I always try to avoid politics and religion in my columns, but every so often there is a collision between one of those topics and another subject, which I want to address. This is one of those instances, so I will warn you up front that there is a political aspect to this column. Therefore, those of you whom I know would be offended are invited to stop here and go on to something more pleasing to you.
However, if you have read this far, I want to warn you that everyone will be impacted by the legislation in a very negative way, and you really should learn about it before it becomes the law of the land. If we are to stop its passage, we need every concerned citizen to join the cause.
There has been a lot of traffic on the e-mail circuit about a proposed 1% transaction tax that Congress is likely to pass in the “lame duck” session between November and January. Some claim that the transaction tax is just a rumor, an urban legend to scare people into voting out the present majority.
I would agree with that assessment if I didn’t have living proof that the Speaker of the House was questioned about it publicly, and stated (her exact words), “I think the idea still has great merit.” My proof? http://tinyurl.com/24dn5ud. Some things you can fake, but this isn’t one of those.
The latest message I received has a final line that I assume is the opinion of one of the forwarders. “Some will say aw its just 1%… Remember that once they pass it they can raise it at will.”
I strongly disagree with that statement. A 1% tax on every single transaction is HUGE.
First of all, every dollar that passes through your possession is two transactions, one to earn it and one to spend it. And that is only your tax. The entity that gives you the money, whether by check, cash, or direct deposit is also taxed at 1%. The entity that you give the money to is also taxed at 1%. So every dollar is actually taxed at 4% each time it is transferred to you and from you.
It is a fact of business life that the employee or consumer ultimately pays the business tax through less income or higher fees, so we have to double the tax every time you transact any business whether it is income or expense.
Here is an example of how much that 1% tax can grow:
You receive a payment of $1,000 from your employer. From that amount, $10 is deducted from you and another $10 is deducted from your employer—2 transactions.
You only have a net of $990. It is also probable that your actual pay should have been $10 higher, but your employer passed the transaction tax on to you in lost wages.
You deposit the $990 in your checking account. You only get credit for $980.10—that is, if your bank will eat the $9.90 tax they have to pay. If they don’t, your checking account will show a deposit of $971.20.
Are you following me so far?
You later decide to make an ATM withdrawal of $200. Well, you get the full $200, but your checking account shows a withdrawal of $204—that is, if the bank doesn’t charge ATM fees.
You write a check for $120 to the cable provider. Your account is depleted by $121.20. The cable company has probably already added the transaction tax to your bill, so you actually got billed $1.20 more for your service than you would have otherwise paid.
I could go on and on with this, but I think I can summarize your transaction taxes on that $1,000 earned income after you only spent $320 of it.
Let’s see, you lost $20 when you got paid, another $18.80 when you deposited the money, still another $4 when you used the ATM, and $2.40 when you paid your cable bill. That adds up to $45.20. By my reckoning, that means that you paid a transaction tax of 4.52%, and you still have bills to pay and food, gas, clothing and other staples to buy.
Do you see where this is going?
It is completely possible that your transaction tax on that $1,000 could be as high as the number of transactions make it, possible exceeding 10%. And none of that is deductible on your income tax forms. Oh yes, it also does nothing to reduce your income tax and payroll tax that is deducted from the wages to get that $1,000 in the first place.
"Now, tell me again that it is “only 1%.”
(Welcome to the Tea Party)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Road Not Taken
I use a line for a Robert Frost poem as the title for this column, because it fits so well with what we all do from time to time. That is, we choose a path and it might or might not be the right one to take, but we never know what the alternative may have produced. In this instance, as you’ll see, I took both paths, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I would have missed had I not done so.
I flew to Portland, Oregon last week to complete the sightseeing I missed on my auto trip last year. My main objective was to visit Hells Canyon, which straddles the Oregon-Idaho border. That entailed my driving clear across Oregon from Portland to the town of La Grande, a 250-mile trip via I-84. My hotel for the first night was in La Grande, and much of the driving was after sunset. However, the most scenic part along the Columbia River Gorge was during daylight hours, and the scenery was gorgeous (if you’ll pardon the pun).
Driving along I-84, you hug the Columbia River most of the way, and you see towering cliffs alongside the highway on the Oregon side, while the Washington side has huge hills topped by lots of wind generators. There is traffic visible on the Washington side, but it is mostly up on the hillsides away from the river.
I decided to drive back from my eastern Oregon visit on the opposite side of the gorge to see what the Oregon side would look like from there. Since the drive would be all in the daylight, I determined to cross well upriver from Portland to see as much as possible.
Crossing at the town of Umatilla, I started along Highway 14. It isn’t an interstate road, and has only two lanes and opposing traffic all the way, but the speed limit is 65, and there isn’t nearly as much traffic. Especially lacking are the huge 18-wheelers, though there are some of them. I was able to maintain a good pace, and the scenery from the elevated roadway was impressive.
What I didn’t even suspect was the sights that would be visible on the Washington side. There are several large wineries where you can stop and sample wines, and some have full service restaurants as well. The vineyards are huge and dot the hillsides, though none of this was visible from I-84.
Further along Highway 14, there was a sign pointing to the left that said, “Stonehenge.” I had to investigate that, and it turns out that there is a full-sized replica of that famous old stone monument in England. This one was built by a early 1900’s millionaire named Sam Hill as a monument to the men of Klickitat County who gave their lives in WW I. This Stonehenge isn’t all crumbling like the original. It is made of concrete and it has the same calendar aspect of its namesake. It also has plaques with the names and dates of the 13 men who are immortalized there. Sam Hill is buried down the hill from Stonehenge, but the gravesite isn’t easily accessible, and is nothing to look at.
Stonehenge wasn’t the only thing Sam Hill built above the Columbia Gorge. He built an entire town, which he named Maryhill in honor of his daughter, a loop road that is said to be the first paved road in America, and a mansion called (appropriately) Maryhill. That building is still preserved today as a museum of art, and is well worth a visit. It sits on the bluffs about two miles from Stonehenge and overlooks the river. On clear days, you can also get a wonderful view of Mount Hood from both landmarks, too.
My GPS system wanted to route me down the hill from Stonehenge to the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge and across to I-84, but I would have missed the Maryhill Museum and a lot more of the road and tunnels along the Washington side, so I turned off the GPS and followed my own course. I’m glad I did, too, because I was afforded great views of those cliffs over on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, which are also topped by some hills that sport the wind generators as well.
All in all, I could have spent the entire day and then some just exploring the sights along Highway 14 on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge. It was an experience and I’m certainly glad that I took that road as well as the interstate highway.
I flew to Portland, Oregon last week to complete the sightseeing I missed on my auto trip last year. My main objective was to visit Hells Canyon, which straddles the Oregon-Idaho border. That entailed my driving clear across Oregon from Portland to the town of La Grande, a 250-mile trip via I-84. My hotel for the first night was in La Grande, and much of the driving was after sunset. However, the most scenic part along the Columbia River Gorge was during daylight hours, and the scenery was gorgeous (if you’ll pardon the pun).
Driving along I-84, you hug the Columbia River most of the way, and you see towering cliffs alongside the highway on the Oregon side, while the Washington side has huge hills topped by lots of wind generators. There is traffic visible on the Washington side, but it is mostly up on the hillsides away from the river.
I decided to drive back from my eastern Oregon visit on the opposite side of the gorge to see what the Oregon side would look like from there. Since the drive would be all in the daylight, I determined to cross well upriver from Portland to see as much as possible.
Crossing at the town of Umatilla, I started along Highway 14. It isn’t an interstate road, and has only two lanes and opposing traffic all the way, but the speed limit is 65, and there isn’t nearly as much traffic. Especially lacking are the huge 18-wheelers, though there are some of them. I was able to maintain a good pace, and the scenery from the elevated roadway was impressive.
What I didn’t even suspect was the sights that would be visible on the Washington side. There are several large wineries where you can stop and sample wines, and some have full service restaurants as well. The vineyards are huge and dot the hillsides, though none of this was visible from I-84.
Further along Highway 14, there was a sign pointing to the left that said, “Stonehenge.” I had to investigate that, and it turns out that there is a full-sized replica of that famous old stone monument in England. This one was built by a early 1900’s millionaire named Sam Hill as a monument to the men of Klickitat County who gave their lives in WW I. This Stonehenge isn’t all crumbling like the original. It is made of concrete and it has the same calendar aspect of its namesake. It also has plaques with the names and dates of the 13 men who are immortalized there. Sam Hill is buried down the hill from Stonehenge, but the gravesite isn’t easily accessible, and is nothing to look at.
Stonehenge wasn’t the only thing Sam Hill built above the Columbia Gorge. He built an entire town, which he named Maryhill in honor of his daughter, a loop road that is said to be the first paved road in America, and a mansion called (appropriately) Maryhill. That building is still preserved today as a museum of art, and is well worth a visit. It sits on the bluffs about two miles from Stonehenge and overlooks the river. On clear days, you can also get a wonderful view of Mount Hood from both landmarks, too.
My GPS system wanted to route me down the hill from Stonehenge to the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge and across to I-84, but I would have missed the Maryhill Museum and a lot more of the road and tunnels along the Washington side, so I turned off the GPS and followed my own course. I’m glad I did, too, because I was afforded great views of those cliffs over on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, which are also topped by some hills that sport the wind generators as well.
All in all, I could have spent the entire day and then some just exploring the sights along Highway 14 on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge. It was an experience and I’m certainly glad that I took that road as well as the interstate highway.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Airborne Again
After eight years of non-flying, I finally decided it was time to try it out again. It wasn’t fear of flying after 9/11—I did fly in January of 2002, but I just got tired of winging it, and wanted to enjoy road travel. As you know, Judy and I do a lot of that.
If you never worked for an airline, then it is difficult for me to describe the joys of NRSA travel. On my first attempt out of Dallas I was able to watch the flight I was standing by for depart the gate without me. However, I did manage to get the very last seat on the next departure a mere four hours later.
My seat for the flight from Dallas to Portland, Oregon was 33F, a window seat right next to the engine nacelle on the MD-80. It wasn’t noisy, and there was a neat aspect to it. On taxi out to the runway I noticed that there were a lot of dragonflies, and it was really cool to watch them buzz along unsuspecting and get sucked into the engine. Wow, they really gain speed on the way in!
I am also happy to report to you that the ingestion of dragonflies does not disable or in any way affect the operation of the MD-80. They seem to pass right through. Unlike that US Air flight that Captain Sullenberger had to ditch in the Hudson River after the bird strike, our aircraft was completely unsullied (unsullenbergered?) by the encounter with the dragonflies.
I am writing this column at 32,000 feet above the Rockies en route to Portland, where I will rent a car and drive across Oregon to see Hells Canyon, the sight that I missed on last year’s road trip. However, I won’t be doing the loop trip. The road is washed out part way around, so I’ll have to do a “U” trip instead, but I anticipate that it will be great. I have the whole day to do the 500-mile trek, though I may cut part of it out if what I saw from the air on the way over really is snow up in the passes.
If the weather holds, I also intend to drive up to Mt. Saint Helens from the south to see it from where Spirit Lake used to be. It is now called Windy Ridge, and that ought to be interesting if it lives up to its name.
For some of you I will create my usual journal with photos. This time I’ll probably do it after I return home, so you won’t see it for a week or so. Stand by…
If you never worked for an airline, then it is difficult for me to describe the joys of NRSA travel. On my first attempt out of Dallas I was able to watch the flight I was standing by for depart the gate without me. However, I did manage to get the very last seat on the next departure a mere four hours later.
My seat for the flight from Dallas to Portland, Oregon was 33F, a window seat right next to the engine nacelle on the MD-80. It wasn’t noisy, and there was a neat aspect to it. On taxi out to the runway I noticed that there were a lot of dragonflies, and it was really cool to watch them buzz along unsuspecting and get sucked into the engine. Wow, they really gain speed on the way in!
I am also happy to report to you that the ingestion of dragonflies does not disable or in any way affect the operation of the MD-80. They seem to pass right through. Unlike that US Air flight that Captain Sullenberger had to ditch in the Hudson River after the bird strike, our aircraft was completely unsullied (unsullenbergered?) by the encounter with the dragonflies.
I am writing this column at 32,000 feet above the Rockies en route to Portland, where I will rent a car and drive across Oregon to see Hells Canyon, the sight that I missed on last year’s road trip. However, I won’t be doing the loop trip. The road is washed out part way around, so I’ll have to do a “U” trip instead, but I anticipate that it will be great. I have the whole day to do the 500-mile trek, though I may cut part of it out if what I saw from the air on the way over really is snow up in the passes.
If the weather holds, I also intend to drive up to Mt. Saint Helens from the south to see it from where Spirit Lake used to be. It is now called Windy Ridge, and that ought to be interesting if it lives up to its name.
For some of you I will create my usual journal with photos. This time I’ll probably do it after I return home, so you won’t see it for a week or so. Stand by…
Saturday, September 11, 2010
A Modest Proposal
(See My Weekly Wisdom Column of April 25, 2009 – Go Green!)
Okay, you’ve finally convinced me that global warming really does exist. We really do need to do everything we can to conserve energy and develop new green technology to save Mother Earth.
I am going to propose some radical steps that we should have taken long ago. I don’t have any hard facts to back up the energy waste, or in this case, the savings. However, I have seen some of the statistics that others use to justify the use of the new CFC light bulbs. I have read that we waste huge amounts of energy and spew tons and tons of carbon into our atmosphere merely by leaving our computers and television sets running 24/7—albeit in “sleep” mode.
Now I have thought of two other wastes of power with the attendant spillage of carbon into our fragile environment. Here they are.
First, we have to stop broadcasting late night TV. Shows like The Tonight Show, Late Night with whoever replaced Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live. And all those hardcore and softcore pornography films that always seem to be shown late at night have to go. It not only wastes tons of electricity, but it also pollutes our airwaves with a lot of filth.
I suggest that we go back to a format for all stations where they play the National Anthem of whichever country originates the broadcast, and put that wonderfully nostalgic “test pattern” back on immediately after the local nightly news, sports and weather. That stays on for five minutes and then it’s “Nighty-night.”
Just think of all the electricity we would save be limiting broadcasting to 18 hours a day instead of the present 24/7.
Now, if you enjoy the late night shows–and I guess a lot of us do–then I say they put them on earlier in the evening so we can all enjoy them. After all, we all wax nostalgic over the earlier generation of television shows, like “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Your Show of Shows,” “Texaco Star Theater,” “The Colgate Comedy Hour” and many more. They used the same theme as these modern-day late night shows, and everybody loved them. Let’s get them back!
My second proposal is even better than the first. It not only will save precious fuel, but will also get rid of some pretty obnoxious people and plots. It ties in with the first proposal, too.
We have to give up movies!
Well, maybe not all movies, but how about we stop making “B-grade” films. That would eliminate about ninety percent of the junk that is shown these days. If a film is really good, it could be produced as a DVD or Blue Ray film and sold in stores immediately upon release. The tendency is to do just that about two months after they hit the theaters anyway.
Some of the more controversial movies, horror flicks and chick flicks and other genres, seem to become boring after about an hour, so why not produce them for some of these rogue TV stations that show junk and old reruns now? (Nothing past 11:30 PM though) Producers should be able to limit the length to one hour by editing and cutting out all the crap they currently include.
Taking away the large screen movie theater would not only give us a better class of films, but it would keep all those cars and SUVs and such off the roads at night. Home entertainment is the way of today, so nobody should be forced to drive to a theater and pay exorbitant rates to see a picture.
There is the added benefit of all the gasoline we can save. And there are a lot of second-rate actors that would have to work for a living instead of giving us their poor performances.
Just think! We can actually bring back the “good old days” at the same time we conserve on energy and save the planet by putting my two proposals into effect. We might even change the moral tone of our society too.
Okay, you’ve finally convinced me that global warming really does exist. We really do need to do everything we can to conserve energy and develop new green technology to save Mother Earth.
I am going to propose some radical steps that we should have taken long ago. I don’t have any hard facts to back up the energy waste, or in this case, the savings. However, I have seen some of the statistics that others use to justify the use of the new CFC light bulbs. I have read that we waste huge amounts of energy and spew tons and tons of carbon into our atmosphere merely by leaving our computers and television sets running 24/7—albeit in “sleep” mode.
Now I have thought of two other wastes of power with the attendant spillage of carbon into our fragile environment. Here they are.
First, we have to stop broadcasting late night TV. Shows like The Tonight Show, Late Night with whoever replaced Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live. And all those hardcore and softcore pornography films that always seem to be shown late at night have to go. It not only wastes tons of electricity, but it also pollutes our airwaves with a lot of filth.
I suggest that we go back to a format for all stations where they play the National Anthem of whichever country originates the broadcast, and put that wonderfully nostalgic “test pattern” back on immediately after the local nightly news, sports and weather. That stays on for five minutes and then it’s “Nighty-night.”
Just think of all the electricity we would save be limiting broadcasting to 18 hours a day instead of the present 24/7.
Now, if you enjoy the late night shows–and I guess a lot of us do–then I say they put them on earlier in the evening so we can all enjoy them. After all, we all wax nostalgic over the earlier generation of television shows, like “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Your Show of Shows,” “Texaco Star Theater,” “The Colgate Comedy Hour” and many more. They used the same theme as these modern-day late night shows, and everybody loved them. Let’s get them back!
My second proposal is even better than the first. It not only will save precious fuel, but will also get rid of some pretty obnoxious people and plots. It ties in with the first proposal, too.
We have to give up movies!
Well, maybe not all movies, but how about we stop making “B-grade” films. That would eliminate about ninety percent of the junk that is shown these days. If a film is really good, it could be produced as a DVD or Blue Ray film and sold in stores immediately upon release. The tendency is to do just that about two months after they hit the theaters anyway.
Some of the more controversial movies, horror flicks and chick flicks and other genres, seem to become boring after about an hour, so why not produce them for some of these rogue TV stations that show junk and old reruns now? (Nothing past 11:30 PM though) Producers should be able to limit the length to one hour by editing and cutting out all the crap they currently include.
Taking away the large screen movie theater would not only give us a better class of films, but it would keep all those cars and SUVs and such off the roads at night. Home entertainment is the way of today, so nobody should be forced to drive to a theater and pay exorbitant rates to see a picture.
There is the added benefit of all the gasoline we can save. And there are a lot of second-rate actors that would have to work for a living instead of giving us their poor performances.
Just think! We can actually bring back the “good old days” at the same time we conserve on energy and save the planet by putting my two proposals into effect. We might even change the moral tone of our society too.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Strange Coincidences
We are now back home in Augusta after our 13-day, 5,600-mile, 15-state trip. No, we didn’t get to do all the activities I had planned, but we did at least two that were not on the itinerary, the Wyler Aerial Tramway in El Paso, and the Civil War Battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
I do have a few reflections on the trip, things I learned and strange coincidences.
I found a town that I don’t think I could live in, Springdale, Utah. It is completely surrounded by towering cliffs. I don’t know the height of them, but I figure it is about 1,500 feet, and they are pretty much straight up. If you ever want to feel claustrophobic, just go to Springdale. It is also the western entrance to Zion Canyon, so it gives a pretty good preview of what you will see in the park
I learned at Vicksburg that the city was surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July in 1863. That just happens to be the exact day Gettysburg was successfully defended by the Army of the Potomac under General Mead. That was a crushing blow to the Confederate Army, even though there was no communication in those days that would have conveyed the results between those diverse combat units. Being a Civil War history buff, I should have known those facts, but I confess that I didn’t know until I visited Vicksburg.
Some of the strange occurrences that we encountered:
1. Way up on Mount Evans in Colorado I followed a car with a Ray Laks license plate holder. I approached the driver in the parking lot at the summit and learned that he was from Western New York where I grew up.
2. In Kanab Utah at the Comfort Inn, the desk clerk said she was from New York. It turned out that she grew up in a neighboring town to the one where I grew up.
3. We had several library books downloaded on my MP3 player. The setting for one was the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan, where I had been on my last trip in June.
4. Another book on my MP3 was set in a fictional town in Columbia County, Georgia, where I currently live. We had no idea that these fictional books were set in those places, but it made listening a lot more interesting.
5. When we stopped for the night at a motel in Capitol Reef National Park, there was a panel truck with Kentucky plates parked next to us. The truck had signage on the side reading, “Cumberland Lake Boat Movers.” Cumberland Lake, Kentucky was another one of the places I visited on the trip to Michigan.
It always amazes me when I find points of convergence in faraway places, so these five chance events were kind of stunning.
A couple of other facts about the trip:
I tried to keep track of our expenditures for gasoline, but I lost track after a few days. I do know that we only paid over $3/gallon once in Torrey, Utah ($3.39 for regular), but most of the time, gas was around $2.75, and we did get it once for $2.39.
Our hotels cost just under $900, but we did use two reward nights. I do have to admit that some of our hotels were less than desirable, but we did stay at a couple that were first class, too.
My Golden Eagle pass was great, as it got us free admission to all national parks, of which we visited ten. If you take a trip like this one and are not old enough (62) to buy the Golden Eagle pass, at least purchase the annual pass for $80. It will pay for itself when you get to your 4th park or monument.
Our entire 13-day trip cost us under $2,000, and that’s pretty good, considering how much we saw and did.
For those of you to whom I sent the daily trip journals and pictures, I hope you enjoyed them, and felt like you were experiencing the same sights with us. For those who didn’t participate, let me know if you would like to see them, and I’ll send them along via email. There are nine days worth, and I think they came out very nicely.
I do have a few reflections on the trip, things I learned and strange coincidences.
I found a town that I don’t think I could live in, Springdale, Utah. It is completely surrounded by towering cliffs. I don’t know the height of them, but I figure it is about 1,500 feet, and they are pretty much straight up. If you ever want to feel claustrophobic, just go to Springdale. It is also the western entrance to Zion Canyon, so it gives a pretty good preview of what you will see in the park
I learned at Vicksburg that the city was surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July in 1863. That just happens to be the exact day Gettysburg was successfully defended by the Army of the Potomac under General Mead. That was a crushing blow to the Confederate Army, even though there was no communication in those days that would have conveyed the results between those diverse combat units. Being a Civil War history buff, I should have known those facts, but I confess that I didn’t know until I visited Vicksburg.
Some of the strange occurrences that we encountered:
1. Way up on Mount Evans in Colorado I followed a car with a Ray Laks license plate holder. I approached the driver in the parking lot at the summit and learned that he was from Western New York where I grew up.
2. In Kanab Utah at the Comfort Inn, the desk clerk said she was from New York. It turned out that she grew up in a neighboring town to the one where I grew up.
3. We had several library books downloaded on my MP3 player. The setting for one was the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan, where I had been on my last trip in June.
4. Another book on my MP3 was set in a fictional town in Columbia County, Georgia, where I currently live. We had no idea that these fictional books were set in those places, but it made listening a lot more interesting.
5. When we stopped for the night at a motel in Capitol Reef National Park, there was a panel truck with Kentucky plates parked next to us. The truck had signage on the side reading, “Cumberland Lake Boat Movers.” Cumberland Lake, Kentucky was another one of the places I visited on the trip to Michigan.
It always amazes me when I find points of convergence in faraway places, so these five chance events were kind of stunning.
A couple of other facts about the trip:
I tried to keep track of our expenditures for gasoline, but I lost track after a few days. I do know that we only paid over $3/gallon once in Torrey, Utah ($3.39 for regular), but most of the time, gas was around $2.75, and we did get it once for $2.39.
Our hotels cost just under $900, but we did use two reward nights. I do have to admit that some of our hotels were less than desirable, but we did stay at a couple that were first class, too.
My Golden Eagle pass was great, as it got us free admission to all national parks, of which we visited ten. If you take a trip like this one and are not old enough (62) to buy the Golden Eagle pass, at least purchase the annual pass for $80. It will pay for itself when you get to your 4th park or monument.
Our entire 13-day trip cost us under $2,000, and that’s pretty good, considering how much we saw and did.
For those of you to whom I sent the daily trip journals and pictures, I hope you enjoyed them, and felt like you were experiencing the same sights with us. For those who didn’t participate, let me know if you would like to see them, and I’ll send them along via email. There are nine days worth, and I think they came out very nicely.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Great Tips for Corn on the Cob
I almost let this one get by me, but it is still timely, because I saw again today that corn on the cob is selling for 33 cents an ear. The suggestions I am presenting are from two sources. The first comes directly from The Rachel Ray Show on Food Network. And the second is from my daughter-in-law.
It is barbeque season again—at least it is here in Georgia—and most of us can’t wait to fire up the grill and cook outside on the patio. Among the side dishes we all enjoy is that perennial favorite, corn on the cob. I love it, but I always felt guilty about slathering all that butter on it. It was not an easy task to butter up an ear of corn either. The butter migrates to the bottom of the ear and falls off before it can melt in.
There is an alternative that you can use to your heart’s content, and it will most likely be a lot healthier for you than butter or even butter substitutes. I'll get to that in a moment, but first I have some preparation tips for the corn shucker.
When you’re ready to shuck the corn—some markets will let you do it in-store and provide a trash barrel for you to discard the greens—get yourself a rubber band to perform the task you always hated to do, getting rid of the corn silk that clings to the kernels after shucking.
Twist the rubber band once or twice and loop it between your thumb and index finger. Holding the ear of corn straight up, slide the twisted rubber band vigorously up and down while turning the ear. It will pick up those stray threads of corn silk and remove them in no time. Voilá! You have a clean ear of corn and no silk to get in your teeth.
When you buy the ears of corn in the produce section of your market, pick up a lime or two. A good plan is to buy one lime for every two ears of corn. Try to get the standard limes about 2 inches in diameter, not key limes.
When you have shucked and roasted, boiled or microwave-heated your ears of corn and are ready to eat them, cut the limes in half. While squeezing the lime half vigorously, run it over the ear of corn while turning the ear. Make sure you see the juice running down into the kernels. Then add pepper and salt to taste and start munching.
You are going to be pleasantly surprised, because the limejuice is a great substitute for butter, enhances the corn taste and is a lot less messy. No more butter stains on your clothing, and it is oh, so much more healthy for you.
If you’re really economical, you can probably get enough juice from the lime to coat two ears per half, but limes aren’t that expensive; I paid 25 cents for the last one I bought.
Try these neat and healthy tips the next time you have corn on the cob, and I think you’ll thank me for it.
It is barbeque season again—at least it is here in Georgia—and most of us can’t wait to fire up the grill and cook outside on the patio. Among the side dishes we all enjoy is that perennial favorite, corn on the cob. I love it, but I always felt guilty about slathering all that butter on it. It was not an easy task to butter up an ear of corn either. The butter migrates to the bottom of the ear and falls off before it can melt in.
There is an alternative that you can use to your heart’s content, and it will most likely be a lot healthier for you than butter or even butter substitutes. I'll get to that in a moment, but first I have some preparation tips for the corn shucker.
When you’re ready to shuck the corn—some markets will let you do it in-store and provide a trash barrel for you to discard the greens—get yourself a rubber band to perform the task you always hated to do, getting rid of the corn silk that clings to the kernels after shucking.
Twist the rubber band once or twice and loop it between your thumb and index finger. Holding the ear of corn straight up, slide the twisted rubber band vigorously up and down while turning the ear. It will pick up those stray threads of corn silk and remove them in no time. Voilá! You have a clean ear of corn and no silk to get in your teeth.
When you buy the ears of corn in the produce section of your market, pick up a lime or two. A good plan is to buy one lime for every two ears of corn. Try to get the standard limes about 2 inches in diameter, not key limes.
When you have shucked and roasted, boiled or microwave-heated your ears of corn and are ready to eat them, cut the limes in half. While squeezing the lime half vigorously, run it over the ear of corn while turning the ear. Make sure you see the juice running down into the kernels. Then add pepper and salt to taste and start munching.
You are going to be pleasantly surprised, because the limejuice is a great substitute for butter, enhances the corn taste and is a lot less messy. No more butter stains on your clothing, and it is oh, so much more healthy for you.
If you’re really economical, you can probably get enough juice from the lime to coat two ears per half, but limes aren’t that expensive; I paid 25 cents for the last one I bought.
Try these neat and healthy tips the next time you have corn on the cob, and I think you’ll thank me for it.
Marshmallows
This week I visited an unusual farm. It was so unique and so incredible that I just had to share my experience with you. You see I went to a marshmallow farm.
I bet you thought, as I used to, that marshmallows were processed and made of sugars and corn syrups and stuff like that. But really, they are grown here in Grovetown in our famous marshes. That’s why they’re called marshmallows, of course. I never knew that.
The marshes in Grovetown are perfect for growing the marshmallow plant. They used to be mangrove swamps, hence the name “Grovetown.” When the mangrove trees died in a blight, the swamps were drained and the marshes remained with lots of nutrients and nitrogen, a great combination for growing the marshmallow plants.
What does a marshmallow plant look like? Well, you might think they would look like cotton plants, with little marshmallows on stalks that you harvest like tomatoes or, well, like cotton. But, oh no, they grow like pumpkins and squash. They grow real big, so big that you can only harvest one at a time.
The raw marshmallows have to be divided up into their smaller ones that you buy in the store. But that isn’t as difficult as it would seem. The big ones can be pulled apart into individual cells and dried out form those perfect little spheres you toast on a stick by the campfire. If left a while longer, the marshmallows shrink into the tiny ones we call mini-marshmallows, the ones you put into hot chocolate.
I didn’t get to see the harvest, because they aren’t quite ready, but that will take place in a few weeks, and then there will be the annual Marshmallow Festival, a whole weekend of celebrating and eating the sweet little things.
Now, about this time, you’re probably as skeptical as I was about the existence of these “marshmallow farms.” Well, I can understand that. Therefore, I took a picture of the marshmallows still growing in the field to prove they are genuine.
Do you believe now???
I bet you thought, as I used to, that marshmallows were processed and made of sugars and corn syrups and stuff like that. But really, they are grown here in Grovetown in our famous marshes. That’s why they’re called marshmallows, of course. I never knew that.
The marshes in Grovetown are perfect for growing the marshmallow plant. They used to be mangrove swamps, hence the name “Grovetown.” When the mangrove trees died in a blight, the swamps were drained and the marshes remained with lots of nutrients and nitrogen, a great combination for growing the marshmallow plants.
What does a marshmallow plant look like? Well, you might think they would look like cotton plants, with little marshmallows on stalks that you harvest like tomatoes or, well, like cotton. But, oh no, they grow like pumpkins and squash. They grow real big, so big that you can only harvest one at a time.
The raw marshmallows have to be divided up into their smaller ones that you buy in the store. But that isn’t as difficult as it would seem. The big ones can be pulled apart into individual cells and dried out form those perfect little spheres you toast on a stick by the campfire. If left a while longer, the marshmallows shrink into the tiny ones we call mini-marshmallows, the ones you put into hot chocolate.
I didn’t get to see the harvest, because they aren’t quite ready, but that will take place in a few weeks, and then there will be the annual Marshmallow Festival, a whole weekend of celebrating and eating the sweet little things.
Now, about this time, you’re probably as skeptical as I was about the existence of these “marshmallow farms.” Well, I can understand that. Therefore, I took a picture of the marshmallows still growing in the field to prove they are genuine.
Do you believe now???
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