Day 2 Day radishes

January 31/ More Ferries

Today I rode the Kingston/Edmonds ferry. Having discussed the ferries the other day I thought I would show a few pictures. One is of the inside of a ferry, two are of the photos hanging on the wall, showing the ferry under construction. This is a  relief map of   the Puget sound area and shows how much water we have in the area. The last picture is of Mr. Radish.

I forgot in my last Washington state transportation tirade, that in 2005 two of our monorail trains clipped each other as they passed, putting the train out of use for over a year. Our monorail is all of 1 mile long. Even the monorail is obsolete. And the legislators are wanting to put in bike path around Lake Union.

January 30/ Cauci

February 9, at one o’clock, the Washington State Republican and Democrat Primaries are held in separate places. I have never gone to one in the eight years I have lived in Washington. But I am going to make an effort to go this year. I had thought that it might make a difference who was on the Republican primary ballot, but in fact it does not. Forty nine percent of the Republican Washington delegates at the Convention are decided by the caucus decision, and the rest of the delegates are from the primary election. Although possibly the primary election could be eliminated this year. I am not sure how that works.

For the Democrats, I think you get in groups for your own candidate, and then you are persuaded to join a group for a different candidate to make a majority. The majority then has all the votes at the Democratic Convention.

I think that for the Republicans at least, by the time we get to caucus time, the whole choice will have been decided by other states.

If you live in Washington, you might enjoy the madness of the cauci.

This precious little thing is why I vote. 

January 29/ Winter claws

Yesterday was snow. Not bad, but three inches. Puget Sound is paralyzed in snow. There is very little snow equipment, and excluding the farm land, there are hills. My husband and I went out because he had an appointment, and he is named, “Minnesota Mike”. Driving in snow is a point of manhood to him. We live at basically the 48^th parallel. Later in the day I call my Shanghai family, and my 11 year old grandson answered the phone. “What are you doing home from school?”, I asked. “It is a snow day!” Shanghai is the same parallel as Jacksonville, Fl. about the 15^th parallel.

Earlier this month my nine year old granddaughter, asked her mother about Santa Claus. Her mother did a fine job of telling her the history and spirit of Santa. And also, “you never ever tell another child.” I think this gave me as bad a wrenching heart, as it did her mother. I got teary eyed myself. The loss of innocence, the passage of time. But the clincher was when she asked her mother if her 11 year old brother, and her 13 old sister, knew. The following week she lost a tooth. Yes . . . . the tooth fairy is like Santa. “Does my brother know?” she asked. It made weep to think that she was looking out for her brother.

January 28/ aftermath

I was very pleased with myself for spending the night myself, and I had done it with moderation, and several chick flicks. My husband came home that day at four. But I realized when I went to bed that I had consumed two bowls of cabbage patch soup for lunch along with many carrots, and half a bowl of dip, 2 red frosted heart cookies, lots of crackers with good blue cheese. Four huge martini stuffed olives, four pickled scallions, two large bowls of homemade Cajun chicken and sausage gumbo with rice, salad, 2 or 3 more red frosted heart sugar cookies (and I know exactly the sugar content), three small designer scotches, 1/3 of a bottle of merlot, and an ice cream Sunday with a maraschino cherry. Possibly I was relieved.

January 26/ Thank you

> Today is a celebration! And this is a love letter. I am trying to think of the last time that I stayed by myself all night without children, friends or husband. I know that I did 45 years ago. I stayed many nights with just the kids and myself, but I always knew there was someone who could call 911.

For many years I had panic attacks, and problems with my heart, and agoraphobia . It was a vicious cycle. Anyway my husband arranged his life, both pleasure and work, to take care of me. He went nowhere with out us arranging for something for me. A few times, I would take sleeping bags over to a friend’s at night, lay down my sleeping bag like a kid, and go home in the morning. The result of this, he missed going places that he would have liked to go. On at least one occassion, I was a good excuse why he couldn’t go some where.

Last night I stayed home myself. And I lived. He went to a Sportsman show yesterday, and to a fishing lecture today. I think he drank martinis with his daughter last night. Here is to Michael and what he has given me. Thanks, and I love you..

January 24/ One Potato, Two potato

This is the international year of the Potato. See www.potato2008.org. I am delighted that potatoes are back. My childhood was filled with potatoes: meat and potato casseroles, baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, and the big ‘no-no’ potato salad. Potato chips were curbed only by our pocket book. It was mashed potatoes at my husband’s house, and baked at mine. When I learned to make raw potato pancakes with sauerbraten, I felt I had arrived as a cook.

Potatoes are a local Skagit Valley crop. It is the fourth largest food crop in the world. They grow in hard to farm places with little soil or hard pan. Several times I have planted potatoes to starve the weeds and to break up the soil. Potatoes tolerate cooler climates.

Try mashing potatoes with walnut oil. Go retro and make twice baked potatoes. Have French fries only at the best restaurants, where they cook them twice in the French manner. Although I can eat fries from McDonald’s. My current favorite recipe is to take red or white potatoes, and boil them until done. Take them out of the water and smash them with a pan or rolling pin. Place in a greased baking pan, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Have a steak while you are at it. Although we are a household of two, we are buying steak at Costco, and freezing what we do not eat. I know prominent cattle ranchers who buy their meat there.

January 23/ young sex

Yesterday my daughter took her two little boys to a play date. At least five mothers were there. One mother said, “It is so hard to be a girl these days. When we vote out the conservatives, it will be better.” Another woman asked what she meant by that comment. “Well”, the woman answered, “the conservatives just preach abstinence, abstinence, abstinence .” My daughter replied, “When they teach boys to put on condoms in the fourth grade, I do not think that is exactly preaching abstinence.”

January 22/ Transportation/ for Washington residents only

According to Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, in the Seattle Times, the state legislature  raised the state gas tax by 5 cents in 2003. The lawmakers dedicated $285 million to build four new ferries to replace the 80 year old  Steel Electric class vessels.  The first ferry was scheduled  to be delivered in 2008.To date not a single design for one ferry has been completed . 

The 80 year old ferries are being taken out of service due to being unsafe, and are having extensive hull repairs. Eighty year old ferries, I still have 11 years to go till I am 80. At the very least I have a pace maker.  Island people are stranded.  Aside from waiting in the ferry line, the trip from Keystone to Port Townsend is a less that 30 minute ride.  To take a car would be at least 4 hours in the middle of the night. While there is currently a passenger only ferry, this does nothing for a produce or gas truck. 

One must wonder how long they thought the 80 year old ferries were going to last.  We buy new cars every 5-7 years.  Our   viaduct   has been deemed unsafe in another earthquake.  The 520 bridge needs to be rebuilt.  These last two projects have been gummed to death.  Will the viaduct ruin the view? Probably.  Do we want the crash of the viaduct when the earth shakes?  Probably not.  Will drivers be inconvenienced by the building of a new bridge?  Likely. Can all the drivers swim away from their cars when the bridge sinks? Worse case scenario, but major inconvenience at best.  In Everett  for three years I have seen them working, inconveniencing  traffic on a restyling of an interchange and widening lanes.     I am wondering when our government is going to be starting on any of the above  projects, because it is going to take twice as long,and cost twice as much.  But lets not talk about competency.

January 18/ Mel Starr and the Gang of Four.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011G9YEU

I have a new friend, Janine Clark, who lives half of the year here in Western Washington and half of the year in Arizona. We have known each other for about four years, but have not really connected until this past fall. We write each other and she writes these lovely letters, with good punctuation, interesting ideas, and she has interests in common to me. I send off these cryptic notes full of nonsense and poor grammar; you get the idea. Let us just say that she is leaps above me. No wonder. She is a writer.

This week she has been notified by Amazon.com, that she is a semi-finalist in their American Break Through Novel contest. The above link is to her first chapter on the web. The novel is for young adults. Think about reading the chapter. I hope my granddaughters do. We are encouraged to write a review. I read it, and definitely would read on. The name is Mel Starr and the band of 4.

January 17/ Health update

Wait! Stop! You can stop praying for my brother. I saw him today and everything about him is improved. He is gaining control of his body. His heart has stopped racing. His brain has stopped bleeding. His kidneys are turning in the right direction. He will start therapy very soon. He will think he is in hell. He is out of bed and is trying for the bathroom. He wants to give up diapers. He is well enough to be cantankerous. For a while I thought I was talking with my father. I thank you for your prayers.