Tomater

The fruits of our labor have started to pay off! Look what I discovered yesterday morning!That's two, count 'em, two little tomatoes.

Left Wing Intolerance

At the Miss USA pageant one of the top five contestants, Ms. California, was asked a question from a judge named Perez Hilton. If any of you do not know who he is consider yourself lucky. He is a gay "shock jock" type that runs a celebrity paparazzi website. The question he posed was (paraphrasing) "What is your position on states allowing gay marriage?"

Ms. California's opinion is the same opinion as the President of the United States and the same opinion of the vast majority of our population. She said "“In my country I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” Sounds like a reasonable, honest answer, right?


?MR./MRS.? Perez Hilton posted an online rant after the show calling her a "Bi%ch". He also said that in his opinion she lost because of her answer.


What is happening to this country when a Miss USA contestant expresses a view that is completely in line with the majority opinion, even Obama's opinion, but happens to offend some in the gay community and LOSE a competition because she dare express her belief. This wouldn't be so bad if it was just this clown Perez Hilton speaking out against her. The directors of Miss USA, and many other celebrities and commentators were also offended and shocked by her comments. What!?! The group demanding the most tolerance has absolutely NO tolerance for people who disagree with them.

There is an intolerance and totalitarianism on the side of the Left that is very, very frightening.

I'm proud of Ms. California. She was runner up but in my opinion she is the real winner. She held firm to her beliefs even though it was the more difficult decision. She is a good example to us all. Beware the liberals.

Some of you may not care about protecting marriage or other traditional values that are under assault. I am reminded of a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. My words are the bold.
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists(Conservatives), And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist(Conservative);
And then they came for the trade unionists(Talk radio hosts), And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist(Talk radio host);
And then they came for the Jews(Christians), And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew(Christian);
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

I can't contain my excitement!

Anyone that knows me, and I mean REALLY knows me, knows of my love for grilled cheese sandwiches. Imagine my delight when I discovered that April is GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH MONTH!!! Keith will be mad at me for bumping down his San Antonio post, but I had to share some grilled cheese in all of it's glory.

New York Magazine article on New York's finest (and might I add expensive) grilled cheese.

Tillman's in New York even has a gourmet grilled cheese menu!

Tomato Soup Grilled Cheese by Pithy and Cleaver. The soup IS IN the sandwich!
Fresh Tomato and Basil Grilled Cheese by ~Rita~ photo by ncmysteryshopper
Ooey Gooey Grilled Cheese by me, recipe available on RecipeZaarGrilled Cheese, Diner Styleby Dawnab, photo by bernrome
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango Chutney courtesy of Closet Cooking

San Antonio Tea Party

Being good Right Wingers, we decided to attend a Tea Party to protest the thoughtless, dangerous and wasteful spending and taxing by our government. (both parties are guilty of this) We were going to attend a smaller gathering in our neighborhood but I had a last minute idea to go to a bigger rally at the Alamo. Gigi hooked us up with a great deal at the Marriott on the Riverwalk. (Thanks a ton, the hotel is very nice.) I am glad we went, the turn out was huge. 16,000 people! Ted Nugent and Glen Beck were a big draw, as was the cause and the location. People there were very nice, no rioting or destruction of private property. No fighting or any disruptive behavior. Everyone respected the Alamo and stayed in the designated areas. The TV coverage did not do justice to the size of the crowd. All the side streets were packed. People thought of some hilarious signs. I liked that people came up with their own signs and were not issued slogans like you see at liberal riots. After the party we went on a boat tour of the Riverwalk which was very informative and cool. Then, in the morning, we drove went to Mission San Jose built in 1720. It was like touring old castle ruins. Then we drove through the hill country through New Braunfels to an old town called Gruene, pronounced Green. It is a historical old town turned into a boutique shopping area on the banks of the Guadalupe River. I was excited to see how clear the river is and look forward to flyfishing again. Remington was as good as can be expected and it was a much need change of scenery for all of us. They are having another rally on the Fourth of July, hopefully we can make it out there again.

View of the Alamo and the Tea Party from the hotel room a couple hours before the event. You can see how big the crowd was, before it even started.


Street level view of the crowd


Remo stretching his legs at the Alamo


A few pictures of Mission San Jose, located a few miles from the Alamo

Easter time

We attended Kingwood's annual Picnic on the Park yesterday. Rems had his first Easter egg hunt. He was the most somber egg-hunter ever, still recovering from a nasty stomach bug! We saw ponies, goats, chickens, a pig, dyed Easter-ducks, reptiles and more! Rems and his best fiend, I mean friend Alek rode around in the wagon and wore their matching jackets. What a beautiful day!

Newsletter: Month 13

Dear Remi,

Today you turn 13 months old.

You've been all over town. You visited the Johnson Space Center (where you fell asleep,) the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (where you fell asleep,) the Bluebell ice cream factory (you fell asleep to and from,)
and Galveston (twice...and guess what? You fell asleep!) Grandma Sano came for a week-long visit and Uncle Roger made a brief stop in Houston, too.
Grandma gave you your first haircut:
And you took your first train ride. Well, tram ride:
You had your first bite of ice cream:
You had your first wagon ride:
And had your first glimpse of a tarantula!
First roll around in the woodchips at the park:
After a month of many firsts, you also are going through your first sickness. You won't eat, you barely drink, and you have gone through about 20 diapers today. Somehow, you still manage a sweet smile here and there. Get well soon!
Love you to bits!!!
Love,
Mama

Hippitus Hoppitus, Easter's on it's way

I was asking Keith the other day why he thinks the Easter bunny lays eggs. Here is an interesting explanation...

The idea of an egg-laying bunny came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhas," sometimes spelled "Oschter Haws." "Hase" means "hare," not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit. According to the legend, only good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. In 1835, Jakob Grimm wrote of long-standing similar myths in Germany itself. Noting many related landmarks and customs, Grimm suggested that these derived from legends of Ostara.

The German and Amish legends were most likely rooted in European folklore about hares' eggs which seems to have been a confusion between hares raising their young at ground level and the finding of plovers' nests nearby, abandoned by the adult birds to distract predators. Hares use a hollow called a form rather than a burrow. Lapwings nest on the same sort of ground, and their nests look very similar to hare forms. So in the Spring, eggs would be found in what looked like hare forms, giving rise to the belief that the hare laid eggs in the spring.

I am SO far behind!

Beth, don't think we have forgotten you already! I have been a lazy blogger! I wanted to post the few pictures I have of your lovely trip to visit (mostly of the space center.) Come back soon!

Fresh Herbs

Hey, Keith!
Here are your preciousessss...
Yes, I'm taking care of them!

A Wonderful Visit

My Aunt Marian visited last week from South Dakota. We get to see her so rarely, but it is a real treat when we do! Remi and I were lucky enough to see her two nights in a row (Keith was even able to join us one of those nights)
"The Girls"
"The Blood"

Happy to be...

eating! What a shock!

Veggie Toddler

I can tell that many people have their reserved criticisms (at least to my face) about Remi's quasi-vegetarian diet, just as people ridicule us for not letting him consume sugar. For now, what's the harm in holding off? He'll be able to make his own food decisions before you know it, and then it will be all over for us! Besides, how many toddlers do you know that willingly enjoy pureed lentils, tvp, whole grains and a selection of at least 20 different fruits and veggies? The fact is he's growing like a champ, and our pediatrician is completely on board with our decision. So there!
Selection of his favorite homemade purees:
sweet potato
green beans
peas
corn
carrots
spinach
cauliflower
broccoli
potato
tomato
zucchini
yellow squash
blueberries
apples
pears
kiwi
strawberries
banana
peaches
apricots

The 13 Faces of Remi