0 for 1 so far

I'm shocked.

Ted Stevens was convicted.

Shocker #2: he's still allowed to run for senate.

This has got to be the most exciting Alaskan political season since Soapy Smith roamed the streets of Skagway.

So, I'm 0 for 1. My second prediction was that he would be re-elected.

Wouldn't that be interesting?

Friendship

Martha Stewart and I don't get to hang out much since she's usually whipping up a fourteen layer cake or trimming ferns while I'm schlepping around the house in my sweats and trying to get the kids to finish their math assignments.

A couple of weeks ago, I did catch a few minutes of her show. I can't even remember what the subject was about, but the guest started talking about Amish friendship bread.

Martha had never heard of such a thing.

When the guest went on to explain how you get a starter from a friend and how you care for your starter for several days before baking bread for yourself, dividing the starter into more bags, and passing it on to a friend, Martha pooh-poohed the whole process as too complicated and time consuming.

Well, it is, a little. On the other hand, maybe no-one loves Martha enough to give her a mushy zip-loc bag of friendship.

I got a friendship bread starter this week and you know what I thought?

I HAVE A FRIEND!

Granted, I have to plan my trip this weekend around getting the bread baked, the starter divided, and all. But I might just be richer than Martha!

Pride Cometh

Ted Stevens, republican Senator from Alaska, has been in office my whole life. He was already a senior Senate member when I met him in 1985. This week, he may take the stand in his own defense in his trial over corruption charges. He's up for election next month. I'm predicting he'll be acquitted and re-elected. It'll be interesting...

This one you might not know. He's Frank Murkowski, junior senator from Alaska at the time (1986). He's probably best known right now for being the republican governor that was beaten in Alaska's most recent election by Sarah Palin.

And this one... I'm tempted to let you guess. Here's a hint - this photo was taken BEFORE another famous picture of him in May 1987.

Recipe

1. In early spring, prune grape vines.
   
2. As new sprouts grow, train them along existing wires
   
3. Water generously.
   
4. Shoo away birds, squirrels and children.
   
5. Wait for first frost.
   
6. Harvest grapes.
   
7. Rinse and remove from stems.
   
8. Fill dehydrator with stemless grapes.
   
9. Dry 12 hours, then 12 more, and probably another 12 after that, turning each grape by hand periodically.
   

Yield: 1 cup of raisins.

Missions Sunday

Tomorrow is Missions Sunday at my church. Missionaries are a special breed of folks who sacrifice a lot (sometimes more than they know) to live in a different place, speak a different language, eat different foods. They deal with homesickness, illnesses, and power outages, and they count all of these things as light and momentary troubles.

Tomorrow we'll try to raise the salaries for two missionary families. I'm trying not to worry, but it's a tough time to be asking people to give beyond their normal giving. The up side is that because of the global nature of the economic crisis, the dollar is, ironically, strong compared to other currencies.

Filling the Little Boxes

I haven't even flipped my wall calendar over to October yet and I know that all those little boxes are already filled.

Appointments, commitments, activities, projects. You know the feeling.

A daily appointment for me this month will be with my computer. I want to crank out another draft on a novel manuscript. That's 3000 words a day for 30 days. I'm already way behind. If it doesn't turn out right this time, I've got to retire it and work on something else. But I hate to shelf something that has such great potential.

It's like throwing away one of those plastic containers sliced meat comes in now.

So if you don't hear from me much this month, I'm chained to the other computer (the one without Internet). If you hear from me more, I'm avoiding my other project  'cuz I have writer's block.