My buddy at work, Robert got his family a ping pong table for Christmas. I mention this because he asked me if I played. It has been years but when I was in the Air Force I was one dangerous man at a ping pong table. My room mate, Dave and I would at times wake up at 2 or 3 AM and go bash for hours. We practiced so much against each other that we were the only ones who had a snowball's chance in Hell of returning each others' serves. We'd barely clear the net and clip the back edge of the table. We'd both bought standard paddles with the rubber pips facing out, peeled the pads off one side, reversed them and glued them back on. This gave the sides of the paddle slightly different spin from each other. Mostly only against each other Dave and I also held in our left hands, ready to switch to... "The Ball Breakers". Used almost entirely for a smash, these were Old School sandpaper coated paddles. A good hard driven smash with a rubber faced paddle can bust a ball on the table but these nasty little jewels would send a broken ball directly from the paddle. Also a switch to the "BB" would back the other player far back from the table expecting a smash. This allowed a "butterfly kiss" to barely drop the ball over the net.
I don't have space in my house for a full ping pong table but I think I have enough plywood to construct a makeshift practice board in the yard. I've no illusions nor delusions of an immediate return to the table at my once 100% dominant form but also have no doubts that in short time Robert won't be inviting nor even allowing me over to play anymore!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Norfolk Island Pines & Acorns
Not a whole lot has been happening here as of late. About the only semi newsworthy item is I picked up a couple of Norfolk Island Pine trees the other morning. I absolutely hated having the huge pines in my yard where I used to live. It seemed like if I ever got all the needles roke up, in less than 24 hours it would like I'd never been out with a rake. The Norfolk pines are rather a different breed though. They're potted plants for indoors. While still not my favorite houseplant the price was right (free). I do believe houseplants help the air in a house keep from getting musty so quickly. If these start to die off or I get tired of them I can always recycle them. Hopefully I can pick up replacement varieties I like better at a good price. While my decor can be best described as "redneck" I really do enjoy tropical houseplants.
Along with the pair of pines I fetched home a couple of empty cat litter buckets. Hey, rednecks love buckets! I use them not only as containers but trash bins, step stools and outdoor seating. When I had the trees and buckets in the truck I drove around a bit looking for anymore trash treasures. The only other offering I found was acorns. One spot had larger nuts than most I've seen around here. I'm not as up on my acorn ID as I once was but I'm thinking these are red oak acorns. I gathered up about 2-3 inches in one of my new buckets in about 10 minutes.
Still packed away in some box I have several Audubon field Guides, one of which is North American trees. Digging them out and brushing up on my oaks has been added to my list of things to do.
I had mentioned trying to use my leaf blower/vacuum to harvest acorns from Mom's yard but have come up with plan B which should be even better. I'll buy the gas and use her mower to suck and bag em up. If they get a bit broken up that'll only make it easier for the Quack Pack to eat and digest them. Added bonus: any leaves or growing grass or greens/weeds that get cut, sucked and bagged become extra free feed for ducks & geese and/or mulch for their yard.
Along with the pair of pines I fetched home a couple of empty cat litter buckets. Hey, rednecks love buckets! I use them not only as containers but trash bins, step stools and outdoor seating. When I had the trees and buckets in the truck I drove around a bit looking for anymore trash treasures. The only other offering I found was acorns. One spot had larger nuts than most I've seen around here. I'm not as up on my acorn ID as I once was but I'm thinking these are red oak acorns. I gathered up about 2-3 inches in one of my new buckets in about 10 minutes.
Still packed away in some box I have several Audubon field Guides, one of which is North American trees. Digging them out and brushing up on my oaks has been added to my list of things to do.
I had mentioned trying to use my leaf blower/vacuum to harvest acorns from Mom's yard but have come up with plan B which should be even better. I'll buy the gas and use her mower to suck and bag em up. If they get a bit broken up that'll only make it easier for the Quack Pack to eat and digest them. Added bonus: any leaves or growing grass or greens/weeds that get cut, sucked and bagged become extra free feed for ducks & geese and/or mulch for their yard.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Gravy
Homemade gravy isn't rocket science, kids. It is basically oil and a thickener. Thickener can be (most often) flour or corn starch but other options are out there. As for oil, my favorite is bacon grease. I generally start w/ about equal parts then cook it low until I get desired brownness. Darker for beef or dinner dishes, lighter for breakfast w/ biscuits. The oil can be any animal, veggie or mix you like. Gravy should be all about you. The oil/flour mix is what we call a "roux". It sounds French but I have no idea what the Hell it means. Once the roux is cooked to the color you want add a bit more of whatever liquid you want to make it the gravy you want. Water, wine, milk, tomato/veggie juice. Add more than you want because some of the liquid will cook off. Make the gravy your friend, keep stirring it. Then be patient. Unless you went stupid adding the juice it'll cook down. Add a little first, let it simmer then add more if you need.
I can't make a from scratch biscuit that a starving coyote would eat so I buy the frozen ones. If I'm starting to go into withdrawal symptoms from lack of biscuit I'll make do w/ the refrigerated canned things. Even a flip flop would be good w/ some homemade tomato gravy on it!
Two last things.... taste it at every step and remember S&P (salt & pepper) a little at a time. It's so easy to add but Hell to try to subtract.
I can't make a from scratch biscuit that a starving coyote would eat so I buy the frozen ones. If I'm starting to go into withdrawal symptoms from lack of biscuit I'll make do w/ the refrigerated canned things. Even a flip flop would be good w/ some homemade tomato gravy on it!
Two last things.... taste it at every step and remember S&P (salt & pepper) a little at a time. It's so easy to add but Hell to try to subtract.
The Weather Is A~Changing!
Last night and this morning it rained like a cow pissing on a flat rock! Following the rain the temperature is projected to fall like a paralyzed falcon. From a high of 80 F on Christmas day the weather man is saying we may hit a low of 30 F on January 4. It's only the second time so far this Winter we'll have had any kind of freeze and the "experts" don't expect it to last long.
All this is fallout from the front that sent tornadoes ripping through Texas to the northern part of Mississippi.
All I can do is thank God that here we'll get no worse than some cooler temps and pray for them that lost some, much or all.
All this is fallout from the front that sent tornadoes ripping through Texas to the northern part of Mississippi.
All I can do is thank God that here we'll get no worse than some cooler temps and pray for them that lost some, much or all.
Finishing Off The Crock Pot Round Steak
The round wasn't ready when bedtime rolled around so I let it cool for a while then stuck the crock in the fridge. Before heading home I bought a pretty large head of garlic and a medium large jalapeno pepper. Once home I first let the dogs out to take care of their needs while I fed the ducks and geese and fetched in another pair of fresh eggs. After a night in the cold box the beef grease was easy easy to spoon off the top. I let the crock come to room temp before putting it back in the heating part and warming everything back up. While that was going on I gutted the jalapeno and finely chopped about half of it along w/ about half of the garlic. I sauteed that mixture in olive oil and added it to the pot. Then I added a gob of butter to my pan and slow fried up a half pound of fresh mushrooms just until they began to release their perfume. The 'shrooms were small/medium size, w/ caps about the size of a ping pong ball which I simply quartered. Once they were ready, into the pot w/ them.
All that olive oil, jalapeno, garlic, butter and mushroom goodness was much too good to pour down the drain so the water used to deglaze and rinse out the frying pan went into the rice pot. A little bacon fat and flour in another skillet made a roux to thicken my gravy.
Put some of that on top of your head and your tongue will slap your brain out trying to get to it!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Post Christmas Wal Mart Trip
I had to go to Wally World today. Thank God I got there early before all the wild ass hillbillies showed up for the post Christmas sale. The last flood we had washed my garbage can somewhere down the road. I hadn't painted my house number on it and I would have felt awkward knocking on doors asking , "Hey! Do you have my trash can?" so I figured it would be easier just to get a fresh one. Yes, I painted my house number on it in neon green!
After the other night's episode w/ some unknown (hopefully) 4 legged intruder I recalled reading somewhere most nocturnal animals fear one thing... other predators. And most predators eyes shine red when light hits them. Somebody wrote that small red lights look like eyes shine to them and scamper briskly when they see what looks to be such. So I bought two sets of 50 each red LED Christmas lights (1/2 price after Christmas sale at Wally World). I'll have them strung up and lit before dark tonight!
After the other night's episode w/ some unknown (hopefully) 4 legged intruder I recalled reading somewhere most nocturnal animals fear one thing... other predators. And most predators eyes shine red when light hits them. Somebody wrote that small red lights look like eyes shine to them and scamper briskly when they see what looks to be such. So I bought two sets of 50 each red LED Christmas lights (1/2 price after Christmas sale at Wally World). I'll have them strung up and lit before dark tonight!
Crock Pot Round Steak
When I was in my mid teens my Dad and step Mom often cooked round steak in the crock pot and served it over rice. Boy howdy! I could eat my own weight in that stuff! I recently bought 3 round steaks then after stuffing my grocery hole with Christmas vittles at and from Mom's sorta forgot about them. Thankfully I remembered them before they got rank, one day after the "sell by" date so still good to go. I didn't have any carrots or peppers for mirepoix but I needed to get them in the crock ASAP. As rare as can be I was even out of garlic and jalapenos! But I cut the steaks into hand sized chunks and tossed them into the pot. I added a couple small onions, stalks of celery (leaves and all, just not the bottom nor that little knuckle), a few bay leaves, some cilantro that was somewhat less than fresh, some Italian herb mix, kosher salt, black pepper and crushed red. I gave it a few splashes of soy sauce and "whatsishere?" sauce, about 1/2 a beer that was getting warm and filled her up w/ water. The I crunk the crock to full blast high It's about 11:15 AM here so I've got maybe 2 or 3 hours before I have to get some shut eye. Should enough water cook off before then I'll throw in a handful of frozen cherry tomatoes. If not it'll all be good. It is already smelling like Heaven in this house!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Some Unidentified Excitement In The Kitchen
It's still warm enough here that I have doors and windows open. My front door has a storm door so it's secure but the back door only has one of them Magic Mesh screens on it.
As I was in my office writing my previous post Vlad was back here w/ me and Bella was in another room. All of a sudden I heard her yapping and a commotion in the kitchen. When Vlad and I got there Bella was out on the back deck and their food bowl was skidded across the kitchen w/ kibbles scattered everywhere. All I can possibly fathom is we had some unwanted & uninvited guest come through the back door. My best guess would have to be a cat. Possums are dumb enough to wander in anywhere but aren't really swift on escaping. I've a pair of soft BB pistols I'll keep at the ready in case I spy any felines and my 10 pump .177 caliber pellet rifle loaded should I see any possums. I've seen many a stray cat around here but surprising little wildlife for as close to the woods as we are. Squirrels are bountiful and I've seen 1 road killed corn snake. In the yard I have many wild song birds and have found a couple little brown snakes, some anoles, 3 or 4 geckos and 1 crawfish.
I have eaten possum before but can't honestly say I found it delicious so have no plans to put more on the menu. Many people say many things do but possum does not taste like chicken!
Well, Vladi is here behind me wrapped in his blanket napping. Bella is beside me trimming her toenails. All is quiet once again. When it's light out again I'll walk the fence line to check for any feet prints that don't look like any of ours. I don't enjoy killing or even hurting any critters, wild or domestic needlessly but I do believe in protecting my family. Yes, my dogs, ducks and geese are like family to me. Should I need to sting a cat's ass or bust a possum's head, so be it.
As I was in my office writing my previous post Vlad was back here w/ me and Bella was in another room. All of a sudden I heard her yapping and a commotion in the kitchen. When Vlad and I got there Bella was out on the back deck and their food bowl was skidded across the kitchen w/ kibbles scattered everywhere. All I can possibly fathom is we had some unwanted & uninvited guest come through the back door. My best guess would have to be a cat. Possums are dumb enough to wander in anywhere but aren't really swift on escaping. I've a pair of soft BB pistols I'll keep at the ready in case I spy any felines and my 10 pump .177 caliber pellet rifle loaded should I see any possums. I've seen many a stray cat around here but surprising little wildlife for as close to the woods as we are. Squirrels are bountiful and I've seen 1 road killed corn snake. In the yard I have many wild song birds and have found a couple little brown snakes, some anoles, 3 or 4 geckos and 1 crawfish.
I have eaten possum before but can't honestly say I found it delicious so have no plans to put more on the menu. Many people say many things do but possum does not taste like chicken!
Well, Vladi is here behind me wrapped in his blanket napping. Bella is beside me trimming her toenails. All is quiet once again. When it's light out again I'll walk the fence line to check for any feet prints that don't look like any of ours. I don't enjoy killing or even hurting any critters, wild or domestic needlessly but I do believe in protecting my family. Yes, my dogs, ducks and geese are like family to me. Should I need to sting a cat's ass or bust a possum's head, so be it.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Christmas At Mom's
I went the 1/2 mile to Mom's for Christmas dinner and everything was grand! As I've said before she was raised on a farm so she really appreciated the fresh ducks eggs I took her. My senile brother was there, he ate then watched TV for about 30 minutes before falling asleep (or into a food coma) on the sofa. Mom has a little 2 year old toy Poodle named Gracie who is as shy as my Vlad (Jack Russell) & Bella (Dachshund) are bold. When I first met Gracie I could only feed her tidbits of food if I wasn't looking at her. Today was rather special as she actually licked my fingers and let me pet her.
The menu was classic redneck holiday chow down. Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, slaw, yeast rolls and sweet taters. As usual after a big feed I brought home enough leftovers to eat on for the next couple of days.
As I was loading up to return home I noticed Mom's yard was absolutely covered with acorns. I have a gigantic oak in the Southeast corner of the front yard but have found very few nuts there. Another oak I would guess to be about 50 years of age inn the Northwest corner of the back yard has dropped a few handfuls of slightly larger nuts as windfall into my yard. This oak is actually on the outside of my privacy fence but is about 50/50 on my property.
Anyway, somewhere in my storage building I have an electric leaf blower/vacuum. If I can find it and the bag and enough power cords I'll go down and suck up a trash can load for the ducks and geese to eat. Mom's acorns are a bit larger than mine so I'll try to come up w/ some clever way to semi crush or at least open them up.
The menu was classic redneck holiday chow down. Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, slaw, yeast rolls and sweet taters. As usual after a big feed I brought home enough leftovers to eat on for the next couple of days.
As I was loading up to return home I noticed Mom's yard was absolutely covered with acorns. I have a gigantic oak in the Southeast corner of the front yard but have found very few nuts there. Another oak I would guess to be about 50 years of age inn the Northwest corner of the back yard has dropped a few handfuls of slightly larger nuts as windfall into my yard. This oak is actually on the outside of my privacy fence but is about 50/50 on my property.
Anyway, somewhere in my storage building I have an electric leaf blower/vacuum. If I can find it and the bag and enough power cords I'll go down and suck up a trash can load for the ducks and geese to eat. Mom's acorns are a bit larger than mine so I'll try to come up w/ some clever way to semi crush or at least open them up.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Christmas Eve 2015 & Pineapple Plant
It's Christmas Eve, three hours until Christmas morning. It rained for much of the day yet is still warm enough that I have windows and doors open. I don't hear any people out singing carols, instead there are crickets singing their song. All in all it is a beautiful night with a full moon shining.
A few years back my Mom had a sun room built onto the back of her house where she grew all kinds of plants from seeds and cuttings. Among her many triumphs was a pineapple plant grown from a crown she cut off a fruit from the grocery store. Believe it or not the damn thing actually bore a Mississippi home grown pineapple! The plant finally got so large she got rid of it but alas, I had no room for it myself. Our local grocery has pineapple on sale this week for $1 each and I bought 3 to try and root like Mom did hers. I've always enjoyed having a bit of the outdoors in the home via plants and such. I'm hoping to get some assorted citrus, apple, cherry and avocado seedlings ready this Winter to set out come Spring. The avocados will have to be potted but the rest should be hardy enough to stick directly in the hopefully someday orchard.
I've dusted off a basket to put Mom's dozen duck eggs in so my Christmas "shopping" is done.
All that remains is to wish you all the best wishes this Christmas, in the New Year and the rest of your lives.
May God bless us all. Love & Peace.
Merlin
A few years back my Mom had a sun room built onto the back of her house where she grew all kinds of plants from seeds and cuttings. Among her many triumphs was a pineapple plant grown from a crown she cut off a fruit from the grocery store. Believe it or not the damn thing actually bore a Mississippi home grown pineapple! The plant finally got so large she got rid of it but alas, I had no room for it myself. Our local grocery has pineapple on sale this week for $1 each and I bought 3 to try and root like Mom did hers. I've always enjoyed having a bit of the outdoors in the home via plants and such. I'm hoping to get some assorted citrus, apple, cherry and avocado seedlings ready this Winter to set out come Spring. The avocados will have to be potted but the rest should be hardy enough to stick directly in the hopefully someday orchard.
I've dusted off a basket to put Mom's dozen duck eggs in so my Christmas "shopping" is done.
All that remains is to wish you all the best wishes this Christmas, in the New Year and the rest of your lives.
May God bless us all. Love & Peace.
Merlin
Happy Christmas
Without doing into a lot of boring details I'll just say Christmas has long been the most depressing time of year for me. While I am still not jolly, haven't put up any decorations or such I feel pretty good about the whole affair this year.
I'm sure much has to do with my being in a different house. This "new" house while some 40 years or so of age feels like the beginning of a new stage in my life. I have enough yard to call my own that I can plant fruit trees, grape vines, gardens, have my duck yard and plenty of room for my dogs and me to play in.. The girls have already laid enough eggs that I can take Mom a dozen.
But the main thing I believe that makes this Christmas different is how I feel in my heart and soul. While He's always been there for me I wasn't always right with God. I'm not gonna preach or tell anyone how to live. All I'll say is I got right with Him. No, I don't always do right but as I often say, "I am a work in progress".
The History Channel has been airing most of the Holiday shows I'm watching dealing with the birth of Jesus and nothing to do w/ Santa, reindeer or snowmen. My Christmas Day after having lunch w/ Mom will mostly be spent watching those, enjoying the quiet of the night (when I'm most usually awake). I'll contemplate the 30 something years between His birth and physical death on the cross.
No matter your religion (if any) we all can learn much from the words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. I'm no great thinker of deep thoughts but 1 guy I work with did give me a pretty good compliment. He said, "You know? He's got a certain redneck wisdom sometimes."
So here's my redneck wisdom for this Christmas season and beyond.... For whatever reason; race, religion, politics, sexual preference you and I may not agree on everything. We may not even understand each others' views. But as long as you don't try to force your opinions on me I'll respect your rights to them if you'll respect mine. Worship as you wish, if you wish. Let me live in peace and I harbor no ill will towards anyone who also wishes to live in peace. Violence only begets violence.
A John Lennon song I play a lot this time of year:
Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
And one for anytime of year:
Give Peace A Chance
Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc to all. Love your neighbor, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all men and women.
I'm sure much has to do with my being in a different house. This "new" house while some 40 years or so of age feels like the beginning of a new stage in my life. I have enough yard to call my own that I can plant fruit trees, grape vines, gardens, have my duck yard and plenty of room for my dogs and me to play in.. The girls have already laid enough eggs that I can take Mom a dozen.
But the main thing I believe that makes this Christmas different is how I feel in my heart and soul. While He's always been there for me I wasn't always right with God. I'm not gonna preach or tell anyone how to live. All I'll say is I got right with Him. No, I don't always do right but as I often say, "I am a work in progress".
The History Channel has been airing most of the Holiday shows I'm watching dealing with the birth of Jesus and nothing to do w/ Santa, reindeer or snowmen. My Christmas Day after having lunch w/ Mom will mostly be spent watching those, enjoying the quiet of the night (when I'm most usually awake). I'll contemplate the 30 something years between His birth and physical death on the cross.
No matter your religion (if any) we all can learn much from the words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. I'm no great thinker of deep thoughts but 1 guy I work with did give me a pretty good compliment. He said, "You know? He's got a certain redneck wisdom sometimes."
So here's my redneck wisdom for this Christmas season and beyond.... For whatever reason; race, religion, politics, sexual preference you and I may not agree on everything. We may not even understand each others' views. But as long as you don't try to force your opinions on me I'll respect your rights to them if you'll respect mine. Worship as you wish, if you wish. Let me live in peace and I harbor no ill will towards anyone who also wishes to live in peace. Violence only begets violence.
A John Lennon song I play a lot this time of year:
Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
And one for anytime of year:
Give Peace A Chance
Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, etc to all. Love your neighbor, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all men and women.
Monday, December 21, 2015
I'm Dreaming Of A Wet Christmas
Here in Mississippi we don't get much snow. The weather for Christmas day is probably going to be in the 70's F with a good chance of rain. It's all good. I pretty much got my fill of snow when I lived for 6 years in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While truly beautiful it is also way too damn cold for my old fingers and toes.
Measured For Straw Bales
I measured the bale of straw Joel gave me then measured the bed of my truck; length, width and depth. After accounting for the wheel wells I figure I can fit 5 bales per layer and safely tie down 2 layers for transport back home. All I need do now is call for pricing & availability, then go fetch em up. I'm thinking another 5 or 6 should make the duck yard look pretty good and eliminate most of the sloppy spots while giving the birds good forage for seeds and their feed among the straw. Of course I'll continue adding bags of oak leaves as my neighbors put those to the curb.
My back yard has several wet areas, mostly where I walk it seems. Whatever straw don't go into the duck yard will be distributed along my soupy pathways and assorted sloppy areas. If the straw is cheap enough I may even break up and toss a bale or 3 onto the Swamp should I decide to buy a second truckload.
I broke up the bale I had and put a couple flakes in the nest house for the hens. The remainder I busted up and scattered in their yard. I'm seeing a lot of wild birds flying in for a snack. If I see a few more doves I may get out my 10 pump BB gun and do some dove hunting.
My back yard has several wet areas, mostly where I walk it seems. Whatever straw don't go into the duck yard will be distributed along my soupy pathways and assorted sloppy areas. If the straw is cheap enough I may even break up and toss a bale or 3 onto the Swamp should I decide to buy a second truckload.
I broke up the bale I had and put a couple flakes in the nest house for the hens. The remainder I busted up and scattered in their yard. I'm seeing a lot of wild birds flying in for a snack. If I see a few more doves I may get out my 10 pump BB gun and do some dove hunting.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Another 2 Egg Day & An Outhouse Story
I went out to feed the Quack Pack this morning as usual and found another 2 duck eggs. Upon closer inspection I noticed one is thinner, more elongated and more equally sized at both ends. The other is shaped more like a jumbo plus sized chicken's egg. I could very well be wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) but I'm thinking the longer is a Runner and the fatter is a Rouen.
It's a mere 5 days until Christmas but if the girls keep up the good work I'll have a dozen farm fresh duck eggs to give my mom for Christmas. She's nigh onto impossible to buy for as she has at least one of everything she could possibly want or need. But she's also an old school farm girl, she told me that she and my dad had ducks back too far for me to remember. I do recall as far back as I can that her parents, my grandmaw and pawpaw had chickens.
Hey! Who can say "no" to free food especially when it's farm fresh?
A quick story about grandmaw & pawpaw's chickens... Back when I was a wee fart neither set of my grandparents had indoor toilets. They had running water in the kitchen but other needs were taken care of elsewhere. We bathed in a #2 wash tub in the back yard. Other bodily functions were managed in a little shed farther out from the house. All lived far enough out of city (or town) limits that their chickens were 101% free range. Anyway G&P had one mean ass old rooster that probably didn't weigh much less than I did as a skinny young lad (or so he looked to me at the time). This cantankerous old cob loved nothing more than to make my life miserable. One day I was trying to get past that old cob to make a trip to the outhouse when he appeared and stood his ground about halfway between where I was and where I needed to be. What he failed to recall was that Pawpaw had an old brown mongrel dog, Brownie who was a close personal friend of mine. Good chance Brownie didn't like this rooster anyway. But as I had the rooster's attention out of the corner of my eye I saw a brown comet come around the corner at full tilt. Brownie to my rescue! He T-boned that rooster and all I heard was one very loud thud followed by Brownie growling and snarling, the rooster screeching for dear life! They rolled over and over each other probably a dozen times or more, some 10 yards. Finally Brownie figured he'd best not kill the old rooster or he'd get in trouble so he relinquished his grip.
And... that old bastard rooster to the day he died always got a nervous look in his eye and ran like Satan was coming for him every time he saw me. And I always managed to sneak a little treat for Brownie whenever we sat down to eat.
Thanks for everything, Brownie! I'll always remember and love you dearly, my old friend!
Rest In Peace.
It's a mere 5 days until Christmas but if the girls keep up the good work I'll have a dozen farm fresh duck eggs to give my mom for Christmas. She's nigh onto impossible to buy for as she has at least one of everything she could possibly want or need. But she's also an old school farm girl, she told me that she and my dad had ducks back too far for me to remember. I do recall as far back as I can that her parents, my grandmaw and pawpaw had chickens.
Hey! Who can say "no" to free food especially when it's farm fresh?
A quick story about grandmaw & pawpaw's chickens... Back when I was a wee fart neither set of my grandparents had indoor toilets. They had running water in the kitchen but other needs were taken care of elsewhere. We bathed in a #2 wash tub in the back yard. Other bodily functions were managed in a little shed farther out from the house. All lived far enough out of city (or town) limits that their chickens were 101% free range. Anyway G&P had one mean ass old rooster that probably didn't weigh much less than I did as a skinny young lad (or so he looked to me at the time). This cantankerous old cob loved nothing more than to make my life miserable. One day I was trying to get past that old cob to make a trip to the outhouse when he appeared and stood his ground about halfway between where I was and where I needed to be. What he failed to recall was that Pawpaw had an old brown mongrel dog, Brownie who was a close personal friend of mine. Good chance Brownie didn't like this rooster anyway. But as I had the rooster's attention out of the corner of my eye I saw a brown comet come around the corner at full tilt. Brownie to my rescue! He T-boned that rooster and all I heard was one very loud thud followed by Brownie growling and snarling, the rooster screeching for dear life! They rolled over and over each other probably a dozen times or more, some 10 yards. Finally Brownie figured he'd best not kill the old rooster or he'd get in trouble so he relinquished his grip.
And... that old bastard rooster to the day he died always got a nervous look in his eye and ran like Satan was coming for him every time he saw me. And I always managed to sneak a little treat for Brownie whenever we sat down to eat.
Thanks for everything, Brownie! I'll always remember and love you dearly, my old friend!
Rest In Peace.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Work, Straw & Eggs
Last night at work was brutal to say the least but by the grace and with the help of God I survived. Night before last I noticed 3 bales of straw in a pickup truck but didn't know whose truck it was. Last night I figured it must belong to Joel, asked him and learned I was correct. I inquired as to where he'd gotten the straw and he said his dad had wheeled and dealed for it for free. When I said I needed some for the Quack Pack he offered to give me one free of charge which I gladly accepted. Then he said when they had horses they got straw, hay, etc at the Rankin County Co-op which is only a few miles down the road. Only 1 bale at a time will fit into the back of my CR-V so I'll measure the bale and the bed of my truck then math out how many I can fetch at a time w/ that.
As of Tuesday I've been finding one duck egg each morning. Today I doubled down and found a pair! Ergo most of the chicken eggs I have in the fridge are destined to be cooked and added to the dogs' food and/or Quack Pack feed. When I worked at the zoo all the barnyard fowl got finely chopped boiled eggs mixed into their diets (sans shells). My birds get theirs w/ shells plus added shells from the eggs the dogs and I eat.
A little while back I was at mom's and she gave me a big sack of roasted pecans that she had let get a tad overdone. Some are still quite tasty so I'm gobbling those. Them that are past palatable to me are chopped up for quackers & honkers.
As of Tuesday I've been finding one duck egg each morning. Today I doubled down and found a pair! Ergo most of the chicken eggs I have in the fridge are destined to be cooked and added to the dogs' food and/or Quack Pack feed. When I worked at the zoo all the barnyard fowl got finely chopped boiled eggs mixed into their diets (sans shells). My birds get theirs w/ shells plus added shells from the eggs the dogs and I eat.
A little while back I was at mom's and she gave me a big sack of roasted pecans that she had let get a tad overdone. Some are still quite tasty so I'm gobbling those. Them that are past palatable to me are chopped up for quackers & honkers.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Eggs Vs. Eggs
I harvested another duck egg this morning bringing my total so far to 2. I still had a dozen and half chicken eggs from the store and decided to do a side by side taste test. 2 nearly identical skillets, started at the same time w/ just enough canola oil to prevent sticking. As the duck egg was larger I went w/ 2 chicken eggs. The first thing I noticed was the color of the yolks. The chicken egg yolks were yellow as usual but the duck yolk was almost orange. I slowly fried the eggs until medium w/ the white completely cooked but the yolks just starting to firm up around the edge but a syrupy run still to them. Right before plating I gave em all a pinch of Kosher salt and grind of fresh black pepper.
End result? No contest whatsoever! The store bought eggs while what I have become accustomed to fell flat while the fresh duck egg made my taste buds sing.
I feed my Quack Pack hen scratch & deer corn mostly that I scatter in their yard to let/make them forage. To every 100 pounds of that I add 50 pounds of laying pellets in 2 pans to minimize waste. They also get fruit and veggie scraps, acorns, a bit of old bread plus any bugs or grubs I digged up during the warm weather and whatever gets bagged when I mow our lawn. Lately the mower stuff has been hardwood leaves and nuts w/ some greens. I also save egg shells to crush and add to their feed as a calcium supplement.
They free range in an "L" shaped yard some 15' x 50' then 20' x 30' with a pair of 4' diameter kiddie wading pools. Every other day or so one pool is drained, rinsed and refilled w/ fresh water. I keep 5 gallon buckets at the corners of my house to collect as much rain water for this as possible. That task is more work than just opening a tap but I know the water is just water sans the chemicals the water treatment place adds.
Happy ducks make better eggs which make for a happy redneck!
End result? No contest whatsoever! The store bought eggs while what I have become accustomed to fell flat while the fresh duck egg made my taste buds sing.
I feed my Quack Pack hen scratch & deer corn mostly that I scatter in their yard to let/make them forage. To every 100 pounds of that I add 50 pounds of laying pellets in 2 pans to minimize waste. They also get fruit and veggie scraps, acorns, a bit of old bread plus any bugs or grubs I digged up during the warm weather and whatever gets bagged when I mow our lawn. Lately the mower stuff has been hardwood leaves and nuts w/ some greens. I also save egg shells to crush and add to their feed as a calcium supplement.
They free range in an "L" shaped yard some 15' x 50' then 20' x 30' with a pair of 4' diameter kiddie wading pools. Every other day or so one pool is drained, rinsed and refilled w/ fresh water. I keep 5 gallon buckets at the corners of my house to collect as much rain water for this as possible. That task is more work than just opening a tap but I know the water is just water sans the chemicals the water treatment place adds.
Happy ducks make better eggs which make for a happy redneck!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Mr. Mack & Free Lumber
Tother day I went out to the front yard for some damn thing or another and saw Mr. Mack, my neighbor across the street and down 1 raking. I hadn't seen him for a few weeks so went over to see what was new w/ him & his wife, Ms. Jean. Turns out he'd been halfway keeping an eye out hoping to see me. As luck (or God watching over me) all turned out to my favor. He's got some assorted lumber scraps he was considering taking to the curb but wanted to offer me dibs (which I graciously accepted). Mostly it's fair to middling 2 x 4 some 4 to 6' long w/ some fire fodder in the mix. But the jewel of the lot is a 4 x 6 between 6 and 8 foot long. My brain is running wild with options for that baby! He said there's no time limit for me to fetch the lumber over to my house but I'll try and do it PDQ just to get it out of his way.
A Gift From The Quack Pack
As the late Gomer Pyle said, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" I went out this morning to feed the ducks & geese and found the 1st of I hope many eggs to come. I've seen thousands of chicken eggs from the grocery and quite a few from birds of my own from tiny Bantam to jumbo Leghorn to Guinea fowl. At the zoo I encountered duck, goose, swan, peafowl, flamingo, even tortoise, corn snake, python and alligator. I'm not an "egg-spert" (Sorry, I simply could not resist that bad pun) but I can come up with a fairly educated guess as to what critter's butt an egg fell out of. The egg is too small to be goose so it's gotta be duck. I do know 2 of my 5 Rouens are hens and 3 are roosters. The 2 Runners I have no idea regarding their sex(es). But the egg is fairly small and elongated compared to most other duck eggs I've seen so I'm guessing it's a runner egg. It was laid out in the middle of the duck yard after I went to bed yesterday afternoon and before I got home from work this morning so hatching chances would be slim to none and slim done left town. Whatever to do w/ a solitary duck egg? Myself, I just wiped the leaves, mud and most likely some duck butt gravy off it and stuck it in the fridge whilst I hope for more in the future. The more and sooner, the better.
When I lived in Raymond, Mississippi I had a small flock of Seabright bantams, both silver and gold. After spending many hours on their enclosure and dollars on their feed I presented them w/ an ultimatum. "I been feeding y'all for some time now. It's nigh time for payback... eggs or legs!" The next afternoon when I returned from work I had 2 eggs in the nests. I was thinking my ducks were still too young for laying but gladly accept their gift.
When I lived in Raymond, Mississippi I had a small flock of Seabright bantams, both silver and gold. After spending many hours on their enclosure and dollars on their feed I presented them w/ an ultimatum. "I been feeding y'all for some time now. It's nigh time for payback... eggs or legs!" The next afternoon when I returned from work I had 2 eggs in the nests. I was thinking my ducks were still too young for laying but gladly accept their gift.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Crazy Answers To Lame Questions
About 6 years ago the ACL in my right knee popped. I'd love to say it was something exciting like BASE jumping or chasing down a thug but here's the sad and lame truth... I was kneeling on the floor at work and stood up. POW! Ligament went bad. End of story. Luckily? it happened only about 90 minutes before the end of my shift heading into my weekend. After a couple hours at home hoping the pain would let up I gave in and went to the ER. When I got back to work I was still gimpy as Hell and everybody asked what happened. After telling a couple dozen people the truth I decided that the truth was too boring. My new story was, "Me and my girlfriend was having butt wild monkey sex. She caught her earring in her ankle bracelet and we fell off the pool table."
Just over a year ago I was fetching boxes home from work to pack prepping for buying and moving into my house. The last person to ask, "Are you moving? got this gem for an answer. "Naw. My girlfriend is just so damn ugly a paper sack won't work. I gotta put a cardboard box over her head."
Just over a year ago I was fetching boxes home from work to pack prepping for buying and moving into my house. The last person to ask, "Are you moving? got this gem for an answer. "Naw. My girlfriend is just so damn ugly a paper sack won't work. I gotta put a cardboard box over her head."
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Dumber Than A Wood Tick
Sometimes I have a way of expressing myself in ways not often heard, usually about the "Award Winning" knobs I work around. Here is a sampling of my terms used to describe them...
His crib had lead based paint.
He played w/ mercury a lot as a child.
His swimming pool was at the sewer treatment plant.
He's seen the inside of a short bus.
He dropped his chewing gum in the chicken yard and thought he found it 3 times.
If he was a coyote caught in a leg hold trap he'd chew off 3 legs and still be caught.
He's goofier than a shocked possum.
He's nuttier than a squirrel turd.
Did his mama work around a lot of radiation?
His parents must have dropped him a lot as a baby.
His mom must have taken part in LSD experiments.
Did his parents put model airplane glue in his milk bottle to calm him?
For Halloween he wanted to go as a turnip and forgot to take the plastic bag off his head afterwards.
I've seen better heads in a cabbage patch.
I bet rat poison agrees with him.
That boy must have drunk a lot of bad milk.
He shouldn't be in the breeding program.
The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.
His crib had lead based paint.
He played w/ mercury a lot as a child.
His swimming pool was at the sewer treatment plant.
He's seen the inside of a short bus.
He dropped his chewing gum in the chicken yard and thought he found it 3 times.
If he was a coyote caught in a leg hold trap he'd chew off 3 legs and still be caught.
He's goofier than a shocked possum.
He's nuttier than a squirrel turd.
Did his mama work around a lot of radiation?
His parents must have dropped him a lot as a baby.
His mom must have taken part in LSD experiments.
Did his parents put model airplane glue in his milk bottle to calm him?
For Halloween he wanted to go as a turnip and forgot to take the plastic bag off his head afterwards.
I've seen better heads in a cabbage patch.
I bet rat poison agrees with him.
That boy must have drunk a lot of bad milk.
He shouldn't be in the breeding program.
The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.
Holiday Havoc
I tell ya what... these past few weeks I could have more fun tangled up in a barbed wire fence! Starting a couple days after Thanksgiving my bowels were in an uproar. I finally got that unpleasant little malady cleared up and now I have the sneezing snot face. Hey! I'll try and look at the bright side... I'm still breathing. I generally stop sneezing and snotting a couple hours after I return home then start back up less than 30 minutes at work. Maybe I'm allergic to something there, possibly work! And Lord have mercy, if the tissue paper there was any rougher it would still have bark on it. also much to my good fortune I have the ability to ignore or block out a degree of crap not worth hearing. I am admittedly somewhat hard of hearing and can pretty well switch on "selective hearing". They've been playing Christmas music at work. Not that I mind Christmas music if done well but they have somehow found the world's worst renditions of every holiday song ever.
I love Nat King Cole or Karen Carpenter's "Christmas Song", Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Father Christmas", Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", all the holiday songs by Celtic Woman and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Not "Frosty the Snowman" or any of the crap about Santa. Sorry but that makes me say, "Bah, humbug!"
I love Nat King Cole or Karen Carpenter's "Christmas Song", Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Father Christmas", Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", all the holiday songs by Celtic Woman and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Not "Frosty the Snowman" or any of the crap about Santa. Sorry but that makes me say, "Bah, humbug!"
Friday, December 11, 2015
Guacamole
A#1 I don't like smooth, creamy guacamole nor "whipped" mashed taters. I like a bit of chunk in mine and do not at all care for the ingredients I cannot pronounce added to the stuff in a plastic tub from the store. I was having a guacamole Jones at work so got all I needed to mash up a batch. Here is the basic recipe, as always feel free to add, subtract or substitute to your liking.
2 avocados (ripe but not mushy), chopped and semi mashed
1 Roma tomato chopped
1/2 small yellow onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 palm full of fresh cilantro chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt to taste (about 3/4 teaspoon)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Stir it up and dig in w/ chips, add to tacos or burritos, whatever rolls your socks up & down!
Toss avocado skins and lime pith into the compost bin. Lime zest goes into a jar (refrigerated) w/ my other citrus zest. Jalapeno seeds are set out to dry for next Spring's planting. Cilantro stems, mater trimmings, onion tops, bottoms and skins, jalapeno top and membrane go into a freezer bag for vegetable stock. Avocado pits supported by 3 toothpicks go into cups of water to sprout and make avocado trees. Again, I have heard avocado trees grown from seed won't make fruit but I saw someone on Food Network use the leaves as flavoring not unlike bay leaves. I have yet to try them but am always open to new ideas.
2 avocados (ripe but not mushy), chopped and semi mashed
1 Roma tomato chopped
1/2 small yellow onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1 palm full of fresh cilantro chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt to taste (about 3/4 teaspoon)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Stir it up and dig in w/ chips, add to tacos or burritos, whatever rolls your socks up & down!
Toss avocado skins and lime pith into the compost bin. Lime zest goes into a jar (refrigerated) w/ my other citrus zest. Jalapeno seeds are set out to dry for next Spring's planting. Cilantro stems, mater trimmings, onion tops, bottoms and skins, jalapeno top and membrane go into a freezer bag for vegetable stock. Avocado pits supported by 3 toothpicks go into cups of water to sprout and make avocado trees. Again, I have heard avocado trees grown from seed won't make fruit but I saw someone on Food Network use the leaves as flavoring not unlike bay leaves. I have yet to try them but am always open to new ideas.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Homemade Olive Bruscetta
I was ready for a big sammich w/ all the goodies tother day, a redneck muffaletta on steroids if you will. The ready made mixed olive salad stuff in a jar at the store was $7.99 a pint. I knew I could make my own and probably better for way less. Here's what I came up with. It needs adjusting but so do all great things.
I started w/ a 4.25 oz can of chopped black olives. They was chopped finer than I had expected but that's what I had. I drained what little juice was in, gave a quick rinse and dumped in into a 2 quart bowl. Using that can as my measuring devise added equal amount rough chopped green salad olives w/ pimentos (rinsed). Chop and add 2 green onions, 2 large cloves garlic, a can measure of chopped yellow onion, half can of chopped pickled jalapeno pepper and a medium sized chopped dill pickle. I added about a teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix. Stir it all pretty well and add enough Italian salad dressing to get it to the juiciness you like. I used a little over 1/2 of a 12 oz bottle for mine.
This is in no way meant to be a recipe you should have to follow. It's just to say "Don't pay $7.99 for $3.00 worth of stuff you already have". There is no reason you can't (and know I will) modify this to endless possibilities. Add or substitute to our liking: shredded, sliced or chopped carrots, beets, radishes, leeks, fennel, celery, fresh or dried herbs, go crazy with it!
I started w/ a 4.25 oz can of chopped black olives. They was chopped finer than I had expected but that's what I had. I drained what little juice was in, gave a quick rinse and dumped in into a 2 quart bowl. Using that can as my measuring devise added equal amount rough chopped green salad olives w/ pimentos (rinsed). Chop and add 2 green onions, 2 large cloves garlic, a can measure of chopped yellow onion, half can of chopped pickled jalapeno pepper and a medium sized chopped dill pickle. I added about a teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix. Stir it all pretty well and add enough Italian salad dressing to get it to the juiciness you like. I used a little over 1/2 of a 12 oz bottle for mine.
This is in no way meant to be a recipe you should have to follow. It's just to say "Don't pay $7.99 for $3.00 worth of stuff you already have". There is no reason you can't (and know I will) modify this to endless possibilities. Add or substitute to our liking: shredded, sliced or chopped carrots, beets, radishes, leeks, fennel, celery, fresh or dried herbs, go crazy with it!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Curb Shopping
My previous post was all about my "trash". This one is about other people's.
The dark blue 10' sofa, 1/2 of which is a hide a bed, the other half features a recliner complete with 2 way massage came from the curb. The only thing that could have made that find better would have been seeing Paul taking it to the curb, loading it into his truck and having it delivered!
The only furniture I own bought brand new are my bed, dining room set, 55 gallon aquarium stand (not the aquarium), one of my three book cases and an end table I bought when I was in the U.S. Air Force (1977-1982). Two or 3 pieces came from thrift stores and the rest came from the curb.
I love seeing people tossing pots and baskets of dead plants and sacks of leaves. Many of the "dead" plants need only some water and TLC to bring them back to glory. Others are truly dead and go onto my raised bed gardens, worm bed, compost bin or low spots in my yard. Bags of hardwood leaves are welcome in so many places on my bit of property. The ducks love rooting in the leaves for acorns.
While I did purchase my dryer new I have been using a "trash treasure" washing machine for well over 10 years. I knocked and asked if it worked before fetching it home. It is a "plain Jane" model, not a lot of bells and whistles. The only problem is it don't like to spin. The door has to be opened and reclosed before it'll go into spin cycle. Hey! Its knocked the skids out of my skivvies for over a decade and didn't cost me a dime, all I have to do is open and close the door to spin... that's a bargain to me!
The dark blue 10' sofa, 1/2 of which is a hide a bed, the other half features a recliner complete with 2 way massage came from the curb. The only thing that could have made that find better would have been seeing Paul taking it to the curb, loading it into his truck and having it delivered!
The only furniture I own bought brand new are my bed, dining room set, 55 gallon aquarium stand (not the aquarium), one of my three book cases and an end table I bought when I was in the U.S. Air Force (1977-1982). Two or 3 pieces came from thrift stores and the rest came from the curb.
I love seeing people tossing pots and baskets of dead plants and sacks of leaves. Many of the "dead" plants need only some water and TLC to bring them back to glory. Others are truly dead and go onto my raised bed gardens, worm bed, compost bin or low spots in my yard. Bags of hardwood leaves are welcome in so many places on my bit of property. The ducks love rooting in the leaves for acorns.
While I did purchase my dryer new I have been using a "trash treasure" washing machine for well over 10 years. I knocked and asked if it worked before fetching it home. It is a "plain Jane" model, not a lot of bells and whistles. The only problem is it don't like to spin. The door has to be opened and reclosed before it'll go into spin cycle. Hey! Its knocked the skids out of my skivvies for over a decade and didn't cost me a dime, all I have to do is open and close the door to spin... that's a bargain to me!
Separating My Refuse
I am a big fan of reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. Therefore I separate my refuse into multiple categories...
Dog Food: stale (not moldy) bread, freezer burned or past prime meats, some fruits and veggies, small amounts of leftovers, etc.
Duck Food: popcorn that didn't pop, veggie peels & trimmings, melon rinds, pumpkin guts, leftover pasta, cooked rice, dried and crushed egg shells, etc.
Seed: I save and plant avocado pits, cherry, plum, nectarine stones, apple, citrus, tomato etc seeds.
Compost: Onion skins, tops and bottoms, moldy bread, ashes, leaves that get tracked into the house, limp lettuce or celery, banana peels, citrus peels, etc.
Burn: old mail that has personal info, paper towels, snotty tissue, dryer lint, vacuum cleaner debris, Hamburger Helper boxes, etc. All these ashes are later added to compost bins or sprinkled in the duck yard or added to gardens directly.
Recycle: Most of my beer comes from a bottle so I have few aluminum cans. The little aluminum I do produce is set (bagged) on the curb the day after garbage collection day along w/ scrap metal I still find in my back yard (boxed) and assorted junk anyone else may be able to use. There's a fella I see driving around in a pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer who picks up much of this crap.
Just Garbage: We don't have a recycling program here for a lot of stuff that could be recycled... glass, plastic, tin cans, etc. so that just goes to the curb.
Dog Food: stale (not moldy) bread, freezer burned or past prime meats, some fruits and veggies, small amounts of leftovers, etc.
Duck Food: popcorn that didn't pop, veggie peels & trimmings, melon rinds, pumpkin guts, leftover pasta, cooked rice, dried and crushed egg shells, etc.
Seed: I save and plant avocado pits, cherry, plum, nectarine stones, apple, citrus, tomato etc seeds.
Compost: Onion skins, tops and bottoms, moldy bread, ashes, leaves that get tracked into the house, limp lettuce or celery, banana peels, citrus peels, etc.
Burn: old mail that has personal info, paper towels, snotty tissue, dryer lint, vacuum cleaner debris, Hamburger Helper boxes, etc. All these ashes are later added to compost bins or sprinkled in the duck yard or added to gardens directly.
Recycle: Most of my beer comes from a bottle so I have few aluminum cans. The little aluminum I do produce is set (bagged) on the curb the day after garbage collection day along w/ scrap metal I still find in my back yard (boxed) and assorted junk anyone else may be able to use. There's a fella I see driving around in a pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer who picks up much of this crap.
Just Garbage: We don't have a recycling program here for a lot of stuff that could be recycled... glass, plastic, tin cans, etc. so that just goes to the curb.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Another "Award Winning" Vacation
I don't like to piss and moan when things don't go my way. I'd rather make the best of what I'm dealt. That said, my vacation is almost come to an end and it's been another of many that was less than splendid.
I've not gotten a whole heaping of real work done around here due to "stomach issues". I know I could have chugged down a jug of the pink stuff or Imodium AD for the symptoms but I figured the squirts was my body's way of telling me something was amiss in my chitlins. I felt my guts had gotten something not too good and needed a good purging. So I ate soup, bread, fresh fruits and veggies & other mild foods while guzzling plenty of liquids. I'd heard a while back aloe juice is supposed to be good for aging and/or damaged joints (I have plenty of those). Water, tea, fruit juice were also swilled down by the gallon, mostly w/ a squeeze of honey just to keep things interesting and to keep my sugar from bottoming out.
The bright side to not doing much strenuous activity is my back is feeling much better. See? You knew I could find something to be happy about!
On a totally different note I received a check from the bank my house is financed through. It's an "escrow account refund" whatever that means. At any rate it's just over $100 unlooked for but quite welcome. I always pay a little extra on my monthly mortgage payment each month and it's added up to more or less a 13th payment this year. I'll just add that check to this month's payment.
Whatever spare change I have in my pocket at the end of each day goes into a jug. It's looking nigh onto time to sort, roll and cash that in as it's been over a year since last I did that. Just a very rough estimate is at least $100 easily. That coinage will go into the bank and onto the house payments as extra payment. I know $100 on a mortgage seems a pittance but I see it as $100 that I won't be paying interest on for the next 29 years.
I've not gotten a whole heaping of real work done around here due to "stomach issues". I know I could have chugged down a jug of the pink stuff or Imodium AD for the symptoms but I figured the squirts was my body's way of telling me something was amiss in my chitlins. I felt my guts had gotten something not too good and needed a good purging. So I ate soup, bread, fresh fruits and veggies & other mild foods while guzzling plenty of liquids. I'd heard a while back aloe juice is supposed to be good for aging and/or damaged joints (I have plenty of those). Water, tea, fruit juice were also swilled down by the gallon, mostly w/ a squeeze of honey just to keep things interesting and to keep my sugar from bottoming out.
The bright side to not doing much strenuous activity is my back is feeling much better. See? You knew I could find something to be happy about!
On a totally different note I received a check from the bank my house is financed through. It's an "escrow account refund" whatever that means. At any rate it's just over $100 unlooked for but quite welcome. I always pay a little extra on my monthly mortgage payment each month and it's added up to more or less a 13th payment this year. I'll just add that check to this month's payment.
Whatever spare change I have in my pocket at the end of each day goes into a jug. It's looking nigh onto time to sort, roll and cash that in as it's been over a year since last I did that. Just a very rough estimate is at least $100 easily. That coinage will go into the bank and onto the house payments as extra payment. I know $100 on a mortgage seems a pittance but I see it as $100 that I won't be paying interest on for the next 29 years.
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