Thursday, January 17, 2019
I don't tweet but.....
NWS Tweet
Been a long time since I tried to put a link in one of my posts but here goes.
Looks as if we might actually get a storm - although I believe I have mentioned that previously.
So lay in the milk and bread for those sandwiches or, if you prefer, some real food, prescriptions you are going to run out of Saturday and perhaps a snow shovel or two?
Believe me, if you prepare then (you know what): you've got this!
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Personally I'm not waiting
Alrighty....we all see the weather forecast unless we live under a rock.
It's going to snow - finally....no kidding....really snow!
And of course the real question is always when and where and how much. Yes, I realize that is actually three questions.
But the actual answer is it's going to snow and it's going to snow soon.
Honest, it really is!
So, here I am again up on the soap box banging that same old long suffering drum: Please do not wait until Friday morning or, worse yet, this coming Saturday to decide that you need 5 gallons of milk along with the several loaves of bread for those milk sandwiches!
Actually when I went looking for a visual for this post I found that there are several YouTube videos with recipes for milk sandwiches. Personally I thought most of them looked pretty ugly, but it's up to you what you choose to buy/eat/prepare with as long as you DO prepare.
Gas up the car, find the window scrapers and, for pity's sake, have a way to clear off the top of your vehicle when the storm is over. Make sure you have plenty of easy to prepare food in case of a power outage and don't be doing all that shopping at the last minute.
Not only is the selection lousy in most of the grocery stores
but everyone inside is grumpy and harried and the parking lots can be a death defying experience assuming that you do defy it.
So, since I already went to the store this morning and will gas up the car Thursday morning - yeah, sometimes I plan too far ahead - it's a curse I've learned to live with - better too soon than too late.
Think of this as a friendly reminder to do yourself a favor and be ahead of the curve - I still think milk sandwiches look disgusting so you should at least give yourself a choice.
Be proud that you can sit back, relax and reflect that you got this!
It's going to snow - finally....no kidding....really snow!
And of course the real question is always when and where and how much. Yes, I realize that is actually three questions.
But the actual answer is it's going to snow and it's going to snow soon.
Honest, it really is!
So, here I am again up on the soap box banging that same old long suffering drum: Please do not wait until Friday morning or, worse yet, this coming Saturday to decide that you need 5 gallons of milk along with the several loaves of bread for those milk sandwiches!
Actually when I went looking for a visual for this post I found that there are several YouTube videos with recipes for milk sandwiches. Personally I thought most of them looked pretty ugly, but it's up to you what you choose to buy/eat/prepare with as long as you DO prepare.
Gas up the car, find the window scrapers and, for pity's sake, have a way to clear off the top of your vehicle when the storm is over. Make sure you have plenty of easy to prepare food in case of a power outage and don't be doing all that shopping at the last minute.
Not only is the selection lousy in most of the grocery stores
but everyone inside is grumpy and harried and the parking lots can be a death defying experience assuming that you do defy it.
So, since I already went to the store this morning and will gas up the car Thursday morning - yeah, sometimes I plan too far ahead - it's a curse I've learned to live with - better too soon than too late.
Think of this as a friendly reminder to do yourself a favor and be ahead of the curve - I still think milk sandwiches look disgusting so you should at least give yourself a choice.
Be proud that you can sit back, relax and reflect that you got this!
Saturday, January 5, 2019
So I made hats
As you may have noticed I've been doing a lot of whining about being sick in the last month or so.
One of the things about being sick (once you are past the point of wanting to die and then being afraid you aren't going to) is boredom.
Serious
Nothing
To
Do
Boredom.
A person can only eat so much chicken soup - although for a few days I did go for a record - and a person can only open so many new boxes of kleenex (and I had a lot cause I STORE STUFF!) and, on top of that, Netflix and Amazon Prime can only hold my attention for so long and not a second longer. And daytime TV rots your brain even if you aren't sick!
So I made hats.
I had a bunch of yarn kicking around the house - not even sure where it came from cause I haven't made an afghan in a long time and I don't knit but I remembered keeping Jack company when he was sick by watching videos on making scarves.
So off in search of videos on crocheting hats...simple hats....VERY simple hats (hey, I was sick, you know?)
With varying degrees of success I managed to turn out several beanie type hats -
Even sent one to a friend who's hair had been the victim of cancer treatments - she said it was just the thing for a chick with a lack of hair!
So I made more of that sort. About 5 or 6 if I remember.
And then I made other hats -
Some looked pretty good - others? Not so much
A lot of them were the same pattern
And some only had one good side! And, believe me, this IS the good side!
Others could either be worn on a head or used as perhaps a tea cozy or bun warmer.
And one fell into a category of "what the hell did that woman on the video mean anyhow?" And went to the hat graveyard!
One of the things about being sick (once you are past the point of wanting to die and then being afraid you aren't going to) is boredom.
Serious
Nothing
To
Do
Boredom.
A person can only eat so much chicken soup - although for a few days I did go for a record - and a person can only open so many new boxes of kleenex (and I had a lot cause I STORE STUFF!) and, on top of that, Netflix and Amazon Prime can only hold my attention for so long and not a second longer. And daytime TV rots your brain even if you aren't sick!
So I made hats.
I had a bunch of yarn kicking around the house - not even sure where it came from cause I haven't made an afghan in a long time and I don't knit but I remembered keeping Jack company when he was sick by watching videos on making scarves.
So off in search of videos on crocheting hats...simple hats....VERY simple hats (hey, I was sick, you know?)
With varying degrees of success I managed to turn out several beanie type hats -
Even sent one to a friend who's hair had been the victim of cancer treatments - she said it was just the thing for a chick with a lack of hair!
So I made more of that sort. About 5 or 6 if I remember.
And then I made other hats -
A lot of them were the same pattern
And some only had one good side! And, believe me, this IS the good side!
Others could either be worn on a head or used as perhaps a tea cozy or bun warmer.
And one fell into a category of "what the hell did that woman on the video mean anyhow?" And went to the hat graveyard!
The bottom line on all of this is I found things to do over a 2 week period that were interesting and in the long run useful.
The beanie sorts went to the Cancer Treatment Center at a local hospital - a friend took them in for me and claimed they were received with great enthusiasm and appreciation. Considering my skill level, they must have been desperate to cover those heads!
Now I have a stash that will either end up on homeless heads or, perhaps, at a local shelter. Either way it kept me busy, staved off boredom and when I wasn't paying attention, I even seem to have gotten well!
I did discover also that not all instructional videos are created equal - some don't even seem to have been created - more like just happened and the camera was on.
But I have a few more skeins of yarn and a couple more ideas for hats so....
Next time you feel like crap why not try something like this to take your mind off things.
With any luck?
You got this!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
When I was a sick kid
Back in the day (way back) when I was a child and got sick, the first thing my mother did was make sure my room was clean so I could be sick in a neat, clean place. Tidy bedroom, brown paper bag pinned to the side of my bed for kleenex disposal and The Jungle Book all prepped and ready for her to read it to me.
On the face of it that might seem like a good thing but in reality it set up a series of conflicts that have endured to this day (way beyond my childhood).
I'm not supposed to be sick in a place that:
Needs vacuuming - but I'm already sick
Needs dusting - but I'm already sick
Has laundry that needs doing - but I'm already sick!
Has dirty dishes in the sink - see above
None of these things can be done retroactively so I'm left wallowing in a miasma of indecision.
Should I try to drag myself together and at least hit the high spots when mostly I just want to sit down and fast forward to "I'm better now, that wasn't so bad"?
Should I try to convince myself that dirty is a relative term? Years ago my brother told me that my dirty was cleaner than my clean used to be - that's the sort of things a brother says to warp your mind.
In reality I do pretty much not much. Find a project (my Facebook friends know what that is this time - the great hat explosion) that doesn't require much effort and only a modicum of thinking and settle in for the 3 days that in my opinion is all it should take to get over anything.
Everyone has their own approach to handling sickness by themselves - who among my no doubt dwindling followers is fortunate enough to have the house in spick and span condition when that tickle in your throat turns into the real deal? Not a chance, right?
So keep a few ready made meals in the freezer, train the dog to think that 2 short walks a day really is enough and settle in to enjoy whatever affliction afflicts you.
As I'm so fond of saying,
You got this!
On the face of it that might seem like a good thing but in reality it set up a series of conflicts that have endured to this day (way beyond my childhood).
I'm not supposed to be sick in a place that:
Needs vacuuming - but I'm already sick
Needs dusting - but I'm already sick
Has laundry that needs doing - but I'm already sick!
Has dirty dishes in the sink - see above
None of these things can be done retroactively so I'm left wallowing in a miasma of indecision.
Should I try to drag myself together and at least hit the high spots when mostly I just want to sit down and fast forward to "I'm better now, that wasn't so bad"?
Should I try to convince myself that dirty is a relative term? Years ago my brother told me that my dirty was cleaner than my clean used to be - that's the sort of things a brother says to warp your mind.
In reality I do pretty much not much. Find a project (my Facebook friends know what that is this time - the great hat explosion) that doesn't require much effort and only a modicum of thinking and settle in for the 3 days that in my opinion is all it should take to get over anything.
Everyone has their own approach to handling sickness by themselves - who among my no doubt dwindling followers is fortunate enough to have the house in spick and span condition when that tickle in your throat turns into the real deal? Not a chance, right?
So keep a few ready made meals in the freezer, train the dog to think that 2 short walks a day really is enough and settle in to enjoy whatever affliction afflicts you.
As I'm so fond of saying,
You got this!
Saturday, December 15, 2018
A bit of whining
Yup, it got me. The annual cold - one minute I'm enjoying the idea that I rarely get sick and the next that little tickles starts in the back of my throat. I jump into action with essential oils, chicken soup and lots of fluids.
The cold wins.
And I think I know why they call it a "cold" - nothing you do gets you warm! Triple layers of fleece and jackets, hats (in the house even) and a blanket when you sit down - you tend to spend a lot of time coaxing the dog to please come and sit on your lap.
The good news is my "emergency box" has all the right stuff when the chicken soup doesn't make the grade. And my freezer has enough home made meals so all I have to do is heat them up.
I love having a little foresight almost as much as I would have loved NOT having a cold!
So I'm spending a lot of Netflix time while crocheting hats for who knows who. Just the exercise of trying to follow the You Tube videos keeps my mind engaged while the kleenex piles up next to my chair.
Periodically duty calls and dog and I venture forth for walkies - with the weather the way it's been lately (read: too damn cold) the walks are short and brisk. I spent them trying to convince dog that he can do it all within 20 feet while he spends them trying to get as much sniffing as possible before his time is up.
Hopefully the few who might still be waiting for words of wisdom from this blog will allow a little whining - I hate being sick and I hate even more having to spend more than 5 minutes getting better!
Enjoy your holidays and keep a supply of chicken soup just in case.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Christmas
It looms on the horizon like a cloud - for some people it's a big fluffy white cloud filled with streaks of sunshine.
They love love love the idea of finding and buying the perfect gift for all the people on their list. Hopefully at 40% off.
For others it's a time of anxiety and stress. More like a storm cloud on the edge of their vision.
Sometimes it's because of past holidays that didn't work out as planned and other times it's caused by something as simple as lack of money or time to find that "perfect" gift.
Have we thought of what we can do ourselves to make Christmas more meaningful? How about the things we can make or do ourselves that our family and friends would really love to have.
Back in the day when money was incredibly tight I used to fall back on the things I learned in 4-H of all places! I could make an apron (yeah, ok, no one wears them any more but this was a long time ago) out of a piece of leftover material, I could make a pomander out of an orange and some clove buds.
In a pinch I could always make jam or jelly or cranberry relish.
Or pickles from things out of my garden (or even vegetables bought at the local farmer's market).
I still make the jam, jellies, relishes and pickles and there is truly rejoicing from the favored ones on that list!
If we can't do all of this sort of thing, there is always the gift of time. This is not an original idea I admit - but an IOU for a few hours of babysitting, or one for "I will help you clean up your house cause I know you've been sick and sore" would almost without doubt bring a smile (and a sense of relief) to the person who opens that card!
How about a pledge to take a friend who can no longer drive to the store on a regular basis - it's not as if you're not going anyhow, right? Or even a promise to go DO that dreaded shopping (especially if they can give you pictures of exactly what they need).
Personally at my stage in life I avoid giving gifts for the sake of giving "something" so I can check that person off my list. And on the receiving end? I'd rather receive something that is disposable (like into my stomach) than something I feel obligated to display, use and even worse - DUST!
So before you throw money at the situation, think what you might give that is meaningful, thoughtful and, BTW, does not have to be dusted!
They love love love the idea of finding and buying the perfect gift for all the people on their list. Hopefully at 40% off.
For others it's a time of anxiety and stress. More like a storm cloud on the edge of their vision.
Sometimes it's because of past holidays that didn't work out as planned and other times it's caused by something as simple as lack of money or time to find that "perfect" gift.
Have we thought of what we can do ourselves to make Christmas more meaningful? How about the things we can make or do ourselves that our family and friends would really love to have.
Back in the day when money was incredibly tight I used to fall back on the things I learned in 4-H of all places! I could make an apron (yeah, ok, no one wears them any more but this was a long time ago) out of a piece of leftover material, I could make a pomander out of an orange and some clove buds.
In a pinch I could always make jam or jelly or cranberry relish.
Or pickles from things out of my garden (or even vegetables bought at the local farmer's market).
I still make the jam, jellies, relishes and pickles and there is truly rejoicing from the favored ones on that list!
If we can't do all of this sort of thing, there is always the gift of time. This is not an original idea I admit - but an IOU for a few hours of babysitting, or one for "I will help you clean up your house cause I know you've been sick and sore" would almost without doubt bring a smile (and a sense of relief) to the person who opens that card!
How about a pledge to take a friend who can no longer drive to the store on a regular basis - it's not as if you're not going anyhow, right? Or even a promise to go DO that dreaded shopping (especially if they can give you pictures of exactly what they need).
Personally at my stage in life I avoid giving gifts for the sake of giving "something" so I can check that person off my list. And on the receiving end? I'd rather receive something that is disposable (like into my stomach) than something I feel obligated to display, use and even worse - DUST!
So before you throw money at the situation, think what you might give that is meaningful, thoughtful and, BTW, does not have to be dusted!
Sunday, November 4, 2018
New stuff & other things
Ever notice how we (I at least) get in a rut of cooking the same things over and over? They are usually good, they are easy and they are "known". No kitchen surprises here!
That can be either comforting or boring, depending on how you look at it.
Lately I've been taking a walk on the wild side - sort of.
Facebook (heaven help us) is a never ending resource of recipes - both ones to make your mouth water and some to widen your hips just looking at them!
Anyhow, here are a couple of dishes that I have tried and one that is still looming on my culinary horizon:
Black Pepper Chicken
My first thought on this one was it must be steak/beef - can't be chicken. But it is and it is beef looking from the marinade. It actually was easy to make and, depending on how much pepper you use, easy on the stomach. I loved it! And who would have thought a marinade of 1/2 soy sauce and 1/2 white vinegar along w/a little honey could be so good!
Garlic Butter Mushrooms
I love mushrooms and what's not to like about garlic? Win/win! Mine didn't come out as browned as the picture but still tasty.
Garlic Shrimp
This one is still on the future plan - love shrimp, love garlic - gotta be good!
Tried some new jams this fall also - some I'm going to give away, some I'm going to throw away! That happens sometimes and you never succeed if you don't try.
Pineapple Habenaro Jam
The recipe said it might take a while to "set" - I don't think I'm going to live long enough to see that happen but still very tasty. Put a little over some cream cheese on a cracker and you're in a spicy nirvana.
Way too many hot peppers this summer/fall
- so I tried a few vinegar experiments and hot sauces - all guaranteed at the very least to take the enamel off your teeth!
Tabasco vinegar
Cayenne Hot Sauce
I still have a considerable number of peppers ripening in the greenhouse - who knew you could cut the plants and bring them in before a frost and they would continue to ripen!
I will probably dry most of them and grind them into pepper flakes.
It's been a fall of experimenting and staying close to home and hearth (well, I have no hearth but you get the idea) and trying to put a positive spin on a world that sometimes just seems like it's spinning with no particular idea where it's going. Some days I swear I wonder if it's all random.
On a totally different subject, our Rally Obedience instructor's daughter made a wonderful collage of our class and we all got a picture of the whole class along with one of our individual dog. What a fun and wonderful gift - maybe the world is spinning ok after all!
A perfect representation of my dog's attitude. They do say a dog and it's owner grow more and more alike as time goes by - just sayin!
That can be either comforting or boring, depending on how you look at it.
Lately I've been taking a walk on the wild side - sort of.
Facebook (heaven help us) is a never ending resource of recipes - both ones to make your mouth water and some to widen your hips just looking at them!
Anyhow, here are a couple of dishes that I have tried and one that is still looming on my culinary horizon:
Black Pepper Chicken
My first thought on this one was it must be steak/beef - can't be chicken. But it is and it is beef looking from the marinade. It actually was easy to make and, depending on how much pepper you use, easy on the stomach. I loved it! And who would have thought a marinade of 1/2 soy sauce and 1/2 white vinegar along w/a little honey could be so good!
Garlic Butter Mushrooms
I love mushrooms and what's not to like about garlic? Win/win! Mine didn't come out as browned as the picture but still tasty.
Garlic Shrimp
This one is still on the future plan - love shrimp, love garlic - gotta be good!
Tried some new jams this fall also - some I'm going to give away, some I'm going to throw away! That happens sometimes and you never succeed if you don't try.
Pineapple Habenaro Jam
The recipe said it might take a while to "set" - I don't think I'm going to live long enough to see that happen but still very tasty. Put a little over some cream cheese on a cracker and you're in a spicy nirvana.
Way too many hot peppers this summer/fall
- so I tried a few vinegar experiments and hot sauces - all guaranteed at the very least to take the enamel off your teeth!
Tabasco vinegar
Cayenne Hot Sauce
I still have a considerable number of peppers ripening in the greenhouse - who knew you could cut the plants and bring them in before a frost and they would continue to ripen!
I will probably dry most of them and grind them into pepper flakes.
It's been a fall of experimenting and staying close to home and hearth (well, I have no hearth but you get the idea) and trying to put a positive spin on a world that sometimes just seems like it's spinning with no particular idea where it's going. Some days I swear I wonder if it's all random.
On a totally different subject, our Rally Obedience instructor's daughter made a wonderful collage of our class and we all got a picture of the whole class along with one of our individual dog. What a fun and wonderful gift - maybe the world is spinning ok after all!
A perfect representation of my dog's attitude. They do say a dog and it's owner grow more and more alike as time goes by - just sayin!
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