Hi, all, - yes, we finally got some rain last nite here in my part of the world - thank goodness.... But unfortunately it appears the deer have invaded my front yards - and they've chomped just about everything they can - platycodon, lilies, you name it... I guess now I know what Chloe was having a fit at nite aobut (I thought she was just getting neurotic as soon as the bedroom lites went out, barking & running downstairs, & carrying on).... but she's not enough of a deterrent. Mary, have a nice time on your trip. Sounds like you and Kathy both have pleasant times ahead to count on. T- nice to hear from you - Im so sorry your little "chicks" are under the weather again - yikes, it makes me tired just to think of it. Sue -- Im sorry you're ill again -- the thought has occurred to me - do you think it could be shingles you're getting? (It popped into my head because a friend just got that -- I know a lot of times after some major stress on our bodies (i.e., operation, severe illness) those of us "eligible" for shingles come down with them... just a thought but you better get it checked out quickly. If it is, I think there are drugs that when taken early onset really make a difference to how severe the bout is. Sure hope you figure it out. That sure was disturbing w/ the Cops in your 'hood, uh? I've had it happen a time or two & it definitely ruins the sleep mode. Great to hear and see from you, Woody - I meant to remark on how lovely your shed has turned out - a little getaway in the woods look - really really charming. And it sounds like Charlotte is enjoying her stay w/ you just fine! Im soo tired -- but have to work late tonite & then go back to PA for some court/estate business on Monday - Im really hoping this will be the last weekend shot to heck for a while -- I can't tell you how horrible the inside and outside of the house is! And no time to shop -- getting really low on toilet paper at my house -- that shows how bad the shopping routine has gone to, LOL.... (McDonald's doesnt sell t.p. - what a shame, hehehe). Norma, great to hear from you as well - Im really missing the times after work to deadhead daylilies and things - I think the deer have done that for me so I dont even know what bloomed - it's breaking my heart this year! I hope your back has healed sufficiently for you now. Deanne -- great shots, as usual -- you'd never know you're missing that Tiger Eye in the driveway; it's still so lush and gorgeous looking -- it must be a full time job every day to keep up with all your containers but it shows - they are truly grand. Well, I better get to work here and hope I dont fall asleep at my desk. I am happy it's at least cooler here and we should enjoy a few days of great weather - I will only be able to grab tomorrow a.m. in the garden. O, p.s. -- Michelle -- I love the shots of your garden & Kenzie -- she's such a sweetie & rightfully is enjoying G'ma's wonderful garden. --Cindy

Thank you, Dr. Henry, for that paper on toxic GM-effects on goats. Corn & soybean & canola & cottonseed are genetically modified, the Republic Magazine stated that other grains are safe: "Other than corn, no GM grains are sold on the market. Look for 100-percent wheat pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, oats, barley, sorghum, and dried beans (except soybeans). Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed. Sugar beets and 50% of Hawaii papaya are genetically modified." **** from Straw: That's why I buy sugar-cane products, rather than sugar made from beets. I fed my kid those Pepperidge Farm cookies (made from cottonseed oil) and she broke out in rashes and scratched herself bloody. I ate those cookies and had the worst hayfever: runny nose & sneezing. Went shopping yesterday: They had strawberries for $2.50 versus organic strawberries for $3.45. I sniffed both: the organic strawberries was more fragrant, versus the regular with a slight chemical scent. After sniffing both for several times, my nose was in pain (I stuck my nose too close). I realized that it's the pesticides sprayed on that inflamed my nose. My nose burned for hours afterwards Two years ago I tasted grape at the store, and had a tummy ache. Strawberries is known for the most pesticides I'm very sadden by UK’s Daily Mail report that an estimated 125,000 farmers in India have committed suicide because of crop failure and massive debt since planting GM seeds. Recent Center for Human Rights and Global Justice report: "Indian farmers bought genetically modified Bollgard Bt cotton seeds from the Gates Foundation-backed Monsanto corporation ... 85 percent of cotton grown in India being Monsanto-controlled Bt cotton by 2009. However, the seeds were expensive, and spiralling prices (coupled with planting restrictions from the multinationals selling the seeds) led farmers to hefty loans. Almost 300,000 cotton workers have committed suicide to date, some of them by drinking the same insecticides they were sold by multinationals." From Straw: Years ago I watched a documentary film "Seeds of deception" where Mexican agriculture scientists voiced concern with GM seeds corrupting the bio-diversity of local seeds, which are well-adapted to drought and adverse local conditions. Dr. Frank Lipman, from http://www.drfranklipman.com/basic-questions-on-gmos/ stated, "The major benefit of all commercial GMO’s is that they are bred to either tolerate direct application of herbicides and/or have the ability to produce their own pesticides. They have not been bred to increase yield, become drought tolerant, improve nutrition or to have any other benefit to the consumer. So at present they have no health benefit, their benefits are purely economic." *** From Straw: It's about power, money, and control. Politics and economic factors are factors, besides ill health. The vindictive dirt-throwing, defamation attacks against international scientists, and bullying tactics of big corporations made me more sick than the ill-effects of GM-foods. We are saved from our wheat being genetically-modified, thanks to the farmers voicing concerns that our wheat can't be exported, if genetically modified. More from Dr. Lipman: "In Europe, over 175 regions and over 4500 municipalities have declared themselves GM-free zones. And in 2009, Germany along with France, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Austria, Poland and Romania banned Monsanto’s MON 810 GM corn because of its documented dangers to biodiversity and human health. Additionally, states in Australia, regions in New Zealand and Brazil and the countries like Venezuela, Zambia, Sudan, Angola and others, all want to be GM-free.The balanced reporting of the press in Europe of the dangers of GMO’s made a significant contribution to the decision to reject GMO’s. Below link is a detailed list from Republic Magazine on which foods are GM-tainted: Here is a link that might be useful: List of GM foods vs. non-GM This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Mar 1, 14 at 15:06

My peach torte with peach gelato turned out to be a huge hit. It was so successful, I decided to go ahead and see if a savory version would turn out for me. It's in the oven right now, so I have to wait 45 minutes to discover if it will be a ''hit'', or I ''missed''! Here is what I did: I substituted the sugar for parmesan cheese I ground in the food processor, and added about 3 T. of chopped chives to the softened butter. After adding the eggs, flour, salt and baking powder, I spread the batter into a greased tart pan, evening it out with an offset spatula. I covered the batter with a thin layer of some French onion sour cream I made yesterday (by carmelizing the onions until they were deeply browned, and stirring them into the sour cream). To that I added a 1/4 lb. of browned sausage (Des Moines finest, Graziano's!), and about 1 Tablespoon of parmesan, which I reserved for the top. I hope it tastes good... Even if it doesn't, the French Onion dip is to die for. I may just have to console myself with that!

Maybe ten years ago (+ or -), Corn Gluten Meal was the next big thing and there were websites touting it as wonderful. Iowa State was a big pusher. Now the websites are gone. I got some CGM from a store somewhere in east TN who told me with a wink and a nod that CGM is what's left from making 'shine. It did have an interesting aroma. And mice love it. I put it on the ground and the weeds came up, With no respect for their having been planted below CGM. From what I read CGM only suppressed seed germination at temps 60ish and above. So winter weeds- home free. Spring weeds home free as well. Summer weeds also did rather well. Maybe as an organic additive? And one of our cats put on good weight by eating the mice that lived in the bag of CGM that was back in our old corn crib.