Quote of the Week

The rich do not exist in a vacuum.  They need a functioning society around them to sustain their position.  Widely unequal societies do not function efficiently, and their economies are neither stable nor sustainable.  The evidence from history and from around the modern world is unequivocal:  There comes a point when inequality spirals into economic dysfunction for the whole society, and when it does, even the rich pay a steep price.

--Joseph Stiglitz, economist
gleaned from The Week

Help!

I wish my regular blog readers lived closer.  My garden has gone into overdrive and I need some veggie lovers to share in its abundance.

I picked the garden this morning.

I've given produce to the neighbors and relatives and even mailed some to a friend in L.A.  There's no sign that the garden has peaked.

Book Report

The Worldly Philosophers, the Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers by Robert L. Heilbroner is a must read for voters in this election year. With the economy in the shape it is in and the potential for things to get worse, every American should learn at least the basics of economics. Each political party is pushing its own brand of economic ideology and whoever succeeds in the 2012 elections will be able to put in place policies that will affect our nation for generations to come.

This book was published in 1953 and the copy I read, which I bought at a church rummage sale, is the revised 1986 edition so there may be copies with more recent revisions. It was used as a text book in many introductory economics classes over the years. Not only does it explain the evolution of economic thought but gives the biographies of the great economists: Adam Smith, Malthus, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and more. It's a very informative and entertaining book.

Garden Photos

This is the most prolific garden we've grown in years.

Canning

Yesterday we picked green beans.  One sixty foot row yielded about 3 gallons. Tomorrow we'll pick again and there will be more. And the next time we pick there will be more. And so goes the summer.

After being snapped and canned the 3 gallons yielded 7 quarts.

These will provide us with green beans for special dinners throughout the year.

Wait, this is Dorothy's latest cake

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.

Quote of the Day

With the greater part of rich people, the chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches, which in their eye is never so complete as when they appear to possess those decisive marks of opulence which nobody can possess but themselves.

Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776

Family Gathering

Last Sunday we had the family over for dinner so we could all visit before the ones from Arizona went home. We don't get together with this many family members very often so we wanted to make a day of it.  We had roast beef, smoked chicken, green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot rolls, salad, along with chocolate cake, peach cobbler, banana pudding, and strawberry trifle.

Here are some miscellaneous pictures taken from various cameras throughout the afternoon:

Our niece Kathy and Dorothy's sister Becky

more photos

Josiah, Paula, James and his girlfriend Meisa, Harvey Chaffin

Cousins Kathy, Paula, Kelly, and Kristi

Shannon and Kristi Morgan

Dorothy and her sisters Gin and Becky, and her brother Bill

The Keys family

Gin and Kathy at the Cherokee Nation Complex