Dr. Nelson is a well respected family Dr. in Merced. Linzi went to school with her sons. She was there to help Sue along when Dr. O was recovering from arm surgery during Sue's pregnancy with Linzi. The following was published in our local paper the Sun Star on Tuesday.
Lorraine K. Nelson, M.D.: How to fix health care
When I first started private practice, my partner and I employed two full-time employees who easily handled all the office services from nursing through billing.
Now, for the two doctors in my current practice we employ almost five full-time employees for the same services. This increase was not due to government programs. It stemmed from private insurance industry changes making it more and more complicated to see the patients and provide the appropriate care.
Patients I had been seeing for years were told by their insurance companies to see someone else with whom they had a better contract. Specific procedures and referrals were delayed while authorizations were sought, denied, and appealed.
Quantcast
The paperwork inside the office and the frustration for patients, staff and doctors increased, all the while as reimbursement declined for the doctors and profits increased for insurance companies.
Contrary to the assertions of health insurance industry lobbyists, the biggest risk (and cost) for a bureaucrat interfering with your appropriate care is the insurance bureaucracy itself, not your government.
In the current system approximately 31 percent of every health-care dollar is spent on advertising, public relations (lobbying), paperwork, administrative overhead, related salaries and profit for the insurance corporations.
These insurance companies are currently spending more than $1 million per day in lobbying and PR to oppose and delay any meaningful health-care reform that would cut into their jobs and profits.
For every dollar of private health insurance premium, only 83 cents goes to actual health care. Contrast that with the 97 cents on the dollar of patient-care benefits Medicare (our government funded program) provides.
Many Americans cringe when they hear the "R" word -- rationing. Please be aware, we already ration. We ration on the basis of whether the patient has money or insurance and whether the care results in a profit for the insurance company instead of need for service.
Furthermore, the current system actually rewards over-utilization rather than appropriate utilization of services and procedures.
Your doctor, nurse, hospital and pharmacies get paid a fee for service. More "service," needed or not, means more profit. Why else would you be seeing advertisements for costly nongeneric drugs on television.
We need to change the way we reimburse for services to get the most for our money.
There are more than 46 million Americans without health insurance. More than 14,000 people per day lose health-care coverage as they lose their jobs or their employer decides to no longer provide an expensive health plan.
Despite the fact that we pay an average of more than $7,000 for every man, woman and child for health care, our country performs poorly compared to other industrialized countries which provide universal access to care at about half that cost.
Unanticipated health expenses is the single most common reason for bankruptcy in our country.
Our system is broken. We are all at risk. It is time for change. You can help. The answer is universal access to health care for all using a single-payer delivery system. It can be done. The example is Medicare: our government provided tax-based universal health access program for seniors.
This Thursday, California Central Valley Journey for Justice is sponsoring a 40-year birthday party for Medicare with a rally and information picket on the corner of M and 21st streets starting at 3 p.m.
Following the rally, we will march to Rep. Dennis Cardoza's office to show our support for a single-payer system. Please join us and let your voice be heard.
If you can't be there, tell a friend and or call or write Cardoza and ask him to support HR 676, which would extend Medicare-type coverage to all Americans. We can afford this cure. We cannot afford to let the current system fester. We all suffer from this illness and we must all work together to heal it by providing basic health care for all.
Lorraine K. Nelson, M.D., has practiced family medicine in Merced for 30 years.
A written expression of a 65year old plus retired Speech and Language Specialist in the Central Valley of California.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
My involvement in the Healthcare Issue
So what is it to you? People ask. I am a negotiator for our local teacher's union. Every year for the past 8 years there were two big questions that faced us at the table. What is the state going to provide to the district in the way of support. Also what was our Health Care plan going to charge us in the form of an increase for our health care and who was going to pay for it.
In the past 5 or 6 years the healthcare cost has significantly increased beyond the cost of living. The cost of living is the amount the state can reasonably collect in state taxes to support the cost of education.
Two years ago there was a significant jump of our costs compared to other members of the healthcare pool. We went to the source and discovered that we were cut out of the experience pool of the larger group because our costs had risen higher than others in the pool. We were in our own pool. With a little digging we discovered that the main reason was that our county pool was not shopping wisely. Our members were headed north and were getting services in the with the Sutter Health Care providers that were costing the plan much more than the providers south in the Fresno area. As much as 1/3 difference.. with much better results across the board.
We have been working to advertise this difference among our members. This cost savings has led to one hospital withdrawing from our choices in the North. Turlock's Emmanual Hospital is no longer serving our members.
Would this happen with single payer.. probablly not.
Our district support for every employee is 9200 dollars a year. That should buy the health plan.. shouldn't it.. well no.. It takes another 4000 dollars to get the standard plan with some co pays and limits.
We pay another 525 so that we don't have co pays and don't have to fight with the pharmacy about formulary.. etc. Also who is covered with a co pay and who is not..
The pharmacy techs are always amazed at our insurance.. maybe they wouldn't if they were paying out of pocket 6k for the priviledge... and their employer were kicking in 9.2K a year.
You could say I am pretty passionate.
: ) Pat
In the past 5 or 6 years the healthcare cost has significantly increased beyond the cost of living. The cost of living is the amount the state can reasonably collect in state taxes to support the cost of education.
Two years ago there was a significant jump of our costs compared to other members of the healthcare pool. We went to the source and discovered that we were cut out of the experience pool of the larger group because our costs had risen higher than others in the pool. We were in our own pool. With a little digging we discovered that the main reason was that our county pool was not shopping wisely. Our members were headed north and were getting services in the with the Sutter Health Care providers that were costing the plan much more than the providers south in the Fresno area. As much as 1/3 difference.. with much better results across the board.
We have been working to advertise this difference among our members. This cost savings has led to one hospital withdrawing from our choices in the North. Turlock's Emmanual Hospital is no longer serving our members.
Would this happen with single payer.. probablly not.
Our district support for every employee is 9200 dollars a year. That should buy the health plan.. shouldn't it.. well no.. It takes another 4000 dollars to get the standard plan with some co pays and limits.
We pay another 525 so that we don't have co pays and don't have to fight with the pharmacy about formulary.. etc. Also who is covered with a co pay and who is not..
The pharmacy techs are always amazed at our insurance.. maybe they wouldn't if they were paying out of pocket 6k for the priviledge... and their employer were kicking in 9.2K a year.
You could say I am pretty passionate.
: ) Pat
Thanks Kelly!
Kelly offered up two more tracks for the new ethereal mix. Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes's Golden Slumbers.. a standard in this genre. Also the Water is Wide by James Taylor. I acquired the Golden Slumbers through Itunes. The Water is Wide became one of my last downloads for the month through E-music. Both are very appropriate and add to the mix. Thanks Kelly!
I was particularly worried that the two songs would push the overall lengh past CD pressing length. What is good about this kind of song is that they are a little shorter than others. I was able to get all 20 tracks on one CD.
Then comes the mix part.. and I am open to suggestion. Where do the new songs go in the line up. This was the fun part that Linzi and Heather and I had fun with when we assembled the 4th of July mix in 2000 off of Napster and 2004 when we made an Americana Rock album included the Jimmy Hendricks Stars Spangled Banner.
Write me a comment and tell me if there is a better order. Right now they are at the end.
Have fun.. I will send you a copy if you like it.
: ) Pat
I was particularly worried that the two songs would push the overall lengh past CD pressing length. What is good about this kind of song is that they are a little shorter than others. I was able to get all 20 tracks on one CD.
Then comes the mix part.. and I am open to suggestion. Where do the new songs go in the line up. This was the fun part that Linzi and Heather and I had fun with when we assembled the 4th of July mix in 2000 off of Napster and 2004 when we made an Americana Rock album included the Jimmy Hendricks Stars Spangled Banner.
Write me a comment and tell me if there is a better order. Right now they are at the end.
Have fun.. I will send you a copy if you like it.
: ) Pat
LInzi forces withdrawal.. rightly so
In a message this morning.. Linzi denies and says that she would never have me not include my political views in the blog.. So I got it wrong. again.. sorry for the misquote and intention,
: ) Pat
: ) Pat
Sorry Linzi One More
Linzi told me at the celebration that I should be less "political" in my blog entries.. I saw this in the Ny times today and could not resist:
Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog
July 25, 2009, 5:07 pm
Why markets can’t cure healthcare
Judging both from comments on this blog and from some of my mail, a significant number of Americans believe that the answer to our health care problems — indeed, the only answer — is to rely on the free market. Quite a few seem to believe that this view reflects the lessons of economic theory.
Not so. One of the most influential economic papers of the postwar era was Kenneth Arrow’s Uncertainty and the welfare economics of health care, which demonstrated — decisively, I and many others believe — that health care can’t be marketed like bread or TVs. Let me offer my own version of Arrow’s argument.
There are two strongly distinctive aspects of health care. One is that you don’t know when or whether you’ll need care — but if you do, the care can be extremely expensive. The big bucks are in triple coronary bypass surgery, not routine visits to the doctor’s office; and very, very few people can afford to pay major medical costs out of pocket.
This tells you right away that health care can’t be sold like bread. It must be largely paid for by some kind of insurance. And this in turn means that someone other than the patient ends up making decisions about what to buy. Consumer choice is nonsense when it comes to health care. And you can’t just trust insurance companies either — they’re not in business for their health, or yours.
This problem is made worse by the fact that actually paying for your health care is a loss from an insurers’ point of view — they actually refer to it as “medical costs.” This means both that insurers try to deny as many claims as possible, and that they try to avoid covering people who are actually likely to need care. Both of these strategies use a lot of resources, which is why private insurance has much higher administrative costs than single-payer systems. And since there’s a widespread sense that our fellow citizens should get the care we need — not everyone agrees, but most do — this means that private insurance basically spends a lot of money on socially destructive activities.
The second thing about health care is that it’s complicated, and you can’t rely on experience or comparison shopping. (“I hear they’ve got a real deal on stents over at St. Mary’s!”) That’s why doctors are supposed to follow an ethical code, why we expect more from them than from bakers or grocery store owners.
You could rely on a health maintenance organization to make the hard choices and do the cost management, and to some extent we do. But HMOs have been highly limited in their ability to achieve cost-effectiveness because people don’t trust them — they’re profit-making institutions, and your treatment is their cost.
Between those two factors, health care just doesn’t work as a standard market story.
All of this doesn’t necessarily mean that socialized medicine, or even single-payer, is the only way to go. There are a number of successful health-care systems, at least as measured by pretty good care much cheaper than here, and they are quite different from each other. There are, however, no examples of successful health care based on the principles of the free market, for one simple reason: in health care, the free market just doesn’t work. And people who say that the market is the answer are flying in the face of both theory and overwhelming evidence.
I hope you find this article interesting.. I will try to make this blog a little less political in future.. It gets people kind of fired up in the morning.. and what can they really do? For most of my readers I am preaching to the choir.
My only justifcation is that there is such a full force pressure coming from the medical insurance/ Phama businesses now that we need to have our own "talking" points.
Take care
Pat
Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog
July 25, 2009, 5:07 pm
Why markets can’t cure healthcare
Judging both from comments on this blog and from some of my mail, a significant number of Americans believe that the answer to our health care problems — indeed, the only answer — is to rely on the free market. Quite a few seem to believe that this view reflects the lessons of economic theory.
Not so. One of the most influential economic papers of the postwar era was Kenneth Arrow’s Uncertainty and the welfare economics of health care, which demonstrated — decisively, I and many others believe — that health care can’t be marketed like bread or TVs. Let me offer my own version of Arrow’s argument.
There are two strongly distinctive aspects of health care. One is that you don’t know when or whether you’ll need care — but if you do, the care can be extremely expensive. The big bucks are in triple coronary bypass surgery, not routine visits to the doctor’s office; and very, very few people can afford to pay major medical costs out of pocket.
This tells you right away that health care can’t be sold like bread. It must be largely paid for by some kind of insurance. And this in turn means that someone other than the patient ends up making decisions about what to buy. Consumer choice is nonsense when it comes to health care. And you can’t just trust insurance companies either — they’re not in business for their health, or yours.
This problem is made worse by the fact that actually paying for your health care is a loss from an insurers’ point of view — they actually refer to it as “medical costs.” This means both that insurers try to deny as many claims as possible, and that they try to avoid covering people who are actually likely to need care. Both of these strategies use a lot of resources, which is why private insurance has much higher administrative costs than single-payer systems. And since there’s a widespread sense that our fellow citizens should get the care we need — not everyone agrees, but most do — this means that private insurance basically spends a lot of money on socially destructive activities.
The second thing about health care is that it’s complicated, and you can’t rely on experience or comparison shopping. (“I hear they’ve got a real deal on stents over at St. Mary’s!”) That’s why doctors are supposed to follow an ethical code, why we expect more from them than from bakers or grocery store owners.
You could rely on a health maintenance organization to make the hard choices and do the cost management, and to some extent we do. But HMOs have been highly limited in their ability to achieve cost-effectiveness because people don’t trust them — they’re profit-making institutions, and your treatment is their cost.
Between those two factors, health care just doesn’t work as a standard market story.
All of this doesn’t necessarily mean that socialized medicine, or even single-payer, is the only way to go. There are a number of successful health-care systems, at least as measured by pretty good care much cheaper than here, and they are quite different from each other. There are, however, no examples of successful health care based on the principles of the free market, for one simple reason: in health care, the free market just doesn’t work. And people who say that the market is the answer are flying in the face of both theory and overwhelming evidence.
I hope you find this article interesting.. I will try to make this blog a little less political in future.. It gets people kind of fired up in the morning.. and what can they really do? For most of my readers I am preaching to the choir.
My only justifcation is that there is such a full force pressure coming from the medical insurance/ Phama businesses now that we need to have our own "talking" points.
Take care
Pat
Saturday, July 25, 2009
An Etheirial Mix
This morning I was jamming around my Music collection and decided to make an ethereal mix.
What is etherial?
ethereal (comparative more ethereal, superlative most ethereal)
Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial; otherworldly; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.
1667: Milton, Paradise Lost, book VII
Go, heavenly guest, ethereal messenger.
1862: Thoreau, Walking.
I trust that we shall be more imaginative, that our thoughts will be clearer, fresher, and more ethereal, as our sky,...
Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
1733: Pope, An Essay on Man
Vast chain of being, which from God began, Natures ethereal, human, angel, man.
Delicate, light and airy.
This is the collection that I made this Morning..
My only reaction by Sue.. what is that horrible music you are playing.. Oh well.
Pat.
The ethereal collection:
Believe 4:18 Josh Groban
The River Of Dreams 4:08 Billy Joel
Pearls ft. Carlos Santana & Josh GrobanAngelique Kidjo
Hallelujah 4:39 Leonard Cohen
Unchained Melody 3:50 Il Divo
Wish Me a Rainbow 2:25 Astrud Gilberto
Goodbye Sadness 3:32 Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley Trio
The Music Of The Night 5:38 Michael Crawford & Barbra Streisand
Somewhere 2:48 Charlotte Church
Amapola 3:45 Andrea Bocelli
The river sings Enya Amarantine
Suzanne 4:24 Judy Collins Forever
On A Clear Day 3:22 Frank Sinatra
Reach, Olympic 3:49 Gloria Estefan
Both Sides Now 3:44 Hayley Westenra
Pie Jesu 3:31 Lesley Garrett, Samuel Burkey
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) 3:34 Billy Joel
Amazing Grace 4:07 Judy Collins
What is etherial?
ethereal (comparative more ethereal, superlative most ethereal)
Pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere; celestial; otherworldly; as, ethereal space; ethereal regions.
1667: Milton, Paradise Lost, book VII
Go, heavenly guest, ethereal messenger.
1862: Thoreau, Walking.
I trust that we shall be more imaginative, that our thoughts will be clearer, fresher, and more ethereal, as our sky,...
Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
1733: Pope, An Essay on Man
Vast chain of being, which from God began, Natures ethereal, human, angel, man.
Delicate, light and airy.
This is the collection that I made this Morning..
My only reaction by Sue.. what is that horrible music you are playing.. Oh well.
Pat.
The ethereal collection:
Believe 4:18 Josh Groban
The River Of Dreams 4:08 Billy Joel
Pearls ft. Carlos Santana & Josh GrobanAngelique Kidjo
Hallelujah 4:39 Leonard Cohen
Unchained Melody 3:50 Il Divo
Wish Me a Rainbow 2:25 Astrud Gilberto
Goodbye Sadness 3:32 Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley Trio
The Music Of The Night 5:38 Michael Crawford & Barbra Streisand
Somewhere 2:48 Charlotte Church
Amapola 3:45 Andrea Bocelli
The river sings Enya Amarantine
Suzanne 4:24 Judy Collins Forever
On A Clear Day 3:22 Frank Sinatra
Reach, Olympic 3:49 Gloria Estefan
Both Sides Now 3:44 Hayley Westenra
Pie Jesu 3:31 Lesley Garrett, Samuel Burkey
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) 3:34 Billy Joel
Amazing Grace 4:07 Judy Collins
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Soapbox to Fox or not to Fox
A salient feature occurred recently on Facebook. There was a chance to indicate whether Sara Palin would be your pick for president of the US in 2112. Some of our family members.. somewhat distant were shocked that I choose a no vote. Also a yes vote for a public plan for health care.
It is interesting when voting a comment section was provided. There was one member who was extolling the facts as she knew them from Fox news. She couldn't understand how any one could not see her position. If they would just watach Fox they would certainly understand that Sara was the best choice and the only way to get out of the steam roller that was in the current government.
I guess you are a Fox or you are not. I think that in their small way they cannot say that the media has a liberal bias. I know, they always put their mainstream in front of media. Still.. Rush Limbough?
Those folks in the East were licking their chops to sink their teeth into my liberal a... so its just as well we are not going.
They can keep reassuring themselves that they have the right idea.. truly the right idea.
Friends don't let Friends do Fox.
: ) pat
It is interesting when voting a comment section was provided. There was one member who was extolling the facts as she knew them from Fox news. She couldn't understand how any one could not see her position. If they would just watach Fox they would certainly understand that Sara was the best choice and the only way to get out of the steam roller that was in the current government.
I guess you are a Fox or you are not. I think that in their small way they cannot say that the media has a liberal bias. I know, they always put their mainstream in front of media. Still.. Rush Limbough?
Those folks in the East were licking their chops to sink their teeth into my liberal a... so its just as well we are not going.
They can keep reassuring themselves that they have the right idea.. truly the right idea.
Friends don't let Friends do Fox.
: ) pat
Monday, July 20, 2009
Developing Customer Service at Starbucks
I was sitting in Starbucks this morning and trying to figure how to tap into their song grouping with my Iphone. I have done it once and only once. I typing in Starbucks into my search field in ITunes and something cool arrived. It is a series of employee training podcasts for Starbucks employees. Its called the Starbucks Experience. The segments are audio. Each is about 4 1/2 minutes. They are made by Dr. Michelli an elegant clear spoken presenter.
This is the perfect medium for inservice. All small business and people that are working with people should listen and glean some very important information on the customer interface.
I think that people that are so involved with the complexity of their jobs that they forget that the job would not exist without the customer interface. I am particularly fond of the podcast segment of Get off the Phone. It describes a situation where Dr. Michelli was a customer and was trying to get a transaction completed while the clerk was answering a personal call.
These times require more customer service not less. I look around at the big box stores around here that have closed their doors. Circuit City lost out because their employees were working for that mighty commission. They are on you at every glance. They had little knowledge of their product but they were going after that commission.
The opposite is true with Mervyn's. Its closed its doors because they did not analyze their customer base and reduced the customer interface into a kiosk format. Then they reduced the number of kiosks. You had to hunt down a place to pay for an item.
Khols which is replacing Mervyn's has a central checkout system so it doesn't mix the metaphor of buying something with the metaphor of customer service. Maybe it will do better at the Mall.. at least I hope that the accessibilty for Wheel chair will be better.
So go have a listen at the Starbucks employee training podcasts..
Have a great day..
Pat
This is the perfect medium for inservice. All small business and people that are working with people should listen and glean some very important information on the customer interface.
I think that people that are so involved with the complexity of their jobs that they forget that the job would not exist without the customer interface. I am particularly fond of the podcast segment of Get off the Phone. It describes a situation where Dr. Michelli was a customer and was trying to get a transaction completed while the clerk was answering a personal call.
These times require more customer service not less. I look around at the big box stores around here that have closed their doors. Circuit City lost out because their employees were working for that mighty commission. They are on you at every glance. They had little knowledge of their product but they were going after that commission.
The opposite is true with Mervyn's. Its closed its doors because they did not analyze their customer base and reduced the customer interface into a kiosk format. Then they reduced the number of kiosks. You had to hunt down a place to pay for an item.
Khols which is replacing Mervyn's has a central checkout system so it doesn't mix the metaphor of buying something with the metaphor of customer service. Maybe it will do better at the Mall.. at least I hope that the accessibilty for Wheel chair will be better.
So go have a listen at the Starbucks employee training podcasts..
Have a great day..
Pat
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Carly and Sally
One of my favorite recorded performers is Carly Simon. I was looking over my collections to make sure that I have some access to her albums.
This all started when my new Ipod blitzed out and Apple supplied me a new one sans all the assets on it. So it provided my a good chance prioritize what I really need to carry. The 120 gb space allows the ipod user plenty of space to stretch. And then there is the new Iphone.
The 32 gbs on the phone for songs and other stuff makes the big ipod somewhat redundant.. don't tell Sue. You really only need to carry 20 gbs with you at the most at anytime. Still what needs to be on it?
Surely I need a Carly Simon album with all the greatest hits. Looking over my collection on the computer, I realized that I did not have a "Greatest Hits' sort of collection. I have the Anthology which has them all..Really too many to listen to in one sitting.I decided to make a "short" list of the songs that should be brought along. In the process I checked into ITunes and discovered that there was a new to me album "Into White" that has a number of really good classic covers on them. So downloaded they came to my computer. Her tonal range has dropped to lower registers. This makes some songs not as predictable as they used to be. The orchestration is just wonderful. The tone is great too.
Then I checked on e-music.. and son of a gun they had it. I just paid to get it from Itunes.. I didn't have many downloads left at emiuic anyway..
Then I saw a reference to her daughter, Sally Taylor, and after sampling through her songs on emusic.. I just had to add a couple of albums of hers to my collection. So there I was buying the supplemental pack. My 100 downloads turnover again the first of August.. so not so long to wait.
Sally Taylor, the daughter of Carly and James Taylor has a different kind of sound than her mothers. She does not have the orchestration behimd her melodies but they are nicely made in a more indie manner.
Take care : ) Pat
This all started when my new Ipod blitzed out and Apple supplied me a new one sans all the assets on it. So it provided my a good chance prioritize what I really need to carry. The 120 gb space allows the ipod user plenty of space to stretch. And then there is the new Iphone.
The 32 gbs on the phone for songs and other stuff makes the big ipod somewhat redundant.. don't tell Sue. You really only need to carry 20 gbs with you at the most at anytime. Still what needs to be on it?
Surely I need a Carly Simon album with all the greatest hits. Looking over my collection on the computer, I realized that I did not have a "Greatest Hits' sort of collection. I have the Anthology which has them all..Really too many to listen to in one sitting.I decided to make a "short" list of the songs that should be brought along. In the process I checked into ITunes and discovered that there was a new to me album "Into White" that has a number of really good classic covers on them. So downloaded they came to my computer. Her tonal range has dropped to lower registers. This makes some songs not as predictable as they used to be. The orchestration is just wonderful. The tone is great too.
Then I checked on e-music.. and son of a gun they had it. I just paid to get it from Itunes.. I didn't have many downloads left at emiuic anyway..
Then I saw a reference to her daughter, Sally Taylor, and after sampling through her songs on emusic.. I just had to add a couple of albums of hers to my collection. So there I was buying the supplemental pack. My 100 downloads turnover again the first of August.. so not so long to wait.
Sally Taylor, the daughter of Carly and James Taylor has a different kind of sound than her mothers. She does not have the orchestration behimd her melodies but they are nicely made in a more indie manner.
Take care : ) Pat
Staying Cool in the Heat
We always traveled in the summer.
My parents missed the season "summer" when we lived in South City. Mom had to reconnect with the mother mother ship her mom and dad. Dad loved to get back to his fishing schedule up on the Mesa in the afternoon and early evening. all of that was in Grand Junction Colorado. We lived 1200 miles from that world.
Grandpa and Grandma had 40 acres of peaches on the fabled western slope of Colorado. The town that the peaches were shipped from was Palisade.
If was hot back there. Sometimes it would be in the middle 90's. People always worked hard in the morning and had an afternoon siesta. They Worked up until dark in the fields and then had dinner. Dad would get his work done early so that there would be some "fishing" time. As basically a "volunteer" he was cast some tolerance.
It was quite a shock to come out of the cool foggy Bay Area to a land of mid day heat without air conditioning. We adapted. Peach season was in August with the early July Elbertas the first peaches around my birthday, August 14th. The whole season was over the week after labor day. The days were hot in July and August. When the crop was not harvested, the kids had chores to do. I got to pull weeds in the iris garden and sweep the enormous cement patio and walks. The girls got to stumble through the chicken coop with its poop and collect eggs and fold and distribute laundry. We all loved the chance to watch a little TV at noon. The show of interest was Art Linkletter's chhildren say the funniest things." We had no TV in South city. That will be a another day's topic.
Getting to Colorado was always somewhat difficult. We had basically a day and a three quarters of Nevada and Utah desert. Our 1960 Ford Falcon had no air conditioning. Dad always thought that it was a modified model T in its simplicity. 5 people headed across the desert in a model T probably was no picnic either. We always carried a cooler and camped for every overnight stop. We got to know the KOAs along the way. Much to dad's chagrin we also knew the out of the way Stuckies with their bright orange roofs and the forbidden pecan candies as well. They were the home to the 5 dollar coffee breaks. By the time the driver had a cup of coffee, and we all had sodas, it amounted to a 5 dollar bill... outrageous at the time.
We tried to stay cool in the car by hanging clean white cloth diapers from the window. Just a crack in the window allowed for evaporation and a little cooler cab. We drank a little shasta and the safeway brand of soda. No diet anything existed at that time.
Lets hear it for the new Fords that have an air conditioner that can produce enough cool to.. as one of my fellow teachers from whom we bought our used Aerostar.. "cold enough to hand meat in it."
We are headed to one of our hottest days of the year.. projected to be 107. There were some Sirus clouds passing by eariler this morning on my walk.. so I doubt that it will really get that hot. Hope you are in a place to stay cool.
Love
Pat
My parents missed the season "summer" when we lived in South City. Mom had to reconnect with the mother mother ship her mom and dad. Dad loved to get back to his fishing schedule up on the Mesa in the afternoon and early evening. all of that was in Grand Junction Colorado. We lived 1200 miles from that world.
Grandpa and Grandma had 40 acres of peaches on the fabled western slope of Colorado. The town that the peaches were shipped from was Palisade.
If was hot back there. Sometimes it would be in the middle 90's. People always worked hard in the morning and had an afternoon siesta. They Worked up until dark in the fields and then had dinner. Dad would get his work done early so that there would be some "fishing" time. As basically a "volunteer" he was cast some tolerance.
It was quite a shock to come out of the cool foggy Bay Area to a land of mid day heat without air conditioning. We adapted. Peach season was in August with the early July Elbertas the first peaches around my birthday, August 14th. The whole season was over the week after labor day. The days were hot in July and August. When the crop was not harvested, the kids had chores to do. I got to pull weeds in the iris garden and sweep the enormous cement patio and walks. The girls got to stumble through the chicken coop with its poop and collect eggs and fold and distribute laundry. We all loved the chance to watch a little TV at noon. The show of interest was Art Linkletter's chhildren say the funniest things." We had no TV in South city. That will be a another day's topic.
Getting to Colorado was always somewhat difficult. We had basically a day and a three quarters of Nevada and Utah desert. Our 1960 Ford Falcon had no air conditioning. Dad always thought that it was a modified model T in its simplicity. 5 people headed across the desert in a model T probably was no picnic either. We always carried a cooler and camped for every overnight stop. We got to know the KOAs along the way. Much to dad's chagrin we also knew the out of the way Stuckies with their bright orange roofs and the forbidden pecan candies as well. They were the home to the 5 dollar coffee breaks. By the time the driver had a cup of coffee, and we all had sodas, it amounted to a 5 dollar bill... outrageous at the time.
We tried to stay cool in the car by hanging clean white cloth diapers from the window. Just a crack in the window allowed for evaporation and a little cooler cab. We drank a little shasta and the safeway brand of soda. No diet anything existed at that time.
Lets hear it for the new Fords that have an air conditioner that can produce enough cool to.. as one of my fellow teachers from whom we bought our used Aerostar.. "cold enough to hand meat in it."
We are headed to one of our hottest days of the year.. projected to be 107. There were some Sirus clouds passing by eariler this morning on my walk.. so I doubt that it will really get that hot. Hope you are in a place to stay cool.
Love
Pat
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wendy and Lucy
This movie on netfix instant has a real gritty feel.
It has a Bard college connection.. at least in the credits.
Its a bout a girl headed with a miserable Honda Accord to the fisheries of Alaska.. Ketchican in particular. She needs a job. She has a sweet gold dog.
Its gets kind of heartbreaking as she arrives in a town outside of Portland. She came from Indiana. Her parents cannot help her out. She sleeps in her car but that doesn't work when the car needs repair. I think the point of this story is that the human spirit can take a lot bad situations. She stays strong throughout the tragedies that follow her.
The critics were correct when they mention that the character is more important than the plot. It is nice to see this for a change.
Its has a very believable set of characters in this movie.
If you can get the instant play it is worth the time to watch.
: ) Pat
It has a Bard college connection.. at least in the credits.
Its a bout a girl headed with a miserable Honda Accord to the fisheries of Alaska.. Ketchican in particular. She needs a job. She has a sweet gold dog.
Its gets kind of heartbreaking as she arrives in a town outside of Portland. She came from Indiana. Her parents cannot help her out. She sleeps in her car but that doesn't work when the car needs repair. I think the point of this story is that the human spirit can take a lot bad situations. She stays strong throughout the tragedies that follow her.
The critics were correct when they mention that the character is more important than the plot. It is nice to see this for a change.
Its has a very believable set of characters in this movie.
If you can get the instant play it is worth the time to watch.
: ) Pat
Overcoming Some Fears
To overcome your unreasonable fears.
I bring you today dear readers a piece from a blog of a person that has a fear of heights. After watching his You Tubemovie on a mad walk of the kings.. I am not so sure that his fears are not justified.
Take a look at this hike.
The High Hike made Lad in Spain.
I got sweaty palms just watching it.
Have a great Saturday.
Get out their and conquer you reasonable fears.
: ) Pat
I bring you today dear readers a piece from a blog of a person that has a fear of heights. After watching his You Tubemovie on a mad walk of the kings.. I am not so sure that his fears are not justified.
Take a look at this hike.
The High Hike made Lad in Spain.
I got sweaty palms just watching it.
Have a great Saturday.
Get out their and conquer you reasonable fears.
: ) Pat
Friday, July 17, 2009
Health Care from Kibbles and Bytes
A very socially conscience Vermont company that incidentally sells Macs and Mac products and has for many years completely lays it the public plan for health care. Its got to be... or our American small businesses will dry up. Here is a soapbox statement that came from small dog:
Don't be tricked by the current media blitz. We simply have to have this.
Pat
START SOAPBOX
Yes, I can’t help it. I noticed that there are now TV commercials from special interest groups that are once again trying to scare people about health care reform. President Obama is correct in saying that without real health care reform there cannot be a true economic recovery. While the car companies may have failed because they were making the wrong cars, they also had the enormous burden of health care for their current and retired employees. So great was this burden that health care expense represented more in the price of a car than steel.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was passed unanimously by the UN stated that health care was a basic human right:
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
I truly believe that health care is a basic human right. Of the 27 industrialized nations in the world, 26 provide universal health care for its citizens. The one that does not? Yes, that’s right, the USA. While we have the most expensive health care system in the world, we lag behind other countries in areas such as infant mortality, breast cancer screening, childhood leukemia and heart attack survival rates.
We pay over twice what other countries with universal health care pay and yet, we do not get our money’s worth. Worse yet, millions have no insurance or coverage in our country and many millions more are “under insured.” These under insured are often ignored in the system. The natural result of the rapidly escalating cost of health insurance is the flight to very high deductible plans or health care savings accounts, both of which provide a disincentive to seek preventative care and screenings.
We are setting ourselves up for a more costly health care time bomb when unscreened individuals discover the hard way that they have diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic diseases.
The payer of last resort has always been employee-sponsored health insurance. Our surveys show that this fragile leg of the system we call health care in our country is crumbling as employers drop coverage, move more costs to their employees or go to very high deductibles and co-pays.
This has been a slow train coming for decades. The rate of increase of health insurance has made employer-sponsored health care unsustainable. When I first started in business, I could buy health insurance for a family for about $1500; now it costs $15,000. No longer are decisions about hiring new employees solely made by opportunity and business plans—if you are an employer that does the right thing by providing this benefit for your workers, you must also consider the astronomical cost of health insurance.
These employers are also put between a rock and a hard place as they have a competitive disadvantage in bidding for business when providing this benefit is voluntary and the competitor has a lower overhead structure by not providing health insurance to their employees in the race to the bottom.
This is why I am an advocate for a publicly-financed universal health care system. You may call that a “single-payer” system, but I really do not care if there is one payer or ten payers—I want the burden of health care lifted from employers and recognized as the “common good” that it truly is. I want us to put the sentiment that our country voted for in the UN into law—access to health care is a human right!
Don't be tricked by the current media blitz. We simply have to have this.
Pat
Mantras and Scripts
Mantras and scripts are what keeps us going.
I work with a population that still encounters many threats and prejudges. As high school students throughout their educational career adults have told them to ignore the bully,the taunter, and the tormentor. This works well for those that are in power positions. If you have power you can ignore the fly than lands upon you. However, If you are the hiker that comes across a bear that is going to tear you apart, ignoring the crisis will not make it go away.
For many of our students a script is needed. Words to say. Answers to give. If there is a script for those that do not have spontaneous language, then the difficult tasks of life will also work with a script. Each week in my practice last year we devoted a day to working on scripts in "dialog day."
To make this work for you, you must think of at least 2 different things to say for a difficult situation. Work on thinking about not just the words but also where your eyes are when you say them. Saying the words without eye contact does not promote feelings of the sentiment being genuine. Practice your scripts and the scripts will set you free.
Mantras are another thing. They are the mission statement that so many institutions and their leaders are imposing to keep the ship on course. Your personal Mantras.. statements that inspire you to do your plan may make a huge difference in your personal well being. The cold and icy night I learned to ski at Lake Eldora outside of Boulder, Colorada had a ski school coach that developed a mantra of "WE ARE HAVING FUN." Despite the cold wet jeans and the icy fingers.. the mantra took over the experence. Before long I was not concentrating on my physical condition but "having fun"
We need to find some personal mantras to get us be these tough times. Life is hard. Focus on what you want to do in life not on what others think you should do. You know what your mission statement. Decide a set of mantras that you can say to yourself when life or others want to push you to keep you head off of going where you need to go.
Our president is great at doing this.
We must decide what is important to what need to do and show the world through strength and grace that we are the best. It is often seen from the outside as "inner strength". I have yet to see anyone that is perceived to have inner strength that did not have a mantra.
We need scripts to meet our daily life. Mantras to push us in the right direction.
: ) Pat
I work with a population that still encounters many threats and prejudges. As high school students throughout their educational career adults have told them to ignore the bully,the taunter, and the tormentor. This works well for those that are in power positions. If you have power you can ignore the fly than lands upon you. However, If you are the hiker that comes across a bear that is going to tear you apart, ignoring the crisis will not make it go away.
For many of our students a script is needed. Words to say. Answers to give. If there is a script for those that do not have spontaneous language, then the difficult tasks of life will also work with a script. Each week in my practice last year we devoted a day to working on scripts in "dialog day."
To make this work for you, you must think of at least 2 different things to say for a difficult situation. Work on thinking about not just the words but also where your eyes are when you say them. Saying the words without eye contact does not promote feelings of the sentiment being genuine. Practice your scripts and the scripts will set you free.
Mantras are another thing. They are the mission statement that so many institutions and their leaders are imposing to keep the ship on course. Your personal Mantras.. statements that inspire you to do your plan may make a huge difference in your personal well being. The cold and icy night I learned to ski at Lake Eldora outside of Boulder, Colorada had a ski school coach that developed a mantra of "WE ARE HAVING FUN." Despite the cold wet jeans and the icy fingers.. the mantra took over the experence. Before long I was not concentrating on my physical condition but "having fun"
We need to find some personal mantras to get us be these tough times. Life is hard. Focus on what you want to do in life not on what others think you should do. You know what your mission statement. Decide a set of mantras that you can say to yourself when life or others want to push you to keep you head off of going where you need to go.
Our president is great at doing this.
We must decide what is important to what need to do and show the world through strength and grace that we are the best. It is often seen from the outside as "inner strength". I have yet to see anyone that is perceived to have inner strength that did not have a mantra.
We need scripts to meet our daily life. Mantras to push us in the right direction.
: ) Pat
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Start Today with a Triumphant Visualization
You know that you are a good person.
There are many things that you do well and that you care about others. You show this in many ways.
Start today by thinking about how you were successful.
It might be just a little success.
Then think of another..
You can build on a couple of these successes today!
The only one that can put you down is you.
You are way too successful to let anyone but yourself put you down.. and you are successful, so you are not going to let them do it to you today.
Successful people are confident people.
You are confident.. remember the successes?
Go forth in the world and be succcessful.
: ) Pat
There are many things that you do well and that you care about others. You show this in many ways.
Start today by thinking about how you were successful.
It might be just a little success.
Then think of another..
You can build on a couple of these successes today!
The only one that can put you down is you.
You are way too successful to let anyone but yourself put you down.. and you are successful, so you are not going to let them do it to you today.
Successful people are confident people.
You are confident.. remember the successes?
Go forth in the world and be succcessful.
: ) Pat
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sun Star Has Ideas About Furloughs
In an opinion piece the Sun Star weighs in with a furlough (forced or contracted non paid time off). If furloughs have to be considered.. and certainly not unless required, the following philosophy makes sense. This was published today in our local paper,, The Merced Sun Star.
UC's plan eases pain of furloughs
Multiple-tiered system ought to be used in other branches of state government.
California's gargantuan $26 billion budget deficit means that even its most vulnerable state workers must share in the pain.
But even in these extraordinary times, the red ink shouldn't forestall creative action.
At the University of California, President Mark Yudof has proposed a tiered system of furloughs for employees, based on their level of pay. It's an approach that other branches of state government should seriously consider.
Under the plan, the lowest-paid of the plan's seven categories of workers -- those making up to $40,000 a year -- would take 11 annual furlough days, equivalent to 4 percent of their salary.
Midlevel workers, who make between $60,000 and $90,000, would take 18 days, equal to 7 percent of their salaries.
The best-compensated workers, those who pull down more than $240,000, would have to take 26 unpaid days off a year, the equivalent of 10 percent of their salaries.
Contrast that with the state's approach toward most other state workers. To cut spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered them to take three furlough days a month, the equivalent of 14 percent of their pay.
He's pushing for an additional 5 percent reduction. State workers at the bottom of the pay scale would take the same percentage cut as those at the top.
Anyone receiving a state paycheck suffers under these cuts. But they will devastate the lowest-paid workers -- people who are already struggling to pay rent, mortgages and other bills.
Lack of imagination is one reason that no other part of government -- with the exception of the Legislature -- has taken the same course as UC.
Leaders of the California State University system have given all its employees the same choice, regardless of salary: 24 annual furlough days, which is a little less than 10 percent of their pay, or layoffs whose numbers are unspecified but are presumed to be harsh.
In addition, most state agencies must cut salaries by the 14 percent the governor has ordered, which is more than UC (or CSU). Spreading the salary-cut pain is harder when there's more pain to pass around.
But it's not impossible, as UC, whose regents are expected to approve the plan today, has demonstrated. The Legislature and even the governor claim to be troubled by the pain that state worker furloughs will cause. This could be a chance to make a little of that pain go away.
UC's plan eases pain of furloughs
Multiple-tiered system ought to be used in other branches of state government.
California's gargantuan $26 billion budget deficit means that even its most vulnerable state workers must share in the pain.
But even in these extraordinary times, the red ink shouldn't forestall creative action.
At the University of California, President Mark Yudof has proposed a tiered system of furloughs for employees, based on their level of pay. It's an approach that other branches of state government should seriously consider.
Under the plan, the lowest-paid of the plan's seven categories of workers -- those making up to $40,000 a year -- would take 11 annual furlough days, equivalent to 4 percent of their salary.
Midlevel workers, who make between $60,000 and $90,000, would take 18 days, equal to 7 percent of their salaries.
The best-compensated workers, those who pull down more than $240,000, would have to take 26 unpaid days off a year, the equivalent of 10 percent of their salaries.
Contrast that with the state's approach toward most other state workers. To cut spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered them to take three furlough days a month, the equivalent of 14 percent of their pay.
He's pushing for an additional 5 percent reduction. State workers at the bottom of the pay scale would take the same percentage cut as those at the top.
Anyone receiving a state paycheck suffers under these cuts. But they will devastate the lowest-paid workers -- people who are already struggling to pay rent, mortgages and other bills.
Lack of imagination is one reason that no other part of government -- with the exception of the Legislature -- has taken the same course as UC.
Leaders of the California State University system have given all its employees the same choice, regardless of salary: 24 annual furlough days, which is a little less than 10 percent of their pay, or layoffs whose numbers are unspecified but are presumed to be harsh.
In addition, most state agencies must cut salaries by the 14 percent the governor has ordered, which is more than UC (or CSU). Spreading the salary-cut pain is harder when there's more pain to pass around.
But it's not impossible, as UC, whose regents are expected to approve the plan today, has demonstrated. The Legislature and even the governor claim to be troubled by the pain that state worker furloughs will cause. This could be a chance to make a little of that pain go away.
Monday, July 13, 2009
A tree that is in severe stress
My apricot tree is going berserk. I can I jam I do everything and still there are many beautiful fruit handing from the tree.
Dad has a theory that when some fruit is picked it allows the other fruit on the tree to get bigger and fill in the gaps.
Last year was sort of a disaster. Only 6 quarts of apricots could be canned. I have heard that apricot trees tend to be cyclical. One year they have a great crop and the next year they rest. This is probably what is going on with this tree. My neighbor has an apricot tree in his front yard. It is young tree. It is a Blenheim. Their fruit ripens eariler than the Tilton that I have. He had just a couple of quarts this year. Last year the crop almost broke down its branches.
My poor Bonanza peach put on so many peaches this year that a third of the branches broke. I worked hard to thin the peaches out. The next year that such a crop is on, I will be more careful to thin for branch strength.
The little PeeZee peach in the front yard had a banner year. People that usually "share" my nectarine were more inclined to help themselves (with my permission) to the big peaches that are on the tree closest to the curb. Most of the peaches were huge. As dad would say.. 40's.
The nectarines were sort of disasterous. The earwigs got them. and the pollination was not so good. That means that next year it will be nectarine heaven. Something to look forward to.. right Linzi?
There is a moderate crop on the white peaches that Sue dispises. An early Elberta has been saving my bacon over these. I can float a few of these peaches in (yellow) when I make a cobbler and it is okay.
The biggest innovation to the canning process this year has been the use of my lemon juice ice cubes from last january. I just drop a couple of them in to the cooking fruit and no squeezing of fruit is needed or rinds or any of that stuff.
I found a website this year that talked about jarring up some pie filling. It is an interesting process as corn starch is used and each quart of pie filling is made individually. Corn starch is combined with sugar and lemon juice and sugar. When this is boiling, and the corn starch is disolved in it, the fresh quartered apricots (5 cups) are introduced and cooked for 5 minutes. Then hot processed into the glass jars and put under 3 inches of boiling water for 30 minutes.
Some mean looking apricot pie filling is made. I am hoping that the new jars of pie filling will result in some "out of season" apricot pie or cobbler.. And it won't take up my freezer space.
: ) Pat
Dad has a theory that when some fruit is picked it allows the other fruit on the tree to get bigger and fill in the gaps.
Last year was sort of a disaster. Only 6 quarts of apricots could be canned. I have heard that apricot trees tend to be cyclical. One year they have a great crop and the next year they rest. This is probably what is going on with this tree. My neighbor has an apricot tree in his front yard. It is young tree. It is a Blenheim. Their fruit ripens eariler than the Tilton that I have. He had just a couple of quarts this year. Last year the crop almost broke down its branches.
My poor Bonanza peach put on so many peaches this year that a third of the branches broke. I worked hard to thin the peaches out. The next year that such a crop is on, I will be more careful to thin for branch strength.
The little PeeZee peach in the front yard had a banner year. People that usually "share" my nectarine were more inclined to help themselves (with my permission) to the big peaches that are on the tree closest to the curb. Most of the peaches were huge. As dad would say.. 40's.
The nectarines were sort of disasterous. The earwigs got them. and the pollination was not so good. That means that next year it will be nectarine heaven. Something to look forward to.. right Linzi?
There is a moderate crop on the white peaches that Sue dispises. An early Elberta has been saving my bacon over these. I can float a few of these peaches in (yellow) when I make a cobbler and it is okay.
The biggest innovation to the canning process this year has been the use of my lemon juice ice cubes from last january. I just drop a couple of them in to the cooking fruit and no squeezing of fruit is needed or rinds or any of that stuff.
I found a website this year that talked about jarring up some pie filling. It is an interesting process as corn starch is used and each quart of pie filling is made individually. Corn starch is combined with sugar and lemon juice and sugar. When this is boiling, and the corn starch is disolved in it, the fresh quartered apricots (5 cups) are introduced and cooked for 5 minutes. Then hot processed into the glass jars and put under 3 inches of boiling water for 30 minutes.
Some mean looking apricot pie filling is made. I am hoping that the new jars of pie filling will result in some "out of season" apricot pie or cobbler.. And it won't take up my freezer space.
: ) Pat
Emergency Starbucks
The appoint was at 2:30. And the malaise of summer has set in.
Its really not malaise in a traditional sense. It is stay up late and sleep in late and do something that you couldn't do during the school year. So. lunch was not eaten before the appointment. When I arrived in Modesto in the industrial part, the East side of Kansas Avenue, I saw numerous spots to have a bite while they worked on my car. The problem.. I had only two dollars in my pocket. Surely there must be an ATM around. Well.. no. The closest thing that resembles an ATM as in a grocery store where you bought something and got change back. So said the Viet pho restaurant and of course they don't take credit cards.. only cash.
A half a block a head was the familiar green circle with the lady in it. Starbucks. I have a card with some Starbucks credit on it. Wahooo!
I bought a chicken cobb sandwich and a iced passion fruit drink.. yum. I know that Pete's is better. But sometimes it pays to have a Starbuck card with a little dough on it..
Today it saved me. Later I discovered that the Cheveron station another block down had an ATM.. so much for the exotic.
: ) Pat
Its really not malaise in a traditional sense. It is stay up late and sleep in late and do something that you couldn't do during the school year. So. lunch was not eaten before the appointment. When I arrived in Modesto in the industrial part, the East side of Kansas Avenue, I saw numerous spots to have a bite while they worked on my car. The problem.. I had only two dollars in my pocket. Surely there must be an ATM around. Well.. no. The closest thing that resembles an ATM as in a grocery store where you bought something and got change back. So said the Viet pho restaurant and of course they don't take credit cards.. only cash.
A half a block a head was the familiar green circle with the lady in it. Starbucks. I have a card with some Starbucks credit on it. Wahooo!
I bought a chicken cobb sandwich and a iced passion fruit drink.. yum. I know that Pete's is better. But sometimes it pays to have a Starbuck card with a little dough on it..
Today it saved me. Later I discovered that the Cheveron station another block down had an ATM.. so much for the exotic.
: ) Pat
Friday, July 10, 2009
The outcome of the sauce
The Asian Plum sauce was an interesting success in canning.. well sort of.
After combining the materials for this sauce and bringing it to a boil before adding the plums the sauce had to cook in an non reactive pot. I had guessed right that a 6 quart pot would be just the thing.
The jalapanos (2) had a real kick to them. I had forgotten the the fresher they are the more powerful they could be. I cut into them without the precautions of gloves and blistering the skins. I knew that the hottest part of the chili was in the seeds and the veins. In removing them I choked I coughed and I forgot the most important thing.. don't touch any of the your soft tissues around your mouth or your nose. My nose started to run so I touched it.. I fet the burn for more than two hours.
As it cooked down for two hours at a simmer, the house filled with the smell of onions, garlic and especially 5 spice powder. By the time it was ready to get into the jars, it had boiled down to fill only 5 half pint containers. The sauce is tasty and has that piquant sweet and sour combination that is so hard to get without such steps.
Overall it was worth it. I think that remembering good pepper safety would have made the experience more comfortable.
Pat
After combining the materials for this sauce and bringing it to a boil before adding the plums the sauce had to cook in an non reactive pot. I had guessed right that a 6 quart pot would be just the thing.
The jalapanos (2) had a real kick to them. I had forgotten the the fresher they are the more powerful they could be. I cut into them without the precautions of gloves and blistering the skins. I knew that the hottest part of the chili was in the seeds and the veins. In removing them I choked I coughed and I forgot the most important thing.. don't touch any of the your soft tissues around your mouth or your nose. My nose started to run so I touched it.. I fet the burn for more than two hours.
As it cooked down for two hours at a simmer, the house filled with the smell of onions, garlic and especially 5 spice powder. By the time it was ready to get into the jars, it had boiled down to fill only 5 half pint containers. The sauce is tasty and has that piquant sweet and sour combination that is so hard to get without such steps.
Overall it was worth it. I think that remembering good pepper safety would have made the experience more comfortable.
Pat
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Asian Plum Sauce to Can or Jar
This is today's canning project.. the last of the plums.
ASIAN PLUM SAUCE
4 lbs of plums about 10 cupa
2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Cider Vinegar
3/4 finely chopped Onion
2 tbs of Mustard Seed
1 Tbs of 5 spice powder
4 TBS of Finely chopped chiles
1 TBS of Salt
3 Cloves of garlic minced fine
1 inch of fresh ginger diced fine
_____________
Pit and chop plums
combine sugars, vinegar mustard seed 5 spice powder, chile peppers, salt and garlic
Bring all but the plums to a rolling boil, add plums, cook simmering for two hours place in 6, 1/2 pint jars water bath boil with two inches of water over for 10 minutes.
use for dipping sauce, or last minute sauce on ribs.. etc.
Looks like fun?
: ) Pat
ASIAN PLUM SAUCE
4 lbs of plums about 10 cupa
2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Cider Vinegar
3/4 finely chopped Onion
2 tbs of Mustard Seed
1 Tbs of 5 spice powder
4 TBS of Finely chopped chiles
1 TBS of Salt
3 Cloves of garlic minced fine
1 inch of fresh ginger diced fine
_____________
Pit and chop plums
combine sugars, vinegar mustard seed 5 spice powder, chile peppers, salt and garlic
Bring all but the plums to a rolling boil, add plums, cook simmering for two hours place in 6, 1/2 pint jars water bath boil with two inches of water over for 10 minutes.
use for dipping sauce, or last minute sauce on ribs.. etc.
Looks like fun?
: ) Pat
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The New Apple Toy
My oh My
The new Iphone is hot.
What it is not.. it doesn't come with instructions. This is the one thing that drives Heather crazy.. and also me at the begining. The interface is supposed to be so complete that it is intuitive.. well not exactly.. as the old ad would say,
I left the Apple store with my new phone ready to work. I even made a call right out of the box.. almost. But for some odd reason, probably tied to my not completely understanding the interface, I got the new phone off to speaking DANISH. All the menu commands, all the program instructions.. almost everything was written in a language that I could not even begin to understand even with my Romantic language exposure. So how to fix it? I went on line and looked at how to solve it. Everywhere I went it said go to settings and choose international and from international choose the language. This left the the hanging question, "How do you say international in the language that this device is stuck in?
Eventually I came down to find something that was close to international in the settings panel and about half way down was able to change the language to US English and son of gun the thing worked! It was not going to be a fancy brick toy after all.
With this information I was able to get in my internet account and yahoo mail translated to and from pac bell dot net. And so the oddesy began. The interesting thing about the whole platform in the beginning was the disappearance of the barrier between mobile calls and the internet. Mobile calls are run on text messaging (with the new generations) and internet messaging is through email. The interesting concept is when a text messsage becomes an email pulled off the air and referenced with a web page that is collected with the cell phone (the Iphone is hardly a cell phone but from past understandings and usefulness it may serve this purpose). The metaphor changes when a device is able to do both. Throw in the abilty to be an Ipod (although limited by its size) The abilty to take credible photos and movies and to move them into an editting program such as Iphoto or Imovie.. you have really changed the concept.
I am very impressed with its abilty to pick up internet Wifis and use them when permitted. This would be pretty important to slower phones. It dosen't seem particularly slow in my environments becuase of the built in speed. I also am used to being in slower iternet environments having lived through 24K dial up.
It does facebook. It does flickr. It can even read my blog. I like the abilty to make pages bigger with a very sensitive keyboard. I learned the thumb and forefinger pinch move easily. I am still a little slow with when you tap and when you double tap. I like moving the pages the Tom Cruise.
I can see why people are spending their lives looking down and touch keyboarding.
Linzi recommeneded a couple of good "Apps" one is the Bart one for the Bay Area Rapid Transit schedule and Pandora that lets you set up an individual radio station. Both are great. I saw an add for the AAA discount App. It lets you know the merchants in any given area that will honor your AAA card for discounts. Its free too.
Its amazing how much more you can text with a decent keyboard. I was watching "THE" Wimbledon mens final today and the adds for the new Plam Pre looked cool. One problem, their keybord is limited to those darn little buttons. I like the abilty to turn it on its side and click away. I need to learn how to copy and paste.
The girls are learning from each other. One shared with the other about when the keys are shaking they can me re arranged. I have experienced that on the phone but did not know what precipitated the keys to start to shake.
I wish you all a new Iphone.. they are wonderful
: ) Pat
The new Iphone is hot.
What it is not.. it doesn't come with instructions. This is the one thing that drives Heather crazy.. and also me at the begining. The interface is supposed to be so complete that it is intuitive.. well not exactly.. as the old ad would say,
I left the Apple store with my new phone ready to work. I even made a call right out of the box.. almost. But for some odd reason, probably tied to my not completely understanding the interface, I got the new phone off to speaking DANISH. All the menu commands, all the program instructions.. almost everything was written in a language that I could not even begin to understand even with my Romantic language exposure. So how to fix it? I went on line and looked at how to solve it. Everywhere I went it said go to settings and choose international and from international choose the language. This left the the hanging question, "How do you say international in the language that this device is stuck in?
Eventually I came down to find something that was close to international in the settings panel and about half way down was able to change the language to US English and son of gun the thing worked! It was not going to be a fancy brick toy after all.
With this information I was able to get in my internet account and yahoo mail translated to and from pac bell dot net. And so the oddesy began. The interesting thing about the whole platform in the beginning was the disappearance of the barrier between mobile calls and the internet. Mobile calls are run on text messaging (with the new generations) and internet messaging is through email. The interesting concept is when a text messsage becomes an email pulled off the air and referenced with a web page that is collected with the cell phone (the Iphone is hardly a cell phone but from past understandings and usefulness it may serve this purpose). The metaphor changes when a device is able to do both. Throw in the abilty to be an Ipod (although limited by its size) The abilty to take credible photos and movies and to move them into an editting program such as Iphoto or Imovie.. you have really changed the concept.
I am very impressed with its abilty to pick up internet Wifis and use them when permitted. This would be pretty important to slower phones. It dosen't seem particularly slow in my environments becuase of the built in speed. I also am used to being in slower iternet environments having lived through 24K dial up.
It does facebook. It does flickr. It can even read my blog. I like the abilty to make pages bigger with a very sensitive keyboard. I learned the thumb and forefinger pinch move easily. I am still a little slow with when you tap and when you double tap. I like moving the pages the Tom Cruise.
I can see why people are spending their lives looking down and touch keyboarding.
Linzi recommeneded a couple of good "Apps" one is the Bart one for the Bay Area Rapid Transit schedule and Pandora that lets you set up an individual radio station. Both are great. I saw an add for the AAA discount App. It lets you know the merchants in any given area that will honor your AAA card for discounts. Its free too.
Its amazing how much more you can text with a decent keyboard. I was watching "THE" Wimbledon mens final today and the adds for the new Plam Pre looked cool. One problem, their keybord is limited to those darn little buttons. I like the abilty to turn it on its side and click away. I need to learn how to copy and paste.
The girls are learning from each other. One shared with the other about when the keys are shaking they can me re arranged. I have experienced that on the phone but did not know what precipitated the keys to start to shake.
I wish you all a new Iphone.. they are wonderful
: ) Pat
The new teenage Agnst with Royalty
My sister Kelly and I noticed at the fair a pretty interesting phenomenon.
Down in front of us three rows in a growingly impacted crowd a group of three 16 year old boys had saved a pretty large section of seats by "spreading out." Nothing too unusual about this until the female "royalty" arrived. You know the royalty.. that group of "popular" mostly blonde girls that float through their lives with every privilege and whose main preoccupation is the maintenance of their beauty. When these girls arrived.. all 7 of them in their identical blonde coiffures, the waves parted and suddenly their were plenty of seats in the "boy row." The girls lasted two songs of Charlie Daniels and they were off.. again moving over all the older audience members on their way to the aisle and out of the concert. I mentioned the royal status.. and Kelly confirmed.. she said you know why they are the royals? The size of the group and no attached boys to the arms or shoulders of the girls.
Last night Sue and I took the trip to Atwater for the fireworks scene. 5 dollars a car.. they turned the soccer field into the parking lot. The operative word is car.
We got out of the truck and headed for the bowl area of the parking lot. Their we joined a nice group of families with little kids stretched out in jammies and ready for the show. It was a perfect scene reminiscent of the family trip to the drive in shows in the summer when the double feature included Pollyanna and Summer Magic. The day was hot, but the night in Atwater was just right. The fireworks were wonderful but as expected it was a long wait to get out of the parking lot and on to the street to get home.
We sat in the car and watched the royalty in action next to our truck. A Honda civic with the requisite spoiler was parked next to us. The occupants were four tennage boys about 17. They were having a good time and staying out of trouble.. when along came the blonde royalty. Four damsels in distress.. or sort of.
They were determined and rightly so due to their status.. that they were going to go to a party or home with these boys. Four boys, four blonde girls all trying to get out of the fireworks show together in a honda civic. A Honda civic is not a 7 passenger car.
All of us real adults know that this really is not a possiblity. The VW never taveled when the half generation before ours crammed in. The telephone booth did not need to meeet the CHP with all its jammed occupants. So to get all of the royalty and the boys that brought the car could jam into the Honda civic but to move it down the road..
One royalty member started to organize the task. We can have the guys in the back have girls sit on their laps.. I don't want a guy sitting on my lap she said.. so it will have to be like that.
Then their was the problem of the purses. How will the girls organize their purses?
The guys who were the owners of the car were thinking about the problem in another way. Their can be people facing sideways that can sit with their knees up. Oh with that much more wait the car will be too low to get over the speed bumps.
Finally a solution was reached by the queen and her court. A guy that came would walk out and they would pick him up after they dropped off one of the queen's attendants nearby. So even though he came with the car, he agreed and the royalty had a ride out fo the parking lot.. or so it seemed.
It must suck to be royalty.. ha
: ) Pat
Down in front of us three rows in a growingly impacted crowd a group of three 16 year old boys had saved a pretty large section of seats by "spreading out." Nothing too unusual about this until the female "royalty" arrived. You know the royalty.. that group of "popular" mostly blonde girls that float through their lives with every privilege and whose main preoccupation is the maintenance of their beauty. When these girls arrived.. all 7 of them in their identical blonde coiffures, the waves parted and suddenly their were plenty of seats in the "boy row." The girls lasted two songs of Charlie Daniels and they were off.. again moving over all the older audience members on their way to the aisle and out of the concert. I mentioned the royal status.. and Kelly confirmed.. she said you know why they are the royals? The size of the group and no attached boys to the arms or shoulders of the girls.
Last night Sue and I took the trip to Atwater for the fireworks scene. 5 dollars a car.. they turned the soccer field into the parking lot. The operative word is car.
We got out of the truck and headed for the bowl area of the parking lot. Their we joined a nice group of families with little kids stretched out in jammies and ready for the show. It was a perfect scene reminiscent of the family trip to the drive in shows in the summer when the double feature included Pollyanna and Summer Magic. The day was hot, but the night in Atwater was just right. The fireworks were wonderful but as expected it was a long wait to get out of the parking lot and on to the street to get home.
We sat in the car and watched the royalty in action next to our truck. A Honda civic with the requisite spoiler was parked next to us. The occupants were four tennage boys about 17. They were having a good time and staying out of trouble.. when along came the blonde royalty. Four damsels in distress.. or sort of.
They were determined and rightly so due to their status.. that they were going to go to a party or home with these boys. Four boys, four blonde girls all trying to get out of the fireworks show together in a honda civic. A Honda civic is not a 7 passenger car.
All of us real adults know that this really is not a possiblity. The VW never taveled when the half generation before ours crammed in. The telephone booth did not need to meeet the CHP with all its jammed occupants. So to get all of the royalty and the boys that brought the car could jam into the Honda civic but to move it down the road..
One royalty member started to organize the task. We can have the guys in the back have girls sit on their laps.. I don't want a guy sitting on my lap she said.. so it will have to be like that.
Then their was the problem of the purses. How will the girls organize their purses?
The guys who were the owners of the car were thinking about the problem in another way. Their can be people facing sideways that can sit with their knees up. Oh with that much more wait the car will be too low to get over the speed bumps.
Finally a solution was reached by the queen and her court. A guy that came would walk out and they would pick him up after they dropped off one of the queen's attendants nearby. So even though he came with the car, he agreed and the royalty had a ride out fo the parking lot.. or so it seemed.
It must suck to be royalty.. ha
: ) Pat
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Red Jam Day
When I was growing up we always ended up at Grandma's house for a week or two in the Summer. My mom's mother was a prodigious canner. She made all kinds of perserves. Living on a 40 acre peach farm in Western Colorado, there was a bounty of veggies and many fruit from the peaches and the cherries and a couple of old gnarly plum trees.
It was always my job, along with my sister's, to pick the Santa Rosa plums for canning and jam making. It was kind of a layed back thing since the trees were pretty tall and the fruit was scattered. Its only care was the feeding from the chicken yard that it sat over. Little water, no pruning and they just grew.
At any rate, jam was made and so was jelly from the fruit of these trees. Although the prized jam came from the sour Damsen tree down by the canal.
So all summer long the major sweetness on the table was this plum jam and jelly. I really didn't like it so much then. It was always the same flavor.
Fast forward from the 12 year old kid to the 59 year old man. I have a plum tree that was a sport off the Santa Rosa plum. It was a remarkable plum in that it produced beautiful plums with wonderful flavor two to three weeks earlier than the Santa Rosa. My friend who had the sport, patented the tree and named it. When production began to make many more of these for sale a series of very unfortunate events occurred. Great rows of these trees were inadvertently plowed over. This farmer, teacher fought hard to get this tree out there. The industry fought to keep it off the market... or so it seemed.
This friend of mine gave me a bare root of this tree early in production. He knew that I would be a willing backup if the industry froze him out and destroyed his discovery. So I planted it and it grew. Every year it produced very nice fruit, but what do you do with it besides eat the fresh plums? I could make some dreaded jam. I recently found out from my friend (I had not seen him in 10 years) that the tree was not consistent in commercial production because it required a pollinizer at a particular time of blossom. A pluot would do however since it is in bloom very early. Yep, I have a pluot and that is why it is a consistent producer.
Surprise.. I made some jam a year or two ago and believe it or not I sort of like it. Today was a canning day.. and I made 6 pints of it (two batches). Sue even likes it.. especially if it stays red.
Plum jam takes a bit more work. The plums do not come off their pits. So they have to be cut off the pits. They have to chopped. A batch takes 6 1/2 cups of chopped cooked plums. That is about 8 cups of fresh chopped off the pit stuff. Then it goes into the food processor. Everything is chopped really fine. They it is heated to boiling and simmered for 5 minutes with a 1/2 cup of water. Then its the standard low sugar mix of 6 1/2 cups of fruit to 4 1/2 cups of sugar. First the pectin is added with a quarter cup of sugar. As it cooks in, it has to boil for a minute. Then the just of the sugar is added along with a couple of lemon cubes that I saved from the Fall harvest. Everything heats to a point where you cannot stir down the boil and it must boil for a minute. Then it all goes in sterile jars. The lid surfaces are wiped and the threds of the outside of the glass jars are cleaned. lids are aligned and rings are installed, Each jar joins the others for a bath under 2 inches of water that is is brough up to boil. The jars are boiled for at least 15 minutes.
I learned today that while canning jars a tough, the temperature change can be brutal. They can make the jars crack. Dropping cooler jars with canned apricot halves into the boiling canner resulted in two quart jars cracking and dumping their sweet contents in the boiling water.. what a mess. So I am a little more careful about temperature changes. Jars are put into luke warm water and then heated with the water. Jars are also allowed to cool down to luke warm terperature before they are pulled out into the air. Live and learn.
At least now I can say that I finally appreciate plum jam. I have also learned about the physics of cold and hot water.
All is not lost today.
: ) Pat
It was always my job, along with my sister's, to pick the Santa Rosa plums for canning and jam making. It was kind of a layed back thing since the trees were pretty tall and the fruit was scattered. Its only care was the feeding from the chicken yard that it sat over. Little water, no pruning and they just grew.
At any rate, jam was made and so was jelly from the fruit of these trees. Although the prized jam came from the sour Damsen tree down by the canal.
So all summer long the major sweetness on the table was this plum jam and jelly. I really didn't like it so much then. It was always the same flavor.
Fast forward from the 12 year old kid to the 59 year old man. I have a plum tree that was a sport off the Santa Rosa plum. It was a remarkable plum in that it produced beautiful plums with wonderful flavor two to three weeks earlier than the Santa Rosa. My friend who had the sport, patented the tree and named it. When production began to make many more of these for sale a series of very unfortunate events occurred. Great rows of these trees were inadvertently plowed over. This farmer, teacher fought hard to get this tree out there. The industry fought to keep it off the market... or so it seemed.
This friend of mine gave me a bare root of this tree early in production. He knew that I would be a willing backup if the industry froze him out and destroyed his discovery. So I planted it and it grew. Every year it produced very nice fruit, but what do you do with it besides eat the fresh plums? I could make some dreaded jam. I recently found out from my friend (I had not seen him in 10 years) that the tree was not consistent in commercial production because it required a pollinizer at a particular time of blossom. A pluot would do however since it is in bloom very early. Yep, I have a pluot and that is why it is a consistent producer.
Surprise.. I made some jam a year or two ago and believe it or not I sort of like it. Today was a canning day.. and I made 6 pints of it (two batches). Sue even likes it.. especially if it stays red.
Plum jam takes a bit more work. The plums do not come off their pits. So they have to be cut off the pits. They have to chopped. A batch takes 6 1/2 cups of chopped cooked plums. That is about 8 cups of fresh chopped off the pit stuff. Then it goes into the food processor. Everything is chopped really fine. They it is heated to boiling and simmered for 5 minutes with a 1/2 cup of water. Then its the standard low sugar mix of 6 1/2 cups of fruit to 4 1/2 cups of sugar. First the pectin is added with a quarter cup of sugar. As it cooks in, it has to boil for a minute. Then the just of the sugar is added along with a couple of lemon cubes that I saved from the Fall harvest. Everything heats to a point where you cannot stir down the boil and it must boil for a minute. Then it all goes in sterile jars. The lid surfaces are wiped and the threds of the outside of the glass jars are cleaned. lids are aligned and rings are installed, Each jar joins the others for a bath under 2 inches of water that is is brough up to boil. The jars are boiled for at least 15 minutes.
I learned today that while canning jars a tough, the temperature change can be brutal. They can make the jars crack. Dropping cooler jars with canned apricot halves into the boiling canner resulted in two quart jars cracking and dumping their sweet contents in the boiling water.. what a mess. So I am a little more careful about temperature changes. Jars are put into luke warm water and then heated with the water. Jars are also allowed to cool down to luke warm terperature before they are pulled out into the air. Live and learn.
At least now I can say that I finally appreciate plum jam. I have also learned about the physics of cold and hot water.
All is not lost today.
: ) Pat
Friday, July 3, 2009
County Fair Was Great
It was last Wednesday.
It was hot here in the valley. it was 10 degrees cooler in the Livermore Valley. My sister Kelly and i try to scope out the best day to go with mom and dad to the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton. Its a long time family tradition. The parents love to see good entertainment. If it is included in the price of admission, so much the better. There were only two viable options this year for them. One of them was Charlie Daniel's on the first day of the fair and the other one would be BJ Thomas later in the schedule.
Charlie and his band put on quite a show. An hour is not much time to cover the diversity of his music. There were two big bridge sets that took up a lot of time as well. Despite this, he came through with many of his hits that the savvy audience knew. A lot of redneck talk and some patriotic illusions as I expected from such a "Simple Man." He sang a gospel song as he always does.. "How Great Thou Art." and finished the set with a very hot rendition of the "Devil went Down to Georgia." We hydrated up and enjoyed the concert from under the shade of the big tree and the cloth spread above the audience.
Mom and dad seemed to enjoy it. Dad's only comment was that he couldn't make out the words of the first two songs and then he wished there was some banjo and mandolin playing in the group. I pointed out that they were a little ways away from bluegrass which would have those components.
I ate some barbeque pork sandwich when we first arrived. Sue had the tri tip dinner with the cole slaw and beans. Bubbas was pretty good.
Sue found a jewley salesman in the comerical exhibit and bought a copper bracelet and a pair of copper angels. She also found the "happy feet" sandal display and bought a great pair of black sandals with multicolored straps.
We got to tour the quilts and collections and the gardens. They were based on a Victorian theme this year. There were lots of delphiniums and hydrangea flowers displayed in garden settings by the pros.
Overall it was a great time.
: ) Pat
It was hot here in the valley. it was 10 degrees cooler in the Livermore Valley. My sister Kelly and i try to scope out the best day to go with mom and dad to the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton. Its a long time family tradition. The parents love to see good entertainment. If it is included in the price of admission, so much the better. There were only two viable options this year for them. One of them was Charlie Daniel's on the first day of the fair and the other one would be BJ Thomas later in the schedule.
Charlie and his band put on quite a show. An hour is not much time to cover the diversity of his music. There were two big bridge sets that took up a lot of time as well. Despite this, he came through with many of his hits that the savvy audience knew. A lot of redneck talk and some patriotic illusions as I expected from such a "Simple Man." He sang a gospel song as he always does.. "How Great Thou Art." and finished the set with a very hot rendition of the "Devil went Down to Georgia." We hydrated up and enjoyed the concert from under the shade of the big tree and the cloth spread above the audience.
Mom and dad seemed to enjoy it. Dad's only comment was that he couldn't make out the words of the first two songs and then he wished there was some banjo and mandolin playing in the group. I pointed out that they were a little ways away from bluegrass which would have those components.
I ate some barbeque pork sandwich when we first arrived. Sue had the tri tip dinner with the cole slaw and beans. Bubbas was pretty good.
Sue found a jewley salesman in the comerical exhibit and bought a copper bracelet and a pair of copper angels. She also found the "happy feet" sandal display and bought a great pair of black sandals with multicolored straps.
We got to tour the quilts and collections and the gardens. They were based on a Victorian theme this year. There were lots of delphiniums and hydrangea flowers displayed in garden settings by the pros.
Overall it was a great time.
: ) Pat