Here's what I have, though they are leftovers from the past 3 to 4 years.  None are older than 2005, most are from the last 2 years.

Bush Beans:  pencil pod black wax, Vermont cranberry, hurricane green, Jung's tricolor blend, Jacob's dry cattle, edamame soy.  Pole Beans:  vigna yard long, scarlet runner.  Peas:  sugar snap, Mr. Big, early bird experimental.  Squash:  gray winter, vegetable spaghetti winter, delicata winter, Lakota heirloom, eightball zucchini, early white bush scallop.  Melon:  classic hyb. muskmelon, Jenny Lind muskmelon, pony yellow watermelon, sugar baby watermelon.  Corn:  golden bantam open pollinated, NK199 hyb. elephant ear, golden midget open pollinated, yellow experimental, miracle hyb. bicolor se, Inca gold heirloom.  Cucumber:  Boothby blonde, national pickling, fancy green slicer.  Cauliflower:  snowball X, amazing, broccoverde.  Broccoli:  Waltham, green goliath.  Cabbage:  Pinetree mixed.  Peppers:  corno di toro, red cheese, Beaver Dam, hot mixed, kaleidoscope mixed, California wonder.  Tomato:  Roma, big beef, delicious, early big red, large red cherry, sugar lump, tip top.  Greens:  bon vivant lettuce, Pinetree lettuce mixed, iceberg lettuce, chicken and rabbit lettuce, winter lettuce mixed, tatsoi spoon mustard, bright lights Swiss chard, Pinetree spinach mixed, Oriental salad greens, red Russian kale.  Root Crops:  large Prague celeriac, early white Vienna kohlrabi, golden ball turnip.  Carrot:  healthmaster, red-cored chantenay, a bag of old seed.  Radish:  French breakfast, early scarlet globe, white icicle, German giant parat, Pinetree mixed, a bag of old seed.  Beet:  Crosby's extra early, cylindra, Pinetree mixed, early wonder.  Flowers:  radio extra calendula, Pacific beauty mixed calendula, Indian prince calendula, single sensation mixed cosmos, artemesia annua (sweet annie), safari red and tiger eyes marigold, only the lonely nicotiana, tall climbing single mixed nasturtium, gleam mixed nasturtium, giant cactus flowered zinnia.  Sunflower:  giant sungold, tarahumara, bashful, fantasia, pastiche, ruby moon, elecampane.  Herbs:  marjoram, Greek oregano, sweet basil, lime basil, Italian large leaf basil, afina cutting celery, Italian flat leaf parsley, dark green Italian parsley, Long Island mammoth dill, fernleaf dill, cilantro (coriander). 

I have enough seed here to plant a full garden this year, but I have just gotten through two of this year's seed catalogs, and I have already found $160.00 worth of seeds, plants, and gardening supplies.  As much as I would like to be able to get these things, I would never be able to get them all in the ground and tend them to harvest.  So I'll only be placing enough of an order to "round out" what I already have.  Actually, the $160.00 would be rounding out what I already have.  Let me say instead that I should have a huge co-op farm, a tractor and a roadside stand.  Then would I be happy?  Yes.  And then I would hire some younger people to do the work!

The weather has become absolutely balmy (and so have I) the past couple of days.  We have let the fire go out at night and are slow to start it in the daytime.  I long for spring now. 

It's almost completely covered up now.  It's a pale orange on the right side, and dark on the left side.  Soon it will be completely dark, I think.  The other stars are very bright, and I've been standing out there with Pepper, looking up there to see if I can identify any of the constellations.  I can always see the Big Bear, but I'm not sure where Little Bear is hiding.  There's the Pleides and Orion's Belt, and that just about does it for my sky knowledge.

I am suffering from a severe cold, and getting used to my high blood pressure medicine.  My son just called me to invite me to fish fry on Friday night, and I hope I feel up to it in 3 days.  I sure hope I'm going to be better by then.  I am so tired, with headache and runny nose.

The results of the Primary were just about what I expected....I can't allow myself to be too disappointed, and I guess it's not over, just yet.  But I will support Barack if he gets the nomination, and it sure looks like he will. 

John worked hard to get my truck unstuck from the driveway, finally using both ashes and sand, after snowblowing and hand shoveling.  It takes a lot to keep this woman on the road.  Yesterday, he had to fix the kitchen undersink plumbing while I was away at the doctor's.  Then he has all that firewood hauling in to do every day.  I stopped at the butcher shop in Lake Tomahawk and bought him country style pork ribs for only 99 cents a pound.  They were beautiful and meaty and will last two suppers.  It's the least I can do to repay him for all he does for me.

But as soon as my truck was free, I jumped in and drove very carefully to the town hall to vote.  Big piece of cardboard to make one mark for Hillary with a black magic marker.  We have broken arrows, and to vote for someone, you take the black magic marker and fill in the arrow so it's not broken anymore.  So Hillary's arrow and then there was one other thing on the cardboard to vote for.  Two arrows were required to vote for two town supervisors, and then the cardboard gets inserted into a machine that grabs it away from you, counts it, and deposits it into the machine.  My vote was number 450 today, and I was done by 3:00.

Although the weather seems clear and fairly sunny, the temperature feels bitterly cold to me, and the roads, though plowed and sanded, are terrible to drive on.  It is that time of year when snowbanks are very high and cars can't be seen at intersections, usually, so there's that.  But it's the roads themselves that have become "washboard" and the hard-packed snow is extremely slippery, some spots have "black ice" hidden just below a thin layer.  Vehicles tend to chatter, bouncing along, and can turn sideways at any moment.  You have to drive more slowly now, and hope you don't get thrown around by the washboard road.  I just want to stay home now until the roads improve. 

Have turned on the tv and will watch the voting results most of the evening.

The word on the street has it that Republicans are crossing over to vote for Barack Obama in order to defeat Hillary Clinton, who is so hated by them.  Then, when Barack is the candidate, they will pull out their support of him, switch back to McCain, and win again.  That's what I've been hearing lately. 

I believe that Hillary is ready to be President, and should be.  She has studied hard and built up a good platform, and I would like to see what a woman can do in the White House.  I have mentioned previously that black men could vote before women got the vote, and now a black man could be President before a woman could be. 

Nevertheless, as soon as I get my truck unstuck in the driveway (it is February, after all, and every year, I get stuck in my own driveway), I will go out to the polls and vote for Hillary et al.  I fully expect that she will lose in this primary, and that will be something of a personal tragedy for her, and a disappointment for me.  But then I will support Barack to the end and will vote for him in November. 

For me, the tragedy and disappointment will be that, once again, we will be cheated out of the best possible candidate, one who I believe has the best chance of healing the many hurts of our country.  I like Barack, but I think he talks good, but lacks substance.  You can bet he will be hearing from the people on the issues and hopefully, he will adopt many of Hillary's policies.  I STILL don't like her health care plan, though.  Why should your health insurance be tied to your job?  And who will ever say that it is the health care industry and the insurance companies that need reforming?

Speaking of that, I went back to the old clinic I had been going to for years, 36 miles away, and simply picked a new doctor (my old doc moved away).  I've always liked that clinic and I'm happy to be back.  I just love my new doctor (a Physician's Assistant).  I'm getting a whole bunch of tests and already have been put on a high blood pressure medicine.  I actually feel better already.  This, of course, is why I had to go out yesterday, a snowing, blowing day with bad roads and deep snow in every parking lot.  Then home, to get stuck in my own driveway.  I shoveled for at least a half hour and I'm almost freed up now.  Just need to spread some ashes by the tires.  Ashes are one of the best things for getting unstuck.  Sand next.  And then to VOTE!

I haven't had the really bad flu for quite some years - I think it was 2000 or 2001 - and it was horrible, that time.  I vowed never to get it again ha!  Of course, I've had the achey, crappy kind of flu that comes around several times a year that almost seems like the "normal" flu, but nothing as bad as that time.  One thing I have done is get a flu shot every year, but not this time, as my chiropractor warned me that flu shots contain things that are bad for you, especially this year.  So I didn't get one this year. 

Now, on the news, they are saying that this year's flu shot is ineffective, anyway, because this year's strain of flu is completely different than what they made the shots for.  Everybody has been telling me that this year's flu is a very bad kind, with lots of throwing up.  The only thing I can use is my supplements that are supposed to help prevent flu, such as the elderberry, zinc, oregano oil, and DGL.  Think I'll take some right now.  Flu really scares me and I hope my supplements keep it away. 

And now I've noticed the return of symptoms of hypothyroidism.  That in itself is pretty scarey, and yesterday, I made a doctor appointment to have it checked out.  Maybe I need to go back up to 100 mcg. of thyroid medication, but what scares me is that I have to go in to the clinic (flu germs!) to get tested.  My appointment is on Monday. 

I have been baking and cooking every day, making all kinds of gee-whiz stuff.  It is much more economical and healthier to cook everything from scratch (or so I tell myself).  I now have to bake bread a couple times a week, so today, I'm going to bake 4 loaves and see if they last longer this time.  I've been baking 2 loaves at a time, and John eats one loaf the first day, and the 2nd loaf lasts two days.  I buy big bags of flour at the organic food store. 

Last night I made meatloaf again, and I have to say, the aroma of it baking in the oven is wonderful.  I'm sure the topping I put on it of brown sugar and ketchup mixed together is the reason it smells so good.  I have a lot of cooking and cleaning to do again today, so I better get to it.  It is 7 degrees ABOVE zero this morning.  I must admit I long for spring now.   

It's positively balmy.  I don't know what the temperature is, don't really care, I just know it feels warmer.  My Daphne girl is improving dramatically after yesterday's bathing of her sore arm, and I will keep her on amoxycillin, 250 mg. every 6 hours, for 10-14 days.  The hardest part is staying up until the last dosage requirement is due.  I fell asleep, and miraculously awoke just at the proper dosage time, but dont know if I can repeat that again.  We'll see. 

I need to bake bread today, make chicken soup, cook chicken stew for the dogs, and finally, make something with hamburger for supper.  I watched a movie called "Our Daily Bread" about agribusiness and how food is grown, animals raised, slaughtered and processed for packaging last night.  Yes, I guess if you want to eat normally, you have to accept that animals are going to be slaughtered first.  Of course, the concern is always to treat the animals humanely up until they are killed, and then slaughter them as kindly as possible.  I won't be giving up meat any time soon, but that's how it is on this planet.  Life feeds on life. 

The movie was made in Germany.  Though it did have plenty of moments where everything looked like it was happening in a world of robots, including the humans.  Everything looked very sanitary and efficient.  Check it out on this link. 

http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500198049 

I finally got in to my chiropractor yesterday, and I guess that's a good thing.  This morning I am achey-breaky though.  My Daphne has a sore spot just above her left elbow, which did not improve with topical ointments, seemed to be getting worse.  I don't know what it is, but I've got her on Amoxycillin now and am bathing the sore in warm water that has boric acid powder and tea tree oil in it.  Always something.  She's so sweet.  But I can't afford to take her to the vet, I just can't.  I'll do my best to cure her myself.  At least it's worth a try. 

Yesterday morning, there was no computer, no tv, no phone.  So I tried to use a pay phone in town to call my daughter and let her know.  It was so cold standing outside at the payphone, that my fingers would not cooperate to get the quarters in the slot.  It was about 15 degrees out, but quite breezy.  This morning it was 7 below zero when I got up, and today it will get to about 15 degrees again.  I'm going to go to lunch with my daughter by noon.

Made a huge salad for supper last night, some canned whole plums, a cheddarwurst and mac and cheese.  The chicken is gobbling up the leftover mac and cheese right now.  What a varied diet she gets.  She doesn't lay eggs, probably something to do with lack of prolonged sunshine, but she gets so much food, it looks like she is carrying a football in her craw.  I give her dirt saved from the garden which helps her grind food up in her craw.  I put hot water in her water dish, which combines with the leftover frozen water from the day before.  She rushes right over and drinks the water while it is still warm.  I swear that she smiles at me, and I often see an amused look in her eyes.  I think she likes me. 

Well, I suppose I should get ready to go out for lunch with my girl.  We are combining an order to be sent in to Swanson Vitamins, so we'll be collaborating on that over lunch.  To combat influenza, I have quite a collection of supplements, such as elderberry, echinacea, zinc, deglycerrhizinated licorice root (DGL), garlic, oregano oil, and others I can't remember right now.  Probably just green tea, honey, lemon and cough drops.  And if I have a cough, or the sniffles, what always works for me is to smear the soles of my feet with Vicks VapoRub, put socks on, and go to bed.  With all these non-toxic remedies, I always feel much better in the morning.  I am trying now to avoid over-the-counter remedies, and as many prescription drugs as possible. 

Every culture has always had a sacred totem animal.  What is the American sacred totem animal?  I pondered over this for awhile.  Of course, I jumped to the American Bald Eagle, but then I remembered that this bird, the symbol of our sacred money, almost went extinct back in the mid-20th century.  There was that hatred of any bird or animal that had been named a "predator."   Of course, I know that the eagle eggs became too thin because of the DDT, but they were also hunted and despised.  This bird should have been called a fish eagle, since that is what it primarily lives on.  No one has depleted the fisheries more than humans, so then I thought maybe it was hunted so relentlessly because it was seen to be a competitor for the fish.  Really...

I thought that Americans would want to have, for their sacred totem animal, a creature that was feared, but still worthy of their respect.  Bears?  Panthers?  Mountain Lions?  No, though these animals would be worthy of our respect, they are hunted - the panther to extinction.  I believe the last black panther in Wisconsin was killed in 1915 or thereabouts.  We all know how badly the wolf was treated, and continues to be an object of hatred.

What, oh what, could be our sacred totem animal?  It would have to be an animal that we associate ourselves, our livelihood, with.  An animal that we would kill to protect.  Oh, then I knew.  It was the COW!  We are the People of the Cow.  One of the reasons we slaughtered all those bison long ago was so we could have our cows there instead.   We continue to slaughter the wolves to protect our cows.  For my own ancestors, living in the Austrian Alps, the dairy was a big thing.   

And then comes the sad realization that cows are also objects of contempt, "dumb" animals that some can still abuse.  I have often observed people, upon seeing cows, laugh, point, and just want to do something cruel to them. 

Cows, in their natural state, grow horns.  Horning each other (and sometimes people) was a favorite pastime among cattle, who can also use them for self-defense.  The process of turning cattle into dairy cows involves a process of de-horning called polling.  Baby girl calves are called heifers, are taken away from their moms soon after birth.  Baby boys are called bulls, taken away from their moms soon after birth.  Both are kept in a pen for awhile and fattened up on cow's milk, then put out to pasture, hopefully.  In the case of  bull calves, they are fattened up as quickly as possible and shipped to market as "veal."  Most of them, anyway.  Most recently, I had heard that now veal calves are also injected with growth hormones so they will bring more money at the marketplace.  Some bulls get to grow to maturity for their semen, if they have the right lines.  But many dairy cows live terrible lives, injected with all manner of chemicals, like bovine growth hormone to make their udders huge and their bodies produce more and more milk, their babies taken from them too soon, their living conditions oftentimes disgusting, mastitis arising in their udders, fed who knows what kind of crap these days, even cement and parts from sick cows, giving rise to mad cow disease, and finally, dragged off still alive to be battered to death.  Way to go, America!

Maybe this is my rant for today.  I have been deeply saddened by the latest revelations of cruelty to "downed" dairy cows.  And I probably should apologize for yesterday's rant - what was it? - the misuse of the word "conservative."  Followed by a rant against the Bush administration about the destruction wreaked on the animal kingdom, again.  These are sad times when people must take a stand for the changes that need to be made for all our sakes.       

Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. The term is derived from the Latin, com servare, to preserve; "to protect from loss or harm". Since different cultures have different established values, conservatives in different cultures have differing goals. Some conservatives seek to preserve the status quo or to reform society slowly, while others seek to return to the values of an earlier time, the status quo ante.

Conservatism as a political philosophy is difficult to define, encompassing numerous different movements in various countries at different times; there may sometimes be contradictions between alternative conceptions of conservatism as the ideology of preserving the past, and the contemporary worldwide conception of conservatism as a right-wing political stance.  Conservatives believe that radical change and unproven beliefs should not be quickly implemented before being tested.  (Seriously, could you Conservatives still insist that evolution is an unproven belief?)

I looked all this up in Wikipedia or Google, I forget which one.  I have lately been perplexed by the right wingers calling themselves 'conservative' and bad-mouthing 'liberals.'  I had always thought that conservative meant "to conserve" or protect what we have.  Yet the Bush Administration has been on a rampant path of destruction of everything we Americans have held dear for a long time.  Considering himself to be above the law (is that a conservative?), throwing aside our Constitutional rights (conservative?), torturing detainees (?) and on and on.  Lately, Bush has been attacking animals of every kind.  Whales off the coast of California are expecting sonic blasts that can kill them outright or cause searing pain.  Bush will not put polar bears on the Endangered Species List because that would mean that the oil leases he has granted in the Chukchi Sea would have to take into account the devastation of the polar bears' environment.  Bush now wants to have a wolf hunt in and around the Yellowstone Park area because (and I have no idea what the wolves have done to offend him and his predatory friends).  Of course, I don't blame the Bush Administration for the latest animal cruelty cases to "downed cows" that have come to light.  (Go to the Humane Society website to see.)  Apparently some psychotic sadists love to torture dairy cows who have fallen and can't get up.  These poor creatures are tortured and beaten to death, then processed for meat.  They had been fed primarily to children in the school lunch programs.  Fortunately, this practice is in the process of being stopped, as it has come to people's attention.  But where were the watchdogs of our society?  Were these people allowed to get away with this sadistic cruelty because we can't afford inspectors anymore (conservative value?).   

But the way we are treating animals is only one small piece of the puzzle, regarding conservative values.  Are we to assume then, that cruelty and death to animals is a 'conservative' value?  It follows that we must despise the Earth, as shown by 'conservative' refusal to accept global warming, and an unwillingness to begin limiting our consumption of oil, gas and coal.  (Now there's a conservative value!) 

And whatever happened to fiscal conservatism?  It seems that running up the national debt has become a favorite Republican 'conservative' pastime.  Now it is the Democrats who are more fiscally responsible, and therefore, more conservative.  

So, from now on, I am laying claim to the title of Conservative Democrat.

I saw the latest bit on the Natalie Holloway case on tv last night, where that reporter got Juran to talk to him, having first given him drugs and gotten his confidence by pretending to be a gangster or something like that.  It was enlightening, to say the least.  I've been watching it all unfold for quite some time, just as we all have, and it seems that her mother can find closure at last.  That's the good news.  I wouldn't want to be one who places the blame for what happened as if I or my family had led perfect angelic lives, but I do have some thoughts about the blame for what happened to Natalie, that I want to express right now.

First, I would find fault with a culture that categorizes people by wealth.  The rationale here being that if you can't afford to send your children to Aruba for their spring break, then you fall into another category somewhere down the line. 

I would find fault with a societal value that allows 17 year old girls to go unescorted and unsupervised (mostly) to participate in drunken sex orgies in another country as part of their growing up process.  The rationale here being that if you let them get it out of their system when they're young, they won't rebel later, will settle down to a responsible life.  No mother really wants her daughter to go to these extremes, so the pressure must come from the community they live in and the pressures from their own economic class. 

And then there are the very profitable hotels set up all along the beach that cater to this trade, with bars on premises that allow serving 150-proof rum to 17 year olds.  What's the fun in being unconscious or skirting alcohol poisoning in such short order?  Can't they put the really hard stuff away from the kids?  Of course they are going to drink, and they could die from overconsumption of alcohol anyway, but do they have to keep the deadly stuff right there and make it easy to die?

I can't blame Juran for his callous attitude toward women either.  The boatloads or planeloads of young women must seem like just another load of harvestable crops, who are coming in for them to help themselves.  It's all another business enterprise, with good-looking boys the beneficiaries.  But in some way, they are also the victims of their own societal values. 

Who was the ultimate authority in Juran's life?  No doubt his father would have killed him if he had called the "authorities" or an ambulance.  I have no doubt that when he realized Natalie was dead or dying, that he sprinted to the phone on the beach and called his father.  His father, fully aware of what goes on in those resorts, may even have instructed him previously to call him if ever there was a problem. 

I remember at some point in all this coverage, that there was an email from Juran to his father that evening telling his father that "he was home now."  I believe that Juran's father told his son to get home and instructed him to send him an email like that so he would know exactly when his son got there.  And my suspicious mind thinks that Juran's father or his employee simply went to the scene via their boat handily parked right there, determined that Natalie had died (hopefully), and took her out to sea to dispose of her body.

And why did they dispose of her in this way?   Because of the seminal fluid that would have been found in and on her body, and the prosecutorial and litiginous mindset that always attends these  unfortunate events.  Juran's father was protecting his son, but now his son is duty bound to protect his father.  It must be weighing heavily on his mind, and he needed to get it off his chest. 

Least of all do I blame Natalie or Juran - they are/were young and lived in the society that produced them.  Yet they both have/had the chore of taking responsibility for what happened to them, and they must take responsibility for their own parental/societal values and either reject them or be sucked down by them. 

Here I am, all bathed, shampooed, dressed up my best jeans, new sweatshirt, makeup on, shopping list at the ready, and it began snowing steadily.  There was frozen rain under the snow, and it was tough just getting the windshield freed up so the wipers could work.  And off I went, but I didn't get far.  There's a smallish hill just past the mailboxes, and I just barely made it up there.  I had a list of 7 places to go today, and I knew it wasn't a good day to do a lot of things with my truck.  As much as I hated to give up, today is not going to happen.  The only critical (semi-critical) factor is that I am down to about 2 cups of dogfood and barely any treats for them.  But I turned around at the top of the hill and came home.  I'll just have to improvise for the dogfood.  I have a bag of turkey in the freezer left over from Christmas - that oughta do it.  And a bologna sausage - yep, yep, we're gonna make it.  But I had to cancel and reschedule my chiropractor appointment again!  That makes 4 times.  I was so looking forward to getting my adjustment.  Ah well, winter only lasts a few weeks, or is it months, more.  It is beautiful out there, I must say that.  So it's a good thing I'm used to being shackhappy.  How about some brownies to console myself?

Oh, and by diligent effort, I managed to thaw out my washing machine with the hair dryer, though it took persistent off-and-on effort over 2 days to do it.  At least I can wash clothes now. 

Last night, I finally got around to going through my seed box and listing everything I have on hand for this gardening season.  But now comes to temptation to order more seeds and plants.   

I've reached that time of year that I am just waiting for anything at all to change regarding the weather.  Everything is okay, except that my washing machine has frozen up someplace in its lines.  I've used the hair dryer on the hoses to no avail, at least not yet.  I'll try again later.  This is why I haven't wanted to wash clothes lately; I just knew things were frozen somehow.  But I've been making progress with the rearranging and cleaning up of tiny problems.  So that's good.  I also can see where I'll be getting caught up on bills by May, just in time to spend a lot of money on gardening.  Hopefully, this year will not be very expensive, as I plan to eliminate a lot of unnecessary work.  One thing I plan to do is stick with just a few plants of each variety that I know are good for my area.  No more experiments with exotic ideas.  Smaller is better.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, Giants vs. Patriots.  I don't have a preference, but the game should be good viewing.  No stress for me to watch.  Just enjoy.  I have thought recently that Lambeau Field should just go ahead, bite the big bullet, and put a cover over the stadium.  Just think how much more money the players might have made if it hadn't been so cold that last game the Packers played at home.  They just might have made it to the Super Bowl. 

Tomorrow I get my back adjusted again, hopefully.  So before my appointment, I intend to get to the landfill and get rid of all my recyclables.  That is, if I can get my topper unit thawed and opened by then.  The weather has been warmer lately, but things that got frozen before have remained frozen.  Then I get to go shopping for my monthly groceries and miscellaneous items.  That will certainly be enough for that day's work.  So today is still officially a day of rest.  I've been cleaning out my freezer and using things that were frozen from last year's garden, like Harvard beets.