All God's Animals

The Lord is My Shepherd
Schuyler and Elizabeth haven't left town yet, but tonight Schuyler decided that instead of mixing cocktails for us, he would serve everybody some just-chilled sparkling wine since the holidays are upon us. Thankfully, non-alcoholic sparkling wine is easy to find, and he had several bottles available for those who don't drink.

 

Quite a few of us are gathered in the great room, but many couples and their children have left to spend the holidays with relatives in other states and even other countries. One of our main rabble-rousers isn't planning on going anywhere, and we thought tonight he'd naturally bring up some of the really dark things that are going on in the White House, so we were all surprised when he said he wanted to talk about the kindness we owe animals. Yes, you could have heard a pin drop, the room grew so quiet. Out of respect for his privacy, we never mention him by name, but over the years we've had a chance to grow close enough to gain his confidence and trust. We've also learned a lot about his life, and that's why we protect his privacy. Tonight, we'll be speaking a lot for him, though of course you know that he's the one who proposed that we talk about kindness to animals.

Our neighbor was so brutally abused as a child, that fifty-five years later he is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. That, to us, seems like an awfully long time to suffer, but it does explain why this neighbor in particular would choose to talk about kindness to animals. We've learned, over the years, that he has made a "career" of adopting severely abused animals and nursing them back to health. Back in the early eighties he at one point had as many as fourteen dogs the nearest animal shelter asked him to "foster" until good homes could be found for them. Today, out here on a farm, with the room to do it, he takes in horribly abused horses who have had such cruel things done to them we can't even stand to think about them, yet he spends years little by little, small step by small step, building up their trust and gaining their confidence.

 

One of the ex-race horses has been so completely transformed that today his behavior is more dog-like than horse-like: he follows our neighbor around wherever he goes, and if given a chance, licks him all over, just like one of his dogs would, and that tells you why tonight our neighbor wanted to talk a bit about kindness to animals. After all, Elizabeth said, for those who are Christian, you cannot ignore all the animal symbolism that fills that particular religion. Not for nothing is Jesus referred to as a shepherd, and not for nothing are we called his flock.

The kindness for animals that we really wanted to talk about tonight has much to do with the season. A lot of feasting is going to go on over the next week or two, and as you know quite well by now, we do an awful lot of eating of flesh out here on our farms and ranches. Our neighbor does also, but only because of the way we deal with such things out here: any animal that is butchered for food, has, first, led a life without fear, without confinement, and without cruelty. Secondly, at the time of its death it still is dealt with humanely and with no foreknowledge of impending death.

 

Not just our neighbor, but now, all of us, have the same ethics. There is absolutely no reason to tolerate cruel treatment of animals intended for human consumption. Not all of you are as lucky as we are, since we control every day of our animals' lives, but you do have a choice. You can choose to buy cheap cuts of meat, which guarantee that the animal you are about to eat led a horrific life and met a horrific death, or you can be a bit more choosy and decide to spend just a bit more money and buy only flesh that comes from animals who have been dealt with humanely throughout their lives, and most importantly, at the time of their deaths.

Today, there is more awareness of how the industry deals with farm animals, and maybe this is a good time of year to make all of us, and all those people we know, more aware. There are more breeders, farmers and ranchers who are willing to give their animals a decent life and a humane death. Cut out a beer here or a cappuccino there, and you can buy beef, chicken, pork, fish or what have you from certified humane sources.

Our neighbor wanted us to make sure and tell you about a very short but extremely poignant little "cartoon" that is on the internet on how horribly we are allowing farm animals to be raised and killed right now. Please, be humane, and go to your computer and find www.themeatrix.com Please watch it and follow some of its suggestions.

Also The Humane Society of the United States has a good web site that is full of suggestions on how to go about eating the meals you like while ensuring that the animals that feed you led good lives and had humane deaths. Please, our neighbor begged, tell everybody to go to www.hsus.org/farm_animals

 

Because of the time of year, many of us will be having turkey, among other dishes. The Humane Society web site has so much information about Organic BreadBasket of Winnipeg, who have merited their "Certified Humane Raised & Handled" label. These turkeys are sold under the tradename Pop's Farm. Please, our group entreated us to write, try and get these turkeys. There is still time, not much perhaps, but if you try you can still get them. For those of you fortunate enough to live close to a Whole Foods Market, you can find them there,

For the holidays, regardless of your religion or lack thereof, you can do something worthy of this time of year: pressure your local grocer so that together we can all put pressure on the shameful U.S. Department of Agriculture to enforce the ban on the inhumane and unspeakably cruel way in which our food animals are slaughtered. It's such a small thing to do, but such an important one. Why, we all wondered, would you want to eat an animal who was only partially dead before it began being deboned? Why would you want to eat an animal who was being boiled alive? Why would you want to have a holiday ham, knowing that the poor beast was strung up on meat hooks by one of its legs and swung on a conveyor-like contraption long before it was fully dead?

 

The USDA is just another word for Sick Nazis. Do you know how many obscenely ill animals they allow to enter the meat market? Again, just as with inhumane treatment, only we can make a difference, the animals cannot speak up for themselves. Do you think, our neighbor asked, you are too busy to write a letter, make a phone call or make a donation? And you call yourself a human being? Think about it: The Lord is My Shepherd, and who is the shepherd for all those millions of animals being inhumanely being raised and slaughtered?

http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/abstract.cfm?NLEid=61299

 

The Internet address we cited above is important, please visit this site. Please be a Shepherd, helpless animals need you. We, on our farms and ranches, have found that we need each other, and caring for our animals has helped our souls in ways too mysterious to explain, but when we go to bed at night, if we've had a good visit with our neighbors and know that we have been kind to our animals, we have a beautiful night's sleep, and wish the same for our animals and animals everywhere, after all, we are human beings, and human beings can be shepherds too.

 

Lastly, just before going in to dinner, our neighbor asked us to beg you to please, also, search these last two web sites. He thinks there is so much we can do for animals, who without help from kind human beings, are always, inevitably, mistreated. The sites are:

 

www.farmsanctuary.org and www.nodowners.org
Thank you for your patience with us, distant neighbors.

 

Dinner Gong and Hungry Teenagers
With so many of our neighbors already away for the holidays, we had the fireplace in the dining room roaring and all of us, adults and teenagers, were able to sit together. This doesn't happen very often, the pleasure of having three generations all sitting at the dining table at the same time. Our first course was an exquisite Artichoke and Angel Hair Pasta Frittata. A frittata is simply defined as "an unfolded omelet often containing chopped vegetables or meats."

 

Our eggs, of course, come from our free-range chickens, so we could have our Frittata knowing everything was o.k. with this dish. The parmiggiano-reggiano cheese was superb, making this simple appetizer rich and unforgettable. We felt terrible, enjoying our frittatas with some delcious sherry while the teenagers could not have any. European-style, however, the oldest ones do get the occasional sip of sherry because when they come of age we don't want them thinking good wine or liqueurs are some kind of forbidden, taboo pleasure that has to be consumed immoderately; we want them to think it's just an additional pleasure to be consumed in moderation with good food.

Tonight, with so many of our friends gone, we thought we'd have a simpler dinner, and we thought this simple soup would be easy to prepare (well, for some, like Max and Charlotte) and satisfyingly warm: Consommé with Agnolotti (filled with shrimp and crab.) The consommé is made with Martini & Rossi Vermouth, so the adults had a small glass of vermouth with theirs.

 

Our next, and last course, was Tagliatelle with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers, a very satisfying pasta dish. Because we were having far fewer courses than we normally do, the large, beautiful Italian bowls we used tonight were filled to overflowing. We chose a Côtes de Provence Rosé for the dish, which wasn't heavy enough to warrant one of the heavier Tuscan wines. The rosé was fresh and fruity, perfect for a lighter pasta dish.

 

Winding Down
We went back to the great room to have Orange Madeleines with our after-dinner coffee. We are so used to our large group that the room might have felt a bit empty if it hadn't been for the large tree we had set up. In a small way, it made up for the absence of our good neighbors and friends. Tomorrow we'll have a special meal, and then the last few neighbors planning trips will be leaving.

 

Summary:
Today, there is no excuse for human beings in this country to accept anything less than the most humane treatment of animals destined for our consumption. This humane treatment needs to occur throughout the animals' lives, and especially as the hour of their slaughter arrives. They should never, not for an instant, have to feel fear or panic. If we can't do that for them, then we don't deserve it for ourselves. This is the "holiday season" and all we can say is: eat responsibly, eat compassionately.

©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
================================================

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Sanksrit Grammarian and Italian Sandwich: Liberal is Not a Dirty Word
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The United States Needs Friends, Not More Enemies

Now We're Picking A Fight With Our Neighbor To The North
Schuyler mixed Icebreakers for us as the gang gathered in the great room. He made them with Corazón Silver Tequila and Cointreau. A delicious drink, new to us and a relative of the daiquiri. For those who don't drink alcoholic beverages, Schuyler always has good alternative.

 

Jeremy and Beatrix were pretty upset over a report that Fox News' Your World host Neil Cavuto was stirring up trouble between the United States and Canada. What most upset them was the knowledge that right now we have precious few friends in the world, so alienating your next door neighbor and important trading partner, to Jeremy and Beatrix just seemed stupid. Looking around the room, not one of us could disagree, and found it revoltingly stupid of this administration, even via a third-rate newscaster such as Neil Cavuto, to allow criticism of our neighbor to the north. The criticism idiot Neil Cavuto was directing at Canada he addressed to Canadian lawyer and political analyst Patrice Burnett.

 

Cavuto's problem, other than the prickly pear he appears to have sat on and then couldn't extricate, was criticism against Bush's refusal to join the world in supporting the Kyoto Treaty. This criticism comes not only from Canada, but from most of the world. Initially, the Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin diplomatically avoiding citing the United States by name; nevertheless the idiot Neil Cavuto insisted on insulting Patrice Burnett by barking: "Could our neighbors to the north soon be our enemies?" and worse, "Have the Canadians gotten a little bit too big for their britches?" So, only the United States can be too big for its britches, like the nasty bully country we've become?

 

Max and Charlotte, life-long fans of Canada and its intensely principled people, were incensed. They pointed out that the insane far-right media commentators, like Ann Coulter, always spoke not from the orifice where the food goes in but rather, from the one where it leaves the body, much the way Bush does. And, they said, the matter could have died on the airwaves, the way so much idiocy does, but the United States ambassador couldn't help adding his poop-wisdom to the matter by intemperately stating in a speech on December 13, responding to Mr. Martin's really very low key and diplomatic approach, with these acerbic words: "But (criticizing the United States) is a slippery slope [ye gads, shiver me timbers!] and all of us should hope that it doesn't have a long-term impact on our relationship." Thus, Max said, ensuring that the idiot Cavuto's inane insults will now escalate and lose us yet another friend.

 

Friends. Bush Has To Ask, What's That?
This administration has certainly won high marks in the kick the poop out of everybody around the world, we can go it alone department, so bring them on! But, Alex said, somebody ought to shake some sense into that intellectually impaired paranoid fascist with the hopes of being an über-fuehrer because not only has he alienated the entire world, he has alienated the principled among us, Democrats, and in the last couple of weeks he's alienated most of the members of his own party. Smarts. The guy ain't got 'em, and now we're losing one more friend. And guess what, Canada is a sovereign country and doesn't have to allow us to use its territory to transport our oil from Alaska.

Somebody needs to muzzle and fire ambassador David Wilkins, who, around here, would be just about at the bottom of the pecking order in no matter what herd we were talking about.

 

The whole argument is about global warming, and only an idiot would deny that we are wiping out not only the glaciers, ice caps, Eskimos, polar bears, fish around the world's oceans, clean air and an eco-system those rabid religious people said their very God created. We're also wiping ourselves out, and the pushy, obnoxious bully United States, via the darkest human being to ever be president of the United States, is refusing to do anything even remotely like being cooperative, helpful or concerned. Big money trumps life, every time.

 

The Teenagers Are Ready for Dinner and The Sleet Made Us Hungry For Hot Soup
Secretly, we're happy that the teenagers don't have the same "social modesties" we adults have. When they're ready to eat, they don't pretend they're not. They really go at that dinner gong and tell us it's time for dinner, no matter how "important" what we're talking about is.

Art and Terry, who have the organic produce and goat cheese farm down the road from us, brought three different kinds of goat cheese and made us some exquisite Filo Triangles filled with the different kinds of goat cheese. They paired their inspired appetizer with a Domecq Manzanilla Fino sherry, which was also going to be paired with our soup tonight, a collaborative effort by Max, Charlotte, Jeremy and Beatrix: classic Bouillabaisse. A few of us thought a dry, Alasation Riesling might also be good with the Bouillabaisse. One that we tried was a Zind-Humbrecht very dry Riesling.

 

Beatrix and Sagidah, in a first, paired up to prepare our fish course. Tonight was the first night our British Beatrix and our Jewish Iraqi Sagidah decided to stop being shy and join forces to add plenty to our banquet. The results: amazingly exquisite. They served us Prosciutto-Wrapped Broiled Salmon with Porcini, Oyster and Cremini Mushroom Sauce. Served over simple steamed white rice and with flawless steamed asparagus, the dish was perfect, as was their wine choice: a white Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée St. Vincent. In the affordability range it just squeaked by and was well worth it.

 

Jeremy and Max took on the task of preparing our meat course, one they found easy to work on, Roast Leg of Lamb, roasted with lots of garlic and parsley. Their contribution satisfied us all so much, but of course the Roast Lamb wasn't all they prepared. There was an exquisite Fricasée of Wild Mushrooms and Provençal Roasted Tomatoes. The guys paired their masterpiece with a well-balanced Saint-Julien Bordeaux.

 

For dessert, Charlotte made some simple peach tartlets and served us some beautifully just-chilled Carta Nevada Freixenet sparkling wine. Right after that, we joined the teenagers in the great room where Max was serving just-brewed espresso.

 

If the obscene U.S. ambassador to Canada, and the very-much pretend-rancher Bush gave a damn about the land their grandchildren will inherit, they would change their minds on Kyoto: but, the facts are there in black and white, quite plain: Bush just doesn't have what it takes to take compassion on the world. Make a buck today; tomorrow doesn't count.

Funny, Elizabeth said as she finished her espresso: the ludicrous "born-again christians" are embroiled in this battle-to-the-death over who, what or when the earth was created, but they're willing to kiss the ugliest part of Bush's anatomy just so long as he doesn't lift a finger to save the earth. Funny? Disgusting.

 

Summary:
The United States loses more friends every day. Now, it's itching to lose Canada as a friend. This administration doesn't give a damn about the world it occupies, nor does it care what it's few remaining allies think about the world and its dwindling health. The United States, thanks to Bush's considering it irrelevant, has already lost all of Latin America; tomorrow, it's losing Canada. It's a cold world out there baby, when you don't have any friends left.

©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
================================================

A Battle Won In a War That Should Never Have Been Fought

We're Going to Bring Dignity Back to The White House
Yeah, sure, and I'm going to let the sexual pervert down the street baby-sit my kids while I go catch a flic. After all, he said "Trust me, I'm a good guy." Just today, Senator John McCain won the battle over allowing the White House to use torture. Problem is, Alex said, there should never, in this country, have been a war between Senator McCain and the amazingly disgusting White House over whether the United States should or should not condone torture. It should always have been a mute point.

 

However, Alex continued, The United States allowed itself to be overrun by thugs of the worst sort. "America the Beautiful" suddenly has a very hollow ring. What can be beautiful about a country that allows, and votes into power, a gang of thugs so low that they would condone torture? The "people" Bush has chosen to surround him have everything in common with the people Hitler chose to surround himself with, and no, Alex said, he wasn't running off at the mouth, he's planning on telling us more about this subject in the next few days. Anyway, so much for "dignity" Bush. Look up the word, it might surprise you.

 

This war: It Should Never Have Had to Happen
Why, why in the world would a United States senator have to wage war to the death with the "president" of the United States? Why should a brutally tortured soldier from the Vietnam war have to butt heads with the biggest ascholss in the history of the United States? Well, in great part because of the insanely megalomaniac people he chooses to get counsel from, each of whom has encouraged the use of torture and to flaunt the rule of law; not just United States law, but International law.

 

You'd have to have been living under a rock somewhere if you weren't aware of the fact that Dick Cheney, he with the little swastika in the corner of his perpetually snarling lips was openly, fascistly, advocating for allowing the CIA to continue to engage in torture; he fought John McCain, tooth, nail and snarling lips right up until the end. That ferociously inept and unpleasant "woman," advocate of torture and everything that can be accomplished under cover of night and secrecy, just hauled the United States through the dung all across Europe, denying the use of what her "president" and "president of vice" wanted so dearly in their dung-filled hearts: the ability to continue to use torture. Fortunately, the European Union has more cojones than most citizens of the United States and is planning on bringing this entire embarrassing practice into the open.

 

The European Union is going to bring some of this administration to justice. But, as the French say, let's get back to our mutton: why, in 2005, should any United States senator have to battle the administration of the United States to forbid it from doing what the world already has agreed to forbid in treaty after treaty, in agreement after agreement. What shame this scrofulous cabal has rained down upon us, and, Jane asked us all, how many generations is it going to take before we can wash this dung off of our collective hands? We've been damaged, immeasurably.

 

Finishing Our Cocktails, With Bent Heads
Schuyler had fixed us a delicious cocktail called Fruits of the Desert, made with golden Corazón tequila, triple sec and Cointreau. Delicious, except for the shame we felt for "America the Beautiful" and the pride we felt in that one patriot, John McCain. The ink hasn't dried on the documents prepared tonight, and already his triumph is being shot out of the air by Bush, Cheney, the toad Gonzáles, the pig Rove, the viper Rice and guess who else? The U.S. army, already planning a secret addendum to The Army Field Manual, so Senator John McCain's labors are not over, the battle still continues, surreptitiously, under cover of night and cover of the machinations of people we once thought honorable, Senator Lindsay Graham, who is going "emasculate" McCain's triumph.

 

Hopefully, Senator Arlen Specter can deter him, but how shameful that Senator Graham has chosen to act as without cojones as Bush does ever day of his sad life. And Duncan Hunter? Hopefully somebody will tie the proverbial piano wire tightly 'round his family jewels. In a nutshell, Max told us, McCain tried to save us, Bush took the glory, and tomorrow, when we wake up, the battle will continue, and the repulsive Rice thing and the nasty Aztec toad Gonzáles will be goading Bush on into continuing to thwart the rule of law and decency.

 

Watch out, Alex told us, the White House is not going to take this defeat lying down. It's going to keep snarling at John McCain, and We The People are going to have to join the Europeans in being more vigilant. We held our heads down, since there was no joy in the great room. Our only joy, it seems, is going to come from the noble Europeans and their unflagging investigations. Give us French Fries or anything nobly European any day, over anything dastardly this administration would feed us.

 

The Children and the Dinner Gong
The teenagers, animatedly engaged in their own conversations, are never shy about letting us know when it's time to eat, which is probably a good thing, since some nights we could talk about our world all night and never think of food; so, young gang, thank you for reminding us that we also have to replenish our bodies, along with our minds.

 

We took our places at the two dining tables, the one in the large dining room for the adults and the dining table in the great room for the "young adults," also known as "those who will carry the torch into a better future." We sat down to Max and Charlotte's superb Beef Satay and Hot Mango Sauce. The perfect beef was broiled on skewers and served with the Mango Sauce. We agreed with Max and Charlotte's choice of a Sauvignon Blanc for this appetizer, and were pleased beyond belief when they poured us one of the top, award-winning Sauvignon Blancs for the 2002 California season, the 2002 Château St. Jean La Petite Étoile Vineyard, Russian River Valley Fumé Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc.)

 

Bob and Judy brought a Lentil and Orechiette soup, spiced with cloves, celery, marjoram, basil and thyme. Delicious? Well, a little bit more than inspired. It was perfect for a cold evening, and the lentils made some of our neighbors comfortable and right at home, which, after all, is the point of these good dinners.

 

The next intricate course required the savvy and patience of both Charlotte and Beatrix. To some of us, the dish seemed impossible to put together for 50 people, but these two ladies acted as if they had done nothing. Well, you decide. The dish was Smoked Salmon and Wild Rice Ramekins. Each of the ramekins they lined with the smoked salmon and then they filled the cavity with feta cheese, diced cucumber, wild rice and fresh chervil. On the plates, they place some lime wedges but no vegetables. We were all amazed by this dish which looked so complicated and tasted so sublime and delicate. The 2001 Paraíso, Monterey County Chardonnay they selected to pair with the salmon was a perfect choice.

 

Before Max's meat course, we were served small dollops of Key Lime Sorbet, beautifully providing a "palate" interlude between the fish and the meat course.

 

Max had planned for a long time to prepare us Grilled Rosemary Chicken in individual clay pots. It seems that every month he was buying a couple of wonderful clay, covered pots in which to prepare his fabulous chicken. Each pot contained a wonderful array of vegetables; something to please every one of us. For the chicken, Max and Charlotte selected another award-winning wine, a 2002 Firestone Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley Syrah.

Beatrix must have spent a long time preparing our Mango Mousse In Individual Ramekins, but of course, she said that it had been a snap. Paired with a sweet Italian sparkling wine, it was a perfect end to wonderful dinner. All we wanted after this little banquet was to join the teenagers in the great room for our after-dinner coffee. Their company and chatter is just as good as sparkling wine!

 

Sorry guys, I just lost my supper, and then some. Most of the crowd has left, but I made the mistake of catching a bit of late news, and found the obscenely hideous, hairless-barrel-chested, spiny-haired, splayed footed obsidian knife-carrying Aztec torturer Alberto González, whose mother must have co-habited with Beelzebub to spawn such a sick child, on national television, saying he didn't know anything, not one iota, of the 26 prisoners killed while in U.S. custody. He pretended from Hades-only ignorance of any wrongdoing, when he was the architect of this country's widespread use of torture. How grotesque it is to see the "attorney general of the United States" to play stupid, ignorant, innocent toad. As I lost my dinner, I thought how hideously repulsive all the people encircling the insanely sick Bush are.

 

Cheney, with his perpetual snarl ought to be locked up; Rove, rotund and hog-snouted, ought to be put on a spit, with the spit being properly inserted from one orifice to the next; Rice, with that almost insanely dismissive attitude towards the rest of the world, except for the man she longs to sleep with, should be done with as was done with Joan of Arc, though not for her saintliness, of course; Gonzáles, well, any death would be too kind; like his ancestors, he should be smothered in honey and placed in a pit of fire ants; and then there's the fancy-costume-liking "president" for whom no death should be merciful: judging from the acts of torture he adores with all his "born-again christian" fascist heart, he should have the soles of his feet slammed with bats until he dies. Sorry sweetie, but faith has its limits, and this dung-like crew has made mine snap.

 

Summary:
John McCain won an anti-torture battle yesterday, and immediately, the administration started to scuttle it. When George Bush and the guy who browns his nose, Dick Cheney, said they wanted to keep torture, they meant it, and they haven't stopped this insane war with John McCain. They are already adding a secret addendum to the Army Filed Manual. Nice people, those Bush people. Whew, if we could just have them on the ranch for one day they'd be singing a very different song.

©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
================================================

Since When Is Liberal a Dirty Word?

Inclusion and Charity, Farm-Style
Master mixologist (and cattle rancher) Schuyler was mixing up a great cocktail as everybody began arriving. He told us it was called a Rum Ramsay, and he made them with a rum that none of us had tried before, Kuya Fusion Rum, and each glass also had a teaspoon of bourbon mixed in, with a dash of Angostura bitters. We never have to be reminded that up here the limit is one cocktail. For us it's the socialization that matters, and the inquisitiveness of what a new cocktail may taste like. You've heard us say this before, that the amount of wine in our wine glasses is always very small because we have so many different kinds with our multi-course dinners, and naturally, the portions on our plates are always small.

Funny time of year, this. As we were gathered around the fireplace sipping our drinks, some of us began to express apprehension over the coming family visits. Sad, isn't it, that there has to be even a moment's concern about the stress of a family visit. Looking around, we wondered how it was that as many of us as there are in our group of neighbors, we never dread seeing each other; rather, it's the highlight of our days. Why do you thank that is, Jane asked? Why would we rather gather together daily with our neighbors, than look forward wholly to visits with our families?

Carmen, a Catholic, and Jim, her Pentecostal husband reminded us just to look at them as a family. They asked us to remember Cathy and Shelley, the two ladies who have the horse farm down the road: we don't have ever-present the difference in faith of Carmen and Jim, and we never, ever, think about the fact that Cathy and Shelley are a "same-sex couple" since for us they're just another couple down the road who breed beautiful horses with love and tenderness, and who lovingly cook for us when their turn comes up. Something else that "just wouldn't do" at most of our families' holiday dinner tables: other examples of our close-knit community of farming and ranching neighbors. We have Iraqi Muslims and Iraqi Jews; we have Jews from Israel; we have agnostics, we have atheists, we have Presbyterians, Anglicans; heck, we even let the dogs wander around the table as we eat, and if we're lucky enough while having dinner, we all thrill at the sound of a happy horse or two whinnying in the distance.

So, Charlotte said in her beautifully Belgian-inflected accent, we believe and live charity and inclusion, whereas many of our families, live only to battle people different from themselves.

Sadly, My "born-again Christian" Family Is The Worst
Stress. Stress? Well, it's easy to define it at this time of year. It's walking on eggshells, morning, noon and night. Never being able to express an honest thought without being buried by an avalanche of hate and exclusion.

Frighteningly secure in their own holiness, to the exclusion of the holiness of ALL other religions, these people scare the pee out of me when I have to be around them. Problem is, they think that they and they alone hold the keys to the kingdom, and that ALL the rest of us are doing straight to hell, so, how do you talk to a group of people who don't think and can't use reason in a logical, rational and scientific way? Their pastors are usually not very well educated people, and those pastors' flocks ordinarily have the brains you would expect of a "flock." You absolutely cannot talk with them with any degree of intelligence. No matter what you say, you're wrong because their pastors have told them that anything they hear that doesn't toe the line is wrong.

I'll give you one sad example of what seeing my "beloved relatives" is going to be like this year: my own sister is convinced that Katrina happened only, to the exclusion of everything else, because of the sinful ways of the people in New Orleans. She believes it right and good that her president has killed 100,000 Iraqi civilians and over 2000 U.S. troops, with tens of thousands of maimed, blinded, and amputated troops, for the sole reason that he "ostensibly" disagrees with abortion. She sees no evil in his using napalm, white phosphorous, or depleted uranium on the Iraqis. Why? Well, hallelujah honey, because he "publicly" condemns abortion although he's going down in history as the Butcher of Huntsville, executing more people than any other governor of Texas.

So, What's So Wrong About The Label: Liberal?
Well, if it means that you accept the fact that God loves everybody, nothing. If liberal means accepting all your neighbors, friends and relatives just as they are, well that sounds like a pretty good thing to be. And why, pray tell, are Democrats so afraid of being called liberals? They shouldn't be, since all the word means is that they believe in being charitable, noble, all-inclusive, accepting, loving, and willing to take care of the less fortunate.

Being liberal means giving human beings the right to make decisions concerning their own bodies. Being liberal means recognizing that good people can be different and still be deserving of everything good a human is recognized as needing in order to be able to live in comfort, dignity, good health and in proper shelter. Being liberal means recognizing that the über-rich are not the only people deserving of the government's concern and largesse. Gosh darn, sounds up here like being liberal just means being a good human being, as opposed to being a snotty, selfish, paranoid fanatic of the military-industrial complex, frightened by and uncaring of, the "masses."

A Break From Deep Thinking: A Banquet!
The teenagers were hungry, and we were ready for a change of pace and a change of subject. After a day of hard work on the farm and on the ranch, there wasn't one of us who could honestly say wasn't ready for a small feast.

Our pleasure began with Beatrix's Tartlets of Wild Mushroom and Fontina Cheese. She prepared them with a bit of dry sherry, and served us some cooled Fino sherry as a perfect accompaniment. Beatrix decorated the plates with a bit of arugula, which added a hint of the greenery we'd all be seeing soon on our mantelpieces and banisters. I think we've all become a bit Spanish, for we all love to try the "tapa-of-the-night."

Art, who moved here from Mexico, always surprises us with his variations on Chayote squash, and tonight delighted us with using it in a Chicken and Chayote Soup. What made his soup special was the addition of a bit of smoked haddock, which added a different dimension to an otherwise plain chicken soup. The combination was, of course, genius in a soup bowl. Art brought some chardonnay he thought we'd like with the soup, an Evans and Tate Chardonnay Margaret River 2004.

For the seafood course, Bob and Judy prepared some very simple prawns, fried with garlic, red chiles, sea salt and ground pepper. Served over a simple mound of fluffy steamed rice, their dish was simple but exquisite, as food should be. Prepared with a dry sherry, they decided to pair the prawns with an Hidalgo Fino sherry.

Quince and mango sorbet dollops effectively prepared us for the next course. These small dollops we serve may seem to be an affectation, but they really do serve a purpose. They serve as an interlude between the fish and the meat courses, and we have become so used to them we no longer think of the sorbet as anything but a normal part of our meal.

Max went to the pool house to put the finishing touches on his Grilled Lamb and Vidalia Onion Shish Kebabs. The olive oil and the balsamic vinegar made Max's grilled lamb special. On the plates, he served some perfectly braised spinach and artichoke hearts, and paired the dish with a delicious 2000 Domaine Chandon Terrazas de los Andes Mendoza Reserva.

For dessert, we had begged Carmen for several days to make us her famous flan, and she prepared them for us tonight. She and Jim were generous with their wine tonight, bringing from their cellar some bottles of 1996 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac.

Time With The Teenagers
Forgotten, for a minute, the stress of having to meet with family members who find fault with every other human being on the planet; instead: finding wonder in the kind and accepting faces of the next generation, and a sincere desire to see their generosity and belief in inclusion continue long after we are gone.

Stalls need cleaning, cows need feeding, and last minute chores still have to be taken care of, so we called it a night, fully satisfied with our meal, looking forward to communing with our animals, and wishing time to fly so we can soon gather again and enjoy each other's company.

Summary:
Liberal is not a dirty word or a word to shy away from: it's the best definition we can find for what a fine human being should be. One half the country defines itself by this honorable word, and if we set our hearts and minds to it, maybe we can convince a few misguided souls to the beauty of charity, inclusion, acceptance, and the honor inherent of caring for those unable to care for themselves.

©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
================================================

New Media Web Site Based on Democratic Voting Principles

 

Thousands of Bloggers Overwhelm New Media Web Site

Thousands of part-time and full-time bloggers have swamped Scooop.net, a consumer-generated media site based on democratic voting principles and active participation of its members. Since the launch of the site (www.scooop.net), over 50,000 visitors have come to the site, posting hundreds of stories and news features. One thousand Scooop correspondents have registered to post news stories, making it one of the fastest growing sites of its kind.

Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) December 14, 2005 -- Thousands of part-time and full-time bloggers have swamped Scooop.net, a consumer-generated media site based on democratic voting principles and active participation of its members. Since the launch of the site (www.scooop.net), over 50,000 visitors have come to the site, posting hundreds of stories and news features. One thousand Scooop correspondents have registered to post news stories, making it one of the fastest growing sites of its kind.

Bloggers are excited about Scooop.net because it gives them a national forum to gain exposure for stories that they publish on their web sites. A study performed by Pew Internet & American Life reports that 7% of the 120 million U.S. adults who use the Internet say they have created a blog or web-based diary. That represents approximately 8 million Americans. Twenty-seven percent of Internet users say they read blogs, totaling 32 million people.

Consumer-generated media is fast becoming a major source of news and information for average Americans, and sites like Scooop.net will only accelerate this trend. This is evidenced by the amount of visitors who have come to Scooop.net to read the news posts, many of which are blog related. “We knew we were going to attract interest from the blogging community,” says Bob Cefail, Chairman of InTouch Media Group, which launched Scooop.net, “but to have thousands of people hit our site each day this early was a surprise. It looks like we better get some more server capacity.”

The site is also experiencing a significant number of return visitors each week which indicates that Scooop.net is becoming a true destination site and news outlet. “We can’t believe how many times people are coming back to Scooop.net, over and over, to see how many times their stories are being voted on,” states Cefail enthusiastically. “We have caught lightening in a bottle for sure.”

The web site also validates traditional news outlets that are favored by the general public. Member correspondents of Scooop.net are encouraged to post web site links on Scooop.net which contain specific news items which are compelling. Some of the favorite traditional news sites include www.msnbc.com, www.foxnews.com, www.usatoday.com and www.drudgereport.com.

Since Scooop.net members vote on which stories should be promoted to the main pages of the site for more exposure, the quality if writing and story telling on many participating blogs is dramatically improving. “Some bloggers think that having a blog is all it takes and that people will just flock to their blog. That couldn't be further from the truth,” concludes Cefail. “You have to provide something that readers can't find anywhere else. In essence you are quite literally selling yourself. Good writing skills and unique content are essential things to have in a successful blog,”

For More information and media inquiries please contact:

Bob Cefail
Chairman, In Touch Media Group, Inc.

Tel: (727) 465 0925

About Scooop.net

This site is devoted to news and information provided solely by you, the readers. Scooop members are the ones who vote on and decide which stories will be placed on the headlines pages. There is no cost to use this site or to be a member. This form of media is revolutionary and one can now become part of Internet history in the making.

About In Touch Media Group

In Touch Media Group (ITOU.OB) is an online marketing and PR firm which specializes in generating website visitors, and customers for its business clients using a combination of effective systems, including search engine advertising, publicity, and other marketing services. The company employs online market research to dramatically increase the effectiveness of search engine advertising, targeted publicity, and strategically placed website advertising.

# # #

Press Contact: Bob Cefail
Company Name: Scooop.net
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 727-465-0925
Website: www.scooop.net

Bush's Prescription Drug Plan and Common Horse Sense

Wit, Age and Tomfoolery
Schuyler, with masterful, deft movements, got his cocktail shaker into full gear and prepared a drink he found called a Brazen Hussy. Some immediately thought of Ginger Rogers, some recollected memories of Jean Harlow, and yet others thanked the full moon that we weren't imagining George Bush in just another one of his costumes, or even that real brazen hussy who fumbled her most recent trip to Europe to convince them that we were basically a decent country. Nevertheless, back to the important things in life: Schuyler's cocktails. Tonight he used that "new to a lot of us" Tito's Handmade Vodka, made, by serendipity, in Texas, a state where you cannot access a humane Senator no matter how many hoops you jump through. Oh, the other ingredient making this drink so good was Cointreau.

 

Wit, according to our dictionary, is defined as: "The natural ability to perceive or know; understanding; intelligence; good sense." Age, silly, is that condition you get if you didn't ask the tooth fairy to keep you in a perpetual state of childhood, and tomfoolery is the wit that comes out of Washington. Now, you'd think a country magnificent enough in its wit to invade a rinky-dink country that wasn't a threat to us would, first, forego tomfoolery in dealing with its citizenry, and second, possess the wit to set up a system of prescription drug benefits for its citizens that did not require the proverbial rocket scientist to figure out. Oh, horse sense? To a certain degree that involves the horses' knowing when it's time to poop, and wit and tomfoolery? Well, that has to do with the Republicans' knowing, through their own brand of wit, when to pick it up and throw into the fan, and tomfoolery? That was us, thinking the Republicans had the wit to know how to design a drug prescription plan that much less developed nations learned to master half a century ago.

 

Signing Up for Bush's Prescription Drug Plan?
"Seniors" and people with disabilities on Medicare, are being asked to sign up for George Bush's prescription drug benefit plan. It's not mandatory, Bush crows, it's just there are penalties if you don't sign up in a timely manner.

 

Now, about that signing up: once you do, you're stuck with your plan, and to decide which plan you should sign up for, you need: an actuarial, a certified public accountant, your general practitioner, cardiologist, proctologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, psychiatrist, rheumatologist, etc. You need to have a list of all the medications you are taking now and may take in the future (oh, you'll also need a good medium to help you on that one.)

 

And, there are a gazillion plans out there in every state. You have to compare what each plan will cost you, what your premiums will be, what your co-payments will be, what deductibles you may have, what, in other words, is this really going to cost. Now that you have decided on the best plan that seems to meet your needs and your pocketbook, it's time to sign up. Wonderful, but here's that old tomfoolery: that plan you spent a jillion hours finding may not cover the drugs you take now and may need to take tomorrow, so, it's back to the drawing board, but hey, silly, it gets better:

 

After all that investigation, that old Washington Tomfoolery rears its ugly head (modeled partly on Condi's head and partly on Bush's.) Seems Bush didn't seem to think it was important to hold the drug prescription providers to the contract you thought you were signing: "I'll pay this for that, and you, in term, agree to provide me with the medications I needed, thought I would need, and was taking when I signed up for your plan." No, Dear John, tomorrow they can decide not to provide you with any of the medications you thought were guaranteed to you. Now, Dear John, it's beginning to smell a bit less like plain old tomfoolery and much more like manure.

 

Oh, and by the way, among that group of elderly people and people with disabilities more than two million have significant mental impairments, and they're supposed to navigate this maze.

 

Oh, About That Horse Sense
Seems a few groups around the country have it since even before this quagmire plan begins (seems Bush loves quagmires) they have started filing lawsuits against the Federal Government (Bush.) These groups are already afraid for the people they advocate for, among which some are what the government calls "dual eligible," people who are on both Medicaid and Medicare. The problem really is serious, and the plaintiffs, fortunately, are important enough that the government is going to have to pay attention. They include: Action Alliance of Senior Citizens of Greater Philadelphia, the Congress of California Seniors, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, the Maine affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the New York Statewide Senior Action Council, and the United Senior Action of Indiana and, the plan doesn't even take effect until January 1, 2006.

 

California's Saints and Archangel
California Has (At Minimum) Three Saints/Angels: Barbara Boxer, Jane Harmon and the Archangel Henry Waxman. These three people really do care for these sullied United States and up here we're convinced the three together could run the country better than any Republican could ever dream. Tonight, though, looking up at the full moon, so beautiful none of us could describe it adequately, several of us did think of Henry Waxman, perhaps one of the country's most underappreciated watchdogs: he doesn't let this corvine cabal of an administration get by with anything it tries to slip by us.

 

Bob and Judy ran across a copy of a letter he wrote on November 30, 2005 to Mark B. McClellan, Administrator Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Basically, it was a report card on how McClellan and Bush ruined what should have been a good program; a report card with straight F's. Pretty sad. Mr. Waxman's report is very detailed, and we urge you to contact his office, either in California or in Washington, so you can read the entire scathing report. Bob and Judy handed us all copies, and we thought we'd just mention the headings of some of his paragraphs, which will alert you to some of the subjects Mr. Waxman discussed with Mr. McClellan.

 

These paragraph headings are: The Medicare Drug Card Program, The Government Accounting Office Request, the GAO Findings on Implementation and Enforcement, Erroneous Website Information, Overbillings, Inadequate Oversight and Enforcement, Failure to Substantiate Drug Discounts, GAO Findings on the Drug Card Publicity Campaign, and his conclusion. Scathing's not the final word: this program is criminal in its complexity, inefficiency and gifts to the large pharmaceutical companies. The aged and the infirm seemed to be the last thing on this administration's pathetic mind.

 

Please, please contact Mr. Waxman's offices and get a full copy of his report. Mr. Waxman's last line is: "I am enclosing copies of the new GAO reports for your review. I request a detailed explanation of the reforms your agency will take to address these issues and to administer and enforce the new Medicare drug benefit effectively." Now it's up to us to be vigilant and make sure Mr. McClellan responds fully and appropriately to Mr. Waxman's letter. As good Democrats, liberals and progressives, we have to help the good guys among us so get off your duff and hop on that pony: there's a war raging out there. (Oh, in my antiquated country English, 'corvine' just means a crow, as in corvine birds are carriers of fatal, viral infections.)

 

Teenagers Have to Eat, And Who Are We To Dawdle?
As soon as they rang the dinner gong, we sprang into action, literally flying to our places in the dining room, showing less decorum than the teenagers, who took their places at the dining table in the great room with "grown-up" aplomb.

 

Beatrix and Charlotte teamed up on our appetizers, prawns they had marinated in amber Corazón tequila and a dry fino sherry. Also in the marinade, they had sections of Valencia oranges, whole peppercorns, garlic, scallions and cilantro. Beatrix and Charlotte decided to use the new, extra-large Viking skillets we had bought since the shrimp had to be cooked very quickly over a hot flame. Their presentation, on red lettuce leaves, was perfect. Once again, we drank our sherry to accompany the prawns from our new Royal Leerdam Sherry glasses, and thoroughly enjoyed the bone dry, pale straw-colored Domecq's La Ina.

Comfort soup can be mild, expertly prepared Consommé, or it can be a heavenly Hungarian Beef and Egg Noodle treasure in a bowl. Since we're not a timid bunch, we used the spicier hot paprika, eschewing the sweeter paprika, leaving it for wimps. Beatrix and Charlotte, British and French, are inspired when it comes to choosing wines, so their wine tonight was a near-professional but decidedly ethereal pairing. They selected a Cave de Vacqueyras Vacqueyras Cuvée du Président 2001. This is a typical southern Rhône wine, full-bodied, with notes of leather, plum and smoke.
Marie Christine and Jean-Paul enlisted Max's help with the grills in the pool house, but otherwise they alone prepared tonight's Grilled Salmon Fillets with a Garlic Sauce. As with the soup, this dish was not for the delicate: the sauce was made with basil, scallions, shallots, garlic, Serrano chiles and ground pepper. As breeders of exquisite Baroque sport horses, they probably share a lot with the rest of us: they may be French, but they're not afraid of spice, and a Serrano or two just make them livelier! For their salmon, they brought over some Chilean Chardonnay, a Montes 2004 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from the Curicó Valley. They served some beautifully braised endive with the salmon, which is all that dish needed.

After an interlude provided by the fanciful apple/mango sorbet, we were ready for Max's Grilled Leg of Lamb. The lamb too, turned out to be spicy, containing more of the hot paprika, mint leaves, garlic and rosemary. The investment in banks of Viking grills turned out to be a wise one, since no matter what the weather, Max is always willing to grill and make the trip from the pool house back up to the main house. Grilling allows Max to shine, because he not only grills different kinds of meat, but he uses the grills to bake us his myriad varieties of "cowboy" bread, and a multitude of vegetables. Tonight, in his cast iron skillets, he baked us some Chipotle Whole Wheat Bread and grilled some beautiful scallions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and new potatoes. It's impossible to convey with mere words the aromas imparted to the lamb, the bread and the vegetables by the perfect mesquite chips Max likes to use. He and Charlotte brought several bottles of the Zinfandel they had in their wine cellar that they thought would be delightful with the dish, a Peachy Canyon, 2003 Zinfandel, Old School House, Paso Robles, with enormous aromas of blueberry and blackberry. The wine, as was the food, was smoky.

 

Judy made us individual tartlets of peach and apple with a nice, crunchy crust. She chose a Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Sparkling Wine, which was perfect for the not-too-sweet tartlets, but also works as an aperitif, so it is a malleable, adaptable wine.

 

Baroque Horses, and Good Night
We missed Marie Christine and Jean-Paul when they spent those two years adding to their mastery of the art of working with Baroque sport horses. If you have ever seen the magnificent White Stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, you get an idea of what it is they do, and you can get a feeling for the kind of horses they breed here. Several of us share their interest in the "old school" of Baroque horses. We, for example, breed Andalusian horses, but by and large, most of the farms out here are Quarter Horses, barrel racing: middle-United States.

 

Whoa! Time just flew, but some of us still have last-minute farm chores, the kids have homework, and the rush was on to clear up, clean up, sweater or jacket-up and go back home.

 

Summary:
Washington doesn't have, right now, any horse sense, and it's full of tomfoolery. D.C. is hell-bent on hoodwinking elders and people with disabilities, and if, as a society, we were sage, we'd place a lot of faith in our California Saints and its Archangel. Pity the poor people in Texas, for example; they have the bubble-headed co-ed who went out of fashion in the sixties, and the impossibly pasty-white doughboy who can't keep his mouth shut.

©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
================================================

Kudos To The Magnificent Belgians

Catholic or Calvinist, Europeans Put Bush-Cheney to Shame
Many years ago, the Belgians arrested and brought to trial 18 men connected to Al-Qaeda. Tonight, we don't wish to go into the labyrinthine details of these arrests and trials. Why? Because we have only one point to make tonight: the Europeans are finding, arresting, and bringing to trial terrorists legally, without the American perversion of torture. The Europeans don't need to resort to medieval or Nazi methods, as Bush and Cheney seem to. Of course, the Europeans don't have a horrendous, toad-like Azteco-american Attorney General frothing at the mouth, just dying to by proxy use his obsidian knife to cut out the still-beating hearts out of the "terrorists" who under the system designed by the Devil's spawn cannot have valid, in the open to the world trials in a humane, timely manner.

 

No, this deranged administration locks up everybody, asks no questions, and lets innocents rot in their prisons. Our Constitution? Meaningless to the Azteco-american toad and the Devil's spawn. The Europeans? They abide by the rule of law, and quietly, without saying a word, rub our collective noses in the dung excreted by Bush, Cheney, Gonzáles, Rumsfeld and that shining beacon of evil, La Rice.

 

The Europeans, Beacons of Light, Guarding the Rule of Law
Bush-Cheney & Co. have dragged us into their gutter-world of dung. If the world, collectively, is brave enough to fight the schoolyard bullies, it will one day bring them to justice the way they have other criminals who have committed atrocities against humanity. What they're doing to Pinochet, we really have to do to Bush, Cheney, Gonzáles, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rove and Rice. That will probably be kinder to Bush-Cheney & Co. than what Al-Qaeda will ultimately do to them.

 

If the Europeans can forego torture, you'd think the United States could too, but apparently under the nastiest Azteco-american toad that ever lived, and his all too willing horrendously vicious pupils, torture reigns supreme, with the imprimatur of the woman you'd think would know better: Condi "Condosleazza" Rice, and probably also that of Karen Hughes. La Hughes, strutting around the world in her polyester suits from Wal-Mart, has to know that her pal and boss bows daily to the god of torture, and on the way, browns his nose up the nether parts of his superiors, the toad González, the smug swine Rumsfeld and the swastika-lipped Cheney. What he does with Rove, well, we'd probably not want to know.

 

Once Was
Until recently, the heads of the government of the United States abhorred torture, and would not condone it by its military nor would they have approved of it when used against soldiers from the United States. Now, all that has changed, and the United States is teaching the world how to torture, humiliate and denigrate human beings. Thankfully, people as noble as the Belgians, and other Europeans, are standing firm against that practice and yet they continue to quietly apprehend and bring to trial the terrorists they too are fighting. We, well, we won't be able to change course until we have regime change here, and get our own Saddam Hussein out of the White House, which today is the Manure House. God, can you imagine, if this Prez who loves torture as much as Cheney does, is born-again "christian" how much more dastardly he'd be without that moniker?

 

Complicit
The mousey librarian, who should act more as a "First Lady" than a backwoods, Crawford ranch subjugated, barefooted, downtrodden ranch-wife, ought to use her supposedly intelligent brain to object to what is going on. But don't hold your collective breaths guys and gals, this is the girl who allows grieving mothers to be thrown out of her "talks" because the women stand up and ask questions, and this is the woman who insisted on holding her little book fair after Sharon Olds, one of our most important poets, objected to being invited to talk alongside a woman who condoned, with her husband, an invasion of choice and the slaughter of tens of thousands of people.

 

Bush & Co., Antithesis of Civilized Europe
The Europeans, as they always do, are fighting terrorism without sinking to the level of those people they wish to apprehend. The U.S. has fallen so deep into the sleaze created by Bush & Co. that it will be generations before we can hold our head up with the same pride the Europeans do. All that talk about "freedom fries." We can only wish to be as sage and noble as the Europeans Bush and Co. derided. As it turns out, the German Chancellor and the President of France were right, and had good advice the cedar-chopper from Crawford should have listened to; but he didn't, and over 2000 of our youth are dead and over 10,000 are blinded, maimed, psychiatrically injured and in many instances, financially ruined and ruined, as war will do, in their marriages. So 'Sleazza got grilled by the European press on her Prez' adoration of torture; good for the Europeans. Snooty Condi didn't win any points, and certainly didn't win the "hearts and minds" of civilized Europe and Great Britain.

 

Grilling, Of a Different Kind
We're having a great dinner tonight, but prepared by quite a few couples in our gang so that no one person or couple had to do everything. A.J. doesn't cook very much, but tonight he prepared an amazing Bruschetta with Avocado, Scallions and Basil. We tried the Bruschetta with a highly recommended wine, an Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2005.

Our next course was a soup with a middle-eastern influence that Sagidah prepared. She prepared the Chickpea, Sausage and Spinach soup that we found different from some of the Garbanzo-based soups we've had that had a more Spanish flavor. We chose to pair the soup with a dry amontillado sherry, Lustau's lightly herbal Los Arcos. We're still happy to have found a new set of sherry glasses, enough for each one of us.

 

Barry helped Max grill tonight's fish, Grilled Red Snapper with Romesco Sauce. The red peppers, tomatoes and almonds gave the fish a delicious new dimension, and paired with one of Spain's more unusual wines, a Giacomo Vico Barbera D'Alba 2003, a spicy, fruity red wine. The fish was a resounding success.

We next had a small serving of coconut-mango sorbet to cleanse our palates and prepare us for the next delicious meal which Art and Terry prepared, a Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin. Tonight they used some new skillets we bought, the 11 ½ inch formidable Viking skillets. On the plates, Art and Terry served us Chayote Squash Baked in Brown Sugar and the most tender of Haricots Verts. The perfect wine match for the tenderloin was a Forefathers Shiraz McLaren Vale 2003.

 

Charlotte and Marie Christine teamed up to prepare a dish for the angels; well, a dessert for us, wings or not: their very special Chocolate Mousse made with Grand Marnier, and served with, of course, Grand Marnier. Maybe it's the European influence in some of us, but we thought some of the older teenagers were getting the short end of the stick because of their having to forsake their little glasses of Grand Marnier to accompany their Chocolate Mousse ramekins.

 

Winding Down, Winding Down the Road
We had a glorious day, and Liz sent us home with these words of wisdom nobody in today's Poor White Trash House would understand, but maybe we can hold on to these words until we get rid of the Crawford Saddam Hussein:

 

"Human dignity is independent of national borders. We must always defend the interests of the poor and the persecuted in other countries."
-Kjell Magne Bondevikv

 

Summary:
Kudos to the Belgians and the Europeans who quietly, efficiently go about apprehending terrorists without the "need" of locking them up for years on the outside chance one or two of them might be guilty. The Europeans go about their fight against terrorism without becoming blood-thirsty, torturing barbarians, as the U.S. has done under Bush & Co.

©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
================================================

A Season For Children

What Is More Precious Than A Child?
After a couple of ferociously frigid days, the sun is out and our mood is suddenly brighter. With the fireplace in the great room roaring, we gathered to enjoy Schuyler and Elizabeth's Mulled Wine (alcohol-free for those who don't drink alcohol, but still "mulled.")

Elizabeth was talking about children, reminding us that in great part, this time of year is devoted to them and to the inner-child in all of us. In our large circle of neighbors, we have couples who decided they would rather not have children; we have couples who cannot have children; we have couples whose children are grown, married and living far away; and we have couples with school-age children who nightly fill our great room with their laughter. But Elizabeth's message was still on target: it's a beautiful time of year, and if you have children around, it's especially nice to make this time of year special for them. She wanted us to read a short poem by the poet Dorothy Law Nolte:

 

Children Learn What They Live

 

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

 

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

 

If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.

 

If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.

 

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

 

If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.

 

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

 

If children live with security, they learn faith.

 

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

 

If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.

 

Poem copyrighted by Dorothy Law Nolte 1975
By Kind Permission

 

Elizabeth and Schuyler both wanted us all to remember that in our thankfully varied circle of neighbors, our children are also learning to accept diversity and inclusion. They wanted the teenagers in on tonight's conversation, because they also feel that his time of year isn't just about Christmas, although it's wonderful that it's Christmas if you are Christian, but what seemed especially important tonight to Elizabeth and Schuyler, was to review several other faiths for whom this time of year is important, and some of the adults among us knew we'd learn quite a bit also.

 

The Winter Solstice
In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice usually falls on December 21/December 22 and in some parts of the northern hemisphere the winter solstice is celebrated as Children's Day, just as in the Christian religion it is The Child's day, Jesus' day. The first celebrations held around the winter solstice were pagan celebrations, so another cause for Elizabeth and Schuyler's amazement centered around the diverse religions that today (as they did a millennia ago) have the winter solstice at their center. The first people to celebrate the winter solstice were the ancient Persians and their Zoroastrian religion. The Romans called this time Dies Natalis Invicti Solis: the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The Druids considered the winter solstice a sacred event, and used mistletoe in their celebrations. For them, the yule log was of great importance, and was a time to celebrate the renewal of the earth, and greens were used as a symbol. Now, what amazed our teenagers (and, to be truthful, an awful lot of us adults) was the great number of religious celebrations that have the winter solstice at their center. Schuyler mentioned just a few, which seemed like many to us: Yalda, Saturnalia, Christmas, Karachun, Hanukkah, Festivus, Kwanzaa and Human Light.

More bits of information this amazing couple shared with us just kept surprising us. For example, did you know that this time of year is also important to the Chinese? They call it Dongzhi, 'winter's extreme.' But let's not forget that in many regions, this all is still about children: from the fabulous Wangjianshuo's blog we learned that on this day you eat Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi), and children are taught that if you don't eat dumplings that day, their ears will be frozen and drop down. Yes, all children believe it. And quoted on this amazing blog, from the Hong Kong Tourism Board: "This celebration can be traced to the Chinese belief in yin and yang, which represent balance and harmony in life. It is believed that the yin qualities of darkness and cold are at their most powerful at this time, but it is also the turning point, giving way to the light and warmth of yang. For this reason, the Dong Zhi Festival is a time for optimism." Hmmmmm, sounds kinda' like Christmas, doesn't it? Also, Judy said, this sounds like there are more things linking human beings than separating them, if we just had the sagacity to realize it and act on it!

 

Glorious Sound: Our Neighbors From Iraq
Rania and Fareed, our new neighbors, are Iraqi Muslims, and have one child, Nisreen. Eli Shahrabani and his wife Sagidah, are our new Jewish neighbors from Iraq, and have a son, Naim. You met them several months ago shortly after they moved up here and bought two farms not far from us. Normally, perhaps out of a little bit of shyness, they don't talk (or yak, as we do) quite as much or as often as we do, though because of their worldliness and sophistication we know with time we'll learn an awful lot from them. But tonight, that glorious sound: the two women, Rania and Sagidah wanted to tell us some interesting things they had learned from scholar, author and librarian Joan Wink.

They had read some articles written by Ms. Wink and thought because of tonight's conversation, we would find Ms. Wink's sage information not just fascinating, but very much on target. They said they had learned so much, and asked us for a bit of patience because there was a lot to share. The teenagers certainly didn't seem squirmy, so they, as well as the adults, were glued to Rania and Sagidah's recounting of Ms. Wink's lessons.

The ladies apologized for jumping over each other in their zeal to let us know what they had learned, and asked us to indulge them a bit: theirs was going to be a bit of a disjointed conversation, but we knew that the lessons were still going to be there, and we were delighted to find them so willing to share their views. One, a Muslim from Iraq, the other a Jew from Iraq, were going to enlighten us all about other cultures and other "holidays" using material and even the words they had received permission to use directly from their treasured source, Joan Wink. They received most of their information from http://www.joanwink.com/newsletter/2004/news1204-intro.html

 

Christians: You Aren't The Only People on Earth
Rania and Sagidah agreed with Ms. Wink that the American Christians don't own "the dominant culture" traditions and we need to understand why our supposed ownership of the feeling of "peace on earth" may produce discord. December, they said, was not only for Americans, and especially not only for Christian Americans. As Ms. Wink said: "There is a beautiful universal theme of light that seems to prevail among the varied religious and non-religious celebrations that occur during this naturally dark and cold time of year."

There is a book, "The Tree of the Dancing Goats" by Patricia Polacco, which relates the story of a Jewish family that provides Christmas celebration for their neighbors who have been stricken by scarlet fever. They disregarded their personal danger of exposure to contagious disease, and used their menorah Hanukkah candles to adorn and light up the evergreen trees for their neighbors.

Ms. Wink also provided us with this narrative, from Ula Awwad-Raiyan, a young woman studying for her CA teacher's credential: "The holiday season is coming upon us. Colorful lights, joyful carols…a time of reflection and renewal. Many people do not realize that for one-fifth of the world's population, another 'holiday season' has just ended: the Islamic month of Ramadan followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid Elfitr. The holy season begins with the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening following the new moon and lasts for 29 to 30 days depending on the lunar cycle.

In recent years, Ramadan has been observed during the 'holiday season' of the two other great monotheistic faiths. But the timing is where the similarity ends. Whereas Christmas and Hanukkah have become widespread, commercialized holidays for many, Ramadan retains its intense spiritual meaning." Here, Judy said Amen! We ought to learn from them what we've forgotten! It isn't about enriching the department stores, it's about our spiritual life.

As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice, fasting, increased devotion and special attention to the Creator. Again, lessons that we need to learn from another culture, no? Ramadan also is a season of increased charity, rather than of mindless spending. Muslims develop feelings of generosity and good will towards others, bringing both Rania and Sagidah to proudly tell us something very important they had begun to learn about their newly adopted country: the enormous wonder of the spirituality of the people who where here long before the Europeans began to colonize the Americas.

 

Boy, Did I Jump to Attention: The Beliefs of the Original Americans
I, having found profound wisdom in the beliefs of the people who populated these shores from sea to shining sea before we came to destroy them and their heritage, was enthralled by what these two ladies from across the sea were about to tell us. I already knew quite a lot about "Native American" belief systems; as a horse breeder, you have to learn what these amazing people have to teach you about communing with your horses. But tonight, the topic wasn't horses but spirituality, and I was mesmerized by Rania and Sagidah's recounting of Ms. Wink's sage lessons, especially this one, which deeply touches my soul. Fortunately, Rania and Sagidah read to us from a copy of Ms. Wink's report of a friend of hers, so we were amazingly lucky enough to get the entire message:

From Delphine Red Shirt, a Lakota writer, who currently is raising her family and teaching at Yale. In this article, Delphine is reflecting on what her mother told her about the holiday season, when her mom was a young girl, and how it has evolved until today.

Over time, the Lakota way of life, like many Plains cultures, insisted upon generosity as a means for survival of pa people. The weak, poor and the old, especially the infirm, orphans and widows, were sought out to receive gifts. A girl became a true Buffalo Woman, part of the Lakota Pte Oyhate, or Buffalo People, through a ceremony called Hunka Olowan Pi, or the Making Relatives Song. The young woman would adopt the poorest member of the tribe as her relative. The indigent person then considered the wealthier family as his or her own, and the family cared for that individual throughout his or her life as they would someone related by blood. (Sorry, but at this point not a few of us were shedding tears; we knew how we had allowed our 'holiday' to degenerate into an insanity of shopping, rather than a beautiful experience of caring.)

Gift giving was simply a way of life. Today, Plains people still have 'giveaways.' Families save and give things away to honor someone else or an event in their life. The word wi kpe ya pe, means to throw away, the idea that things of this world are meant to be pushed away from the individual self and toward the collective, thrown into the pile where they can be redistributed.
The display of generosity at such events will humble any observer, especially those in today's culture who after the holidays open their bills to pay for what they have given to family and friends. For many indigenous people Christmas can happen any time, and the wonderful thing about a give away is that you will walk away with something good, tangible or otherwise.

 

The Lakota Way, The Democratic Way
To us, ever mindful of how our country is going, it seems there is something so similar in the beautiful tradition explained by Delphine Red Shirt and the beautiful way Democrats are ever-mindful of the needs of the less fortunate. However, we can still learn so much. And isn't it amazing, that two ladies from Iraq gave us, citizens of the United States, such an important lesson on ways of the "indigenous" peoples? We felt such gratitude towards Rania and Sagidah, as we did towards the kind Joan Wink for allowing us to use so much of her material tonight.

I, the person who lives for horses and use so much 'Native American' wisdom in dealing with them, would like to recommend a book that spiritually changed me and affects my thinking even at times like these, these "December" moments. It is "The Lakota Way" by the exquisite writer Joseph M. Marshall III, who, if you read carefully, can point you in the direction of a new spiritual path.

 

Thanks, thanks, thanks:
O.K., we know it isn't Thanksgiving, but tonight, the older neighbors, before we go in to our magnificent dinner, wanted to take one moment to thank everybody who made tonight so special: our teenagers, Joan Wink, Patricia Polacco, Ula Awwad-Raiyan, Delphine Red Shirt, Joseph M. Marshall III, the beautiful Chinese web site Wangjianshuo's blog, and for their bravery in coming to live a different life in a different country, our two raconteurs Rania and Sagidah.

 

Long Conversation Tonight; Everybody's Ready for Dinner
Tonight was another one of those everybody pitches-in type dinners, making, preparing, serving, plating, clearing up and winding down a breeze. Max and Charlotte roasted Oysters Rockefeller for us. According to them, this appetizer is really quite easy to prepare. They like preparing and serving the oysters in individual ramekins, and it does make a beautiful presentation. They selected a wonderful sparkling wine for the oysters, an Italian Mionetto Brut. This sparkling wine is very affordable, and has clean, dry, almond and apples flavors.

Kim and Barry introduced us to a new soup tonight, Cauliflower and Potato, with exquisite shavings of truffle! The truffles already provided us with immense luxury, so we didn't think splurging on a wonderful White French Burgundy would really be necessary, and found an affordable but very, very good Chardonnay from the states, the Argyle 2002 Willamette Valley Chardonnay, but one evening we will try the truffle-laced soup with a beautiful French barrel-fermented white Burgundy such as a Louis Latour Meursault, which is a natural for pairing with potatoes, mushrooms, and of course, truffles.

Max and Barry had the grills going in the pool house and didn't mind going back and forth just so long as we had an exquisite dinner. They went Italian tonight, grilling halibut Ligurian-style, alternating halibut with zucchini and cucumbers on the skewers. The pesto in which they marinated the halibut was superb. They served the fish on a bed of simply steamed rice and paired their dish with a Pinot Blanc, a 2004 Terlan Pinot Blanco from the Alto Adige region of Italy. Their wine had refreshing mineral flavors with a soupçon of orange oil. We all took a bite of the steamed rice instead of serving the usual dollops of fruit sorbet to prepare us for the next course.

Bob and Judy brought over a Pepper Beef Casserole that they had prepared the previous day. With us, that's a very practical way to do things as it doesn't rush anybody, and some dishes are better the next day anyway. They did, however, have to bring enough large pots to feed fourteen couples and a dozen teenagers. Fortunately, our teenagers are used to doing farm chores and aren't in the least bit delicate, so several of them hauled the enormous pots onto the Viking cooktops to warm.

In the meantime, since the grills were already on, Max took advantage of the beautiful, hot coals to bake us some of his Chive-Potato Sourdough bread. He has some massive skillets he uses for baking bread on the grills and we're always delighted when he feels like baking his different breads for us. The fact that we had potatoes in the soup course didn't bother us a bit. Up here, potatoes and anything made with them we consider comfort food, and remember the people in the Andes who cultivated them 5,000 years ago!

But, back to our casserole. The pepper in the casserole required a pretty assertive wine, and Bob and Judy brought some bottles of Bodegas Terrazas de los Andes Malbec Reserva 2003. The Mendoza Malbecs are rich, opulent red wines with a pronounced oak influence; in a word, perfect for this hearty beef casserole which was served only with an accompaniment of beautifully braised mushrooms and pearl onions.

 

What A Night To Remember
The gift Rania and Sagidah gave us by sharing their knowledge of other peoples and their beliefs was a treasure. Me, being me, just had to feel that most of the good they taught us I feel we can find in being Democrats, liberals or progressives, if taking care of others is one of the good characteristics of being a member of one of those groups. But tonight, I think we all came away in awe of what we call the winter solstice, since it holds so many people around the world in thrall.

We didn't have dessert tonight, the meal was so satisfying. We sat with our after-dinner coffee, still exchanging ideas with the next generations, knowing that when they went to school, they'd have plenty to talk to their friends about.

As people were putting on their jackets, Liz handed everyone a small slip of paper, with this message from Isaiah 11:6 "The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them."

 

Summary:
With so many people around the world tying their beliefs and holy days to the winter solstice, here on the farm we thought there was much more linking us all than separating us. Maybe, one day, the lamb will lie with the lion? For our children's sake?

©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 ha