T-Shirts=See How Many You Recognize

FRIED ZUCCHINI - GREEN TOMATO

FRIED ZUCCHINI - GREEN TOMATO
-----------------------------

2 med. zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 c. milk
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (optional)
Olive oil

Heat oil in skillet. Mix milk and eggs together; beat well.
Dip zucchini slice in milk-egg mixture and roll in bread
crumbs mixed with pepper and Parmesan cheese. Fry until
brown on both sides. Works well with green tomato slices
also.

St. Jerome Day

Today is Saint Jerome Day. He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a canonized saint and Doctor of the Church. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome

Frost Watch Tonight

I never paid much attention to frost warnings...until I had a garden (that got in very late this year). I started my tomato plants this year from seed and have been really babying them. So I figured I'd pick just a few and pray it doesn't freeze. No use in covering them in plastic, too windy. Pictured here are my full-sized & cherry tomatoes. If nothing else, I'll make fried green tomatoes out of them. :)

Sore-Throat Solution

Got a Sore Throat? Here's the cure-all solution: white vinegar & salt gargle. If it is too strong, dilute with water. Last mouthful: swallow. Don't drink anything for 30 minutes afterwards to allow the solution to work. I am so susceptible to sore throats and this is the only cure (besides a penicillin shot) that helps me.

Peterson Family Get-Together

Every year my Mother-in-law's side of the family has a reunion at the ol' farmhouse. This is a picture of Mark driving Uncle Mike's Allis-Chalmers tractor, towing us on a hay ride. Mike's father, Alvin Peterson, owned it originally, and Mike & Cheryl restored it to near perfect condition. We are having the annual get together today!

Judicial Watch Investigates Side-Effects of HPV Vaccine

On June 8, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Gardasil. Gardasil is a vaccine against certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) which is the primary cause of cervical cancer in women.
28 women have already died from this vaccine. 1 in 185,000 Gardasil shots have resulted in serious, negative outcomes. See for yourself: National Vaccine Information Center http://www.nvic.org//

Summer is Still Hanging On

As long as it was drizzling tonight and couldn't do siding, Hubby Hubie & I went for a walk. We were commenting on how it is starting to smell like fall already and how dark it is when we drive to work, and here we were pleasantly surprised with one more gift of summer, berries. We got a few handfuls of blackberries on the way back from picking plums at the end of our drive. Yum!

Guess Who Turned One This Week? RUBY & WILLIAM!

Ole Joke

FINKERS

Ole vas vorking at the fish plant up nort in Dulut vhen he accidentally cut off all ten of his finkers.
He vent to da emergency room in the Clinik and vhen he got dar da Norsky doctor looked at Ole and said, "Let's have da finkers and I'll see vhat I can do."
Ole said, "I haven't got da finkers."
"Vhat do you mean, you hafen't got da finkers?" the doctor said. "Lord! It's 2009 and I'ves got microsurgery and all kinds of incredible techniques. I could hafe put dem back on and made you like new! Vhy din't you brink da
finkers?"
Ole says........"How da heck vas I suppose to pick dem up?"

Famous Words by Bill Cosby

Here's an email from my Hubby Hubie:

Since you like Cosby...

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby

Missed Email

Today I checked one of my old, old email addresses from high school. I check it maybe 1-2x/year. In there was an email from Dad, dated exactly 5 months ago today, offering me his manual treadmill because he was going to get an electric one so that he could exercise & get strong again after the hard winter"cause this one requires too much effort for atrophied legs" is what he wrote.
What a breath stopper; to get an email from your father who passed away 4 months ago. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him. I pray for everyone in my family daily, in my morning and evening, including the ones who have gone before us. Any why not? Yesterday, I finally forced myself go through the sympathy cards we received back in May. I wasn't ready until now. Some people wrote really touching, personal messages. Including how he was always willing to lend a hand at work, how he would help a neighbor without asking for anything in return, how good of a friend and neighbor he was, and how he was always willing to sit & listen or share a good laugh. And to them, I thank you for sharing those memories with Dad's kids.
I dream of Dad, quite often really. He's still alive and I am trying to warn him that his days are numbered. He tells me he already knows and that all of our days are numbered. Good point, Dad.
The dreams and the emails all sign off the same: love you lots...........Dad

Movie Review: Watchmen

I love superhero movies, but this one was absolutely terrible. Too long. The story bounces all over the place & times, difficult story line. Changes history. Too much nudity & language. Don't waste your money.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I just finished Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It was fantastic, all 850 pages, copyright 1991. It is a series and Outlander is the first. I borrowed it from a girlfriend at work. She offered me the other books, but since I get so engrossed in reading that nothing else gets done, I put it off until the cold, slow winter months. :) We have a garage to finish & a garden to harvest before the snow flies, ya know!

Outlander is a magnificent book about a woman living in Scotland in the 1940's when she "falls" back in time to 1744 and has to manage to live in their time, all the while trying to get back to 1945. She is educated as a nurse, but has leave her modern medicine techniques behind and use her knowledge of herbs, flowers, & fungi for healing & antibiodics. It is also a love story with a bit of history and action. It is really well written and a page-turner. I also read it will be made into a movie, but the crew is still seeking out the right director. I highly recommend this book! ISBN#: 0-440-21256-1

Raspberry Wine

Before & after of our homemade raspberry wine.

Movie Review: Julie & Julia

We brought some of our residents at the nursing home to a Julie & Julia matinée. It is a combination of two real-life stories of Julie Powell & Julia Child. We giggled through much of it, but it had some of it's "ahh" moments as well, bringing tears to my eyes more than once. It's a different movie, maybe a little slow paced, but entertaining none the less. I like action movies on the big screen, so I would recommend waiting until it comes out on DVD, but definitely a must-see. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams really do an awesome job at their roles. 7/8 of our residents gave it a thumbs-up. (Our one thumbs down was the one male we brought along, and he slept through much of it !) Bon Appetit.

Nobody here but us servantless American cooks...
Julie Powell's actual blog: http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/

Playing Catch-UP

I have been putting in a lot of overtime at work, so here I play catch-up on da blog. I told my boss I was pooped and need to take Labor Day off to recoup from my long, long days the past few weeks. She asked me what I was planning for my long weekend (picnicking, camping, relaxing?) Not us. What are we doing pray tell?
SIDING our 30' X 60' garage. Arg, a glutton for punishment. lol
(Cartoon = catchup/ketchup joke)

Brooks' Garden

Even with getting the garden late this year, it's producing pretty well. Kohlrabi is one of my favorites. I swore I'd plant more this year, which I did. And yet, I should have planted a whole row vs just 12 feet of them. We have leaf lettuce & onions coming out of our ears. Peas & beans are catching up. My beets are crying out, "pluck me, can me, cook me, eat me!" Carrots fresh from the garden just make my mouth water. That sweet smell you can only get from your own garden that gets lost in the packaging and shipping to the local grocery store fills the ol' olfactory system and brings back childhood memories. I gave my pumpkin patch 10 feet to spread out and grow, and yet it is still is trying to choke out my brussel sprouts, green & yellow squash, and cukes. Wiley little things. The tomato plants are only about a foot tall, but sturdy and blossom-covered. We didn't even have to use cages this year.

Cabbage Casserole (Pigs w/o a blanket)

If you like sarmas, you'll love this much-easier recipe!
Cabbage Casserole (Pigs w/o a blanket)
1.5# hamburger
1 C. rice
8 slices cooked bacon
1 small onion, chopped
salt, pepper, basil to taste
1 head cabbage (boil 5-10 min until partially cooked)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can sauerkraut
1 can diced tomatoes

Cook rice& bacon. Add to hamburger along w/ onions & spices. Mix well. Layer roasting pan w/ cabbage. Place hamburger mixture on top. Spread sauerkraut on top of hamburger mixture. Add tomato sauce. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Bake 1.5 hours covered.

I wrote this recipe verbatim from my co-worker. These are the changes I made:
* quarter & freeze cabbage overnight...thereby no cooking.
*precooked my meats & onion on the stove & crumbled my bacon into the hamburger mixture. I didn't like the consistency of the bacon. Next time I will do 1/2 & 1/2 ground pork & ground beef.
* I made multiple layers of the tomatoes, kraut, cabbage & meat mixture in my Crockpot. Everything was cooked ahead of time so when it was warm enough, we ate. That and we don't have to heat up the house with the oven.
Make your own changes to your own personal tastes!

Bored

How do you keep yourself entertained @ an estate sale? Take pictures!
We had Dad's estate sale on 08/28 & 08/29 this past weekend. It was hard to see the years of Dad's hard work and collecting just leave with someone else...but what can you do? We can't keep it all. I would recommend if you ever have to do a sale, bite the bullet & advertise in the local newspaper or shopper. There were quite a few people there who said that they had seen the ad. And have BIG, SIMPLE, BRIGHT SIGNS. A lot of people stopped by just because they said they saw the sign on the highway on their way home from work!

This is my beautiful, 11mo old niece, Ruby Wren,
picking grass at Grandpa Lon's. "Ah tu" to you too, Tuesday!

What Happens at Cajun Fest...Stays at Cajun Fest

Every year Mom and I head to Cajun Fest in Walker for 3 days. We had an AWESOME time once again. This year we stayed at a ... different ... hotel because there was no room at the Inn (Northern Lights Casino). They have fabulous Cajun & zydeco music & dance. There is another group of line dancers who know all the classics we know, so it gives us a chance to bust a move with them. Mom & I went up on stage twice again this year to play the zydeco (wash) boards with the band. Whoo-hoo!

Arrêtes pas la musique. "Don't stop the music."

I'm not really that much taller than Ma. I just still have my boots on!

Urine or You're Out

THE JOB - URINE TEST (Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!)

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, and they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution
of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

So here is my Question. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet.
I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rump--doing drugs, while I work.

Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program,
'Urine or You're Out'.

Our last Twins game @ the Metrodome

08/15/2009: David & I went to a Twins vs Indians game with Gary, Candy, Jr., & Jen. Game ended 7-2 (Cleveland), but we had an awesome time together and enjoyed good food afterwards @ Famous Dave's. Pictured above is Jen & Jr relaxing before the game, Joe Mauer warming up, Farewell to the Metrodome flag, and our pre-game picture. (In the Twins defense, they beat Cleveland Friday night 11-0.)

I Love Spinach, but this is Ridiculous :)

Our garden loves to produce leafy greens. Popeye would be so proud!
I saved one large bag for salads & sandwiches. The rest I blanched & froze.
Haha, two large cookie sheets of spinach, after blanching, fit into one quart-sized freezer bag. I have a whole new respect for the farmers and companies who freeze veggies and they shrink to a fraction of the amount of produce.

Is Cash for Clunkers a Hype Job?

This whole idea is asinine.
The "old" cars are brought in for a rebate on a more fuel efficient car. Now, what happens to that old car? Well, the legislation requires the engine, transmission and other drivetrain components to be destroyed so they can’t be reused and continue to pollute the air and burn excessive amounts of fuel. And they don't just take a hammer to these parts. They run chemicals (sodium silicate) into the system until the engine seizes up. They then "recycle' them.
So, what about the people who can only afford the used cars? We are destroying perfectly good cars just because they aren't fuel efficient.
Doesn't it take more energy, time, money & chemicals to destroy these cars than it would to just resell them? And where is the refund coming from? Americans' pockets, that's where. Your tax dollars at work.
"The excitement for the program was reported to be so huge that panic has set in that $1 billion isn’t enough to cover the program. Now, the geniuses in Congress are looking to approve another $2 billion for the cash for clunkers program. What is “Uncle Sam” really spending the money on or is the whole program and press excitement simply a con to get you down to the dealership to buy a car if you can?"~ireport.com~ Sodium Silicate will do to clunkers what the Obama proposed health care plan will do to Americans.

Recycle Your Dehumidifier Water

Recycle Your Dehumidifier Water: Instead of dumping the water you collect from your dehumidifier down the sink, use it to water your indoor/outdoor plants, flush your toilets, or put in your iron. You can also boil it for 12 minutes and drink it, but I wouldn't. Get more tips @ http://www.treehugger.com/

Twilight Series

Whew. What a series! I highly recommend this reading to any (female) reader. It is a clean, easy read. I was completely addicted over the past 2 weeks w/ these books. I already reviewed the first one "Twilight" in a past blog, but the story just keeps getting better and better with each book. I couldn't put it down. The last book, Breaking Dawn, was the longest and, I have to agree w/ my sis-in-law Jackie, the best. The author may get a little too extravagant in the details, but the details are so luscious and descriptive. I hope to read this series again in a few years.

Email

As you can tell, I'm playing catch up on my blog. Here's an email my Hubby Hubie sent to me:

This made me think of you....

I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.
- Beryl Pfizer

I love you.
:)

Can you say "Hit the nail on the head?" Thanks Hon.

Birthday Story

My poor Hubby Hubie. His parents & I took him out for dinner on his 31st birthday last Wednesday. We had a nice, quiet, sit down meal at the new Mexican restaurant in town. Just when we're finishing, the waiter brings over an ice cream cake (a surprise gift from his sister, Jackie. Thank you!).
Then they bring out a gigantic sombrero, place it on his head, and 5 employees sing "Happy Birthday" to him in Spanish. Now, my husband isn't the type to bring attention to himself in any way. Thankfully the place was relatively quiet, so he didn't attract too much attention, but it still slightly embarrassed him. Luckily he has a good sense of humor and we all got a good chuckle out of it. Happy Birthday Hon. We won't let them sing to you next year!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Every year our friend Candise has a girls weekend at her cabin. Here are the pictures I took before I could get some real incriminating ones.

Sharon was so proud of her kindling for the fire.

The 3 JCPenny Friends

Judy's Story Time (I think you can actually see Karen blushing from Judy's story!)

Krista "Hanging Out"

Back row (L-R): Mom, Judy, Sharon
Middle (L-R): Me, Ann Marie, Karen, Candise, Krista
Front (L-R): Sis, Angie

Pre-Wine Picture

David & I have been picking raspberries from our property with the goal of making wine. He does a great job at washing and freezing them individually before bagging. We have to accumulate enough to make a 6 gallon batch so a few more pickings and we should be ready! As you can see, there are a few blueberries that have made their way into the batch as well. Our field behind the house is loaded w/ blueberries!

Twilight

I just finished the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. It is labeled as a "children's" book, but it is very well written for all ages. I just appreciated the clean & appropriate language the writer used in her writings. Twilight is simple, yet beautifully written. It is a look at the other side of vampires intertwined with romance. I borrowed the movie from my sis-in-law, and hope to watch it this week. It is a series of 4 books. The worst part of it is that in this book, the last 2 chapters are the first two to the next book, New Moon. Of course the writer leaves you in a cliff hanger and I cannot get the next book until my other sis-in-law finishes it. I read it in 2 days, unable to put it down. I will not go into details...you'll have to read it yourself!

A Grace Disguised

I just finished a book Kari lent me, A Grace Disguised-How the Soul Grows Through Loss. It is a wonderfully written book by a man who lost his mother, wife, & daughter in one car accident. He goes through the different areas of grief felt when losing a loved one. He explains the humanistic feelings, that they are real and natural. He also comes about it from a Christian's perspective. He does well at reminding the reader that there is an afterlife and that we'll meet again soon.
In the book, he quotes other authors. Peter Kreeft wrote, "Galaxies revolve and dinosaurs breed and rain falls and people fall in love and uncles smoke cheap cigars and people lose their jobs and we all die -- all for our good, the finished product, God's work of art, the kingdom of heaven. There's nothing outside heaven except hell. Earth is not outside heaven; it is heaven's workshop, heaven's womb." Isn't that a beautiful description?
I had quoted Jerry Sittser before when he talks about our lives being movies until the person dies. Then they become a snapshot in our memory bank, never again to be videoed. He says that it's ok to have regrets, all relationships are flawed. It's ok to be angry and to blame. It's ok to feel that amputation of self, when the people who are in your lives make you who you are, are now gone. (i.e. he reports still feeling a husband, even though his wife is gone.) But you cannot continue to feel like that. You have to go through those feeling and then recover from them. And this includes all kinds of loss.
One quote I personally liked was, since the passing of my love one, life is a little less sweet, but death is a little less bitter. You do not get "over" or "recover" from the loss of a loved on, but you grow and change. Hence "A Grace Disguised." I highly recommend this book.
ISBN #: 0310219310

It's Like Riding a Bike...well sorta

I haven't been on my bicycle in about 3 years. Last time I went, Dave and I went biking all around Winona when he was still wooing me. Last night, we both get home from work, eat dinner at 4:00 (hey, we get up at 5!), and decide to go for a bike ride. David had already aired up the tires (he probably has every year for all I know) so we were ready to go. We were having so much fun that we went just kept going and going. Finally when we got to a "T" in the road, we decided to head back. Now, when we were on our first leg of the journey, the wind & sun were at our backs. By the time the barking dog laying in the yard saw us we were already past his house. And we had that childish thinking, I could do this forever.
Then we had to turn around and go back home. This time, the strong wind was in our faces, the sun hid behind some black, heavy-with-rain clouds, the "security" dogs were waiting for us for when we came back again, and being a little older and out of practice, our legs were straining. We still had fun and will be doing it more often, but ... "it's like riding a bike" ... my foot. I could ride all day as a kid. I could also run and not grow weary too.
Summary: We had fun, but we'll probably work up to the longer distances next time. :)
Epilogue: So I am checking my email this morning and I have an email that is entitled "A Special Message from Your Bike". I thought it was going to say, "Don't ever do that again!" (It was a promotion for the MS Society's bike-a-thon.) lol

Potty Paper

http://www.origami-resource-center.com/toilet-paper-origami.html
I need new topics.

Story

So I was at the store today and with my wallet open and my "grocery" money envelope inside. I asked the cashier for my receipt after he gave me my change. The man behind me in line asked me, "Are you on the Dave Ramsey Plan?" I laughed, said that I was, and asked him how he was doing. "Better than I deserve," we both answered at the same time (the answer Dave Ramsey always gives when asked how he is). The man asked me how long I had been on the plan and I told him since December, when Dad gave us "The Total Money Makeover" book. He told me that he had just paid off his truck with the debt snowball and was now working on his student loans. I told him that we only had our mortgage left and were working hard at getting rid of it. We found that we both listen to his daily pod cast, wished each other the best of luck, and went our separate ways. What a weird but cool encounter. For anyone in debt, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's plan. See his website and change your way of budgeting and living your life: https://www.daveramsey.com

Cosmetics

Have you ever wondered how safe your cosmetics are? I found a web page where you put in whatever brand you use and look up the "hazard score" of it. Is there mercury in your mascara? Lead in your Grecian? How about placenta in your hair repair. Find out here:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That...

The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?

Needs No Title:

Freeze Before Composting

My sister-in-law suggested to freeze your composting items before throwing them into the compost pile. This helps to keep the fruit flies and ants away as well as start the decomposing process earlier. Good idea!

Where have all the words gone?

Have you ever heard that words are added & removed from the dictionary? Recently removed were:

• Agrestic - Rural. Apodeictic - Unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration. Caducity - Perishableness. Caliginosity - Dimness. Compossible - Possible in coexistence with something else. Embrangle - To confuse. Exuviate - To shed. Fatidical - Prophetic. Fubsy - Squat. Griseous - Somewhat grey. Malison - A curse. Mansuetude - Gentleness. Muliebrity - The condition of being a woman. Niddering - Cowardly. Nitid - Bright. Olid - Foul-smelling. Oppugnant - Combative. Periapt - An amulet. Recrement - Refuse. Roborant - Tending to fortify. Skirr - A whirring sound, as of the wings of birds in flight Vilipend - To treat with contempt.

Now I'll be the first to admit I don't use these words in my daily vocabulary. Yahoo's website, offer an explanation: Because languages are "living things" (metaphorically speaking), changes occur and need to be acknowledged. So, every ten years or so, the word smiths work on an updated edition.

That's all fine and dandy. There are new words coming out all the time...like "blog". I like words as much as the next person, but some just don't belong in the dictionary. A lot of the new words seem slang to me. They are words that I do not use on a daily basis and would not use at work or in a professional setting. Words such as: brain freeze, bling, empty suit, bikini wax, chick flick, civil union, hazmat, bodyboard, phat, grrrl, mini-me, and soul patch. Look these words up, they're ridiculous.

What about the one that erks me the most: ginormous. Apparently this is a word from gigantic + enormous. As if gigantic, enormous, or humongous are not big enough words that someone had to make up ginormous. My spell check doesn't even recognize a majority of these words.

As long as they leave my favorite word in the dictionary, onomatopoeia, I'll be fine. Just please don't use "ginormous" around me. I can't and won't stand it.

July 5th...

Picture of Dad helping us put up the frame on our garage 09/13/2008.

July 5th today. Two months since my Dad went to be with our heavenly Father on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009. How many times have I thought, "Gee, Dad would like this email. Wish I could send it to him." or "Gosh, I should take more pictures of Dad." Then realize, I can't. My heart aches as much now as it did 61 days ago. The lump in my throat remains. I am currently reading, "A Grace Disguised" by Jerry Sittser. In there he states that our lives are like motion pictures. When someone dies, that motion picture of the person ceases and becomes a snap shot.
Please don't misunderstand me. I am not dragging on in everyday life, moping and refusing to live. It's just that some days are harder than others. I am happy that Dad's pain is gone. I am blessed to have shared the precious moments we had together, slow dancing to a song on the radio while the Christmas ham cooked in the oven. He and my Mom gave us kids a healthy, happy home in which to live and raised us to love and cherish one another. It's just so hard to let go.
I was a child when my great Grandma Kisor died (Mom's grandmother). But I remember when we were walking back to the car after the cemetery ceremony, my Mom leaned into Dad's arms and said something I will never forget, "I feel like a chapter in my life has ended." Now I know what she meant.
So email your loved ones. Call even though you think they may be too busy to talk to you. Have BBQs. Drive 3 hours to see your parents. Tell those you love that you love them. Make memories & take pictures even if they hate having their picture taken.