More than Voting

“Don’t boo — vote.” –President Obama, among others, at the 2016 Democratic convention

Vote. That’s number one. The second on the list: how can I help? The obvious way to help is donating money. I’ve donated some, and my union dues donate to pro-education candidates as well. But there’s no possible way I can personally make a difference equal to the huge infusion of cash that the Super-PACs provide or the wealthy supporters often send toward the conservative side of the ballot.

Here’s another way a small donation can have an impact.

-as seen in local Democrat HQ

-as seen in local Democrat HQ

Many of the volunteers are young people. They are highly motivated and energetic. They are also, most of them, broke. The few that hold paid positions aren’t raking it in. I’ve put in less time this election (so far) than I have in the past. But I’m a savvy shopper, and I can find these items in bulk and at reasonable prices.

The only trouble is this: so many of the items on this list are far from eco-friendly. How can I address the needs of the office and stay true to my environmentalist roots? That, my friends, will be another post.

Let’s hear it, readers. How do you support your candidate, no matter which side of the ballot?

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Signs that it’s an Election Year

Readers, you’ve seen my pictures of various campaign signs. The Trump sign next to the “slow” sign in a trailer park. The “Republicans for Voldemort” bumper sticker. The signs from the recall election that spelled governor “governer”.

I was shopping for a wedding gift and for my own kitchen at the Penzey’s Spices store in town, and I saw this.

nonpartisan, but clear

nonpartisan, but clear

Penzey’s encourages their customers to vote. I think I’ve found yet another reason to shop here.

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Crocks for Planting: The Auction Chapter

I have a 3 gallon Redwing stoneware crock that I bought at an antique mall. I also found a very large (6 gallon, I estimate) that had a huge crack in it. I caulked the crack in the crock, and then set it aside. I plan to plant in both crocks.

I lost out on a few crocks in online auctions, and I was bummed. Then I saw a generic label of “Lots of Crocks” in another auction. On closer examination, I recognized that one was a 2 gallon Redwing crock, dirty and possibly cracked. The others might or might not be good enough to use as planters along with those I already had, but it was worth a try.

Yesterday I brought them home.

the five new pieces in front of the 3 qt in back

the five new pieces in front of the 3 qt in back

You can’t get a good look at them in the dark garage, so I moved them outside for some natural light.

Here they are in the sunshine.

Here they are in the sunshine. Some are in better shape than others.

Kaukauna Cheese!

Kaukauna Cheese!

Did it cost one dollar and 59 cents, or one and 59/100 of a penny?

Did it cost one dollar and 59 cents, or one and 59/100 of a penny?

Butter from Sheboygan; and a lot of stain or rust.

Butter from Sheboygan; and a lot of stain or rust.

And finally, the crock that led me to bid on this lot.

And finally, the crock that led me to bid on this lot.

My plan: with baking soda and salt, perhaps a vinegar/water rinse, and a lot of bow grease, I’ll see how these pretty little crocks clean up. Then I’ll decide what to plant in each one. Chives might do well in the #3.

What do you think, readers? Do you think these crocks have a future? Do you have advice for cleaning them?

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

A Little Paranoia is the Prepper’s Friend

Actual conversation on social media (name of network not used for confidentiality)

Friend of Daisy: Green beans, tomatoes (yes, more) and cucumbers are on the canning list today. Whew.

Friend of Friend: Busy, busy. It’ll be lovely to have them all come winter.

Friend of Daisy: Yes it will. It was great last night when we were without power. Just needed to open some jars of yumminess to make a satisfying dinner. But we need a better camp stove.

Daisy joins in: Ah, the camp stove. Our next door neighbors have one. It’s good to be prepared!

Daisy adds: I filled my minivan with gas today. I don’t like going below 1/4 tank. I don’t know if it’s a touch of paranoia since 9/11 or something else, but I don’t want to have to refill in an emergency.

Friend: That’s brilliant! I do the same thing.

Daisy: It feels more paranoid than brilliant, but it helps me keep calm and carry on.

Friend: Well, paranoia is the friend of “preppers”.

Daisy: Exactly!

On that note, I think I’ll put down the laptop and bring up a jar of tomato sauce to use with supper. Enchiladas!

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Prepping for – What?

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.

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

A Way With Words – not.

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?

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Perception is Reality

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.

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

On Watching the Democrats

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. 

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Wild Parsnip: Do Not Touch

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.

 

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Hot, Hot, Hot

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.

Share and Enjoy !

Shares