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Putting the energy back into California

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY6-YVFvtFQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Here is a YouTube video I found — in of all places — on a California Local Government site. Here is some of the big take aways from this video:

1) For those who don’t remember, Jerry Brown was governor then, too. California  ‘bailed out’ our local cities with ‘our money’ but claimed that this would only cover that year, because there would be no fund for the next year. Time has proven otherwise.

2) A UCLA Economic forecast predicted that over 450,000 jobs would be lost. As Howard Jarvis predicted, the economy rebounded… until our state and local governments started turning the screws.

3) At the time, the State of California offered their own Prop 8 to try to beat down Prop 13, but the ploy didn’t work with the voters. Even though Los Angeles Teachers received pink slips before the election, the results showed strong support for prop 13.

4) Pay attention to the very modest home shown in the news report that was paying huge taxes in 1978. Many reports from the time exposed the high property tax rates were forcing many retirees and young families from their homes.

Since then, there have been a multitude of studies that have shown how Prop 13 has continued to help the taxpayer of California, in spite of the growth of state and local governments through increases in water, sewer and what Prop 26 supporters last year referred to as ‘hidden taxes in the form of fees.’

We are a one party state from top to bottom… and who really believes this is a good thing?

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Something to relish at Del Monte

I look at everything to see if they contain High Fructose Corn Syrup! CLICK on the link to see what Del Monte says about their ingredients.

Now, I really don’t know why Del Monte has a product that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup while so many of their other products do, but let’s just say that this is a product I will use with ‘relish!’

In reading what some folks write about  HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP in defending this ingredient. sounds a lot like the ‘warnings’ one saw on other products that started off saying  “the surgeon general has determined…” Here’s what Del Monte has on their site:

“High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery store shelves in the United States.  High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars. In terms of composition, high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar.  The American Medical Association stated in June 2008 that “…high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners…” And, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) concluded in December 2008 that “No persuasive evidence supports the claim that high fructose corn syrup is a unique contributor to obesity.”  The ADA also noted, “High fructose corn syrup … is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Both sweeteners contain the same number of calories (4 per gram) and consist of about equal parts of fructose and glucose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.””

My wife wrote a blog  a few years back that shed some light on the phenomenon. Although data can sometimes be correlational and correlation does not equal causation,  I think this issue deserves a fair hearing and I for one will not buy anything knowingly that contains HFCS.

Maybe, Del Monte is putting a very small toe in the water to see how folks will react to having one of their minor brands live without HFCS … but to me it is a step in the right direction! What does HFCS really have to do with making a great relish??

I have been really shocked to see how many brands contain HFCS, everything from Margarita Mix (ouch!), to our Jenny Craig Chicken kits, to my Cherrios to many brands of Pickle Relish!

Check it out.

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Pecan Pie time!

CLICK on the picture for the recipe! Colonel Beauford really knew how to bake pies! (he kinda looks familiar)

Laura’s birthday is this month and I would really like to make her a Pecan Pie as it is her favorite… but she might have to satisfy herself with a “Birthday Pecan Torte” as we are both struggling removing the last pesky pounds…well, I have a lot  more peskiness than she has to remove.

Which reminds me of an old saying that ” a chef should only taste his work.” It means that a chef  – left to their own devices — will create something uniquely wonderful to their own tastes… and consequently be more likely to eat more of it… and we don’t want to have to use ‘apron extenders’ do we?

Yes, there is a lot of wonderful things in this pie… but you can diet another day!

The Recipe

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the ‘stone soup’ of gardening

the red is for peppers and the green is for tomatoes ... but first you must BUY them!

Okay, I don’t know what I really expected, but I kinda thought there might be some seeds in the container I bought… but NO… you go out and buy mature plants, high grade potting soil, time released fertilizer and water them every day…and then…. wahoo! Instant tomatoes! So, lets just say that the final price tag for this project is a bit higher than what it shows on the package!

So maybe I am not walking into this ‘fun’ project with the right attitude… but we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I am amused.

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a home should be comfortable

a real home makes you feel comfortable right when you walk in!

The above picture comes from one of the Harry Potter movies , it is a scene set in the Weasley’s very eccentric but warm and comfortable home. I  wrote a blog  about how a home should reflect the owners personality — a couple of years ago — and I warned of the evils of  ‘feng shui’  that takes all life from a home and turns it into just a house!

In watching the back story of the movie “UP!”, some of the creative staff were joking about studying old people’s homes for authenticity. This sounded pretty funny until I realized that I sounded pretty much like one of the old people being studied! After thinking about it for a while, I began to understand that there is a difference between how people set up their homes. Some people are always thinking about selling their home ( maybe less today than in prior years) and their home always looks sterile and ‘feng shui.’ Some homes are sloppy, disorganized and the victim of some sort of hording maniac; however, this is not what I am talking about. My favorite home to live in or visit tells me about who lives there …  and something about their lives: it contains family drawings, stories and messages which are hung proudly; coat hooks are everywhere to grab the stray jacket or visitor’s scarf and cap; the kitchen reflects someone who actually knows how to cook with everything within reach; and drapes pulled open to let in nature’s beauty.

Only someone from a large family understands the naturalness of mismatched chairs at the family dining table.

One doesn’t build a masterpiece of hospitality like the Weasley’s home overnight , one creates its warmth over the stretch of a lifetime as we add to it one beautiful piece at a time … as we age, we are just the same, we add experiences, knowledge and love to our lives.