Love,
M
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
RTT - You got Bacon in my Chocolate
Join the fun, take a load off your mind, spew some randomness with the rest of the gang. Head over to see Keely for your cool Random Tuesday Thoughts button.
And awaaaaay we go.
And awaaaaay we go.
That could explain why "dog dildo" was my top search. Why should we be having all the fun at home? Why not our dogs?
#4 made me wonder also. I know I live in the South (and no hate mail from those of you in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In Houston, we are, geographically speaking, further south than you are.) but I don't think I've ever talked about "butt condensation" on this here blog. Well, sure, since moving here I've learned the meaning of the term but I haven't used it. I have a whole lot of other vernacular to describe the itchy sweat rash you can get around the legs of your panties down here but "butt condensation" doesn't even come close. I'm sad to say my language is a little saltier.And, #18? Is Montel Williams peddling emulsifier on the shopping channel these days? Did I not get the memo?
Who in their right mind thought this would make a good confection? Did someone in some meeting think to themselves; "mmmm the smoky saltiness of bacon and sweet creaminess of chocolate would sure hit the spot right now."? Was it the pork producers or the confectioners? And do these two industries actually have meetings together?
I can just hear the brainstorming session right now.
"We need some new add-ins for our chocolate bars."
"Rice Krispies?"
"Been done to death"
"Carmel?"
"Borrring"
"Cherries?"
"Too predictable"
"Bacon?"
"What a brilliant idea! Bacon, brilliant I tell you. Tom, put together a focus group".
If you all could do me a big favor I'd surely be appreciative. Could you check out my work site? University of Houston Digital Library. If you like it great. I know it needs work because it is so vanilla. Later today I plan to sex it up. Anyway, what I'm going for here is page views. Google and it's damn algorithm is a big popularity contest and my site is not fairing too well. Sure it's only been live for a month but I'm an impatient mama. I want my baby to be at the head of the class. So please please please wander through it a bit. View 10 or 15 or 30 or all 600+ pages and I will come up to your house and cook for a week. (limit time offer. winner must provide airfare, food, pedicure and facial)
That about wraps it up for me. Let's review; staycations need to include adult toys for your dog, chocolate is better with bacon (ewwww) and a shameless plug for my work that will only benefit me. Yep, I'm done.
Have a great day everyone.
Love,
M
Monday, September 28, 2009
Meatless Monday - Roasted Tomatoes
I love tomatoes. Raw, stewed, cooked in sauce, you name a method and I'll pretty much make them that way and eat it. Oh sure, they don't have the cheesy goodness of Cheetos but they are damn fine.
One of the ways I like tomatoes is roasted. Putting a little fire to them brings out the sweetness. That sounds like something JR would say about me. Sorry, TMI.
I'm almost embarrassed to call this a recipe. It doesn't involve tons of pots, pans, measuring devices, or cheese. This is just basic stuff. It's how you use the tomatoes after you roast them that can get complicated. I said "you". Me? I tossed them with green beans cooked in butter and white wine and fettuccine noodles. Yummy!
There are no rules here.
1. Wash a couple of pints of cherry or grape tomatoes. You can do this with regular tomatoes but then you have to cut them, salt them, drain them, etc to get them to roast correctly. Way too much trouble for me.
2. Place in tomatoes on a sheet pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic. Crushed and peeled.
5. Sprinkle on a couple of tablespoons of Rosemary or twice that amount of chopped fresh Rosemary.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
I've been know to eat these right out of the pan. I tend to burn my tongue a lot.
Suggested uses: Pizza topping, salsa and pasta sauce. Just to name a few.
Please have a Meatless Monday or Wednesday or Friday. Just one day this week.
Love,
M
One of the ways I like tomatoes is roasted. Putting a little fire to them brings out the sweetness. That sounds like something JR would say about me. Sorry, TMI.
I'm almost embarrassed to call this a recipe. It doesn't involve tons of pots, pans, measuring devices, or cheese. This is just basic stuff. It's how you use the tomatoes after you roast them that can get complicated. I said "you". Me? I tossed them with green beans cooked in butter and white wine and fettuccine noodles. Yummy!
There are no rules here.
1. Wash a couple of pints of cherry or grape tomatoes. You can do this with regular tomatoes but then you have to cut them, salt them, drain them, etc to get them to roast correctly. Way too much trouble for me.
2. Place in tomatoes on a sheet pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic. Crushed and peeled.
5. Sprinkle on a couple of tablespoons of Rosemary or twice that amount of chopped fresh Rosemary.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
I've been know to eat these right out of the pan. I tend to burn my tongue a lot.
Suggested uses: Pizza topping, salsa and pasta sauce. Just to name a few.
Please have a Meatless Monday or Wednesday or Friday. Just one day this week.
Love,
M
Friday, September 25, 2009
Winners of the Herb Garden Kits
I had almost forgot about this until I read Becky the Surburban Matron's post about blog clean up. It inspired me to wander through a few of my own posts for the last couple of weeks in order to tidy up.
I found some unfinished business in the form of the herb garden kits that I had planned to give away. You would have thought I'd have remembered these but I stuffed them off to side. Far far away from the bar. In this house if you want to be remembered you stick pretty close to the wet bar.
So without further inane commentary from me, here are the winners.
Blue; my favorite herb is basil also. I firmly believe that chopped fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, onion and fresh basil drizzled with a little olive oil is a food group all on it own. I've been know to top eggs with this mix. Congrats! Please send me your address.
Val; technically garlic is not an herb but it is so yummy and vital for everyday life it will count. Plus, you covered yourself with the basil response. Nice save! Congrats!
Stacy; I don't think you can over do in the herb department. Dill and greek yogurt, nom, nom. Oh sure, you're supposed to put cucumbers in that mix but I'm not real big on them so out they go. Congrats! Please send me your address and your little herb kit will be winging it's way to you.
One last thing,
Linda from Life on a Colorado Farm grower of all things beans and taker of beautiful pictures has sent me a box o'beans. This is like the third time now and I love love love her for it. So let's all give a big shout out to Linda.
Drop by her place to view some of her lovely pictures and leave her a little comment love. She deserves it. It is because of her that I have fantastic bean dishes to bring to you for meatless Monday.
Okay, I think that takes care to my "tidy up" the blog mission. See you all later.
Love,
M
I found some unfinished business in the form of the herb garden kits that I had planned to give away. You would have thought I'd have remembered these but I stuffed them off to side. Far far away from the bar. In this house if you want to be remembered you stick pretty close to the wet bar.
So without further inane commentary from me, here are the winners.
Blue; my favorite herb is basil also. I firmly believe that chopped fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, onion and fresh basil drizzled with a little olive oil is a food group all on it own. I've been know to top eggs with this mix. Congrats! Please send me your address.
Val; technically garlic is not an herb but it is so yummy and vital for everyday life it will count. Plus, you covered yourself with the basil response. Nice save! Congrats!
Stacy; I don't think you can over do in the herb department. Dill and greek yogurt, nom, nom. Oh sure, you're supposed to put cucumbers in that mix but I'm not real big on them so out they go. Congrats! Please send me your address and your little herb kit will be winging it's way to you.One last thing,
Linda from Life on a Colorado Farm grower of all things beans and taker of beautiful pictures has sent me a box o'beans. This is like the third time now and I love love love her for it. So let's all give a big shout out to Linda.
Thank You!
Drop by her place to view some of her lovely pictures and leave her a little comment love. She deserves it. It is because of her that I have fantastic bean dishes to bring to you for meatless Monday.
Okay, I think that takes care to my "tidy up" the blog mission. See you all later.
Love,
M
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Linda McCartney and I are Like Twins
Well, if twins could be born 18 years apart from different parents on opposite coasts then, yeah, we could have so been twins.
For some strange reason the choices we made led us on roughly the same path. Maybe, it was because we were born on the same day. Maybe, it was fate. Maybe, I think too much. Maybe, I'm a major dork. Whatever. Our lives had a lot in common. Want me to prove it? That was a totally rhetorical question. I'm going to tell you anyway.
1. We are both vegetarian. Before she died she was a huge advocate for vegetarianism. So am I. She lead by example and I'm trying to follow that model. She was probably more vocal than I but she also had built in publicity. With that whole married to a Beatles thing she had going. She went veggie back when being veggie was unheard of. She also went veggie for animal welfare reasons. I went veggie for health reasons. Why doesn't really matter anymore. Now, going veggie is an environmental issue. Veggie is the new green. Every little bit counts. So, pony up a day a week please.
2. We both married young to men who weren't good for us. Then we both married the love of our life and stayed married forever. I hope that if I was ever faced with a terminal disease I would show the same bravery that Linda did and be able to die in my husband's arms.
3. She was an artist and I like to fancy myself as one. Linda was a great photographer who worked for the likes of Rolling Stone magazine. I am a mediocre photographer who worked for the likes of my junior college drama department. Where she continued to take wonderful photos of her family and friends; I have moved on to take pictures of ramshackle houses that I can't afford to buy. Yeah, this is so the same. I paint a bit. That has to add a point to my side.
4. Linda literally wrote the veggie cooking bible. She was that good of a cook. If I wasn't so lazy I could be a fantastic cook and writer. It's that lazy bone that is holding me back. The thing weighs a ton. Can lazy bones be surgically removed? Think of the weight loss.
5. Linda couldn't carry a tune if she had had an empty bucket. I make my dogs howl.
6. We share the same birthday. Linda was 18 years older than I so technically if she was fairly precocious she could have been my mom. If she had been my mom I bet she would have been cool enough to send me the same gift that my real mom sent me for my birthday.
Yes folks, my mother sent me a pink birthday girl thong.
So Happy Birthday Linda! Wherever you are I hope you have plenty of veggies to cook and Kodachrome to shoot.
Love,
M
For some strange reason the choices we made led us on roughly the same path. Maybe, it was because we were born on the same day. Maybe, it was fate. Maybe, I think too much. Maybe, I'm a major dork. Whatever. Our lives had a lot in common. Want me to prove it? That was a totally rhetorical question. I'm going to tell you anyway.
1. We are both vegetarian. Before she died she was a huge advocate for vegetarianism. So am I. She lead by example and I'm trying to follow that model. She was probably more vocal than I but she also had built in publicity. With that whole married to a Beatles thing she had going. She went veggie back when being veggie was unheard of. She also went veggie for animal welfare reasons. I went veggie for health reasons. Why doesn't really matter anymore. Now, going veggie is an environmental issue. Veggie is the new green. Every little bit counts. So, pony up a day a week please.
2. We both married young to men who weren't good for us. Then we both married the love of our life and stayed married forever. I hope that if I was ever faced with a terminal disease I would show the same bravery that Linda did and be able to die in my husband's arms.
3. She was an artist and I like to fancy myself as one. Linda was a great photographer who worked for the likes of Rolling Stone magazine. I am a mediocre photographer who worked for the likes of my junior college drama department. Where she continued to take wonderful photos of her family and friends; I have moved on to take pictures of ramshackle houses that I can't afford to buy. Yeah, this is so the same. I paint a bit. That has to add a point to my side.
4. Linda literally wrote the veggie cooking bible. She was that good of a cook. If I wasn't so lazy I could be a fantastic cook and writer. It's that lazy bone that is holding me back. The thing weighs a ton. Can lazy bones be surgically removed? Think of the weight loss.
5. Linda couldn't carry a tune if she had had an empty bucket. I make my dogs howl.
6. We share the same birthday. Linda was 18 years older than I so technically if she was fairly precocious she could have been my mom. If she had been my mom I bet she would have been cool enough to send me the same gift that my real mom sent me for my birthday.
Yes folks, my mother sent me a pink birthday girl thong.
So Happy Birthday Linda! Wherever you are I hope you have plenty of veggies to cook and Kodachrome to shoot.
Love,
M
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wine Fest 2009, Kemah, Texas
Driving to work I saw the billboard, "WINE FEST". I promptly snatched up my cell phone. "Hey honey, they are having a wine fest on September 19th. Wanna go?" (I've been known to drop my Ts and Gs.)
"Need you ask?"
"Alrighty, done and done".
$35 per person later that day I was the proud owner of 2 tickets to the 1st annual Kemah Wine Fest. I couldn't even pronounce the name of the town. Still can't for that matter. But, after enough wine does it really matter? Yeah, I didn't think so.
For our first time at the Boardwalk the weather cooperated by not being wretchedly hot and sticky. We arrived plenty early because we had heard that the parking was almost non-existent. Turns out it wasn't that bad. From all accounts the Boardwalk was pretty much decimated from hurricane Ike so when they built it back up they must have added more parking.
There were rides, shops, and restaurants. Lots of new wood, workers busy rebuilding the wooden roller coaster, and freshly planted landscaping.
"Need you ask?"
"Alrighty, done and done".
$35 per person later that day I was the proud owner of 2 tickets to the 1st annual Kemah Wine Fest. I couldn't even pronounce the name of the town. Still can't for that matter. But, after enough wine does it really matter? Yeah, I didn't think so.
For our first time at the Boardwalk the weather cooperated by not being wretchedly hot and sticky. We arrived plenty early because we had heard that the parking was almost non-existent. Turns out it wasn't that bad. From all accounts the Boardwalk was pretty much decimated from hurricane Ike so when they built it back up they must have added more parking.
There were rides, shops, and restaurants. Lots of new wood, workers busy rebuilding the wooden roller coaster, and freshly planted landscaping.
JR enjoying his first beignet. A buck and a half of freshly fried doughy yumminess. Poor guy needs his mustache trimmed. It was a little hard to determine where the powered sugar started and the gray ended. Such as life when you are getting as old as we are.
We checked the menus from the restaurants that lined the Boardwalk out just in case we wanted to come down again for dinner and drinks.
What the... Who eats gator?
What the... Who eats gator?
This will not be a delicacy that we'll be partaking in. Of course, when I say we really mean JR. I'm using the royal "we" here.
The door or I should say ropes opened to the wine fest. We grabbed our glasses and started to sample. This wasn't one of those wine fests where you get a half dozen tickets then you're done. This was an all you could drink affair. The promoters really underestimated who they were dealing with when they made this decision.
They just compounded their mistake by including one of these.
I was on a mission to get my $35 worth.
I was not alone.
They just compounded their mistake by including one of these.I was on a mission to get my $35 worth.
I was not alone.
JR is not much of a wine drinker but he was willing to work with the situation then we found the beer booth. And according to JR it was really good beer too. The beer guys were giving out very cool glasses. Beer and beer glasses. They became JR's new best friends.
At the end of the day we walked away with 2 new wine glass (like we needed more? You've seen pictures of my bar. Those 2 shelves of wine glass don't include the fancy stuff, just the every day wine glasses) and 3 stemmed beer glasses. I tried to get 4 beer glasses but they ran out.
We had a great time, met some wonderful people that we hope to get together with soon and wasn't encumbered by a hangover the next day. JR and I figure we'll go to all future Kemah Wine Fests until they figure out that you just can't give a person a glass and let them go to town. They start putting a limit on it and we're out of there.
At the end of the day we walked away with 2 new wine glass (like we needed more? You've seen pictures of my bar. Those 2 shelves of wine glass don't include the fancy stuff, just the every day wine glasses) and 3 stemmed beer glasses. I tried to get 4 beer glasses but they ran out.
We had a great time, met some wonderful people that we hope to get together with soon and wasn't encumbered by a hangover the next day. JR and I figure we'll go to all future Kemah Wine Fests until they figure out that you just can't give a person a glass and let them go to town. They start putting a limit on it and we're out of there.
Love,
M
M
Monday, September 21, 2009
Huevos Rancheros Recipe - Meatless Monday
I'm re-posting this because I'll be at a Wine festival on Saturday then driving to Waco (AGAIN!) on Sunday night so I won't get a chance to do a Meatless Monday post. Why does this sound like I'm too lazy to actually post something interesting? Uh, probably because I am? I'll say sorry now just to get it out of the way.
Read on at your own peril.
This is my go-to Sunday breakfast, lunch or dinner. I've made several versions of this recipe but the basics are the same. Eggs, beans, salsa.
I mix it up a bit with whatever ingredients I have on hand. No corn tortillas in the house; I use flour. No refried beans; go for black beans (our personal favorite anyway). No chili sauce; tomato sauce, a can of green chilies, and chili powder. Dip a finger in that bad boy to taste. Hot enough? Add hot sauce.
Huevos Rancheros
4 corn tortillas
vegetable oil for frying
1 1/2 cups refried beans
4 to 8 eggs, fried
1/2 cup red or green chili sauce
1 cup shredded yellow or white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, sliced, diced or mashed
Dip tortillas into hot oil for 2 seconds; drain on paper towels. Arrange tortillas on individual ovenproof plates. Place in a warm oven. 200 or 225 degrees will do. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the frying pan. Add beans and cook, stirring until heated throughout; spread over tortillas.
Fry eggs in skillet to your preference (me; I go for runny. JR likes his a little hard). You want them a little under done. Arrange one or two eggs over each tortilla; pour sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas. Broil until cheese is melted.
Pretty it up with the lettuce and tomato around the tortilla. Top with a little sour cream and a whole lot of avocado. Okay, you may not be a big avocado eater. Though personally I don't understand this phenomena I do realize that there are some out there that just don't like it. Around these parts we eat no less than 6 to 9 per week. I could eat my weight in guacamole. And Cheetos. And candy corn. And........
Serves 4.
See that wasn't so bad was it? Don't answer that question. Just pity me because I'm sitting in a hotel room in Waco eating a soggy room service sandwich. One glass of wine is just not going to cut it.
Love,
M
photo scanned from my Benson & Hedges presents Recipes From American's Favorite Resorts
Read on at your own peril.
This is my go-to Sunday breakfast, lunch or dinner. I've made several versions of this recipe but the basics are the same. Eggs, beans, salsa.
I mix it up a bit with whatever ingredients I have on hand. No corn tortillas in the house; I use flour. No refried beans; go for black beans (our personal favorite anyway). No chili sauce; tomato sauce, a can of green chilies, and chili powder. Dip a finger in that bad boy to taste. Hot enough? Add hot sauce.
Huevos Rancheros
4 corn tortillas
vegetable oil for frying
1 1/2 cups refried beans
4 to 8 eggs, fried
1/2 cup red or green chili sauce
1 cup shredded yellow or white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, sliced, diced or mashed
Dip tortillas into hot oil for 2 seconds; drain on paper towels. Arrange tortillas on individual ovenproof plates. Place in a warm oven. 200 or 225 degrees will do. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the frying pan. Add beans and cook, stirring until heated throughout; spread over tortillas.
Fry eggs in skillet to your preference (me; I go for runny. JR likes his a little hard). You want them a little under done. Arrange one or two eggs over each tortilla; pour sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas. Broil until cheese is melted.
Pretty it up with the lettuce and tomato around the tortilla. Top with a little sour cream and a whole lot of avocado. Okay, you may not be a big avocado eater. Though personally I don't understand this phenomena I do realize that there are some out there that just don't like it. Around these parts we eat no less than 6 to 9 per week. I could eat my weight in guacamole. And Cheetos. And candy corn. And........
Serves 4.
See that wasn't so bad was it? Don't answer that question. Just pity me because I'm sitting in a hotel room in Waco eating a soggy room service sandwich. One glass of wine is just not going to cut it.
Love,
M
photo scanned from my Benson & Hedges presents Recipes From American's Favorite Resorts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Houdini Advertising Posters
Where did I get this cool stuff? I found it on the American Memory Project published by my good friends at the Library of Congress.
Did you know that all the books in the Library of Congress burned in the war of 1812 and Thomas Jefferson sold the government his library at Monticello to replace it? (let's forget for a moment that he was broke and needed the money pretty badly at this time.) Many in Congress were not happy with the purchase because they couldn't understand why they would ever need science and philosophy books to run the country.
Maybe, if more of our politicians would spend a little more time reading and a little less time watching their poll numbers, Fox news (oxymoron if you ask me) and sucking up to lobbyists our country might be a little better off. Sorry, end of rant.
Now, the Library of Congress collects one of every published and some unpublished works they can get their hands on. Wouldn't it be fun to browse their shelves?
Love,
M
Did you know that all the books in the Library of Congress burned in the war of 1812 and Thomas Jefferson sold the government his library at Monticello to replace it? (let's forget for a moment that he was broke and needed the money pretty badly at this time.) Many in Congress were not happy with the purchase because they couldn't understand why they would ever need science and philosophy books to run the country.
Maybe, if more of our politicians would spend a little more time reading and a little less time watching their poll numbers, Fox news (oxymoron if you ask me) and sucking up to lobbyists our country might be a little better off. Sorry, end of rant.
Now, the Library of Congress collects one of every published and some unpublished works they can get their hands on. Wouldn't it be fun to browse their shelves?
Love,
M
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Where to Retire? Here's a few suggestions
My friend Terry sent this to me. There are some major truisms here.
WHERE TO RETIRE?
Here are some suggestions . . .
You can retire to Phoenix , Arizona where.....
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
(Having lived in Phoenix I can safely say that every single one of these is true)
You can retire to California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.
You can retire to New York City where....
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn. (ed. note: if you have a car)
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
You can retire to Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
You can retire to the Deep South where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "Y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin'" is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder." it's important to know the difference, too...
You can retire to Colorado where....
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center…
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You can retire to the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"
AND You can retire to Florida where…
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind---even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist…
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.
So what do you think? Are the rest all as accurate as the one for Phoenix?
Love,
M
WHERE TO RETIRE?
Here are some suggestions . . .
You can retire to Phoenix , Arizona where.....
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
(Having lived in Phoenix I can safely say that every single one of these is true)
You can retire to California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.
You can retire to New York City where....
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn. (ed. note: if you have a car)
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
You can retire to Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
You can retire to the Deep South where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "Y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin'" is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder." it's important to know the difference, too...
You can retire to Colorado where....
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center…
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You can retire to the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"
AND You can retire to Florida where…
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind---even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist…
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.
So what do you think? Are the rest all as accurate as the one for Phoenix?
Love,
M
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wordless Wednesday - Scandals Exclusive Comfort and Support
Advertising from a 1943 Life magazine
He's really rocking that cigarette and the goggles.
Love,
M
PS. I seem to once again not be wordless.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
RTT - A whole bunch of sharing going on
There's a whole lot of sharing going on at our house these days. JR offered up a cold bug that my body accepted without any consultation from me. The least the my body should have done was send a memo informing me it was going to take him up on his offer but no it just accepted his offer and ran with it. I'm pretty sure this is why I have kids.
Saw this over at Unmitigated and just had to share:
Do what I did. Pass it on.
Now back to frivolous stuff.
I love love love the weather in Houston but (and you knew there would be one) I could do without the bugs. We've been battling fleas and ants something fierce. We've sprayed the house, dogs, and dogs and house again, used bug bombs, shampooed the dogs and pretty much wagged a war that would put the Tet Offensive to shame. With pretty much the same results.
I'm pretty excited about my garden but it is not producing vegetables RIGHT NOW! Which makes me a total ego-centric have to have it right this minute kind of gal. I never thought I'd be that way but I find myself checking out the progress twice a day. I grew up with the work hard and save for those things that you want era. I Want to eat off my garden RIGHT NOW! My brain can't wrap around this new attitude. I may need therapy.
Because I'm a smug bi#$h and I want to lord it over someone that my herbs and veggies are bigger than theirs, I've decided to give away 3 of these adorable Herb Garden kits as penance. If you want one of these cuties to sit on your window sill leave me a comment about your favorite herb to use to cook with.
Spent a ton of money last weekend. We bought a new HDTV and the NFL Package for JR. He is suitably pleased. Me? Not so much. Where before we'd sit down to dinner to music. Now, we sit down to dinner with ESPN. Sounds like I need to put my foot down about this one. What did I get out of the deal? I got an inattentive husband. Oh wait, he gave me his cold. Yep, I got hosed on this one.
Have a nice day everyone. I'll be sucking down soup and aspirin.
Love,
M
Monday, September 14, 2009
Meatless Monday - Eggplant Manicotti
Yeah, this is our dinner table on Sunday night.
We're fancy like that.
Real cloth napkins.
Placemats, wine glasses, salad plates.
Guess what we're wearing?
We're fancy like that.
Real cloth napkins.
Placemats, wine glasses, salad plates.
Guess what we're wearing?
In the last 3 years we have made it a habit of sitting down to dinner with all the fancy stuff on Sunday. Last Sunday we sat down to Eggplant Manicotti, pear salad, a bottle of Texas red wine (not the best) and garlic bread.
I'm pretty invested in the notion that families should sit down to dinner together at least one day a week. I know that makes me a freak. It wasn't always this way. As the boys grew up and moved away then moved closer this one day a week became more important.
When we all lived in the same city (Phoenix); we all sat down to dinner on Sunday. Now, we are in different cities it makes it impossible to get together. JR and I still sit down to dinner on Sunday. Later, after we've eaten, we set the laptop up and try to chat with the kids using Skype. Almost but not quite the same. Someday, we can be together every Sunday again.
This weekly event is not possible for everyone. I totally understand how hard this is when you have Junior high, high school or college age children. Thank God that technology has made this dinner/weekly event easier for everyone. I miss my boys and Val too much to let this go.
Here is the recipe for the family dinner we would have had had the kids been here. JR and I enjoyed it without them. I'm pretty sure they would have liked it.
We ate the leftovers during the week and they just got better and better.
Eggplant Manicotti
Makes 4 servings
for the filling
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
½ cup loosely packed spinach
1 tablespoon pine nut, toasted
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the manicotti
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch‐thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups purchased or homemade pasta sauce
½ cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1. To prepare the filling, puree all the filling ingredients in a food processor, refrigerate until ready to use.
2. If desired, salt the eggplant slices and let sit 30 minutes. Rinse, drain, and blot dry
3. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet; arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the sheet and brush them with more oil. Broil the eggplant 2 to 3 inches from the heat until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread about 1/2 cup tomato sauce in a 9 by 12 inch baking dish. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons ricotta filling in the center of each eggplant slice; roll up. Arrange the rolls in the baking dish, seam side down. Top the rolls with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake for 45 minutes or until the eggplant is tender and heated through.
Above is the official recipe from the Vegetarian Times Cooks
Mediterranean cookbook that I scored for $10. The following is the way I made it.
My way is easier and used items I had on-hand. I have a rule about using only ingredients that I have on-hand. Nothing pisses me off more than food shows/blogs/cookbooks that expect you to have esoteric ingredients in your pantry. Really, who has saffron/stone-ground corn meal/gatam masala just hanging around your kitchen? We are not all Iron Chefs.
Michele's Eggplant Manicotti
Filling
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup prepared basil pesto
1 ½ cup loosely packed spinach
Manicotti
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups purchased sauce
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped or sliced
1. To prepare the filling, puree all the filling ingredients in a food processor, refrigerate until ready to use. Do yourself a favor and make this ahead.
2. Salt the eggplant slices and let sit 30 minutes. Rinse, drain, and blot dry
3. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet; arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the sheet and brush them with more oil. Broil the eggplant 2 to 3 inches from the heat until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Want to save some fat? Use that non-stick spray stuff.
4. Sauté onions and mushrooms then add to tomato sauce.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread about 1/2 cup tomato sauce in a 9 by 12 inch baking dish. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons ricotta filling in the center of each eggplant slice; roll up. Arrange the rolls in the baking dish, seam side down. Top the rolls with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake for 45 minutes or until the eggplant is tender and heated through.
It rocked as a Sunday night dinner and it rocked as leftovers for lunch. It wasn't too hard to make and it used on-hand type ingredients. Which makes it a lazy-ass dish. Sounds perfect doesn't it?Love,
M
PS. I'll be having a give away on Tuesday. I'm feeling pretty smug about my kiddie pool garden so in order to temper my enormous pompousness I'm going to give away 3 herb garden kits. Stuff that you can grow indoors for those of you who see winter coming at you like a bullet. Then I'll feature recipes that will enable you to use you new found gains. Yeah, I'm generous like that.
PSS. Another of my recipes made the Meatless Monday Blog again. They liked the Nacho Soup recipe. I feel pretty special right now. It doesn't take much does it?
Friday, September 11, 2009
How Does Your Garden Grow?
I'm going to say pretty damn fast
I planted these basil and a mixed herb seeds on Sunday afternoon.
Yep, 70 degree night time temps and rain works like a charm.
Love,
M
M
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
How-to Make a Kiddie Pool Garden
Over the Labor Day weekend we labored. And, that's okay. JR and I like this kind of thing.
The weather around these parts has cooled down to the low 90s and the nighttime temps have dropped to the low 70s making it the perfect time to put in our Kiddie Pool gardens. This is an experiment for us but I think it will be well worth the time.
Let me show you what we did.
We started with those hard plastic kiddie pools. The ones we purchased were new but if you can score yourselves some used ones at yard sales that would be even better. Just try to be sure that the sides are in fairly good condition.
Drill drain holes.
After contemplating hole making devises we came up with our 1 inch hole drill bit as the best solution. We rooted around the garage to find our 1/2 inch impact drill. You could use whatever drill you have handy. Exacto knifes, crappy kitchens knives, and a screw drive and hammer were all contenders. Important note: when using the hole bit take out the plastic pool rounds about every other hole. Those things just melt making it hard to drill the next hole and they are hot so be careful.
Doesn't JR have the cutest knobby knees? And I'm digging those white socks.
We decided that about one hole per foot and a few in the middle would be enough to drain the soil. Or at least we hope so since it is too late now to do anything about it.
Line the inside with landscape fabric
We were setting our pools directly on the grass in our backyard so to ensure that the grass didn't grow up through the holes we lined the pools with landscape fabric.
Standing in front of the bags of dirt at our local DIY store deciding which one would be the best was the most daunting parts of the whole process.
The one with fertilizer or without fertilizer?
Garden soil or potting soil?
Moisture control or non-moisture control?
What's a kiddie pool gardener to do?
We went with a mix. 5 bags of garden soil topped with 2 bags of moisture control with fertilizer per pool. For our area we thought that was the best option. Also, less expensive than all moisture control. If we have to replace the soil ever we will have a couple of yards of soil delivered and buy a wheelbarrow because those bags can get pricey. Since, we have two growing seasons per year it shouldn't work out to be a bad investment.
The weather around these parts has cooled down to the low 90s and the nighttime temps have dropped to the low 70s making it the perfect time to put in our Kiddie Pool gardens. This is an experiment for us but I think it will be well worth the time.
Let me show you what we did.
We started with those hard plastic kiddie pools. The ones we purchased were new but if you can score yourselves some used ones at yard sales that would be even better. Just try to be sure that the sides are in fairly good condition.
Drill drain holes.
After contemplating hole making devises we came up with our 1 inch hole drill bit as the best solution. We rooted around the garage to find our 1/2 inch impact drill. You could use whatever drill you have handy. Exacto knifes, crappy kitchens knives, and a screw drive and hammer were all contenders. Important note: when using the hole bit take out the plastic pool rounds about every other hole. Those things just melt making it hard to drill the next hole and they are hot so be careful.
Doesn't JR have the cutest knobby knees? And I'm digging those white socks.
Punch out plenty of holes.
We decided that about one hole per foot and a few in the middle would be enough to drain the soil. Or at least we hope so since it is too late now to do anything about it.
Line the inside with landscape fabric
We were setting our pools directly on the grass in our backyard so to ensure that the grass didn't grow up through the holes we lined the pools with landscape fabric.
Fill with dirt to within an inch of the top
Standing in front of the bags of dirt at our local DIY store deciding which one would be the best was the most daunting parts of the whole process.
The one with fertilizer or without fertilizer?
Garden soil or potting soil?
Moisture control or non-moisture control?
What's a kiddie pool gardener to do?
We went with a mix. 5 bags of garden soil topped with 2 bags of moisture control with fertilizer per pool. For our area we thought that was the best option. Also, less expensive than all moisture control. If we have to replace the soil ever we will have a couple of yards of soil delivered and buy a wheelbarrow because those bags can get pricey. Since, we have two growing seasons per year it shouldn't work out to be a bad investment.
Plant
This is my herb garden. I have basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, lavender, and a bunch of other stuff planted here. Some I already had, some I bought started and some I planted from seed. Give it a little time and the whole thing will be filled with yummy herbs.
This is my herb garden. I have basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, lavender, and a bunch of other stuff planted here. Some I already had, some I bought started and some I planted from seed. Give it a little time and the whole thing will be filled with yummy herbs.
Placement
Where you place your pools is pretty important. The herbs (top left) need full sun. The salad garden (bottom right, duh Michele) needs less sun. This pool only gets sun in the afternoon. If I had had a good spot that just got morning sun this one would have been set there.
Try to make sure your pool is level. It doesn't have to be dead-on the bubble but at least close. This is a pretty critical step. You don't want the water to puddle at one end or run off towards the low end taking all your nutrients and seeds with it.
The salad garden consists of tomatoes, carrots, peppers, lettuce, broccoli. I like lots of different types of lettuce so I planted a bunch. I bought some starts so I could have successive plantings.
I have one more to plant next weekend. That one will be our full-on veggie garden, beans, green onions, squash, peas, beets, etc
Try to make sure your pool is level. It doesn't have to be dead-on the bubble but at least close. This is a pretty critical step. You don't want the water to puddle at one end or run off towards the low end taking all your nutrients and seeds with it.
The salad garden consists of tomatoes, carrots, peppers, lettuce, broccoli. I like lots of different types of lettuce so I planted a bunch. I bought some starts so I could have successive plantings.
I have one more to plant next weekend. That one will be our full-on veggie garden, beans, green onions, squash, peas, beets, etc
This little guy was my observer. We like him and all his little friends. They are nice enough to eat the bugs around our house.
I'll keep everyone posted about how this works for us. You know you want me to bore you with our garden progress.
Love,
M
Love,
M
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Somedays I Have the Coolest Job on the Planet
This all happened Friday:
Yeah, I'm a librarian. Yeah, librarians get to see all the good books. Yeah, our reputations proceed us. Yada Yada Yada. But, I'm not that kind of librarian. I'm the kind of librarian that digitizes old stuff and displays it on the internet.
In the course of my work I get to see some really cool stuff but today I got to see the coolest thing on the planet. Okay, maybe not the coolest for some of you but I'm a Jeffersonian and Colonial period historian. Which make this item the coolest thing I've ever seen.
What was it?
It was a letter from George Washington to Israel Shreve written in 1778. I got to hold it. I got to read it. I got the chills from it. I refrained from drooling on it.
I immediately went back to my office virtually wiggling with excitement. I had to tell someone. Someone who would understand. Someone who would appreciate the enormity of what this meant to me. My oldest boy would be great because he too has a history background but he's not online. Who is online? My youngest son. Here is our chat.
me: OMFG I just got to touch and read a letter written by George Washington in 1778
The Boy: who?
Some of the excitement drained out of the occasion. I still had the chills. They were just a little less chillslike. Whereas I was laughing my a*& off.
Love,
M
Yeah, I'm a librarian. Yeah, librarians get to see all the good books. Yeah, our reputations proceed us. Yada Yada Yada. But, I'm not that kind of librarian. I'm the kind of librarian that digitizes old stuff and displays it on the internet.
In the course of my work I get to see some really cool stuff but today I got to see the coolest thing on the planet. Okay, maybe not the coolest for some of you but I'm a Jeffersonian and Colonial period historian. Which make this item the coolest thing I've ever seen.
What was it?
It was a letter from George Washington to Israel Shreve written in 1778. I got to hold it. I got to read it. I got the chills from it. I refrained from drooling on it.
I immediately went back to my office virtually wiggling with excitement. I had to tell someone. Someone who would understand. Someone who would appreciate the enormity of what this meant to me. My oldest boy would be great because he too has a history background but he's not online. Who is online? My youngest son. Here is our chat.
me: OMFG I just got to touch and read a letter written by George Washington in 1778
The Boy: who?
me: George Washington
you know
father of our country
3:31 PM The Boy: ohh right
The Boy: good ole georgey boy
me: it was one of these
wooden teeth boy
3:32 PM crossing the Delaware guy
3:33 PM The Boy: could you imagine splinters in your gums
me: no I can't imagine
think of the canker sores
3:34 PM The Boy: think of the cholera!
me: think of the bleeding
The Boy: bleeding gums murphy
me: without the saxophone
Some of the excitement drained out of the occasion. I still had the chills. They were just a little less chillslike. Whereas I was laughing my a*& off.
Love,
M
Monday, September 7, 2009
Compound Butter
I was going to talk about the Eggplant Manicotti I made for dinner tonight but was too lazy to type out the recipe on a holiday weekend. I promise to regale you with this wonderful dish next week.
Today I'll tell you about my favorite thing to do with butter. And no, it's not to slather myself with it then roll in bread crumbs. My favorite thing to do with butter is to mix herbs with it.
Compound Butter is like butter on steroids. It is butter taken up 5 notches. I'm sure you've had it at fancy restaurants and thought to yourself. "This is so good. I wish I could slather myself in it and roll around in bread crumbs." Don't tell me I'm the only one. Seriously, I won't believe you.
The hardest part of compound butter is getting the portions right. Not enough herbs and it's just butter with leaves. Too many herbs and they overpower the gentle yet distinctive taste of the butter.
I've done it both ways, butter with leaves and overpowering. It makes my frugal little heart tremble when I screw up a cube of butter. Plus, it gets terribly expensive to make batch after batch of this. Don't be thinking that everything is better with more garlic. That's where I made my mistakes. Most everything is better with plenty of garlic except butter.
Here is my sure fire, never failed recipe for Garlic Butter.
Compound Garlic Butter
1 cube salted butter, the real stuff please.
1 very large or 3 small cloves of garlic.
Let butter sit out until it is soft.
Mince garlic very fine, very very fine.
Mash butter and garlic together until smooth.
Scoop into a covered container or wrap in waxed paper into a log shape.
Let stand for at least 1 hour.
Some recipes call for unsalted butter then you have to mince and paste the garlic with salt. Seems kind of stupid to me. Why not just use salted butter and mince the garlic really fine?
After trying the paste the garlic with salt trick then adding to unsalted butter and screwing it up more times than I could count. I just worked on using plain old fashion salted butter until I got it right. Now, I'm working on getting the butter to basil ratio right. When I get that one right I'll pass it along.
Spread on warm bread or, and this is my favorite, cut a loaf of crusty bread down the long way, slather on a good quantity (okay, the whole cube) on one of the cut sides, place the other side back on, wrap in tin foil and bake in 375 degree over for 15 minutes.
I could eat my weight in this stuff. This and Cheetos. I can and probably have eaten my weight in Cheetos. And not those wussie baked Cheetos. No, I crave the fully fried version Cheetos. Ah crap, now I want some Cheetos.
I'd better stop now before I convince myself that only Cheetos will make me happy and fulfilled in this life.
Try out the butter recipe. I think you'll like it.
Love,
M
PS: This could be a Meatless Monday recipe but it's butter. When did butter become a menu item. Not that it doesn't deserve a special place on every menu but really, it just doesn't qualify.
Today I'll tell you about my favorite thing to do with butter. And no, it's not to slather myself with it then roll in bread crumbs. My favorite thing to do with butter is to mix herbs with it.
Compound Butter is like butter on steroids. It is butter taken up 5 notches. I'm sure you've had it at fancy restaurants and thought to yourself. "This is so good. I wish I could slather myself in it and roll around in bread crumbs." Don't tell me I'm the only one. Seriously, I won't believe you.
The hardest part of compound butter is getting the portions right. Not enough herbs and it's just butter with leaves. Too many herbs and they overpower the gentle yet distinctive taste of the butter.
I've done it both ways, butter with leaves and overpowering. It makes my frugal little heart tremble when I screw up a cube of butter. Plus, it gets terribly expensive to make batch after batch of this. Don't be thinking that everything is better with more garlic. That's where I made my mistakes. Most everything is better with plenty of garlic except butter.
Here is my sure fire, never failed recipe for Garlic Butter.
Compound Garlic Butter
1 cube salted butter, the real stuff please.
1 very large or 3 small cloves of garlic.
Let butter sit out until it is soft.
Mince garlic very fine, very very fine.
Mash butter and garlic together until smooth.
Scoop into a covered container or wrap in waxed paper into a log shape.
Let stand for at least 1 hour.
Some recipes call for unsalted butter then you have to mince and paste the garlic with salt. Seems kind of stupid to me. Why not just use salted butter and mince the garlic really fine?
After trying the paste the garlic with salt trick then adding to unsalted butter and screwing it up more times than I could count. I just worked on using plain old fashion salted butter until I got it right. Now, I'm working on getting the butter to basil ratio right. When I get that one right I'll pass it along.
Spread on warm bread or, and this is my favorite, cut a loaf of crusty bread down the long way, slather on a good quantity (okay, the whole cube) on one of the cut sides, place the other side back on, wrap in tin foil and bake in 375 degree over for 15 minutes.
I could eat my weight in this stuff. This and Cheetos. I can and probably have eaten my weight in Cheetos. And not those wussie baked Cheetos. No, I crave the fully fried version Cheetos. Ah crap, now I want some Cheetos.
I'd better stop now before I convince myself that only Cheetos will make me happy and fulfilled in this life.
Try out the butter recipe. I think you'll like it.
Love,
M
PS: This could be a Meatless Monday recipe but it's butter. When did butter become a menu item. Not that it doesn't deserve a special place on every menu but really, it just doesn't qualify.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Psychology 101 Gone Awry
JR's brother came across this the other day. Our lawyer and judge friends thought it was a hoot and strangely enough so did we.
Hope you enjoy it.
Love,
M
Sprite's Keeper, I know you can't watch videos at work but if you haven't seen this you'll want to watch it at home.
Hope you enjoy it.
Love,
M
Sprite's Keeper, I know you can't watch videos at work but if you haven't seen this you'll want to watch it at home.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
I'm Being Followed by a Rainshadow. A Really Big Rainshadow.
Hi Everybody!
Meet Tripper
Tripper meet Everybody
Tripper, why don't you tell all our friends out there on the internet what you do all day.
Oh, I don't know mom. my day is pretty lame.
Go on, they'll understand.
Oh, I don't know mom. my day is pretty lame.
Go on, they'll understand.
Don't say I didn't warn them.
After waiting patiently at the back door all day for you to come home. I sit at your feet while you make dinner. This is a very important moment in my day because there is that off chance that you'll give me cheese. Sure, I'll have to debase myself by sitting but hey, this is cheese we're talking about.
Then I have to climb up the dreaded steps to sit at your feet while you paint or work in your studio. Do you even realize how hard it is for me to climb steps? HUH, mom? Did you have to put your studio upstairs? Were you even thinking of my needs? Yeah, I didn't think so.
Then I sit on the sofa next to you while you watch TV. Unless there are bird noises on the TV. Then I must stand in front of it and bark. Very important work here. Almost as important as chasing that nasty squirrel out of the back yard. But, only if you are out there. I don't go outside except to do my business unless you're out there.
Then there is the time I spend sitting at your feet while you eat, drink your morning coffee (and what's the attraction there?), and type on your computer. I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You spend way too much time on your computer. Time that would be better spent petting me. I'm just sayin'
Then there is the all important time I spend waiting for you to get out of the shower. You know, you just cut 10 inches of hair off I would think that would mean shorter showers. Not that I don't love the cool tiles on my belly, it's the place a little further south that doesn't like to get too cold, if you know what I mean. And of course,
There is a portion on my day that I sit at your feet while you sit on the throne. That's some time well spent there, I'll tell you. The possibility of some interesting smells is like a siren's call. So, sue me. I'm a dog! We do disgusting. Anyway, that's my day folks. Oh what? What do I do while mom's at work all day? Why, I spend it sleeping on her pillow. I like the smells there the best.
Thank you, Tripper for giving the folks an in-depth look at why I trip around you all day and why you are named Tripper to begin with. I did think that after the boys grew out of the toddler years I wouldn't have a body following me around the house all day but it seems I was wrong.
Well, carry on.
Love,
M
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Hovland Boys
From a well off family living on farms near Faaberg, Norway that dates from 1396; it is said that the Hovland boys never did any work harder than horseback riding. The farms were were small and the family was large which could explain why they came to America.
(the following information is taken directly from Cousin Carrie's "The History of the Hovland Family" that she did in the mid 1970s. She was about 70 years old at the time so please keep that in the back of your mind when you read this. It is not all politically correct.)
(the following information is taken directly from Cousin Carrie's "The History of the Hovland Family" that she did in the mid 1970s. She was about 70 years old at the time so please keep that in the back of your mind when you read this. It is not all politically correct.)
The family of seven children, Ole, Lars, Simund, Johanna, Johan, Karen, Berthe and their parents emigrated to America in 1857. Ole and Lars were not on the emigrant list so it is suspected that they came earlier.
Simund and Johan, too young to file claims, decided to find work down south for the winter. (personally I can understand why they went south. First, they are in the freezer called Norway, then they move to Minnesota. They were the original snowbirds) They went as far as New Orleans, but they found the sentiment of the people there was pretty hot. Northerners were not welcome. (Though, they weren't really Northerners. I doubt seriously whether they even spoke English very well but they were strangers and at that time would have been consider suspect.)One of the many difficulties they had was buying food and one time went without food for 3 days. They would go up to a settler's home and ask for food, and be met at the door with a gun. "Yankees go home," they said. "We have no use for you." The settler's would set the dogs on them if they saw them coming.
So, Simund and Johan decided to try to catch some fish. They borrowed hooks and lines from the negroes. They were lucky enough to catch four fish. Simund caught a large catfish, the others caught three small catfish. Simund had waded out into the river and sat down on a rock. (I assume that is why he caught the biggest fish.) They had to have salt, so one took the three small fish and traded them for some salt at a negro's cabin. Then they had a feast on boiled fish. (not my idea of a feast but, hey, they hadn't anything to eat for three days. Who am I to judge).
Soon after they reached more friendly towns and at last they got back home to their parents. But, they were so incensed at the treatment they had received, when the Union called for volunteers they all enlisted in the northern army. Co. G of the 15th Wisconsin regiment was made up of Norwegian immigrant boys.
Johan was a sharpshooter and stayed all through the war. He served time in Andersonville prison and nearly died there. When he got back from the war he was an invalid and lived only another three years.
Simund served only a year on Island No.10 on the Mississippi. He came down with typhoid from the bad water and was honorably discharged.
Cousin Carrie spent years writting an exhaustive family history. She interviewed her papa, uncles, aunts, and cousins, wrote to churches and government offices in Norway and newspapers in the U.S. and Norway. This was a ton of work and must have taken her years.
I'm blessed to have found it among my in-laws things and to have been in touch with Carrie before she died.
History lesson over for today. Don't forget to read "The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara" THERE WILL BE A TEST! Damn kids. Leaving before the bell stops ringing.
Love,
M
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