Thursday, January 17, 2013

Warning ~Ranting Dead Ahead~ and other stuff

Good Morning Everyone,

I am trying to get my fanny in gear to run some errands, but the fanny as well as the rest of me really doesn't want to even get into first gear in the first place. Its cold, and my old bones and back are screaming a little.  I think there is a change in the weather, to colder and I have bouts of achy and the back lets me know and then it goes down into my legs and feels like a horrid tooth ache, dull and doesn't let up.  But I have to go run some errands, and pick a few things up so I took an aspirin and am having another cup of tea and thought I would blog a little and vent and probably run all of you off.

I listen to the radio most of the time. I am getting to hate TV, but that is for another post.   I listen to our local station until 9 am, then I switch to another local station that is about 50 miles away but I can stream this particular  station on the computer through I heart radio. I also listen to public radio a lot, but they did not have anything that I wanted to listen to this morning.
I was listening to the streaming station, and on the news that came on the announcer was talking about how a lot of celebrities have cookbooks out now, and a lot of people have bought these so called "cookbooks".  The only thing is: these cookbooks are just sitting on the shelves, collecting  dust bunnies as the books contain ingredients that a lot of people cannot find in their areas.  Also, the wording in these books are complicated and some people do not understand the terminology in these books.

OK, first, I cannot stand celebrities, movie stars, Hollywood, or whatever else migrates out of  there. I sorry if I offend anyone from California, I do not mean to,   but I am not being derogatory to you.  Your state is beautiful and I love the countryside part and farming part of California, but I just cannot stand the movie stars and their brand of lifestyle.  I am sure they cannot stand my lifestyle either, so the door swings both ways, but to get back to the cookbooks,  I just wish people who are new to cooking, or to baking, PLEASE, just find some good, old fashioned cookbooks, something that is very straight forward and follow these and then after awhile, venture into more gourmet cooking.  Please just use what you have available and go back to simple wholesome cooking.  Quit worrying about fat free, low carb, unless you have allergies, then follow simple, and go from there. And quit buying and sending money to these worthless celebrities so they can have another new house, or get their faces on TV.   Where I live, we do not have gourmet stores, or fancy places to buy ingredients for fancy baking.  I remember years ago, I was in one of our local markets and a woman was looking for date sugar for some baking she was doing, I was picking up something and she asked me where the date sugar was, and I said "just buy dates and run them through the food processor and you have date sugar".  She looked at me like I had 2 heads, and said, you mean its not a sugar?  I said, its a type of sugar made from dates.  She left and was mad.  Go figure. My grandmother ground dates to make this when she made cookies and short breads and sweet breads, when sugar was rationed.  Good grief.  So this is my rant this morning. Sorry, but this just infuriates me to no end, people spend hefty money on these books and generally they are worthless and end up on a garage sale later on.

It was been very nice here the last few days.  It got to 51*F yesterday, the snow melted as we had Schnook winds and they were warm and it made the snow we had melt into the ground.  We need moisture so very bad, its so very dry and it does not look like we'll get any more soon.  I am quite worried about spring moisture and so are the farmers.

I got a good one for all of you.  Because of the extreme drought we have here, hay is at a premium, and so is the price, ask Glenda at Living and Gardening in the Ozarks.   Its over double in price now, and some places around my area it's triple in price now.  Here about a few weeks ago, a rancher had 83 round bales of premium hay stolen right out of the pasture!  Now,these bales are huge, and weigh in around a ton (2,000 lb) a piece and it takes some specialized equipment to move these. And also, this many bales, you would need at least  three semi trucks and trailers  to move these bales....now that's a heist. And around here its a felony.  We also are having good old fashioned cattle rustling, too.  Another felony. Someone has some brass door knobs to pull this off.

Other than that, not too much going on in my life, still trying to get outside to get some air and shake off the cabin fever.  This weekend its supposed to get very cold again, so I am trying to get things done so I can be stuffed in the house with bunch of house bound cats that are getting cabin fever also.  The dog is getting crabby because of the cats being too energetic.  What a combination.

Well, Take care all, enjoy your up-coming weekend, stay warm, stay cool, enjoy, eat, drink, be merry. Hope my ranting wasn't too much.
Hugs



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Chilly Morning

Good, Cold Morning Everyone,

Well, it is very chilly this morning.  I have temperature on the computer, and it says "7" F. I am sure, with the wind blowing pretty stiff during the night, it got below zero in wind chill temps. Burrrrr.

I hope everyone enjoys the post from Countryside Magazine about the wood stoves.  I found it interesting.  My grandmother had one and I do remember it quite well.  And like David mentioned in a comment he made, you had to "live" by the stove constantly. It is very nostalgic, but it would be a pain also. They are beautiful pieces of kitchen ware, but they have a personality all their own.

We had a very brief baby blizzard late yesterday afternoon.  About 4 pm, the wind started up and then a brief rain, that quickly turned into ice within about 10 minutes because of the warm air we have had and this very cold Canadian air gusting around 35mph, it got very treacherous real quick. It then snowed a baby snow storm for about a half hour, and this snow was just like the last, very dry, granular pellet like and slick. It was done very quickly but left the usual slick stuff behind and people being like they are, there were accidents and I think we also had a small aircraft go down during this to the northwest of us about 11 miles. I have not heard any more about it.

I have a case of cabin fever real bad too.  Its been some what nice the last few days, and when it gets this way, I am out and getting some fresh air and some sun.  I know that I have seasonal disorder, and I bought some Vitamin D and am taking this, and I feel better now.  I am also making my parent's take it.  They are suffering from it also and they are crabby, and get hard to handle, so I have been making them take it when I go over to check on them.  They get mad when I do this, but I have to make sure they take it. 

I tried this last week to get to my cold frames, but somehow, a little snow blew in where I have my frames stored, and this melted and left some ice.  They have a collar of ice around them.  This little bit of cold we are having will let up in a few days, and its supposed to warm up and I will wait until then, and pull the frames out.  I will get this set up on my south side and put my plastic up and place a few of the ghetto buckets up to warm up and probably February, I will start some greens and spinach. Being brain dead, I should of just placed the frame on the south side first, but the moron owner complained he did not like it up, and I told him to stick it....but I was afraid that one of his goon's would come by during the night and take it and destroy it, so I just put them away where no one can get to them, including me. I would rather wait and put up then find them destroyed.

Not too much going on here at all.  I have been staying healthy from not getting the flu, but I have had very bad sinus headaches, which wakes me up and I then I can't get back to sleep, then my whole day is sort of like running around in a fog.  I know its just the weather, the season, and it will get better soon, I just have to hang in there and make do.  This will pass.

Well,  I am in the process of getting ready to make banana bread.  I need something sweet to have with coffee.  I am getting better at baking.  I have never been much of a baker, but as I master things, it gets better, and it helps when your poor and do not have money to buy anything anyway, so you make it. 
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and if it cold, stay warm, if  its warm, enjoy and send a little my way.

Hugs to all

Friday, January 4, 2013

Granny Mountain: Earth Angel

Granny Mountain: Earth Angel

Something that I think needs to be shared.  Please if you can, pass this on.
This is a very compassionate man who shows his love of his fellow man through something as simple as a cup of coffee or tea. In a world full of hate, disconnect, division of country, I hope that this brings a smile and thoughts to all of you.
If you can, please share this. I commented to Joy at her blog to see hopefully if its ok to re-post this.
Thank you.
Denim

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

added Sophie photos

I just added a couple of photos of Sophie.  She is a little terror and for once, was quiet and laying in the sun and then right after I took the photos, she jumped up on my sewing machine and looked charming and so innocent for all of you.  She is a doll, but she has an ornery streak also.  But I love her.
I could not find Dexter, he hides and sleeps in places I cannot find him until its supper time, then he comes out. He a good little man and doesn't get into trouble like Sophie.  Her AKA is "Piranha".  I'm sure you can understand what that means! But I do love her and she has her charming side.
Hugs

Wishing All a Wonderful New Year

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Yule, season. I hope that your New Year celebrations were quiet, and wonderful and that you shared it with family and friends.   I hope that everyone got what they wished, or just had a very peaceful Holiday season.

At this end of the 2012, and the upcoming 2013 I have very mixed feelings.  This year for me has been very challenging, and stressful.  My gardening year was mostly a bust, and I have elder parent challenges as where to turn, and what to do, with no help available. I am trying to find a different place to live and make a better home, which right now,  is nearly impossible. I am hoping that D's work comp will settle without more court appearances or doctor's appointments.   I do not have any hope for our government, our freedoms, and maybe a better future.  BUT, I guess, that is what I have is HOPE for something better, as that is all we have, and prayers and blessings to bring about change.

I am Hoping that this year I will attempt to try a few things that I have on my list.  A lot depends on me being able to move first.  I want to expand my herb business, and add to my culinary mushroom business.  I tried this a few years ago, but met with problems with the city as people here are morons, and ignorant and do not know the difference between psychotic mushrooms and culinary mushrooms like Portabellos and Oysters.  I have a small niche  market for these culinary mushrooms and I want to tap into this as it would be a  nice little  income, but until I can get away from this community and all of its glorious morons, I cannot do this until moving. I also want to add to my gardening, different types of plants to fill a niche market there.  And more different herbs.

So, I am HOPING that things may go well, but life being like it is and Murphy's Law I am just going to take it one day at a time, and try not to worry about it.  Oh and by the way, I was listening to a program over the weekend on our local Public radio and it was talking about this very same thing, taking each day as it comes and not WORRYING, which by the way, the word "worry" is from an old English word which means "to strangle", which is just what worry does to you.
So, for the New Year, for all of you and me, the goal is to "not worry" and strangle yourself over it.  The problems will resolve and we will take on the new year and the new day as it comes. But it doesn't hurt to do some planning for difficulties along the path.

I just want to take the time to thank all of you for your support, your readership, your suggestions, comments critique, and love and support.  It means so very much to me and  I love the sharing that blogging brings to all of us all over the world.
May 2013 bring less worry to all of us.
Hugs