Everyone gather around for a Saturday Morning Special koffee-klatch!

TALK ABOUT INTERESTING THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO YOU OR TO SOMEONE YOU KNOW DURING THE PAST WEEK, OR THE WEEK BEFORE THAT, or the week before that, .... (Please change names to protect the innocent...or the guilty...you choose.)

Here....sit back, relax, put your feet up. Throw this old afghan over your knees. There are more afghans folded and stacked on the old cedar chest in that far corner. The bar and grill is warm, the atmosphere is friendly and cozy, dori has brought some of her special banana nut bread, lefty brought some pumpkin spice cake, and there are all kinds of different coffees, teas, juices, etc.

I missed Saturday, but something has been on my mind.

Had a conversation a few days ago with someone I knew 30 years ago. She hates Bush, but 'would never vote for that Baaaaaka guy because he was raised as a Muslim and that stuff never goes away you know.'

The seeds of rightwingers have been planted, and our good Christian people are scared silly. I know I live in backwater country, does anyone else have any ideas how to talk with people like this? Have you run into this problem?

A couple weeks ago I reconnected with my Mom after several years of not really speaking. And it was awesome.

I mostly listened for the two hours we spent together; and, the part that's relevant here at TVNL, is it was interesting how my mom and I both have the political research bug. Turns out she has been researching Hitler in the course of helping a Holocaust survivor put together a memoir, and discovered in the process how human Hitler really was, that the stereotype of the immaculate demon is a smoke screen to take us from the real evil behind World War II and the Holocaust -- the tentacles of a transnational cabal operating throughout the Nazi party, the typical smokescreen pattern most of us here know well. But more even than that is the human, all too human story of Hitler himself. A story that, for some reason, still isn't out yet sixty years later. When we ask ourselves WHY, why is it necessary to let a truth that important slide for so long, that's when we touch something that doesn't want to be known, if you see what I mean.

I don't know where to begin as far as relating the details, but before JFK and 9/11, the entire foundation of our civilization today seems very much to have been forever cast globally through the cauldron of World War II. That five-year event by itself has as much information about our true selves today as all the world history that's followed since then. I don't know how that can be, but what I was hearing made it clear. To the point where I have to wonder if Germany was set up to lose the war, militarily, on purpose. There is just something very fundamental about that time that serves as the foundation for today's issues, and the most personal identity of ourselves and our current way of life.

Food for thought . . . and it's cool to have a mom again. My role to play in the family has shifted to a larger future over time, bringing into view new horizons that tend to explain yesterday's anomalies.

Whatever you learn historically from this reacquaintance with your mother, GR, feel eternally grateful that you and she have reunited. You only have one mother, you know. Love her, listen to her, let her know that she's important to you and, most of all, don't let any more time go by nursing hurts and misunderstandings. Life is too short to let one precious moment go by not communicating with your mother.

I know...I sure wish I could talk to my mother...just one more time. My mother and I were close, but even so, I know that I took her for granted far too many times.

A friend of mine had an interesting conversation with a minister this past week who likes to think that homosexuals are also pedophiles. He said the "queers" were taking over and demanding their rights, and it went against "scripture." My friend asked him whose scripture. He said the bible's. AND where is it written, she asked, that Americans as a nationality are bound to behave according to what is written in the bible in any way, form, or fashion? Didn't the Constitution guarantee freedom of religion? Didn't every American have protection under the Bill of Rights? He was dumbfounded. He had no answer. Then my friend turned to the homosexual-pedophile fallacy. She asked him where he'd gotten his information that homosexuals were pedophiles. He waved his arms about and said it was written in all kinds of places. She demanded specifics. She laughed and said he couldn't give her ONE. But, because she and I have talked about this before, she gave him some info that argued against his "theory." For starters, she asked him to look up this info when he got home...

FACTS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY AND CHILD MOLESTATION

My friend said the minister looked dubious, but said he would. We both doubt that he did. People like this minister are far too biased and their conservative and incorrect viewpoints are too deeply ingrained for them to change. The sad thing is that he's probably viewed by his "flock" as being a man of honesty and great knowledge.

This man's pulpit, I'm sure, is a mini-Faux Noise outlet. My friend was amused and somewhat perplexed. Why do so many people want to remain ignorant in the name of religion?

It is comfortable.

It is so sad that people are insecure to the point they will point their fingers at just about anyone if that makes them feel they are superior in some way. The human desire to be 'better than' is strong and deep.

If that minister actually followed Jesus he would know god does not find one person better than another one. At least Jesus told us to not do that. Every person is equal in the eyes of the Lord. What is there about that that minister and others like him find so hard to live by?

A local priest is that way about women and abortion. Of course using birth control is abortion, we have to understand that. And anyone who has an abortion (or uses birth control) is a murderer. Anyone who helps another person have an abortion (or use birth control) is a murderer.

And people who believe in women's rights still go to that church.

See the movie "The Illusionist." It's great and I highly recommend it.

I was going to post this in General Media, but it's probably better served here. -GR

Charlie Rose interviewed Ira Glass, host and producer of the public radio show This American Life, and they discussed the new television adaptation of the show and the challenges of translating the radio format into a film format. The writing had to change to stay effective, and images had to take the place of reflective silence against music. The clips Rose played were very well done; just like the show. Glass and his team resisted making the show for TV for years because of the challenges of translation involved.

No access to the Rose interview yet, but here is the Showtime page.



(BTW, while it has nothing to do with my handle, Glass is a Baltimore native.)

We're in the middle of a cold snap that is a killer. I spent a lot of time yesterday afternoon covering up my flowerbeds with sheets and putting plastic bags around the rosebushes. Right now, it's snowing lightly and the temperature is hovering around 27. The high is only going to be 37. BRRR! This, after temps in the 60s and 70s for the past month!

NOAA says that we'll be in the deep freeze until at least Tuesday.

Good Saturday morning...and it's going to be a beautiful one in my part of the Old North State.

This morning I'm going to attempt to create my mother's famous saurkraut. It's a long process...chopping the cabbage, layering it into a large crock that's been in my family for generations, and then putting the filled crock into a cool, dry place for nine days of fermentation. At the end of the nine days, if all goes well, pint jars will be filled with the saurkraut and then processed for about ten minutes in a canner, after which the jars will grace my can shelf in the pantry, ready for some (hopefully) good wintertime eating.

I've not made "kraut" since my mother's death in early 2006, so this will be a bittersweet time. My sister will be here to help with the chopping and I'm sure we'll do some reminiscing about other times when the whole family was involved with the kraut-making.

Otherwise, it's a normal Saturday...coffee with my husband on the patio, feeding the cats, and enjoying just being alive. Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Wifes off at a traditional ceremony and I went to the vet with my pride and joy Caesar. He had a cyst under his chin the size of a baseball that needed to be drained. Since he's 12 years old the vet didn't want to sedate him, so there was me, the Doc and two assistants to hold him down. Felt a little like a civil war surgery scene but the bravery and trust Caesar has in me really came out as he was very controllable and got so many "what a good dog" quotes from all. Any time he was nervous I calmly whispered to him to be calm and he was awesome. The Dr said he usually sedates an animal for this. Then of course the drain and the stitch- not a peep from him. Now meds and washing and his first cone. Seems dogs sometimes eat things that get caught in the backs of their mouthes and puncture the membrane, causing an infection. Maybe a bone or sharp stick- he showed me some black shards in the pus that came out.

Quite a saturday morning. Hope the rest of the day goes a little easier on me and the dog.

Caesar is very brave, and his owner is very brave, too!

I've gotten all that 'kraut canned and distributed to various family members. I've also canned pickled beets, and tomorrow it's green beans. I'm hoping to get some Ambrosia corn and tomatoes our good friend has grown to make a vegetable soup base, which I'll also can for those cold winter evenings when nothing is as good as a bowl of homemade vegetable soup. My pantry is looking like someone very domestic lives in my house!

It's COOL this morning...very dry. We NEED rain very badly in my part of the world. Last time we had rain of any significance was Aug. 2.

My husband is off on an early morning bike ride, but I'm staying in and taking it slow. I've got to organize a new file cabinet, do a bit of necessary housekeeping, and and then I think we'll go to the Highland Games for awhile.

Had some great hazelnut coffee earlier...I think I'll go get a second cup!

I joined NETFLIX yesterday...anybody here using that movie source?

I was hoping you were going to get some rain from that tropical disturbance, but guess you are not. It did rain overnight here--we are so dry most weeds are even drying up. Leaves on the trees are about 1/5 the normal size. Looks so odd--huge trees with little top knots of green.

I don't think the trees have overcome that storm of last Oct. 13th. Weakened them...and then this hot, dry summer.

Isn't cool here yet though.