Don't You Adore Your Meddling, Witchy Aunt Biddy?

On Oliver Cromwell, the Anabaptists, in an address to King Charles II, said: "That grand impostor, that loathsome hypocrite, that detestable traitor, that prodigy of nature, that opprobrium of mankind, that landscape of iniquity, that sink of sin, that compendium of baseness who now calls himself our Protector."

 

Liz gave us this quote as we began gathering in the great room. Oh, you don't think she was trying to ascribe these horrendous traits to the Meddler-in-Chief, the witchy little snit that nobody in the world likes, do you? Remember Aunt Biddy, who was always in a witchy snit, acting like she owned the world and trying to tell everybody what to do? Well, you probably found out after a couple of days in her company that not only did she not own the world, but that she didn't know anything about it, she just thought she could throw her weight around and get her way by being snotty and obnoxious. Well, the brief holiday is over and she's just about to get her comeuppance because now the world is going to tell her what to do and throw its collective weight around and at her. Snooty old snit, serves her right, and she's going to be cornered like any other female dog.

 

Ah! Schuyler told us his cocktails were ready to be poured, and just in time. Tonight he mixed up a batch of Gin Swizzles. He made them with Bombay Sapphire Gin and Angostura Bitters.

 

New Allies, So Watch Your Back, Bushie
Poor George, he either can't or doesn't read, so he's completely oblivious to his surroundings, and of course, completely disdainful of his few "allies." While he's been engrossed in his nefarious activities, the corruption, the cronyism, the shafting of the poor and middle classes, the elevation to high positions of people who have disserved the nation, alliances have been in the making all across the world. This, Bob told us, is something that a real world leader would have been aware of, but this guy, well, he's clueless. Between those ugly pointy ears there must be a mass like that of a jellyfish: primitive and simple.

 

Seems that while Bush has been busy flipping the bird at Tony Blair through his obscene behavior on the world stage, Blair has been busy mending ties with Germany and France. At the same time, Germany, England, France and Spain have been busy renewing alliances with China and Russia. And Spain and Russia have been busy building close ties with Venezuela. Canada feels much more warmly about Latin America than it does about the United States, so, like sweet Aunt Biddy, Bush and his henchmen (and women/lady dogs) are pretty much all alone in the world. Heck, cripies, just look at the numbers, Aunt Biddy's disliked by 70% of her own people, now that's a new low, even for somebody who knows low better than anybody except Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rice-Gonzales and Goss.

 

Aunt Biddy's Fascist Strategy Failed: She's Now Marginalized
You know that hook in the corner of the lip of the Snarl-in-Vice? Well, it's really a little swastika. Cheney & Co. tried to make Business Número Uno, tried to make the middle and lower classes Zero, and tried to marginalize "Old Europe." Bush-Cheney & Co. tried to sack Hugo Chávez, the democratically elected president of Venezuela. Well, what he accomplished was making Aunt Biddy the snootiest, snottiest, most disliked person on the face of the earth. Now, the United States is being marginalized, as the rest of the world binds together in ever-closer ties that reach completely around the globe, skirting the U.S. totally.

 

Spain is part of Old Europe of course, and a close ally of Hugo Chávez. They have just agreed to sell him ten C-295 military transport planes, two CN-235 naval patrol planes, and eight coastal patrol vessels. Russia, another new close ally of Venezuela, is selling Chávez 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles and 22 helicopters.

 

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil producer, but he is now selling oil, or giving it, to Cuba, and Spain has partnered with Venezuela in myriad petrochemical projects. The Spanish oil giant Repsol has now partnered with the Venezuelan oil giant Pdvsa, and who stands to benefit from this alliance?

 

China. So, the world is circling in partnership, completely circumventing Aunt Biddy, who little by little by stupid and insensitive fascist and uppity behavior, has left herself outside, in the cold. In the very cold.

 

More Ties that Bind and Marginalize Snooty, Snotty Aunt Biddy
Venezuela is now actively beginning a nuclear energy program. They are, as usual, not alone. They have become allies with Brazil and Argentina. With Venezuela's economy having increased by 17% this year, nobody can doubt they can finance whatever it is they want. So, since Aunt Biddy has been über-obnoxious, has put all her energy into torture and unhinged behavior because of the Snake Pit mentality of Cheney, Rove, Goss, Rice, Rumsfeld & Co., Old Europe, most of "New" Europe, China, Korea, Japan and most of Latin America are forging ties that Spain and Venezuela see as a new world order: a more "multipolar" world in which smaller nations unite and deal with the U.S. or more equal terms. So you see, Aunt Biddy, you've really screwed yourself and your unholy vision of yourself as holier-than thou and "born-again."

 

Liz's Quote
Harry S. Truman, on Richard Nixon: "He's a shifty-eyed goddamn liar…He's one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides." Liz, sweetie, you're wicked.

 

Total Agreement With The Teenagers, It's Time for Dinner
Mad dash by teenagers to the dining table in the great room, and another mad dash by the rest of us to the large dining room, which at some time in this old farmhouse's history, was probably made so large in order to be able to seat all the farmhands when this place was a multi-thousand acre farm and ranch. Today, we can comfortably seat 50 at the large dining room table, and 12 to 14 at the table in the great room. Thankfully, the kitchen was "old world super large" from the very beginning, we've just spent years and years adapting it for how we cook today since Mom and Pop sure don't like cooking over coal-fed ranges anymore.

 

We leave the coal-fired cooking to Max and his battery of Viking outdoor grills. What we do have, is a "more burners and ovens than you count" La Cornue range, which, together with the large bank of Viking cooktops and wall ovens, allows our whole gang to either cook together or put the finishing touches on dishes they bring from their farms. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and this one is probably the heart of a community that covers thirteen square miles, just a little corner of farm and ranch paradise. But, let's eat.

 

Charlotte, Max, Beatrix and Jeremy Cook and Cook and Cook
Charlotte, the Terrine Empress, told us her succulent Medley of Mushroom Terrines were a breeze to make. Now, you have to remember that this is a lady who can make a replica of the Eiffel Tower out of spun sugar, but this time we believed her. She said these terrines really were easy to make. Her terrines today used mushrooms from Art and Terry's organic produce farm: chanterelles, white oyster mushrooms, orange lobster mushrooms, earthy morels and shiitakes. She drizzled some truffle vinaigrette over them, sending us into one of the kinds of rapture that really matters: the foodie rapture. She decided to pour us an American sparkling wine, a Blanc de Blancs from Domaine Carneros Le Rêve.

 

Beatrix had highly recommended our trying her soup, She-Crab Soup, and we agreed after trying it that it was exquisite, especially when paired with a New World Chardonnay, like the Beringer Private Reserve she chose for tonight.

 

Max had the grills going on the porch, and he helped Jeremy prepare a fantasy medley of grilled shrimp, scallops and lobster, as well as grilled mushrooms, chayote squash and zucchini.

 

One aside: you've probably noticed that we don't eat veal, we eat only humanely raised and slaughtered animals; our poultry and eggs are all free-range, we don't eat or allow goose liver pâté, and we don't cook animals while they are still alive. Take it from one of the world's premier seafood experts, James Peterson: kill a lobster instantly by cutting its head and its brain in half instantly, thus killing it in one second. There is nothing to this humane treatment that will alter your ability to enjoy succulent lobster; the only thing you will be losing is the thrill of killing a living being by boiling it alive. Think about it. If you can't do that merciful instant killing, you might as well be one of those people who can eat chicken while it's still alive and kicking.

 

For this amazing grilled seafood, our chefs for tonight selected an American dry Rosé, a Joseph Phelps Vin de Mistral. Trust us, rosé today is nothing like the slop you drank when you were in college; today it can be, and is, very good.

 

We had small dollops of quince sorbet to prepare for us our meat course. We were looking forward to it because our four chefs tonight always please. Unfailingly.

Tango on the Fare for tonight, in the guise of what the Argentineans call bifé (beefsteak), sausages, and grilled vegetables served with an exquisite Chimichurri sauce, paired with a 2003 Mendoza Críos de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine had dark chocolate and plum tones and is a beautifully fruity blend. We could also have had a great Argentine Malbec, but were not disappointed with the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dessert was simple, and usually, simple is perfect: a mango and peach cobbler that Charlotte and Beatrix made, served with a Muscat Canelli, which has floral aromas and fruity flavors.

 

Winding Down
After-dinner coffee we had back in the great room with the kids. With time to spare, they're taking great care of all their pets, cleaning stalls, mending horse blankets, and helping us out with everything we need. They're also interested in what we talk about, but as adults, and patriots, how do we tell them that the Schmuck-in-Chief is leaving them a legacy even their grandkids will have trouble living down and paying for?

 

Summary:
Our Most Revered Commander-in-Chief, the "born-again Christian" who loves to use torture as proof of his Christianity and values, has lost touch with reality. The war on terror he deludedly thinks he's waging, has made this man who can only hold one thought in his brain at a time, forget that there is a whole world out there, and that that collective world hates his guts. The sufferer: our beloved country, marginalized by the new-found bond between most of the other countries around the globe. Bush has left us out in the cold. Today, the only person who can stand him and his perpetual smirk, is his equally deranged and cold as a witch's tit mother. And sugar, we don't need that.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Glory Glory Hallelujah! Thank the Pesky British Press

Nasty British Press = Bye Bush, Hi Impeachment
Schuyler was, well, full of mirth and devilment, so he hardly had to strain to shake our cocktails tonight. Because he and Elizabeth had bought several bottles of wonderful Tequila Corazón, he made Chimayo Cocktails for us. What had him in stitches was an account by Beatrix and Jeremy of how virulent the British press is, and how unfettered they are by the ethical standards of most of the U.S. press. Also, they told Schuyler, the U.S. Congress is a tame pussy cat in comparison to the no-holds-barred way in which the British Parliament treats its politicians, and especially in how they hold their Prime Minister to account. In any case, Beatrix and Jeremy impressed on Schuyler that the unholy alliance of the vitriolic British press and the unrelentingly unforgiving British Parliament, Tony Blair is, in the coming days, about to have just a bit more of his anatomy than the soles of his feet put to the fire. So, Crawford Kid, guess who's next?

 

Catherine Green: Why Tony Blair must be forced to face a public inquiry into the Iraq War.
This headline appeared in The Independent, a UK newspaper, and contained the story of the sister of a British pilot, Philip, who is a victim of the Iraq war. The article, published on November 24, went on to explain that Ms. Green agreed with the High Court's decision pressing for an independent investigation into the conflict, and, Crawford Fans: Bush is behind anything ugly Blair's had to do, and that's an awful lot of poop that's going to hit the transatlantic fan. Blair is known to be a decent guy, but unfortunately he let himself get ensnared by Bush into doing all sorts of things decent people just don't do.

The British press, Beatrix and Jeremy told us, is as relentless in their pursuit of scandal as the press anywhere can be. Also, the British Parliament pays no deference to the Prime Minister, rather, he is held to pretty high standards and has to answer for his actions, something we in the United States don't require of our politicians, but the effect will be the same, nevertheless because, as they say: "the truth will out."

Every word dragged out of Tony Blair in the next few weeks is going to reek to hell of George Bush, so, Merry Christmas everybody: the Brits are going to do us a favor and bring all the Bush mud out in the open.

 

Alex and Jane, Curious About That Mud
Mud, crud, manure, Alex and Jane said, they wanted particulars about what we were saying would be coming out soon. Max and Barry lost no time in giving Alex and Jane a short accounting of some of the subjects Blair was going to have to talk about that would expose the worst of the Bush administration, or, as Mark Twain would have called it: ass-minstration.

For starters, Blair of course is privy to the infamous Downing Street Memos, in which it's exposed that Bush was planning to invade Iraq long before 9/11. Blair was at a meeting at which minutes were carefully taken in which Bush advises Blair that he intends to plot the bombing of al-Jazeera in Qatar. Blair will be forced to disclose everything he knows about Bush and his pet projects, rendition and torture, and he will also have to explain Bush's inability or unwillingness to rein-in his President of Vice and his unrelenting insistence on being allowed to continue to practice torture. Also, it has been recently disclosed that the United Kingdom has recently broken with the U.S. over John Bolton, the "revolten" U.S. ambassador to the UN because Bolton/Revolten was insisting that Britain side with him over not passing the United Nations' 2006 budget.

Blair is still fuming at Bush's attack on Fallujah, and will have to explain to the world why, how and by what rationale Bush insisted on using illegal weapons such as white phosphorous, napalm and depleted uranium on the Iraqi populace.

 

Blair's Approval Rate in Great Britain Down to 30%
Whoa there boy! Was that George I heard slithering down the barbed wire banister at the White House, asked gleeful Bob? Blair, way too kind to Bush but still not a total fool, will try to defend his position before Parliament, and in any event, he will have to be truthful as the British government and the British press get to the bottom of these matters, and friend of Georgie Porgie's or not, all the scum is going to surface, making the case for impeachment on this side of the pond pretty much inevitable. And Lady Macbush's rotten little boy thought his reign was good for another three years! Ha.

Bob said he thought everything that Blair is going to have to bring out into the open will also lay the foundations for the International Criminal Court's case against Bush, Cheney, Rice Rumsfeld and Co. Well, that's what that unholy cabal gets for not being in the least bit ethical. Trouble is, of course, everything Tony Blair will have to bring out into the open will also get Al Qaeda's hackles up, and you know what that means.

 

Dinner Gong, Bliss At the Table
The way the teenagers ran to their places at the dining table in the great room, you'd think we hadn't fed them in weeks. (Sorry, that's not fair; some of us didn't waste much time finding a place at the table in the dining room either.)

Barry and Kim marinated some wonderful prawns in Corazón tequila and Domecq Fino sherry, then quickly cooked them in the red-hot wok. They served them over lettuce leaves, and though not really a "tapa" they still suggested that we enjoy them with the Domecq bone dry, slightly chilled La Ina sherry we've grown to love.

Do you love good French Onion Soup with Gruyère Cheese Croutons as much as we do? Hopefully you do. Up here, when the weather changes and we begin to face night after night of chilly weather, we turn to it for warmth and comfort. Barry and Kim happened to find a whole bunch of really nice little soup bowls with lids and then tracked down the manufacturer who fortunately was still in business, and voilà, we got a set for 50! The lids keep the soup piping hot and for the adults, ready for Barry and Kim's perfect wine pairing, a Henschke Riesling Eden Valley Julius 2002 from Australia. This dry Riesling with spicy pear and mineral flavors is always ideal with the onion soup. If you want, you can be more French, more "bistro" and have the soup with a fruity Beaujolais.

Max stepped in now, as the "grill master" to present us with another marvel of his grilling, a Spanish dish we love for him to make, Grilled Vegetable Escalivada served with Grilled Ahi. Briefly, the Escalivada is made up of eggplants, red onions, tomatoes and bell peppers. For garnish, Max uses finely chopped scallions. For this wonderful dish, Max and Charlotte chose a Bodegas Fuentespina Ribera del Duero 2001 Tempranillo. This is a fresh red wine with black cherry and plum flavors.

Max's input was invaluable when we were planning the "grilling stations." He thought we'd be best served by several Viking outdoor grills, and we have several on the porch for when the weather is good, and some more in the pool house that we use when the weather is really bad. Because Max doesn't seem to mind too much making the mad dash from the pool house grills to the house, we think we made a wise choice. Several of the grills were necessary because Max grills a lot and we almost always have the usual 50 or so people to feed.

Although Charlotte could easily be a professional pastry chef, she always cedes the right to make flan to Carmen. I don't know if you make flan very often, but can you imagine how difficult it is to turn out enough perfect flans for almost 50 people? Well, Carmen has mastered the art and tonight our flan was paired with an especially good dessert wine, an Alvear Pedro Ximénez Montilla-Moriles Solera 1910 NV. This exquisite, and unfortunately, expensive dessert wine, was served in the new, smallish sherry glasses we recently bought. A dessert wine should always be at least as sweet as the dessert it is being paired with, and this wine certainly meets that requirement. It coats the glass, and has raisin and treacle flavors.

 

Pleasant Close to a Good Day
Max made us all some excellent espresso from his secret blend. We drank his superb coffee back in the great room, so we could spend time with the teenagers. On the way in, Liz gave us this short quote to think about, and probably meant little 'ol George to think about it also: "There will be no whitewash in the White House." Richard Milhous Nixon.

Horse blankets were on our minds tonight. We're expecting a cold night, and some of the older horses and those that don't grow a nice thick winter coat benefit from a nice blanket or at least a wind-breaking sheet. In other words, some of us still have chores to take care of. It's been a good, brisk weather day, kind of like the calm before the storm. Something's going to hit the fan across the pond, and Wacko Bush is almost kaput.

 

Summary:
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, is facing ferocious battles in Parliament to save both his good name and to save his office. Because most of his problems have been brought on because of his misplaced trust in George Bush, these battles are surely going to bring to light many facts Bush would much rather never saw the light of day; problem is, they're going to see the light of day in every feisty British newspaper, and thus, will become known across the globe. Taps for Bush, methinks.

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©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Deceitful George, At It Again, and Caught Again

We'd Like To Be Nice Over The Holidays
All the gang arrived just about the same time, and we all got together in the great room, anxious to see what cocktail Schuyler had mixed for us. Tonight he prepared a cocktail called a Firefly which he made with Smirnoff vodka, grapefruit juice and grenadine. On the side, he had some nonalcoholic sparkling wine for those who don't drink and for those on medications that contraindicate grapefruit juice.

We were all commenting on how wonderful it would be if things in Washington were different, so that our comments and thoughts could be nice during this holiday season, instead of always finding dirt Bush would like to sweep under the rugs of the Offal Office. For you city folks, that's not a typo: offal is just awful cuts of meat and carcass leftovers. Nasty stuff.

 

Well, it's hard to be nice and say good things about your Prez when he's always up to no good and lying about it. We mentioned Jeremy and Beatrix's return from England, but failed to say that another good thing about their being back is that we now get daily news reports on world events from a British perspective, and right now, the perspective looks pretty shady. Shady's a nice word for an uglier one that we could use when referring to Bush's antics, but because it's the holiday season, we'll leave it at shady.

 

Beatrix and Jeremy's Report From London
Well, it seems that those rumors about George Bush, you know, the born-again christian, wanting to bomb al-Jazeera, in the U.S. ally country of Qatar, are true, and there's a transcript of a meeting which occurred in April 2004 between Bush and Tony Blair which proves Bush's intentions. All that happened over a year ago, and the story could have died, but on Tuesday of last week, the Daily Mirror, in London, printed the story that Bush had told Prime Minister Blair of his intentions because Bush detests al-Jazzeera for always attacking his actions in Iraq. Jeremy said that even with the report by the Daily Mirror coming to light the story might have died, except for the fact that the Attorney General in Great Britain, Lord Goldsmith decided to prosecute the two fellows involved in leaking the transcript, in breach of the British Official Secrets Act.

Beatrix said that the story is more than a little convoluted, but that in the end it has all to do with Bush's constantly undermining Tony Blair and, basically, acting like the infantile little fascist we know him to be. In a pique of anger, he ordered the botched assault in Fallujah, over the objections of the British, who said that the assault would destroy the gains they had made to win over the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of Fallujah. In another leaked British Foreign Office memo, the British government opined that "Heavy-handed U.S. military tactics in Fallujah and Najaf, some weeks ago, have fuelled both Sunni and Shia opposition to the coalition, and lost us much public support inside Iraq."

 

White Phosphorous ( Read news1 and news2 )
The British are also justifiably angry over Bush's use of illegal chemical weapons on Iraqis. Only in November did the British find out that Bush ordered the use of white phosphorous, which burns bodies right down to the bone. Bush has also ordered its use in Operation Steel Curtain, which is being used to drive insurgents out of towns along Iraq's borders with Jordan and Syria. It seems that Mr. Blair would prefer the world to see that Bush pays him some heed, but events are proving otherwise. "Events in Fallujah and beyond do not give much sign that the U.S. ever heeded any British expression of concern about its methods of dealing with the insurgency."

So Jeremy explained, it's all proving to be too much poop dumped on Blair's plate, and he cannot govern effectively as long as Bush keeps acting like the jackass he is.

 

Elizabeth chimed in: "And this is what he does to our closest ally?" We've told you before, sweet family, these Bush people. Anyway, it's almost certain now that since this is going to court in Great Britain, the entire five page memorandum/transcript is going to have to become public. Happy Holidays, Georgie.

 

Enough, Enough, Cried the Teenagers: Let's Eat
I think one reason the kids were so hungry was that every time Max opened one of the doors to the porch, they could smell the little shrimp he was grilling on cocktail skewers and was planning to serve with his delicious Cuban Mojo sauce. They immediately sat down at their table and we went in to the dining room. In just a minute Max had served us all our Grilled Shrimp with Mojo Sauce. For the adults, Max served us our favorite sherry, Tío Pepe.
Charlotte helped Max prepare the exquisite Oyster Bisque which always pleases all of us. For the bisque, they served another sherry, this one a very dry Domecq La Ina sherry.

 

Max took advantage of the grills' already going, and prepared Grilled Swordfish with a Southwestern Green Salsa, made with tomatillo and cilantro. With grilled corn and an interesting jicama salad on the side, the wine Charlotte and Max selected was a good pairing. They chose a Willamette Valley Winery Pinot Gris, which had spicy pear and apricot flavors. It was a light wine, and we really enjoyed it with the fish, which Max always manages to grill to flaky perfection.

 

Tonight, Max didn't think he wanted to cleanse our palate with a sorbet or granita, so instead, he immediately served us the beautiful steaks he had been grilling while we ate our fish. Charlotte had steamed some beautiful spinach and broccoli, and told us that her secret to keeping those vegetables green was to always add a tiny pinch of baking soda to the water. The wine they poured was a 2001 Château Souverain Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, an elegant wine with flavors of black olive and herbs.

Cathy baked several apple pies, simply, as good old-fashioned U.S. fare. With her exquisite handmade vanilla ice cream, all we needed was some of Max's special-blend after-dinner coffee, which we had in the great room so we could spend some time with the teenagers.

 

Because the teenagers were fully aware of the topic that had consumed us tonight, they understood the sadness of Liz's quote from Sir Winston Churchill, a statesman of a stature Bush could never even begin to understand. The quote touched on the subject of allies, and we all understood that Bush has lied and lied to, and used, the British and Tony Blair. Here is Liz's quote: "It is not given to us to peer into the mysteries of the future. Still, I avow my hope and faith, sure and inviolate, that in the days to come the British and the American peoples will for their own safety and for the good of all walk together side by side in majesty, in justice, and in peace."
One of our teenagers said he didn't think Bush's stature even reached the top of the soles of Churchill's shoes.

 

Summary:
George Bush continues his deceitful game of fraud; tricking the British people and his one sole ally, Tony Blair. He tricked the U.S. Congress, and now he's lying to the British. As the wise man said, what were those 59,054,087 people thinking when they "elected" this anointed Prince of Darkness, who is going to cause immeasurable harm to Tony Blair's ability to continue to govern within a parliamentary system which is so much more open than our system?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Separation of Church and State? Well, Just Sometimes

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Am I
Fully satiated after a day of intemperate wining and dining, with a few days off to recover and walk it off, life on the farms and ranches out here is returning to normal. We discovered that we really are quite lucky to live way out here: nobody was tempted to find the nearest big town to do what most of the country seems to enjoy: going shopping like lunatics the day after Thanksgiving. No ma'am, it just isn't interesting when you consider it's a four and a half hour round trip excursion. Now, for food and our wine, well, then it's worth it, but to get squished to death like a worm, no sir. Thanks, we'll pass.

 

What we don't pass on though is Schuyler's always delicious cocktails. Today he served Black Russians, made with "handmade" Tito's Vodka and Kahlúa. For those who don't like alcohol, he made Fruit and Ginger Ale, an English mulled drink which he serves chilled. We used his cocktail to welcome back Marie Christine and her husband Jean-Paul, who had been back in France for a couple of years and returned the day after Thanksgiving. They returned to their beautiful horse farm, which had been leased to a couple for these past two years.

 

Together, Marie Christine and Jean-Paul run one of the best dressage schools within a two-hour radius. Dressage, some of you may know, is the art of riding horses in High School fashion, as at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and they had spent the last two years in France in intensive riding clinics so they could bring better but yet baroque riding techniques to their multitude of clients. It is a joy to welcome them back, though we will also miss their tenants, who had become good friends.

 

Slowly, Elizabeth and Liz brought up a subject that, because we had just celebrated a holiday that still has some religious overtones, was bothering them immensely. Their bringing up this topic ended up bothering the rest of us just as much. Both Elizabeth and Liz were just a bit befuddled. Befuddled, i.e. a tad more than confused. First, Liz said, what does it mean today to be "religious?" Bubba and Bubbette, Bob and Judy's live-in ranch hands, have made it clear to everybody in our group that there is only one God, and only one "religion" - theirs. In other words, according to these paragons of rapture and Godly savvy, you have to be born-again and throw your arms up to the heavens at least hourly and squeal: 'Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus! We're such good and pious people. Please damn everybody else and send them straight to hell!" If you're unwilling to brown your nose when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell bend over and grab their ankles and say: Kiss! you're just not going to heaven sweetheart.

 

Bewilderment? Times a gazillion!
O.K., Liz and Elizabeth said, if you're so holy, and nobody else can fill your shoes, surely that means that every other faith, Protestant or not, is doomed to hell, right? Oh, and those Mormons! Jeez, those Quakers; Christ's Blood! those Pentecostals. Ah! They said, Holy Mother of Jesus (but not the Catholic one, she's frying in hell, Bubette smartly told Bob and Judy), unless you're Republican and born-again. Liz said very quietly, conspiratorially: hey guys, we're all going to hell and everybody we know and everybody around the world who isn't born-again and Republican is going straight to hell.

 

Seems, Elizabeth told us, that we have to be as sweet and committed to corruption, pollution of the environment, deforestation, cronyism, fanatically committed to the unrelenting growth of the Military-Industrial complex, political cronyism, crushing of Freedom of Speech and Assembly, and committed to that highly born-again practice, torture, as is the Bush Cabal, if we want to be saved, like the born-agains. Hell, maybe we all need to argue for seceding right and left in order to form more perfect born-again independent statelets!

 

Schuyler, On The White House Poop Church
Well, Schuyler told us, actually, to understand the separation of church and state, you have to study, in depth, Thomas Jefferson's fears and thoughts on the subject, of which there are way too many for us to go into here. But briefly, he adamantly believed in that principle. Now, today, here come the people who are already labeling their collective memoirs "Mein Kampf at Krawford."

 

It seems, Schuyler, Liz and Elizabeth told us, the Bush Cabal has thrown its full weight, the scary power of the IRS, behind intimidating churches. Nice, don't you think? Christian, don't you think? What the Founding Fathers believed in, don't you think? Well, it seems this one church, All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, a church that has a history of voicing its objection to our country going to war regardless of the party in power, is in deep doodoo. Ah! but now we have the nefarious, dastardly seriously fascist Bush Cabal in power, and they didn't like that one little 'ol church saying nasty things about Bush's illegal invasion of a sovereign nation, and so, Bush Inc. is sicking the IRS on them.

 

Funny, haven't heard about Bush Inc. attacking, via the IRS, churches that glorify him, have you? So, it's a warning to churches everywhere now: if your sermon glorifies the torturer Bush, your tax status is o.k. Speak badly about the Fascist Cabal, and out you go, churchy-pooh! Cripey, you don't think this White House wants to erase over 200 years of United States Constitutional history do you? Surely they wouldn't be so nasty, or would they? Surely the Cretin Shrub isn't SUCH a cretin, or is he?

 

The Dinner Gong for Our Paradisiacal Dinner
Just as we were called in to dinner, Liz told us what Daniel Defoe had once written: "And of all plagues with which mankind are curst, Ecclesiastic tyranny's the worst."

 

With this thought to ponder, we took our places at our respective dining room tables, the adults in the dining room and the teenagers in the dining area of the great room.

 

Although Marie Christine has only been back a day or two, she and Jean-Paul immediately fell back into our old routine and they immediately pitched in to help prepare dinner. Tonight, they prepared a comforting but not too heavy soup, a Chanterelle and Tortellini broth which they cooked with sherry, and of course also served alongside in our little glasses of Tío Pepe's Muy Seco sherry.

 

Jeremy and Jean-Paul prepared individual casseroles of Prawns and Crab. The Le Creuset casseroles, which are enameled cast iron, kept the casseroles wonderfully warm. Also, because we learned to cure all of our Le Creuset kitchenware with milk, nothing ever sticks, so even casseroles prepared with lots of cheese don't stick. The guys selected a very affordable Brander 2004 Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc which had a wonderful pink grapefruit flavor. They chilled the wine perfectly, and this course was received with real gusto.

 

After small dollops of boysenberry granita, Max and Alex brought in some meat they had been grilling on the porch, a simply prepared Pepper Steak that they paired with a Clay Station 2002 Lodi Malbec. This wine had plum jam flavors that really complemented the steaks. Max, whenever he can take advantage of the grill, normally serves us grilled vegetables, and tonight was no exception. He grilled, in the myriad little grilling baskets we have just for his vegetables, large-diced carrots, pearl onions, bell peppers, zucchini and minute young potatoes. Our teenagers have learned that their meat portions will always be small, but that there will always be plenty of heavenly vegetables. They have also learned that no fast food chain could ever cook for them dishes they could like better than ours. Corny, maybe, but they also know that we fix our meals with love and friendship, a far cry from fixing meals eons before serving them and miles before arriving at some frigid, soulless kitchen.

 

Kathy had made a bunch of Key lime pies, and perhaps breaking with tradition, paired the pies with small glasses of ForestVille 2003 California Chardonnay, which has in its structure a scent of white flowers, and, of course, Key limes!

 

Fare Thee Well Until Tomorrow
This was our first dinner shared since we gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving. We spent Friday and the weekend catching up on normal farm and ranch chores. We had several horse blankets that needed mending, water troughs to be cleaned before Winter really sets it, fences to be checked, and wherever necessary, repair run-in shelters for our animals.

 

To share the thoughts of some of our teenagers, with which I agree whole heartedly, I'm growing to the point where I hate, as do the teenagers, to refer to our pets and livestock as animals. There is not one within our 13 mile-radius who is intentionally vicious or sadistic, so why should we call them animals. Rather, what should we call those people in D.C. who are sadistic, vicious, uncaring, unfeeling and diabolically opposed to the welfare of the less fortunate?

 

A shorter evening than many, but a good evening. The teenagers are delighted that they don't have homework to do when they go home, and that instead they can spend hours on the phone talking to their friends, and knowing that in the morning they'll have a decent amount of time in which to take care of their horses or other pets. We, well, we're just enjoying the beginning of a season where each meeting with our friends will help us become better advocates of all churches, not only the Republican-backed born-again churches that crush dissent.

 

Summary:
This White House allows some churches to preach hell, fire and brimstone, as long as the said evils are directed at liberals, progressives, and Democrats, but if a church dares to speak unkindly of the White House's many dastardly deeds, the IRS will immediately step in and revoke the church's tax-free status. Sounds like a pretty vicious double standard that the Founding Fathers never envisioned, doesn't it?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

We, With Life and Limb and Roof, Give Thanks

Brief Message of Good Values
With plenty to do today, and more people around us than we normally have, and distractions at every turn, our thoughts are not so much on what may be going on in D.C. so we just barely touched on politics. There are way too many other distractions. Schuyler thought it best to keep things simple, so he mixed only one cocktail, hoping those of us who wanted one would enjoy it. It is called a Montana, and Schuyler made them with simple and easy to find ingredients, brandy, port and dry vermouth. For almost everybody else, he was serving beautifully chilled Carta Nevada sparkling wine from Freixenet, since not everybody likes their drier brut.

 

Because we and our guests had all arrived, he raised a toast to the victims of Katrina and Rita, whom the White House is trying to forget. All the promises of immediate and effective help have wafted upward, evanescing like so much smoke. A few days ago I thought the White House was going to evict untold thousands of families from the hotels where they had sought refuge, right in the middle of the holidays. It seems that under monumental Democratic pressure that heinous mass-eviction will be postponed until Epiphany.

 

From Our Youngsters, More Good News on Values
One of our older teenagers, who is off to college next year, said that in her high school class someone had been talking about a group of young people who had gotten together to form the The Principles Project, which in their words, "Progressives need to tell the United States what we believe - and why we believe it." The program was launched by 2020 Democrats, a coast-to-coast network of young Progressives, The Principles Project "has been created in partnership with a host of activists, intellectuals and other Progressive groups."

Please, look them up at The Principles Project.com but briefly, our teenager said that in the notes she had taken in class, this energetic, patriotic group has given us these Progressive values to ponder over Thanksgiving:

"We believe in defending dignity."
"We believe in strengthening democracy."
"We believe in promoting progress."
"We believe in embracing leadership."

 

The full content of the Declaration of Progressive Principles is found at www.principlesproject.com

 

Youth and Grandparents
Well, we normally think of Thanksgiving as going to Grandma's house for good food and wise advice. Remarkably, today we're having dinner fixed by a younger generation and graciously served to the older generation, and beautifully, have learned some valuable lessons on principles to carry us through this, the first day of our traditional holidays, and hopefully, into the coming year, from the younger generation. And here, in this old stone farmhouse, we're having a multitude of generations, faiths, religions, ethnicities, gender preferences, and dogs! Oh yes, all guests were told that they were quite welcome to bring their four-legged owners over also, so, it's going to be a whopping good time. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Dinner, As Prepared By All of Us
While final dinner preparations were being made, Schuyler and Elizabeth kept cocktail glasses full and champagne flutes bubbling. All along, they had been passing around Cold Roquefort Cheese Balls, Camembert Biscuits and Cheese Wafers.

Late in the afternoon, we sat down in the large dining room, the small dining room, and set up portable tables in the other two sections of the great room. If we normally seat around 45, and today every family brought friends and the children invited some friends, well, you can imagine the activity.

The kitchen, thanks to the enormous old French range, with its numerous ovens, burners, soup pot plates and griddles, was put to good use today. Along one side of the large old kitchen, a new bank of Viking cooktops and different ovens helped all the "cooks" put the finishing touches on the dishes they had brought to the farm, without getting in anybody's way.

 

The Dinner Gong, And All Hungry to The Tables
For our first course, we were each offered a choice of either Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup or Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup. To keep things simple, we had agreed in advance to keep serving only the Spanish sparkling wine with all the courses until the main course, the turkey and Rock Cornish Game Hens.

 

Following the soup, the main course was served, and as you can imagine, everything imaginable went with everything else, and everything was served in abundance. The centerpiece consisted of several platters with turkeys, some prepared following the latest craze, that is Cajun deep-fried turkey, with the interesting addition of prune and liver stuffing, the second one more traditionally slow-smoked, with chestnut and sausage stuffing. Every platter bearing a turkey was surrounded with plump little Rock Cornish Game Hens with cornbread and pine nut stuffing, allowing for at least one hen per guest. We had decided on this plan because not everybody enjoys turkey, and turkeys only have two legs, leaving a lot of people out there hoping for "gamier" fare! For this entire part of the meal, we had agreed in advance that we would serve one wine, good Châteauneuf du Pape.

 

Everybody helped to keep the serving platters full with typical and atypical side-dishes. We had platters heaping with Creamed Collard Greens, Oyster and Corn Bread Dressing, Dried-Cranberry Chutney, Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Leeks, Mashed Potatoes with Chive Oil, Braised Fennel, and mountains of Max's Stone-ground Cornbread Biscuits.

 

Desserts were too abundant to mention, but every family brought a special family favorite, so you can imagine the groaning sideboards. We had Apple Pies, Almond and Marzipan Tartlets, Mango Pies, Crème Brulées, and so much more. Fortunately, we had two 40-cup coffee brewers stored in the old Butler's Pantry, and on days like today they really come in handy.

 

End of a Banquet And More
Finally, our dear friends and neighbors, have a good Thanksgiving, and like good Democrats, Liberals and Progressives, remember those the Republicans would like to see disappear from the face of the earth!

 

Copyright, The Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove

 

Finally #2: Oh, please! Enjoy your festive day, but please, don't enjoy it so much that you look like Mr. Had a Lot here! Jolly good fellow, but maybe a tad too much to eat and drink? However, enjoy; we had this image sent over from the Royal Museum at Brighton, England, just in time to let you know how some of us will look at day's end.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving, and we'll be in touch again on Monday.

 

Summary:
Sometimes, many important political ideals come from the younger generations, and we express some of them today. Important dinners, such as Thanksgiving, can change generational "duties" around, and this year, the younger will cook and serve for the older, and we will all, each one of us, be thankful for something.

 

Key words:
good values, Freixenet Carta Nevada, Katrina, Rita, White House, The Principles Project, young progressives, Viking cooktops, Viking ovens, Châteauneuf du Pape

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Thanksgving For All Faiths

Sorry Liebchen, No Monopoly
Schuyler, busy mixing cocktails for the arriving neighbors, tonight decided to make a new drink called Laughing at the Waves. When asked why he chose this one, he said it was simply because he liked cocktails that mixed Campari with vodka. Tonight he selected a vodka we'd heard was good but had never tried, Tito's Vodka, from Texas! Schuyler had read that Tito's Vodka had received high accolades for their excellent vodka and decided to try it tonight. The drink also called for a small measure of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth.

 

Elizabeth, his wife, helped him serve the cocktails and also joined him in beginning our conversation, which centered around the feeling we have up here that the extreme religious right does not own Thanksgiving. Schuyler and Elizabeth were talking about how that radical fringe group and the never-to-be-outdone-on-the-hypocrisy-scale Republicans were trying to usurp not only God, but also Thanksgiving. As we learned from a Jewish Rabbi, Eric Yoffie, the extreme religious right has no monopoly on God, and thankfully, neither do George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly or those other lunatics, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

 

Elizabeth On Illusion
Elizabeth, always good at remembering lines from important plays, quoted these lines from The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams: "I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

Amazingly, these lines, as soon as Elizabeth had quoted them to us, we knew would be in our minds for many, many days to come. In our political and religious reality, who is the stage magician, and who is telling us the truth? Bob, asked, "Don't smoke screens give you illusion in the appearance of truth?" Weighty words, but useful, at an important time of year. Barry and Kim, Jews who moved into our neighborhood from Israel not even a year ago, told us that the "religious right" did not have a monopoly on God and didn't have one on Thanksgiving either. Barry explained that they had read up on Thanksgiving together with our new neighbors, the two couples who just moved here from Iraq with their children.

 

Going back to Schuyler and Elizabeth's conversation and Elizabeth's quote on illusion, Barry said this celebration should not be an illusion, rather he said, it should be a reality, and is, since more and more people around the world are beginning to celebrate it. Kim explained that around the world Thanksgiving had lost the illusion of the kind-hearted pilgrims and the happy Native Americans, and instead, had gained the reality that Jew or Muslim, Protestant or Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist, Baha'i or Scientologist, Sikh or Unitarian, Atheist or Agnostic, and especially Native American, all people who had kept their self-respect and not succumbed to corruption and brutal behavior, and who also managed to have something, no matter how little, would gather and give thanks.

 

Schuyler On Reality
This loving couple always find good ways in which to express themselves, but they are also realists, and Schuyler said that in these days where many will celebrate, prayers should be said for the souls of the Republicans and the extreme religious right who have made the conscious decision to ally themselves heart and soul with the Republicans because here at home, these two groups have made the deliberate decision to only slowly and grudgingly help the victims of Katrina and Rita, This very second, thousands of them are being advised that they will soon lose what housing they have. Those two radical groups have barely lifted a collective finger to help the hapless victims of the horrendous earthquake in Pakistan, where surely, because of Republican and religious right extremist foot-dragging, untold thousands of Pakistanis will freeze to death in the coming weeks and months.

 

Compassionate conservatives indeed, that's the reality Schuyler said. Lastly, Elizabeth told us, right before coming over she had read that that paragon of religious virtue, Dick Cheney, had just hauled into his office for a sound scolding Senators John McCain, John Warner and Lindsey Graham, to snarlingly, with that swastika-like downward angle of his snarling lips, because of their refusal to help him get the authority he wants to be able to torture detainees. Well, Liebchen Cheney, these Senators, who are more manly and upright than you, aren't going to grant you your Thanksgiving wish: the right to torture to your heart's content. Can you imagine, on the eve of Thanksgiving, still pressuring the government to allow you to use torture? How do you say swine in 100 languages? Help, somebody?

 

Teenagers: Bang That Gong, Dinner's On
What is it about teenagers that keep them in a perpetual state of hunger? Doesn't really matter, we're so happy that they're willing to eat when we eat and what we eat. We're sorry the dining room isn't large enough to hold both adults and kids, but at least we're all in close proximity and can spend time right after dinner when we have our after-dinner coffee.

 

Kim and Barry, Chefs For Tonight
We had been begging Kim to make her famous Salmon Mousse, and tonight she delighted us by preparing it for us. She garnished the little triangles of mousse with salmon eggs and fresh chervil leaves and a drizzle of chive oil. For the mousse, Kim and Barry chose a Washington State sparkling wine, a Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry wine with apple and dried pineapple flavors, giving hints of both tart and sweet flavors, perfect for this mousse.

Barry had suggested this soup, which has some Middle Eastern aspects, his Lamb and Lentil Soup, made with his homemade stock. Right before serving the soup, Barry stirred in some chopped parsley, adding a perfect touch to this soup for a cool evening. Kim and Barry didn't have any trouble deciding to pair their rich soup with a very dry five-year old Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira.

Together in the kitchen, this couple really shines! Their simple White Sole Sautéed with Grapes, served with Arborio rice and a Roast Pepper Terrine and paired with a Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, which was grassy and had hints of lime juice spice was a marriage made in, well, the kitchen.

Our familiar little dollops of fruit sorbet serve only to clear the palate for a different dish, beautifully separating the fish from the meat courses. It's not just some exercise in being effete: it works, try it at home.

Barry surprised us by serving a beautifully poached chicken, and instead of serving warm vegetables on the plates, served a side-plate of Salade Niçoise, both of which paired excellently with a Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale from France.

A word about Kim's Roast Pepper Terrine. She makes them in several Le Creuset enameled cast iron terrine molds, but layers the vegetables so artfully, that when sliced, we are presented with little works of art.

 

Winding Down
We wanted to spend a few minutes with the teenagers, so we had our Mango Tartlets and after-dinner coffee back in the great room. We were surprised at how much they had learned from our discussion over the points made by Rabbi Eric Yoffie. They are all bright kids, and none would ever rush to blindly embrace a theory without questioning it thoroughly, but they were, one and all, deeply affected by Rabbi Yoffie's comparison of the Nazis to the extreme religious right in this country. One of our kids just said: Hate is hate, and it shouldn't exist in religion, and torture shouldn't exist, as it does in the hearts and minds of Cheney and Bush. Well said, and well-thought out.

 

Summary:
Our government, on the eve of Thanksgiving, is presenting us with illusion, whereas we, the people, need reality. On the very eve of Thanksgiving, when people everywhere, of whatever faith, lack of faith, national origin or ethnic variety will be celebrating good and expressing thanks for even having a little to be thankful for. At the same time, the Republicans and the extreme religious right have dragged their feet on helping the victims of Katrina, Rita, and the Pakistani earthquake. Cheney and Bush are assiduously harassing members of Congress, which will not grant these two the right to continue to use torture. Poor white trash, those Cheney's and Bushes.

 

Key words:
Thanksgiving, Campari, Tito's Vodka, Martini & Rossi, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, Republicans, extreme religious right, Katrina and Rita victims, Pakistani earthquake, compassionate conservatives, Dick Cheney, John McCain, John Warner, Lindsey Graham, Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry, Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira, Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale, Le Creuset

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Adam: Created to Fry in Hell?

Only Zealots Have a Monopoly on God
The braziers on the porch were not going to be able to keep the chill off tonight, so we decided to gather in the great room, by the fireplace. The teenagers gathered in one part of the room and we stayed in the center area where the fireplace is. It's funny how some people think that when autumn arrives farm and ranch people can just kick their boots off and sit lazily by the fire until spring. Well, let us disavow you of that belief: there is always something to do on a farm or on a ranch. Some of us have farm farms, some of us have horse farms, and others cattle ranches.

 

Terry and Art, who have the goat farm, artisanal goat cheese business, and the acres and acres of outdoor organic produce and indoor greenhouses, probably have more to do than the rest of us, and yet, as you've seen, they still find time to be significant contributors to our conversations and culinary endeavors. Today, a typical day of hard outdoor labor, will end, or begin maybe I should say, on a good note: Schuyler, as people started arriving, began serving a great cocktail, a Ridley, made with Corazón Silver tequila, Bombay Sapphire gin and Galliano. Well, a reward for a hard day's work.

 

Beginning of the Holiday Season
Out here, we have luckily managed to assemble such a diverse group of people that we actually have a microcosm of the world at large. We have so many religions represented and still wish we had more; we have so many ethnic groups, and still wish we had more; we have some atheist couples, and would welcome more; we have same-sex couple neighbors and would still welcome more; we have many nationalities represented, and would welcome more. Since we will, with no doubt, gather on Thursday to celebrate a special day in many different ways, we treasure the words relayed to us by Kim and Barry, our Jewish/Israeli neighbors who moved here not that long ago.

 

They told us they had heard what Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism had said recently, referring to the religious right, or as we call them here, evangelical christians, "They believe that unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person." Next, Barry and Kim said, Rabbi Yoffie had asked his audience, "What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?"

 

Lucky Little Microcosm
This isn't a "gated community," it's just a bunch of farms and ranches of varying sizes, mostly within a 13-mile radius, and by serendipity, we've all turned out to be compatible people who enjoy each other's company, conversation and food. From our recently arrived neighbors from Iraq, Muslims Rania, Fareed and Nisreen, and our Iraqi Jewish neighbors Eli and Sagidah and their son Naim, to Israelis Barry and Kim, Mexican Art, "International" Max and Charlotte, British Beatrix and Jeremy and the rest of our "gang" of different faiths, ethnicities and gender preferences, we each and every one expect to have a gangbusters Thanksgiving celebration, wishing to the last minute of that celebration, that the "evangelical christians" could embrace the same kind of diversity.

 

Great Comfort From a Humanitarian Rabbi
Of great comfort also were the thoughts expressed by Rabbi Yoffie, which Kim and Barry recounted to us, in part because they're just loving and all-embracing people, but also for the benefit of the two ladies who have the horse farm down the road: "We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations. Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage, but there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."

 

And lastly, they reported that Rabbi Yoffie had said something that we all feel deeply in our hearts: "The conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a 'frozen embryo in a fertility clinic' more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills." Wow, sounds like the God we're going to celebrate on Thursday isn't the same God that created Adam only to condemn him to a life of hell, nor the God the evangelicals say has condemned every human being born since Adam and Eve until the birth of the "born-again christian movement." That's billions of people the evangelicals joyfully condemn to hellfire and brimstone!

 

This Pseudo-Christian Holiday Could Learn a Thing or Two
After hearing the thoughts expressed by Rabbi Yoffie and conveyed to us by Kim and Barry, we decided our little United Nations out here in the country could rally embark on a journey of understanding and acceptance, which really, are the most beautiful ideal behind the Democratic, Liberal and Progressive movement. Not for us the condemnation to eternal hell all those who are not "born-again christians/evangelicals."

 

On To Dinner and Sumptuous Dishes
Something we promised our new neighbors is that next year we would make a concerted effort to learn more about their cuisine and try to prepare dishes they like more often, although they are always very gracious and appreciate the dishes we do prepare for them and share right now. In any case, it would be a thrill to learn how to fix that many more dinners, and a challenge, I imagine.

 

Charlotte and Beatrix Cook
Charlotte, when asked her background or nationality, always smiles sweetly and says she's just international and because she's a true polyglot, she's a perfect wife for Max, another rather international neighbor we have. They both, I think, live to cook, and we, well, we live to eat what they cook for us. But tonight, Charlotte and Beatrix are the chefs du jour, and the first course was delicious, unctuous Chèvre on Warm Melba Toast Rounds they served with a Spanish sparkling wine, a Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad Cava, but if you prefer you could just as easily serve them with a good Italian Pinot Grigio.
Soup.

 

Oh, do these two know how to make us feel nice and warm. They teemed up on their Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup. They spiced the soup up with leeks and basil, and used that wonderful Braun immersion blender to get everything mixed. It certainly beats carrying hot pots to the food processor. Charlotte and Beatrix surprised us with a change in the order of wine service. We almost always begin with sherry or a sparkling wine, and progress to fuller-bodied white wines and then on to the red wines, but here, they decided to follow Italian tradition, and served their soup with a Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico.

Their next delight was Boned Whole Fish Baked in a Crust. They used bass for our dinner, which because of the baking in a crust reminded us of Beef Wellington. On the plates, they served String Beans with Tomatoes and Basil, as well as Spinach Florentine. The wine they chose was one with a funny name in the Piedmontese dialect: "little rascal," a delightful white wine, a 2004 Ceretto Arneis Langhe Blangè.

A small serving of melon sorbet served to prepare us for the meat course. Breaded Milanese Beef Cutlets of extraordinary thinness. Charlotte sautéed fennel in butter, and also served petits pois with Prosciutto in little casseroles. She and Beatrix thought one more Chianti would be good with the beef, and poured a Villa Antinori Chianti Classico.

Using a bit of the same wine, Charlotte and Beatrix poached some fresh fruit, and served it to us with another Italian wine, a Vin Santo.

 

Close to a Fine Day
With the teenagers around us, and enjoying Max's after-dinner coffee with them, we enjoyed briefly recounting to them what we had been talking about earlier. Hopefully, these young adults and children will grow up with good hearts, regardless of their faiths.

 

Summary:
When a respected Rabbi, Rabbi Eric Yoffie reminds the country that the "religious right" is so bigoted that they claim a monopoly on God, we all need to listen, and be better. When he compares some factions within the "religious right" to the Nazis, we'd best snap to attention and become better Democrats, Liberals and Progressives. The born-again christians, this Thanksgiving, will once again proclaim that only they are saved. Tch-tch.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Lord Help Us, They've Let Him Out of His Cage

Visibly Unstable Bush Is Off to China
The whole gang arrived pretty much at the same time, and Schuyler scrambled to mix Orange Daiquiris for those of us who wanted to start the evening off with a good cocktail. He made them with a rum that was new to most of us, Creole Schrubb rum, lime juice and simple syrup. On the drinks table he also had some non-alcoholic sparkling wine and some mineral water. Kim mentioned that she had been deeply disturbed by Bush's behavior on Veteran's Day when he gave a speech that was supposed to, by historic tradition, honor Veterans, past and present.

 

Instead, Kim told us, he spent almost 50 minutes snidely, bitchily, snarlingly swiping at the Democrats and others he perceives to disagree with him. In Kim's opinion, it was neither the time nor the place to play Queen Bee. There is, after all, such a thing as decorum, although maybe not in Crawford, or as we like to call it, Krawford, since that's where this nearly totally deranged one's planning to write his version of Mein Kampf, that's is, if Al Qaeda or The International Criminal Court don't get him first. His speech was smarmy, like one of Richard Nixon's speeches, and betrayed a deeply embittered "man."

Barry, Kim's husband, told us that what worried them was that at a time when Bush is visibly not in control of his faculties, nor at a time when his handlers are managing him adroitly, he's off to China, where, like the proverbial bull in the china shop, he's quite likely to break a lot of china, insulting people right and left, as is his wont. Problem is, Barry told us in worried tones, the Chinese are the very people who are holding most of our debt. We're up to our chins in debt to the Chinese, thanks to George's inability to manage the country's treasure. The U.S. National debt is currently $8,093,788,637,831.23 and growing by $3.48 billion a day. Thanks George; did you think you think your Gorgon mother and insensitive dad were going to bail you out yet once again? Barry said he was going to enroll in Chinese language and culture classes. Shouldn't we all start thinking of doing the same?

 

Wherever He Goes: He Offends
Alex said that he couldn't remember a trip by Bush during which he didn't manage to insult someone. It just seems to be in his blood to be offensive, which isn't unusual when you remember who his parents are. His most recent trip, to Argentina, wasn't exactly a glowing success, as evidenced by the fact that most foreign leaders hardly even acknowledged his presence. However, Latin America, for now, doesn't hold untold billions in U.S. debt, as do the Chinese, so if you think crossing your fingers helps, cross them and hope he doesn't royally tick off the Chinese during his trip to China.

Problem is, Bob and Judy said, China is not some little banana republic; they're fast becoming a financial behemoth with a lot more clout than most people realize. If Beijing doesn't want the U.S. to accomplish one mission or another on the world stage, it can impede any plan the U.S. wishes to accomplish, and Bush, with his typical rough cowboy behavior, could easily tick off the Chinese. So? Maybe we'd better start brushing up on our Chinese.

 

Alley Apples: Stop the Presses
Carmen and Jim had been listening quietly, but suddenly they interjected some really bad news none of us had heard or read about yet. Well, buckaroo, the Toxic Cowboy, sure enough, didn't waste any time in insulting and irritating the Chinese, and he hasn't even landed on Chinese soil! Kim, Barry, Alex, Bob and Judy's fears have already come true and the smarmy, dangerous, guy who runs around yelling No Wire Coat Hangers! As if we were all Joan Crawford's daughter or poor defenseless Baby Jane. Well, the Joan Crawford bitchy approach to dealing with foreign countries really doesn't help the United States, and really, it is almost treasonous. What Carmen and Jim had read just before coming over, was that the Associated Press had earlier reported that Bush was already goading on China on the subject of Taiwan.

 

Now, unless you've lived your entire life in a coal mine, you know how touchy the subject is, so why in hell would Bush taunt the Chinese about democracy and Taiwan from Japanese soil? The Associated Press wrote what Shrub had stupidly and dangerously said: "Modern Taiwan is free and democratic and prosperous. By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society." Idiotically, he continued: "I have pointed out that the people in China want more freedom to express themselves…to worship without state control…and to print Bibles and other sacred texts without state control." Alley Apples! This paragon of freedom of the press, of the freedom to allow vocal opposition at his speeches, this paragon of open government, this invader and torturer is going to lecture the Chinese?

Somebody ought to pull his filthy under shorts down and spank him with a wire coat hanger. After this trip, China will not work with us until we achieve regime change here in the United States. Well, Wacko Shrub, you screwed up again: you're doing a good job Brownie-nose.

 

Hungry Teenagers Ring the Dinner Gong
Max and Charlotte prepared dinner tonight, so as unpleasant as our conversation had turned out, we at least have something good to look forward to, and the always-hungry teenagers will be happily satiated as well. For an amuse-bouche, Charlotte had prepared Bruschetta, spread with an avocado mixture containing scallions, Thai chilies and basil. Charlotte and Max thought a Sauvignon Blanc with notes of lime would be good with the Bruschetta, and poured us a very affordable Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc from Zabaco Vintners. Maybe tonight would be a good night to try other affordable wines.

For our soup course, Max and Charlotte had felt the urge to try some Scottish food, and found a recipe for "Cullen Skink," which is a Smoked Haddock and Potato Soup. With our first real cold snap of the season, this soup really was satisfying. We normally have a nice sherry with our soup, and tonight Max and Charlotte poured us small "copitas" of Harvey's Bristol Cream in the new sherry glasses we got from the Dutch company Royal Leerdam.

Together, Charlotte and Max broiled tonight's fish, hamachi (or yellowtail). Perfectly broiled would be a better description. On the plates with the fish, they served baked Parmesan Stuffed Onions over a bed of fluffy white rice. They poured another very affordable wine, a 2004 Pfalz Villa Wolf Pinot Gris from Germany. This wine had fragrant pear and lemon flavors, and was clean and bright, certainly enhancing the pleasure of tasting the broiled hamachi.

An interlude of dollops of blueberry sorbet, and then Charlotte and Max kept regaling us with comfort and pleasure: Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Broiled Fingerling Potatoes and the most amazing Red Pepper Flan served on a bed of beautiful mesclum from Art and Terry's greenhouses. The wine they poured, a Hoodsport 2003 Columbia Valley Cabernet-Merlot, which had flavors of sweet red cherries. This Washington state wine was perfect with the chicken.

Tonight, a very chilly night, prompted us to light the fireplaces in the great room and in the dining room where we, the adults, have dinner, so the whole place was aglow with atmosphere. We thought a simple dessert would be fine after such a satisfying dinner, and Charlotte served a simple dish of ripe peaches and cream, pairing our dessert with an Italian Vietti 2004 Moscato d'Asti Cascinetta, which had scents of banana but with balanced acidity which kept it clean.

 

After-dinner Coffee in the Great Room
The cold snap tonight, which prompting the lighting of the fireplaces, put everybody in a good mood. Thankfully, it was only the adults who had to think of Bush's latest trip to skulk around sowing seeds of hatred, this time throughout Asia. Jeez, we're hated in so much of the world, and now, before he's even landed in China he's already insulted the Chinese, spreading more hatred. We're glad the kids don't realize what Beatrix and Jeremy confirmed when they returned from Great Britain: even the Brits hate us; the only friend we have there is poor, beleaguered Tony Blair. And the Canadians? They despise us. Blessedly, the kids are oblivious, for now, of how Bush has marginalized us, putting us in a very lone corner, where the world can despise us and spit on the image of what we used to be before Bush and his perverted cabal of goons, male and female.

 

Summary:
Bush had a chance to go to Asia and win friends and keep old friends. Even before landing in China, he insulted and antagonized 1.3 billion people, citizens of the world's newest financial, political and diplomatic behemoth. Not very smart, considering that Bush has hocked us to the hilt, and China holds the pawn slips. Too bad the United States, unlike other countries, doesn't have a system by which heads of state can only travel abroad with permission of their legislative branches.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
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Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Check Your Phone Bill for Fake Charges from OAN and Nationwide Connections

Check Your Phone Bill for Fake Charges from OAN and Nationwide Connections, Inc.

 

OAN, Billview.com, Billingconcepts.com, Nationwide Connections, inc., oanweb.com, Qwest are all involved, but make it very hard to trace back to the source of the bogus phone bill charges

 

In looking over my phone bill this month I discover a charge for $6.25. Now, you would think I would remember a collect a call from Spearfish, SD from last month, right? Well it's a bogus charge and I also discovered we had one on our bill from last February that was supposed to have been made in December 2004. That one was from Michigan and also for $6.25.

 

The numbers they provide in the bills will take you to Nationwide Connections whose supposedly bill on behalf of OAN, whatever those letters mean. All the numbers they give you at Nationwide Connections for OAN just take you back to Nationwide Connections. OAN really does not want to be contacted by you...!

 

The good thing is that Nationwide Connections readily gives you credit or in the case of my old charge says they will send a voucher that can be used against our phone bill for credit. We'll see if we really get one.

 

The message here is to check your phone bill every month and question any funny-looking charges.

 

Do some searches in Google for oan scam and billview scan and you will find it ain't just me.

 

Here's one blog entry that I found that confirms what I've seen:

http://chittahchattah.blogspot.com/2005/04/seebach-exhibit-7-spurious-collect.html

 

(hris

Abuse of Defenseless Angels

The Holidays Are Approaching: Take Care of Your Children
On this beautiful, autumn evening, we tried something different for cocktails, an Orange Brandy, made with Grand Marnier. Everybody praised Schuyler's choice, since it served a double purpose: it prepared us for dinner, and it helped us talk about something we hate to bring up, especially since there are so many children in our families: child abuse at the hands of the clergy.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, be careful, mothers and fathers, if you plan to send your children off to see your parish priest unaccompanied by you. I wouldn't send my child into a pen of rattle snakes unattended, but apparently some parents still send their children off to see their merry priests without a chaperone. For those who do, shame on you, or at least follow the instructions that follow.

 

Remember Those Chastity Belts From Medieval Times: Start Stocking Up
Well, mothers, fathers, if you're going to continue to send your children off to their parish priests, you'd be wise to start looking into fitting them with chastity belts. Unfortunately, because of the many ways today's clergy use to abuse and rape children, you'd best look into the newer chastity belts that begin their protection at the child's mouth, and extend to protect their bodies to just above their knees. Drastic? Yeah, but so are the broken promises made by the church, who are swiftly backpedaling and are now refusing to be observed and monitored by impartial outside parties. Those sweet old priests are now insisting that they are able to monitor themselves, and that we should trust and believe in their integrity.

 

The Very Reverend, snippy and feminine ex-Bishop Wilton Gregory promised that beginning in Dallas in June of 2002, outside observers and monitors would oversee parishes around the country. He kept repeating that there would be a National Office for Child and Youth Protection which would report annually. Really? Now, they have put obstacles in the way of any outside monitoring of their, sorry, but it's true, nefarious activities. Why should this be very troubling to you? Because 4,000 pedophile priests have been identified; 80 churches have been shuttered; an archbishop has been forced to step down (and then way up, thanks to the Vatican, which just doesn't get it); 800,000 million has been paid out in lawsuits, and 100,000 child victims have been identified, with tens of scores still at risk. The church has now even begun to refuse much needed mental health counseling for the flocks they have injured and were supposed to be good shepherds to.

 

What Self-Audits?
In November of 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted to use "self-audits" for the issue of child safety protection policies, excluding the audits that had initially been assigned to retired FBI agents.
The Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), have been lobbying to get the USCCB and the National Review Board (NRB) to fulfill their commitments as they were outlined in Dallas in 2002. Both VOTF and SNAP have written formal letters to NRB Chairman Nick Cafardi to rescind the USCCB's wrong actions.

In a good example of slithering up inside their own nether parts, letters to Bishops go unanswered! These groups have written Spokane Bishop William Skylstad (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president) and Chicago Cardinal Francis George (USCCB vice-president), and guess what? Those stewards of the faith won't reply! Jeez, the chickens in our yard have bigger cojones.

To read a full transcript of the letter from Voice of the Faithful, please visit their Web site at http://www.votf.org/Press/pressrelease/120604.html
Also, please check this website http://www.snapnetwork.org/

 

As things stand now, instead of 100% of dioceses being visited, there will only be 10%. That's going to leave a lot of children at the mercy of the pedophiles.

 

Vatican Complicity = Second Round of Drinks
At this point we all asked Schuyler for another round of his delicious drink. Sadly, it seems that the Vatican is quite complicit in the abuse. Official Vatican policy forbids discussion of abuse by priests, as being "unspeakable crimes." In other words, Elizabeth said, it's "We know you sweet fellows rape little boys and girls; just don't talk about it because we don't want to deal with it." The Vatican has its own Code of Omerta: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself. A wounded man shall say to his assailant: If I live, I will kill you - If I die you are forgiven."

 

Omerta is the law of silence. It is the code of honor which the Mafia so sacredly follows. The code of Omerta is an essential aspect of the Italian Mafia that must not be treated lightly. Its main concepts are to "betray authority and take justice into your own hands".

"If a man cannot be a Christian in the place where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere."
Henry Ward Beecher

 

Sounds like the Mafiosi. I'm sorry, the clergy haven't read this, and wouldn't understand it if they did.

 

The Welcome Dinner Gong
Now, for a while at least, let's forget about those necessary chastity belts and go into the dining room and see what they've prepared for tonight's dinner. The kids fight over who is going to get the chance to "gong" and announce dinner.

First, Robert and Judy served us some baked piquillo peppers and manchego cheese on toast points. They served this with a good, dry Spanish sparkling wine, a Mont Marçal Cava Brut. Our next course was an interesting Sweet Potato and Chicken Chowder, served with a good, buttery Chardonnay from Trapiche, in Argentina.

Alex next brought us some medallions of grilled salmon he and Max had grilled in the pool house. Some were surprised that they had decided to pair it with a red wine, but believe us, it went perfectly with the salmon. What they poured was a Pinot Noir from MacMurray Ranch, a 2002 Sonoma Coast, from Healdsburg, California.

After changing our palates with a bit of guava sorbet, Robert and Judy brought out an amazing Chateaubriand. From their wine cellar they brought what they new would be the best wine for this, a splendid 2002 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon. For dessert, they served us perfectly prepared crème brulée. If you can, you can serve the crème brulée with a flawless Château d'Yquem Sauternes going for about $3,000.00, or if you're in our league, pair it with a moderately priced Sauternes.

 

Winding Down
After dinner we returned to the great room, where we enjoyed Charlotte and Max's suggestion that we gather around and sip Coffee Orloff before heading home. Both the younger and older kids enjoy exchanging stories of their care of the foals entrusted to their care. And if the kids can be good shepherds to their foals, the least we can do during the season when our kids could be scarred for life, is to be good shepherds to them. Don't, don't, condemn them to a life of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which often ends in suicide, and all because your parish priest looks like such a sweet, benevolent fellow.

 

Summary:
We're entering a season when our children, our angels, may be exposed more frequently to their parish priests. Either chaperone them at all times, or encase them in impenetrable chastity belts. Do you think you might offend your priests? Would you rather condemn your child to a life of hell? Think.

 

 

Key words:
child abuse, Grand Marnier, parish priest, chastity belts, ex-bishop Wilton Gregory, National Office for Child and Youth Protection, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, National Review Board, SNAP, Spokane Bishop William Skylastad, Chicago Cardinal Francis George, abuse by priests, Mont Marçal Cava Brut, MacMurray Ranch, 2002 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon, Château d'Yquem Sauternes

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of pe