Earlier in the week, we received a large quantity of peaches and zucchini (of course) from our neighbors, who receive it from an organization that distributes surplus produce. I reasoned that these free goodies would be a good opportunity to experiment with preservation with no cost to us (except the cost of equipment, which is really an investment). So, I did a little research and went out to buy pectin, paraffin, canning jars (my wife had unwisely discarded jars from spaghetti sauce, apples...
I referenced this in another blog, but it was another subject entirely. When I was 18, I committed a crime, and was taken in by the police. Because they had nothing on me, I was held as a "material witness" as they investigated the crime. I quickly discovered the consequences of this status. As a "material witness", I did not even have the rights of the other prisoners. I was persona non grata, and, as far as I knew, jailed indefinitely until I confessed to the crime. After two weeks of ...
A recent blog referenced a SCOTUS decision where a drug dog sniffed out marijuana in a man's car, initiating a search. SCOTUS determined the search was legal. This article isn't about the rightness or wrongness of the search. I have my own feelings, you likely have yours. It is, however, about the fact that such searches are consistent with application of the law in the US for some time. About two years ago, I gave a friend of mine a ride to pick up his children from the boys and girls clu...
Here are some cuts I propose for Bush and company for the coming year. I'm not in all cases suggesting we do away with these departments completely, but that we seriously cut back (he said he wants to remove redundant federal agencies among other things). I'm sure most people will agree with some departments, disagree with others: The Department of Homeland Security: Homeland Security should be under an already existing cabinet post, that of the Defense Department. The United States w...
Well, I was delighted when I checked my post office box today (we don't get street mail out here). In it were two catalogs, one for wood burning stoves, the other for greenhouses. Now, don't get me wrong. The wood burning stove catalog will get its fair perusal, when the weather starts to turn and we need to get off of this expensive albatross known as the gas company. But for now, my thoughts and energy are on the greenhouse. I can well see how the temptation to overspend can quickly over...
I read with great interest the news story that the mosque founded by Hakeem Olajuwon, the former center for the Houston Rockets, donated money to Islamic charities that are fronts for terrorist organizations. As with the earlier flap about Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), the question quickly arises: How does someone so truly moderate in every way get so involved in terror organizations? I'll tell you how. It's not as hard as you think. When I became a Christian, I was very zealous for ...
Two fairly recent articles made me think about this issue (I won't "out" the author of either article, as I respect them both highly, and I understand the issues that cause the one author to feel as he/she does) of how men and women are perceived in stereotype. There is a tendency to perceive the woman as being good, decent, nurturing, loving, and all of the qualities of niceness. While my wife embodies these qualities most of the time, there are certainly women (my mother, my sister, and, qu...
While updating myself on another person's recent article about celebrating birthdays in schools, I was brought back to one of the chronic complaints of childhood, and how it applies to life in general. The justification was given that, to be "fair" to the one child whose parents didn't believe in birthdays, NOBODY in the class should be allowed to celebrate a birthday. Now, excuse me for asking, but what kind of chickenS&*^ NONSENSE is THAT? LIFE isn't fair. Some people come into it ...
The liberals in this country have spent the last 4 plus years deriding president Bush and opposing virtually every policy Bush has brought to the table. This has led to a decmation in their ranks. Yet, in their thickheadedness, they refuse to acknowledge their own role in their downfall. President Bush is submitting a budget of $2.57 trillion dollars to Congress. As I stated in a previous article, that's too much. It is the equivalent of a worker making $20,000 and spending $25,000....while i...
A little background, for those who don't know. During World War II, families were encouraged to plant "victory gardens" under the idea that, if a family produced part of their own food needs, more energy and money could be devoted to the war effort. While the need for victory gardens is slightly different in this day and age, I believe the concept is one that is much needed, both to improve the quality of our food and to increase the sense of community in many towns and cities across the nation....
I'll throw a shocker to some of you who know my tendency towards back to earth living: I'm actually IN FAVOR of genetically modified foods on a commercial scale. Years ago, it was virtually inconceivable that we could begin to support the vast numbers of people currently residing on this planet. The fact that we've done a grossly inefficient job of distributing the food fairly notwithstanding, we have made INCREDIBLE strides in maximizing yields over minimum area, and we HAVE the resources to...
West Hollywood has done it again. One of the first communities in the US to designate people as "pet guardians" rather than "pet owners", they are now proposing outlawing of such things as tail bobbing, ear cropping, or other surgeries done for "noncurative" reasons. They alreayd have outlawed the declawing of cats, and continue on this ridiculous trend. What is most ironic, is that these folks are at the head of the "spay and neuter" crowd. So lemme get this straight: whacking off a dog's...
One of the endless stream of contradictions streaming from the left is the concept of mandatory child support. It's enforced, and usually the money is directly debited from the nuncustodial father's paycheck. This leads, in effect, to many fathers taking under the table work or skipping between jobs before a court order can be obtained to garnish their current wages. But most importantly, when it is taken against the will of the noncustodial father, it represents a glaring contradiction. Beca...
See, this is what hacks me about the "big two" parties (dem & rep). I remember, when Clinton was president, the "balanced budget" was a HUGE priority. The Democrats were the big, bad guys because they couldn't muster a budget that reduced deficit spending. The Republicans ran in 1994 with fanfare and a "Contract with America" that proposed, among other things, just that. It was a PR coup for the GOP. The government shut down over the differences between the Democrat and the Congressional ...
I was reading a book the other day to prepare for raising chickens. One of the things they cautioned against was using city water to water chickens. Why, you ask? Two reasons: chlorine and flouride, present in many municipal water treatment facilities. Both agents were added to our water supply on the presumption that they were "good" for us (in fact, in the case of flouride, I remember lining up in school for flouride rinse treatments). In both cases, time has proven that the negative hea...