h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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[GDZ]

* adds another vote, from the UK, for breastfeeding wherever and whenever the baby is hungry.

To paraphrase what others said earlier...

Adults aren't expected to eat their lunch in the lavvy - why should an infant?
No nursing mother sits there with her on full display; one develops the knack of dealing with things unobtrusively - as Witty said, a strategically placed shawl or muslin covers anyone's embarrassment.

A few years ago here there was a classic piece of hypocrisy. A young mum was nursing her small baby, sitting on the steps of one of the London galleries/museums. With typical Teuchterish vagueness I can't remember exactly which one, but the mother was moved on, on the grounds of indecenct behaviour.
Inside said gallery/museum there is apparently a very famous picture of Madonna, with fully exposed breast and baby Jesus having his lunch.

* quietly removes an extraneous 'c'

Very nice pictures, FG. I especially liked the squirrel ones. The scenery is gorgeous! I have never seen wild hollyhocks. I want some!

Thanks, Lady C.

Teuchter brought up something I thought about after I posted earlier this morning. I've noticed that over here in the States, many of the folks who want to ban public breastfeeding happen to be those pro-life, pro-"family values", anti-birth control types. Apparently, women are supposed to be impregnated by their Lord and Master every other year, but we have to hide our bodies and our babies from view until they're acceptable to those Nosy Nellies.

If the boob was good enough for the Baby Jesus, then it's good enough for them.

I thought we did mountains and lochs rather well in Scotland, FG - but Bowman Lake is just amazing

And now I know what a huckleberry looks like. I always thought it was a sort of bramblie/blackberry sort of thing - but it looks more like a blaeberry. What do they taste like?

Enjoyed the photos.

Ma and I are off to Rosemoor Gardens in Devon tomorrow. Next time Hyp comes over we must go there.
If anyone has a few minutes to spare - these clips give an idea of what the garden is like. The birdsong on some of them is wonderful.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/Gardens/rosemoor/tour/

I breastfed D for nearly 2 years...and I did it in public. I only ever had one nasty reaction, from another mom who told me that exposing myself was "ungodly." I brought up all of the pietas (although I used "Mary feeding Jesus", because I was pretty sure she wouldn't know what a pieta was). Her response was that Mary was different, because she didn't have original sin.

The convoluted theology there boggles the mind.

At any rate, I'm all for breastfeeding, whenever and wherever, and to he-ee-double-hockey-sticks with people who have problems with it!

I don't particularly care about public breastfeeding. I don't care to observe it, but then I don't like to watch children eat in general.

Yup. I agree with all posters on this breastfeeding 'issue'*. I breastfed two of mine. 'Feed on demand' say the midwives, you can never tell when a baby is hungry if he/she needs feeding, they need feeding, it's as simple as that. Anybody that has a problem with it, avert your eyes, you twonk!


*what 'issue'?

A huckleberry tastes like a very tart, very wild blueberry, Teuchter.

Gorgeous photos, FG. Makes me want to add that to my list of places to visit. I'm not up to the backpacking and no showers, though.

I want to see Rosemoor.

Breastfeeding is not an issue for me. I am soooooooooo not bothered by it. Much better than having babies crying because they're hungry. Besides, there's nothing wrong with it anyway. We let women breastfeed in the library. The only complaint I've ever received was from a Pentacostal woman who belongs in a closed community someplace. Everything offends her. I took her complaint about as seriously as I take her complaints about unsuitable materials. I considered the source and went about my business.

Huckleberries make fabulous preserves and pies. They grow wild in my area.

I regard my lactating years as some of the happiest. Each of my three were breastfed for a year and a bit, until they weaned themselves.

The convuluted thinking behind that woman's original sin theory does indeed boggle the mind. Seems like a theory dreamt up by some very embarrassed priests.
"Here's something we can't control, guys. It also involves things we're not allowed to think about so let's just label the whole business Rude and Disgusting and tidy it all out of the sight of Decent People."

Is that terribly unfair of me?

Compare and contrast the famous Mannequin Pis of Brussels? We all look and smile at this wee cherub, gleefully pissing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis
There's even a whole section in the local museum devoted to the Piddling Loon and his costumes, which have been gifted by hundreds of different cities across the world.
Would we be as amused to see a real small boy peeing in the street? It really wouldn't worry me, personally - though I'd probably be embarrassed if some full grown man did it in full view.

I'm not really equating the production of milk with that of urine - but they are both completely natural and necessary human functions.

> Lentilla, the large HEB in SA used to have alligator and rattlesnake for sale, but I was never brave enough to buy it

Hmmm... FDA-approved alligator and rattlesnake meat in the grocery store? I've had it at restaurants, but I didn't know you could buy it.

> I've heard that alligator, snake and iguana taste like chicken. So why not just eat chicken?

Let's just say I wasn't that impressed by the reptile meat. The alligator had too much personality.

Well, my tomatoes, after the deluge we've had, have developed yellow leaves with black spots and black veins. I think it's either fusarium wilt or bacterial speck. At any rate, they don't look good, and I'm pissed. They were looking so good! Good thing I have a couple of other plants in the garden - maybe I can have something from the garden this year...

And I have no problem with breastfeeding either. I don't like watching people eat, so I avert my eyes - but it's not because there's a mammary gland.

Human beings have had a long history of labeling something weird and strange and not for the eyes of 'decent people.' For a while there we were putting skirts on table legs, because they looked like female legs.

I had no problems breastfeeding in public. then again, it helped that I was surrounded by those that had no problems with breastfeeding, but would glare at someone bottlefeeding (the 'Nursing Nazis', as they were known) I figure that the method of feeding is up to the mom--either way, she's made her decision as far as what's best for her family, and who am I to criticise? though I will admit I was tempted about a week ago when the downstairs neighbor came up to borrow money to buy formula, since breastmilk's free...

I know (at least I'm pretty sure) there's huckleberry bushes in and/or around the in-laws property--I should go and pick some sometime Should definitely head down come blackberry season

<>

Lentilla, it wasn't at a regular HEB. It was at the one called the Marketplace, which was a fab store. They had all sorts of specialty items...meats, produce, cheeses, etc. They may have a lot of them scattered about by now, but when we were there, it was still the only one. I think they had game fish, also. They must have had a special license to sell the stuff.

Ahhh... They're now called Central Market. And it's really a food experience, more than a grocery store. You walk in one side, walk through a maze of wonderful and weird food offerings, and come out the other side having spent $200 on groceries.

That's the place!