Don’t get distracted by political shenanegans. Keep your eyes on the real deal. The government has been shut down for 25 days. It took about 18 months—from January 1933 to August 1934—for the Nazis to fully consolidate control over Germany and establish a dictatorship under Adolf Hitler. Are there any brakes on out of control behavior in the USA? We need unbiased (actually less biased, there is no such thing as unbiased in today’s world) radio and television programming. Support NPR and PBS. We are not paying attention to the famine in Sudan. Follow the Gun Violence Archive. There are so many shootings we don’t even notice them anymore. It is almost impossible to find plain pear preserves in stores. We’re stuck with what we have for the next 1184 days—plenty of time to think about what we do want and how to get it.
Wild Cooking Woman 10/25/25
On My Reading Table
- Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
- Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black (winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History)
- The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
- The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
- I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times by Taylor Byas
- On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
- August Lane by Regina Black
- Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia Butler by Susana M. Morris
- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
- John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg
- The Politics of Nonviolent Action by Gene Sharp
We have collected 11 of our favorite quotes from children’s books. (more)
Political shenanigans: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has filed a federal lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson after he refused to seat Adelita Grijalva, the Democrat who recently won a special election in Arizona. (This is not the first instance of ignoring the law by Republicans.) While the House typically swears in new members during a formal session, exceptions have occurred, especially when urgent representation is needed or when the Speaker chooses to accommodate it. Two Florida Republicans, Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, were sworn into office in pro forma sessions after winning special elections to their seats in April. Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Virginia Democrat, was also sworn in a day after his special election win in September.
The Charleston Literary Festival runs from November 7-16, 2025, at the Dock Street Theater in Charleston, SC. Some of my favorite authors will be there. A bit pricey ($30 per session), but if you’re a dedicated reader, a one-day visit might be worthwhile. Some events are free, and those tickets are going fast. I confess I am not interested in listening to a white man who lived in southern Africa reminisce about his childhood. I am interested in learning more about airborne diseases.
Do you know the story of Peculiar Pig Farm? Peculiar Pig Farm is a family-owned heritage hog and livestock farm in Dorchester, SC. They source ethically-raised pork for restaurants across the Carolinas and Georgia. They also do mail order. This is one way to know where your food comes from.
Cooking with dull knives is dangerous. Have you ever tried to cut an onion with a dull knife? They require more force to cut, increasing the risk of slipping and causing serious injuries. (Here speaks the woman who cut herself trying to use a dull knife.) Sharp knives are actually safer because they allow for better control and precision. Look for recommendations for manual knife sharpeners here and information about knives and sharpeners here.
‘There is a plan’ for Trump to seek a third term in 2028, Steve Bannon says. “Trump is going to be president in ’28, ” the podcaster and former White House aide told The Economist. “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”
Approximately 52% of federal civilian employees—around 730,000 people—are currently working without pay during the 2025 government shutdown. 1.3 million active-duty and 750,000 National Guard and reserve members are also required to serve, many without pay. Many essential workers missed their first full paycheck on October 24, 2025. If the shutdown continues past October 31, it may mark the first time in U.S. history that all military branches miss a paycheck simultaneously. (more)
The Kinder Houston Area Survey is a long-running research project that tracks the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of residents in the Houston metropolitan area, offering insights into social, economic, and demographic trends. There are similar studies for Chicago, Detroit, New York, as well as the American Trends Panel and the General Social Survey, which focus on national reporting.
With the cooler weather, I’m thinking soup. Here are 30 easy soup recipes that only require a few ingredients.
Trump fell asleep mid-meeting as his staff kept praising him like nothing happened.
Ken Burns, the documentary filmmaker, has a new film debuting on November 16 on PBS. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. This film is an expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America. (more) The man and his team can tell a story! Listen to his visit with Terry Gross on Fresh Air here.
You don’t need to dedicate an hour a day to the gym to see meaningful health benefits from movement. Just a few minutes here and there is all it takes. “Exercise snacks” are short bouts of exercise, often defined as lasting less than two minutes. (more)
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
“The Lorax,” by Dr. Seuss
A new Pew Research Center study found that 85 percent of President Trump’s 2020 supporters came out to vote for him again, a better rate than Democrats pulled off. But Trump’s youth support has faded since then.
Books make the best gifts!
Here are some of my favorites for kids of all ages:
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Story Boat by Kyo Maclear
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
- The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
- Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
- Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
- Harlem by Walter Dean Myers
- From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
- Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
- The House At Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
According to these food editors, Ben and Jerry’s vanilla ice cream is the best vanilla on the market. These folks like Häagen-Dazs best. Chowhound rates Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla as #2 and Kirkland (Costco’s house brand) as #5. Delish rates Blue Marble Just Vanilla (never heard of it) as the best. What’s your favorite?
The 22nd book in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is out. In The Joy and Light Bus Company, Mma Ramotswe is tempted to put the brakes on a business venture before it even gets rolling. (from the publisher) If you want a sweet read, this is a great series. It was made into a series, which you can view on YouTube.
On October 10, 2025, the White House said that it began mass firings as part of its ongoing effort to reduce the federal workforce.
What comes after Tr*mp? That is something to think about.
Tradeoffs is a nonprofit news organization that reports on health care’s toughest choices.
Here are 8 medications you shouldn’t combine with Vitamin D. Check with your doctor before following any online medical suggestions or advice.
The end of the year will be here before you know it. Have you consulted a tax expert yet? Are you making these five common tax mistakes?*
ProPublica identified a group of connected political nonprofits that appear to be funneling more than 90% of donations to fundraisers. Know how your donation is being spent!
No right was deemed by the fathers of the Government more sacred than the right of speech. It was in their eyes, as in the eyes of all thoughtful men, the great moral renovator of society and government. Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, founded in injustice and wrong, are sure to tremble, if men are allowed to reason of righteousness, temperance, and of a judgment to come in their presence. Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.
Frederick Douglass, 1886
