Scheduled Physical Exam

     The last physical exam I had was near 20 years ago when I joined the U.S. Army National Guard. Since then I have seen a Doctor twice. Once when my right knee blew out and secondly when I had gastritis.
     Tuesday, January 31 at 10 AM I am scheduled for an appointment for a physical.  I simply hate the prospect of being poked and prodded, told   "drop your drawers, spread your cheeks, turn your head and cough".
     There are several issues I plan on discussing with the Doctor and am praying he has nothing too bad to tell me.I don't feel too bad for age 57 but think I could feel better. There's an old country western song that says something about "I ain't in bad condition for the condition I'm in". That's how I feel right now.

     I'll keep y'all posted. All I ask is y'all pry for me, okay?

     Love & Peace,
     Merlin

Starting Tree Seeds & Guacamole

     I mentioned a while back that I'd found dates for sale complete with pits or seeds. Anyway, I've been saving my foam coffee cups from work and started a dozen or so cups with 2 seeds per cup. I've no idea if any will sprout but it's a nearly free experiment.

     I also picked up 4 avocados for 99 cents in the quick sale section. They were perfectly ripe for a bowl of guacamole and now the seeds are in cups to start spouts. Along with those I've started a few apple seeds (Granny Smith) and some lemon seeds.
     Last year I started lemon seedlings but they burned up during the drought. I'm hoping that by starting earlier this year the seedlings will be stronger when I move them outdoors.

     Speaking of guacamole, the grocery sells packets of guacamole seasoning which I have never tried. Way back when I made my own basic recipe which suits me just fine...
4 avocados mashed w/ a fork
1 Roma tomato diced finely
1 jalapeno chopped finely
a handful of chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt & black pepper to taste

You can take the jalapeno seeds out if you want but I leave them in as I enjoy the heat therein. I also don't mash my avocados into mush but rather leave some chunks in. It's like some like cole slaw and/or tater salad smooth and creamy. I like my guacamole, slaw and tater salad top have some chew left in them.

Winter Storm Helena

     Winter Storm Helena passed through here yesterday and I must admit she was quite the nasty bitch, dumping 0.8 inch of sleet over everything. After the sleet, the temperature dropped like a paralyzed falcon to around 20 F making an ice sheet of all.
     The weather man said the temp at 6:30 AM as I was heading home was 18 but the wind chill felt like 2. You know what I say?  If it feels like 2, it is 2!!!
     He also said this was the worst the road conditions have been in some 25 years and I can totally believe that. They were quite dicey this morning with black ice everywhere.

     It's not forecast to get above 32 (freezing) today and possibly even colder tonight than last night but the sun is shining. I can see a few droplets of melting ice coming off my roof and more importantly, my car. I don't think driving conditions will be as harrowing tonight as they were last night. I went to my car last night 15 minutes earlier but left home 5 minutes later  than usual due to all the ice on the windshield.

     I do fear that the greens in my cold frame may suffer some damage as it's just a cold frame and not something built to protect greens well below freezing.

     One really happy note. As "ass biting cold" as we've had what cold we've had, I haven't got frostbite on my fingers and/or toes like I usually do of a Winter. Perhaps that's due to the pattern of the cold, eh? Instead of a "normal" Winter with a couple months of steady cold, we've had just spurts of biting cold. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

     At any rate, I'm praying for those North and East of here as more ice and snow are headed their way. Also for those on the West Coast as they look to be in for some flooding, possibly major.

     Last note for today:  There were more than a few knuckleheads out last night buying groceries to stockpile up for the storm. Hey! You knew it was coming a week ago! Why didn't you load up then? Years ago I loaded up a stockpile of vittles, water, toilet paper, etc to last at least a month. I cycle through it to keep it fresh. Take note and do the same as you never know when the day will come that you can't get to the store for a while.

     Peace, out!
     Love, Merlin

The Iceman Cometh

     Right before New Year's I was out harvesting a few greens from my cold frame garden. I ended leaving the glass tops off as the greens were getting overheated and/or sunburned from the concentrated sunlight through the glass.
     This morning I put the tops back on as we're in the middle of a sleet storm! The ice is about the size of coarse grain sea or kosher salt but starting to build up rather rapidly (at least for Mississippi and considering it was over 70 F a week ago).
     I've gone out a couple times to turn on my wipers on the car to keep the accumulation from getting too thick and will continue to do so throughout the day. I've already almost slipped and busted my ass once each in the front and back yards.
     The low tonight and tomorrow night is forecast to be 21 degrees and then supposed to warm back up soon thereafter.

     All the kids are getting extra vittles even though they're all inside and I've a pot of soup in the slow cooker to keep my innards warm.

     My prayers go out to all those less fortunate be they on 2 legs or 4.

Happy New Year

     Well, We've made it through 2016 and are now into 2017.
     Traditionally around here we have ham hocks, cabbage and/or some sort of greens, black eyed peas, carrots and cornbread. Something about eating "poor people's food" at New Years is supposed to bring prosperity or some crap like that.

     I know some of the lore behind the traditions or at least what I've been told so I'll share that with y'all.
     Ham hocks and other lower pieces of the hog including offal and trotters were given to the slaves who were the poorest of the poor. The expression "eating high off the hog" came from the Masters eating the better cuts i.e. higher up the hog. During and after the American Civil War everybody in the Confederacy was in dire straits. I've heard tell that mule meat was called "Vicksburg veal" and formerly considered trash fish along the coast was referred to as "Biloxi bacon".
     Cabbage and/or green is a slang term for folding cash paper money so we have cabbage and/or greens. Pretty self explanatory, eh?
     Sliced carrots are supposed to be the other for of currency, that being coins. Especially gold coins even though I've never met nor et a gold colored carrot.
     I've most often heard back eyed peas (and collard greens and cornbread for that matter) go back to the siege of Vicksburg. Once Vicksburg fell to the Union troops they destroyed what food supplies they could find. They considered the peas, greens and corn meal fit only for feed for livestock. Only thing, there was no livestock to feed so they let it be. We rednecks saw that as mighty fine eating as we still do to this day. Hey,  a pan of cornbread & pot of greens or a pot full of squirrel & dumplings makes me a happy happy redneck!


     2016 was a mixed basket of things good and not so much so here at Merlin's. All us here will continue to pray God blesses us here and all y'all around the world in 2017.
     I believe He does answer all our prayers. When the answer is "no" keep listening and hear Him say "I have something even better in mind for you, my child."

     May He bless you all through the new year and always.
     Love, Merlin