Pushing Back the Dark - Giving to Children

I am deeply shocked and grieved by the brutal events at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. As a mother, when I think of the loss of those little children and those teachers--it's unfathomable the amount of grief they must be feeling.  And to have this happen just before Christmas, in the Christmas season.... My heart and prayers go out to them all.

But this is Christmas, which means in a deep sense that it's about bringing light when there is dark, bringing hope when it seems there is none.  There is in me something that wants to fight back when I see this kind of thing, and I refuse to feel hopeless and helpless.  I must DO something, anything, to push back despair.  

So I suggest doing something to make a child's life better, to fight back whatever awful force there is that thinks fit to destroy children's lives, whether it's violence, hunger, or disease.  I am going out Christmas shopping today to buy clothes and toys for children in need.  And then I will contribute more to a charity that helps children. World Vision, UNICEF, Boys and Girls Club, are good starts.  Want to find more?  Here's Charity Navigator to help.  And then, there is Mr. Roger's charity for the education of young children. 

And, because this is the Pollyanna Files, I leave you with my son's favorite TV show when he was a toddler and preschooler:  Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.  This was the episode that my kid really loved, and I think the words "Fearless Authenticity" describes what he ended up having in his character.  :-)

Be fearless.  Be authentic.  Be giving.  Push back the dark.

That Nazi thing

I generally try not to post much of anything political here, but today, it is different.

I was so angry today, and it takes a lot to get me angry. There was a stand outside Costco, and the people at the stand had "impeach Obama" signs there. This normally wouldn't have got me angry, because everyone is entitled to free speech, and I'm fine with that.  What got me so awfully angry was that they had put a Hitler mustache on Obama's picture, making him out to be no better than that dictator.  It immediately brought to mind my experience at Belgium's Breendonk concentration camp--the horror and the unspeakable acts that occurred there.

I suppose I shouldn't have done it, but it is one thing to see such things on line, and another right there in front of you in public. I got out of my car and went to that young man and said, "Don't.  Don't do this Nazi thing.  Feel free to address the issues and your concerns, but don't make anyone--I don't care who it is--out to be a Nazi like this, because you have no clue about what you're talking about."

He spouted about how it was The Truth and how Obama was taking us down the road to thermonuclear war and all the rest.  And I said, "No.  Even that does not qualify anyone for being the next Hitler.  Have you ever been to a concentration camp?  Seen one in person?"  He acknowledged that he didn't.  And I said, "I have.  I have seen what real Nazis and what Hitler actually put into place and did. What you are doing here is cheapening the Holocaust.  You are cheapening the sacrifices of our veterans to save us from those horrors."

This didn't convince him.  He looked to be in his twenties, younger perhaps than my own son, and I am sure this world is frightening to him, what with the economic problems we--and especially his generation, my son's generation--have to face.  I will give that young man the benefit of youth, inexperience, ignorance, as well as a directionless passion.

But after I left, I confess I was so much in despair for this young man I wept.  I realized, this boy--I don't even think I can call him a man because of his youth and what I see as hopelessness--has no faith in America.  He has no faith in the deep-down spirit of the American people to do, eventually, what is right and good.  He does not have the perspective of history or of a life of observation as I have had.

John saw me return in tears, and of course he asked me what was wrong.  I told him. After a hug, he said these most wise words: "He--and people like him, regardless of whether they say that Obama is Hitler, or Romney, or Bush, or anyone else is Hitler--is projecting what he has become himself.  They are brownshirts themselves looking for another brownshirt to lead them."

It was a hard truth to hear, but I think John may be right.  Tonight, I am going to pray for this young man, and others like him who project demon-like qualities on others because they themselves may be fighting their own inner demons.

Sushi, Shopping, Continental Textiles, and a Recipe

Despite being a true introvert, I nevertheless tend to be chatty and even, alas, garrulous, and have little problem starting a conversation with complete strangers. However, as a result, I find out interesting things about them, and sometimes even end up finding some gems here and there.

Take today, for instance.  I had to take my car into the mechanics for its oil change and radiator flush, and this took a while.  Luckily, I had my knitting and my iPad with me to keep me amused, but this doesn't mean that these things necessarily make me ignore my environment, because I will glance up at people and overhear what they have to say.

So there was this guy and his wife who came in, and he was talking about making less money than some people he trained, which of course perked my ears up because I analyze and write resumes from time to time.  I said, "what, you earn less than the people you train? How does that happen?"  Well, he was referring to something else, but we started talking, and I discovered that Jimmy is the head chef and part owner of Trapper's Sushi over in Covington.  Being half-Japanese, I had to find out more, and let's just say I will go there sometime soon, possibly with my mother in tow.  Trust me, I will report back, but I anticipate good things from what he had to say about his training and the slight disgust I briefly saw on his face when he talked of "junk" sushi, and the subsequent passion I also saw when he talked about using fresh ingredients, etc.

Once I got my car back, inspired by the gourmet magazines at the mechanic's, I decided to go to the local health food store, Marlene's, which was out of my migraine vitamins, alas, but which did have other things that I bought. And because there had been an artisan bread baking class at the Marlenes that I unfortunately had not been aware of, it made me think of the lovely German breads I used to have, which then led me to the Valley Harvest grocery store on Military Road in Federal Way, which features not only foreign foods of all kinds and from all over the world, but the Eastern European "A Taste of Europe" deli and bakery.  That bakery has real European artisan bread, including kinds that I used to buy in Germany.  So, of course, I bought two loaves.

But before I even went to do that, I noticed a new store:  Continental Textiles.  Textiles!  Being interested in anything fiber-related, I had to go in. 

Immediately, I was overcome by nostalgia.  It was, in essence, a mix of the Aldi, Kik, or Tedi stores I used to go to in Germany and the Sittard market in the Netherlands, except it was clothing items and accessories, mostly for women.  And oh, my the scarves!  So many different scarves of different kinds, shapes, textures, and fabric!  The deals on these were amazing, as well.  I spotted a gorgeously rich red Pashmina (yes, real Pashmina) and silk scarf for only $20!  No, it was not a tiny thing, but a scarf that could cover your shoulders down to the middle of your back--essentially a shawl.  I seriously have never seen so many scarves (or men's ties) in so many colors and shapes in my life.

I talked with the store clerk/manager there, who is an American of (I'm guessing) Romanian heritage and who speaks Romanian and bit of Russian, and she said she originally worked in the Portland, Oregon store, and came up here when this one opened up.  In the course of our chat, I found that she, too, had been to Germany--specifically Cologne, and so was familiar with the outdoor markets such as the Sittard one that I often went to in the Netherlands, not to mention the magnificent Köln Cathedral. We chatted for a while, and I found out that between this Federal Way, WA store and the Portland, OR one, Continental Textiles has the largest collection of scarves and shawls in the United States.

I don't doubt this.  Had I had my camera with me, I would have taken a picture of all those scarves and shawls, in colors and edging designs I've never seen before. It seems the gal who works there--Lia, I believe her name is--and her mother actually designed many of the dyed scarves and edgings in the shop.  As the daughter of a professional tailor, I was VERY impressed by the workmanship.  The designs and other items in the store have a distinctly European flair, and if you want that bit of je ne sais quoi with which to accessorize, that store should help.

I should also mention that if you are fond of tea, this store has a number of very nice traditional European tea sets, and I mean the delicate china sets with gold edges and delicate flowers and baroque curls on them.  They also have modern glass tea pots.

When I mentioned that I felt nostalgic when I came into the store because it made me remember my time in Europe, Lia laughed and said that everyone who has stepped into the store who has immigrated from elsewhere has said it seemed like a part of home to them. "Even some women from Ethiopia," she said.

It made me reflect on what I had mentioned to Jimmy the Trapper's chef at the car repair place in Auburn: it really isn't Seattle that's culturally diverse; it's South King County.  When I lived in Seattle, I don't think I met or really talked with one Russian, Ukrainian, Mexican, Guatemalan, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, they were that rare.  But living in South King County, there is not one day when I don't interact with someone from another nation or race.  Here, you'll find home cooking in restaurants owned by people from another country, or who were trained in that country's dishes.  I can get German spätzle here at a decent price, not overpriced as I'm sure I'd have to pay in a Seattle specialty store, because this is where native Bavarians or Ukrainians shop, who--like me--can't afford to own a home in Seattle.  I can get all the spices I need for a Garam Masala, or Ethiopian Doro Wot without paying an arm and a leg.  And I am pretty much guaranteed to get what the people from these countries normally buy at home, because I shop where they shop.

Seriously, aside from the fact that it's awfully expensive to live there, I don't think I'd want to move back to Seattle.  I love looking at people from different countries and guessing where they might have come from, and trying to talk to them if they are able to speak English well. 

Diverse?  Oh yeah.  And I really love it, because it's like having my own little bit of Europe or Asia or Africa right here at home.

Oh, and what did I do with that European artisan bread (similar to German bauernbrot)?  I decided to create a dish to go with it: Delicata squash (seeds removed) filled with chopped bacon and leeks, baked at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, then topped with chunks of chicken and zucchini in Alfredo sauce and grated fresh Parmesan cheese on top of that, then back in the oven to broil for 5 to 10 minutes until the Parmesan cheese was melted.  Yum!

Cats and physics

A few days ago, it occurred to me that--being a cat lover and owner--had I been the observer of Schrödinger's cat, the cat would have come out alive, because if particles can influence outcomes, surely the particles that are involved in forming my thought processes would influence the collapse of different potentials into the cat being alive rather than dead from whatever nastiness was in that box.

That's my reasoning, anyway, even if it does sound a bit tin-foil-hat.

I posted this on Facebook. A friend responded that regardless, Schrödinger should not own cats. I agree. And despite the fact that Einstein had some good things to say about cats, that he would propose--in the course of his correspondence with Schrödinger--putting an explosive in that box along with the cat makes me think that he might not have been someone in which to put full confidence vis a vis cat care.

And then I remembered a while back that I had Facebook-posted that yet another physicist--Sir Isaac Newton--was certainly a cat lover, because he had invented the cat door not only for his cat, but another little one especially for her kittens. Clearly this scientist was one who had the utmost consideration for felines.



Newman: "Is asleep. Go away."

Not long ago, my husband--an engineer--commented that was remarkable how our cat, Newman, has such perfect instinctive balance in whatever he does.

What is it with science-types and cats? While I am sure there are dog lovers amongst science folk, there seems to have been special attention paid to cats by scientists. Perhaps it is a cat's instinctive balance that brings to it some scientific focus. There is, of course, something mathematical about balance, and an acute awareness of physics would eventually bring a curious mind to wonder: what is it about cats that make them do what they do?

Of course, I did an internet search to find out if anyone has looked into this, and sure enough, some MIT scientists have observed cats (specifically, one scientist's house cat, Cutta Cutta) lapping up water and the physics involved in it.

Which of course gave rise to all sorts of comments and questions on the above blog regarding whether the roughness of the cat's tongue helps it lap up water (it's the curl in the tongue as well as timing) in the unique way it does, and how it evolved in such a way to have such measurably precise movements.

And while all this scientific speculation is going on about Dr. Stocker's cat, I can imagine Cutta Cutta's attitude would be something akin to this:

With a corollary of: "FOOD. NOW."

Focus on the beautiful and the bounty, please!

Supercascade Petunia, April in Paris Sweet Peas

It seems to me that if you focus on beauty, especially if it’s natural, you’re going to benefit in more than one way. I mean, who doesn’t love a beautiful sunset, or the glory of the morning dawn, or the bounty of spring and summer? And I do love a garden, I really do.

I want to lift up the idea of sustainable gardening and landscaping, not because I think it’s a politically good thing to do, or is virtuous, or will "save the earth," or whatnot. Seriously, every time I think of politically-motivated "good works" I get depressed and I do not want to do it, because inevitably it comes from people who become so pinch-mouthed grim and puritanical in their demeanor when they talk about it that it almost makes me want to get out an axe and hack down some trees and stomp on some flowers. Which is saying something because I love trees and flowers, and it would break my heart to hack and stomp them. I wouldn’t be surprised if other people are turned off by eco-puritans as well.

Eco-Puritans (not really, but still grim)

Instead, these people who are into "saving the environment" should relax and focus on showing the beauty and the joy. They should be telling us about the smells and the tastes, and saying, look, isn’t that garden heavenly? Isn’t that home-grown tomato sweet and luscious? They should be talking about the practical things like saving money and time. Because the bottom line is, who doesn’t like beauty, good-tasting food, and saving time and money? As an investment, it pays in the long run, both in enjoyment and the bank account. Even the worst Scrooge ever would at least like saving time and money.

My husband and I had landscaping around our house done last year, and he suggested focusing on a sustainable landscape, using native and climate-appropriate plants. Yes, my dear, conservative-leaning husband was the instigator, which blasts the really stupid stereotype of conservatives being against the environment. Maybe it’s because we live in the Pacific Northwest, but I have not met one conservative who did not do something to help the environment at least on a private level. And no, no environmentalist "finally" got to him--the hubby is a very practical, scientific, engineering guy and calculated the numbers. So stop with the freakin’ stereotyping already.

The back yard

So (ending rant) we went to some workshops about sustainable landscaping that was conducted by some Master Gardeners, and then contacted a small local landscaping company that had a Master Gardener as a landscape designer.

As a result, the landscape was designed to prevent the driveway and roof runoff from going into the storm drains, and allowing it to soak between the brick pavers at the entry way into the earth or into our rain garden instead. We love it, and my husband especially loves not having to spend hours mowing the lawn (we still have some grass, but it takes maybe 15 minutes to mow). Our water bills this summer have dropped, too.

Lavender angustifolia and purple lobelia

Bountiful and beautiful native and climate-friendly plants aren't hard to find, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Vine maples--so beautiful! Tatting fern for the shady spots. Lavender for color and scent.

These days, instead of dreading the muddy yard we used to get in the winter, I can now enjoy a little pond in the rain garden that occasionally forms right after a huge rainstorm. During the very dry months of summer, I can enjoy a French/Mediterranean-like garden that has rosemary, lavender, roses, and sweet peas (and our raised beds in the back yard are now showing some lovely ripe tomatoes!). In the north-facing back yard, we have delicate maidenhair fern, sword ferns, and salal (all native to the Northwest) that perfectly complements our front yard flowers in flower arrangements.

The hubby building raised vegetable beds.

And of course, there is the vegetable and herb garden that has become so abundant with growth that I have not been able to keep up with staking it and tying it back. I will, actually, have to (gulp!) hack back the tomato plants, I kid you not. Before we had the veggie garden we have now, the lemon verbena didn’t grow much more than a foot at most. Now it’s a good three feet tall. I grew WAY too much fennel (aka anise), but my justification for that is that I’ll be collecting the aniseed and making biscotti later on. I grew it next to the tomatoes, and since they’re companion plants, this also explains the crazy growth of the tomatoes. Yeah, I actually underestimated the growth of my herbs and vegetables this time.

Our neighbors like our yard, too. We’ve had neighbors say they really like walking past our house because of the lovely colors and perfume from the flowers. I’ve given away some sweet pea flowers to children who pass by, because heaven knows I don’t have enough vases, and the thought that the kids might bring them home to their parents reminds me of the delight I had when my son would spontaneously bring flowers home to me.

You can have a beautiful low-maintenance yard and garden and save money at the same time because you don't have to water as often or use expensive fertilizers. That's just plain old common sense and practical money management anyone can get behind--no politics need apply! It's a win-win situation all around.

The Bane of Northwest Gardening

I resent slugs mightily, especially right now after looking at the primroses I planted earlier and seeing nasty, brown, rotting streaks over the blossoms that I know have been caused by those slimy menaces. They have been the one thing that have kept my vegetable (and flower) garden from being totally organic. I don't use anything but compost for fertilizer--no chemicals. I mulch. But no matter what organic method I have tried, those slugs keep coming, sliming their way to my flowers and veggies, laughing their silent but no doubt mocking slimy laugh as they consume the beauty and abundance I have TRIED to produce.

Diatomaceous earth--no go, not in the very wet Pacific Northwest. It's basically ineffective after it rains, and slugs proliferate in the wet. Beer--somehow, I seem to have the only tea-totaling slugs on earth. The dear hubby has nixed putting geese in our yard, which I have to agree with, because I don't like having to avoid stepping over goose poop in our yard (yeah, I know, it's natural fertilizer, but geese are also often mean. Also, we have a cat--a big, affectionate, but weenie cat that would no doubt be terrorized by such a bird).

Salt--no. There is a reason why ancient Assyrians "salted the earth" after conquering their enemies. Salt was their form of making the fields of the conquered people unable to produce crops. We have enough slugs here that using salt all the time to get rid of them would render my goal of producing luscious veggies near impossible.

So I have ended up using Cory's Slug and Snail Death. Part of the reason is that it is very effective. The other is that there is something honest and upfront about what the product does: no hiding it, no prettifying the goal of the product. It deals death to slugs and snails, period. I appreciate honesty like that.

However, I still want an organic garden. I don't like the idea of nasty chemicals seeping into what I eat, look at, and smell. I want to be able to pick the veggies, give them a good rinse under the faucet, and eat, right then and there.

I am persistent, so I keep looking. And today, much to my delight, I found the perfect Pacific Northwest solution: coffee!

Here's where I found it: http://www.plantea.com/slug-baits-coffee.htm

It seems that caffeine is toxic to snails. However, as every avid gardener knows, coffee grounds are great to add to compost. So, using coffee and coffee grounds will repel slugs while at the same time helping your garden soil become richly productive. Is that great or what? The special obsession of the Seattle area--coffee in all its wondrous forms--gets rid of the bane of Pacific Northwest existence: slugs.

I haven't tried it yet, but I certainly will. It will mean cutting open used Senseo pods, but I'm fine with that.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Greying out the blog

Yeah, it's the SOPA and PIPA legislation.  On one hand, piracy--both domestic and international--is preventing writers, musicians, and other artists from making a living wage.

On the other hand, the federal government taking down your web site because someone else illegally uploads stuff to your site even though you have policies against it is not only messing with due process, but it can potentially have a freezing effect on First Amendment rights.

So this post is officially greying out (not blacking out) the blog today.   I have come to hate it when people steal my stuff and make money off me without my permission or sharing the profits with me.  I have come to hate that if I had to live on what I make from my writing, I'd be lucky to be living in a tent under a bridge (and that's after writing for major NYC publishers).  I have come to hate that people are willing to pay $5.00 for the experience of having a barista make a three-minute fancy cup of coffee that normally would cost 50 cents if they did it themselves, but want to experience for free the stories that have taken me almost a year each to write.

And that's saying a lot, because I love my lattes and am willing to shell out $5.00 plus tip for a nice fancy venti latte at Starbucks.  Especially because I know those baristas are often students who are trying to make it through to graduation.  Been there, done that.

But I also do not like that the federal government is incredibly clumsy about securing the rights I have over my property, so clumsy that they write legislation that can damage new and innovative ways of getting my stuff out there so that I and others can make a living wage.

There is a middle way. There is a way for online businesses like YouTube and Google and everyone else to make profits for themselves and still pay the content providers (writers, musicians, artists).

Here's an idea:  Every time someone uploads a copyrighted video to YouTube, if YouTube finds it, they charge the uploading subscriber 50 cents.  Then YouTube turns around and splits that amount with the copyright holder.  Anyone can upload whatever they want.  But they will be charged for uploading something with a copyright that belongs to someone else.

That's fair, isn't it?  50 cents isn't a lot for one person.  It's the price of a latte if you were to make it yourself.   If you think something you like is worth posting on YouTube, you can think about whether it's worth 50 cents to do it.  If it is, then you can rest easy in the idea that all those people who worked hard to make that video--writers, musicians, artists, cinematographers, the guy who sweeps the studio floor--all get paid to feed their families.  But if a video is good enough that millions of people think it's worth 50 cents each to upload it, then that will add up to enough money to help keep writers, musicians, artists, cinematographers, and the guy who sweeps the studio floor in a job.

We're in a bad economy. A heck of a lot of people don't have jobs.  Economists say that one big reason why we don't have jobs and are in such a big economic hole is that we don't create and produce enough products in our own country.  Not enough to export to other countries.

One of the very few things left that we in the United States do produce and export is music, writing, and art.  Ironically, very few of us in the U.S. want to pay for it or support it.  We don't want to buy the very thing that helps our economy get better. We want it for free.

That ebook you see on Amazon, written by an American?  That rightly and proudly should have a stamp on it that says "Made in the U.S.A."  You see that book in your local bookstore or that song written by a local musician on iTunes?  That book's been translated into different languages as an export, and that song's on a CD that's being exported to another country.  Someone not only wrote that book and performed that music, but a lot of other people printed that book and created the cover art, and produced that song and made it into a CD.  All done in the U.S.A.

It brings other countries' money into our country.  It pays our people.  Art, music, and books that Americans create keeps jobs in our country.  It's one of the very few things that still do.

Support free speech, but make sure to pay people for the work they do--and that includes paying people who create and help create art.  It means you, in the end, will have a better chance at keeping your own job as well.