OK, I think I understand what is going on right now in the
United States. 

The elected officials (who work for us, right?) are working
HARD, hard, hard.  Problem is, they are not working for us;
they are working to get re-elected.  They not only do not
work for us, they are owned by the big business PACs who
fund their campaigns. 

These PACs are funded by, now lemme see, big insurance,
pharmacutical companies, big banks, brokerages and other
for profit businesses. 

I think you can see where this is going.  Our elected officials
are workin' for themselves, not us.  What the hell happened
to public service?  Well, it is gone.  What we now have are
self serving, some times for many generations, polititians, 
NOT public servants. 

Let us just stop this.  We elected them, let us fire them. 
If they are working for big Pacs and not us, let's fire 'em. 

"May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free."

Because today - Buddism works too.

At the bird farm, we are gearing up for spring.  The birds know that the days are getting longer.

Wednesday, the farrier will be here and the horses will get new tennies.  Travis Swanson is our farrier and he is VERY good w/ the equines.  I will take some pictures.  Should be good.  Gotta get the horses as well as the riders legged up.

I'm gonna burn some brush and move some compost; clean up the garden area this weekend. 

We are planning a bit of sausage making over at the cat ranch.  We have some elk, some venison, a bit of antelope and the odd duck and goose floating around.  Since this is not something we have tons of experience with, we are gonna try breakfast sausage and italian sweet and hot.  Least as far as I know.  We've got a nice pork shoulder, some pancetta and some bacon for fat. 

May your weekend be productive, whatever that means for you.

I watched the national news this morning.  I was disgusted and nauseated.  Do the citizens of the USA allow the media to drive them to this level of stupidity?  Evidently, we do. 

I am going to begin planning my platform and behavior for when the time arrives that I am made Queen of the Universe.  Here is my  list for today -

WHEN I AM QUEEN-

1. If a politician is proven to me to be a self-serving twit, be he/she Democrat or Republican or Green or Libertarian or what the hell ever party they represent, he/she - AND his/her family - will spend the next 12 months living at the federal poverty level without insurance.  And, no they cannot use their savings or family money or campaign coffers to pad a cushy lifestyle.

2. When this country is fighting 2 wars on 2 different fronts, any media person who makes a MOUNTAIN out of a molehill on national TV will spend the next 12 months living in one of the war zones.

3.   If I deem a study to be stupid, it will neither be funded nor take place.  Today's example is the local study to determine whether or not a teacher may touch a child. 

I will stop this list for now...

Beware - there is more to come.

Don't ya love Sunday?  I do; no agenda, no push, Olympics on TV. 

Yummy leftover Not Quite Red Beans & Rice for dinner.  Pancakes for breakfast. 

There is a big photo shoot contest about doggies over at PW page.  I did not enter.

Here is Albert-



Here is Fred-



Albert is the 80lb. rescue greyhound dog/cat.

Fred is the 140lb. rescue Anatolian Shepard. 

Since out female dog died Christmas '08, the boys have gotten lazy.  Fred has gotten fat.

How is it that we have all been trained to replace what doesn't work?  Just buy a new door; solve the problem.  That is what we hear over and over.

What happened to fixing problems? 

Given the knowledge (this is a big given) to repair, it is ALWAYS cheaper.  Most of the time, it is infinitely faster too.   

Well hey there world - Strafford Door Company has the Door Guru.  He knows doors.  He has active security clearance. 

Call us first. 

Or just sent this blog a message. 

Lots of times...it's better just to fix 'em.

Today I read a couple posts about why people cook.
http://blog.ruhlman.com/2010/02/why-i-cook.html
http://smithbites.com

I commented on the first;

I cook because I eat and I’m worth GOOD food.
I cook because hubby hunts and the game deserves my best effort.
I cook because it makes all my friends happy.
I cook because I want REAL food.
I cook because I love cooking and eating the results.

It is worthwhile to consider.  My list could be pages and pages long.
It is truly all about the joy.

May the joy be yours.

I'm not much on resolutions.

I tend to avoid 'em.  I have posted before about the fact that the DG & I bought a Wii Fit Plus deally-bobber.
We bought the Nintendo (computer game world famous, renown, yadda, yadda & yadda) after Christmas.  Evidently this particular machine and the board thingy that goes with it has become EXCEEDINGLY popular.  Like, you cannot find it in stores anymore.  Golly, were we ahead of a trend?  Hmm, weird.

Anyway, I have been using the Wii Fit each and every day since New Years.  When out of town, I've been using somebody else's Wii Fit Plus machine.  The reason for this fitness fixation, without subjecting you to reading a bunch of other posts, is fat.  I quit smoking in late September or early October and began an eating campaign.

I think that the technical term is oral craving.  Sounds dirty but is not.  I just went through a period of time, well, I'm still going through the time when I want to EAT EVERYTHING I see.  I want to eat ALL THE TIME.
This fixation resulted in a 20 pound weight gain.  Dammit. 

The 20 or 25 pound weight gain resulted in my trousers not wanting to button around my middle.  Dammit.
I am entirely unwilling to buy an entire new wardrobe to accommodate the fat belly babies who have taken up residence around my torso.  The news flash for today -

My trouser buttons fasten.  I have not lost a pound, but apparently the every day exercise is having an effect.  The explanation - that muscle weighs twice what the same volume of fat does - makes sense.  The high falutin' term is tone.  I'm getting some muscle tone.

So, I'm keeping my fitness fixation.  I will not buy a new wardrobe and I will modify my food intake.  I am not eating less, in fact I'm eating more.  Fruit, veggies and fiber.  Course, I'm doing something else regular too.  More tomorrow. 

My brother David and his wife Cathy are pretty intense people. 

They are raising 2 fabulous children, Harrison and Jacob and I'm lucky and grateful to have 'em all.  Many many families in the Illinois Quad City area are lucky that David and Cathy are teachers.  Lots of kiddies benefit. 

Anyhow, my brother called me last night.  DG & I were just about ready to go to the movies.  We were killing time at the office before the show started.  David asked us to come right over to his house.  Concerned, I asked if everything was OK.  David replied, "Well, yes and no, come on over." 

He went on to say that Jake had gone down to the basement to get ice cream out of the freezer.  When he got back upstairs into the kitchen, he commented about how something down there smelled rotton.  My mind, like my brothers, immediately thought of a bad freezer and how darned much meat could be lost to a freezer malfunction.  Anyway, I'm thinking about spoiled venison and DG & I dash the 1/2 mile or so over to Dave & Cathy's.

Here is what they found in their basement, blooming without soil in the dark.  David's expression indicates that he doesn't care for the odor, pardon me, perfume of the flower.  Evidently flys are fond of the smell.  They DO smell like rotting meat.  It is nasty for a day or so and then the smell fades.



The sheer sized just amazed us.  It's gargantuan.  Look here -




This is a Voodoo Lily.  I think they are just a neat as anything cultivated.  Cept that you don't want to eat it.  You don't want to eat anything after you've been around this baby.  Phew...



When the voodoo lily is done blooming, it will be planted outside and will throw strap like leaves all spring, summer and fall.  Then it is dug and stored until it again begins it's search for flys next year.

We are glad that this was a flower power problem, instead of a REAL one.

DG & I are glued to the Olympics.  If you need us, be aware, we DO NOT WANT TO leave the television.  Until the games are over - we're glued.

Anybody else?

Will the universe please conspire to keep Sarah Palin's stupid mouth shut?

Doesn't the republican party have anyone with brains?  HELP!