Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Rainbow


I was on my way to church Sunday evening when I saw a rainbow! My son-in-law was in the van behind me and I pointed frantically to 'Look over there!'. He didn't see it.Instead he saw a real estate sign that he thought I meant.(He's on a different wave length).Anyway, I was very excited.It had been raining a good part of the week (still is)and I thanked God for His reminder that He will never again send a worldwide flood .Then,I suddenly realized that this was just half a rainbow.Hmmmm! Is God having second thoughts? Will He just send a flood half way up the mountains? I'm glad I live up on top of one!
Have you ever thought about Noah,what a great man of faith he was? He sent out a raven and doves to check things out. Not me~ If I was Noah's wife, I'd be tugging on his sleeve,"Send the woodpeckers ,Noah! The woodpeckers!" I'm sure he must have kept them tied up. Being at sea so long they surely would have pecked their way out of those cages multiple times.
No, God keeps His covenants.He will never again send a flood to cover the earth to destroy all flesh.(Gen9).It's an everlasting covenant.Nope, the next time He will destroy it with fire.(2 Peter 3:10-13) That is why we country people keep lots of jugs of water hidden under our sink. (:>

How does stuff like this happen??!!!


No matter where I go,Buddy,my border collie,will be there.If I'm sitting at my computer ,Buddy is under the desk at my feet.If I'm stocking the canning shelves in the cellar, Buddy is hiding in the shelves watching me (as in this picture).I think I have even recognized him disguised as a waiter at functions where dogs are not allowed.
Last night I was watching a movie and Buddy was on the floor asleep at my feet.I stood up to go to the kitchen.The dog was in the way,so I attempted to step over him.What happened next rivaled a Laurel & Hardy movie.Buddy leapt up, catching my big toe in the ring of his dog collar.He took off,my foot twisted with my toe still caught in the ring.Buddy panicked and started to run with me 'in toe'.He took me water skiing on my back across the wood floor.I had a heck of a time releasing my big toe from his collar .Once done he ran for the closet and hid. He tried his best to make himself invisible.He heard me howling with big toe pain and thought he was 'done fer'.It took awhile before I could get up off the floor.My left knee was skinned up,toe swelling quickly and my right knee still sensitive from the surgery in August.But I want you to know that Buddy is feeling much better today (:>

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Forest


What a great time of year autumn is! The trees are jeweled with topaz,ruby,emerald green and gold!Fall Festivals in the mountains of Pa. are awesome,especially around Renova.
Back in the 1970's we were anxious to get out of the city and move to the rural part of the Jersey shore.We found the perfect place in an old chicken farm area with abandoned chicken coops and woods as far as you can see. WOODS!! Land!! No more bus diesal smell! The house was in the process of being built when we found it in the newspaper realty section.We took a drive and made the downpayment and jumped up and down with happiness.We were young and it would be our first house.One day,after a few hot days in April, my husband's brother called and said,"How's your house?" "I said fine, how's your house?"."No, I'm not kidding.Don't you know what happened?",he said. "What are you talking about?",I asked. "There was a big forest fire and it was right on your street !". He then read the Newark Star Ledger account of the devastation. The real estate agent never called us. I guess he was afraid we'd back out of the deal.I called and was told that the houses on the street were all fine and the fire dept hosed them all down .They did do a great job.We hopped in the car to see what had happened.Our house was at the stage with just foundation,frame & plywood siding .What we saw was devastating.As far as we could see the woods were black as toast.Three thousand acres of wall to wall black carpeting.I closed my eyes, shook my head and was speechless. There were no words .I didn't want to live there.For what? But, we were committed. What we didn't expect was the healing process that would take place.The spring rains and warmer days brought forth gentle green ferns as far as the eye could see.It made a beautiful contrast against the deep black.

I found myself strangely happy and looked forward to walks in the woods unhindered by dense brush and clutter.Ferns are the fragile sensitive new growths that greet the sun's rays .We may see the charred tree trunks of something that was and grieve for the old life. But God is concerned with new healthy growth.Gradually new little trees sprung forth from the bases of the pines and surprisingly,the big trees brought forth life once again where we thought it was over.What caused this forest fire? The pine barrens are vulnerable in early spring when unseasonably hot sunny days can ignite the dried leaves on the forest floor.A piece of broken glass is all it takes.Sometimes it's the work of an arsonist or a negligent person's cigarette butt.
God is very much concerned with the lives of those that have had devastating experiences.Whether the cause was from within or the negligent or intentional work of another, God is the Lord of Life and does not want us consumed or incapacitated with our charred past.It's time to go on and live for Him. He is the God of Grace and our life is IN HIM. First he brings forth gentle ferns, timid and fragile and later ,if we keep our eyes on the SON and absorb the Living Water, the strength of oak trees.
"Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you"~ James 4:8
Here's something fun to look up in your concordance (Strong's). You will need a King James Bible) God says He will add (1) Grace unto grace (2)faith unto faith (3)strength unto strength . These are from 3 different verses in different books of the Scriptures.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

U.S.EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION and the laws of the rediculous


THE ARTICLE BELOW IS TAKEN FROM PLANCKSCONSTSNT.ORG

http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2009/09/muslim_women_working_at_hooters.html

MUSLIM WOMEN WORKING AT HOOTERS

"Here's the problem: we have laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against someone because of their religion; then we have Islam which is not compatible with western civilization. The result: a situation where no one will be able to refuse Muslims employment no matter how ridiculously unsuited they are for employment.
Back in June 2008 hijab-wearing, 17 year old Samantha Elauf applied for a sales job at the Abercrombie Kids store in Woodland Hills Mall, Tulsa, Oklahoma for which she was obviously unsuited. A district manager allegedly told her that the hijab did not fit the store's image. Unfortunately, the idiots at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took this to mean that A&F was discriminating against her because of her religious beliefs (1). This is not the case at all. I am an Atheist and if I went down to A&F dressed in a hijab to apply for a job, I would certainly 100% be turned down. Obviously it would not be because of my religion because I do not have a religion.

If the EEOC prevails here, then any female who wants to make some money in this country merely has to show up to work at a place like Hooters in a hijab and ask for employment. Sure, I'm suggesting extortion here since it is highly likely that Hooters will offer her money not to apply for the job. Certainly they cannot hire a female in a hijab to serve in their establishments.

How about a Muslim man dressed just like any other person in town who applies for a job as a bartender? His only requirement is that he not handle alcohol. Can we turn down this applicant? Well, you may argue, a person who refuses to handle alcohol cannot properly do the job of serving liquor and so the religion clause portion of the Civil Rights Act should not protect them.

Should a person who cannot be seen or properly heard behind a hijab be a teacher, or salesperson? Suppose a store has six hijab-laden salesclerks. Suppose also you are shopping and talking with girl A. You go into the fitting room and come out to finish your purchases. You go up to what you think is your salesperson and say you are ready to check out. She starts ringing you up but she doesn't have all the items you asked her to hold while you were in the fitting room. You look around - all the hijabees look the same. Now what do you do?

Suppose a salesperson is rude to you? You go to the manager and you say a salesperson dressed entirely in black was rude to you. He asks you which one. You look around - all the hijabees look the same. Now what do you do?

Suppose you need help with a bra or a dress in a fitting room and you ask one of the hijabees to help you. Are you even sure it's a woman? Suppose it's a man - how can you be sure?

Suppose a Muslim applies for a job at a butcher shop and can do 90% of the job but not touch pork. Can the shop owner turn him down?

Would any sane person want to shop at a store where the women (or so they say) are covered from head to toe and all you can see is a slit?

How can you tell a hijab-wearing bank teller from a stranger who just shows up in a hijab and pretends to be a bank worker? Can you ask that person to remove her head covering before coming to work?

Should hijab-wearing females be allowed to be police officers?

What clothing retailer would want to hire a hijab-wearing Muslim woman who cannot sport the latest fashions and entice customers to buy them?

What Health and Fitness gym would want to hire someone whose body can't be seen at all?

It's time Americans made an exception to the religion portion about hiring people if they are not suited to the job. If the job requires women with big boobs, that's the business of the store owner not the EOCC. If the job requires something that is forbidden to Muslims, that is a Muslim problem, not the employer's or the EOCC. If a Muslim woman is forbidden from wearing accepted civilian clothes then that is her problem - not the employer's or the EOCC.

Muslims are learning that they can exploit our laws, which are meant for civilized people, to their benefit. In time, we will have millions of Muslims being paid money not to apply for jobs which they are religiously unsuited for."

(NOTE: Reminder~ this was not written by Turkeyfether.Turkeyfether is by no means an atheist.It is an article from the blog planksconstant.org). It is continued below.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







Notes




(1):

Tulsa World News, Teen at center of rights suit

A popular national chain of clothing stores is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly not hiring a Muslim Tulsa teenager because she wears a hijab, a religiously mandated head scarf.

The EEOC filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Abercrombie & Fitch in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, modified in 1991, as the basis for the action.

The suit says that Samantha Elauf, 17, applied in June 2008 for a sales job at the Abercrombie Kids store in Woodland Hills Mall.

A district manager allegedly told her that the hijab, which Elauf wears in observance of her religious beliefs, did not fit the store's image.

"Defendant refused to hire Ms. Elauf because she wears a hijab, claiming that the wearing of headgear was prohibited by its Look Policy, and, further, failed to accommodate her religious beliefs by making an exception to the Look Policy," the lawsuit states.

Elauf went to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma, which helped her file a complaint with the EEOC in Oklahoma City.

The Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination based upon religion in hiring and in the terms of their employment, an EEOC press release says.

The law requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee unless doing so would create an "undue hardship" for the employer.

Michelle M. Robertson, a senior trial attorney for the EEOC, stated, "It is unlawful for employers to treat applicants or workers differently based on their religious beliefs or practices in any aspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring and job assignments."

Monday, September 21, 2009

http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2008/11/13_things_to_consider_before_hiring.html

The above is an EXCELLANT article worth reading! Once again, the Muslims are sueing a company for religious discrimination.Abercrombie & Fitch is the new target because they declined to hire a woman who insisted on wearing the hijab.Give me a break! WHAT WAS SHE DOING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE??? This company sells clothing that is considered morally indecent to Islamic women's standards.Why is she applying for a job to corrupt young women? Are Watchtower followers applying for jobs in the bloodbank?? Are right wing fundamentalists applying for jobs in abortion clinics and then refusing to participate ? Are Hasidic Jews applying for jobs at Porky Pig's Pulled Pork BAB-Q ?? Oh, give me a break!! When will we ever get judges in the court system that have a brain and STOP rewarding these predators?

Below is a line waiting to apply for a job at HOOTERS.


http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2008/11/13_things_to_consider_before_hiring.html

Friday, September 18, 2009

Farmville & virtual games


Facebook has a few Farm games that are pretty addicting and fun! Farmville, Farmtown and Lil Farm Life(for kids).I'm having a lot of fun with this because I don't have to put up with the REAL issues of farmlife.For instance, there are no gopher holes hidden in the grass to twist your ankle on.Sneakers stay clean and there is no such thing as horse or pig manure,sheep or goat 'raisons' and there is no chicken or turkey poop dropping on your head while you gather eggs.'No-seeums' are strangeley absent from your eyes, nose & mouth as you gather veggies from the garden.There are no weeds in Farmville or Farmtown.HUH!~ What am I doing wrong?There is no sweating or struggling or getting out of breath as you plow.Simply,'CLICK,CLICK,CLICK' and your field is plowed.Another 'Click,click,click' and your field is seeded and you start winning Blue & Yellow Ribbons effortlessly.There are no COBWEBS turning your barn into a horror den! In real life it's difficult to keep up with the manure pileup. Cobwebs have to be swept from the rafters , stall rungs and every nook & cranny every 2 weeks.Manure is strangely omitted from these games.So is fertilizer.As soon as you harvest you abruptly reseed.Who cares about replenishing the earth? Sheep don't shove you, pigs don't bump then bite your leg, sheep require NO sheering ( I like that!) and goats don't need their feet trimmed.Tractors don't flip over while you plow . There is no such thing as drought, blight or too much rain.
I LIKE this game! Was it like this for Adam & Eve before they messed up?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Growing Like A Weed !



Every day that I get out to the garden I find a new weed. It's a jungle out there.I can't believe we're still gathering stringbeans & waxbeans, corn & peppers, brussel sprouts~ all growing just fine despite the rampage of weed growth.Here's one I never saw before~~ a Kyle weed!! or is it a little lost boy?

Uncle Fritz

Bread & Butter Pickles

UNCLE FRITZ & JANET'S BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES- makes 8 PINTS

4 qts sliced medium cucumbers (do not pare; slice thin)
4 large white onions sliced
2 green peppers,chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/3c kosher salt (non-iodized)

Place in large pot and cover with CRACKED ICE (lots of it).Let stand 8 hours or overnight.Then drain well. Combine remaining ingredients:

5 c sugar
3 c.cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
2 TB mustard seed

Pour over cucumber mixture.Heat just to boil.Pack in hot sterilized jars .Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath.(According to Ball Canning Book.)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Happy 20th Anniversary !



Happy Anniversary,Danny & Jamie!! The Big two-O ! You guyz are so good lookin' !!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Refrigerator Pickles



Something else to do with CUCUMBERS~ Refrigerator Pickles.No canning required and they stay crispy,crunchy for months in the fridge.SOooooo good!!

7 medium cucumbers, sliced
1 onion sliced into rings
1 small green pepper(mango)sliced into rings
2 Tb Kosher salt (non-iodized)
1 Tb Celery Seed
2 c. Sugar
1 c. White Vinegar

1.In a large bowl,combine cucumbers,onion & green peppers(I put mine in a large glass jar with lid.
2.Sprinkle with salt & celery seed.
3.Combine sugar & vinegar.Pour over cucumber mixture.
4.Cover & refrigerate at least 8 hours.Then it's ready. ~~~~ ENJOY!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

What to do with Zucchini & Cucumbers


Freeze measured out portions of Zucchini or cucumbers diced or grated for future recipes.Both Cucumbers and Zucchini are ingredients in many fantastic recipes.

1.Freeze 2 cups grated zucchini (run thru a food processor,chopper or blender)in ziplock sandwich bags. MANY RECIPES !!

2. Freeze 1-2 cups of grated cucumbers for recipes (Cucumber Dill bread or rolls)~fantastic toasted or use with grilled cheese, grilled tuna fish.

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE
BAKE 325F. (50-6MIN.)
Cream Together: 1/2c butter
1/2c vegetable oil (or 1/2c applesauce + 1 Tb oil)
1 3/4c sugar

Add & mix well: 2 large eggs
1/2 c buttermilk or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4c cocoa
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c. grated zucchini

Fold in by hand: 3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts (optional)

Note: You can buy buttermilk in powdered form. This works best so you're not stuck with a lot of leftover liquid buttermilk.For this recipe 2TB buttermilk powder mixed in 1/2c water)


CUCUMBER PAN ROLLS Yields 1 dozen
Bake 375F 30-35 min
Mix together in small bowl & allow to foam up
1 pkg Active dry yeast (or 1 Tb)
1/4c water(warm)
1 Tb sugar
1 tsp salt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/4c diced cucumber
1/2c sour cream
Add above 2 ingredients to saucepan and heat to near scalding(not boiling)(to kill enzyme that will inactivate yeast in the sour cream)~ and cool to baby bottle warm (too hot will kill yeast).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 3/4 - 4 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 Tb minced chives
2 tsp minced fresh dill or 3/4 tsp dill weed

In a mixing bowl on low speed,combine 1 1/4 c flour,yeast mixture and gradually add cucumber sour cream mixture.Beat on high for 3 min.
Change to dough hook and add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.(Or knead by hand 6-8 minutes until elastic).

Place in greased bowl,flip dough over so as to grease top.Cover & place in warm place to rise. ( I place mine in oven heated to 135F then shut off oven when it reaches that temp). LET RISE 1 HOUR.

Punch down dough ; let rest 10 min;Shape into 12 balls and place in greased 13" x 9" x 2 " baking pan.

Cover & let rise till doubled about 45 min

BAKE 375F for 30-35 min or until golden brown.Remove from pan & let cool on wire rack about 10 min.