Appreciating my cozy home, and railing on about the usual...

It's cozy in my house this morning; G got up early as he always does, got the pellet stove going, and when I got up at 5:30, I got a chicken carcass simmering with some celery-- soup with dumplings tonight! The ice came through and through again last night, and we have predictions for on and off snow today. This feels like the kind of November we had years ago. I'll watch Mass on the livestream, and then my class starts shortly after-- tight schedule, so being home and watching it while the soup is cooking  makes sense, with the added "fun" of slick roads... thank goodness for the livestream. 

I've been buying flour. Every time it goes on sale, I get another bag of flour. I think I need to stop for a while-- I have 7 five-pound bags. Must be my squirrel instinct has gone into overdrive. I have not been baking as much (my sourdough died), but winter is upon us, and I have bananas in the freezer. I am thinking about muffins, too. And maybe G will make some cookies... 

At any rate, I'm glad to have the dry goods in the cabinet. My huge BJs shipment came the other day, too-- we have extra of a lot of basics for the time being. If the weather behaves next Sunday, the plan is to head down to Tilton (let's try that again) to stock up on the things they don't ship, and to pick up the free turkey. Yup, a free one. Well, call it a bonus-- they had a deal going that if you spent 150.00+, you got a coupon to get a turkey. A Butterball, mind you. I don't mind saying, that is a nice bonus. I have a couple in the freezer already, so maybe I can convince Meg to make one in her own house. 

And I have my Coop patronage check to use! As a member of the Coop, we get a little back on the good years, once a year. I like to save that for the holiday meals. We'll see if I use it for Thanksgiving or save it for Christmas. 

Speaking of the Coop, I rounded up again yesterday. It's not a lot, but every bit helps, and the food pantries are running low on the regular. I also have the big box of supplies to bring to work this week for our school pantry. If I can't solve the hunger problems of the nation/world, at least I can keep the kids fed a bit at school. 

I know, I've been ranting about this issue a lot lately. It still rankles me immensely that there are those in positions of authority and power who feel starving children is a good political ploy, that somehow, if they polish up the "holier than thou" rhetoric, it makes it okay to force people into submission by tightening the supply of food, medicine, shelter, and so on. 

Get a job, they say. Well, if one is unhoused, then there is no address to put on a job application. If one has no appropriate clothing, then one can't go to the interview to get the job. And if one is sick, then one can't possibly be a good employee. And no food? It's demoralizing, and a contributory factor to illness, abuse, and suicide, among other things. 

Oliver Twist. Jean ValJean. Old Mother Hubbard. Hansel and Gretel. Literature is full of moral tales: people who are desperate and hungry can't do much else. So why would we think that making people more desperate and hungry is going to motivate them? A hungry animal will bite. Violence is one result of this level of desperation that the authorities are pushing many people to. It makes no sense, except as a plan to foment unrest and to punish those who have nothing. Cruelty and misery, hand in hand.

Okay, I'll go tend to my simmering chicken. I'm sure you have similar feelings. Thanks for letting me blow off more steam. =)

Take care, hold your loved ones tightly, and let's try to help those around us who are feeling a little lost. 

Blessings,

C