We participated in Turlock's annual Christmas parade this year for the first time. What an adventure. We put up a booth, had members walking in the parade; it was a lot of fun. Walkers were Don, Marie, Elisha, Marie R and grandsons, Rick and his boys, Carl C., Denise C., and April. Nancy and John C. brought up the rear in their pretty Model A automobile
The walkers were well-received. We got lots of cheers, a few boo's and a couple of Viva la Mexicos (what in the world is that). Oh well, the viva yellers were kids and they probably don't know any better. Let's hope that changes.
The Model A was the only one in the parade. She was so pretty but she got tired and pooped out towards the end and had to be pushed. Once she cooled off, she started up again.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Spending a morning at TID and Learning a Thing or TwoPosted by Annie Jeffries on September 28, 2010 at 1:42am at NVP original site
Many hands make light work. It also fosters new friendships and cements blossoming friendships. This morning's heavy lifting was done at the TID offices (Turlock Irrigation District) on behalf of Mike Berryhill, candidate for Congress for the 18th Congressional District.
As usual, political distortion, while based on a truth, doesn't tell a whole truth. So this morning found me wading through 26 years worth of weekly TID meetings minutes all in a quest of verifying Mike's actually attendance record at these meetings.
The distorted political truth in the current campaign for the seat in the 18th Congressional District is that Mike Berryhill, has been absent or late to TID Supervisors meetings 30% of the time over the last 26 years. That leads the ad listener to believe that Berryhill is not responsible or reliable. I used to think that a statistic put out there had to be true because an untruth can be proven. Naive, I known, but I'm losing my naivete fast.
My exploration into 26 years of meeting minutes taught me a few things about "truth".
1. The late arrivals were, in reality, arrivals that were no more that 5 - 15 minutes late on meetings that last in excess over four hours and often lasted longer. This means that instead of missing 30% of the voting ; in reality he was present for 85% of them.
2. The absences were in large part clustered in the Fall season. Mike is a working farmer who manages a 200 acre grape operation. He is up early, working the vineyards, running in to clean up and then driving to Turlock for a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. It doesn't take much to slow things up - broken machinery can't wait; urgent harvesting may be dictated because unseasonal weather can ruin a crop at the last minute.
3. I found it appalling that as a resident of Turlock, a vast farm community, we are not part of the 18th District. Stockton and Modesto, cities that don't rely on farming, are. Merced, surrounded by farms also does not rely on farming. Many small farming communities do make up the 18th District, but not one of the biggest - not Turlock. I started to understand the meaning and real implications of gerrymandering. Somewhere along the line, politics excluded Turlock from its natural voting so that democrats would have a more stacked for winning district.
So, you must wonder, if I can't vote for this man, why am I working for this man? It's an easy answer. He is a neighbor. He lives less than ten miles from me and yet I can't vote for him. If I CAN'T vote for him, I WILL work for him.
I don't believe it is one individual that influences good change through better government. I believe that good individuals of similar minds are going to do what it takes to effect change and save our state not to mention our country. It is this philosophy that thrust me into political activism at this stage of my life. I wouldn't have imagined it even two or three years ago but too much has happened in the last three years politically for me to sit still anymore.
I have become part of a large body of Americans who object to being controlled by regulatory rules that have nothing to do with the rule of law, let along the Constitution.
I object to being subjected to the rule of NAFTA with all of its unbalance slanted south.
I object to businesses in California being taxed out of existence - literally - only to see those jobs resurface as outsourced jobs.
I object to unions having so much influence in this state that political extremes can be handled by the same handler and never know they are being managed.
I object to farmers losing farms (due to lack of water) because they are being sacrificed upon the altar of eco-terrorism in the form of a 4 inch fish.
I object to logging operations shutting down resulting in lumber having to be imported from Oregon.
So, I did some heavy lifting this morning and it felt good. I built up a bit of a political resume and committed myself to caring about the future and not giving up. We all know and remember Thomas Jefferson, or the Wright Brothers, or Albert Einstein. But do you know who "Jerry Cresip" is? No, I thought not. You see - he gave up.
As usual, political distortion, while based on a truth, doesn't tell a whole truth. So this morning found me wading through 26 years worth of weekly TID meetings minutes all in a quest of verifying Mike's actually attendance record at these meetings.
The distorted political truth in the current campaign for the seat in the 18th Congressional District is that Mike Berryhill, has been absent or late to TID Supervisors meetings 30% of the time over the last 26 years. That leads the ad listener to believe that Berryhill is not responsible or reliable. I used to think that a statistic put out there had to be true because an untruth can be proven. Naive, I known, but I'm losing my naivete fast.
My exploration into 26 years of meeting minutes taught me a few things about "truth".
1. The late arrivals were, in reality, arrivals that were no more that 5 - 15 minutes late on meetings that last in excess over four hours and often lasted longer. This means that instead of missing 30% of the voting ; in reality he was present for 85% of them.
2. The absences were in large part clustered in the Fall season. Mike is a working farmer who manages a 200 acre grape operation. He is up early, working the vineyards, running in to clean up and then driving to Turlock for a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. It doesn't take much to slow things up - broken machinery can't wait; urgent harvesting may be dictated because unseasonal weather can ruin a crop at the last minute.
3. I found it appalling that as a resident of Turlock, a vast farm community, we are not part of the 18th District. Stockton and Modesto, cities that don't rely on farming, are. Merced, surrounded by farms also does not rely on farming. Many small farming communities do make up the 18th District, but not one of the biggest - not Turlock. I started to understand the meaning and real implications of gerrymandering. Somewhere along the line, politics excluded Turlock from its natural voting so that democrats would have a more stacked for winning district.
So, you must wonder, if I can't vote for this man, why am I working for this man? It's an easy answer. He is a neighbor. He lives less than ten miles from me and yet I can't vote for him. If I CAN'T vote for him, I WILL work for him.
I don't believe it is one individual that influences good change through better government. I believe that good individuals of similar minds are going to do what it takes to effect change and save our state not to mention our country. It is this philosophy that thrust me into political activism at this stage of my life. I wouldn't have imagined it even two or three years ago but too much has happened in the last three years politically for me to sit still anymore.
I have become part of a large body of Americans who object to being controlled by regulatory rules that have nothing to do with the rule of law, let along the Constitution.
I object to being subjected to the rule of NAFTA with all of its unbalance slanted south.
I object to businesses in California being taxed out of existence - literally - only to see those jobs resurface as outsourced jobs.
I object to unions having so much influence in this state that political extremes can be handled by the same handler and never know they are being managed.
I object to farmers losing farms (due to lack of water) because they are being sacrificed upon the altar of eco-terrorism in the form of a 4 inch fish.
I object to logging operations shutting down resulting in lumber having to be imported from Oregon.
So, I did some heavy lifting this morning and it felt good. I built up a bit of a political resume and committed myself to caring about the future and not giving up. We all know and remember Thomas Jefferson, or the Wright Brothers, or Albert Einstein. But do you know who "Jerry Cresip" is? No, I thought not. You see - he gave up.
New Direction
I'm picking up on this blog again. It will be entirely private. My pictures and post from NVP are here.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Day One Hundred and Nineteen
I weighed myself yesterday. The scale sat there and yelled at me. The good news in that I did not do a lot of damage to myself after all. Friday was another good day for me, Saturday not so much. Between lunch out with E, popcorn at Avatar, and dinner later with Don, the day was pretty much a wash. I will consider it a day off and forget it.
Today is good. Slept in till 9:30; I'm sipping coffee and having fun at the computer as I relive my pleasure in seeing Avatar yesterday. I'll update the food for the rest of this day later this evening.
I had dinner leftovers for lunch today and Chinese takeout tonight (from Raley's) with a diet coke.
Today is good. Slept in till 9:30; I'm sipping coffee and having fun at the computer as I relive my pleasure in seeing Avatar yesterday. I'll update the food for the rest of this day later this evening.
I had dinner leftovers for lunch today and Chinese takeout tonight (from Raley's) with a diet coke.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Day One Hundred and Sixteen
Lunch has come and gone. I've had abundant amounts of coffee with h/h, one oatmeal raisin cookie, a grilled turkey/bacon/cheese sandwich, and a cup of AJ's yummy veggie soup.
AJ's makes the best veggie soup. You know the kind; the kind that has a great beef broth base and then whatever veggies are on hand that goes into the pot. Today's offering had lots of cabbage. Divine and perfect for a day that just can't get above 44 degrees.
My day ended with aBig Mac for Don and the remains of last night's turkey stew for me. I think I got the better of the deal. I spent part of the evening looking at and clipping recipes. I posted them away in my special book. I'll choose something from there to make this weekend along with the yam/cranberry/apple side dish recipe Tammy Stevenson sent to me.
AJ's makes the best veggie soup. You know the kind; the kind that has a great beef broth base and then whatever veggies are on hand that goes into the pot. Today's offering had lots of cabbage. Divine and perfect for a day that just can't get above 44 degrees.
My day ended with aBig Mac for Don and the remains of last night's turkey stew for me. I think I got the better of the deal. I spent part of the evening looking at and clipping recipes. I posted them away in my special book. I'll choose something from there to make this weekend along with the yam/cranberry/apple side dish recipe Tammy Stevenson sent to me.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Day One Hundred and Fifteen
I had lunch today with Elaine at HOJ. I chose from their new menu and got a grilled salmon sandwich and potato salad. They serve the sandwich on a thin, round whole wheat roll. The serving size was perfect being neither too big nor too small. Lunch was satisfying. I just had a light swipe of mayo along with onion and lettuce. Tasty.
Dinner was so good. I boned and skinned a turkey thigh and cut it into chunks. After dicing and sauteing onions, carrots, and celery, tossed in the turkey along with a can of defatted chicken brooth and a can of diced tomatos. Season was s/p, oregano, parsley and garlic. Good. Warm. Filling. Fast. The whole thing - prep to table - took about 45 minutes.
Over lunch today, I told Elaine I wasn't going to weigh myself anymore. I know very well where I'm at depending on how the clothes are fitting. When I actually have nothing that fits at all, I might get on the scale then but maybe not. I really don't care anymore. More than anything else, I just want to get comfortable in my own body.
Dinner was so good. I boned and skinned a turkey thigh and cut it into chunks. After dicing and sauteing onions, carrots, and celery, tossed in the turkey along with a can of defatted chicken brooth and a can of diced tomatos. Season was s/p, oregano, parsley and garlic. Good. Warm. Filling. Fast. The whole thing - prep to table - took about 45 minutes.
Over lunch today, I told Elaine I wasn't going to weigh myself anymore. I know very well where I'm at depending on how the clothes are fitting. When I actually have nothing that fits at all, I might get on the scale then but maybe not. I really don't care anymore. More than anything else, I just want to get comfortable in my own body.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Day One Hundred Fourteen - A New Year
No, I am not making any New Year's Resolutions. I DO have thoughts, ideas, goals and objective. Sort of GUIDELINES.
As always, weight is a burning issue. So burning that I do nothing except BURN MYSELF. So, in an effort to not burn myself anymore, I've decided not to diet. There is no plan. I know what I must and must not do. After all, I've been at this my entire life, or so it seems.
Yesterday I had a plan for breakfast and promptly forgot to eat. I went to work armed with a couple cups of coffee under my belt but that was about it. Come lunch I was not terribly hungry but I went home (yes home - another change for 2010) and made myself a sandwich. That turned out to be more than enough.
Dinner was hamburger helper but not out of a box. I found a recipe with five ingredients - 1 lb ground beef, 1 cup elbow macs, 1/3 C tomato paste, 4 C water, and minced onions, garlic, chili powder and salt/pepper. I ended up with more H.H. than I would have gotten from a box mix and NONE of the unpronounceable additive words that you find on the edge of the box. AND - it was good too. Didn't use enough salt but that's okay. Adding to taste worked for everyone.
Today I ATE breakfast - or rather I DRANK breakfast. Here's another recipe from the same book:
1 C milk
2T peanut butter
1T honey
blend in blender and drink. Filling. Satisfying. Next time I'll add ice to chill it.
Went home for lunch and made a sandwich and had some coffee. That was that. At 2:30 I'm still feeling just fine, thank you very much.
Dinner tonight is navy bean soup. I saved the ham bone from Christmas and it's been slow cooking all day with the beans. That and some crackers and we will be good to go for dinner.
So far I'm liking this new no diet food program. All it requires of me is a little thoughtful organizing and planning and I'll be eating better and so will everyone else in the house too.
As always, weight is a burning issue. So burning that I do nothing except BURN MYSELF. So, in an effort to not burn myself anymore, I've decided not to diet. There is no plan. I know what I must and must not do. After all, I've been at this my entire life, or so it seems.
Yesterday I had a plan for breakfast and promptly forgot to eat. I went to work armed with a couple cups of coffee under my belt but that was about it. Come lunch I was not terribly hungry but I went home (yes home - another change for 2010) and made myself a sandwich. That turned out to be more than enough.
Dinner was hamburger helper but not out of a box. I found a recipe with five ingredients - 1 lb ground beef, 1 cup elbow macs, 1/3 C tomato paste, 4 C water, and minced onions, garlic, chili powder and salt/pepper. I ended up with more H.H. than I would have gotten from a box mix and NONE of the unpronounceable additive words that you find on the edge of the box. AND - it was good too. Didn't use enough salt but that's okay. Adding to taste worked for everyone.
Today I ATE breakfast - or rather I DRANK breakfast. Here's another recipe from the same book:
1 C milk
2T peanut butter
1T honey
blend in blender and drink. Filling. Satisfying. Next time I'll add ice to chill it.
Went home for lunch and made a sandwich and had some coffee. That was that. At 2:30 I'm still feeling just fine, thank you very much.
Dinner tonight is navy bean soup. I saved the ham bone from Christmas and it's been slow cooking all day with the beans. That and some crackers and we will be good to go for dinner.
So far I'm liking this new no diet food program. All it requires of me is a little thoughtful organizing and planning and I'll be eating better and so will everyone else in the house too.