The response I received earlier today made me question whether my letter was even read. It was clearly a form letter - which is fine, considering the majority of my letter was just that - stating how Gingrey is a doctor and how the swine flu is of upmost concern for him. No mention of the vaccine.  It was basically a short history of the virus starting in April of 2009, a list of symptoms, and of all things, to “Rest assured I am interested in supporting health care legislation and proposals that would promote the health of all Georgians.”

I feel so comforted. Especially since the e-mail was addressed to “Dear Unknown.”

There are lots of things I can think of that the office staff could have used to address me as in a mass email reply. Dear Constituent. Dear Concerned Citizen. Dear Pain in the Ass. But “Dear Unknown”? That would seem to imply I am so insignificant, I’m hardly even worth replying to.

Many people in this country have felt that our elected officials do not hear us, and do not care about or notice our problems until it comes time to run again for office. This response exemplifies that very concern.  I write in, granted as part of a mass email campaign, my concern for the health, freedom and well-being (and continued mobility) of the people of Georgia, and the response I get is the complete opposite from the very thing I wrote about.

My concern about this vaccine is genuine. The concept of mass vaccinations is frightening on two counts. One: that this is supposed to be the land of the free. For an original patriot state like Massachusetts to be considering forcing people to get a vaccination or pay fines of $1,000 per day and face quarantine on top of it, does not sound free to me.

Second, the speed at which this vaccine was produced has many people alarmed that it has not been adequately tested. The new version contains Squaline, and adjuvant (additive intended to increase the drug’s effect). Technically speaking, squaline is a natural chemical and something your body actually produces in small amounts in response to the ingestion of certain foods, so it would appear to be safe. However, when injected into animals, squalene produced pathogenic (cancerous) cells in lymph nodes, has caused rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. This additive was included in the Anthrax vaccine administered to our soldiers, and is implicated as the root cause of Gulf War Syndrome (depleted uranium has also been implicated). Further, the FDA has not approved squalene - not that it matters.

Further ingredients in the vaccine include Thermisol — a preservative which is half mercury and linked to autism and neurological disorders. The recent claims of the CDC and the Institute of Medicine that thermisol has no relationship with autism have been soundly rejected by top doctors and scientists ever since last year’s court ruling.

Equally alarming is that the current administration has issued a special ruling exempting the manufacturers of the vaccine from all liability. Federal officials are also immune to litigation, thanks to a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius.

History teaches us to be very careful with mass, inadequately tested immunizations. The 1976 Swine Flu vaccination effort is an often used example of the need to proceed with caution, something it appears the WHO, CDC and many governments seem all too willing to forget - except for that little document safeguarding litigation should this vaccine have any devastating side effects.

I have not been able to confirm the alarmist reports that many of the same ingredients are used in the present-day version of the H1N1 vaccine as were used in 1976 - which led to more than 500 cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome and 25 deaths. In contrast to those numbers, only 200 cases of the 1976 swine flu were actually documented in the U.S., and one death was recorded. A memo was leaked to Britain’s DailyMail implicating that this version of the Swine Flu vaccine may also cause GBS, though I have not seen anything with a side-by-side analysis of the ingredients used in these vaccines.

Numerous other potential warnings are being thrown about the Web, including that animal cancer cells are used in the vaccine, and other side effects of squalene may include infertility. While some of these claims may be just that, I think my concerns and those of my fellow Americans are justified. And I think we deserve a better response than “Dear Unknown.”

It seems the longer I am on a vegan diet, the more I note these swings in my diet. All I wanted for lunch today was broccoli. I ate a whole head of it - steamed to perfection and dotted with “butter”. Dinner last night was nothing more than baked vegetables - onions, carrots, potatoes. It appears I don’t wish for rice, or pasta (wierd for me!) or beans of any kind, I just want fruit and veggies! I’m also making a pot of iced tea every day, and drinking massive quantities of water. My energy is high and pulling me to work outdoors. A rainy day like today crushes those plans a little, but I’m keeping myself entertained with garden books and making plans for Sunday, when the rain that started yesterday afternoon is expected to cease.

As the summer gets warmer and there are plenty of tomatoes and squash to sautee together, we’ll have that combination (or a variation of) several times a week. Summer’s heat doesn’t entice us to heavy foods much, so we dine primarily on light pastas and sauteed veggies straight from the garden.

When the leaves begin to turn and the mornings grow cooler, I continue to rise early to tend my plants but begin the day by baking a fruit bread or muffins. The smoothies go by the wayside in favor of a hot cup of chai tea. Soup becomes the supper staple as there is so much canning to do and still plenty of veggies to throw into a pot. Since soup leaves a few corners available, the evening dessert begins to make an appearance… and so do the winter pounds that help keep us a little warmer.

By the end of January, though, we are tired of soup and have been eating heartier fare - vegetable lasagnas and veggie shepherd’s pies, mushroom burger mixes (with chopped veggies and breadcrumbs). We begin looking forward to summer’s bounty, to warm days and hours spent in the garden. I’m even looking forward to weeding. And with all the veggies and fruit I am consuming instead of legumes and breads, the winter pounds are disappearing with ease. Whew!

Many of you have probably heard about two bills currently on the floor waiting for The Congress - S425 and HR 875.  One of the bills sitting on the floor was introduced by someone with a direct relationship to Monsanto.  The bills are long and difficult to read which means that our politicians will vote based on summaries presented. The problem is, that these bills, more by omission than by inclusion, could essentially prohibit organic farming as well as individual food growing for private consumption. It puts the business of farming into Federal hands and removes the power of the state, and it supports factory farming. It mandates the use of certain chemicals in the name of Food Safety. Some people describe HR 875 as “criminalizing organic farming”.

I had this forwarded to me through a friend with an organic bakery. They order the produce they cannot grow themselves on their local farm from Global Organic of Sarasota, Florida.

A few days ago I came across an alarming bit of information regarding this bill. I didn’t read the whole bill, it is indeed quite long and I decided it was more of an issue for small farmers like Genesis Farms, which raises organic, grass-fed cows, as I saw a line about the bill *not* applying to confined animals. It would also affect people like Ella, an older woman in town who supplements her pitiful income by selling free-range eggs. The creators of this bill are pushing it in the name of “food safety” - when in reality, only the big companies are the ones that have caused all these outbreaks: peanuts, spinach, salads and tomatoes - none of that was from organic farms!

This really shows how much Monsanto and its pundits want to control everything - they want all food to be produced using their products and chemicals. Now, I don’t care what anyone says - you won’t stop me from growing *my* food in *my* backyard, and you also won’t stop me from exchanging my extra tomatoes for someone else’s extra garlic.

The whole idea, really, is extremely unnerving.

Link to the full bill:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

Link to a good summary:

http://cryptogon.com/?p=7362

A list of sponsors for the bill:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/pacs.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00000615

And a petition:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26714&t=

And another petition, through the Organic Consumer’s Association:

http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056

Still, to my mind it has been a long winter. It blew in cold and fast in October this year, whereas in previous years it would be mid-December and my friends and I would be wondering when we’d be needing to think about running the heat during the day.

Since it came so early, and was so cold so quickly, I didn’t manage to get my Fall tasks done. Trimming back the perennials after the first few freezes, raking leaves, spreading mulch, and getting pansies in the ground have all had to slowly get done on a few warmer days during the winter months, and I am still very far behind before I can start getting things prepared for Spring.

Winter does have its place, and I truly appreciate the chance to work on projects indoors that never have a snowball’s chance of getting done in the summer, when I am busy growing, weeding, picking and preserving all that wonderful food – or simply enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. This winter I have learned how to crochet, and have successfully made a scarf for a friend, and am partway through my first afghan. I’ve also found time to do some of my usual “nesting” as we slowly settle into normalcy around this house. I’ve painted a reminder, Arts and Crafts style, over the doorway in our dining room that reminds us to live in the moment. I’ve already found having this visual reminder to enjoy every moment of our lives very useful, as my husband and I both tend to get caught up in the million things that need doing, and forget to take a moment to appreciate what is beautiful all around us.

I love the warm coziness of my living room, with a nice little fire crackling in our woodstove and the teakettle steaming away on top, and I love curling up in a chair and reading a book. Not that I’ve managed to do that very much this winter, but it has been nice.

However, I am tired of it being winter. I miss seeing green outside. Indoor plants do help, and some of them have improved mightily with the attention they receive when they are my only babies to care for. Yet, I am tired of being cooped up, tired of being cold, a little tired of carrying wood indoors to feed the stove, and tending said stove several times a day.

My body is ready for fresh fruits and veggies, for sunshine and that gardening-earned tan, ready to turn soil and grow nice little plants. I’m ready for birdsongs to wake me in the early hours, to not dread getting out of the warm covers, for sunny days. I even am ready to pull a few weeds. How’s that for getting desperate?

Soon. It will all happen soon…

If I recall correctly, this came from The Daily Green, which posts a new vegetarian meal nearly every day. This is good, simple food - I’ve come to discover the simplest recipes really are best.

1 cup brown rice; 15 oz navy beans, cooked; 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced in strips; 1/2 cup pine nuts; 2 large handfuls spinach; 2 tsp balsalmic vinegar; 1/2 tsp salt; 4 tsp herbs of choice

When rice is cooked, heat6 thbs olive oil on a pan over medium heat. Add herbs, tomatoes, pine nuts. When nuts start to turn brown, add beans. Toss getly, keep beans whole. Add salt and vinegar and stir in gently. Turn heat to low. Place spinach in one layer on top of beans, and pile steaming rice on top of the spinach, leave until the spinach softens, mix gently and serve. Add vegan “cheese” of choice (optional).

This comes from an Italian cookbook of mine. I tend to cut back on the water/broth and make it much thicker - but then, I’m not a soupy person, I like stew.

1tbsp olive oil; 2 leeks, white and green parts sliced into thin wheels; 2 cups chopped onion; 2 cloves garlic; 2 large potatoes, diced; 4 cups veggie broth; 2-3 tsp fresh rosemary leaves; 1 cup barley

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and sautee leeks and onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic, sautee another minute. Add potatoes, barley, veggie stock - reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes. Serve.

Italian Style Zucchini

This is so easy and so quick - sometimes I just have it for lunch by itself. It came from an old neighbor friend of mine, published in a worn old book she let us borrow but that I never wrote down the name of. I’ve put it on top of brown rice and enjoyed every bite.

1 onion, chopped; 1 # zucchini, sliced; 1 cup tomatoes, sliced/chopped; olive oil; breadcrumbs (optional).

Sautee onions in a skillet over medium heat in olive oil until golden. Add zucchini and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook 5 minutes. Serve.

Pilafian’s Pilaf

This is actually a recipe of my mother’s. She serves it with shrimp or salmon, I tend to bring it to potlucks - and it is absolutely an incredible dish!

4 tbsp “butter”; 1 handful fine eggless noodles; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup sliced button mushrooms; 1/2 tsp dried dill weed; 1 cup white rice (uncooked); 2 cups veggie broth; 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Melt butter in 2 qt saucepan over medium heat. Stir in noodles and let them soften (don’t let them burn!). Add garlic, onion, mushrooms and dill, sautee. Stir in rice and sautee until it takes on a transluscent appearance.

Meanwhile, heat broth and salt to boiling in another pan. Pour over rice mixture, cover pan tightly and simmer 25-30 minutes. DO NOT PEEK!

Remove pan from heat, toss pilaf lightly, then cover pan, placing a dry cloth between the pan and lid to absorb moisture. Let stand 10 minutes, add pine nuts. Makes 6 servings.

Colcannon

An adaptation of an old Irish favorite. I’ve frequently had just this for lunch and been one happy camper.

4 cups chopped potatoes; 4 cloves minced garlic; 3 tbs “butter”; 4 cups chopped kale; 1tbs soy sauce; 2-4 tbs soy milk

Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water for 20 minutes (until mashable). Add butter to garlic in the bottom of pot. Add kale and toss well. Add soy sauce, cook over medium heat. Drain and mash the potatoes, adding soymilk (I add a little “butter” too) until smooth and creamy. Stir in kale, salt and pepper to taste.

Who doesn’t like pizza? Oh nevermind, I know a few people out there don’t care for it… but around here, we enjoy the Italian pie about once every 2 weeks.

I had to discover a good whole-wheat pizza crust recipe.  You just can’t buy a better pizza crust than one made at home from fresh ingredients!

A little tip I found from a friend: add dried herbs to the sugar before adding the warm water - it will help them rehydrate and add more flavor to your pizza crust.

As for the “cheese” we have found that the rice cheese doesn’t melt super well, but it does have great flavor. The soy based veggie cheese does very well at melting - so if you like do a mixture of the two. We have also been known to dab a little vegan cream cheese or sour cream in with our toppings - super yummy stuff!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

1tsp sugar; 1.5 cup warm water (110 degrees); 1 tbsp yeast; 1 thsp olive oil; 2 cups Soft White flour; 1.5 cups Hard Red flour; 1tsp salt

In large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top, let stand 10 minutes until foamy.

Stir in olive oil and salt, and the 2 cups flour. Add the Hard Red wheat flour a little at a time until dough comes together. Knead on flourered surface 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Oil your pizza pan, and flatten the dough on the pan, let rise 30 min. Prebake crust 10 minutes, then add your sauce and favorite toppings.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

White Bean Soup

1 cup dried cannelli beans (soak overnight, drain, set aside); 2 cups water; 4 tbs olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 stalk celery, chopped; 1 sprig parsley, rosemary and thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1/4 tsp pepper; 4 cups veggie stock; juice of 1/2 lemon; salt to taste.

Sautee onion in deep-bottom pot over medium heat for five minutes. Add the garlic and sautee for another minute. Ass beans, celery, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and pepper, stir in veggie stockand bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 1.5 hours.

My hubby and I love Mexican food. It’s next to impossible to have the real thing and still be vegan, but I’ve worked at coming up with a recipe that meets the occasional “I want Mexican dinner” craving. If I get that bumper crop of tomatoes this year, I’ll be making lots of fresh salsa to make this even yummier.

I’m honestly not certain where this particular recipe came from. If I’ve “borrowed” it from somewhere, please speak up so I can offer the proper credit, ok?

120z burger crumbles; 1pkt taco seasoning; 2 15oz cans enchilada sauce; 18 corn tortillas (recipe to make your own below); 2 15-oz cans pinto beans, drained; 2 green onions, chopped; 2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, shredded; 1 14oz can diced green chilies; 2 cups corn chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl mix burger crumbles and taco seasoning.

Coat 9×13 pan with oil

In layers, spread enchilada sauce, 6 tortillas, 2 cans pinto beans, handful of green onion, 1/3 of shredded “cheese”, half the can of green chilies, more enchilada sauce, 6 more tortillas, all the crumbles, 1/3 of the cheese, remaining chilies, more enchilada sauce, final 6 tortillas, more sauce and the remainder of the cheese. Cover in foil and bake 30 minutes.

Remove foil, top with crushed chips, bake another 15-30 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Tortillas

3 cups flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1tsp salt; 4-6 tsp “butter”; ~1 1/4 cups water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add “butter” and a little warm water at a time until dough is soft, not sticky. Divide into 12 small rolls. Roll out on floured surface until roughly 8″ round.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each side of each tortilla for a few seconds, then flip. They will have little brown speckles over them when they are done.

Spanish Rice

This rounds out the meal some if you have a bigger family or are expecting company.

2tbsp veggie oil; 1 cup rice (uncooked); 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 1/2 cups water; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 3/4 tsp chili powder; 8 oz tomato sauce.

Sautee rice and onion in oil for 5 minutes in pot or deep skillet. Stir in remaining ingredients. Boil, reduce heat, cover/simmer for 30 minutes. Serve.