Allyson

It’s been a heck of a few weeks, but things seem to finally be slowing down slightly. I am behind in postings, and hella busy, so if I miss one or two, I apologize. It’s National Novel Writing Month, and I’m writing a new cookbook. I hope to have the first draft complete by Dec 1st. That eats a lot of time, because it requires me to do a LOT of writing each day, but it’s very productive.

I got talking with friends about the differences between the Left and the Right. The biggest one that I see is the concept of morals. These are, of course, very sweeping generalities. Take what you will from them.

The Right has a very strict sense of morality, and while there are people under the Big Tent with different beliefs, generally speaking the vast majority hold incredibly similar morals. You can be a straight laced, white Christian and be Republican. You can be as gay as they come, pagan, and be Republican. But if you think it’s okay to punch people because of their beliefs, you can’t really be Republican. The opposite is true of the Left. On the Left, if you aren’t clad in rainbows and supportive of whatever the victim-de-jour requires, you can’t be Democrat. On the other hand, you can have wildly different moral codes, and in fact have moral codes that change depending on the moment.

The Right likes to talk about how intolerant the Left is, and the Left makes all sorts of claims about intolerance on the Right. Trump’s election win has the Left trotting out Karl Popper’s essay on intolerance, of course. Let me share:

“Less well known is the paradox of tolerance: Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. — In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal.” — Karl Popper, The Open Societies and Its Enemies

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I’m not a huge creamed corn fan, but wow, this was delicious! It was a bright, sunny looking meal on a miserable, chill evening. The sweetness of the corn complimented the savory chicken, and the entire dish came together in under an hour. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cans of corn (15 oz each) strained
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of dry oregano
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

On a plate or platter, lay out the chicken strips. Drizzle them with a tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set the chicken to the side.

Add the first can of drained corn into your blender or food processor and add in the milk. Blend until this is smooth, then set it aside.

In a large sauce pan, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium high heat. Add in the chicken strips and sear until they are golden brown. Don’t rush this! You  may need to do it in stages, depending on the size and depth of your pan. Don’t crowd the pan; it’s better to do several batches than to try and shove them all in at the same time. When the strips are seared, remove them and rest them on a plate.

In the pan you just removed the chicken from, add in the onion and saute until it’s soft and translucent. Add in the minced garlic, and saute until it is fragrant, about a minute. Add in the pinch of red pepper flakes (if desired), oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.

Pour the corn and the corn and milk mixture into the pan over the onions and herbs. Stir well, and then simmer until it begins to thicken. Season it with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove the sprigs of thyme, and add in the butter and cheese. Fold it in gently, and let it simmer for another few minutes until it’s all incorporated. Return the chicken and the juices to the pan, cover, and let it simmer for another few minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and gravy-like.

Notes:

I didn’t use fresh thyme. Instead, I used a teaspoon of dried thyme. It worked fine! I used oat milk, because I can’t do dairy, but regular milk would be great. I used plant based “butter,” and I added the cheese at the very end, so I could have mine (with plant based “cheese”) separate from everyone else’s (with real cheese). That worked out relatively well, to be honest. I served it up with some pasta, but it would have gone equally well with rice or mashed potatoes.

It does need a vegetable, as corn really doesn’t pause much on its way through you. I went with carrots, because it was such a bright yellow that I thought it needed some orange in there. I boiled them, then sauteed them in olive oil and garlic, and served them on the side.

Light is a topic that’s come up a few times in my prepper discussions, and so I thought it deserved its own article. Light is defined as “…something that makes vision possible.” (Merriam Webster) We call the light part of our day, aptly enough, daytime. We can see to study, to teach, to learn, and to do. For hundreds and thousands of years, light has been of immense importance to human beings.

The first light was, of course, the sun. Light happened during the day, and night was when you huddled together and tried not to get eaten. The purposeful use of fire is the second light. Fire allowed us to do things in the dark. It kept predators at bay. It warmed our bodies, our food, and even our souls. Once fire was harnessed, it was more a matter of what method to invent to keep the light on at night, safely and effectively.

Some of the earliest lanterns were Canaanite oil lamps. These were basically pinch pots, or rather, a shallow bowl with a pinched spout at one end for holding a wick. These open candles go back farther than our written history. I can say with authority that they do work, too, having both made and used some myself. From a prepping standpoint, open candles can be made out of just about anything. A wick in a bowl works, especially if you can float the wick somehow. Consider an old cork with a hole in it to hold a wick, floating on an oil source.

Fuel oil in early times came from animal fat, or from nut oils. Tallow candles were used as early as 500 BCE, in Rome. They continued to be used until modern paraffin became easily available. Paraffin wax was quickly adopted, because it had almost no smell at all. Candles made from tallow or other animal fats were quite stinky.

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BLUF: Be compassionate. Yes, even if it hurts. Yes, even if they’re assholes and dickwads. I want to know that I picked the right side. I want to know that this is the side that isn’t lying to me.

Right, we have a new President Elect. Trump defied the odds, and he took it all. He is the President Elect. He won us the Senate. And it looks like he won us the House. I’m sure most of us have been celebrating in some fashion or another for the past couple of days. And now it’s time to buckle down.

The Right have decried the Left for having majorities and doing nothing with them. We have the majority across the board for the next while, and we NEED to be doing stuff with it. We need to enact those campaign promises. Better economy, getting dangerous criminal aliens out of the country, lower grocery costs, better housing market, and the list goes on. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but Trump must put himself to work immediately and start getting things done.

The Left is so aflutter with terror right now that there might actually be a teaching moment, if the Right can keep things together. For the next few weeks, between election results and inauguration, the Left expects to be treated like dirt. We can’t. We must act with compassion.

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And… it’s over. Election season is done. Yesterday (or earlier) everyone cast their votes. Today, we have a new President elect.

Of course, I’m writing this in advance. At the time of writing this, we’re still in the throes of early voting, and Election Day is still a bit away. I can’t say that I’ll be unhappy to see the election mess over with. I may change my mind about that by the time this is published, of course.

Here are my prediction, made about a week before election. Take from it what you will.

I think that Trump is going to get in. I’m afraid to hope for that, right now, but I just feel like that’s what’s about to happen. I can’t find a poll that I trust, so I really don’t know. Everyone I do trust is saying that this election is too close to call. Still, I’ve seen lots of Trump signs and a lot fewer Harris ones over the past few months. That must mean something… right?

If Trump gets in, I believe we’re going to see the cities burn. I doubt that the mayhem will erupt into rural areas, if only because rural folk don’t put up with that crap. I think that the cities will be hugely damaged by rioters of the Left. I expect there to be some loss of life in the days to come. I am sure that a number of people will play stupid games and win stupid prizes, and we’ll hear all about it on the news.

If Harris gets in, there are likely to be challenges over voter fraud. I am going to assume that if Harris gets in, even by a slim margin, all the challenges will be dismissed. I have some major concerns about a Harris presidency. She and her group have spent a lot of time calling the Right Nazis and racists, and that means they themselves are likely those things. We tend to accuse others of doing the things we don’t want to admit we’re doing ourselves. I’m concerned she’ll actually attempt to round up Trump followers and reeducate them.

I’d like to say that I don’t believe things will be All That Bad, but I suspect no matter who’s in office, it’s going to be bad. Trump, for better or worse, has become the face of divisiveness in politics. I know that’s 99% to do with the Left media distorting things, but it is what it is. It’s why I wanted to see Nikki Haley or Ted Cruz up there rather than Trump. But this is where we are.

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@vine.of.liberty I know I got cut off at the end. Go vote, that’s it. Wake up Wednesday and do your normal things. Do not let fear be your master. #vote #vineofliberty #politics #peaceful ♬ original sound – The Vine of Liberty

Look, you may not agree with some of the things I say, or value my opinions, but by all that’s holy, go vote. Everyone: left, right, centrist, whatever. VOTE. Not because the country is divided, but because it is your God given right to vote, and because it is your responsibility to vote. Make an educated choice, after listening to unbiased media, and/or listening to both (or all) sides involved. But vote!!!

I love this soup, and it can be made with just the squash, or with the pears as well. I think the sweetness of the pears really adds a depth to the soup that the squash alone doesn’t have. If you want to impress your family, serve this in a hollowed out large squash (such as a pumpkin or hubbard squash). What a centerpiece!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs butternut squash
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, chopped into 1″ cubes
• ½ cup half and half

Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut your squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and stringy bits. Place the squash halves, cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in your preheated oven until very soft, about 45 minutes. Allow the squash to cool slightly, and then scoop out the meat into a bowl. The skin can be discarded.

Melt the butter in a stout soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the pear chunks and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.

Puree your soup into a smooth liquid. This can be done in a blender, but you must be careful and do it in batches with the pitcher only half full. I prefer to use a stick blender, which can be done right in the pot. You could also use a food processor, but I’d be careful not to have back splash.

Stir in the half and half, and gently whisk to combine. Reheat the soup before serving, if necessary.

If you want to make this pretty, to each bowl add a drizzle of heavy cream over the top and swirl gently with a spoon to make circles of white. Add a sprig of mint or oregano and a couple of pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Notes:

When I make this, I always double or triple the amount of curry I use. You want to be able to really taste the curry flavor. If you have people who are unable to tolerate heat, try using a shwarma blend of curry spices.  It packs a hearty flavor punch without burning the lips off. A spicier curry powder can be added at table, or red pepper flakes, for those who like heat. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a good quality chili pepper oil over the surface instead of cream.

An alternative and more meaty approach to this recipe is to add in leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and serve it the following day with leftover rolls or sliced bread.

There are two main options, should the shit actually ever hit the fan: bugging in, or bugging out. Yes, there are variations to both of those, but that’s essentially your two choices in their most basic form. I’ve talked about bugging in a bit, and about hiding in forests and building shelters and such. But what about bugging out?

If you’ve decided (for whatever reason) to leave your home during an emergency, you have to address the issue of travel. Near as I can tell, you have a very limited number of methods to travel in the average bug out situation:

• your vehicle
• a non-motorized method of transport (ie a bicycle, unicycle, scooter, skateboard, etc.)
• riding an animal (horse, llama, sheep, yak, whatever)
• walking

Your vehicle, be it a car, truck, camper van, or motorcycle, is probably your first thought. I know it’s mine. My car already has a bug out bag in it, and in winter there’s always a 72 hour survival bucket stashed in the back, just in case. Your vehicle (other than the motorcycle, for the most part) is also a type of shelter, somewhere to be secure with doors locked, out of the rain and wind and snow, with at least somewhat comfortable sleeping arrangements. You can also cart things with you in a vehicle, such as food, clothing, emergency shelter like tents and tarps, first aid items, and weapons with ammo.

There’s a major drawback with vehicles, though. They run on fuel. If you run out of fuel, you stop. Now, if you carry a siphon kit (and I do recommend it, because sucking gas out of a tank without one is a very unpleasant thing indeed, and no I don’t want to talk about it), you can remove fuel from other vehicles. If the movies (and images of war torn countries) are reliable, you’ll probably find abandoned cars and trucks at the side of (or in the middle of) the roads. These can be checked for abandoned fuel, depending on your situation, and you can take from them if they have any.

You can carry extra fuel with you, though you may want to be careful about how you do that. You shouldn’t really carry fuel inside a vehicle, and if you have it on the outside, you’re advertising to everyone that you have fuel to spare. Whether it’s FEMA, desperate parents, or raiders, you could lose that extra fuel if you stop. Disguising it (fuel canisters inside empty suitcases?) might be your best bet, along with securing them with locks, and protecting yourself and your gear using firearms.

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So here I am. The waters have retreated and I’m standing on dry beach, and all these new people are standing around and near me. I’m being welcomed, and it all seems very friendly. I want to let my guard down. I really do. But damn, folks, it’s HARD.

Recently, I had a conversation with Chris about birth control. We all know that “just don’t have sex” doesn’t work, and hasn’t worked since before written history. I was explaining that to me, it just makes sense that if you want a low abortion rate (which I do), then the answer is to have effective, inexpensive, low side-effect birth control. Preferably, you want several types, too, so that people have choices, and so that men and women both can be involved in being responsible.

I pointed out that there are many people on the Right who advocate eradicating both abortion AND birth control, and I want to know why. Why is that so important, to remove birth control from people? It makes no sense to me.

I admit, I may have said to Chris that a good portion of unwanted babies (via rape and incest, for example) all have come about because of men. Women don’t rape men and then get upset over getting pregnant (or there are so few that I’ve not only never read about it, I’ve never even heard a whisper about it) and become so emotional that they require an abortion. That makes men the problem. This is, of course, a grand simplification of the issue and removes franchise from women, which is not cool. But the idea is there, and it’s not a wrong idea, it’s just that it’s too vague as currently stated. Chris’s response was, of course, that men who commit incest or diddle little girls should be fed through a wood chipper on low speed, feet first, wearing a tourniquet. I heartily agree with him on that one.

But that doesn’t address the birth control issue. The worst part is, I don’t even really know how to ask the question, or what to say to get a reasonable (ie truthful, meaningful, statistically relevant) answer. How many people on the Right are interested in legislating or otherwise taking away the right to use birth control? This is not a question about paying for it, by the by. I know there’s insurance issues and all that. That’s not a part of what I’m after here. For the purposes of this line of questioning, you can assume that everyone pays up front cash for their birth control. How do I find out whether the Left is correct about this issue?

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