Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Dealing with damsels

People around here waste nothing. If it grows, and it's not poisonous, it's edible. Left, damsons off the vine

This is the story of the damsel. That's the local name. The real name is damson, and it's a plum. but I found out about that part later.

I tried for a long time to find out about the damsel. This about-to-be-harvested-fruit was excitedly talked about by locals, and a box of them was shared around. I absconded with a large ziploc of the plum-like fruits. Now what to do?

A google search for 'damsal' or 'damsel' yielded nothing. Hmmm. I searched for Georgia fruits, and scanned the description of the names. It took a few pages but finally the damson seemed a match. Eureka!

Wikipedia says "The skin of the damson is heavily acidic, rendering the fruit unpalatable to some for eating out of hand (for which the "President Plum" variety is better suited). Because of this acidic, tart flavor, damsons are commercially grown for preparation in jellies and jams." Hmmm. I think I might substitute the muscadine recipe below for the damson.

Left, boiling them. A rich purple juice comes out. Romans cultivated damsons to use for the purple dye. Below, after the sugar boil yielding lots of juice and meat.


MUSCADINE CAKE

2 1/2 c. muscadines grapes
1 box white cake mix
1 box blackberry Jello
3/4 c. oil
4 eggs

Cook 2 1/2 cups muscadines in 1 1/2 cups water until hulls are tender. Remove seeds. Separate hulls and juice. Mix one box white cake mix, one box blackberry jello, 3/4 cup oil and 1/2 cup muscadine juice, add eggs one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Fold 1 cup hulls into batter. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

TOPPING:

Bring to a boil 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup juice. Spoon over cake while cake is still hot.

Will let ya know how the cake turns out!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

President Bush's Impeachment Hearing

D-OH Rep. Dennis Kucinich has tirelessly brought constitutional matters before the body. He is undeterred by the fact that his colleagues in Congress do not want to listen to him. Kucinich stands for truth, the Constitution, and integrity of the process, and for that reason I consider him a modern-day hero.

"Only one Congressman had the personal courage and the profound respect for our Constitution to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and exercise his right and his responsibility to bring Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush - Ohio Representative Dennis J. Kucinich."

"Now, Americans who cherish our Democracy and the Constitutional principles upon which it was founded can stand up, speak out, and take action by signing the one official petition that carries the full and unqualified support of the one and only original sponsor of the impeachment resolution: Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich."

I watched 5 hours of the impeachment hearings held yesterday in the House's Judiciary Committee room. And it was excellent and thrilling. It was admitted even from staunch Bush supporters that there are impeachable offenses rising to the level of High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Several contended that there have been criminal acts, with existing weight of evidence for prosecution.

In May 2007 Kucinich presented articles of impeachment regarding Vice President Cheney but they were sent to the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties and there they languished into oblivion.

Last year, CNN wrote: "Kucinich introduced a resolution to impeach VP Dick Cheney. But in November when Republicans tried to force a debate on the move, the attempt failed. Democrats voted to send the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, where committee chairman Rep. John Conyers has taken no action on it.

This June 2008, Rep. Kucinich offered Bush impeachment articles from the floor of the House, reading them into the record. From there, the matter languished.

On July 10, Kucinich offered one article, and this time the matter was sent to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration!

The deliberations occurred yesterday and I watched them all on C-SPAN
The Committee heard testimony from its members. They heard testimony from Rep. Kucinich. They heard from expert witnesses in their field. John Dean was supposed to testify but illness kept him home. Instead, he wrote a legal treatise on the subject. Below, find some of the quotes from that five hour discussion.

Libertarian candidate for President, and former member of the Judiciary Committee Bob Barr: "There is a systemic problem. I think history will bear this out, that every Administration takes its power from the previous Administration and considers that a floor, not a ceiling. We must stop this upward trend."

Former Chief Counsel Frederick A.O. Schwartz: "In our zeal to protect ourselves, we have employed the very same tactics employed by our enemy. Regarding torture: We prosecuted Japanese soldiers for waterboarding American soldiers in WWII."

Bob Barr: "Might I enter into the record the disappearing Bill of Rights."

Constitutional Law Attorney Bruce Fein: "This Administration is extra-monarchical because this Administration claims more powers than King George III ever did."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Iraq is the main contributing factor to the destruction of the US economy."

D-Minn Rep. Keith Ellison: "Powers abused are powers lost. We could end up with an Imperial Presidency."

D-NC Rep. Brad Miller: "Excessive control of information is incompatible with a democracy."

President of High Roads for Human Rights Ross Anderson: "It's not about waiting for the goodwill of the next president to restrain himself. It's our duty to act."

It IS our duty to act, because the government rests with We the People. Click over to Rep. Kucinich's site and sign the petition. Find your Congressman here and call or write to state your opinion. The MainStreamNews did not cover these important discussions yesterday, and the few that mentioned them briefly distorted the issue. This alternative news article closely matches what I saw. Having attempted to depict this issue as the venting of a few disgruntleds, the news failed to mention that the Committee Judiciary room was packed, and there was not one but two overflow rooms, with hundreds making the trip to Congress to listen in person. And countless more watching live on C-SPAN, which covered the discussion in its entirety and then repeated the deliberations in their entirety later that evening. The blogs and forums are alive with the sound of passion for truth. Yet, if relying on traditional news outlets, one would never know this groundswell is occurring.

The Constitution gives us the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It's up to us.

Friday, July 25, 2008

It's a honey of a honey

I bought it at the Farmer's Market last week. It's delicious! And the name..."Booger Hill Bee Company" is just great. Click and learn the legend of Booger Hill. If you dare. Bwa ha ha!

Executive power and the Bush Administration

They are inquiring into the excesses of the executive branch at last, thank God almighty, they're asking at last.

Hearings on on C-Span 1, the House NOW-while "Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) talks to the Washington Journal about today's Judiciary Cmte. hearing on the executive power and the Bush Admin. The hearing is partly based on a single article of impeachment he brought against Pres. Bush, and on alleged misconduct and unlawful expansion of executive power."

Meanwhile, a US court has confirmed Presidential dictatorial powers:

Gitmo "justice" for American citizens?

23/07/08 "ICH" -- - A conservative-dominated U.S. Appeals Court has opened the door for President George W. Bush or a successor to throw American citizens - as well as non-citizens - into a legal black hole by designating them “enemy combatants,” even if they have engaged in no violent act and are living on U.S. soil.

The federal Appeals Court in Richmond, Virginia, ruled 5-4 on July 15 that Bush had the right, while prosecuting the “war on terror,” to hold Qatari citizen (and Peoria, Illinois, resident) Ali al-Marri indefinitely as an “enemy combatant.”

But some of the court’s more liberal judges expressed alarm, saying the legal reasoning that denied al-Marri meaningful due process not only trampled on American legal traditions but could be used to lock up U.S. citizens as well.

Bigfoot found?

Oh, boy, ... here we go

Georgia cop claims to have body of Bigfoot

Matthew Whitton, a 28-year-old, who has been with the department for six years, and Rick Dyer, a 31-year-old former correctional officer, posted a video on youtube.com, last week, claiming to have the male Bigfoot corpse, alleged evidence that the much-hunted and often hoaxed monster, is a real, living species. The video shows black garbage bags draped over a formless hulk, and promises revelations are coming soon.

But his department chief issued a statement: "The Clayton County Police Department responded to the news with an official statement giving the department some distance. “That’s his own personal business,” said Police Chief Jeff Turner. “That has nothing to do with the business of the Clayton County Police Department. As long as he’s not engaged in any type of illegal activity, his business is his business.”

And "The Bigfoot Field Research Organization, a California-based group claiming there have been 61 Bigfoot sightings in Georgia, officially described Whitton and Dyer as idiots and clowns, and warned their claims are a scam to advertise their business"

full story at the link above. Clayton County is about 90 miles from here. Oy

Good morning

So I am sitting here at my 1950s Formica topped table with the chrome rim, looking out at the clouds and hoping we get some rain to ease this drought. At my right hand is a large mug of Maxwell House coffee with peppermint cremora and a quarter teaspoon of brown sugar.

On the floor in front of me is Abby, banging the accordion closet door in hopes that I will immediately get up and allow her in the closet, where she lays in peace, safe from her kitten brothers. Luke is crouched behind Abby, hoping to make his move and leap his older sister for kitten yuks. Bert is hunched by my left in front of the book case where he insists on pushing the latest milk ring, and then whines plaintively and looks at me, hoping I will immediately get up and retrieve the ring with the stick I have laid there for just such an occasion.

OK, I'm back. I let Abby into the closet and I swished out the milk ring for Bert, along with the other 6 that were under there. I've got my iTunes going and am listening to Emmylou Harris, "Boy from Tupelo." The day is waking up here at the ranch, someone just drove in, I don't know who, and soon after this likely some workmen will show up to do some project or other that the landlord has lined up in never diminishing priorities.

On the docket today is to attempt making Squash Casserole. Also fruit salad. Squash is in season and so is cantaloupe. I am trying out Southern recipes to perfect and subsequently bring to wakes, covered dish suppers, and the shut-ins. The squash casserole I will split and bring to an 83 year old friend who is a cook, but is weakening so the offer will accomplish two things: asking her to professionally rate my result, and leaving it there so she won't have to cook a meal in her weakening state and in this heat.

I finished Joel C. Rosenberg's Dead Heat yesterday and I am in that hole left behind when you finish a really good book and haven't started another one. That's on the docket too, start another book. And laundry- a friend invites me to their house to do laundry which is WAY better than the un-air conditioned laundromat in town. We have fresh picked salad and fruit and we talk. Much more pleasant than the fly-swarmed dirty laundry place at the intersection in Comer. Though I DO appreciate that there is a laundromat nearby.

Time to get started with the day! I've been staying up till midnight, watching Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and then Colbert Report, and as a result the mornings have been getting later. But the guys crack me up so much!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Nope to Obama hypnosis

I am not a John McCain fan. I am not a Barack Obama fan. I don't like any of them who ran, except Ron Paul. However, as a news woman, I have been concerned and perplexed by the media attention toward Obama, that now quite obviously swings hotly in favor of pure bias.

This week, half the known world is trailing Obama's every move in his rock star swing through Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile, McCain submitted an Op-Ed piece to the New York Times to rebut an earlier piece they had published about Obama, and the NYT rejected it, claiming that they were looking for something that more closely "mirrors" what Obama had written.

And though I feel only revulsion toward a man who would say such a horrendous thing about his wife in public, I did feel a twinge of pity at this headline:

"LONE REPORTER GREETS MCCAIN PLANE: “In Manchester last night, there was just one reporter and one photographer waiting for McCain..."

Today, the McCain campaign released a clip of news anchors crying, swooning, following, and loving Obama. There's Chris Matthews feeling that ole thrill up his leg, Tucker Carlson's 'I have a crush' claim, and all the others. It is apparent we have lost any semblance of a free press.

Un BEE Lievable, Redux!

A truck containing 6 million bees overturned and spilled its load. Authorities tried to contain the buzzing haul. Get a load of the video of all the bees! Now's the time to call the bee wrangler!

--------------------------
Sticky situation in I-90

ST. CHARLES, Minn. (KTTC-TV) -- Quite a buzz Tuesday morning on I-90 near St. Charles and Lewiston.

A flat bed truck overturned around 6:45 a.m. carrying 150 bee hives. Each hive contained 30,000 bees.

Millions of the bees escaped and created a wild situation.

Professional bee keepers were asked to come in and help contain the bees, while the State Patrol tried to clear the scene.

Winona County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ron Ganrude says there were "bees everywhere." He says the driver was briefly stuck and passers-by tried to help, but there were too many bees. He eventually crawled to safety, but was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester with injuries and later released.

Never say "It'll be a cold day in..."

Who knows if this is really true...but it originates from the Austrian Times and is now being picked up by other outlets in several countries. It's amusing to think it might be true, anyway. Photo at link, it's worth it. And the puns, my goodness, the puns!

Toilet rained giant hailstones to fill building
An Austrian man is demanding substantial damages after he was blasted off the toilet when hundreds of thousands of hail stones exploded out of it.

Martin Bierbauer said: "I heard the pipes rumbling a bit, and suddenly hailstones the size of golf balls started exploding out of the toilet like it was a popcorn machine.

"There was an avalanche of ice that quickly filled the toilet, then the entire flat, and eventually the entire building."

"I ran down the stairs with the hailstones following me, and other residents did the same."

Another resident, Silvia Streit, said: "I grabbed a board and put it over the toilet, but the pressure was so great, I ended up sitting on the board as the hail flowed through the flat and down the stairs."

Freak weather has led to temperatures of over 35 degrees centigrade in Austria which a few days later plunge to near zero as freak hail storms batter the country.

The incident at the block of flats in Eisenstadt, the capital of the province of Burgenland, was caused by hailstones flooding into a local drain during a torrential downpour, which became blocked.

Local council spokesman Wolfgang Leinner said: "The pressure was too great, the hailstones had to go somewhere and they came out through the toilets it seems."
Austrian Times

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Shack is a devilish deception

Undoubtedly you are aware of The Shack, the runaway bestselling "Christian" book by William P Young. I discovered it because it is discussed, reviewed and endorsed on Ken Davis 's blog (Davis of Lighten Up! ministries). Davis puts it up there with CS Lewis's work, and writes that if you read it, "It will change your life." It may just do that. Change it for the worse.

It is being sold through LifeWay (albeit with a very weak warning). It was even touted at the Christian Booksellers Association as the next great thing, but this book is dangerous heresy. It is doing its part to help water down biblical theology, impose wrong thinking, and ushering in Apostasy.

I give this book no quarter.

I had heard heard Davis preach a solidly biblical sermon at Praisefest, so on that strength I bought The Shack. Its first 80 pages are a literate person's thrill, well-written, sensitive, and extremely readable. However, the moment the main character opened the door to The Shack to where he has been invited by "God," the open door of invited trouble began. I continued to read for a while, but was increasingly uncomfortable with the un-biblical teachings in the book and eventually threw the book n the trash after the last straw at around page 130. A bare list of but a few heretical statements and principles in this book:

That God is represented as a woman
That a man can see God's face and live
That the Trinity is equal, all three operating in equal in part, none subservient to GOD
That the Holy Spirit is represented as a woman
That, when asked if Jesus is the only way to heaven, a reply "Jesus is the best way"
That when asked about sin, God replies, "I don't punish sin, sin itself is punishment enough"
Pantheism: ‘God is in all things’
And many more!

A concern is also in the sly ways the book chips away at solid biblical principles with craftily written statements such as, "the dusty old King James Bible" or church attendance is "religious conditioning" or that the term "Christian" is outdated, as uttered by the book's "Jesus", "Who said anything about being a Christian? I am not a Christian" that people may not even be consciously aware of haveing read but are influenced by them anyway.

The book has many examples both overt and covert of biblical un-theology, and I don't care that it is represented as fiction. It is touted as a Christian book, is sold at Christian outlets (Lifeway and CBA among others) but it holds UNchristian teachings, fiction or not. And it is affecting a great many of millions. The author was even interviewed on BBC America Friday night.

My concern is the terrible sweep this book is making over the world, more than even a Course in Miracles. At least with a Course in Miracles, Christians railed against it, readily identifying it as New Age cultism and occultism. However The Shack has gained the acceptance of previously solid (or perceived as solidly) Christian outlets such as LifeWay and the CBA.

This book is a Satanic deception that is now infiltrating even among our own!

Here is a recap about the reception of the book's author from a Christian bookseller who attended the CBA:

"William Paul Young, author of the runaway bestseller, The Shack, attended and spoke to convention attendees at a breakfast on Wednesday morning. You might be aware of Young and his book: the novel, which details a man’s search for emotional healing after the brutal murder of his daughter, has generated controversy due to its odd depiction of the Trinity (for example, “God” is a large black woman; Oprah Winfrey and Queen Latifah are rumored to be in the lead for the inevitable film role)."

"Young didn’t reveal much about his theology during a discussion format. Instead, he talked about his own narrative, something vastly popular today. No longer do religious speakers present theology and doctrine to audiences. That’s considered hopelessly outdated."

"Instead, one’s own life journey is all the rage. And Young’s poignant story of suffering sexual abuse as a child moved the audience to collective tears. Nothing else mattered, not the questionable elements in the book or Young’s ties to liberal thinkers. The real bottom line is the bottom line. Christian stores are struggling against the giant retailers, who can offer deep discounts for books. Therefore, whatever nominally Christian book which sells big is treated like royalty."

"When Young finished speaking, he left the stage and was embraced warmly by CBA President Bill Anderson. Several attendees rose and applauded." Ugh

DECEPTION! HERESY! SEDUCTION! OUTRAGE!

Here is a link to a solidly theological review by Christian reviewer Tim Challies. Challies' review is gaining acceptance as the go-to review for many online pastors who recognize The Shack as a deception and simply link to it. Challies made his review into a .pdf, it's 17 pages and downloadable. I have a copy and it is worth reading in its entirety. It is is on Tim's web page here.

I worry for unsaved people who read this book and believe that Jesus is only the best way to heaven and that there are others. There aren't. I worry for our saved friends who may taste this book only to open the door to a satanic deception that is sweeping the country and deceiving non-Christians AND Christians. I advocate for a public warning and an exposure against this book from among all who would be so inclined, so I am doing my part. It is obvious that radio pastors, the CBA and Lifeway cannot be trusted as appropriate gatekeepers.

We must hold the gates of the Truth of the bible firmly shut against creeping deceptions, and help each other remain firmly aware, forewarned, and on guard.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Depression Cooking with Clara

I hope I am not the last person in the world to have fallen in love with Clara, because that would mean you don't get the joy of discovering her.

92-year-old Clara cooks simple Depression-era recipes and tells stories of life during the first Hard Times.

Pasta with Peas


Egg Drop Soup


Poor Man's Meal

Irena Sendler vs. Al Gore

A short (2:44) and interesting story

Friday, July 18, 2008

If you are a writer...

...you will like Wordle. Wordle takes a bunch of your own pasted text and creates a visual out of it, a 'word cloud.' The more you use a word (common ones excepted) the larger it will appear. At first, I thought it was a fluffy bit of nonsense, but after I made my Wordle, I was intrigued by the visual representation the words I had used into one unified picture. Try it, it's fun.


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Feline personals: Bert

I am a one-year old cat, enjoying indoor life in the apartment on the horse ranch. I am private, solitary, and high-minded but I do occasionally enjoy playing with my rambunctious, athletic brother, and to a lesser extent, my grumpy older sister.

Don't expect to see me if you visit, I disappear like smoke when I hear the downstairs door slam. Unless it is Beth, in which case I sit pertly near the door, looking regal, and not at all expectant. I am not skittish, no, I do not skit. Instead, I enjoy long naps in the laundry bag and a good tossing around of the milk ring. I will admit [cough] that I er, become somewhat excitable when the cardinals feed at the feeder in the morning. I like that. Indeed I do.

Beth calls me "Squeaker" sometimes, on account of my meow sounding like a rubber duck squeak toy. I really become vexed when she does that. So in retaliation I toss the milk ring under the fridge, look plaintively at her, and "squeak," which prompts her to get up immediately, go into the bedroom and find the stick toy, come back into the kitchen, kneel down, and fish for it. Sometimes this involves moving furniture. I enjoy this show very much and I play it in direct proportion to the amount of times she calls me that odious name.

So that's me, Bert.

Lunch talk, southern traditions, and legends

I just got back from a great lunch at a super restaurant. The Senior Sunday School class took their teacher out for his birthday: an ex-Pastor turning 84. There was 17 of us.

The Ila Restaurant is bustling and has a menu with sit-down service plus a lunch buffet. We opted for the buffet. I had salad, tomato/okra, and squash casserole, known as the three vegetable plate for $3.99. It comes with iced tea or water and a cornbread roll.

While we ate the conversation drifted from church to Tuesday's election to funny things in general. People were interested in the elections and some who worked the polls had funny stories to tell. One story involved an elderly man. As the man checked in, the poll worker said,

"Sir, you have already voted in the early voting last week."
Man: "I know. But now I want to vote in the other party."

This reminded a woman at our table of something that happened years ago, when tv and electricity were new. A woman would turn off her tv when a few people stopped in to visit. See, the woman was convinced that it cost her extra and her electric bill would go up if more than one person watched tv at a time.

Then a guy at our table was telling about his wife's persistent wart. She has tried everything, he said. One person at the table said, "Has she tried a wart talker?"

Apparently some people have a talent where they stare at the wart, mumble a few things, rub it a bit, and it falls off soon after. A woman at our table swore by this, saying the wart on her knee fell off after a wart talker did his thing. Names were exchanged.

That got everybody remembering how there used to be a lot of fire talkers, folks whose talent was to talk a burn away. I think that was what a fire talker is, honestly, I lost track. I said, "My goodness, I never heard of such things!"

Guy at the table next to me said, "Honey, you in the south, now!"

The Onion can predict the future!!

Satirical Inauguration Speech posted by The Onion on the cusp of GW Bush's first Administration. I'll be dad blamed if everything they wrote hasn't come true by now.

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' , January 17, 2001 Issue 37•01

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

President-elect Bush vows that "together, we can put the triumphs of the recent past behind us."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply, losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.

Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: "That's hardly my area of expertise."

Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air standards.

Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman's right to give birth."

"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots of babies."

Soldiers at Ft. Bragg march lockstep in preparation for America's return to aggression.

Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.

"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."

"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.

"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."

"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to make sure it never happens to my people again."

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.

"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Take a look at God

If you read here regularly you know I believe God created the heavens and the earth and all the thing in it. I think the world in its biological dimension is too structured, orderly, and beautiful to have happened by accident.

At this site, (look at the Gallery) special cameras capture life at its smallest, most delicately microscopic...and confirm for me that God is in the details. Do go to the site, see the captions, and photographers' credits.

Marine diatoms attached to red algae













interior of a leech


















Fossil Fusulinids in limestone















Crystals of a ciliary neurotrophic factor














Wing scales of a sunset moth

I am in vegetable heaven

Oh, boy oh boy. Living in Maine all those years denied me what is becoming a true pleasure: buying fresh local veggies at a farm stand.

We have our weekly Farmer's Market, which is great. Last Saturday I chatted with a great gal who wears funky hats while touting her baked goods and introduced me to her parrot. How can you beat that?

But for the in-between Saturdays, spur of the moment purchases, there's no place like Mr. Littleton's stand in Comer. He has an outdoor section covered by a metal car port roof that is usually filled with cantaloupes and watermelons, This year he has a brand new air conditioned enclosed shed.

I stopped in and was thrilled once again to be in the realm of choice, local, fresh fruit and veggies, at low prices. Peaches! Yellow squash. Zucchini. Red potatoes. Eggplant. Sweet potatoes. Tomatoes. He had much more to select from but that's what I bought.

The growing season in Maine is so short. I think life is too short to miss out on garden goodies. Mmm, think I'll mix me up some veggie hash...

Good ole fashioned bank run

Then:















Now, at IndyMac

They are letting in only 10 at a time.

Black Monday? Or the Monday Bump? UPDATED

With second biggest bank failure in U.S. history Friday (IndyMac) and huge troubles with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae surfacing over the weekend, today's financial markets should be interesting. Will the markets rise based on calming assurance of the Fed's Freddie and Fannie bailout plan? Or will the Wall Street Journal's prediction: Investors Jumping Ship and Running for the Exits come true? Time will tell.

According to Bank Implode here are the 8 banks that have failed so far:

Metropolitan Savings Bank, Pittsburgh, PA, total assets $15.8 million.
Netbank, Alpharetta, GA, total assets $2.5 billion.
Miami Valley Bank, Lakeview, OH, total assets $86.7 million.
Douglass National Bank, Kansas City, MO, total assets $58.5 million.
Hume Bank, Hume, MO, total assets $18.7 million.
ANB Financial, Bentonville, AR, total assets $2.1 billion.
First Integrity Bank, NA, Staples, MN, total assets $54.7 million.
IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., Pasadena, CA, $32.01 billion.

The site also lists failed credit unions and lending institutions.

The FDIC has 50 billion dollars set aside for failed banks. The IndyMac failure alone just wiped out ten percent of the total FDIC insurance fund.

Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are on ice so thin a straw would break it. Freddie and Fannie own or guarantee $5.2 trillion of U.S. home mortgages. That’s about half the outstanding mortgages in the United States. And in an AP story today,

"AP: US Government Says Other Financial Companies Will be On Their Own"

"The U.S. government is signaling it won't throw a lifeline to struggling financial companies — except for mortgage linchpins Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — marking a shift to a new and potentially more volatile phase of the credit crisis."

You know that financial times are bad when the talking pundits on weekend cable shows plead for Americans not to run on the banks Monday morning.

Is your bank safe? Now you can find out. Here is a site that rates banks and credit unions.

"Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound® service is a proprietary system designed to provide information on the relative financial strength and stability of U.S. commercial banks, savings institutions and credit unions. The system employs a series of twenty-two tests to measure the capital adequacy, asset quality, profitability, and liquidity (CAEL) of each rated financial institution. Individual performance levels are determined from publicly available regulatory filings and are compared to asset-size peer norms, industry standards and key absolute benchmarks. Combined results form the basis for our Composite CAEL and Star Ratings, which are described below. When possible, the system also produces a report that provides a detailed explanation of our findings, for each rated financial institution."

I am assuming that the ratings have been done in the recent past and may not reflect immediate conditions, but if your bank rated a "2 stars" in the recent past it is a sure bet that today's financial situation is not helping it climb up to a 5 star rating.

Add here is a site that lists imploded and about to implode banks. Find out if your bank is one of them.

In my opinion there are no longer any safe paper financial investments. Invest in commodities, not paper but hard goods, and you can't go wrong. Buy hard good you will use anyway. With food in short supply and about to get shorter, fuel costs rising, droughts increasing, and your right to drill a well on your own land under attack, I'd say invest in food, shelter, and water.

----------------------update---------------------
Nice to know I am not totally off base here:
'Unmitigated Disaster'

July 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Treasury Department's plan to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is an ``unmitigated disaster'' and the largest U.S. mortgage lenders are ``basically insolvent,'' according to investor Jim Rogers.
Taxpayers will be saddled with debt if Congress approves U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's request for the authority to buy unlimited stakes in and lend to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Rogers said in a Bloomberg Television interview. The chairman of Rogers Holdings, who in 2006 correctly predicted oil would reach $100 a barrel and gold $1,000 an ounce, also said the commodities bull market has a ``long way to go.'' [snip]

Education section:
FYI: pundit and TPTB-speak:

TPTB = The Powers That Be
Food Insecurity = Hunger
Writedown = Loss

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Slide Show: a day in Comer

I'm experimenting with Picasa slideshow, which is tied to my Google account, and Pictobrowser, which is tied to my Flickr acount. Anyway, I spent the morning at the Farmer's market in Comer, buying local blackberries and blueberries, cherry tomatoes, peppers, homemade bread, and chatting with the really cool folks that set up there. Then munched on tomatoes and bread while driving to the State Park in Comer, snapping photos all the way.

A day in Comer. Press 'fullscreen' for slideshow

Picasa SlideshowPicasa Web AlbumsFullscreen

Friday, July 11, 2008

So the other guy got the parking space after all

From Onlineathens police blotter today

Woman runs over herself in parking lot

A Watkinsville woman was injured during a parking mishap Wednesday morning on Sunset Drive when her own car rolled over her, Athens-Clarke police said.

The woman pulled into a space about 8:40 a.m. and realized she'd parked crooked, police said.

As she backed up to position the car better, another driver thought she was vacating the space, police said, and, as the woman leaned out her open door to say she wasn't leaving, she fell out and was run over by her own car, according to police.

The woman was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center with unspecified injuries, police said.

Feline personals: Luke

Profile: One year old, black and white, healthy male. Comer area

I am a young, athletic, curious and intelligent kitten. I love batting a pecan shell around the hardwood floors, chasing my brother, and sleeping in the chair I am not supposed to. My goal in life is to explore the world but come home to my mother's arms every night.

Likes: used Q-tips, wet cat food, leaping on my older sister and scaring her. She hates that, LOL. I love playing with any wires; the phone wire, the computer wire, the mess of tangled up wires behind the television. Best of all I like string.

I play hard:
















And I sleep hard:














Motto: "Even kittens can't save this blog now."

Luke, AKA Lukey Boy, says life is good!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Call me Neptuna

If you love the ocean, don't move to North Georgia. The sound of soothing waves become dim and retreat only to the farthest reaches of your mind. Thankfully, I have many memories to revisit when I feel the ocean's pull here in forested, hilly, dry Northeast Georgia.

Growing up in East Greenwich RI, my family joined the Greenwich Club, a private swim club open to all. We'd pile in the car, drive the 3 miles, and once the car was parked, leap out, and run barefoot over the gravel stones to the entry hut. The wait to check in seemed like forever, but then I'd run down the concrete apron and jump in the kiddie pool. To a kid, this was pure joy. We would just swim and swim all day. Here I am at age 6. Does it look like I am in heaven, or what?

My grandparents lived in Providence, but they'd bought a small cottage on Charlotte Drive in Warwick RI, right on Greenwich Bay. Oh, summers at Nonnie's were great, for a kid. The big Sunday Supper, many adults hanging around, and the BAY!! Swim, run off dock, swim, snorkel, pick stones and shells, and best of all, at night when we fell asleep all snuggly and tired from playing, the last sound I'd hear would be the tiny flip-flip of the wavelets on the shore. The first sound I'd hear in the morning was the same. How lucky, the ocean right out my window.

As an adult in my thirties, I sailed the ocean blue. An explorer like Columbus, I lived aboard a trusty sailing ship. Aboard a Tayana 37 with my then-husband, we departed from Yarmouth Maine and took a year to make way to the Bahamas and back. We lived aboard for two years total, and saw many waters as we went up and down the eastern seaboard.

Different water has different moods, and we encountered them all. The placid Chesapeake could churn into an angry roil in an instant. The Dismal Swamp was serene and mysterious, and the blue waters of Lake Worth with the millionaire's mansions very beautiful. Here I am at first light, after an overnight passage from Charleston SC to Lake Worth FL. Clutching my hot coffee!
>
As an older adult, I vacationed quite a bit between Machias and Lubec Maine, the far eastern portion of the part of Maine that borders the ocean. In that neck of the woods the waters are cold, gray, forbidding and beautiful also, in a steely way. In Lubec, which abuts New Brunswick Canada, the waters are the renowned Bay of Fundy.

"The Bay of Fundy is one of the world's greatest natural phenomena situated on the right shoulder of the North American continent. The 173 mile long arm of the Atlantic Ocean is wedged between the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and is accessed through the Gulf of Maine. The Bay features a narrowing width 74 miles between Yarmouth, N.S. and Cutler, Maine, to 27 miles at Cape Chignecto (Thurston, 1998). The diminishing width gives the Fundy a "funnel" shape, and has a remarkable amplifying effect on the tidal patterns." Above, Cutler Maine, where tides rise and fall 20-30 feet.

The pool, the bay, the ocean are all far away from me now, but I do have a lovely pond in which to watch for the resident heron. And I do love the rolling hills and the trees, which house riotous birds, calling out the dawn's daybreak to my delighted ears. But the ocean is the ocean, there's nothing like its power, draw, and beauty. Fortunately, I've experienced much of it and can retreat in my mind to where the splashing of waves can instantly appear.

The Farting Reverend goes nutty

Right after Jackson says he wants to cut Obama's nuts off, Jackson lifts his right cheek and farts. You can hear it!


And the rest of the clip that Bill OReilly alludes to, that they would not air and was worse than was already made public? Jackson allegedly used the n-word.

All interesting, if not precisely newsworthy. I still think the fart is funniest. Buy that man some beano.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

I'm just an old salt, now

I am a shower gal. I've never liked baths. I love the feel of the spray pounding my neck, the warm steam clouding up the shower stall, the HOT water splashing everywhere. I have taken a shower every day of my life that I possibly could, even while camping. Just as some are devoted to gold,









and others to their car,









I am devoted to the shower. Utterly. (Note, my shower only looks like this in my dreams).

In daily life, my joints ache, my joints swell, my legs are in pain. All the time. You get used to it. Though sometimes it gets aggravating, and I wonder vaguely and non-specifically what can be done.

Lately I have heard about the restorative qualities of Epsom Salts. Are their restorative qualities an old wives tale? New Age placebo? Or is there something to this? I determined to check it out.

Last night at 10:30 pm sharp, I filled my tub, followed the directions on the box of inexpensive Epsom Salts obtained at a local store, and soaked. Mmm, you know, this feels good. My skin softened. My joints' swelling went down. Hmmm, maybe this is an OK thing.

I patted myself dry and then went directly to bed, as instructed.

The true effects of the Epsom salts bath did not become apparent until this morning. First, let me say that I fell asleep atop the covers at 11:30 pm and I awoke one second later at 5:30 am in the same position. Talk about sleeping like a log! This is something to celebrate as one approaches 50. When I climbed out of bed, I noticed immediately there were no aching joints, no painful steps, and I could actually stand upright and not wobble! Joy!

The effects remained with me all day so far, the increased muscle flexibility, relaxed feeling, joints not swelling. I can't wait to take another Epsom salts bath later this week!

Now I am both a shower gal AND a bath gal. As long as Epsom salts are around, that is. (Note, the bath below in no way depicts any bath of mine, now or in the past. Any similarity is purely intentional dreaming)

Monday, July 07, 2008

It was light. Then it was dark

The power went out suddenly here at 10:00 Saturday night. I'm sitting at the table, typing on the laptop, half watching and listening to My Cousin Vinny, five minutes away from the end of the movie mind you, and in a split second everything went dark. No crash, no boom, no storm, not even a flicker. Just black. Huh. Very disconcerting to have light and then the lights go out for no apparent reason.

I have an emergency protocol set for various situations: electricity outage, first aid, and tornado, so far. I have an emergency light and it has fresh batteries in it, and the light got me to where the matches are always stored, which got me to the candles that are always ready. In about thirty seconds I could see and move around the apartment without crashing into anything. Next step is to grab the weather and emergency radio which also has fresh batteries in it and I had already taught myself how to use the functions and had it pre-set to appropriate stations. No sense fumbling around with buttons in the dark trying to turn it on or get to the relevant stations. There was no emergency broadcast nor a tornado warning so I turned it off and decided to go to bed. Left: need more batteries.

I went around turning off all the lights that I had on before the outage so when the electricity came back on it wouldn’t cause a surge. I turned off the AC and raised the windows. There was enough water left in the pipes to brush my teeth.

The outage (reason still unknown) offered me an opportunity to practice my emergency protocols. How did I do? I see I need to buy more batteries. The flashlight was bright and helped a LOT but would chew up batteries pretty fast if I needed to use it for longer periods. I think I will also buy a mega-lantern, as well. And I need to learn how to store water properly. If the outage had lasted until morning then I would have no way to wash up or brush my teeth.

I was pleased to see that the three tea lights in a glass candelabra threw enough light to get around the apartment and do most things except read. They lasted a while, too. This is good. I have a huge store of those already. Left, tea lights illuminated more area than I thought.

I believe it is important that a person should have a set of emergency plans in place. Knowing what to do if you get cut, having a second egress in case of fire, etc means you will be well-prepared in case of emergency. Does your family have a plan?

Listen for the laughter in the background

Obama Campaign surrogate and Congressman Kirk Watson of Texas, asked by Chris Matthews, "Congressman, can you name one accomplishment from Senator Barack Obama?" 1:23 long and worth it, apparently, it's been viewed 1.4 million times on Youtube.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Pastor cracks joke at church

Our pastor is away on vacation. We had a substitute pastor today who used to preach at our church for a while as interim, many years ago. Everybody knows him and loves him a lot.

Some background: When it became obvious the Lord was leading me to move to Georgia, AND to go to church, I had a preconceived notion in my mind. I thought all southern Baptist churches were like this:

People joyfully standing in the aisles and swaying and singing and lots of audible "Amens!"

Not so, grasshoppa. There are black churches and white churches. The statement from Dr. Martin Luther King that 11am Sunday is the most segregated hour in America is still true. At least where I live.

Moreover I was surprised to learn that the congregants in a typical white southern Baptist church are, er...shall we say, retrained? Services never include upraised hands or spontaneous Amens or people leaping up with the joy of the Lord in them. We worship quietly in public. That's OK, it's just how it is.

At church this morning the substitute pastor opened with a joke: Someone in a Baptist service died, but the mortician had to wait until the end of the service to see who.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Things I am looking forward to in New Heaven

We are going to be raptured soon. Yes I know I sound like a crazy fundamentalist. But I'm not. Crazy, that is. When we all get there...to New Heaven...there are so many things to look forward to.

Of course number one is worshiping Jesus in person. Ceaselessly for all eternity.

But personally? I am looking forward to release from physical pain. To sitting on the grass with the lions and bears and zebras and all God's then-peaceable kingdom.

I will look up Pastor Vail and thank him for praying for me during the bad time a lot of us had (especially me) in Gray Maine. I didn't know him then and I didn't know Jesus but I was growing aware of God and later when I got saved I e-mailed him and he said GOOD NEWS, and said that he prayed for me. Wow! See? You never know which person is pulling for you even when times are dark. More on Pastor Vail here.

I am really curious as to what crop circles are. And if they are all hoaxes. Or not.

To speak with Apostle Paul and John and Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Tyndale and Martin Luther King and so many others!

To see my friends that I miss, and eagerly searching to see if my lost friends & family were saved at the last minute...I pray for their salvation every night!

To say hello to Mary Magdalene and apologize for the bad rap she received for millennia. (She was not a prostitute. "Three decades ago, the Roman Catholic Church quietly admitted what critics had been saying for centuries: Magdalene's standard image as a reformed prostitute is not supported by the text of the Bible.") And besides, Luke wrote that Mary and the other women were funding Jesus ministry out of their own means...would Jesus have accepted the $$ if the money was gotten by prostitution? (Luke 8:1-2)

No injustice. No child abuse.

And lots of other stuff too that I think of during the day but of course when it came time to write them down they escaped me.

If you are saved , either through death or rapture you go to heaven. What are you looking forward to in heaven?

Hitler: the opposite of freedom

Moments after the wax museum exhibit in Berlin opened, sporting a new installation of Hitler in his bunker, a man burst through security and tore the Hitler figure's head off.

I am looking at the varied way the headline writers have dealt with this story, just over the wires now. Headline writers can only use a few words, but have to evoke the scene, be accurate and grab readers. How did they do?

Man Tears Off Head of Hitler Statue at Berlin Wax Museum
Hitler Statue Decapitated at Berlin Madame Tussauds (Update1)
It's Off With His Head For Hitler!
Hitler’s head ripped off at new Berlin wax museum
Waxwork Adolf Hitler beheaded in Berlin
Hitler head pulled off at waxworks
Man beheads Hitler waxwork

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Celebrate freedom

You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments: rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the universe.

~John Adams, Founding Father, 2nd President of the United States

Scene at children's bible study last night

I have two students in my grade 1-2 class on Wednesday nights along with an assistant teacher. We were in the opening part of the evening when I ask the kids for their praises to God or Prayer requests. They spoke for a while, and then we got around to my praise.

"I praise the Lord for the bible. I started reading it yesterday and the Lord led me to Habakkuk. He had led me to that book recently, and I'd read it, but I read it again yesterday as He wanted. And, boy oh boy, I learned so much more the second time! You can learn from the bible no matter how many times you read it!"

Boy: "Ohhhh, you must not have been paying attention the first time!"

Laughter all around.

Hmmm, whom to believe? Paulson or Paul?

The news from Paulson?

"US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said here on Thursday that the US economy would most likely be stronger at the end of 2008, even as oil prices surged to new records above 146 dollars.

"I think there is a very strong possibility that we will be growing at the end of the year. We will have stronger growth at the end of the year than we have right now," he said during a press conference after talks with his British counterpart Alistair Darling."

Or the news from US Congressman Dr. Ron Paul?

"I have, for the past 35 years, expressed my grave concern for the future of America. The course we have taken over the past century has threatened our liberties, security and prosperity. In spite of these long-held concerns, I have days—growing more frequent all the time—when I’m convinced the time is now upon us that some Big Events are about to occur. These fast-approaching events will not go unnoticed. They will affect all of us. They will not be limited to just some areas of our country. The world economy and political system will share in the chaos about to be unleashed."

"America, with her traditions of free markets and property rights, led the way toward great wealth and progress throughout the world as well as at home. Since we have lost our confidence in the principles of liberty, self reliance, hard work and frugality, and instead took on empire building, financed through inflation and debt, all this has changed. This is indeed frightening and an historic event. ... I’m fearful that my concerns have been legitimate and may even be worse than I first thought. They are now at our doorstep. Time is short for making a course correction before this grand experiment in liberty goes into deep hibernation."

Hmmm, recovery? Or hibernation? Which does it feel like to you?

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Yesterday was the kind of day I love

I am not a people person. I like people, but I get tired eaasily from sensory overstimulation and lengthy conversation. In addition, social graces and subtleties escape me. It's better if I just stay home.

Yesterday was one of those days. I stayed at home all day, reading, studying, learning, creating, and writing. My daily bible reading brought me again to Habakkuk, who asked great questions of God, like

How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted."

Sounds a lot like today, huh? Anyway, that study brought me to watchman, and to tower, and ramparts, and ziggurat. I don't know how, just one of those things that the Lord leads one to!

I continued on my next column for the paper, about Vacation Bible School, and I scanned in more photos from my travels. I read my New Yorker magazine, ahhh the strange doings in the Big Apple. I listened to the birds, and I played with my cats.

Lukey kitty does this weird thing now. He gets in the tub around 6 pm each evening, and he boxes with the back end of it. I hear "blam blam blam blam" and when I go in there he looks like he is hitting a boxing bag and when I go in there, he just stares at me for a second and starts up again. Maybe there's a mouse in the walls.

I listened to Internet radio, staying a long time on Native American Radio for some reason. Maybe because I haven't listened to that station for a while. It's good to take a break and then come back.

I made soup and also smoothies, sauteed more vegetables for later. I worked on a project for someone's birthday. At about 8 p, I turned on the tv, Keith Olbermann and then CSI Miami. Hokey show but I love Horatio Caine. Wouldn't anyone want a competent person to just solve everything and be sensitive as well?

Below is a Monty python skit about hermits. I would be a hermit if I could. But this sketch is funny because there come to be so many hermits getting away from it all that they end up creating a community exactly like the one they left! So no hermitage for me, but every once in a while solitude is good.

Change you can believe in

Change you can believe in? Perhaps because he has proven himself in being a change-maker, little by little, day by day, and week by week. Jalal Talabani is the first truly democratically elected President of Iraq in human history and one who has consistently put his life on the line to fight the jihadists in his country, as Joel C. Rosenberg states. Here Talabani is shaking hands with none other than Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in a meeting that none other than Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arranged. Though this meeting will get little coverage from the Main Stream Media, (MSM), it IS truly historic. More on this historic meeting from the BBC.

Doesn't it feel like we're getting zapped lately?

This is a lightning storm in Lexington MA. Doesn't it feel like America is taking a lot of zaps these days? Deservedly so, in my opinion. Anyway, Click here to see more of the London Telegraph's pictures of the week, they are incredible. One of them is from Lewiston, Maine. My favorite is the Taiwanese solders.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Evening sky

A small storm was rolling in, as the sun was setting. The sunrays illuminated the clouds from behind, and the hues of blue, purple, gray, and white were stunning. The last pic is a reflection of the sunset in my window.