I went to Wegmans today and bought all their loss leaders and nothing else, including 20 bottles of lemonade and Italian mineral water averaging about 99 cents apiece, four pounds of strawberries ($8), and fifteen pounds of ground beef ($1.89/lb) which I promptly froze. I used one pound of strawberries in my home-made ice cream, then sliced and froze the rest.

Last week I bought five cases of soda for just $11. If I keep this up they’re not going to let me shop there anymore.

I was going to take a picture of my ripe cherry tomatoes . . . “but I eated them.” So here’s a picture from Veggie Harvest instead! It covers just about anything you’d want to know about vegetable gardening. (If you link there and don’t see any content just scroll down a little; it’s there!)

Even my margarita is wearing a thong.

It worked when I was a kid, and it still works today:  A bowl of ice cream and a bubble bath in the dark makes the mean old crabbies go bye bye.  It’s the perfect thing to do before bed. All better now!

( It’s Melon Girl!)

Is it time for you guys to DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE?

Watermelon May Have Viagra-Effect

Science Blogs
Mon, 2008-06-30 14:32

A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited for Valentine’s Day.

That’s because scientists say watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido.

“The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body,” said Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station.

“We’ve always known that watermelon is good for you, but the list of its very important healthful benefits grows longer with each study.”

Beneficial ingredients in watermelon and other fruits and vegetables are known as phyto-nutrients, naturally occurring compounds that are bioactive, or able to react with the human body to trigger healthy reactions, Patil said.

In watermelons, these include lycopene, beta carotene and the rising star among its phyto-nutrients – citrulline – whose beneficial functions are now being unraveled. Among them is the ability to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra does.

(more)

PAT MARFISI carries bales of alfalfa hay and straw into the center aisle of his Hollywood Hills vegetable garden and begins tearing off pieces of the stuff. He doesn’t have any animals to feed, just his “no-dig” landscape: raised beds using lasagna-like layers of fodder, bone and blood meal and compost — and remarkably little water.

Now that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought, Marfisi’s 300-square-foot patch seems more relevant than ever. It’s his personal horticultural laboratory for a low-water, sustainable technique he learned working on organic farms in Australia last year.

Since he began gardening in this fashion, he says, he has been “inundated” with food. With the exception of some recent losses to raccoons drawn to the soil’s abundant grubs and earthworms, Marfisi’s garden is thriving with beets, collard greens, chard, celery, tomatoes, chives, peppers, basil, chives, lettuces and leeks. He estimates he grows enough food to feed three people daily.

When asked how much he waters, Marfisi shoves his hand deep beside some Swiss chard and pulls out moist, decomposed soil laced with remnants of straw. “I haven’t watered in 10 days,” he says. “This is what I want people to know: You can have beauty and abundance without a lot of water.”

(more . . .)

(Image from the No Dig Vegetable Garden website: This is great fun for kids, too!)

I was greeted by a stiffie this morning. Unfortunately it was NOT the kind I like. So, now that I’ve made it through the day, Advil or margarita? Never do both.

HMM. Margarita. Definitely. Still not the stiff one I’m in the mood for, but it will do.

Manhattan Transfer: They’re loving dat coffee, but why didn’t they drink some before the performance? They remind me of ME in the mornings. I’m going back to my coffee, dammit.

Guzzling coffee may cut heart disease

22:00 16 June 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Ewen CallawayA strong cup of coffee in the morning can feel like a life saver. Now, one of the largest and longest studies of coffee drinking suggests that coffee may indeed boost your lifespan – providing you drink enough of the stuff, that is.

The study tracked 129,000 men and women over two decades. It found that people who consumed several cups of coffee every day were less likely to die of heart disease than those who shied away from the stuff. Heart disease is an umbrella term for conditions including heart attacks, stroke, and arrhythmia.

The researchers found that women who drank four to five cups per day were 34% less likely to die of heart disease, while men who had more than five cups a day were 44% less likely to die.
Consumption caution

The new report adds heft to the hypothesis that coffee can stem heart disease, perhaps by battling the inflammatory damage associated with early stage illness.

“It looks like coffee has some effect that hasn’t been established before. The general idea is that coffee is not so bad,” says study leader Esther Lopez-Garcia, an epidemiologist at the Autonomous University of Madrid.

Yet Lopez-Garcia and other experts caution that it’s too early for people to act on the study’s findings.

“Before declaring that drinking up to seven cups of coffee per day is beneficial for health, we should wait for some other confirmation,” warns Francesco Sofi, an epidemiologist at the University of Florence, who was not involved in the study.

The new study is not the first to connect coffee drinking with good health. Over the years, other research has linked coffee consumption with lower rates of heart attack, liver cancer and diabetes.

I’m excited because I found American flags at Target that were actually made in America. WHOOPIE! So I bought one.

I might have a Fourth of July party, if for no other reason than to inspire myself to 1) finally clean this damn house; 2) show off the fact that I CAN, in fact, grill, and 3) feature my new favorite dessert, which happens to be red, white and blue.

It’s not “just” vanilla pudding with berries: This is an ALL organic venture with real sugar, cream and vanilla and OMG you can taste the difference. This is die-and-go-to-heaven good, and this is how you do it.

Vanilla Pudding

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt; granually blend in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens. Cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Add vanilla and powdered vanilla bean. Pour in SMALL dessert glasses. Remember, this stuff is RICH.

Berry Sauce

(Kitty likes her meat RAWR!)

I used to hate to cook. Just thinking about cooking made me feel tired and depressed; even when I was a stay-at-home mom I couldn’t bring myself to do more than the minimum.

“What’s for dinner?” My ex would say.

“I dunno, whatcha making?”

I had a mental block against cooking because I always had the feeling my mother hated it. I don’t know if it’s true; it just seemed such a repetitive chore. Same with my hardworking grandmothers who spend their whole lives in their kitchens and their gardens: By the time they cleaned up from one meal it was time to start the next. Had I lived a life like theirs I think I might have stuck my head in an oven set to “broil.”

(Kittyprint prep bowls found at a kitchen outlet)

But outdoor cooking is different, right? It’s fun, like camping. Believe it or not I went to survivalist school as a kid; in Minnesota this is what they call a “school trip.” I’m glad I did it: I can start a fire in the rain using only one match (hint: use birch bark).

Also, my first long-term boyfriend, whom I’ll call Tipi Guy, taught me how to catch and scale fish. He was a Norwegian lumberjack who wanted to be a Lakota native in the worst way, and through our work on the local reservations I learned how to cook “Indian style,” which in the 1980’s meant frybread with canned blueberries, grilled walleye, and wild rice soup.

(Marinated London Broil)

Tipi-guy hated that I loved my meat rare, and by rare I mean RAW. Once I spent almost fifty dollars on two antelope steaks and ate mine with my bare hands before he even lit the campfire. I got really bad marks on that day. Submissive “native wife” was a job I didn’t want and failed the interview for anyway, especially after the flyfishing “incident” that I won’t go into. Suffice it to say he married the girl who didn’t try to kill him.

That was the last time I cooked on a regular basis. Bunny got her dietary variety from living in three places: Mine, her father’s and her grandmother’s. It’s a good thing because otherwise Bunny’s idea of cooking would be instant oatmeal.

But I digress! I fired up a grill tonight for the first time in five years! Usually I leave the grilling to whatever manly man crosses my threshold. I tried to light my gas grill once on my own and I practically blew up the neighborhood because I left the lid on when I pushed the ignition. I got rid of that menace in favor of a little Coleman charcoal grill (a gift from my stepfather). It sat around for over a year gathering dust. But looky! My first try, with a London Broil I’d been marinating in a red pepper rub for two days. I didn’t time it or anything and it STILL turned out perfect. I paired it with a mess of greens pulled right out of my garden. Mmmm yummy

If you haven’t started your veggie garden yet I think you’re crazy but there IS still time! This is my front yard, because my back yard is too shady for a serious garden. Those bushes behind the seedlings are purple and pink flowering heather.

Anyway, I’m not doing another post just to show off my garden. I just found out that . . . .

“The world according to Monsanto” is in danger of disappearing from the internet!

What a beautiful day to play in the garden! I’m planning a huge bulb garden in my back yard, setting up the space and turning the dirt so that it will be bulb-friendly in the fall. Not only will it be beautiful next spring, but it will get rid of that part of my lawn I’ve always had trouble with. It’s too shady and acidic to grow much more than moss in the summertime, and I’m tired of fighting with it. When it comes to gardening I’ve learned we need to allow the earth to tell us what to do, not the other way around.

I love Pharm Solutions’ organic pesticides; I pay retail for them at my local whole foods market. I’m a sucker for brightly colored and coordinating bottles of this-and-that. However, if you’re broke or just cheap, as I am sometimes, you can make your own insecticidal soaps for practically nothing. The fatty acids in insecticidal soaps are lethal to exoskeletal beings.

Homemade Insecticidal Soap

1 quart plastic spray bottle

1tablespoon Dr. Bronner’s fatty-acid soap (not a detergent!) One tablespoon soap with one quart water is a good ratio; too much soap is bad for the plant.

1 tablespoon spice such as cayenne pepper, horseradish, garlic or ginger (optional, strong smelling things repel insects)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional, helps the solution stay wet longer, be sure to shake well)

1 quart water

Notes from Venus has a post on how to make several different kinds of homemade insecticides. Have at it, but remember: Don’t scare the bees!

(So long as the flash on my camera is broken my favorite jammies will match my favorite martini)

My summer poison: Key lime Martinis. Here’s how you make them:

1 part vanilla vodka

1 part pineapple juice

1 part Ke Ke Beach Lime Liquor

1/2 part lime juice

Chill, shake, and serve in a frosted martini glass. SLOWLY savor every sip!

I plan to allow myself a little natural tan this summer. I’ve been an anti-sun fanatic for most of my life and because of this I look between 5 and 10 years younger than I really am. However I’m now convinced that NO sun is almost as unhealthy as TOO MUCH sun. Do I want to spend my life looking and feeling like a mushroom? Nope. Sunshine is the best antidepressant around; it provides the body much needed vitamin D, and it’s FREE!

I plan to spend weekends at the beach this summer. So, in addition to the SPF 60 sunscreen I buy each spring I picked up a few real tanning products. The Lime Coolada after sun lotion by Hawaiian Tropic smells exactly like my favorite key lime martini!

(Image found at Frederick Samuel)

HPS UPDATE #1: Another blogger found a copy of the video here. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile: The Truthseeking Public needs a real alternative to YouTube and Google, companies infested with corporatist (read fascist) stooges. Hell, given the censorship-happy nature of most of the world’s governments I think we need our own INTERNET.

********************************************************

HPS UPDATE #2: Holy.Shit.

Picked this up from Baggattel at STA at this link:

http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=205126

“Better grab a copy of this before it’s gone down the memory hole. The World According To Monsanto was produced as a documentary by my favorite TV channel, Arte, here in France and Germany. Arte is what PBS used to be in the states before the fascist PC neo-libs (left wing of the neo-cons) infiltrated and took it over.

The link below has the entire 12 segments of this documentary. It has already disappeared from youtube and several other sites. Watch it while you can… or better yet grab a copy. It should not be allowed to disappear.

Apparently powerful forces dedicated to altering our genetic structures are not amused.”

http://100777.com/node/1805

The excellent French documentary titled “The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won’t ever see,” is evidently living up to its name. When I first became aware of this movie, I immediately watched it, then placed it on my websites. Today I checked the link, and found that the video is gone. In fact, when I typed the title “The World According to Monsanto” into the Google search engine, I couldn’t find the full video anywhere. This is a call for action. If you find this video anywhere on the Internet, please let me know. If you haven’t seen it, you need to. If you have seen it, you know what a powerful video it is for exposing the corruption of Monsanto and the U.S. government. If Google Video has removed this documentary in acquiescence to the U.S. government or Monsanto, then that is testimony to the power and corruption behind the massive corporate movement to wage war on the environment and all living things in the pursuit of profit and power, the people be damned.

SNIP

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/154917-The-World-According-to-Monsanto-Expose-Disappears-from-the-Internet-

as did the photos from Lymebusters at this link, still working on it folks:

http://lymebusters.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=rash&action=display&thread=9314

viewed by many listeners from: coast to coast, with George Noory

Genetically modified terminator and predator seeds are designed by global conglomerates like Monsanto in order to monopolize the world’s fuel/food. The below film is about government and corporate chemical, biological and economic GMO Warfare (yes this is war) condoned by the United Nations and the Codex Alimentarius Trade Commission. United Nations is the puppet of giant corporations who want to “HARMonize” (emphasis on the word HARM) food, vitamin and pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution processes worldwide. Unless We the People do something NOW to stop them, the GMO food and pharmaceutical industries will have total control of what we put on and in our bodies. These are the same people who get rich off treating our illnesses!

Vandana Shiva, author of Earth Democracy, Stolen Harvest, and Water Wars: Privitization, Pollution and Profit is a world-renowned environmental leader and recipient of the 1993 Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (the Right Livelihood Award).

Vandana Shiva is a doctor and a mother in India educating people on GM Patents, the bio-fuel nightmare, genetically modified seed/crops/food. THIS VIDEO IS A MUST SEE! We the People are beginning to say NO to Monsanto, ADM and BASF. Food has been used as a weapon since the beginning of time, but imagine it done on a global scale. We have seen what the corporatists are capable of; after all, look at what they did to our money supplies and our economies. Stop them before they “HARMonize” our lives again!

A second measure was curtailing food supplies to targeted states, in part to force compliance with birth control policies . . . “Mandatory programs may be needed and we should be considering these possibilities now,” the document continued, adding, “Would food be considered an instrument of national power? … Is the U.S. prepared to accept food rationing to help people who can’t/won’t control their population growth?” Kissinger also predicted a return of famines that could make exclusive reliance on birth control programs unnecessary. (Henry Kissinger’s Plan for Food Control Genocide, Joseph Brewda, 1995)

Mubarak contends that the US’s fear of facing the health and environmental consequences of its DU bombing campaign is partly behind its failure to follow through on its commitments under a deal allowing Iraq to sell some of its vast oil reserves in return for food and medical supplies. (excerpt from Radioactive War, Counterpunch Feb 2001)

What are they trying to do, anyway, kill us by starvation the way Stalin did during the Bolshevik Revolution? Shit. Now that I think about it the global elites ARE Bolsheviks. Goddamn! I might be on to something. Still, I know I’m late to this battle: Around the world people have literally been fighting for their lives - and yours - so we all ought to do our part and arm ourselves (with knowledge) and join the Real Food Revolution! You do like food, don’t you?