Pay Attention

This is an excerpt from an email I received... sounds a lot like the strategy being used to pass the International Rights of the Child abomination! Disturbing, infuriating and serious. Please read and pass along!

On Wednesday Obama Took the First Major Step in a Plan to Ban All Firearms in the United States. The Obama administration intends to force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for US citizens through the signing of international treaties with foreign nations. By signing international treaties on gun control, the Obama administration can use the US State Department to bypass the normal legislative process in Congress. Once the US Government signs these international treaties, all US citizens will be subject to those gun laws created by foreign governments. These are laws that have been developed and promoted by organizations such as the United Nations and individuals such as George Soros and Michael Bloomberg. The laws are designed and intended to lead to the complete ban and confiscation of all firearms. The Obama administration is attempting to use tactics and methods of gun control that will inflict major damage to our 2nd Amendment before US citizens even understand what has happened.

Obama can appear before the public and tell them that he does not intend to pursue any legislation (in the United States) that will lead to new gun control laws, while cloaked in secrecy, his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is committing the US to international treaties and foreign gun control laws. Does that mean Obama is telling the truth? What it means is that there will be no publicized gun control debates in the media or votes in Congress.

We will wake up one morning and find that the United States has signed a treaty that prohibits firearm and ammunition manufacturers from selling to the public. We will wake up another morning and find that the US has signed a treaty that prohibits any transfer of firearm ownership. And then, we will wake up yet another morning and find that the US has signed a treaty that requires US citizens to deliver any firearm they own to the local government collection and destruction center or face imprisonment. This has happened in other countries, past and present!

THIS IS NOT A JOKE OR A FALSE WARNING.
As sure as government health care will be forced on us by the Obama administration through whatever means necessary, so will gun control. Read the Article U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales as long as the talks operated by consensus, a stance critics said gave every nation a veto. The decision, announced in a statement released by the U.S. State Department, overturns the position of former President George W. Bush's administration, which had opposed such a treaty on the grounds that national controls were better. View The Full Article Here Click on the link below for further acknowledgement….. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59E0Q920091015

NOTE
Before you leave comments telling me that Snopes doesn't agree with this, do what I did and run the question past credible and informed sources like the NRA: Bolton on Global Arms Treaty

Freaking Adorable

Considering how much milk I cook with, and my desire to master cheese making (let's not get into how much of THAT I cook with), I find the idea of keeping milk animals appealing. Not that cows really hold much interest.

So imagine my delight when I stumbled across Nigerian Dwarf Milking Goats on a homesteading site! Friendly, productive and about the size of a dog - how fun! I have added them to the mental homestead I am building for future development. (Yes, I know. I have issues.) But really, aren't you smiling just to look at them? You're welcome for the entertainment. :0)

Open Letter

Dear fellow shoppers,

This is the second time this year one of you has seen fit to imply that I am not competant enough to accurately assess the needs of and make decisions regarding my border collie. First it was the sticky note on the windshield. Now it's a page over the store p.a. system to return to my vehicle. Because it's hot outside. And there's a dog in the car. And I am clearly not intelligent enough to realize that all dogs should be left at home, alone, in a house air conditioned down to 50 degrees at all times.

Nevermind that my dog LOVES to ride in the car and HATES to be alone. Or that he has water. Or that I have been in the store less than 10 minutes. To say nothing of the fact that I take better care of my dog than most people do of their children.

As infuriating as your behavior is, I am willing to make a good faith effort to compromise. I propose the following resolution: if you see a dog in a car on a hot day and disapprove, either decide that it's enough of an emergency to call the cops or leave the situation the h*ll alone. Alternatively, you may personally wait at my vehicle with your stop watch and we can discuss the matter when I return... Either one is acceptable, but passive-agressive crap will no longer be politely tolerated.

Sincerely,

Jamie

CSA

We joined a CSA! Astonishingly, there’s a farm stand in easy walking distance of our apartment. When we stopped by for strawberries and asparagus, we discovered they’re running a CSA this summer. We signed up on the spot! It should start next week, so I’ll keep you posted on the results!

I'm very excited because I have wanted to try one of these since I heard about them two years ago. Going to the farmers' market is fun, but this is like playing Iron Chef at home for a whole summer!

For those of you not familiar with the term, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You essentially buy shares in a farm at the beginning of a season and get a box with a pre-agreed weight of vegetables every week. (We signed up for 5# a week, which is considered half a share and appropriate for 2 people. A full share at 10# a week would feed four.)

In addition to being great for farmers, CSAs also allow people to expand their culinary horizons. It's like Food TV (not that I have cable and get to watch it much)... you get a box and have to figure out creative uses for whatever you got! Some CSAs are more like community gardens with a farmer as overseer and actually allow or require participants to spend time on the farm each week helping out. I personally think that would be great for a family with kids who could use to learn where food comes from these days!

For more information on CSAs and finding one near you, go here. For more information on how our adventure turns out, check back later!

For the Record

For the record, I hate formatting on blogger. No matter how many times I adjust it, and how many times it shows up perfectly in the preview, it never posts as correctly formatted... Grr!

Getting Settled

Not quite a week has passed since we got our keys to this new home, and the last tote was opened and unpacked yesterday! Plenty remains to be done, but it already feels more lived in than any of our previous apartments.

I, of course, started with the kitchen. (It takes up the most boxes...) Can you tell I like cookbooks and olive oil?

Eric hung all the pots and pans on the wall around my beloved white board. Just looking at all my lists and things to drop off various places in one neat spot makes me feel like the whole world is organized. I've even gotten a menu put together for the week with new recipes to try!

Eric also did the hard things like evenly hanging everything that had to go on a wall (I can't hang things straight to save my life) and crafting beautiful shelves to hold our library.

This apartment is rather different from any of the ones we've lived in before, and I look forward to seeing how it works out. It's near everything and comfortably far enough out from the city proper. There will be lots more to post as we add more personal touches, but hope you enjoyed the sneak peak!

Wine Sauce

While typing this recipe up to pass along to a friend, it occurred to me that for someone who likes to cook I never post cooking related material on here! So, as a first step towards remedying that, here's a light and delicious sauce for your summer grilling from the Cibi Deliziosi restaurant. (Hint: if you make extra, you can freeze it in plastic bags for an easy meal in the future!)

Wine Sauce with Mushrooms & Onion

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 lrg onion, thinly sliced (may sub ¼ lb chopped leeks or shallots)

Pinch of dried herbs (marjoram, thyme, sage and/or rosemary recommended)

½ lb mushrooms, thick sliced

Pinch of salt

½ cup wine (red or white, non-oaked!)

2 cups broth (chicken, beef or veg)

2 tbsp flour dissolved in ¼ cup water (slurry)

2 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (garnish, optional)

In a 10” sauté pan put 1 tbsp olive oil (do not allow to smoke). Add the marjoram/thyme. Cook 20 seconds, until fragrant.

Add the onions and cook them until they are slightly golden (about 5 minutes), stirring twice. (Don’t toss or salt caramelizing onions.)

Toss with a pinch of salt and remove to a plate.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook over med-high heat stirring only occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned.

Return the onions to the pan. Add the wine and cook uncovered for 5 min.

Add the broth. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer 5-10 min to reduce the broth slightly. Stir in the dissolved flour.

Bring back to a boil, stirring frequently. If desired, whisk in cold butter for a shiny, velvety texture.

Add parsley and remove from heat. Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve warm.