From the East Wing With a Happy Republican Cat, White Winter Mushrooms, Hot Bologna, Eggs and Gravy

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing.

WOW ! Is Sophia The Republican Cat happy or what?

A week ago last Wednesday, thought I’d lost my cat. Sophia wasn’t here when I came home from work. Even though I don’t like that cat, and she’s a pain in the butt, I called and called. She wasn’t here. The 2girldogs were happy she was gone, as was the Angel. I asked the 1wife if she’d seen Sophia. She said “yep and she was in the cat house packing her suitcase.” She also said “I saw her put her autographed picture of Herbert Hoover in too”. That worried me. The cat taking her Herbert Hoover Picture was a serious move. Now that cat don’t stray too far from the Hoover Picture.

Events within my family required me to be in southeastern Kentucky for three days last week. While in the mountains, I called the 1wife to see if Sophia had returned home. She had not. I was prepared to accept life without Sophia The Republican Cat when I returned to Indiana.

It was well into the night when I returned home late last Tuesday, having driven from Salyersville KY, stopping only briefly along the way. The cat was not home to greet me. The 2girldogs were trying their best to make up for the cat not being here. The cat was gone. There was no republican cat in the East Wing. It was a sad time. The Pup Baby even offered to go over to the dark side if I wanted her to, just so we’d have a republican in the East Wing.

After being a blue dog democrat for so many years, just lying on the couch waiting for a hand out, I didn’t think the Pup Baby could make the switch, so I said no. We would just have to struggle along without the republican cat.

Tired after a full day of travel and kinda wound up from driving 500 miles, I decided to watch TV for a while. The channel I was watching interrupted the program for an update on the Massachusetts Special Election to fill the Senate Seat vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy.

CBS projected that Scott Brown had won the Senate Race, and it was such a shock that they decided to continue to describe this election as being on national importance. That a Republican had taken the seat of Ted Kennedy. A seat Kennedy held for some 47 years. Even after he drowned that girl when he was drunk years ago, they still sent him back to Washington as the Senator from Massachusetts. Guess if ya got enough money, ya can drown anybody ya want to, and still be the Senator from Massachusetts. Just don’t seem right to me, but that’s the way it worked out for a long time, a long, long time.

Turns out that a magic number was joining the ranks of the Senate Republicans that night, they now have 41, and that means the democrats do not be enough votes to shut off filibusters in the Senate.

Now 41 votes means ya can never get enough votes to get anything passed, but if ya can talk long enough the other side can’t get anything passed either. Sometimes I think it takes two sides of stupid to make our political system work. If President Obama is one, there’re a lot of folks wanting to be the other side of stupid too.

The more the television talked about politics, the more I missed that Damn Republican Cat.

And Then The Cat Came Home !!! WOW ! Did that cat ever come home, chauffer driven to the driveway. Escorted up to the front door, she didn’t even have to carry her own suitcase. She walked in the door, kissed the picture and said “Herbert we’re home”. Tipped the chauffer, placed her Hoover Picture in the Cat House, came out, smiled at me, walked back into the Cat House, curled up, and promptly went to sleep. I liked the way that cat came home.

The next morning Sophia apologized for not leaving a note when she left, but left on such short notice, she just barely remembered to get the Herbert Picture before she left. Now it seems that Sophia was drafted by the NRCCC (National Republican Calico Cat Committee) to go to Massachusetts and get out the Red Cat Republican vote for Scott Brown. Being a card carrying member of NRCCC she didn’t feel she could turn ‘em down on such an important election. And so Sophia went to Massachusetts to send Mr. Brown to Washington.

It was a hectic week indeed for Sophia, Cameras and news reporters in her face every way she turned, asking dumb and dumber questions all day and night. Just waiting for one wrong word, just one wrong smile, one wrong finger movement at the wrong time. The cat prevailed.

Sophia took her message directly to the RCM Membership (Republican Cats of Massachusetts), the message was simple and easy to understand, and she spoke her message in a fluent New England Cat Dialect to each and every cat in Massachusetts, “Vote for Scott Brown and I’ll give ya a RC Cola and a Moon Pie”

Tuesday last, Massachusetts recorded the largest voter turnout in the history of the state for a special election. Some of the Democrats voted, some of the Republicans voted, some of the Independents voted. 100% of the Red Cat Republicans voted. The Red Cats accounted for only 6% of the total vote. But it was interesting to note that the final margin of victory for Scott Brown was 6%. Sophia taped an interview with Bill O'Reilly and was asked to come back from time to time to the O’Reilly Show. In light of Sophia’s ability to produce the Red Cat vote, I’m sure she’ll be asked to do more work for the NRCCC in the future.

Setting listing to the story, the 2girldogs were so impressed with Sophia they both asked for her autograph. She declined to sign, but shook their paw instead. Did ya ever see 2girldogs hug a Calico Republican Cat? They get along, those 2girldogs and that Calico Cat.

It turned out that when I was in Kentucky last week, it was at the peak of the White Winter Mushroom of the Mountain Season. These White Winter Mushrooms, (scientific name is Bianco fungo invernali della montagna) are unique to that part of the world much the way truffles are unique to parts of France, Spain and Italy.

The White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountains grow, amount other places, on the face of the rock carved out for highway construction many years ago. They vary greatly in both size and color. Some are as small as your hand, while others are much, much larger.

The White Winters are some of the most delicious of all the fungi family, the locals consider them better than truffles. ‘Course that’s the locals who have eaten truffles, and that’s few and far between. They can be added to most any dish for a unique flavor. The can be boiled, steamed, or even eaten raw. They grow in such abundance, and the season is so short, they are never sold at retail. Ya want some White Winter Mushroom of the Mountain, just go pick your own, they grow most everywhere in the mountains..

The White Winter Mushrooms do not keep well and in fact usually must be used within a short time after harvest. But they can be kept indefinitely in a freezer. Another advantage of the White Winter Mushrooms over most all other types of fungi is the ease of cleaning the mushrooms. Dirt can be washed off the White Winters easier than any other mushroom. Just dunk ‘em in water and the dirt just goes away.

They even say that the water left after boiling the White Winter Mushrooms has some sorta special healing effect on people. Now it’s not Moon Shine or anything like that, but it’s something, something special. Many people boil the White Winters just for the juice left over. Drink it for breakfast, or late at night. It’s even said to make ya sleep better. There have been stories of people even using the water to wash their body, particularly those parts that pain. They say this water from the White Winter Mushrooms will even remove warts come on from handling frogs.

Too bad, I didn’t have room or anything I could carry ‘em in else I’d have brought a whole trunk load. That’s the first time I’ve been in the mountains when the White Winters grow in a long time, a long time. Such pretty things to see, those White Winter Mushrooms, clinging to that stone mountain as if placed there by God himself, I believe he did, ya can just tell that’s not something anybody can do, stick those mushrooms on the rocks like that.

Most all my mushroom consumption comes from eating pizza. I’m not sure if the White Winter Mushroom of the Mountain works on pizza or not, never had it. Didn’t see any advertised in Salyersville, but come to think of it I didn’t see any pizza advertized in Salyersville either. Did see some advertising for chicken, but don’t think mushroom and chicken would work out, don’t sound good to me, but ya never know.

Speaking of eating, last Tuesday for breakfast at Shoney’s in Paintsville KY I had hot bologna, eggs and gravy, honest to God, HOT BOLOGNA EGGS AND GRAVY. Is that a cool breakfast menu or what? Just for that breakfast menu alone, ya gotta love Paintsville KY. Too bad it’s so far to go just for breakfast couple times a week.

Funny how life works out, on a day when I’m really down, and I know it’s gona be a hard, long, long day. Then I set down at Shoney’s Restaurant in Paintsville KY, 500 miles from home, and have Hot Bologna, Eggs, and Gravy for breakfast, the day is hard, the day is long, it’s extra long, but I started the day out right, I got thru, and the sun came up tomorrow. The magical powers of Hot Bologna Eggs and Gravy, when you’re hungry in the morning, can never be over stated, ‘cause that’s just the way things are.

Had two occasions this winter to sit in warm sunshine, Savannah GA and Salyersville KY. The former in joy the latter in sadness. In both instances the sunshine warms your soul. The soul healing power of sunbeams, it’s kinda God’s way of hugging ya in the day time, just so ya don’t forget who’s really in charge. Just think, turn the sun off and where ya at? DUH !

Don’t know if everybody has seen the White Winter Mushrooms of the Mountain, so I posted a couple pictures of them on my facebook page along with a specialized mushroom picker for the ones that grow really big.

In response to many email request to see Sophia the Republican Cat, the 2girldogs and the Angel, I’ve also posted a series of photos there on Facebook. In one of the photo albums you can look at the thing form the sea which now hangs in the East Wing Window looking south. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not eaten any of my dogs and cats, so far.

And just one last report on the demise of the Hornet Nation. I assume the hornets went underground, or wherever hornets go when winter comes. The one thing I do know is during the last three weeks the Blue Jays have dismantled the Hornet Nest. I’ve been watching with some interest as they actually land on the top of the nest and peck it apart. They’ll peck off a piece and fly away, I can’t tell if they eat the thing or just getting back at the hornets for being such mean little %$#@*&. I know one thing, I still don’t have the guts to peck it apart. I might be a hillbilly, but I learn fast when it comes to hornets. Just leave ‘em alone.

Thank you one and all for such an outpouring of kind thoughts on the passing of my dear Sister Thelma. It is with friends that hard times are shared, it somehow lightens the load.

As usual, your company in the East Wing this evening has been such a pleasure. I’m so glad you came by to visit. All too often we don’t visit enough, and things change, and then we can’t ever again.

Stay Safe in Baghdad and Afghanistan

From the East Wing, With a Happy Republican Cat, White Winter Mushrooms, Hot Bologna, Eggs And Gravy

I wish you well,
BobbyRay