I don't know how to light my gas fireplace - I just can't remember.  We didn't use it last year?  I just don't know, so John is coming over here right now to light it.  I have been cold all day, and the temp. is about 8 deg. now outside.  Inside, it's barely 62 deg. and I just need a few more degrees to take the chill off. 

I had lunch with school chums today, but haven't done anything else to speak of.  Except try to light the fireplace....I can't find the pilot light. 

So far, I have gotten catalogs from Pinetree Seeds, Seymour's Selected Seeds, Vermont Bean Seed Co., and Totally Tomatoes.  I love seed catalogs, and will spend many an evening nestled in bed, reading and dreaming about growing things.  And many other catalogs are sure to arrive.   

I made the best chili ever yesterday; so good, I'm afraid I may overindulge, so I'm being careful to avoid eating too much of it.  It featured one quart of canned tomatoes from my garden, and also 24 oz. of frozen beans and venison I made in my slow cooker some time ago, along with one pound of ground beef, browned; a package of chili seasoning mix, one large onion, chopped; a 6 oz. can of tomato paste, a little salt, pepper, paprika and thyme.  Of course, the beans were already flavored with vinegar and brown sugar, to name a few of the ingredients.  I also added in a few tablespoons of peach/pineapple salsa; and this chili did not give me heartburn at all. 

I've been walking with Pepper every day, and I'm getting stronger; my breathing lessons are paying off.  I can go farther than ever without tiring. 

Yesterday, I renewed my effort to clean out the attic, and succeeded in emptying ONE box.  Some things got thrown out, and some things were washed and saved.  The saved things - including a pair of short antlers - now barely cover the bottom of a small(er) box.  Then I found a box of Christmas decorations and ended the day's effort by putting the tree up.  It's a small, tabletop tree that I always put up on the console TV in the living room.  Also have a ceramic tree for my bedroom. 

But soon after, another lamp ceased to function on my desktop.  And Pepper accidentally pulled down a stained glass lamp, having gotten tangled in the cord somehow, breaking out some panels, but the lamp still works.  My house is now festooned with broken lamps that don't work. 

Google the above, SaveDarfur.org to sign a petition to President Bush to push for several good and effective remedies to the genocide going on in Darfur now.  I went there and signed the petition; I don't have money to donate, but it's the least I could do. 

I am feeling well and strong again, the holiday being over; and today, I'll be branching out and attempting to make progress on the attic cleanout.  It takes so long to get past the daily necessities of life.  Yesterday, I tried to clip Daphne's toenails, got 3 of them done before she ran out of patience and began to violently protest.  Today, maybe another three. 

I also got my novel printed out - the second revision, and I see where a lot of it is not so good.  I'm going to do a serious editing, even if it changes the story significantly.  I started last night. 

And now to get back to normal life.  I felt sick again all yesterday, so I fed the remaining turkey and stuffing to the dogs, who liked it a lot.  I have been doing breathing exercises, and feel that they have helped me a lot.  Especially the solar/lunar breathing techniques. 

Yogis who have spent years studying the breathing process have noticed that the breath changes from one side to the other at regular intervals (about every two hours).  The breath sometimes comes out of the right nostril and sometimes out of the left.  And sometimes, it comes out of both nostrils.  There is a practice for gaining conscious control over the breath, solar/lunar or alternate-nostril breathing, that involves blocking the left nostril with a finger or thumb while slowly inhaling through the right nostril.  When the inhalation is complete, hold the breath for awhile, then block the right nostril through which you just inhaled, and exhale through the left nostril.  Then inhale through the left nostril, hold, switch blocking, and exhale through the right nostril.  This completes one round of alternate-nostril breathing.  Build yourself up to 20 rounds, four times daily.  If done early morning, midday, sunset and midnight, after three months, all "channels" in the body will be purified, and all karmas will be destroyed.  It balances the breath and helps to gain control over parasympathetic processes such as heartbeat, blood circulation and body temperature, enabling a person to gain control over the life force itself. 

I began this process recently when I noticed that quite often, I just don't breathe at all.  I exhale and hold THAT; this can't be good.  It's like holding your breath under water to see how long you can go without oxygen.  I have already noticed the effects of my breathing practice (although I have a long way to go) as being positive and healthful. 

I have also decided to print out the second version of my novel and edit it again; maybe I'll screw up my courage and send it to a publisher again....doesn't take much to discourage me.     

Still, the temps are in the 40's, and the 10" snowfall has all disappeared.  I heard that the black bears have not even hibernated yet, and are still coming around the birdfeeders, but I haven't seen one here lately.  Yesterday, I went over to my daughter's house, got to see my family for a few more hours, ate some more turkey, etc. 

I AM sick of turkey, though, especially after two meals of turkey yesterday again, and will give the remainder to the dogs, who seem to enjoy it very much.  I dreamed I got 3 more dogs last night, and spent the whole night filling out forms, so I could keep track of them.  It was difficult, because I had to keep going back in the dream to review how the forms were set up - ugh! - I think this is a nightmare!

My son is back home, my daughter and I spent another 3 hours on the phone last night...everyone in my family now seems to want to review their life and want me to assist them in recalling things from the past.  We were laughing that I have become the family guru.  My brother and I spent another couple of hours on the phone after that. 

And in brighter news, the seed catalogs have begun to arrive!  I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to read a few pages, but then the triptofan kicked in and I fell asleep.   

I had a wonderful time yesterday and last evening, celebrating Thanksgiving at the family's restaurant.  There must have been at least 50 people there, filling up the whole place; almost every table was taken, and the food was fantastic.  I brought 3 quarts of my home-made applesauce, and it was a big hit.  There was regular turkey, turduckin (turkey and duck meat together) and yet another turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, a mushroom/spinach dish (very good), a green bean dish (too gooey), a sweet potato dish (way overdone), my applesauce, cranberry sauce, my daughter's Jello salad, and some very wonderful appetizers beforehand with all the Lambrusco I could drink.  What a wonderful family!  And cleaning up was a snap, what with the professional dishcleaning machinery.  My daughter vacuumed the place this morning, one of her regular chores. 

But during the night, I woke up with that sore throat trying to come back, a headache, night sweats and sore feet from the high heeled shoes I wore.  I haven't worn high heels for about 2 years, and it hurt!  I told my family I am not coming over today, but will come tomorrow.  We can just eat leftovers for a few days.  My son liked his chairs very much and was glad to get them.  He didn't get a deer this year during the hunting season.  He usually does, and was a little disappointed.  He always takes his deer to a professional processor. 

It's cool in the house today, me having turned the heat way down, so I am going to rest in bed most of today, until it is time to get up and eat again.  I have been working on my determination to lose weight.  I want to lose 45-50 pounds, oh, wouldn't that be loverly.  Right now would be a good time to begin - how many times have I said that.  But I must not get discouraged.  I've done it before (lost weight) and I can do it again. 

We have a lot to be thankful for....

I spent the whole day cooking yesterday, since I will be away all day today.  I finished up at 10:00 last night, having made a complete T-Day dinner with turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, yams, cranberry sauce, and a jello salad.  So we sat down and ate last night, since we were very hungry by then, and enjoyed our Thanksgiving early.  All put away in the refrigerator by midnight; I am washing the dishes in the dishwasher this morning.

I have a lot to do today even, to get ready to go to the T-Day bash I have been invited to at the restaurant where my daughter and son-in-law work.  My son-in-law's family owns the restaurant, and it's closed to the public today; but the 42-strong family will be gathering, and I've been invited, too.  I don't know what to wear!  I don't even want to look in my closet and drawers, I just don't have anything!

I'll be loading up the chairs I upholstered for my son; his birthday was last Sunday, but I'll give him his present today.  I haven't even had a chance to begin the upstairs yet (lie).  I've been tired and getting a lot of rest.  Arnie has lost his collar, and for hunting season, John made him a "mane" out of strips of blaze orange plastic.  He looks very strange, but nobody will mistake him for a deer, that's for sure. 

Pepper and I went for our walk yesterday, but the blue fabric I tie around her neck just doesn't show up much at all.  She does stay close to me, though, and I keep a sharp eye out for hunters.  I wear my blaze orange hunting vest and red head band. 

The other day, as John went biking down a trail in the woods, 18 turkeys ran down the trail ahead of him.  Then Arnie zoomed up and grabbed one of the birds by the wing before they could all fly up into trees.  John talked Arnie into letting the turkey go, which he did, and the big bird flew away.  When I heard this, I said why didn't you bring that turkey home for supper?  He just laughed and said he heard they were very tough, which I have heard, too.  But we could have marinated it for a day or two - that might have softened it up some. 

And we're off!  Got up early, got busy right away doing things to get ready for the big feast day, and birthday.  I've managed to cut in half one of the big volunteer squashes that grew in my garden.  It is a nice orangey-yellow inside, and I've saved 10 seeds from it.  But I just scooped the seeds out from both halves, placed each half cut side down on two cookie sheets, added just a bit of water to the bottom of each sheet, and I'm roasting both halves at 325 deg. for about one hour.  We will soon see just how they taste. 

Then I have to make cranberry sauce with all the cranberries I have bought (3 bags).  After straining them to separate the sauce from the pulp, I'll save the pulp to make cranberry bread.  I actually get heartburn from cranberry bread, unless the cranberries have been cooked and sweetened first.  This way, I have the cranberry sauce and the cranberry bread, both.

I have been catching mice as they come in now, not waiting until their numbers build up.  Right at this moment, I can say that there are probably no mice in the house.  I use a combination of traps - one is the standard Victor trap, and the other is a small bucket, only about 12" high, with about 3 inches of water in the bottom.  I throw in a few sunflower seeds and set the bucket next to a regular mousetrap.  The bucket one works better than the storebought one.  Once they jump in the bucket to get the seeds, they can't jump out again because of the few inches of water, and they drown.  Although it seems cruel, it isn't as cruel as those sticky traps.  And sometimes, they struggle in the Victor traps, too.

Then I have a chiropractor appointment at 11:00 this morning to see if my back is holding out and behaving.  Although I do have aches and pains, it is probably arthritis more than anything else, and I can deal with it. 

And of course, the daily walk with Pepper, that we both look forward to.  I can't NOT go, I just put a blaze orange scarf around her neck, and I wear a blaze orange vest.  I haven't heard any shots at all this year near the house anyway.   

My son, the baby of the family, was born 40 years ago today.  On that day, the first day of hunting season, the snow was over knee deep, it was about 15 deg. below zero, and there was a brisk breeze.  That's how hunting seasons used to be here in the northwoods.  I went hunting with my father and brother every year, even though I did not carry a gun.  My dad used us kids to act as dogs, driving through a patch of woods, yipping and keeping about 40 feet apart, while he waited in front of us to see what we might scare out.  Nowadays, we are lucky to have enough snow for tracking, which is what we have now in the woods.  Temps today are going to be over 40 degrees.  There were times back then when we had to wade through hip-deep snow.  Our flannel lined jeans would become completely encased in frozen snow/ice, staying reasonably warm inside, if you kept moving, that is.  Cold feet was the biggest danger, as we were usually miles from the car, and you just might need to stop and build a little fire to warm your tootsies up at.  While you were at it, you could toast your sandwiches that you had packed for lunch.  That was considered a luxury. 

Today, my son and his hunting buds will each be sitting in their appointed tree stands, waiting for a deer to come along.  If they get too cold, they can climb down and go back to the hunting shack.  The biggest danger is that they might fall out of their tree stands.  Or I always worry about stray bullets, but that was a danger back when also.  Well, 40 years old, and I have finished the chairs for his dining room set.  I don't know yet what else I may get him for his birthday.

It's a sunny day, I will go for a walk again, tying a bright cloth around Pepper's neck, and I will be donning my blaze orange vest.  Today is the day I can resume working on the upstairs, making a bedroom in the attic.  It's been a long time since I worked at it, because I was so busy with all the produce from my garden and the upholstery. 

I am looking forward to next year's garden, already anticipating the seed catalogs that come a little earlier every year.  I want to have very high fencing around my perennial beds this year.  No more nibbled off asparagus, strawberry, rhubarb - oh, the list is long of what the deer ate this past year.  This year, the fences will be higher and stronger; I will make a cat's cradle of twine and/or wire over the tops of the beds, and I plan to grow many more things in container rows, such as beans, so they won't lay on the bare soil and get dirty. 

I have harvested the seeds from the marigolds I brought in.  When the flowers die, just pull off the dried flowers and the whole bunch of seeds come right out of the flower base.  I set these on a paper plate and they finish drying; then I bag them up in plastic baggies for next year's marigolds.  Of course, there are many more seeds than what I can grow.  My daughter and I should package them and sell them, if possible. 

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter?  Both have the same amount of calories.  Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams in margarine.  Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.  Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.  Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few, only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.  Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine....Very high in trans fatty acids.  Triples the risk of coronary heart disease.  Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).  Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.  Lowers quality of breast milk.  Decreases immune response.  Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC....This fact alone is enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).  You can try this yourself:  Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:  No flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something).  It does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value.  Nothing will grow on it, not even those teeny weeny microorganisms will find a home to grow on. Why?  Because it is nearly plastic.  Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

But the proof, for me, was that after reading the above facts about margarine vs. butter, I switched to butter, and my cholesterol levels, both bad and good, dropped significantly.  I am down in the preferred range, now.  So today, I am launching a new campaign - to lose the weight.  And this means, primarily, smaller food portions.  And exercise.  The doctor has already told me I am doing something right. 
 

I went for an especially long walk today with Pepper, as tomorrow is the first day of deer hunting season, and she could be mistaken for a small bear.  All black, short stubby tail, rather fat, except that she has pointy ears that kind of bend over.  So from now on, I'll either be tying a red flag on both of us, or just start doing those indoor exercises.  But that won't make her happy.  The walks are extremely important to her - when she knows we're going, she cries and "talks" to me, so excited.  Daphne just waits for us in front of the house.  I don't know if she'll ever be much of a walker.  Her tiny feet seem to be overburdened just getting in and out of the house. 

I got quite a bit done yesterday on the upholstery; finished one chair completely, and glued the broken leg on the last chair.  Today, I want to drill holes into the joints, find appropriate screws and get them in there.  That should make the chair sturdy again. 

As I lay in bed last night, I was thinking about what I wanted to blog today, but now I can't remember a thing about it.  Was it about DARFUR and the terrible things the jonjaweed (sp?) is doing there?  Maybe we shouldn't send troops, but photographers, yes, and get in the faces of people who are backing up these militias.  I see where finally, the U.N. is supposedly going to do something?  I don't know what's taking them so long to do anything about it.  I smell another oil rat in here somewhere. 

Oh, I remember now what I was going to blog.  It has to do with my diet, begun today, and how I have beaten the cholesterol rap already.  I better make another whole entry here.  

The sun was shining yesterday, glistening on the leftover snow that fell last week, not much left of it, and I went to town to have brunch with a couple of girlfriends who I haven't seen for awhile.  We talked and ate breakfast at the Best Western, then I went shopping at a grocery store, picking up apples, oranges, grapefruit, russet potatoes, yams, Cool-Whip, and lots of meat they had on sale; country-style pork ribs, almost 4 lbs. of hamburger, cube steaks and a loaf of bread.  There - now all my grocery money is spent. 

The other day, I used up all fruit I had on hand and made a chutney.  I had been wanting to make a chutney for quite some time, but it was the perfect time to do it, just before the holidays.  I used a big can of sliced peaches in syrup, chopped; 6 apples that were beginning to wrinkle, peeled, cored and chopped; a pint jar of stewed plums that had been sitting in the frig for a couple of months, but were still good; half a big box of raisins that had become hardened, but were still good; a large sweet onion, chopped; 1 tsp. each of cumin, cinnamon and ginger; a dash of salt, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1-1/2 cups of brown sugar, firmly packed.  Cooked slowly in an open soup pot for one hour on low heat, stirred frequently, then ladled into jars, capped and frozen when cool.  It's quite warm, spicy and goes well with meat, they say.  Well, I've got the meat now.

Today, we've gone back to gray and gloomy weather, and I have another chiropractor appointment.  It will be interesting to see if I've improved or gotten worse over the past 2 weeks.  I am going to take 2 coats that belonged to my mother over to Good Will today.  Let someone who needs them get them.

And the too-big turkey my daughter and I got the other day?  Her husband figured out that we both looked at the weight upside down.  So instead of 15.91 lbs. it really was 19.51 - no, that doesn't make sense now - we aren't dyslexic.  Anyway, the turkey WILL fit into the deep fryer, and everything is fine.  Her husband and my son will put on their "Real Men Fry Turkey" aprons and do the job, as they have done every year since they got that turkey fryer.  I still want to make a traditional turkey, but I will do it with a turkey breast that I got, just put stuffing all around it and roast it in the oven, just so we'll have some at home to enjoy at our leisure.

After taking a nice walk with Pepper, slogging through the snow, my daughter drove over and picked me up.  We went to town, and I tagged along with her from store to store, and I DIDN'T spend any money to speak of.  That was good.  She bought a big turkey for Thanksgiving, but when she got it home, it was too big to fit into their turkey fryer.  If they won't take it back, I will buy it from her, roast the bird, and freeze most of it; will have turkey until next spring.

Ah, yes, the snow loads just keep on sliding off the roof, a bit at a time.  Metal roofing is clearly superior to shingles for preventing ice dams from building up on your roof edges.

Well, I've procrastinated long enough - it's time to get busy and finish upholstering the chairs for my son.  With so little left to do, the job shouldn't take me more than a day.  However, there is a broken or split leg on one of the chairs, and I will need to do some gluing and screwing there.   

I found a big head of cauliflower at the organic produce store for only $1.00, so I got it and made soup:

             Cauliflower Soup

In a big soup pot, put the chopped cauliflower head and 4 or 5 cups of water, depending on the size of the head.  Add 4 or 5 chicken boullion cubes, 2 big tblspns. chicken soup base.  Simmer for about 10 minutes; meanwhile, chop and add 1/2 cup onion.  Cut up small, 2 slices of white bread, add this to the pot.  Add 2 cups milk, 2 tblspns. worchestershire sauce, 2 tsp. salt. Cut 4 to 6 oz. American processed cheese into cubes, add to pot, stir well.  Keep simmering until cauliflower is tender and cheese is melted.

It has snowed about 10 inches altogether.  I stayed in bed yesterday; it was cold in the house, and I just didn't feel like doing anything because I felt cold, too.  But today, I feel warmer and will go out and enjoy the day, probably going for a walk with Pepper, at least.  I have to get my truck brushed off, and the ice chiseled off my windshield.  We haven't done any snowblowing yet, and will just ram through out to the road.  I have to go get the mail.  The dogs love the snow and the birdies appreciate the food I put out for them.  The Packers play later today.....

I need to finish upholstering the dining room chairs.  I don't know why I procrastinate so much.  Everything is just waiting there for me to finish doing it. 

Cook one peeled, cubed sweet potato (or yam) in water until just tender.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Cook one medium summer squash (I used veg. spag. squash) in water until just tender.  Drain and set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove peel, scoop out seeds, and chop.  You could also use a small zucchini, raw; in that case, just wash it and chop it. 

Boil 2 cups of farfalle (bowtie pasta) in salted water until al dente.  Actually, any pasta would do.  Drain, set aside in large bowl.  Add to it, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/4 cup salsa, the cubed sweet potato, the chopped summer squash, 1 small red sweet pepper, cut small; 1 cucumber, seeded and partially peeled, chopped; 1/2 cup of cashews, walnuts or sunflower seeds; a little freshly minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic salt).  Over all, sprinkle with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tblspn. balsamic vinegar mixed with 1 tblspn. honey; 1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt; and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese.  Toss to coat and serve with a glass of red wine.

It began snowing this morning, and heavily, too.  It is very pretty and soft out there, and the dogs had to be wiped off when they got back in the house.  They were white and each one had enough snow on to make a snowball. 

Having gotten the sewing machine up and running yesterday, today will be a good day to work on the two dining room chairs I am reupholstering for my son.  His birthday is this month, so I need to finish them before hunting season begins.  He will be coming up for that with his friends. 

I swept off my bike (it had spider webs on it) and went for a ride this morning, came back in, and began working on getting my sewing machine up and running.  Did I mention that I found the cord right under my nose?  But that's nothing compared with the difficulties I encountered when trying to get the sewing machine going....apparently, the bobbin winder was "on" and the needle wouldn't move up and down appropriately.  I took the whole machine apart, testing as I went along, and eventually, got it all put back together again properly.  It is running, but I have 5 parts left over - well, four screws and a thinga-ma-bob.  I'll keep these in a plastic baggie next to the bobbins in case I ever need them, but the good news is,  having cut out the pieces for the two chair backs, these were sewed up in a jiffy, and I'm ready to assemble. 

I only had to spend two hours to "fix" the sewing machine, and approximately 5 minutes to do the sewing, but that seems to be the way things go.  I just came back in again, the weather is beautiful, but cool.  I went around behind the house, and picked up all the extension cords, screws, buckets, scraps of metal roofing, etc. and got everything put away.  Back in the house, I had to blow my nose and used a kleenex that was lying right there, only to realize it had sewing machine oil on it, after using it, of course.  Ah yes....  I am a little shackhappy, after all.

Wind is already proven safe and cost effective.  And that old saw..."We will be lucky to see solar and wind contributing 10% of our power by 2021'..that since renewables are a small part of the energy market now, they can't expand quickly.  Well that's pure bunk.

The same kind of bunk that buggy whip manufacturers used to appease their shareholders at the advent of the horseless carriage. 

Only 1% of people use horseless carriages, therefore buggy whip sales will continue to be strong well into the second half of the 20th century!  Equals..Invest in nuclear and fossil power now!!  Renewables are only a tiny portion of the market.

In the case of nuclear it is like the buggy whippers figured they could maybe build carriages the horses ride inside of on treadmills.   In order to keep buggy whip sales going.  And got billions in corporate welfare (stolen from taxpayers) to develop!

Nuclear fuel, fossil fuel.  It's still fuel, with plenty of deadly dangerous pollution, climate disaster producing greenhouse gases, and toxic waste.

Abandon your buggy whips, get onto the renewable power bandwagon, the "horseless carriage" of this energy re-evolution.

I just got back and had my lunch.  I voted, was No. 325 at my polling place, went on into town, paid light bill, bought another Christmas present on sale at Shopko, then got groceries at Aldi's.  And home again; it's a gray and gloomy day, but I had green lights at every stop sign, so I took it as an omen that things are going to get better, politically.  Hmmm....

Found sled dog, Arnie, asleep in MY bed when I got  home, but he is so adorable, that I just hug him, even though he acts guilty.  That doesn't mean he will move, though.  I even had to give him his liver sausage treat in bed.  What a spoiled boy!  I now have 3 presents bought for Christmas, so that's a good start. 

I'm still tired and sore from yesterday's workouts, first with the leaf blower, then my hike with Pepper, and last, hauling stuff back into the house from the garage.  Jeesh!

VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE

I spent some time yesterday with the leaf blower, probably about an hour, ear protectors on, and got quite a bit of leaves off the driveway and from around the house.  I am suitably sore today, but much of it, especially in my right hand, is arthritic in nature. 

I also went into the garage, and brought back to the house some Christmas decorations, some forgotten books, and what I went in there for - albums of dance music.  These are the vinyl albums, 33-1/3 speed, and I've decided that I want to hear them again; but mostly, I want to dance again.  I was a dancer 20 years ago now, and I never ever had back pain.  When I get my old record player hooked up and put on this music, well, I should be able to exercise properly and heal my own back pains. 

In the meantime, today is the day to VOTE.  I'm in the process of getting ready to go now.  I'll VOTE first, then go to Aldi's and get some groceries, pay the light bill, maybe even buy another Christmas present.  I hope and pray even, that every person who is a citizen gets out there today and VOTES!

VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE

Only one day to go until, for better or the same, we all get to vote and put an end to the interminable campaigning (including my own).

I spent some time outside yesterday, going for a walk in the woods.  It's damp, but warm, out; the ground still is not frozen.  Then used my Woodsman's Pal (a blunt machete) to chop down the corn stalks in the garden.  These I piled over the drainfield of the septic system.  I wanted to use the infernal leaf blower, but decided not to regale the neighborhood with that noise on a Sunday. 

It's the full moon, but rather cloudy, so there is just a soft glow at night.  I had to turn down the heat again.  When the ground freezes, I'll use the straw bale and spread it over the asparagus bed, and some other places besides, to protect them from freezing.  I have no idea if the asparagus will be able to survive the constant nibbling of the deer this past summer.  Sometimes their nibbling helps plants thrive and spread, as in the case of daylilies, and I'm hoping the same can be said for the asparagus.  And to think, only a short time, and the new seed catalogs will be coming out. 

All right, so what is the Democratic plan for Iraq?  It's the Biden plan - to temporarily or arbitrarily draw lines between the Shiites, the Sunnis, and the Kurds; and have one President to preside over all.  So there would be three states, and this might be the key to stopping the genocide or ethnic cleansing that is beginning to go on now.  Also, Murtha  has suggested that our troops be redeployed back to Kuwait, and if ethnic cleansing starts in earnest, then we would be forced to intervene and protect the people. 

This sounds like a pretty good plan to me, but I would add to it, that some of the troops should be redeployed back into Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban from retaking the country; that seems to be the latest assessment from that area.  We should get our eye back on the ball and try to find and capture bin Laden. 

But there's not much we can do for Iraq now, at least until we have withdrawn.  They, like us, I suspect, will never be at peace while invaders have taken over their country.  No rebuilding effort on our part now would be tolerated, so we shouldn't even try to rebuild infrastructure. 

And of course, the mercenary contractors should be stopped in their tracks - the hiring of professional soldiers, with taxpayer dollars, to do the bidding of big corporations and important individuals, while our soldiers get 1/5 of what they are paid.

Here, the weather has turned warmer, it's currently sunny, and I'm going for a walk with my dog.  I made chicken soup yesterday, using the carcass of the chicken Jill gave me.  I also made venison roast, that also was given by Jill. 

Jill has built a shelter near where she is going to put in a new garden.  She has buried the butt ends of saplings into the ground in a 14' x 8' oval, tied the thinner tops together, covered with branches and a tarp.  Insulated the inside, put in a foam and plywood floor, and yesterday, moved a bed into it.  With John's help, moving the bed.  John is also slant-cutting a dead aspen to make oval slabs.  He is laying these down to make a path to the lake.  Today, he and Jill are going to try to make a stove out of a half-barrel to keep her shelter warm.  One of these days, I would like to go over there and see what she's doing.

Oh, and please, please, remember to get out there and VOTE on Tuesday.

So the Administration is politically manipulating Saddam Hussein's sentencing to coincide with our elections.  They want one of their popularity spikes right when it's time to vote.  They've had 3 spikes:  1) Saddam being captured  2) the purple fingers election  3) Zarqawi being killed.  Now they are going to try to influence our election by timing Saddam's sentencing.  Their justice system is not a justice system, because justice doesn't follow a predetermined time-line.  How can a court be fair if it follows a political agenda?

The thing they have convicted Saddam of is the revenge killing of hundreds of villagers after a failed assassination attempt.  Remember George Bush's rationalizing our invasion and killing of 655,000 Iraqis with "He tried to kill my daddy?"

And the latest seditious incompetence - putting up the exact way to build the Bomb - it's been up on the government's website for months, before being pulled recently.  Is this so the terrorists could get going and finally build a weapon of mass destruction, to justify more invasions, "nation-building" and war profiteering?       

They said the oil of Iraq would pay for the war.  We never hear anything about the oil.  It's as if it doesn't exist.  Who is getting the oil?  Who is making the profits from Iraqi oil?  The taxpayers and school children are paying for the invasion of Iraq. 

I saw Roseanne Barr on TV last night on Bill Mahr's "Real Time."  She was terrific and hit the nail on the head so many times.  I used to think she was such a mess, but she sure has got it together now.

I can't believe I haven't blogged for two days!  This is unusual....I know I spent Nov. 1 paying bills and organizing paperwork....And yesterday, I went to town and took care of many chores, did some shopping.  Did I say some shopping?  I spent $250.00!  I'm in shock.  And I only bought one little Christmas present.

I guess I am preoccupied about the upcoming election.  Here at home, I don't get any phone calls, urging me to vote for one party or the other; I guess my number is not available to them.  Other people are deluged with calls.

I am deluged with the cardboard flyers, though.  I will get 10 of them or so, each one saying bad things about their opponents.  It's a good thing I recycle...I can't imagine what the impact on the environment is from all these flyers, from the majority of voters, who do not recycle. 

And the tv ads are disgusting, so much so, that I turn the sound down so as not to hear them.  The real issue, to me, is whether or not the Dieboldt voting machines are going to work properly in this election.  It took one man less than one minute to hack into a voting machine yesterday; he was able to implant a virus that was sure to spread to other machines, making a mockery of the election.  Is this why Carl Rove is so confident? 

There needs to be accountability in the voting - why can't we have machines that print a paper receipt for the voter, showing him his vote, and another copy, printed simultaneously, inside the machine, that will show whether the machine is working properly or not?  We will lose our country for sure, if voting is compromised.  It's the last bastion of defense against tyranny.  

I watched Animal Cops, Houston, where they were rescuing the tigers and bears from an unbelievably bad situation.  It makes my heart ache to think what people are doing to these majestic animals.  It felt good to know that these individuals are receiving the care and heartfelt sympathy of the SPCA, and are now living in good conditions.  But there are so many more that need to be rescued.

I lit my sickly pumpkin this evening, but I did not have any candy on hand to give any trick-or-treaters, if they should ever come here.  I would have given them Fuji apples instead. 

My doctor visit went well, my blood pressure is still good, and my bad cholesterol is going down.  Unfortunately, so is my good cholesterol.  Who knows why?  But everything else is A-OK.  And I got my flu shot too.

My daughter is so good to me.  She had lunch all prepared for me, after my fasting regimen, in order to have my blood tested.  She made sub sandwiches and gave me fruit juice.  She is so kind and always giving me things, I am very fortunate to have her. 

I let Arnie out after dark, and though it's late, he's still not back.  I will wait and worry until he's safe inside.  John is probably just getting out of the Bob Dylan concert in Madison now, and will probably get some sleep at a friend's house before driving back, so I don't expect to see him until tomorrow sometime. 

And so, Happy Halloween to all, and to all a good night.  

And just as the sun was setting, a beautiful pink and red panorama, we put up the last sheet of metal roofing.  A few screws to hold it in place, and that was enough for the day. 

Today, I have my annual checkup at the doctor, then I'll go over to see my daughter at her house. And then, and then!  I can relax and enjoy Halloween.  We never have any trick-or-treaters here in the deep, dark woods, but I'll buy a bag of Snickers bars anyway, then get to enjoy them myself. 

John is headed to Madison to enjoy a Bob Dylan concert.  I don't expect him back before tomorrow sometime. 

John is finally putting up the green metal roofing I purchased for the back 1/3 of the house roof.  He sure is a pro.  Has it halfway done, and he's taking a break for awhile.  I am the assistant, doing whatever I can, handing things up, etc.  Then I went for a walk with Pepper in the woods and looked back at the house.  I love it!  The green is really a very good color here, and now I see where the outside walls will look good in a cedar brown color - I'm thinking board and batten siding, now.  Of course, many little details will still need to be done, but the snow and ice WILL be sliding off this winter, and there won't be any leaks, either. 

I had a chiro appointment this morning, and the adjustment always leaves me sore for the first day, but I'm hanging in there, having taken just one 350 mg. aspirin.  This single aspirin is my placebo-effect remedy for pain these days.  It just takes the edge off the pain, and I tell my brain to send out those endorphins to conquer all other pains.  It works pretty good, and this way, I won't get addicted to Vicoden.

Did I mention that Jill had given us a chicken, a whole chicken, and I roasted it, then made a lot of gravy to go with the meat, which I took off the bones.  The bony parts still have a lot of meat on, and I'm going to make soup tomorrow.  But with the chicken and gravy, I made biscuits, and now I can't stop singing "Chicken and Gravy and Biscuits," that old blues song. 

For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put 2 cups of flour in a bowl, add 2 tsps. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. sugar.  Mix it up and add to it, 1/3 cup canola oil, 2/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk.  Stir this up quickly and hand-make little balls, squish them flat, and place on an ungreased sheet.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

To make sour milk, I just add 1 tsp. lemon juice to the milk.  It sours up in a hurry.

I finally carved my pumpkin for Halloween - I made a face with slanty, sick eyes, slitty nose, and a gaping mouth with a lot of the seeds and stringy goo hanging out of the mouth.  Looks like my pumpkin is throwing up!  I saw it on the internet, and decided to make a non-traditional pumpkin this year. 

Madame President, what do you intend to accomplish in your first 100 days in office?

1.  Raise the minimum wage.  It has been suggested already that it be raised in 3 increments, and I would definitely consider subsidizing businesses that would be hard-hit by the increased payrolls.  The subsidies would be retracted when the benefits of raising the incomes actually hit the economy.

2.  Enforcement of the minimum wage is important to our economy.  We have been lied to about not wanting to do certain jobs; therefore, these non-law-abiding criminal employers argue, the jobs are given to illegal aliens, who will do the work for less than minimum wage.  This is not true, first of all, but it keeps prices down, so we put up with the lies.  It would only take a phone call to bring in the authorities to micro-manage these employers, and fine them for breaking the law. 

3.  A path of amnesty for all illegal immigrants who are here now, but serious enforcement of the borders from now on.  Saying we can't keep them from coming is, again, a lie.  We can do it if we try.  The illegals who are here now should participate in the better wages, get on the tax rolls immediately, and learn English.  My grandparents and great-grandparents learned English, and so can they.  All criminals who are illegal immigrants should be jailed and deported immediately.

(This is only 3 of the many, many things Madame President will be achieving in the 100 days.  More to follow.)

My son-in-law drove us up to Lake Superior yesterday, and we had a nice picnic lunch on the shore, while looking at the magnificent scenery and birds.  We looked at a piece of property that bordered a river, but it was a gorge, I guess; vertical down to the river and covered in trees.  At least you could use the trees to haul yourself up the slope, after viewing the river far below. 

My son-in-law made the trek; he came back breathing hard, and said there was a canoe parked down there, and it would be a beautiful, secluded spot for a small cabin, as the shoreline was firm.  We said, uh-huh, and went down the road, looking for a more civilized approach.  There were many properties for sale, but we will have to spend some time calling the numbers on the signs and talking to the people. 

The surrounding countryside is idyllic, and leaving it to come home, well, home was nice to get back to, but the lake shore is so inviting.  My problem is that I am getting old.  The kids will have to do whatever they are going to do, and I am just tagging along, now.  But it sure was a pleasant time.

Add 2 tblspns. canola oil to frying pan, saute 2 pork chops and 1 chicken breast.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika, thyme.  Turn over when browned on one side, reduce heat to very low, season other side, cover and let finish for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from heat, set aside to cool slightly.  To 2 cups salted water in pot, add 1 cup long-grain rice and 1 tblspn. butter.  When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to very low, stir once, cover and let finish for about 20 minutes.  Fluff once with fork, cover and set aside.  Using a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tblspn. sesame seed oil and 1 tblspn. canola oil.  Add 2 large eggs, scramble slightly, transfer to a dish and set aside.  Add another 1 tblspn. sesame seed oil and 1 tblspn. canola oil, turn heat down to medium.  Add to skillet, 1 medium onion, chopped; 3 stalks celery, chopped; stir and saute several minutes.  Add one 12 oz. can bean sprouts, drained; 1 small can water chestnuts, drained and chopped; 1 small can bamboo shoots, drained; and 1 small jar pimientos, drained (optional).  Stir well.  Remove pork from bones, trim fat, slice pork and chicken into small pieces, add to skillet.  Add 2 tblspns. teriyaki sauce, 5 tblspns. soy sauce, 1 tblspn. oyster-flavored sauce, and 1/2 tblspn. hoisin sauce.  Stir in scrambled eggs.  Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. white pepper (optional).  In a large bowl, combine cooked rice with vegetables and meat mixture.  For individual servings, cover plate or bowl with shredded or chopped iceberg lettuce, put about 2 cups rice mixture on top, press a spoon into rice mixture to make a crater in center.  Fill crater with plum jam.  Sprinkle chow mein noodles over all, if desired, and drizzle sweet and sour sauce (duck sauce) over the dish.  Serve with hot sauce, hot sweet mustard, soy sauce and more duck sauce as condiments.  And of course, hot tea is good with this dish.  It is also good to use 1 cup of shrimp, but I didn't have any on hand.  It was delicious, though, as it was. 

If I am able, I will go with my kids to see another property up north.  But I had a restless night and still don't feel quite well.  

Had a pretty good day yesterday, the weather was fine, and I got some laundry, dishes, and straightening done, even.  I have to put up my friend's article on renewable energy....

Convert those power plants to solar collector algae/biogas! They produce 4000 gallons of biodiesel per acre too.

Just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, Arnie knocked on the door to be let in.  He has been staying out the past two nights to keep the deer away from the  bird feeders, and he's been sleeping on the pile of straw I put down.  The dogs think it's a luxury to have a pile of straw to lie down on.  He knocks just like a human, three hard knocks.  The girl dogs and I rushed to the door to let him in.  He is such a handsome fellow. 

It looks like it's going to be beautiful out today, but I am still feverish and gnarly.  I am going to cancel my chiro appt. today too.  The good news is, I'm not overworking my back and neck, but spending most of the day in bed, and I don't think today will be any different.  Darn.  I have found out that this terrible cold and sore throat thing is going around, a lot of people are complaining about it, and it lasts a week.  I guess I have a couple of days to go with it.  The other thing people say about it, is that over-the-counter remedies don't help much.  I noticed that already.

I installed Google Earth last night, and spent the evening zooming around the northwoods.  It's just like the President says, "I like to get on Google Earth and fly around over the ranch, heh, heh." 

My son-in-law has found another property for us to look at tomorrow, and I only hope I am well enough to go with them to see it.  I think I found the area it's in on Google Earth last night.  It may be in Zone 4, I'm pretty sure it is.

And the only other thing I have to say today is:  PLEASE EVERYBODY PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.  MAKE THIS ONE FOR THE PEOPLE!