What the HELL is he thinking?

I will admit that it has been a very long time since I have been surprised by just how badly politics can manage to mangle our lives.

It doesn't matter, for the most part, on what side of the political fence you find yourself...both are so entrenched in their bias that real dialogue ceased to exist longer ago than I even want to think about.

Through it all, there is one issue that each year, is my litmus for candidates; and that is a woman's right to own and manage her own reproductive system. The state simply has no right on this earth to hold court over my uterus.

Every election; I pay more attention to which candidates will bring which changes to the Supreme Court justices...and every year I avoid those with tendencies to support the agenda of those which fail to recognize and work to remove the right of women to make the most personal choices.

And so when I read in the Editorial section of today's San Jose Mercury the attempt by the Department of Health and Human services to re-write the definition of abortion to include the following :

"any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation."

I was absolutely stunned.

I know of no scientific report that has suddenly concluded that viable life exists at the moment of conception.

I know plenty of religious zealots that would, and sadly the Catholic church is STILL promoting the "rhythm" method as the only acceptable means of birth control.

But beyond this issue...which would most certainly fail approval under a democratic president, beyond the sheer insanity of the proposal....what the HELL is Bush thinking? I mean, really George-- don't you have enough serious REAL problems to fiddle with without bringing out this old chestnut at the 11th hour ?

The right to choose to have an abortion is something I grimly fight for every time I step into the voting booth.

I just didn't expect to ever have to go back to fighting for access to birth control.

Saturday's Possiblities

Saturdays are the most interesting day of the week for me.

I especially love the early morning hours on Saturday.

I am, by nature, something of an early riser. I like the quiet cool of the morning...the way the rising light brings colour to the world outside. I love waking up to email and the smell of fresh, earthy coffee ready to sip.

What I love most; are the possibilities that beckon from within Saturday.

Before that first cup of coffee is finished, in my mind I can paint the kitchen, clean the garage, make something wondrous from bits of wool , fabric scraps, bottle caps or paper. I can sail through my household chores in a fashion that would leave Martha asking ME for tips, get the oil changed, and the tomatillos roasted.

Saturday is all about the coalescence of energy, idea and action.

Now there IS a little reality check built into every Saturday musing. Today... it was just the tiniest little thing.

Today it was.... Green.

Now green and I normally get along from a respectful distance. It's not that I don't like green. Quite the contrary.... but Green is a contrary colour. And reproducing it with accuracy seems to elude me. The Granny Smith above sits on a cobalt blue tile counter.... I blame my bad photographic skills and my worse photo editing skills for not getting the hues correct. Use this as a jumping off point for your imagination. Because I want an apple green wall in my kitchen.

Yeah... you heard me.

Why ? because I really DO have cobalt blue tiles ....and snow white counter tops and boring oak cabinets and well.....because Granny Smith Apple Green has long been a favourite. And I want something different and happy and daring to greet me when I pour my first cup of coffee.

But finding it in paint is tricky. Seems to be either too yellow ...too sage....or too...Kermit. ( Sorry fella....I know it's not easy.)

I took my apple to the paint store this morning. This set in motion the collision between Possibility and Reality. I came home with paint chips....but no paint.

But Saturday isn't over yet.......and the right shade of green to be found is still within the realm of possibility.

May the possibilities of your Saturday be realized in the happiest of ways.

Rare

There were at least a dozen other containers in the nursery that day, all with a generic label that read "Italian Peppers, Green, Long"

And no other information.

No cute little picture on a plant card telling me what to expect..no indications of what kind of environment best suited this variety.

The plant itself was unremarkable.... barely more than a stick in the dirt with a couple of leaves. I passed by it several times, drawn down the rows of offerings for the garden that were blooming, scented, wonderfully colourful, climbing, spiraling -- doing all the things that make us feel like competent gardeners, at least on the drive home and for the first couple of weeks that our new wonders are in the ground. I pushed my cart around the nursery with my small bit of cash trying to decide.

"Italian Peppers, Green, Long" simply sat there...looking forlorn; like the wee Christmas tree that looses all its needles in the Peanuts special we watch every year.

Anybody that knows me well, knows that food that causes pain is not a pleasure for me. I've taken my fair share of abuse for picking out the "mild" salsa, while others wax poetic over the virtues of this concoction or that - all while breaking out in a sweat, turning red and citing the BTU ratings of their latest find. ( I think it's just an excuse to drink more beer, but that's for another blog...)

So I really had no REASON to buy "Italian Peppers, Green, Long" -- but I kept coming back to them... and by my 4th or 5th tour , I had ascribed a stoic nature to them. ( What.... YOUR garden plants don't have personalities ? -- We'll talk later...) On my 6th tour (yes... I can take nearly as long in a nursery these days as I can a bookstore), I had myself convinced that if they WERE the Peppers of Satan , I could give them to my next door neighbors that love the spicy stuff.

I liked that they stood there on their own merit.... not flashy or lush leaved..very simple plants that would be easy to miss if you aren't mindful of detail....and discounted to boot. But there they were....making the best of their situation.

I bought one container ....thinking about the time I was lucky enough to actually visit Italy--- by the time I drove the 5 miles or so to my house.... "Italian Peppers, Green, Long" and I had bonded.

And now, I am rewarded with this surprise..... this lone, red pepper....just growing....enjoying the sun, trying to be the very best pepper it can be. Some botanist or REAL gardener is going to email me and tell me its all just plant genetics and that this oddball on my pepper plant is just like their dysfunctional but lovable Uncle that shows up for Thanksgiving, kind of a fluke and a testament to the fact that once in awhile, the recessive genes win out, against all odds.

They will go on to say that "Italian Peppers, Green, Long" just do this sometimes and this is most definitely not a cosmic sign from the Universe that I should go on being exactly who I am...discovering all that means, knowing that somewhere, someone might notice this and appreciate it enough to want to spend a bit of time with someone that is a little different from all the rest.

I don't care what they say.

"Italian Peppers, Green, Long" and I ...... we're tight.