CONSTITUTION, PETITION, JOBS.

 I love this country and sometimes think we forget about the fundamental purpose of our government as outlined in the guiding principles of the Preamble to the United States Constitution. I’m going to Print that preamble. Sometimes we  need to refresh our memory.

  I’ve had comments about my rail against the government shutdown. Most of my friends are Republicans. I don’t hate them nor anybody else. Like many of you, I’d like to do something about the situation, so I did. I signed a petition stating the Congress should have to give up their pay during the government shutdown. If you agree, go to this address. Not that a petition can make it happen, but it sends a sharp message.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-barilla-pasta-for?id=-492306-LhMpGw&source=share_chain&fwd=1

Now, for the preamble:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

What a beautiful document our forefathers left us. Simple enough for a fifth grader to understand.

I also talked about jobs, and suggested an alternative view of the problems we face by watching the movie,  Heist. Who Stole The American Dream.  

The Millions  Of Jobs Group has put out a video about job creation that also gives an understandable presentation about job creation. You can view it at the following link:

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4FrGxO2Fn_M

Food for thought. And, now I must get back to my plums and apples.

YARD APPLES, PLUMS AND CHIROPRACTORS.

In self-defense, I got outside just as the sun was peeping over the hill. It was a cool sixty and my yard apples and plums are in rough shape. The trees need pruning and the fruit needs thinning.

Where the branches are low, I can thin the apples even though they are way past due. The yard worker I used to depend on who knew how to take care of apples moved to South Carolina.

I have five apple trees in the yard. Those that are high in the tree can only be reached by ladder and I’m not ready to get back on a ladder since I can’t climb  steps without pain. This tree and one other have a trumpet vine decorating it.

Several years ago, I dug up the trumpet vine because I didn’t want it in my trees and it wouldn’t stay on the fence. Now, I’m grateful it didn’t die.

The apple crop is going to be plentiful, and the gala and fuji are already near ripe.

The green gage plum isn’t ripe. The fruit is over-sized and heavy. The deer have eaten the leaves on the straggly branches touching the ground. It hasn’t been pruned in two years and desperately needs it. One branch is growing over the top of my green house and needs a big saw to get the branch down. But, it is fairly easy to thin with a stick.  My intent is to get the job done in increments a bit each early morning before the thermometer hits 90 degrees. It makes me feel good to get out and work in the yard.
I had a chiropractic treatment today, and start with a second office tomorrow that claims to have one of the ten best medical devices for treating skeletal injuries. It was featured on CBS Doctors program. I didn’t see the program but I’ll let you know how it works out.

FOOD CENTRIC HOLIDAY

With Thanksgiving coming soon, I've looked at recipes that can be made ahead and keep well. The jellos, cranberries,  and some desserts  can be made two days ahead. Even the stuffing, if  made outside of the turkey, can be made two days before and heated in the microwave. Salads, to retain their freshness, are a bigger challenge. I found three that do well.
Joe Carcione's Stuffed Iceberg:
1/4 th cup grated carrot, 3 tbsp. sour cream, 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, 3 tbsp. minced fresh tomato, 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, 1 tbsp. minced green pepper, 1 tbsp. minced green onion, 1 tbsp minced celery, 2 tsp. minced parsley, 1 large head of iceberg lettuce, 1/2 cup pomegranate berries.
Blend cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and salt. Add minced veggies. Hollow out the core and center of the lettuce. Stuff with carrot filling. Wrap lettuce in foil. Chill over night. At dinner time, slice crosswise and serve on a pretty plate with a  sprinkling of pomegranate berries. Serves six.
Tomato Green Bean Salad.
1 lb  fresh green beans, halved. 3 medium tomatoes cut into chunks. 1/3 cup basil olive oil. Salt to taste. 1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic.
Cook green beans for six minutes in boiling water, drain and rinse to cool in cold tap water. Dress with half the basil olive oil. Dress the cut tomatoes with other half of the basil olive oil, or to taste. Lightly salt both. Cover and refrigerate. Just before dinner, arrange green beans and tomatoes together on a plate, sprinkle with minced fresh garlic and serve. If there are basil leaves left in the garden, cut a few slices with a scissors to garnish. Serves  six, generously.
I like both of these salads because they don't take up much room in the refrigerator like a huge green salad does. The beans can conveniently be marinated in a plastic bag in the crisper and kept off the shelves.
Red Apple & Cabbage Slaw.
1/2  large red cabbage, sliced medium fine. (Food processor does this well.)  1/2  medium yellow onion, minced. 1 stalk celery finely sliced. 1/4 cup cider or red wine vinegar. 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/3 tsp salt, 1/2 cup plain or walnut flavored olive oil, 3  crisp red skinned apples, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
Make dressing with  oil, vinegar and seasonings. Pour over  cabbage, onion, and celery and cover in the refrigerator the day before. Before dinner, core and dice the red apples. Add them and the chopped nuts to the bowl before serving.
One of these can help spread the  preparation time over several days since food is central to our American Thanksgiving celebration.