Monthly Archives: July 2016

Prepping for – What?

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I have joked in the past that I prep for the Walker Apocalypse. Many teachers I know are in a Cautiously Paranoid condition; we know the future of public education in our state is shaky, at best. We’re looking to provide for our families one way or another. My method consists (in part) of filling the freezer and the pantry with decent food, mostly organic, much locally grown.

I’m still cautiously paranoid about what happens in my state capitol. Education budgets keep going down, down, down. My pantry stock keeps going up, up, up. This year’s new project is jelly. I’ve always made jam, with pieces and chunks of fruit. Jelly is clear, and it takes an extra step: draining the juices through a piece of cheesecloth or through a jelly bag. Jelly also can take a little longer to set.

strawberry-rhubarb jelly in the making

strawberry-rhubarb jelly in the making

So far, the jellies are looking good. I remade one batch that didn’t set right away; it’s on my counter now, looking much better.

cranberry - cherry jelly

cranberry – cherry jelly

Even as I work toward electing Hillary Clinton, I’m prepping in case of a Trump apocalypse. Expect the shelves in the basement to fill up and the freezer to be stuffed.

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A Way With Words – not.

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It’s all in the presentation, I guess. I emailed Chuck to tell him we were having chicken soup for supper, and I included a few details. I felt rather proud that this soup came from ingredients we had in the house: a pretty darn good pantry raid, that is. However, my email ended up sounding…well, er…not so appetizing.

Tonight’s chicken soup includes a broth from the basement, last night’s waste water from the steamer, and some small turnips and parsnips from out back. It smells good.

I meant well. I really did. The broth was a homemade broth from the freezer downstairs. I keep a pretty good stock of various broths (haha, pun intended) to make cooking quicker and easier when school starts for me and Chuck is tied up in NFL football season shows. So for the broth, it came from the freezer. It was thick and delicious.

I also added the leftover water from the previous night’s vegetables. When I cook vegetables in the steamer, I like to include that water in a broth. It just adds another element of flavor and conserves water, too. Leftover water – that’s a better term than “waste.” Okay, two revisions made.

Turnips and parsnips came from the garden. The bunnies have been nibbling on the carrot greens as soon as they emerge above ground. I suppose the parsnips and turnips must have not-so-tasty greens from the wild rabbit perspective. I’m planning to add replant that section of the garden soon, so I pulled what was there: 2 turnips and 2 parsnips, all rather small. I cleaned them up, diced them, and added the vegetables to the soup.

Also from my backyard, I added two green onions. I planted these in a container on the deck last spring, and they just keep coming up. Yum. If I can provide enough light, I’ll bring the pot of onions inside for the winter.

As for chicken, there were two chicken breasts left in a bag in the freezer. Thighs are my favorite for soup, but breasts will work. I browned them in a skillet and then dropped both chicken breasts whole into the soup to simmer all day.

A couple hours before serving time, I added some little star noodles (memories of chicken and stars soups in a can, anyone?) and shredded both chicken breasts with two forks.

The end verdict: not Dickensian, as Chuck suggested, but delicious. Please, sir, may I have some more?

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Perception is Reality

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Public school teachers learn this truth early in their careers: perception is reality.

Elections are similar – all too similar. Let’s take Melania Trump and her famously plagiarized speech at the Republic National Convention. Melania and her writers included a few lovely and meaningful phrases that, perhaps unknown to Mrs. Trump, originated with Michelle Obama. This “oops” created a new perception of Melania Trump: the copier. The word thief. The unoriginal one. Based on this perception, social media exploded with jokes at her expense along with the hashtag #MelaniaTrumpFamousQuotes.

Melania’s script writer eventually stepped forward and took the blame for the stolen phrases. Mrs. Trump was no longer personally responsible for the plagiarism.  This announcement pushed the perception of the candidate’s wife in a new direction.

Suddenly, Melania Trump was a sympathetic character in the drama. It wasn’t her fault! Give the woman a break! Those who stuck with the plagiarism program were now perceived as haters, daring to criticize. Public perception had made a 180 degree turn.

Perception shifts like this are dangerous. Those on a candidate’s staff, speechwriters or otherwise, need to be constantly aware of changing public perception. And then, people in the know need to analyze and act on the perception as it stands. In this case, the excerpts Melania “borrowed” from Michelle Obama distracted people from the real issue: the scary possibility of a Donald Trump presidency.

Melania Trump is not running for office. The brouhaha over the content of her speech distracted voters from the candidate himself and his capabilities or lack thereof. Those working with the Democrats need to make sure that the strengths and capabilities of progressive candidates attract more attention than the sorry plagiarism on the other side. After all, perception is the reality that will guide voters in November.

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On Watching the Democrats

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And I thought the Democrats’ convention would be calmer than the other. Anyway – a few notes.

Dear Michelle (Obama, of course);

Focusing  your speech on your daughters was genius. You reminded everyone listening that the future isn’t something we can leave to just anyone. You reminded all of us that we can’t sit back and do nothing; we need to pour our passion into electing Hillary Clinton president. I will remind myself of your speech every time I feel too tired to volunteer or too discouraged to blog. 

Dear Debbie (Wasserman-Schultz – are there any other Debbies?);

If you don’t want to see it on the front page of the newspaper, in print or online, don’t hit send. Nothing, whether on a private or a so-called secure server, is truly private. Nothing.

Dear Bernie Backers; 

Bernie Sanders lost. You’re feeling hurt and upset at the delegate total. But when you boo, I feel embarrassed, because Bernie has already come to grips with his loss. It’s a small minority of his supporters that haven’t. So please, pull yourselves together – just like in 2008 when Hillary stepped aside and supported Barack Obama. 

Dear Democrat Speakers;

Keep count. Use your fingers, keep a tally, or drop marbles in your pockets, but keep count. Trump already has name recognition. You can get Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine the name recognition they need by speaking their names more often than you do the name of their opponent.

Dear Hillary; 

I’m with you. I want to see you shatter that final glass ceiling into a million shards. 

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Wild Parsnip: Do Not Touch

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Have you seen this plant?

Have you seen this plant?

It’s pervasive; in fact, it’s invasive. Here’s a closer look.

Flowers on the right, gone to seed on the left.

Flowers on the right, gone to seed on the left.

This, my friends, is wild parsnip. It reminds me of dill, and it’s kind of pretty. But when I showed a young ecologist this picture, he quickly exclaimed, “You didn’t touch it, did you?!” Luckily, I hadn’t.

Wild parsnip flowers produce an oil that stings and burns and even scars. Similar to poison ivy, we asked? Much, much worse, he responded. The flowers react with sunlight, so if the park rangers or farmers or gardeners want to get rid of it, they need to cover up, hazmat style. With gloves to protect hands and goggles to protect the eyes, devoted environmentalists will go out after dark and bag up the plants.

With a little more research on my own, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I learned that the wild parsnip was brought to this country from Europe and planted for its edible roots. It spread like wildfire, er, wildflowers. Heck, look back at the pictures, and you can see how many seeds it produces. This plant wants to reproduce!

The moral of my story is this: if you encounter the dreaded wild parsnip, leave it alone. If you’re confident that you can handle it, come out at night in your hazmat suit and dispose of the floral monster. Don’t compost it or toss it in with your brush pile; that’s just another opportunity to spread the seeds upon the land.

 

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Hot, Hot, Hot

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It’s unseasonably warm here in the “Frozen Tundra.” The Green Bay Packers held their annual shareholders’ meeting yesterday with a major storm in the morning and extreme temperatures in the afternoon. Why would that matter, you might ask, for a shareholders’ meeting? This meeting takes place outdoors in the bowl of Lambeau Field. The shareholders dress in green and gold, and so on, and so on. If you’re wondering, no, I didn’t go. It’s enough to know I could. There are 360,760 people holding approximately 5 million shares of Green Bay Packers stock.

So anyway, it’s more than warm. In my Prep for Winter mentality, I made a new batch of jelly yesterday. It didn’t gel. I’m blaming the humidity and heat, and I’m monitoring the jars to see if they’re just gelling slowly.

It's pretty, though.

It’s pretty, though.

Also in my Prep for the School Year mode, I picked up a couple of new wardrobe elements on clearance at Kohl’s. I saved far more than I paid; that’s Kohl’s and my shopping savvy.

Bored yet? I don’t want to work outside because of the heat, but I set up a batch of sun tea to brew. My formula (recipe, if you insist) is this. 2 quart mason jars with lids; 3 tea bags per jar; fill each jar with filtered water; let sit in the sun until tea reaches desired strength.

It'll need sugar, but not much.

It’ll need sugar, but not much.

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Mangled Metaphors and a Copying Crisis

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As heard on television —

“He has Superman syndrome, like a lot of young men. He wants to fly through the air with the greatest of ease.” Stop. Wait a minute. Isn’t that the daring young man on the flying trapeze? That’s a whole different superhero. Or does your young man in tights prefer to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

And this was not, repeat, NOT a part of the convention taking place in Cleveland.

When people borrow analogies or lyrics to express themselves, it works because those analogies and quotes are part of our shared culture. Shakespeare. Dr. Seuss. Ferber. Dickenson. And more, of course.

But what happens when someone uses or reuses someone else’s words? This time, it’s called plagiarism. Without ripping on Melania or those who jumped to her defense (My Little Pony? Give me a break), I’ll tell you what plagiarism means to me.

I teach. I teach middle school language arts and social studies, two classes that require a lot of writing. My students are required to submit their work to a service called Check My Work so that I can see that their work is original. Let’s set that requirement aside for the moment, and I’ll tell you what plagiarism tells me.

When a student copies, it shows me that the student doesn’t understand the material well enough to paraphrase. Copying, or plagiarizing, doesn’t make kids look smarter; it makes them look less intelligent.

That’s where the plagiarism becomes a problem. It’s not about who copied whom; it’s about the inability or unwillingness to create original work. All the excuses in the world (Kid Rock? Yeah, right) can’t make up for that unwillingness or inability.

In today’s world, we’re picky about originality. We have the resources to check for originality. And when we in the audience recognize work that originated elsewhere, we say so. And if a candidate wants to leap tall buildings in a single bound, he or she had better be ready to put original words on the page or hire someone who can.

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Why I’m Watching the “Other” Convention

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Friends, family, and regular readers all know that I’m a progressive type, a registered Democrat, and an active volunteer. So why on earth would someone like me watch the (gasp) 2016 Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio? From the home office here at the O.K. Chorale, here are ten reasons why I’m watching.

  • Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer. I follow Governor Scott Walker on Twitter for the same reason. His tweets are lame, if you’re wondering.
  • The 2016 presidential primary season was strangely entertaining. Like a circus – complete with scary clowns.
  • I feel the need to stay informed on both left and right sides of the political spectrum.
  • It’s hard to look away – like a bad traffic accident or someone getting CPR in the street. No, not like that. But a little like that.
  • I’m curious; will the GOP come together? The banner across the TV screen at the moment says, “Chaos consumes convention floor.” Alliterative, at least. Unified, not so much.
  • I don’t want to miss any new and improved Trump-ism. He’s already offended women, people with disabilities, those of Mexican descent, Americans who follow the Muslim faith – who could be next?
  • House Speaker and Wisconsin good ole’ boy Paul Ryan might find another opportunity to show how naive and clueless he really is.
  • Convention-related news has been fascinating in its contradictions. Ohio Governor (and former candidate for the Republican nomination) John Kasich has been asked to suspend Ohio’s open carry law for the duration of the convention. But…but…Republicans claim that letting Good Guys carry guns makes things safer. Um, gee…let’s rethink this.
  • Who will really show up to speak? Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is expected. Quarterback Tim Tebow was on the list, but he’s not coming. Late night host Stephen Colbert showed up – in Hunger Games’ Caesar Flickerman character garb, complete with blue hair.
  • And finally, the number one reason I’m watching the Republican Convention coverage: it gives me great blog fodder!

Well, the Democrats who go to Philadelphia will have a tough act to follow – kind of like the horses in a parade. Take a left at the next turn, folks. It’s the only way to go.

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That’s My (green and gold) Son.

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Actual text message from Chuck a few nights ago, at Barbershop practice:
Team building exercise tonight is Packer Trivia. Each section is a team. Leads are winning. That’s YOUR son.
Indeed. When they came home, I found out Amigo had missed one question: Bart Starr’s real first name. It’s Bryan – Bryan Bartlett Starr. Amigo guessed Bartholomew.
He also wondered about Lombardi Time. Lombardi Time, for those not in the know, meant fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. If Lombardi scheduled a meeting at 8:30, his players knew to arrive by 8:15. There was no grace period. Bart Starr remembers getting to an 8:30 meeting at 8:15 only to find out he was a half hour late; the meeting time had been changed to 8:00. Ouch.
Well, that’s my boy. Green and gold to the core. We don’t utilize Lombardi Time in our home, but we know a lot about team history.
How about you, readers? Do you have encyclopedic knowledge of sports trivia? Or other trivia? That knowledge isn’t useful very often, but it certainly is fun.

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And More Rhubarb – this time, Juice!

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I have a bumper crop of rhubarb again this year. I may have mentioned it. I might have also mentioned that I still have rhubarb in the freezer from last year, as well. When the basic conclusion is Too Much Rhubarb at the O.K. Chorale, there is only one solution: can.

Here’s something I found. It looks very pretty, too. You might know how rhubarb can oxidize after it’s picked and end up looking, well, kind of poopy brown? This mush released the prettiest reddish pink juice! Without further ado, adapted from at least two Internet recipes, rhubarb juice concentrate.

Ingredients

  • 12 cups diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • zest and juice of one lemon
  • zest and juice of one orange

Directions: In large pot, combine rhubarb, water, lemon & orange zests and bring to a boil. Stir constantly over medium high heat. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until rhubarb is soft (10-20 minutes). Remove from heat.

Pour into dampened jelly bag or strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip for at least 2 hours, undisturbed.

In clean, large pot combine rhubarb juice and sugar. Stir in lemon juice and orange juice. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a brief boil. Remove from heat.

Ladle into hot jars. Leave ¼-inch headspace.
Place jars in prepared hot water bath canner with jars completely under water. Process for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Allow jars to sit in canner for 5 minutes before removing. Set jars on rack or towel and allow to cool.

Serving suggestions: Mix about 1 Tablespoon rhubarb juice concentrate with 8 ounces of another beverage. Serve over ice. (The recipe suggested equal parts concentrate and mixer; the concentrate is much too strong that way!)

Beverage mixes can include water, iced tea, lemonade, ginger ale, or anything you can think of.

Enjoy!

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