not to talk to us teachers beforehand – school managers, like teachers, are swamped with work, and it probably just didn’t occur to them that we might be interested parties. If they had, I would have voiced my deep concerns.

Firstly, I worry about the pupils – providing wifi on tap is like handing them the keys to the tuck shop and expecting them not to clear the shelves. I’m all for encouraging the development of self-control, and students do need to learn to manage themselves and their habits. But do we have to make it as hard as possible for them? Young people who (like me) struggle to stay focused might actually appreciate having the number of distractions reduced. As well as this, of course, school was a sanctuary for some from cyberbullies and feelings of being left out.

Teachers too are paying a price. Internet access is one useful part of a learner’s toolkit, but the thoughtless way it has been introduced has handed us a host of new problems. We find ourselves the ones in the pupils’ lives who say “no”. Already we say no to another trip to the toilet; to wearing that hat in class; to earpieces being worn while we’re talking. And now we also get to say “No, you can’t FaceTime your pal in the room next door to make lunch plans”.

The lack of consultation has led to inconsistency, with individual teachers making class-management policies on the hoof. And there are some horribly grey areas. For example, are pupils allowed to read books on their phones? Or to use them as calculators? Or take photographs of PowerPoint slides?

These are all, of course, entirely legitimate activities. But if phones are allowed in class, many pupils are unable to resist the temptation to use them in less helpful ways – some of the children have, with a simple download, installed a VPN, which allows all filters to be bypassed.

While we all try to stress that they must not take pictures of us and share them online, this has become increasingly difficult to manage. Recently there was an incident in class, which was filmed and shared, leading to online discussion of the extent to which the teacher responded quickly, appropriately or effectively enough. Understandably, this public trial left an experienced teacher traumatised. Against this background, it seems incredible that no conversations are taking place about how we should respond as staff to this issue.

Research suggests that caution may be wise. There is evidence that screen time is hazardous to children and could point to a correlation with increased ADHD, depression, anxiety and even psychosis, according to a recent study. Adolescent psychiatrist Victoria Dunckley has also described the terrifying effects of too much screen time – grey matter atrophy, compromised white matter integrity, impaired cognitive functioning. And much of this damage occurs in the brain’s frontal lobe, which undergoes massive change during the teenage years.

In the teaching community, there ar those who argue that technology can play a positive role in schools. At the Isle of Portland Aldridge community academy in Dorset, for instance, pupils from year 1 to sixth form are actively encouraged to use smart devices in class to cross-reference information online with their textbooks and look up current affairs such as the Syrian crisis. By way of contrast, Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester introduced a complete ban on the use of phones four years ago and have said their students are thriving.

What’s happened in my school may just be examples of teething problems, a price worth paying for the educational benefits smartphones bring. But I have yet to see much evidence of this. I hope I’m wrong, but the coming together of sophisticated phones, students and wifi appears to be creating a particularly unholy trinity.

Mobile phones are here to stay. Mine certainly is. My problem is not with the technology, though – it’s the assumption that technology, in any form, must be beneficial.

11 February 2017

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Daily Archives: April 3, 2011

postgis feature : pgsql2shp symbol map (2/2)

The patch was reworked to be compliant with the published guidelines, documented and committed (revisions r6996, r7000, r7001) to the trunk by strk. Followups for the tickets (885 and 888) and the mailing list posts (tests and symbol map) were … Continue reading

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Ramona's picture

    Making Excuses For Spanking: Adding Insult To Injury

    Every few months--sometimes less--a story about child abuse hits the airwaves and everyone takes it to the top and talks about it.  Everyone agrees that child abuse is bad.  How could they not?  Child abuse IS bad.  This time it's an NFL player who admitted to switching his four-year-old until the welts rose and the blood flowed.  His excuse was that it was a spanking and it's how he knows to discipline his kids because it was how he was disciplined.  Until he agreed to therapy he saw it as no big deal.  He honestly seemed not to get it that raising welts on a child and drawing blood was not the way to parent.

    While all this was going on, NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter took to the cameras on ESPN and talked emotionally about our entrenched but wrong-headed views on discipline.  (Thank you, Mr. Carter. You have my eternal respect and gratitude) :

    "This goes across all racial lines, ethnicities, religious backgrounds. People in disciplining their children. People with any sort of Christian background, they really believe in disciplining their children," Carter began. "My mom did the best job she could do raising seven kids by herself. But there are thousands of things that I have learned since then that my mom was wrong. This is the 21st century. My mom was wrong. She did the best she could, but she was wrong about some of that stuff she taught me. And I promised my kids that I won't teach that mess to them. You can't beat a kid to make him do what you want to do."

    Let's be honest:  spanking is just a fancy word for hitting.  The word is kind of cute. Spanking.  It's used to make the actions of the hitter seem more benign, but hitting is hitting and when there is hitting, someone is going to get hurt.  That's the objective.  Behavior modification by inflicting pain.

    Spanking is what parents and caretakers do to kids when they've lost their tempers and the only road to relief is to hit somebody.  Sometimes it's instant and spontaneous, but sometimes--this makes me shudder--it comes after a delay; a cooling-off period when the adult about to do the hitting would have time to think about it and just not do it.  Then it isn't a matter of losing control, it's a matter of gaining control by hurting someone.

    Kids get spanked or switched or whacked or smacked all the time.  We brag about it, joke about it, and make excuses for it:  It's part of our history, our culture, our destiny.  A good spanking never hurt anybody.  Or so we would like to believe.

    I have smacked a padded butt or two, pulled on a little arm, and forcibly, not gently, removed a child from a situation that was dangerous or had gotten out of hand.  We parents are not perfect; nor, you might have noticed, are our children.  Obedience is not something that comes naturally to them.

    Every new parent wants to believe from the get-go that they've got this--all it takes is smarts and patience and a loving heart.   Every new parent learns quickly that whatever assets they thought they were bringing to this whole parenting thing are just so much oatmeal when it comes to applying them to real, live kids with minds of their own.

    So because we all know that kids don't always cooperate when it comes to guidance and discipline, and because nobody seems to know which method, if any, will work, we tend to want to stay out of other peoples' parenting efforts.

    It's far easier to believe that spanking is okay while hitting isn't and not recognize that the two are one and the same.  Whatever you want to call it, kids are being hit by adults.  Some of them are beaten, bruised and bloodied to the point where even seasoned spankers are horrified. But that's the problem:  There is no clear definition for spanking.  We can use the word without really knowing what we're talking about.

    The term "child abuse" is out in the open now.  That wasn't true even 30 years ago, when the first child abuse hotlines began to appear.  We're better informed and we know abuse when we see it, but we're still not willing to include spanking in the "abuse" category.   It needs to be there.  We can't control the methods or degrees of spanking.  There is no effective way to monitor spanking to make sure it doesn't go too far.  The way to control it is to make sure it doesn't happen.

    Every adult who spanks is not a child abuser, but every adult who spanks has to recognize that spanking is intended to hurt, and hurting a child, any child, is something a healthy society needs to address.  We can't talk out of both sides of our mouths.  Either we believe children need to be protected from deliberate hurt or we don't.

    (For further reading, an earlier post:  "A Simple Plea:  Do Not Lay Hands Upon Our Children".)

    The National Child Abuse Hotline number is:
    1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

    Oh I have deep thoughts about all of this.

    I came home one day after work and right in front of me, as Erin was greeting me

    My son who is 4? at the time,  hit my daughter over the head with a steel or metal toy truck.

    Mama came to care for Erin whilst I took Sean into his room and spanked him. Now I did not use a stick or anything but my hand and surely never took his pants off, but I spanked him.

    I never struck him again, and of course I never struck my daughter.

    I 'grounded' the little bugger into his room for awhile.

    This type of violence never happened again.

    I did the spanking out of fear, really.

    My son is my best friend. He has no scars as a result of my behavior.

    Could I have accomplished the same result by yelling, which was my forte? Hahahah

    Obviously my children were ascared of my yelling.

    I feel guilty. I mean I could have just put the little bugger in his room and 'grounded' him.

    I was mad.

    And we cannot rule or guide or discipline our children in anger.

    You do not hit your wife or sister or mother....

    I grew up with these mandates.

    Sorry, I am going on and on which is my forte.

    I have sinned.

    But there are degrees of sin.

    And my Vikings just look at the best damned player they have on the team and wish to minimize.

    Such is the corporate philosophy.

    That is all I got.

    My husband and I talked about this today.  He is my First Reader and he agreed with what I wrote, but reminded me that he had in fact been made to go out and get his own switch.  His father had struck him with belts.  In my long, long life I have never been struck, and when I first heard about his "abuse", I was appalled.  it colored how I felt about my in-laws for a while, but they were really wonderful people and I grew to love them both.

    I kept digging at my husband today, trying to get him to admit that it bothered him at the time.  He claims it didn't really hurt and it didn't make him hate his parents--not even for a minute.  He said their lives were hard and he probably deserved it.  So much for that!

    But I stand by my own thoughts about spanking/hitting.  We all make some doozy mistakes as parents.  One spanking is not a venal sin!  You're a good man, Richard.  You can stop beating yourself up over it.  Ha!

    A venial sin. hahhahahhhaah

    Well, again, my son has never hit a woman in his life and he certainly never attacked his sister like this ever again.

    Although I have written another squib years ago? about my daughter and he coming to an agreement.

    I cannot find it right now.

    I did get 'the belt' on one occasion but I was the wonder kid in my family.

    We were throwing plastic bowling balls at each other. hahahahaha

    I dunno, I never threw another bowling ball at my brothers. hahahaha

    See, some of these incidents are without consequence as it were.

    At any rate, my son forgave me a long time ago.

    But individually, we all must take responsibility, and this spanking really held me back from being a monster.

    In the end, my son loves his sister, my son depends upon his sister and his sister loves him.

    And decades have gone by, and all is good without any more metal trucks.

    I do not mean that your blog is meaningless.

    And I agree as always, parents have a responsibility to work with their children without bodily punishmment.

    I will most probably do a blog on the issue of WMD's. The parents are killing their kids, the kids are killing the kids and the kids end up killing their parents.

    And so far...

    There is no tragedy facing me at this time...

    Again, this is an important post. And I never intended to take away from it.

    Not at all.  Didn't mean to suggest anything of the sort, if I did.  I appreciate everything you said here.  Kids do have the capacity to forgive and forget, but that doesn't give the adults permission to hurt them to teach them a lesson.  Wrong, wrong, wrong!

    Sean Hannity thinks that abolishing corporal punishment will limit parents' ability to tell children that homosexuality is wrong. Parents will be unable to prevent access to birth control or abortions. Hannity notes that was spanked and turned out "okay" ( insert snark here). While Hannity thought that Adrian Peterson may have gone too far, his female guest felt Peterson was merely exercising parental rights.

    This episode reminds that religious beliefs are often used as a rationale for corporal punishment. We are familiar with the Old Testament admonition "Spare the rod, Spoil the child" Proverbs 13:24 actually states that a parent who does not punish their child hates their child. There is also the punishment of stoning for a disobedient, gluttonous, and drunkard son in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 21:18.  The message in the New Testament differs. The Parable of the Prodigal Son tells of a father with a rebellious, gluttonous,drunken son who leaves home and wastes his fortune. The son returns home penniless. Instead of beating or stoning the wayward child, the father greets him with a feast, pleased that he has returned, hopefully wiser. Jesus never used corporal punishment to get a message across to his disciples. Christian parents should followed his example.

    Focus on the Family, a Conservative Christian group, has created a Seven Step process for a Biblical approach to spanking. The New Testament  notes that being a disciplinarian does not mean that physical force has to be used. Churches need to take an active role in keeping children safe from abuse. Both Peterson and Hannity were using beliefs in their interpretation of the Bible.

    Edit to add:

    Spanking is accepted as proper by a majority of Americans although acceptance rates are decreasing.

    Born Again Christians, Southerners, and Republicans are among those with the highest rate of spanking acceptance

    Sadly, the diminished IQ resulting from spanking (so evident on Fox) is inflicted upon the rest of us at the polls.  And, yes, I blame the Yahwists.

    Edit to add: the astonishing take away from the survey:  in NO cohort does spanking fail to draw at least 50%+1 support!  Holy shit! (holy, indeed).

    Overall, the US public supports spanking 2:1. 70% of the public supports spanking. 80% of Born Again Christians support spanking. Non Born Again Christians have a 65% support for spanking! better than the general public (actually in line with the general public given the range of error in the polling).

    corrected below for shocking innumeracy or serious failure to note that 2009 was not two, but five years ago...(time does fly, does it not?)m

    Of interest:  The 24 "abolitionist" countries that I listed in 2009 has grown in the intervening five years into 38 nations where you cannot lay hands on your kid, anymore than you can upon your neighbor.

    Repeat post

    It is really impossible to overstate the entertainment value of hearing Hannity declare his unimpaired mental health.

    One is moved to ask "has he polled his friends and family for their opinions?"

    “Between 1960 and 2010, juvenile court delinquency caseloads

    increased nearly 240%”

    “Between 1985 and 2010, delinquency caseloads involving drug

    offenses more than doubled, while person offenses increased 87%,

    and public order increased 80%; in contrast, the property offense

    caseload decreased 29%”

    The State will discipline the children of parents who can not control a wayward disobedient child,

    Better a spanking with temporary pain in contrast to what the States can administer as punishments.

    How many of these delinquencies were committed by children of parents; who didn’t raise their children in the ways of Gods standards of conduct.

    Christian parents listen to their Creator, as do Christian raised children also listen to their parents, who are in Union with the Lord .

    Proverbs 13:24

    Proverbs 19:18

    Proverbs 22:15

    Proverbs 23:13-14

    Proverbs 29:15

    Proverbs 29:19

    Hebrews 12:5-11

    Consider also teens who don't listen to parents and contract sexually transmitted diseases.

    Try to talk to a young teen, you grounding them to keep them indoors and yet despite all the talk they sneak out.  Talk doesn't always work,

    What should a parent do, sit back and watch their children die?

    Nothing that you posted gives any data that says spanking prevents crime . It's just a mass of words. A guess. There is actual dTa that spanking may increase crime and not spanking may decrease crime. It' not definitive but it is more fact based that your guess

    As you have admitted  It' not definitive.

    I prefer to listen to the Wisdom of the Creator of mankind, the designer of procreation and the family structure, for counsel.

    When HIS wise counsel is properly applied, all of societies members reaps the benefits.

    Children learn respect and obedience for the laws that govern.. Beginning with the laws of the household, which helps the child learn boundaries, and respect for others outside the home and these lessons carry on into adulthood.

    Show me a disrespectful youth, lacking moral values and I'll show you a child without proper discipline.

    There are many factors that lead to juvenile delinquency, but it doesn't hurt that children learn obedience and respect for the laws governing them ,

    Reward for doing good, Punishment for doing bad, Isn't that what society (even a godless one) teaches and expects all it's people to learn; including the youth and elderly?

    Most children do have a have a choice.

    Personal responsibility is taught.

    Like I said, blame the Yahwists.  Above find the people's exhibit one.

    As I say, blame those who have have no respect for authority, for most of mans woes.

    What should a parent do,

    Well the Bible instructions you've posted say you should:

    • use the rod of discipline
    • strike
    • strike with a rod
    • flog
    • beat the backs of fools

    but I don't see any instruction to spank.

    The question  that comes to my mind is why you think a spanking would stop teens from having intercourse. I believe stoning is commonly suggested in the Old Testament as having the sufficient deterrent effect for those over the age of reason, no?

    You've left off the bit about stoning.

    I would hope spanking would impress upon the youths mind the seriousness of the matter and what could result if they didn't  change and control their behavior.

    I liken the family unit to belonging to a nomadic tribe, whose members are expected to be responsible for themselves.  Unwanted pregnancies is not the tribes responsibility. The  tribe knows promiscuous activities can lead to burdens being placed upon others.

    Early intervention, at the first sign of a youthful indiscretions can prevent grief later.

    Better a spanking than a stoning?

    So you support stoning if spanking doesn't work?

    The Proverbs passage you note probably represents the parenting style of King Solomon. If Solomon is the example of the disciplinarian parent, his son is a bad example of the results. Rehoboam became a punishing and much hated King who had to flee to avoid assassination. Perhaps this is a warning not to use the rod.

    In the New Testament, there is a message about discipline, but nothing that specifically says that the rod was used.

    Hebrews 12:6-7

    Edit to add:

    When you say better a spanking than a stoning, you appear to accept stoning as Christian doctrine. Stoning is not Christian doctrine. Jesus stopped the stoning of an adulteress.Can you point to Jesus or his disciples stoning anyone?

    Today most parents don't spank.  They have more effective ways of punishing a child.  You just take the electronics from them, like cell phones, games systems and computer.  It works well for me.

    I really don't have to punish the kids very often.  I also try not to embarrass them in front of friends or make them feel everything is their fault. I talk to them in private.  You can over do it with verbal abuse too when you are angry.

    My mother would always put a price tag on every lost item or worn out item when I was growing up, that I should be grateful that she was willing to spend the extra money on me. I don't do that because the kids already understand that shopping is a special event.  They feel bad enough at the loss.

    Owners of football teams need to start understanding that this is not acceptable any more with fans. That they are going to have to screen their choices better for their teams.

    Owners of football teams need to start understanding

    Not just the Owners, but the fans need to understand.

    This is not to condone the actions of the abusive boyfriend or father, but what didn’t society  or fans understand about violence and its affects?

    Fans want more violence, whether it is football, NASCAR,  MMA style fighting; because boxing became blasé / boring,  because there was not enough violence

    Who really are the fans that are crying out?

    Violence is being taught to the youth.

    Football players don’t start feeling anger on Sunday or Monday nights. They've been feeding their hearts and minds on "killing the play / er. They give their fans what they want to see with hard hits and injuries. Taking out a player might make the difference in winning; but just don't get caught for fear the heat will come down on the sport, by the minority appalled at the violence.

    Many NASCAR fans don’t care to see cars go in circles they are drawn to the possible event of accidents because that is what thrills the crowds; as with boxing and MMA fighting, another example of blood lust.

    Again, what didn’t society understand about violence and its affects?

    People are warned

    Psalm 11:5

    The Lord g tests the righteous,

    but h his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence

    Doesn't spanking teach violence to youth?

    So because we all know that kids don't always cooperate when it comes to guidance and discipline, and because nobody seems to know which method, if any, will work, we tend to want to stay out of other peoples' parenting efforts.

    It is true that the difficulty involved with being a good parent can make a person more tolerant of other people's decisions than those who have not done that work. The freedom to mess up or build up the minds of one's offspring is not only a result of social conventions and expectations but is written into the polity of our state in the form of the right to establish religions.

    While the arrangement is messy and permits all sorts of behavior that I detest, it is preferable to the moral clarity of places overseen by the likes of Cromwell and Khomeini. Our system gives a lot of power to individual parents. I have met many people who have no business raising kids.  But they have them and they are required to bring them up. Much of what makes punishing a kid until they are "righteous" stupid is unfortunately the same dynamic involved with punishing the people who have no business raising children. Each new communication is just another beating.

    While the above expresses my uncertainty about the best response to the evil of punishing children in ways that deform them for life, I am free in the church of my own faith to note that resorting to force is usually more of a reflection of the beating hand than the one who receives it. I can only be someone who has to be listened to if I listen really well myself. When you give a child the right to speak for themselves, they become keenly interested in the art of persuasion. It takes a lot of work to make that possible. There are times when you have to punish yourself.

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Five years after Kelo

Today marks the five-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s notorious Kelo v. New London decision. In a 5-4 ruling, the Court held that seizing private property in order to lease it to a private developer met the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause—“nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”—“public use” requirement. Huh?

The majority’s reasoning was as absurd as their ruling. Rather than expand the public use doctrine, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in her dissent, the Court decided “to wash out any distinction between private and public use of property—and thereby to effectively delete the words “for public use” from the Takings Clause.”

This terrible story began in 1998, the year pharmaceutical giant Pfizer started construction of a $300 million research campus in New London, Connecticut. The city had been in decline for decades, and was particularly hurt when the Navy closed its Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory in 1990. Desperate for jobs and tax revenue, the city came up with a redevelopment plan focusing on 90 acres in the Fort Trumbull area, adjacent to the new Pfizer facility. The plan called for a mixed-use development, including dining, shopping, and even a hotel near the Thames River waterfront.

The city’s New London Development Corporation was able to purchase all but 15 of the properties required to complete the plan. The city moved to condemn the properties through eminent domain, and nine of the affected property owners filed suit. While the suit was pending, the city began negotiating a 99-year lease with developer Corcoran Jennison. In exchange for developing the land in accordance with the city’s development plan, Corcoran Jennison would pay an annual rent of $1.

The majority opinion, authored by Justice John Paul Stevens, cited three primary cases that bore no resemblance to the facts surrounding Kelo. All were extreme—one regarded a blight condemnation in a Washington, D.C. slum in the 1950s, another involved redistributing private property in Hawaii when 47 percent of private property in the state was still controlled by 72 owners, and the last involved an intellectual property case in the chemical industry.

Kelo involved a sleepy, non-blighted residential neighborhood threatened by an unholy alliance of Big Business and Big Government. What the Court sought to establish was that past precedent had broadened the interpretation of “public use” sufficiently to justify the New London takings. Unfortunately, as Justice O’Connor noted, the Court’s interpretation had rendered the protections granted by the Fifth Amendment meaningless.

The outcry following the Court’s opinion was deafening. From across the political spectrum, the public was outraged that homeownership had taken a backseat to corporate welfare. According to polls, nearly 90 percent of Americans opposed the decision. The rest were presumably government officials and rent-seeking private developers.

Municipal planners wrongly believe that they have some sort of predictive power regarding future economic conditions—and that they are able to better plan for the future than actual market participants. This is completely ridiculous. How can a career bureaucrat in local government be in a better position to evaluate economic investment decisions than actual investors who put their own money on the line?

The poorly reasoned Kelo decision did do some good in galvanizing a nation-wide property rights movement, which resulted in the majority of states enacting additional property protections. These efforts are ongoing, with officials facing growing public scrutiny over their land condemnations.

As one might expect, municipal bureaucrats and politicians do not possess economic crystal balls. In November of last year, Pfizer announced it was closing its New London research facility. The increased tax revenue and revitalized mixed-use river district promoted by city officials have yet to materialize, and the area formerly occupied by the Kelo petitioners’ houses is now a bleak landscape home only to feral cats.

Marc Scribner is assistant editor and a land-use policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.


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Steps to Achieving PCI Compliance

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard was instituted to guarantee data security in companies dealing with sensitive information. While the process should be relatively simple and pain-free to achieve, many businesses, whether large or small, struggle with compliance. This can leave their information and customers vulnerable to any possible security problems. With the recent data breaches in the news, your company must pay attention to PCI Compliance to keep both data and people safe while also protecting your business’s bottom line.

In companies that deal with data storage and protection, there are often many issues that arise when attempting to achieve PCI Compliance. By focusing on storing only necessary information, businesses can greatly reduce the scope of what they must protect while also conducting assessments on what can be left out. Assigning a few employees to focus on moving toward compliance is the best way to get this process moving. In addition, deploying payment applications that already adhere to the rules is a guaranteed way to achieve compliance. Companies should also consider outsourcing operations containing sensitive information such as payment processes. This takes the difficult task off of your employees’ hands and leaves less room for error on the part of your business.

As a whole, achieving PCI Compliance should be a vital part of security strategies for any company that is dealing with secure information and data, specifically that which would need to be encrypted. Check out the infographic below for more information on how to successfully achieve PCI compliance.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Swim Under Bridges Over Untroubled Waters

Courtesy of Marisa Frieder, race director of the 10.7-mile (17.2 km) Portland Bridge Swim, Oregon.

Records fell at the 2015 Portland Bridge Swim. Eddie Switaj of Mercer Island, Washington, smashed the course record with a time of 3 hours 37 minutes, 12 minutes faster than the previous solo record. Katie Main, a medical student from Portland Oregon, took first place for the women with a time of 4 hours 2 minutes, beating the course record by 10 minutes.

This last weekend's Portland Bridge Swim was the biggest ever with 66 solo swimmers and 13 relay teams entered. 23 swimmers came back to finish the swim after being evacuated due to lightning last year. The weather was perfect, the river was flat, and swimming conditions were generally good with the exception of some tug boat traffic and low tide at 1:16 pm. But that's part of what makes this a challenging race.

The swim has become a family event as well, with Frank Fredregill and daughter Robyn teaming up for a relay, Camille Davis paddling to escort her father and solo swimmer Ed Davis, and relay swimmer Kevin Guaspari towing daughter Logan in an inflatable boat. Sisters Katarina and Larissa Ferber of Tacoma, Washington made their annual trip to Portland to compete against each other. This year Katarina got ahead of Larissa, but Larissa out-swam a barge so she has her own bragging rights.

This has been an extremely hot year in the Willamette with low water levels due to a dry winter and water temperatures increasing about 1°F per day in the last week or two due to a relentless hot spell. By race day, the water temperature was an eye-popping 79°F compared to 68-70°F in previous years. There was no lightning this year, but there was some anxiety earlier in the week due to a developing algae bloom in a lagoon that feeds into a channel connecting to the river. Organizers spent the week developing a backup plan to use a loop course downriver, handling interviews with local news media, and waiting to see what would happen. After long conversations with the local agencies testing and monitoring the bloom, we were assured that the swim course was safe and we held it as originally planned, but with a wider swing around the mouth of the channel.

We started in 2011 with 16 swimmers, and it's grown into a destination event for swimmers across the country. What an amazing thing to get to be a part of.

2015 Solo Results:
1. Eddie Switaj (31 years) 3:37:20 [shown above]
2. Greg Holles (52) 3:43:59
3. Kurt Dickson (47) 3:52:47
4. Dean Atchison (44) 4:02:35
5. Katie Main (23) 4:02:51
6. Adam Arzner (28) 4:03:44
7. Laurie Bauder (46) 4:05:35
8. Johnny Van Velthuyzen (36) 4:08:35
9. Mark Frost (48) 4:09:35
10. Patrick Allender (56) 4:10:35
11. Ed Davis (52) 4:10:50
12. Scot Sullivan (49) 4:13:35
13. Stephanie Wahab (47)4:20:52
14. Lisa Gibson (25) 4:26:35
15. Jayette Pettit (48) 4:32:52
16. Michele Walters (40) 4:33:35
17. Cindy Werhane (46) 4:34:52
18. Ali Hall (53) 4:35:35
19. Zena Courtney (55) 4:40:00
20. Todd Lantry (39) 4:42:35
21. Brian Noble (45) 4:42:52
22. Jessica Kieras (35) 4:42:52
23. Doug Moshofsky (53) 4:43:35
24. Austin Lau (31) 4:44:52
25. Bob Bakh (42) 4:47:35
26. Rochelle Watson (22) 4:50:52
27. Peter Kellers (46) 4:52:52
28. Karly Powell (28) 4:52:52
29. Danny Mcgrath (39) 4:56:00 Wetsuit
30. Katy Smith (33) 4:57:52
31. Kyle Jones (27) 4:59:52
32. Kelsey Bowen (29) 5:03:52
33. Brad Herner (48) 5:06:00
34. Megan Beattie (28) 5:07:00
35. Alysse Roberson-Hamlin (24) 5:09:00
36. Jeanna Summers (61) 5:16:00
37. Christina Garcia (36) 5:18:52
38. Larissa Ferber (27) 5:22:00
39. Bonnie Brown (47) 5:23:00
40. Kirt Nilsson (44) 5:25:52
41. Mindy De Armond (36) 5:27:52
42. Rick Shanley (35) 5:29:35
43. Matt Palocsay (38) 5:38:52
44. Madeline Schaefer (27) 5:39:00
45. Katarina Ferber (24) 5:40:00
46. Anna Westburg (31) 5:42:00
47. Jarone Blanchette (38) 6:02:00
48. Tim Dexter (47) 6:14:00
49. Jim Russell (59) 6:17:52
50. Stephanie Hopson (38) 6:19:00
51. Karen Emerson (48) 6:36:00
52. Kristine Buckley (55) 6:37:52
53. Rob Seemann (46) 6:55:44 Wetsuit
54. Guila Muir (60) 7:08:00
55. Marisa Heller (30) 7:29:00
56. Joan Weisbergbeyerlein (65) DNF
57. Mark Henderson (59) DNF
58. Elizabeth Harrison (40) DNF
59. Ellyce Shulman (37) DNF Wetsuit

Relay Results:
1. Race Like You Treanor 4:00
2. Olie R Green 4:49
3. The Krakens 5:01
4. Team Sake 5:12
5. 3 Seadragons 5:19
6. Williamette Warriors 5:19
7. Russellmainia 5:40
8. More Like Superfun! 5:41
9. Serc and Destroy 6:09
10. River Otter 6:18
11. Helen, Robyn, Frank 6:47
12. The Cove Sharks 6:59
13. Dangerous when Wet 7:17 Wetsuit

For photos of the event, visit here.

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association

A Thank You Gift from WOWSA

WOWSA is celebrating the
1-Year Anniversary of the monthly Open Water Swimming Magazine
by giving you a free copy of the anniversary issue.

Open Water Swimming Magazine Anniversary Issue
File Size: 13MB

Download the file to your computer, and then right-click to extract the magazine which is inside the zip folder. The magazine is in PDF format.

CLICK HERE to download your free copy now.

Open Water Swimming Magazine

Open Water Swimming Magazine

The Open Water Swimming Magazine is the monthly magazine entirely focused on open water swimming heroes and heroines of every age, ability, and background. Published by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the Open Water Swimming Magazine is a free benefit to WOWSA members.

WOWSA Member Benefits include 12 issues of the Open Water Swimming Magazine, the annual 276-page Open Water Swimming Almanac, a free listing in Sponsor My Swim, outstanding product discounts from FINIS, an entry in Openwaterpedia and more...

The Other Shore

The Other Shore follows world record holder and legendary swimmer Diana Nyad as she comes out of a thirty-year retirement to re-attempt an elusive dream: swimming 103 miles non-stop from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage. Her past and present collide in her obsession with a feat that nobody has ever accomplished. At the edge of The Devil’s Triangle, tropical storms, sharks, venomous jellyfish, and one of the strongest ocean currents in the world, all prove to be life-threatening realities. Timothy Wheeler’s documentary brings Diana Nyad’s extraordinary adventure to life as Diana sets out to prove that will and determination are all you need to make the unimaginable possible.

2014 Open Water Swimming Almanac

An Almanac for Open Water Swimming

An almanac is essentially a body of knowledge which is so complete that it enables people in different fields to make predictions about the future of their respective industries.

This, for example, was the purpose of the traditional farmers almanacs. It enabled farmers to determine as accurately as possible which crops to plant for the greatest harvests in a given year.

But the farmers almanac was just one example among many.
There are, of course, many different kinds of almanacs.

In fact, there is even one for open water swimming...

Preview the Open Water Swimming Almanac:

The trends are very clear.
The tide is rising for open water swimming.

Open Water Swimming Event Sanctioning

World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation

Open Water Race Calendar

Coaches Education Program


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Despite the assertive statements of celebrity atheists, national book tours denouncing God and the perennial docket of court cases challenging the presence of religion in the public square, most Americans believe in God and many regularly practice their faith. Heritage research on the newly launched shows that 75 percent of American adults believe in God and another 11 percent in some higher power.

Many Americans take their faith a step further—almost 40 percent of all adults act on that belief by attending religious institutions at least once a week, and over half of adults surveyed say they pray at least daily. These religious beliefs and practices can have a profoundly positive impact on civil society and defend against much of the social breakdown threatening communities.

For instance, regular religious observance has been associated with helping to sustain intact families, raise healthy adolescents, and even maintain good health. Families who frequent religious institutions tend to have higher marital satisfaction and fidelity, fewer incidents of domestic violence, and greater conflict resolution. The religious practice of parents also seems to have a significant impact on how adolescents will view marriage, pre-marital sex, and cohabitation. Likewise, adolescents whose families regularly attend church services are less likely to be sexually active or experience teen pregnancy.

Men and women who frequent religious institutions tend to have lower stress levels, are less likely to die from cancer, and have better psychological health than adults who seldom or never attend religious worship. The effect of familial religious attendance can even impact the health of the next generation, as children and teens from households with frequent observance are less likely to report feeling lonely or having episodes of depression.

The benefits of religious practice to individuals and families are important to maintaining strong communities and a thriving civil society. With four out of 10 children now born outside of marriage and more than half of all families in poverty headed by single parents, the economic and social consequences of family dissolution are hard to ignore. The effects of religion on civil society should not be overlooked when addressing the most pressing problems in American culture.

To learn more about the role of family and religious practice in maintaining limited government and civil society in America, visit


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Saturday, May 2, 2009

Buffalo Creek Disaster (eyewitness account)

Fair Use Notice
This article originally provided by The Logan Banner
February 27, 2008
Buffalo Creek disaster remembered
By JERRY FEKETE, Banner Correspondent, and J.D. CHARLES, Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 5:12 AM CSTE-mail this story Print this page

On this day, 36 years ago, the Buffalo Creek flood washed away several communities and took with it 126 lives. Another 4,000 people were left homeless when the wall of water rushed through the Buffalo Creek area destroying everything in its wake. Banner file photo

BUFFALO CREEK — Today marks the 36th anniversary of the Feb. 26, 1972 Buffalo Creek Flood in which 126 people were killed and another 4,000 were left homeless, their lives shattered, when a man-made coal slurry pond owned by Pittston Coal Company burst, spilling millions of gallons of water down on Buffalo Creek and destroying everything in its path.The flood wiped out 17 small coal camps on its way through the valley.Four years ago, on the 32nd anniversary, Rev. Robert Peters remembered in an interview with The Logan Banner that tragic day in which his mother and father, Herbert and Martha Peters, were killed by the wall of rushing water that destroyed most of Buffalo Creek.

"I was working in the mines for Pittston at Toney Fork just three miles above where the dam collapsed," he said. "I was 38 years old at the time. I was working laying blocks just inside the drift mouth of the mines and my boss was Bill Merritt. We started about 7 a.m. that morning and the power went off ... just a little while later my brother in-law, James Isom, was there. I just knew something was wrong. James told me that we lost mom and dad. I just fell apart. They took my truck keys from me."Peters' voice wavered as he continued his tragic story."We went down there to the old home place at Pardee and there was nothing left there — the railroad ties was turned up into a U shape. I started hollering for mom and dad on the hill. I then walked up the hillside and walked three miles down the mountain looking for them. I saw hundreds of people on the hillside. I walked to Stowe looking for them (but) couldn't find them. Then I headed back to Toney Fork and walked over the mountain into Curtis," he said.

Peters claims the disaster might have been more man-made than most people realize."I then walked up to the dam after the water had went down," Peters said. "I saw some blasting caps and I followed the cable back onto the point where there was a beech tree. There I saw a battery charger. I have always felt bad at myself because I didn't take a picture of it. "I don't believe they intended to blow up the dam, but to just try to relieve some pressure. It was a negligent crime, not willful. There was some fellows who thought they were more qualified than they were. Late that evening, I took my truck and headed to the head of Buffalo Creek over into Boone County to my cousin, John Dempsey's house at Greenwood. You couldn't get down Buffalo Creek — the road was wiped out."Peters said the tragedy did not end at this point.

"I then headed back to Curtis later that day to my house," he said. "My wife was in the hospital at Logan and was in a coma for 30 days before the flood. Then I had another terrible experience when I walked down to Three Forks. Tenace Simple, a friend, had took a rope and tied it to his wife Goldie and pulled her out of the raging water. They hollered for me to come over were she was laying, I grabbed her hand and started praying for her, I could hear her heart beating but then her heart stopped beating and she died as I was praying for her. We had to set there and watch her die. I still had my mining work clothes on and was heading over into Elk Creek as it began to get late that evening. That's where I spent the night at Ub and Helen Morgan's house. We attended church together.''They gave me clothes and took me to the morgue at South Man Grade School the next day to see if I could identify my mother and father, but they weren't there. The next week, they told me they thought they found mom. I went in there and, sure enough, it was mom. She had only one scar on her face. Two weeks later, I was called in to see if I could find dad. There were special police in there from California, working in the morgue. I remember they put me on a lift and lifted me to the ceiling of the gym. My head was against the top of the roof, I had to look down and try to see if I could see dad. I spotted a man with gray hair that looked like him and pointed it out to them. Sure enough, it was dad."The area has seen many changes since the tragedy, Peters said in that interview.

"The only thing I like today about Buffalo Creek is the new road," he said. "Back then in the 40s and WWII it was a far bigger like Logan. Lorado was booming. It was so clean, and we had sidewalks — you could buy anything at the Lorado Company Store. Furniture, dry goods, hardware, even a tailor made suit. We had a movie theater, barber shop and a beer garden. The company even sponsored a church, a doctor's office and more. Today you have to drive two miles to get a loaf of bread. Also, back then everyone cared for each other in the coal camps. The love and caring was there people would go to the extreme to help each other. Today, people just drive on by. It's sad.Peters, who found redemption and salvation through Christ in 1962, retired from the coal mines in 1992.Eddie Canterbury and others remember well the tragedy of the Buffalo Creek flood.

When a dam burst one Saturday morning on Buffalo Creek in 1972, Eddie Canterbury was just a young National Guardsman who got called out for help."On Saturday, Feb. 26, 1972, one of the worst man-made disasters in history hit us," Canterbury said yesterday. "Over 120 people lost their lives when a dam burst and a wall of water and coal waste 30 feet high rushed into the area."Canterbury said that he had to get to Buffalo Creek through Kelly Mountain and Amherstdale. When he arrived, survivors of the tragedy were covered with mud. For the next 17 days, the young guardsman helped with the recovery effort. Canterbury's unit was in charge of recovering bodies.

"I was in the National Guard and I was having breakfast that morning with Tom George, who was the publisher of The Logan Banner at that time. We got a call that something had happened. ...I was driving a jeep and the water came up over the bumper at Morrison’s."Canterbury said he was not prepared for the devastation the flood wrought. Steel beams from bridges and railroad tracks were twisted like pretzels from the force of the water."When the water came down at Pardee there was a mobile home there that it hit. It literally burst," Canterbury said. "And yet the flood would hit one house and not touch the next one right across the road from it. One house would be destroyed and the next would be untouched. "

One Logan County deputy drove up the roads warning people the dam had burst, and according to Canterbury many people would not have known what was about to hit them."You have to remember, this was at 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning when most people were sleeping in. A lot of people had no warning. People at Pardee and Lorado were trapped in their houses. There were 57 bodies recovered at one bridge alone. National Guard trucks drove up and down creeks to gain access to populated areas because the bridges were often washed out or destroyed.Canterbury said the weather was very warm when the flood hit, but soon it got much colder, which affected the recovery effort, making it harder.

To add insult to injury, the guardsmen had to deal with looters the first night of the flood."We were not armed then, but we were the next night," Canterbury said, adding that the guardsmen were grateful to the Salvation Army for the help they received as well as meals. When supplies and mobile homes were sent in, the Oceana Police gave them tickets. "The governor sent some very mean state police in to deal with them. After that the relief people came through... I went up to the last coal camp, Curtis, and it was like being in another world."Canterbury shared his experiences in a past interview. He spoke about his own first-hand experiences in digging bodies out of the clinging mud and added that, today, Buffalo Creek does not even resemble what it looked like before the devastating flood.

"You can only imagine the devastation this thing caused," he said."The wall of water was 30 feet high. It was the first time I ever lifted a body with rigor mortis. It was like lifting concrete. A lot of people’s lives were forever changed that day forever — whole families were lost. I was only 24 years old and it was rough on me to experience that as just a kid.

Of all the hardship and difficulty, Canterbury said the hardest thing to deal with was recovering the corpses."It was a thing I never want to experience again," he said.The son of the man who warned Logan County of the Buffalo Creek Flood recalled more of that fateful day of horror which will forever live on in the memories of people who experienced it first hand.

Ronald H. Scaggs is the son of Buffalo Creek survivor Garland Scaggs, who recently passed away.Garland Scaggs will probably always be remembered for being the first person to contact the local radio station, warning people that the Buffalo Creek dam was about to break and they needed to evacuate the area when the water burst through and flooded the area. More than 100 lives were lost in the flood.

"Dad was at the Amherst Coal Company store the morning of the flood," Scaggs told The Logan Banner. "He was the bull with some of his friends. In walked Steve Dasovich who was running Buffalo Mining at the time. Steve was looking for some rain suits for those of us at Lorado at the time. Steve had just given me his rain jacket before he went to Lundale. He told those there that everyone was afraid the dam was going to burst at Three Forks. There were no rain suits so Steve went back up Buffalo Creek toward Lorado."Scaggs said the disaster happened within moments.

"Not long after that Dad and his friends heard a very loud roar. They looked outside and all they could see was debris — pieces of houses, a woman on a mattress, etc." he said. "They saw no water at the time. Dad ran to his car and drove to his and Mom's house at Robinette. He got out about 50 yards ahead of the debris. On the way, he saw some men on the bridge at Stowe. He stopped and asked them what they were doing there. They told him they were told by an Amherst Coal Company official to go there and take a woman off a mattress as she went by. Dad told them they were not going to be able to do that because of the massiveness of the debris in front of the flood and that they needed to get to high ground. They did just that.

He drove on home and told Mom to go to a neighbor's house on the hill behind theirs. He called the radio station and talked with Bill Becker. He then tried calling our home to see where I was. The phone went . He then went up the hill behind the house and watched as the flood went by. He did not see the in the dam. He was not an inspector. He was the payroll manager for Amherst Coal. "Scaggs said that Marty Backus of the Beckley Register Herald had once done a story on the incident what was accurate to what had happened that day."I believe Marty was working at the radio station that Bill Becker owned and maybe received the call from Dad," he explained.Some people's lives were destroyed by the Buffalo Creek Flood. Others have managed to overcome the tragedy.

var site="s17sludgesafety"

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition

Coal River Mountain Watch

Concerned Citizens in Mingo County

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Johnny Spradlin and wife

"Johnny Spradlin and wife", that's what it says on the back of every picture. So far I haven't been able to find anybody who knows his wife's name. A perfect example of how women were treated as 2nd. rate citizens to their husbands.
Don't they look happy though. I think these are newlywed pictures, but that's just what I think.

Old Christian Children's Fund Postcard

This post card was with a group of pictures from the 40's, 50's and 60's. I don't know the exact date for it though.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Cake in the Face!

My mom loves cakes from our local bakery. One year I don't remember if it was mother's day or for her birthday (her birthday is June 4th.) we got her a cake. We knew that she would sneak and taste it so WE WARNED HER not to eat it until it was time. SHE DID NOT LISTEN.

We walked in and caught her - ed (or icing fingered if you will) in the cake. So my brother walked over and picked up the cake and planted it firmly IN HER FACE! The whole time the cake was embedded in her face she was chomping it as fast as she could. It was one of the greatest presents that she ever received she said."A WHOLE CAKE JUST FOR ME!"

Obviously we couldn't eat any after it was buried all over her face. (It was much too mangled after that) We even have pictures of the cake in her face. (at least we did until the house burned down)

Fun Stuff!


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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Camoflauge Christmas

When I was growing up my mom would hide a present on the tree for me to find every year. It was usually some kind of jewelry, but it could have been a special ornament or trinket as well. It was up to me to figure it out. Sometimes I would hunt for hours...sometime a few minutes.

My great dream present when I was a kid was a horse. One year my parents told me to go out and see was was tied underneath the balconey. I couldn't believe my ears! I raced outside and looked over the railing to see a perfectly saddled, horse tied to the post - a 12 inch tall plastic one that is. Disappointment can not describe what I felt that Christmas. Laughter and mirth were what my parents were feeling though.

How was your Christmas?

Thanks to my mom, mine turned out just as I had hoped. I went to see her and even though she doesn't decorate or cook, we had a good visit. She gave me enough money to get some tires and a much overdue oil change. That is a load off my mind. I got her a manicure set for people with arthritis and a smorgasboard of different kinds of licorice - her favorite candy. My sister was not in attendance which made the day that much better.

I stopped on the way home and ordered the Chinese feast that I have been dreaming about for the past couple of years. I picked at it and I fully intend to pick some more over the next couple days. Eddie was nice enough to fry a bunch of chicken up for me. I told him I would take care of the sides but I was much too tired to cook anything at all. Normally I don't eat fried chicken but it's a holiday so "what the hell". I might as well enjoy myself.

I am surrounded by all my beautiful decorations. Unfortunately they are surrounded by squalor because I have been unable to do much since the stress test on the 14th. It was a good thing I had my decorations up before then. I tried to keep the dishes done but that endeavor was unsuccessful as well as the other housekeeping chores that need to be done.

I worked three times since the heart stress test. I took too many breaks and went home early twice. I will try to work again Monday. Wednesday is the heart cath. We'll just have to see what happens after that.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Why Can't I Find the Christmas Star?

One Christmas Eve when I was around 8 years old, we were pulling in the drive-way after making our Christmas rounds, I asked my dad a question. I had been looking for the Christmas Star which the Bible said was over the baby Jesus' manger when he was born. Actually I had been looking for it for several years, I just had not said anything to anybody about it.

"Daddy, why can't I find the Christmas Star?"

"Why Pam? The sky is full of stars. What are you talking about?"

"No Daddy, I mean the Christmas Star, the one the wiseman followed to find the baby Jesus."

"Oh, that star. That star was only out the night that Christ was born. It was there so that men could find Jesus. If you want to find Jesus now all you have to do is look into your heart."

"Ok, Daddy."

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

That darn cat!

One year I had a cat that knocked down the Christmas Tree 3 times. The third time I did not redecorate it! I just stood it up and left it that way until the day after Christmas. It was negative 30 that year and I had to bring all my animals in the house for Christmas: 2 greyhounds, an otterhound and her 8 puppies, a samoyed, a minature husky and that cat. Nobody caused any problems other than the cat!

Other than that it was an excellent Christmas! That was the year that my foot was run over by a truck and I spent 9 months in bed. My husband had to do all the major holidays for us while I just laid back and watched. He did a very good job and that is the year that I learned that he actually enjoyed the holidays. I had finally rubbed off on "Old Scroogie".

I called him "Scroogie" because the first year we were married he complained so much about my preparations for Christmas that the next year I threatened to divorce him (and I meant it) if he ruined another Christmas for me. He was so bad, I even had a Santa hat made for him that said "Baa Humbug" on it which he proudly wore!

It was also the year I learned to bake a turkey upside down. When Bobby first put it in the oven that way I laughed at him and told him it was wrong. He told me he was cooking it and he was doing it his way - so I shut up. The surprise came when he served me a perfectly cooked turkey.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Frenzy began last Saturday!

It happens every year. The shoppers hit the stores in the last week before Christmas and they don't even care what they buy - as long as they buy something to put under the tree. The merchandise is strewn all throughout the store because there aren't enough employees to go behind people and pick the stuff up.

It is a marathon. Standing at the cashier, niceties practically forgotten as an endless line of shoppers wait to pay for their purchases. I must say people seem to be in a better mood this year. I have yet to have a crazed shopper's tirade directed at me because we had the nerve to run out of scotch tape or pokemon cards that no kid has asked for in the past 3 years.

I have noticed the quiet smiles of gratitude as I wish customers "Merry Christmas." For the past couple of years I dreaded to even mention the words because the tirade about political correctness from people who were actually happy to hear the words was worse than listening to someone who didn't celebrate the holiday. (93% of Americans celebrate Christmas)

I did wish a lady a Merry Christmas the other day and she thanked me but told me she didn't celebrate the holiday. I proceeded to wish her "the most wonderful day ever" with a big smile. She smiled back at me and told me she would. She said it was her first trip to our store and she really enjoyed it. I told her is was a pleasure to have her and to please come again and she assured me that she would.

I keep my head down and my chin up until the frenzy ends on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas to All!