We are highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain

The 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. A single carefully-planned and well-executed stroke removed the United States Navy's battleship force as a possible threat to the Japanese Empire's southward expansion. America, unprepared and now considerably weakened, was abruptly brought into the Second World War as a full combatant.


Eighteen months earlier, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had transferred the United States Fleet to Pearl Harbor as a presumed deterrent to Japanese agression. The Japanese military, deeply engaged in the seemingly endless war it had started against China in mid-1937, badly needed oil and other raw materials. Commercial access to these was gradually curtailed as the conquests continued. In July 1941 the Western powers effectively halted trade with Japan. From then on, as the desperate Japanese schemed to seize the oil and mineral-rich East Indies and Southeast Asia, a Pacific war was virtually inevitable.


By late November 1941, with peace negotiations clearly approaching an end, informed U.S. officials (and they were well-informed, they believed, through an ability to read Japan's diplomatic codes) fully expected a Japanese attack into the Indies, Malaya and probably the Philippines. Completely unanticipated was the prospect that Japan would attack east, as well.


The U.S. Fleet's Pearl Harbor base was reachable by an aircraft carrier force, and the Japanese Navy secretly sent one across the Pacific with greater aerial striking power than had ever been seen on the World's oceans. Its planes hit just before 8AM on 7 December. Within a short time five of eight battleships at Pearl Harbor were sunk or sinking, with the rest damaged. Several other ships and most Hawaii-based combat planes were also knocked out and over 2400 Americans were dead.

Read more at the history.navy.mil website>>>

The survivors want us to remember. Remember more than the page and a half in the modern text books. Many fear that once they have gone, that we will forget about them. We will always remember!

Many heart-filled thanks to the Greatest Generation.

Oh Donna. . . OOOHHH Donna

I did a early morning boo-boo the other day, and linked the winner of the books to a certain blog. I misread Donna's profile. I apologize.

So will the real Donna please stand up?

If you are the Donna  that this profile belongs to>>> could you please email me with your mailing address so I can get the set of *Know Your* books out to you in time for Christmas?

Thank you!

Paypal rep says you can raise money for a sick cat but not poor people? (update)

A friend on facebook posted a link. I being freeazing cold and nothing better to do, went and clicked on it. Oh. . My. . .you . . . are. . .freakin. . . kidding. . .me!

Cat 1, Kids 0

As you know, we have been trying to buy Christmas presents for kids in the Regretsy community.


We took many applications, vetted them carefully and set about creating a giant gift exchange program, where you could buy a gift for the over 200 children we’re helping.


We raised so much money that we found ourselves in a position of not just being able to send toys, but to send a monetary gift to the families as well. We hoped it might help them make their holiday dinners more special, or maybe pay a pressing bill.


PAYPAL SHUT IT DOWN


Apparently we made the mistake of using the “Donate” button, which Paypal is now claiming is only for nonprofit organizations to use. They froze the account, which also includes Zazzle money that we use to make emergency gifts. That money isn’t in issue, but what the hell! Might as well keep everything!


So last night, I decided to go about this a different way. Since these toys are already purchased, I decided to offer them up for sale on this site, just like any other retailer would. You could buy them according to what you wanted to spend, and we would send them on to the recipient of your gift, just like any other retailer.


PAYPAL SHUT IT DOWN


Read the entire post here>>>Cats 1, Kids 0

Can we agree that this is wrong on so many levels. Unless you do a lot of digging on the Paypal website then it would seem that anyone can have a donate button. Most of us bloggers have one for our tips.  Even posts on the paypal wall from their reps encourage you to use the donate button in a everyone must get stoned type of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately paypal has a monopoly on many of us that use it for sales.  It's the only way to process credit card orders on our part.  But you can write to paypal and tell them what you think of their scam (keeping the processing money for the donations they are forcing them to return.)

Paypal has released the funds>>>

Gifts from the Kids: Soap on a Rope

For soap on a rope you will need

2 cups soap flakes
1/2 cup tap hot water
yarn or a cord (we use baling twine)


Looks like cheese

You need to grate your soap. When I was in town,I checked and I didn't see any bath soap flakes, and you don't want to use the laundry soap.

Cut you twine or yarn to fit loosely around the neck. Lower to mid chest, and tie a knot at the ends.

Pour your hot water into the bowl with your soap. You can add food coloring to it if you want. Squeeze like meatloaf until it forms a ball. It will be sudsy.

Break the ball up into however many you may need. (we did two, then combined the excess of these to form a third)

Wrap around your twine. Squeeze it firmly to adhere to the twine, right above the knot. Squish into cookie cutter or free hand sculpt.

(These are the boys prototypes. They forbid me to show you the finished product in case the recipients of the gift happens to see this blog. Medium made the Christmas tree, Small the dog, and Large made Mr. Hanky)

Allow to dry for several days. Once dry, tie a knot above the soap.

And a warning. Even after scrubbing your hands, soap still seems to cling under your fingernails. Be careful not to wash your mouth out with soap. It really doesn't taste that good.

Death Becomes her

I now have a real tree in my house.





I know, many of you are like big deal. So you have this tiny tree in your house. However I am allergic to evergreens. All evergreens. And not the eyes are puffy watery, sinus owie,  skin break out in hives. No the last time there was a real tree in my house (can't believe I am saying this) 30 years ago, it was a OH MY GOODNESS!!!! SHE CAN'T BREATHE!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE'S ASPHYXIATING ON HER OWN VOMIT!!!!!!!!!! CALL AN AMBULANCE!!! Spend Christmas in a hospital with a throat swollen shut, deathly kind of allergic.

Honestly I have felt weirdly bad about the boys not having a real tree. Don't ask me why, it just isn't rational. I talked with Husband. He too has never had a real tree. He has always had the $38 Blue Light Special. And it has been years since I have even attempted to be in a room with one. So we decided to try a small potted tree.

I have no ornaments that will fit on it. The topper is a candy cane topper that my best friend's mother in 3rd grade made me.

Medium is now working on some origami ones to put on it.

I am hoping I have outgrown the deathly allergic, and maybe a small 2 ft tree will make a difference (vs the 7ft one as a child). Wish me luck!

Raw Milk Freedom Riders; Wisconsin to Chicago Dec. 8

Who: Raw Milk Freedom Riders and Speakers from around the U.S.
What: 100 gallons of Raw Milk and Cookies to be distributed in support of Food Freedom
Where: From Wisconsin to Chicago. Rally at Independence Park, 3850 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL. 60618
When: Thursday, December 8, 2011 (11:30am-2:00pm)
Why: After the first Freedom Ride from Pennsylvania to FDA HQ in Silver Spring, MD on November 1, the FDA issued a statement saying, in part, they did not "intend" to target individuals transporting raw milk across state lines for their own, individual use. Implicit in this, FDA is admitting their intent to criminally target agents, buying clubs, coops and farmers in their pursuit of raw milk prohibition.

Join the Freedom Riders as they call for an end to the prohibition and criminalization of raw milk transactions!

The caravan of Freedom Riders will include embedded reporters to broadcast what the Riders are doing and why - to shed light on the FDA's violent and failing policies. Riders are informing the FDA of their intentions and inviting the FDA to the party as they caravan over 100 gallons of raw milk from Wisconsin and then distribute in Chicago at Independence Park. It is time to challenge the FDA on the law that turns honest parents, farmers and other individuals into criminals for transporting raw milk across state lines.

Food Freedom heroes Max Kane, David Gumpert, Liz Reitzig, Kathy Pirtle, John Moody, Jim Marlowe, Michael Badnarik, and many others dedicated to raw milk choice and food freedom will join up for a rally and peaceful demonstration at Independence Park in Chicago.

EVERYONE is welcome to join the rally and help make a HUGE statement to the FDA on this movement toward personal choice, dietary privacy, and food freedom!

Confirm your attendance at either location by signing up for the facebook event (use the link midway down this page).

Media and other inquiries for this event can be sent to: rawmilkfreedomriders@gmail.com.

If you are unable to make it, but would like to support these efforts, please donate

Contact: Liz Reitzig, Co-founder Farm Food Freedom Coalition LizReitzig@gmail.com            301.807.5063       http://www.FarmFoodFreedom.org/events.htm

If you want your giggle for the day, watch this video of Freedom Rider Max Kane of Wisconsin inviting the FDA's John no-one-should-ever-drink-raw-milk-at-any-time-for-any-reason Sheehan to the WI to Chicago event.

Information about farm raids at www.FarmFoodFreedom.org

Yours for food freedom,

Deborah Stockton, Executive Director
National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association

Our purpose is to promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products.

NICFA opposes any government funded or managed national animal identification system.

And the winner is. . . .

Congrats to Donna  (no blog listed)

Please send me your mailing address, my email is on my profile page, and we will get those books shipped out to you.

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Do you think they're cold?

There is a fire going in there. It's 20F outside

Depression Gift; Molas

Molas are a product of the Kuna women of Panama. I have several that my father brought with him when he came to the US.

 I am leaning towards getting a tattoo of the above mola, it's a fox and chickens.

Making your own is simple, you quilters should like this. Molas are traditionally 2-7 layers of fabric.

The fabric doesn't need to be a solid color.  And can be any size you want your panel to be.

First decide on your design, and map it out. Next put down your first layer of cloth, do not cut into this one, it's your base.  Add your second layer and cut your design so the the first cloth is seen through the second.

Repeat each layer, making sure that you cut over the previous colors holes so that the first/second and so on colors can be seen at the finish.

Pin your fabric together so that it can be sewn. Make sure that it is all flat as possible, and sew outlines into the design, then sew all the way around it.

For those of us that can barely sew, use this to wrap presents, like books in. Or mount them as art work as the real ones above.

Those of you that are more talented, molas are made to be used. Traditionally skirts and blouses. You can use the panels you make for blankets, window dressings, purses, and so forth.

Kids can make them with construction paper and glue if you don't trust them with your needles.

Homemade gift for the teen boy ~Devil Sticks~

Luckily for me Large is a dork. No worries, he knows he is a dork and is very proud of his oddness. The Devil Sticks are not going to be for any boy (girls like them too). A kid that likes Hackey Sacks or juggling, medieval reenactments or RPG's (not video games). If you don't want to deal with the negative side of teen angst, be aware of what your kid is into, could make for a miserable Christmas morning.

These Devil Sticks are for the beginner.

You will need:

2 wooden dowels 
4 feet of 5/16" diameter
2 feet of 1/2" diameter

Athletic tape any color(s)

A hand saw

What to do:

Cut the dowels to 2 feet in length. You will need 1 of the thick dowel and 2 of the same length of the thinner dowels.

Take one of the tapes and pull down a long piece, keeping it attached to the roll. Spin the tape so that it spiral on itself, lazily. Wrap this around your thick dowel, sticky side out. Lattice the dowel with the tape, like this:

Reverse the direction, doubling up but creating the lattice look. Make sure you overlap the previous tape.

You can use the same color tape here, sticky side down, cover the lattice work thoroughly. On each end of your thick stick, you will need to make counter weights. Use the tape to do this. Wrap the tape around each end, testing out the balance as you add to it.

Wrap tape around your 2 hand sticks (thinner dowels) just the same as the exterior part of your middle stick (thicker dowel) but not the lattice work. However you will need to vary the direction in which you wrap and create small bumps as you go. You can do this in multiple colors.

This is your finished product. You can add tassels to the end of the middle stick with the tape if you want.

And when they get really good at it, you can add fire

If you don't know what Devil sticks are or how to use them, here is a video.

How to Use a Devil Stick in Juggling

Look for possible savings for supplies for devil sticks at Home Depot.