Dorothy's latest cake

Here is a birthday cake Dorothy was asked to make:

Dinner, Compliments of the Earth.

We've been anxiously awaiting this day.  We picked enough green beans for what is known in these parts as a "mess".  While they cooked on the stove I dug up some new potatoes to add to the pot. I put together a skillet of cornbread and along with some steamed zucchini  and salad fresh from the garden, Dorothy and I had a feast.

Additional notes on gardening

Since my last post I've been reminded of the reasons I haven't been gardening.  We've been invaded  not only by the dreaded Colorado Potato beetle but the dastardly Squash Bug. I try to garden organically and use only insecticides that quickly biodegrade such as pyrethrin (made from chrysanthemums), insecticidal soap and sulphur.  Those don't seem as effective as some of the commercial poisons because I'm losing the battle with the beetles although I'm holding my own against the bugs. I'm beginning to wonder just how bad can DDT be? Then there is the fusarium wilt on the tomato plants and the rust on the beans. To top it off the rain seems to have quit us.  Every evening I watch the weather man's map and see rain all around us, but no rain here.

But on a more positive note, we picked our first green beans today. I think we'll be able to pick some more tomorrow and cook them.  I'll dig up some potatoes to throw into the pot and with a skillet of corn bread we'll have a meal.

We might even find a few zucchinis to steam for dinner. Then all I'll need is a glass of ice tea.

Our Asian lilies are blooming

As well as the roses Dorothy received from Kelly for Mother's Day

Yesterday, we picked blueberries with Kelly and the

grand kids. Here we are resting in a gazebo after picking a gallon.

Here we are perusing the shelves of the Once Upon a Time used

book store. It was a good day to be together.

Gardening and Gracen

This year we decided to grow a garden.  We've been missing the pleasure of eating food that we planted in the earth ourselves.

Everything is coming along just fine. It won't be long and we'll

start our semi-vegetarian summer.

A squash blossom backlit by the early morning sun.

The grand kids have always loved playing in the garden and our

great grand baby, Gracen, is no exception.

Grandma tells her not to pick the flowers, but Gracen has a

mind of her own.

Disciple of Ayn Rand or Thomas Aquinas?

I read an interesting piece in This Week magazine.  It seems that Rep. Paul Ryan has been rebuked by the Catholic Church for his proposed budget that cuts trillions of dollars in spending for food stamps, Medicare, and education while providing trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthy.  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Ryan's budget "fails to meet the essential moral mandate of Catholicism" and is more a reflection of the values of Ayn Rand than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged  (Ryan gives a copy to all his interns),  believed that compassion was morally wrong and described the poor as "leeches who weakened society". Now that he has had his hand slapped by the Church Rep. Ryan claims to reject Ms. Rand's philosophy and has now chosen Thomas Aquinas as his new role model. It will be interesting to see if he alters his budget proposal to reflect a more Christian philosophy.

Quote of the Day

Man should not consider his material possessions his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when other are in need.

--Thomas Aquinas


Note: Columnists quoted in magazine article were Dana Milbank and Marc Thiessen, The Washington Post, and Jay Bookman, AJC.com.

Dolphin Messengers

Rachel and Brad were traveling in their dinghy returning home from a doctor's appointment when they were suddenly accompanied by three dolphins. An experience such as this is truly one of life's gifts.   Out in the water between Charlotte Amalie and Water Island these beautiful creatures swam alongside while they "talked" and blew air.