Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?
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Just picked some flat leaf parsley from my herb garden. I started the herb bed this year and it is doing really well. I have mixed the herbs in with existing plants and also planted some more perennials and some annuals. Flowers and herbs are a great combination.
I have peonies and dahlias planted in my vegetable garden. At one end, thornless blackberries and on the other white grape vines are growing on trellises. I have a flower called Borage planted near my tomatoes. Borage keeps those large tomato worms (caterpillars) from devouring my plants. Borage doesn't stop other forms of caterpillars so I hand pick those.
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Might as well ann0unce that it's friggin cold here, on the whole, last week hard frost on several nights, but perennials and spring bulbs all rallied. Intersperse with days of 70 F. Crazy! However, the daffodils are really hanging on cause of the cold and rain and the lastest form I have - pheasant's eye narcissus, the best-smelling of all, is in bloom. And so are the grape hyacinths hanging on, so we have tulips, daffs, and grape hyacinth together. Also purple & pink lamium, which makes a pretty picture.
As for the trees - we are in the magical frothing out stage - so many colours of tiny new leaves - this is when the tree fairies are especially active - the hawthrone and downy sevice berries look like they are wearing tutus! Far as I'm concerned, it could stay this way all summer. Humidity, black flies and mosquitos just waiting fo - and ticks - they have spread this far north all to come. yuk.
The ticks seem t be activated by a certain temp, and then it is a big search around the cat's necks every night. This is a new thing, travelled slowly upward to here over the past few years. not knowing there were ticks, some people who were out in the bush a lot got Lyme disease. Now everybody gets a tick some time in the summer - trip tp emerg where at least the tick then gets analysed for Lyme disease.
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river-rat - I have such a small refridgerator, I only freeze near the end of the season. Nice idea to try frozen - but don't they hurt your teeth ;-)
Notself - I wanna be in YOUR GARDEN. Smiled when I read "tomato worm" - first time I saw one in my garden, with it's little "larvae" on it's back - I was SURE I'd discovered some weird new species. HOW DID THEY EVER GET THAT BIG? Also, a lovely almost translucent green, but that's my painter's eye, NOT my gardener's eye. Need a very BIG BIRD to eat one of those.
I'm looking for SORREL - love taste, but haven't seen in any of the nurseries around here.
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I think tomato worms are absolutely beautiful but they must stay away from my garden and borage does the trick.
For those of you who are not in tick country but may travel to tick country here are some things to watch for. Both Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever start with chills and fever. Lyme disease develops a distinctive bulls eye rash. http://www.medicinenet.com/lyme_disease/article.htm
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever develops a red rash that resembles flat measles rather than raised bumps. However the rash doesn't always appear. http://www.medicinenet.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/article.htm#
If you develop headache, fever and chills or in the case of Rocky Mountain, chills, sweating and fever, go to a doctor immediately. Rocky Mountain is found not only in the Rockies but is even more common in the South. I know, I had RMSF.
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thanks, notself - lyme disease is a TERROR here in the Northeast...those little mice are a huge part of the problem too - not just the lovely deers..
thanks for the heads up about RMSF too.
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Everyone should check themselves after coming in from a wooded area. I got my tick from carrying branches to a burn pile. I didn't spot the tick until night because it was under my arm. The longer a tick stays attached, the greater the chance of infection.
Here is a map of Lyme Disease in the USA. Click to watch the growth of reported cases. http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps/interactiveMaps.html
Here is a map of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/stats/
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WOW. Notself - clicking the years on the Lyme map is frightening.
I've got SO many moles, freckles, skin scars, find a wee little "tick" would take a magnifying glass & better eyesight than I've got....but I do tuck my pants into my socks...and stay out of tall grass...and worry a lot :-)
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Wow, I had no idea that there are cases of RMSF in Michigan.
Sunflowers, so far no broken teeth.
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Just came across this thread and I was very happy to find like minds, so wanted to join in and say hello! In skimming through I saw several interesting books mentioned that I will have to explore. I was basically raised in a non-religious household. My father was raised Jewish, but flatly rejected it as an adult. It was only when he was terminally ill that he started to question what came next. My mother was brought up a good southern Baptist, but does not attend church as an adult and since my father was so vocally against any religion, did not do anything in the way of "educating" me as a child. So, I pretty much have lived my life wondering what all the fuss is about! I'm always the one who in a long list of other people offering their prayers for someone's problems will write, "Thinking of you" or "Sending you strength", etc. etc.
Anyway - looking forward to enjoying this thread! And the berries. Somebody please pass me some fresh berries!
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Madpeacock, welcome. I'm glad you found us.
Please help yourself to some of these wonderful berries before I make myself sick (strawberries, blackberries and blueberries). I've truly been in berry heaven.
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I LOVE berries! I eat a 3/4 cup of blueberries every morning in my oatmeal. That gets very expensive. Last summer, we bought a full freezer...and this summer, at the height of the season, I am going to NJ, and buy a whole bunch to freeze. It is unecessary to lay them out on wax paper to freeze. Just get them dry and pile together in bags. They don't stick together.
I am very happy to have our freezer. My dh is trying to grow a load of veggies...and we will freeze a bunch. We also freeze our beef. I will only let the family eat free range grass fed beef (ever since watching Food, Inc.). We can only buy that at reasonable prices by buying in bulk (20 pounds at a time, minimum). Also frozen, bought in bulk...fair trade chocolate and coffee...:) Yumm...love my freezer...:) Strongly recommend them to anyone interested in buying in bulk that can afford one...
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I recommend using one of those vacuum thingies to prevent freezer burn. They are easy to use and one can separate bulk product into smaller portions. Be sure to get a machine that has vacuum bags available in your local stores. I never used the vacuum jars and containers. I think they are a waste of money unless one buys dry goods in bulk.
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What exactly is the physical process that causes freezer burn? I guess I could look it up.
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I have a freezer load of blueberries that my mother-in-law bought from a neighbor a couple of years ago. They are huge berries that she just put in bags as they were and froze them. They have thawed FAIRLY well, but definitely are not as good as fresh. No freezer burn, but some of these are mushy after they thaw.
When my husband's aunt passed away we inherited her freezer - and everything in it. It eventually conked out and we ended up buying a new one. We keep it stuffed with extra meats, fish, ice, berries as above, etc. We have an extra fridge and freezer in our basement. The fridge has extra milk and juice, water, soft drinks, beer and wine, large containers that don't fit in the main fridge. I don't know how we existed without them!
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Freezer burn is caused by air reaching the frozen food resulting in loss of moisture and oxidation. I think it affects the taste of food and it certainly affects the look and texture making it tough.
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Apologies Notself - pawing through this thread slowly. To answer your question, from Stephen Hawking and from a book entitled «Zero». Always disappointed me, but there you go..... Missing you on the «I Say Yes....» thread. I still laugh out loud when you surprised Daisy with the facts about something and she retorted «Not Your Self!!»
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madpeacock...there is something very wonderful about inheriting the contents of a freezer...:) It is so oddly personal.
My understanding of freezer burn is that it is loss of moisture, as notself said. My understanding, too, is that self-defrosting freezers result in a lot more freezer burn as they remove the moisture. We have a manual defrost. I don't know how much difference that all makes, but we haven't had any freezer burn issues, yet.
On another note, I just wanted to say how glad I am that I am an atheist. I have said in the past that belief in god is enviable because it makes it all so simple. I was WRONG. I have been reading and hearing stuff that makes me think that it makes it all so tortured for some. So, I am raising a glass to us, with a big "cheers," my fellow atheists and agnostics...:) (Oh, and anti-theists, thank you notself for having that term out there, too!)
Claire
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1Athena1,
I forgot all about that thread. I'll have to try and find it again.
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We are right here: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/84/topic/762855?page=768#idx_23032
(We were taken off active topics ages ago - since then, it's been very peaceful, I must admit.)
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CLC - We found some very strange things in that freezer, including frozen unidentified seeds (flowers? vegetables? how would you know where/how to plant them if you don't know what they are??) and stacks and stacks of freezer containers with unmarked contents. Hmmm. Truly Mystery Food!
That whole family cans and preserves stuff, but NEVER marks it with a date or the contents. We have jars of jellies/jams of unknown fruity origin. When I ask my mother-in-law (who is 86 and lives w/us) she just looks at them and says, "It's jelly!" Uh huh.
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Count me in.
I'm annoyed at how many people "are praying for [me]" now that I have BC. I guess it makes them feel better, but it's really not helping me.
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Hi Cottontail - I also felt that it didn't help, but it didn't hurt me either so I let it go, not worth the arguement. I also had people sending me good thoughts, chi, positive vibes, etc... It was comforting knowing that people were thinking about me while I was in surgery, probably didn't help, but I did find some comfort in it.
On a totally unrelated note, I'll be in KC for a week June 1-9, never been before. I won't have much time for sightseeing - working, but may have some, any good places to eat/sights to see/etc...?
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Yeah, I pretty much say "thank you" and let it go.
Hmmmm, I'll have to think about sightseeing. What sort of things do you like to eat? BBQ and steak are really big here, though I'm vegetarian so I don't know where the "good" places are at.
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BBQ sounds tasty, although now that I think about it more, I won't be able to eat out much either. The convention center and adjoining hotel will be my home sweet home. (me and my geek brethren)
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madpeacock...have you braved any of the unknown?
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CLC - yes, with mixed results. There's an amazing amount of fig on the jelly shelf. Not bad, but kind of...chewy. Kind of like dried fruit in jelly.
When the old freezer went kaput a number of the freezer boxes that had been there the longest thawed and went bad. Aww... though even thawed I couldn't identify some of it. Beans? Pureed something or other?
I've been to KC one time and we ate...hmmm...BBQ and steak! It's been a few years, so I can't remember the details, but it was really good!
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I LOVE figs! Bet I would love that fig jelly...never had that. I would like to try canning. Never even seen it done. Sounds highly complicated...
On another note, my dh's garden is coming in fully...we are rolling in fresh greens and radishes. The beets are on their way!
Have a good night, all!
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CookieMonster, if you'll be at the convention center downtown, there is tons of restaurants and shopping right outside, within walking distance. That part of the city has really been developed and revived in the last few years. I'm not too familiar with that area, but I did go to a concert down there last December, and it seemed like it was a pretty happening place.
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That sounds great, thanks Cottontail!!0
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Hi to all! Sorry I've been so absent, just very busy and also dealing with my depression. Seems everywhere I've been lately I find out that a friend or the spouse of a friend has cancer. It just really was getting to me and dashed my plans for a girls vacation with my BFF. Well good news finally arrived (as well as my pension checks now!), we will go on our vacation! So on May 15 my BFF and I are headed to Paris. We both have been there (with students
) many times, but this time it's just for us and to have some fun. We will meet up with another couple of friends who live there. I really need a vacation cause I haven't had one in 5 years now. DH said go, and enjoy, cause he seems to know it will help. DH just got in the mail The Jefferson Bible from the Smithsonian. Has anyone read through it? Jefferson cut-and-paste it together and reaffirmed his belief in the power of reason as the basis for understanding life and the natural world. He removed all reference to superstiton and the supernatural and focused on the moral lessons. No mumbo jumbo, holy hocus pocus, or supernatiural miracles. It's impressive how he thought. Should be interesting reading. Kitty
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