REFLECTIONS, MOTHER'S AND FATHER'S DAY

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It  has been over a year since I have written in this blog.  Life happened.  A year ago I lost my father.    Four years ago in the same month I lost my Mother.  They would have been married Seventy years if she had lived nine days longer.  

Today I was working on downsizing my collected "Stuff".  I opened a box of papers intending to throw most of them away.  On the top were three papers.  I went to the computer and found they were not in the word files.  I needed to type them in.   While putting them down for posterity, I thought these might be pertinent for others, at least a variation of the text.  

I miss my parents even though I was separated by distance for over fifty years.   I miss being able to call and tell them about the day's discoveries, or the up coming adventures.  I miss hearing about their future plans and the adventures they were still having.

Father’s Day

_{Every day is Father’s Day.  You don’t get holidays off.  You are always on the job.  From the moment your first born is conceived you are a father.  In that moment of time you became a counselor, instructor, religious director, personal shopper, medic, travel agent, party planner, dentist(remember all those baby teeth), college director, marriage counselor, financial planner, and last but not least rescuer.  I am sure there are many hats you have worn.  Your job description is constantly changing.}

_{You have six children, who are now grown with children of their own.  Your Job has taken new directions.  You were not given the privilege of auditioning for these roles.  They were thrust in your lap.  You were given another set of hats to wear.}

_{You are a father, grandfather, great grandfather, each requiring full attention and dedication.  Each with new hats and none you were able to try on first to see if they would fit.} 

_{You have been adlibing, winging it, doing your very best for sixty-one years.  On this day, dedicate to fathers all over the world, I want to tell you, you have done an awesome job.}

_{You are a supreme Haberdasher!}

_{With love,}

_{Your first born.}

_{---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------}

_{To Mom on Father’s Day}

_{Father’s can’t be father’s unless there is a mom.  You are there making the house he built into a home for the children he has given you.  You are there helping him to feed, clothe and plan the future of the family.  Sharing every moment and every decision.}

_{You are a gourmet cook, a seamstress, a maid, a medicine woman, an organizer, a librarian, an interior decorator, a human resource director, a teacher, a children’s activities director, an educational planner, a chauffeur, there have been too many jobs you have had to hold to list them all.}

_{You are worth your weight in gold.  Every haberdasher needs a loyal dedicated partner.}

_{With love,}

_{From a recipient of superb partners}

_{From a Daughter on Father’s Day}

_{I am sixty years old,}

_{A little girl I see,}

_{No matter how old I am,}

_{My dad you’ll always be.}

_{I remember many things,}

_{When I was two you rescued me,}

_{From the fall on the furnace grate,}

_{Which was as hot as hot can be.}

_{Do you remember a morning car ride,}

_{In the rain, to my elementary school,}

_{I was leaning against the car door,}

_{It swung open; I fell out like a fool.}

_{Later, in that same year,}

_{Some discipline you thought I did need,}

_{My head, by accident, the sink did bump,}

_{Split right open, went for stitches indeed.}

_{My first formal dance,}

_{When I was just thirteen,}

_{A dress from the Purple Shop,}

_{You made me feel like a queen.}

_{You smiled and had the camera there,}

_{The dress was blue and had no straps,}

_{You looked lovingly at mom,}

_{Saying, “She’s growing up perhaps.”}

_{Many times, many places,}

_{With Mom at your side,}

_{Many memories, through the years,}

_{Together you have cried.}

_{Tears of happiness and joy,}

                                         Tears of sadness and need,                                        

_{There have been many tears,}

_{Because you planted one tiny seed.}

I love you

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

MOTHER'S DAY IS EVERYDAY

My Children make me special,

I don't need a day to make it so,

Is this day set aside to honor us,

Maybe, but I don't think so.

Maybe to make us stop and think,

What is this job we do,

We're in charge of bringing up a nation,

Just as your mom brought up you.

Today my thoughts are of my mom,

My dad is with her now,

I remember when I was sick,

How they would wipe my brow.

For my kids I did the same,

The nights were very long,

I sat along side the bed,

Hoping nothing would go wrong.

Children grown, living far away,

In my heart they are,

The memories of little ones,

Are never very far.

My Children made me special,

Keeping me in their hearts,

Sometimes they've a question,

Needing the knowledge I might impart.

Each day I'm glad a mother I am,

I remember the mothers I know,

Who helped me raise my children,

Showing me the roads to go.

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

LONELY: DOES IT MEAN ALONE?

I didn't know, lonely I could be,

When lovely, is as far as my eye can see,

Years and years ago,

People kept asking me, I'd say no.

The world, spread out before me,

Filled with everything imaginary,

Whatever my heart's desire,

In my mind, lit a fire.

Gardens flourished, with good hard work,

Animals birthed with the help of me and the stork,

Friends, who depended on me,

Kept asking, are you ever lonely?

Never, my days filled with excitement of all kinds,

Sometimes there were big disappointments in my mind,

But never did it occur to me,

Loneliness could be connected to my beautiful sea.

I flitted and floated from this and that,

Changed, when I wanted, to another hat,

Never thinking this merry-go-round would stop,

Telling me, "Lady this is your last hop."

"We know it's been a dizzy fifty years,

Go and wipe those unwanted tears,

Find an outlet for those hidden desires,

You never know what ignites little fires."

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

TEA TIME

This week the postman left a package.  I wasn't expecting anything and it wasn't a birthday.  I couldn't imagine what it contained.

The return address was from my sister, Kathie.  Hmm, Why would she be sending something?

It came at the right time.  I had been needing a perk me up. Unexpected fit the bill.  It could have been anything and I would have been thrilled.

The contents were something I'd been obsessing over, TEA.  Any  tea, especially naturally flavored no caffeine tea.

She unknowingly had picked the perfect surprise for me.

We have this mobile cart with five shelves.  I originally bought it to put assorted plastic ware in the pantry.  That stuff made the pantry like "Fibber McGees" closet. 

The day we received it and assembled it I was making tea.  We had a cabinet we stored all our teas in, but every time I went to get tea, it seemed the one I wanted was behind the others.

We keep our teas in deli-salad containers we have washed and labeled.  They stack nicely in the cabinet.  When I touched them I thought, their length is about the depth of the shelves.   Eureka! A place to organized the teas where we can see at a glance and grab the one we want. 

A plus; the top shelf was just the size for my everyday teapots, hot pads, and a couple of canisters.  (The brown canister contains sassafras roots we dug from our yard.)

On the left it has hooks which I hung our tea tray and one of my grabbers.  (These are a necessity when you have back surgery.  They are also great for reaching the far back of a cabinet .)  The red hanging on the other end is my apron with lots of pockets!

After we choose a tea of our liking and have chosen what pot to use, the cart slides right back into  the pantry, "out of sight not out of mind".  Take time out for a relaxing cup of tea.

TEA COZY AND HOT PAD

 Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

CHARBROIL BIG EASY TURKEY FRYER: CHICKEN

Each time I use the Big Easy, it is just that!  Easy is an understatement.  The ease of clean up is a major thing.  Cooking in it is a breeze.  It is called big, but it isn't even as big as our Shop Vac.

The picture on the left is the chicken we did on the weekend,  30 minutes after we took it out of the cooker.  You should have seen how glistening the skin was as  we removed it from the cooker.  It was as scrumptious as it looks.  

We  have prepared chicken in it before, but we didn't have the extra basket.  We procured the inner basket through Amazon.  Previously we have cooked two chickens side by each, breast to breast.  The backs of course got good and crispy but the sheltered fronts left a lot to be desired. The you tube videos show it done this way.  Cooking time for the birds in this position was 2 1/2 hours.  

This is our first time using our new bed basket.  I looked for videos showing  using of the extra basket for two whole Chickens, nada.  Either that or I didn't ask the right question to get the right answer, anyhow, we got to the end, toute suite.  The two 5 1/2 lb chickens cooked in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Along the way I have procured some knowledge I hadn't read before about using the Charbroil Oil Less Big and Easy Turkey fryer. (BTW, one chicken takes 1 hour 15 minutes to cook.  We just cooked two for the price of one.)  Remember the two facing each other, breast to breast took 2 1/2 hours the same as cooking a turkey.

One of the facts not mentioned in the directions  is, there is a dead zone on the bottom.  I hadn't realized that, I saw the note on a you tube.  All the things we have cooked in it have come out to perfection.  If there were some underdone moments then the whole item was on the blue side.  Not the fault of the cooker, but the lack of  expertise of the cooks.   Next use, we will jerry Rig  something to hold the food an inch or so higher.  Another recourse would be try to find one of the single shelves to install above the bottom of the basket.

As you can see in this previous blog we roasted a leg of venison.  We had to use skewers to hold the leg in position. 

 http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/2017/01/big-easy-turkey-fryer-venison.html

This Blog is about our first experience with the oilless turkey fryer.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-big-easy-oiless-turkey-fryer.html

The chickens above are now devoured.  The breast was as juicy as the thighs.  The only dry meat encountered was the kneecaps. They were on the chewy side.  When one of the breast was sliced for sandwiches the next day it was comparable to the "deli sliced chicken" that is succulent when sliced wafer thin.  The next day the leftover slices had not lost any of their moistness.  Until this moment we had nearly sworn off our beloved white meat because the breast always turned out dry.  We thought it was because we were so used to farm raised chickens.  We are now past the stage where we like to raise chickens for consumption.  I will tell you that a free range chicken is far more succulent than a cage raised bird.

How did we prepare these chickens for the cooker?  Brought them to room temperature (took the refrigerator cold off them.)  Washed them well.  Dried them, and applied a wet rub inside and out.   

The rub I used is not strong flavored.  We wanted only to enhance the basic chicken flavor not be easting the rub flavor.   I rubbed both chickens thoroughly outside and sort of inside.

My recipe I used :  6 TBS Olive oil,  1 teas salt,  2 teas cumin,  3 teas garlic powder, 1 teas paprika. The only change I would make next time is to increase the salt and the garlic powder.  I would also like to put some bay leaves under the breast skin.
The hour and fifteen minutes we cooked the chickens was with the wire lid on the charbroil.

HINT:  Before you preheat, place the basket in the cooker and spray oil the basket and the liner of the cooker.  Remove the basket and preheat burning off the oil and sealing your cooker from rusting.

There are a zillion rubs around and you probably have a favorite.  If you don't like the burnt skin I suggest not use anything with sugar in it (if you do add it the last of the cooking). 

We have found the cooker is very economical on gas, using much less gas than a BBQ.  On windy days we build an enclosure around it.  Rainy days we have a piece of plywood suspended between two lawn chairs for a roof (the board never gets even warm.)  This day was 60 degrees and very windy.  We had wind breaks two sides. 

If you are inclined to invest in something new for your kitchen repertoire.  This item fits the bill.  I can't wait to try roasted veggies in it.  BTW,  we have found it is not kin to fried turkey, or a BBQ, or a smoker.  It's its own self, producing delicious food, efficiently.

Have fun.  I hope this blog helps you enjoy a little more good eats in your life.

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

A PLACE IN HEAVEN

There's a place in heaven for the sons and daughters who defend our country.  I always knew there was a place there for my son (retired, 30 years Navy) and his buddies.  They are always doing things for special need groups.  When he was over seas he would ask us to send care packages with candy which was singly wrapped to hand out to the children.  

Today I was shopping at one of my favorite scrounging stores "Dollar Tree" for some small inexpensive bag stuffers that my seniors might not have access to in the Nursing home.  I bought some small box containers which would hold items on a dresser, some pens, pencils, small spiral notebooks and erasers.  I'm still looking for items to fill their goody bags with.  

At the check out there was a gentleman.  He was about 39.  He was purchasing a boat load of sticker sheets and pencils; which were beautiful bright colors.  I  commented, "Someone is having a great birthday party."  He commented, "I am being sent to Guatemala, they are for the kids."  

He's in the Air Force.  

Our Children  defend the rights of others in foreign countries, but they also spread the word without saying a thing, "Love makes the world go round".  (They do this on their own dime and time)

Don't forget to thank someone's son or daughter for keeping America free.

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

"THE MUMMY": A Review

I love the movies.  All kinds of movies.  I am not too crazy about horror movies, but I have seen some I can honestly appreciate.  I will say I am drawn to Chick Flicks and am very happily married to a guy who likes them too. We also love the action movies, especially the ones with the over the hill actors.  There are some movies that I say, "Why did I watch that all the way through".   Today I will say I had that experience.

We have a theater which has morning matinees for $5.  We headed out and had an extremely mediocre breakfast from Hardees. The Biscuit on the bacon, egg, and cheese was very over cooked.  The bread on the Frisco sandwich was not toasted so it led to a very doughy experience. 

We arrived at the theater just as the previews began.  I will say there are quite a few very interesting movies coming out.  One was "Meagan Leavey".  This is not a movie we will be seeing.  I could hardly sit through the preview.  We are animal lovers and have a son who is ex military.  My heart was in my throat and I could hear my hunny sniffing.  I will definitely tell my Daughter not to see it.  The old Lassie movies bring her floods of tears.

Wonder Woman finally lit up the screen.  It was a movie which leaves you with a good feeling.  It is not a movie you would need to see on the big screen to get the full effect (Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2 are).  When we left theater we had to walk down the corridor, to the exit on the far side of the show.  We noticed that at 12:30 "The Mummy" was showing.  I looked at hunny and he looked at me, we decided it would be a two feature day.  We had only missed the previews before the show.  

This show made me wonder why I wasted 2 hours of my life to watch it.  Cruise and the girl (I don't know the actress's name) Not only didn't exhibit chemistry, but they acted very poorly, IMO.  To me it was stilted, like they were reading from a teleprompter.  Then along came Russel Crowe...whoops, where did he learn to act.  This definitely was not his perfect genre.  

The story line is nothing but knockoffs of the Brendan Frazier Mummy movies.  The first theft was with the Character "Beni".  The new Schlemiel  was a Schlemiel in his representation of the person (I can't even remember the name of him).  There was too much "plagiarism"  to list.  The movie was a very immature copy of it's predecessor.

All the Brendan Frazier's Mummy movies did not steal my heart.  The first Mummy did, it is the only movie I've ever paid to see twice.  I also purchased the DVD's of the movie.

If you have not watched the three movies please treat yourself to renting them (If you can find a rental place).  Or To purchasing them, they have been out long enough they should be in the cheap section.

This is an excerpt about Brendan's Mummy from Rotten Tomatoes who gave it a 75% audience rating:

Loosely adapted from the classic 1932 horror film starring Boris Karloff, The Mummy is set in Egypt, where over 3,000 years ago the high priest Imhotep (played by Arnold Vosloo) was given the all-important assignment of preparing the recently dead for their journey into the afterlife. However, Imhotep made one terrible mistake - he became smitten with Anck-Su-Namun, the mistress of the Pharaoh himself. Driven mad by jealousy and love, Imhotep murdered the Pharaoh, and his punishment was to be buried alive and suffer the torment of an eternal life in his wretched tomb. In 1925, a band of adventurers seeking fame and fortune - led by Rick O'Connel (Brendan Fraser), an American expatriate who has joined the foreign legion, and Evelyn Carnarvon (Rachel Weisz), an amateur archeologist - find a previously unknown burial site in Egypt. The team starts to dig, hoping to find lost riches, but instead they disturb the tomb of Imhotep, and soon the cursed priest rises from his grave to wreck vengeance on humanity. The Mummy was written and directed by Stephen Sommers, whose previous cinematic journeys into the past include The Jungle Book and The Adventures Of Huck Finn. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

• Rating:
  PG-13 (for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity)
• Genre:
  Action & Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
• Directed By:
  Stephen Sommers
• Written By:
  Stephen Sommers
• In Theaters:
  Jun 1, 1999  Wide
• On Disc/Streaming:
  Sep 28, 1999
• Runtime:
  125 minutes
• Studio:
  Universal Pictures
  

  
  

In news the TV reviews said it was a summer sleeper.  At the time we couldn't figure why people weren't swarming the theaters.  The last time we re watched the "The Mummy".  I remember thinking how the special effects did not seem hokey (because of the advances in new technology, the older movies sometimes seem Hokey).

I just went and looked and Half.com has the 3 disk set for $.75 plus shipping.

I wish we hadn't stayed for the second feature. We felt cheated and wanted to ask for our money back and be paid for the two hours time.  The ten dollars could have bought me a DVD of a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.

Other blog sites by me:

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup 

who has become a hidden treasure.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
 Tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
 Check out "A MYSTERY IN THE MAKING"
A mystery quilt designed with the novice in mind. 

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mystery-in-making.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

http://bakingatbabas.blogspot.com/

an intro to baking for kids.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission