Happy Halloween

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Wordless Wednesday...Nice Car

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Just As Good

I went to the movies this weekend and saw Paranormal Activity 2. Without going into any details, it was really good and just as good as the first one, maybe even better. In the past, I have written about the interesting things that happened around me, I have grown accustomed to the noises on the steps near the same time every night. I don't catch myself taking a second look when I think I see something out of the corner of my eye, I probably just need to get my vision checked. Anyhow, since viewing the movie, it got me to thinking that I need to become more aware of my surroundings at home again. I'm sure lots of folks have experienced something that can't be explained: a noise upstairs, a tingling up your spine, a feeling that gives you goosebumps. Have you watched a scary movie and then spooked yourself? Were you afraid to go down in the basement? Did you leave a light on? Happily, my experiences haven't frightened me. I'm usually left with more of a sense of curiosity than a sense of fear. I won't be breaking out the spell books (not that I have any) or burning incense anytime soon but I will keep my mind open and start listening again. You never know, someone may be trying to tell me something.

Expanded Cable

I've been pet sitting for some friends that have gone out of town for a few days. I had wanted to get some quality writing time in, but thus far...it ain't happening. They have one of those very large projection television sets, surround sound and expanded cable. Once I figured out how to work the remote and turn the channel I've been like a kid in the candy store. I just sit on the over stuffed couch and stare transfixed at the screen. One thing about it that bothers me are the subscription channels. There are like 10 HBOs, 20 Showtimes, Encore, Cinemax, Starz and many more. These channels are right in the middle of the channel guide so you have to flip past them to get to the nonsubscription channels. I would think there would be a way to deprogram them or something, but what do I know? Anyhow, this got me wondering. What would the mothly cable bill be if you subscribed to every possible channel? $2000? $3000? Or more? I'm sure somebody out there subscibes to every channel. Tell me, how much is your bill?

Wordless Wednesday...Last Of The Summer Blooms

Good Riddance, At Last

In 2005, I bought a lemon. It wasn't a car, but a riding lawn mower. It lasted only one season before the problems began. I chronicled the frustrations in past blog posts and my attempts to get it fixed. Brother was able to fix it one year and Friend another time. This past spring I was able to back it out of the basement about 20 feet before it stopped again. It was same problem: the transmission wouldn't engage and the back tires would not turn. To get it to move required a chain or rope hooked up to my car, which I did one last time to move it out of the way. That's where it stood all summer, almost completely engulfed in weeds, sticking out like a big pimple on a prom queen's nose. I had enquired about getting it fixed but the mechanic and his crony just laughed at me and said they wasn't fooling with anything that wouldn't roll and would give me about 30 bucks for it to use as parts. I had called the recycle place and from best estimates I was looking to get between 30-40 dollars based on the metal weight. But, they didn't do pickups and I would have to have it hauled there and who knows how much that would have cost. All of this brings me to the last few days. Instead of selling junk at the flea market, I sold junk out on the front lawn. It was my only yardsale this year. Most people that stop drive on down the hill and turn around behind the house and drive back up. Almost every man in a pickup stopped and wanted to look at the piece of junk mower I had sitting out back. Does it run? Will it crank? How old is it? How much you want for it? Those were the questions that I was being asked. When I volunteered the information that the tires wouldn't roll, most of them just shook there heads and left. The same mechanic and his crony stopped, gave it a quick once over and said he'd be back later, he didn't have any money. Another fellow and I tried to jump it off with cables but couldn't get it to turn over and we couldn't agree on a price. The last man was with his wife and he just wanted to hear the engine turn over, he was just interested in the engine and would be back later. On Sunday, the man, without his wife, showed up in his work clothes and spent close to an hour tinkering with the mower. He finally got it to start and then decided he didn't want it after all. (I think he was enjoying working on it and telling me stories more than anything.) I was just sitting down to supper when the jumper cable guy showed up again. I told him that we had gotten it started and I would sell it to him for his price, which was 50 bucks. Well, then he didn't know if he could get it loaded on his truck. And then he didn't know if he could find a part for it. (He was working me, I know.) He then asked if I would take 30 dollars, I countered with 40 bucks, and we settled on $35.00. I paid almost a thousand dollars for something that didn't give me any real enjoyment, caused me endless headaches and left a dead spot in my back yard after sitting there all summer. I say good riddance...at last.

****I wrote this last year when I was having a yardsale. I'm having another sale this year and everything is still pretty much the same. Enjoy!**** So, I was crazy enough to have another yard sale before winter set in, by myself. I asked mom if she wanted to come help but she thought I was nuts for trying to have a sale this late in the year and she wasn't participating. (I guess it didn't matter that I was selling some of her stuff) Anyhow, midway between my umpteenth visit to the basement, attic, and storage building, my back gave out. I backed into the metal part on my utility trailer and gave myself a six inch long bruise and then I sprained my ankle when I doubled over in pain from bumping the trailer. Needless to say, it was after 10:30 AM this morning before I had put my signs up by the road, and by yard sale standards, that was extremely late if I hoped to make any money. Since I live at the bottom of a hill I get a lot of folks that slow down and then realize that I am at the bottom of a hill and keep on going. Fine! If you're too lazy to get out and look then you probably want to complain about the prices of everything and want me to sell you a twenty-five dollar item for twenty-five cents. Keep going, I don't want your business anyway. The first guy that pulled up wanted to by my utility trailer. The second guy that pulled up wanted to buy my utility trailer. The third guy that pulled up wanted to buy my utility trailer. The fourth guy that pulled up wanted to know if I had any mowers I wanted to get rid of. Now, that's a loaded question. I've discussed before about my piece of crap mower and what you don't know is that the danged thing broke down again earlier this year. I took the guy to the basement and showed him the mower and he started asking if my tools, my fishing poles, and my Christmas decorations were for sale. He made me a tad nervous so I hightailed it back up front. Weirdo. Later, someone wanted to buy my leaf rake. Another wanted to by a bistro table (which I don't have) and someone else wanted to buy a microwave. Mom called early afternoon and asked how things were going. I was bellyaching about my bruised butt (which was the part that ran into the trailer), my ankle that I had wrapped in an ace bandage that was horribly swollen and how everyone wanted to buy everything, especially my trailer, that wasn't for sale. Mom's response: "I didn't know you was selling your trailer. How much you want for it?"

Conversations On The Recent Cold Snap

It had been awhile since Mom, Brother and I had gotten together for a Sunday visit. Brother had found this new restaurant on the Internet and wanted to try it out, so Mom and I tagged along. Did I mention that we had experienced our first cold snap? It was a beautiful sunny day, there was a nice breeze blowing, but temperatures were only going to reach the low 60s. Once we arrived at the restaurant (It took us awhile to find the place; none of us could figure out the GPS.) we were seated by a very nice gentleman. The restaurant was in a barn that was part of an apple orchard; it had a very rustic feel to it. There was a large, after church crowd present and the waitress said they were backed up in the kitchen. We were going to have to wait. So, we were seated out on the patio, underneath the air conditioning vent, (which, was spewing icy cold air) and underneath the ceiling fans which were set on high. Mom and I were shivering; it was very chilly. As time wore on I continued to do whatever I could to get warm. I rubbed my bare arms, I bounced my leg up and down. Anything I could think of to stop my teeth from chattering and I kept commenting on how cold I was. Brother shook his head and said he couldn't take us anywhere without a bunch of moaning and groaning. "It is not cold in here," he said. "You won't need any heat for at least another month." A few days later after another cool morning I stopped off at Mom's house on the way home from selling junk at the flea market. "Cold enough for you?" Mom asked. "It sure is. I had to run my heater on the way this morning and my feet didn't thaw out until close to noon. It sure feels good in here." "Would you believe your brother turned on the furnace...?" We just shook our heads and grinned, we had both come to the same conclusion. Men!

What Would You Do?

The trapped miners in Chile are on the verge of being freed after being trapped below ground for two months. Surveys have been floating around the Web posing the question, "What is the first thing you would do after spending so much time below ground?" I asked myself the same question and came up with three answers. 1. I would personally thank everyone that participated in my rescue. 2. I would sit down with my family and have my favorite meal at a nice restaurant. 3. I would spend an entire day just being outdoors, watching the sun rise, feeling the breeze, listening to the birds and watching the sun set. Well, that's what I would do in my first few days after being rescued---and maybe take a shower. What would you do?

Do They Sing Along?

I had the radio blasting the other day and was just singing along to one great song after another. Some days the radio people get it right and they seem to play all of my favorite songs. I really don't like the sound of my own voice. I can carry a tune in a bucket, mind you, but I like to impersonate the voices that I hear. Whether I can sing high or not usually depends on the weather. If it is low humidity and no rain I can scream with the best of 'em. (i.e. Axl Rose, Aretha, Janis and Garth Brooks to name a few) All of this got me to thinking one day as I was midway through Kenny Roger's the Gambler, "Do artists sing along to their own songs?" or do they turn the station. Do they critique themselves? Do they like the sound of their own voice? I don't know any really famous singers personally, but there might be one reading the blog. Maybe, one of the readers knows somebody. Either way, if you'd like to leave us a comment and let us know if you sing along, that'd be awesome! Well, it seems like we'll be cruising just as fast as we can now... (Sorry, gotta go. The Beach Boys just came on.)

Something For Your Enjoyment

I was visiting other blogs randomly, and came across a French blog that was filled with wonderful videos and photos. This video is spectacular and makes me smile. I hope you enjoy it and be sure to check the blog that it came from.

Sealed Envelopes

I'm one of the few out there that still pays my bills the old fashioned way. I address an envelope, filling out both the To and From. I place a stamp in the upper right hand corner and I give the back lip a healthy dose of my DNA by giving it a big, sloppy lick. Yes, I lick the back of the envelopes, and yes, I know it has probably been places that I don't want to know about. Honestly, I've licked thousands of envelopes and I'm not dead yet and I haven't caught the Cooties! But, I'll tell you one thing that absolutely drives me BONKERS is when I'm paying a bill or sending a card and I reach for the envelope and it is already sealed. Somehow, some way, somebody has left the envelope in a moist place and caused it to seal itself. What do you do about it? First, you try to open it and hope that it isn't really sealed or is only sealed in one small area. If that doesn't work, then a firmer pull is required and this usually results in the envelope flap being torn in half. And then you gotta get out the Scotch tape...and so forth...and so on! It's enough to make you throw a fit! All you wanted to do was send Aunt Rosemary a card, not perform minor surgery.

When Good Dinners Go Bad

I'd like to consider myself a decent cook. By decent, I mean that I can put a meal together for company and everything is ready at the same time and usually tastes good. I'm not what you call a "fancy" cook, meaning I rarely use the ingredients that they cook with on Top Chef or the Food Network. I'm a meat and potatoes kind of cook. I think one of the things I like to do best is throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and make a soup or stew or pop it in the oven to make a casserole. Sometimes, it doesn't always work out. One such case was a dish involving leftover pasta. I thought I would create something like the Olive Garden has, a tortellini and chicken soup. It turned out terrible. The pasta cooked down so much it resembled a big pot of congealed bacon fat and I had used canned chicken, which I think evaporated into thin air. I was so disgusted that I slung the whole thing, pot included out into the back yard. And to make matters even worse, I had left a bag of trash outside on the porch and the wild critters had torn it all to shreds searching for bits of food. Want to know what was about 10 feet way from the trash? Yep, the concoction I had thrown out the night before, and it was untouched. You know it's a good dinner gone bad when the wild critters won't even eat it!

Recipes From My New Cookbook

I like unusual cookbooks and I picked this gem up at a yard sale a few weeks back. Glancing at the title before I bought it I didn't know if it had real recipes or was just a joke. I also wanted to find out if any of the foods that I liked to cook were inside. There's nothing quite like finding out you're white trash by the foods that you like to cook, and that somebody actually took the time to write it all down. I've included a recipe from different sections of the cookbook: Vegetables 'n Meats Nobody's Corn Topper Casserole 1 pound can cut green beans, drained 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 pound can cream-style corn 4 tablespoons chopped onion 2 cups cubed cooked ham 3/4 cup Bisquick Place beans in a 2-quart greased casserole, reserving a few for garnish. Sprinkle onion on top; spread with soup. Top with a layer of ham. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Combine, corn and biscuit mix. Spoon mixture on top of casserole. Bake for 20 minutes longer. Garnish with rest of beans. Fish, Cooter 'n Shrimp Clara Jane Vickar's Creamed Tuna Lunch Brown 2 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of butter or oleo in a skillet. Add the tuna (big can is best) chunk style and 1 small container half-and-half or 2 cups of milk. Cook over low heat til thickened. Salt, pepper, and serve with toast or rice. Carnation evaporated milk is good in this, too. Sandwiches 'n Eggs Oozie's Okra Omelet 1 cup of fresh okra, cut in rounds 1/2 cup chopped scallions 6-7 eggs 1/3 cup of milk Fry okra and onions in 2 tablespoons of bacon and grease or oil til onions are clear and okra is bright green. Remove okra and onions. Stir eggs into the skillet til they start thickening; then add okra and onions and work til done. 5-9 minutes. Serves 4 to 5. Best with cornbread. Candies, Cakes, Cobbler 'n Cookies Post Office Cookies 1 1/3 sticks oleo 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup flour (measure before sifting) 1 cup chopped nuts 1 teaspoon McCormick's vanilla extract pinch of salt 2 eggs, beaten together Cream oleo and sugar; add eggs and flour, vanilla and nuts. Cook in biscuit pan in a slow oven (250 degrees) about 40 minutes. When cold, cut in small pieces and roll in confectioner's powdered sugar. Sweet Pones, Puddins 'n Pies Sweet Tater Surprise 2 cups warm mashed sweet taters 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 whole egg, beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes Combine warm taters with beaten egg, sugar, and salt. Form into balls with peanut butter inside each one. Roll in crushed cornflakes. Brown in oven at 375 degrees. Marshmallows can be used inside the balls with the peanut butter for a little extra treat. Cornpones, Cornbreads, Biscuits 'n Rolls Spoon Bread 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 1/2 teaspoons Calumet baking powder 2 eggs, separated 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 cups of scalded milk Mix cornmeal and salt. Add hot milk, and cook in double-boiler until thick and smooth, stirring it once in a while. Take it off the stove and cool it. Pour in well-beaten egg yolks, and fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites. Place in greased casserole, which has also had one tablespoon of melted fat. Bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees, for 35 minutes, or until firm and the crust is brown. You should be able to serve a complete meal from the recipes above. Let me know how it turns out. Are you white trash? Or do you just cook like it!