Protecting Marriage

I know the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage is a touchy one. And it's one that will not go away for a while. Utah had the vote on it in 2004; California is going through it now (again); it will come up again and again.

I was sent this article from a family member who lives in California. It is written by a liberal democrat, in support of protecting marriage. Yes, a liberal democrat against same-sex marriage.

It's insightful.

Family Photos

Sam's family had family photos taken a couple of weeks ago. They turned out to be great!

Life of Pi

I finished reading this book over the weekend. Wow. It's fascinating. I recommend for you all to read it. You can check out some discussions and reviews of it, including mine, at GoodReads.com

(Bytheway, if you're not a member of GoodReads, become one. It's a great way to share books you enjoy and to find others books worth reading.)

Baking Soda as Shampoo?

Over a month ago someone told me that baking soda makes a great shampoo. It's similar to lemon juice (for blondies) or vinegar--whereas you only use it to "deep clean" or to get rid of some buildup on the hair and scalp.

I use some sticky pomade-y stuff to make my hair stay, and it does build up--but I didn't notice until after I used the baking soda. Wow. Talk about cleansing. Just mix a small palm-full with some water and rub onto your scalp.

I have now started a habit of a baking soda hair wash every 3-4 weeks. Me likey.

My Own Chicken Coup

In addition to my "One of These Days" list, I'm now inclined to include the following.

One of these days I will have my own little coup of chickens so that I can have a virtually endless supply of fresh, colored eggs. Like these:

PS Thanks to my brother for sharing. I'm excited to eat them. Omelets, anyone? Or German Pancakes?

Bikin' in the Rain

Saturday morning I enjoyed a nice, not-as-windy-as-usual bike ride from my home to an itsy-bitsy town called Utahn. It's a fairly scenic route for around here--passing farms and small cows who run away like you are trying to snatch them. There's llama, snakes, and large long-horn steers. Hardly any traffic. A very nice way to enjoy some exercise.

It's a ride that slowly takes you uphill (you don't tend to notice the slight incline, unless it's windy and then you really notice. Ugh.), with a temendous hill at the end connecting to highway 87, which from there to Duchesne is a carefree, air-through-your-hair downhill ride.

It took me 30 minutes to get to the turnoff to Utahn (7.3 miles from my home), 10 minutes to bike up the hill to highway 87 (1.4 miles...steep uphill, like I said), and 20 minutes to soar down the highway and back home (6.3 miles). (and this is on a regular mtn bike--I don't own a road bike yet) I'm not sure if those are good times or not...

The best part was watching the clouds as I rode. The morning ride started out as beautiful and bright with omnious-looking clouds coming from the south-west. I thought they'd continue south-westerly, and that I'd be too north of them before anything could happen. I was wrong! Each time I looked toward the clouds they were more and more north--following me up the road.

Just as I got to the turn off toward the highway (the uphill part) it rained on me. My bike and I were drenched! And as soon as I got to the highway (10 minutes later), it stopped raining, and I could see the storm cloud heading east, away from me.

The rain was quite refreshing, actually. And while I was certainly freezing by the time I flew downhill in soaking clothes, I did enjoy a nice mug of hot chocolate and a steamy bath to warm me.

Basil Artichoke Pasta

So, I'll admit that this is not the most appealing looking photo. But it is GOOD!

Saute chopped onions and mushrooms with basil (fresh if you have it, but dried works well, too) and any other spice to taste (or smell...whatever). Add sun-dried* tomatoes and a can of artichoke hearts. Serve with noodles (original recipe called for spaghetti noodles, but Sam has a thing against spaghetti noodles). Hmmm num num!

*we didn't have sun-dried tomatoes, so we just used a can of garlic/herb diced tomatoes.