A cup of kindness to
one and all
2014
one and all
2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Marzipan and Pumpkin Pie Part 3 by KimB
For holiday dinners I do try to keep it simple. This year I thought I had it dead simple. Silly me.
I'd done all my shopping early, I knew exactly what I was fixing, what I could fix ahead of time, I figured everything out … except, the pumpkin pie part. The one thing I fail at year after year. It's amazing how many ways I can wreck pumpkin pie, I do seem to be able to come up with new variations on awful each season.
This year I thought I would have Advantage Kim by buying a can of premixed organic pumpkin pie filling. It had all the spices, organic sugars and was supposed to be “pour and bake”. I suppose it might actually work that way for someone else, but as I was the one with the can opener something odd was surely about to happen.
No fear. It did.
I had decided to eliminate the pie crust problem with the pie and make a pumpkin custard instead. By removing 50% of the problem making pumpkin pie, which is the crust, I figured I'd be 50% head of the curve.
You do know, statistics lie....
I had downloaded a very simple pumpkin custard recipe from the Internet. Not too many lines. Not too many directions. The picture looked good too. I read the first few ingredients about pumpkin puree, spices and sugar and went Directly To Go. I opened the can of pumpkin pie filling and into a bowl it went. SUCCESS! Oh... wait, 2 eggs... OK, in went the eggs. WOOTS! I was on a roll. The next line was the killer: Evaporated Milk. And you know how that's spelled? Oh @$%#.
I headed for the PC and the Internet again looking up how to make evaporated milk. Lots of recipes, I found one I could do. Evaporated milk is just regular milk cooked down to less volume. I had purchase a small quart of milk as a “just in case” item and this certainly qualified. I duly measured out 2 cups of milk into a saucepan and put it on the stove to reduce.
I waited for it to reduce, stirring, not stirring, removing surface scum. I waited and waited and waited. Dinner time came and went, and I was still waiting and Allen was waiting too. There's not much you can do with milk on the stove, you just have to “watch and wait”. Allen went off to read, nap, play with the cat, eat snacks and wait for dinner while I played with the milk on the stove and waited for it to reduce.
After what seemed like hours, the milk reduced sufficiently and I mixed it into the bowl with the pumpkin pie filling and eggs. It formed a very uninteresting pumpkin colored slurry. I began to realize that yet another pumpkin pie disaster was in serious danger happening. In short, I began to panic. I had to figure out what I could do to avoid it.
I had the custard cups all ready to go. I grabbed the maple syrup from the fridge and poured a nice splotch into the bottom of each cup. I figured it couldn't hurt. Next, I needed something to cover the top of the pumpkin slurry in each cup. Whatever was going to come out of the oven after baking would surely need to be hidden.
It didn't take me long to figure I could kill two disasters at once. I got those chips of marzipan-rock out and put them on top of the pumpkin slurry. I grabbed some of those toasted almonds too and decorated some more with them. Into the oven they went.
While they were baking, I was able to get the rest of the dinner together and we had the traditional everything: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. A bit later than expected but tasty and filling. We both avoided talking about the custard in the oven.
When the hour was up and I got them out of the oven, they didn't look too bad. In fact they looked pretty good.
Allen said “I'm not trying it....”. Wise man.
After they cooled I wrapped them and put them in the fridge until I got the courage to taste one. Carefully, I spooned up a glob and standing over the sink, just in case, I took a taste.
Hmmm.... Hmmm... Yummmm!!!
I was so excited it tasted good, I forced Allen into trying it. He was surprised to say the least! One bite, two bites, the spoon was moving faster and faster; then he said, “This is the BEST pumpkin pie you've ever made!”
I'm so pumped! I wonder what kind of disaster I can come up with next season?!!!
[Editor's note: This story is Part 3 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
I'd done all my shopping early, I knew exactly what I was fixing, what I could fix ahead of time, I figured everything out … except, the pumpkin pie part. The one thing I fail at year after year. It's amazing how many ways I can wreck pumpkin pie, I do seem to be able to come up with new variations on awful each season.
This year I thought I would have Advantage Kim by buying a can of premixed organic pumpkin pie filling. It had all the spices, organic sugars and was supposed to be “pour and bake”. I suppose it might actually work that way for someone else, but as I was the one with the can opener something odd was surely about to happen.
No fear. It did.
I had decided to eliminate the pie crust problem with the pie and make a pumpkin custard instead. By removing 50% of the problem making pumpkin pie, which is the crust, I figured I'd be 50% head of the curve.
You do know, statistics lie....
I had downloaded a very simple pumpkin custard recipe from the Internet. Not too many lines. Not too many directions. The picture looked good too. I read the first few ingredients about pumpkin puree, spices and sugar and went Directly To Go. I opened the can of pumpkin pie filling and into a bowl it went. SUCCESS! Oh... wait, 2 eggs... OK, in went the eggs. WOOTS! I was on a roll. The next line was the killer: Evaporated Milk. And you know how that's spelled? Oh @$%#.
I headed for the PC and the Internet again looking up how to make evaporated milk. Lots of recipes, I found one I could do. Evaporated milk is just regular milk cooked down to less volume. I had purchase a small quart of milk as a “just in case” item and this certainly qualified. I duly measured out 2 cups of milk into a saucepan and put it on the stove to reduce.
I waited for it to reduce, stirring, not stirring, removing surface scum. I waited and waited and waited. Dinner time came and went, and I was still waiting and Allen was waiting too. There's not much you can do with milk on the stove, you just have to “watch and wait”. Allen went off to read, nap, play with the cat, eat snacks and wait for dinner while I played with the milk on the stove and waited for it to reduce.
After what seemed like hours, the milk reduced sufficiently and I mixed it into the bowl with the pumpkin pie filling and eggs. It formed a very uninteresting pumpkin colored slurry. I began to realize that yet another pumpkin pie disaster was in serious danger happening. In short, I began to panic. I had to figure out what I could do to avoid it.
I had the custard cups all ready to go. I grabbed the maple syrup from the fridge and poured a nice splotch into the bottom of each cup. I figured it couldn't hurt. Next, I needed something to cover the top of the pumpkin slurry in each cup. Whatever was going to come out of the oven after baking would surely need to be hidden.
It didn't take me long to figure I could kill two disasters at once. I got those chips of marzipan-rock out and put them on top of the pumpkin slurry. I grabbed some of those toasted almonds too and decorated some more with them. Into the oven they went.
While they were baking, I was able to get the rest of the dinner together and we had the traditional everything: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. A bit later than expected but tasty and filling. We both avoided talking about the custard in the oven.
When the hour was up and I got them out of the oven, they didn't look too bad. In fact they looked pretty good.
Allen said “I'm not trying it....”. Wise man.
After they cooled I wrapped them and put them in the fridge until I got the courage to taste one. Carefully, I spooned up a glob and standing over the sink, just in case, I took a taste.
Hmmm.... Hmmm... Yummmm!!!
I was so excited it tasted good, I forced Allen into trying it. He was surprised to say the least! One bite, two bites, the spoon was moving faster and faster; then he said, “This is the BEST pumpkin pie you've ever made!”
I'm so pumped! I wonder what kind of disaster I can come up with next season?!!!
[Editor's note: This story is Part 3 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
 |
| Pumpkin Custard with Marzipan Rock Topping |
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
2013 Blog Round Up
[Note: Editor's Post]
Nine years ago when MrsB wanted to start a family blog, we had no idea how it would turn out. She wanted to capture the wonderful family stories of days gone by and also share current stories with family as if we were all sitting around the dining room table, relaxing after eating a great meal, exchanging the news of doins' hither and yon.
As time went on, it became more. A source of connection to family members who have moved to other parts; a place we can all stop in and enjoy the latest escapades and conversation in a virtual and timeless setting that mimics the family gatherings of the past. A place of our own. A place we can call up the memories of those who are no longer with us and can hear their voices again.
What was surprising is that our family is not the only family to join our conversations. People from all over the globe drop by participate in our family gatherings. Like any good 3 Hop Query, the spread of our family stories has grown to include far away countries and towns across America, where others take the same comfort that we do. They hear the stories, read the poems and copy down the recipes. They laugh when we laugh and cry when we cry too.
Our family is unique but it is also like every other family too. We have our foibles and follies as well as serious moments. Our stories touch many we do not know, because they are the stories of all families. They are memories of the past and hopes for the future. They represent our connection with each other and with them too.
Some of our viewer's locations:
Our thanks to all the family members who have taken the time and effort to share their stories of good times and bad, of happy endings and uncertain outcomes, of sharing their lives with us. And thank you to the people who come to read the stories. Our memories are yours to share and laugh at and ponder.
There are always new stories to tell, tall tales to exchange at and new memories to share. 2014 will be like all other years with it's own share of special moments. We look forward to sharing those with you too.
KimB Editor
Nine years ago when MrsB wanted to start a family blog, we had no idea how it would turn out. She wanted to capture the wonderful family stories of days gone by and also share current stories with family as if we were all sitting around the dining room table, relaxing after eating a great meal, exchanging the news of doins' hither and yon.
As time went on, it became more. A source of connection to family members who have moved to other parts; a place we can all stop in and enjoy the latest escapades and conversation in a virtual and timeless setting that mimics the family gatherings of the past. A place of our own. A place we can call up the memories of those who are no longer with us and can hear their voices again.
What was surprising is that our family is not the only family to join our conversations. People from all over the globe drop by participate in our family gatherings. Like any good 3 Hop Query, the spread of our family stories has grown to include far away countries and towns across America, where others take the same comfort that we do. They hear the stories, read the poems and copy down the recipes. They laugh when we laugh and cry when we cry too.
Our family is unique but it is also like every other family too. We have our foibles and follies as well as serious moments. Our stories touch many we do not know, because they are the stories of all families. They are memories of the past and hopes for the future. They represent our connection with each other and with them too.
Some of our viewer's locations:
USA: CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MI, MO, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, WAThe blog is not only our blog but theirs too.
World: Canada, UK, Australia, France, Mexico, Germany, India, New Zealand, Philippines, Italy, Brazil, Greece and many more.
Our thanks to all the family members who have taken the time and effort to share their stories of good times and bad, of happy endings and uncertain outcomes, of sharing their lives with us. And thank you to the people who come to read the stories. Our memories are yours to share and laugh at and ponder.
There are always new stories to tell, tall tales to exchange at and new memories to share. 2014 will be like all other years with it's own share of special moments. We look forward to sharing those with you too.
KimB Editor
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Marzipan and Pumpkin Pie Part 2 by KimB
Those simple words “soft-ball stage” meant a disaster was on the horizon.
First, every attempt I ever made at making fudge, which requires cooking to a soft-ball-stage, was an unmitigated disaster. In fact, I blame all my pumpkin pie failures on the fact I never made decent fudge. Second, I never owned a candy thermometer and I wasn't going to go buy one just for “this”.
I spent few minutes, maybe 5 in all, considering my alternatives and decided to “Just Go For It”. The mix went on the stove, a small bowl of cold water to test, and away we went. I figured it couldn't come out any worse than any of the fudge I ever made, so what's to lose?
After a cooking, stirring, not stirring, dropping bits into the cold water, I made the Official Determination that it was DONE and turned it out to into a cooling dish. It looked like beige fudge.
In fact, it looked good.
I rolled it into small billiard ball size lumps as directed. I was actually rather pleased with myself. It looked like it was supposed to. I put some in the freezer and some in the fridge so I could start making those cute little almond fruit shapes.
You ever notice how when things look like they are going well, they are actually going over a cliff?
A few days later, after my fingers had recovered from their “almond peeling experience”, I decided it was time to start making those nice fruit shapes. I envisioned apples, pears, bananas, cherries, maybe some flowers too. I took one of the marzipan lumps from the fridge and …. it was like a rock. Oh? Maybe it needs to warm up some so I let it sit a few minutes. Hmm, still like a rock. Ok... I put it in the nuke for 15 seconds. It came out warm but the rock like quality was still there. In fact I realized it WAS a rock. Oh Oh.
I took out the meat tenderizer which has a bit of weight to it, and gave it a whack, just to test. The meat tenderizer bounced off the surface confirming its rock qualities, which showed no dents or dings. I had to get a hammer to get in a good smack just to chip off an edge. I worked up a light sweat smacking it into small chips. You ever want to take out some frustrations, I can recommend my marzipan-rocks and a hammer.
Since it was pretty plain that no cute little shapes were going to appear from this lot, I re-wrapped the chips placed them back in the fridge. I had no idea what I was going to do with it all.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 2 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
First, every attempt I ever made at making fudge, which requires cooking to a soft-ball-stage, was an unmitigated disaster. In fact, I blame all my pumpkin pie failures on the fact I never made decent fudge. Second, I never owned a candy thermometer and I wasn't going to go buy one just for “this”.
I spent few minutes, maybe 5 in all, considering my alternatives and decided to “Just Go For It”. The mix went on the stove, a small bowl of cold water to test, and away we went. I figured it couldn't come out any worse than any of the fudge I ever made, so what's to lose?
 |
| Marzipan Cooling |
In fact, it looked good.
I rolled it into small billiard ball size lumps as directed. I was actually rather pleased with myself. It looked like it was supposed to. I put some in the freezer and some in the fridge so I could start making those cute little almond fruit shapes.
You ever notice how when things look like they are going well, they are actually going over a cliff?
A few days later, after my fingers had recovered from their “almond peeling experience”, I decided it was time to start making those nice fruit shapes. I envisioned apples, pears, bananas, cherries, maybe some flowers too. I took one of the marzipan lumps from the fridge and …. it was like a rock. Oh? Maybe it needs to warm up some so I let it sit a few minutes. Hmm, still like a rock. Ok... I put it in the nuke for 15 seconds. It came out warm but the rock like quality was still there. In fact I realized it WAS a rock. Oh Oh.
I took out the meat tenderizer which has a bit of weight to it, and gave it a whack, just to test. The meat tenderizer bounced off the surface confirming its rock qualities, which showed no dents or dings. I had to get a hammer to get in a good smack just to chip off an edge. I worked up a light sweat smacking it into small chips. You ever want to take out some frustrations, I can recommend my marzipan-rocks and a hammer.
Since it was pretty plain that no cute little shapes were going to appear from this lot, I re-wrapped the chips placed them back in the fridge. I had no idea what I was going to do with it all.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 2 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
 |
| Marzipan Rocks |
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
MrsB's PDF Book for 2012
[Note: Editor's Post]
MrsB's blog stories from 2012 are now available in pdf format for download. 2012 was a great year for stories and good memories. Download a copy to share with family and friends.
Don't forget to download a copy of the cookbooks too. Need a special recipe for the holidays? Try Esther's My Nana's Cookbook. Need something to warm you up during the cold winter? Check out the stew recipe in Marion's Recipes Vol 1. Need cakes or cookies? Both cookbooks have some great dessert offerings.
The Recipe Box section of the blog can rustle you up some great food in short time too and these are included in the separate yearly download pdf files.
Click on the link in the download side panel to get your copies.
MrsB's blog stories from 2012 are now available in pdf format for download. 2012 was a great year for stories and good memories. Download a copy to share with family and friends.
Don't forget to download a copy of the cookbooks too. Need a special recipe for the holidays? Try Esther's My Nana's Cookbook. Need something to warm you up during the cold winter? Check out the stew recipe in Marion's Recipes Vol 1. Need cakes or cookies? Both cookbooks have some great dessert offerings.
The Recipe Box section of the blog can rustle you up some great food in short time too and these are included in the separate yearly download pdf files.
Click on the link in the download side panel to get your copies.
Saturday, December 07, 2013
Marzipan and Pumpkin Pie Part 1 by KimB
Nearly every holiday, I attempt to make pumpkin pie and I fail. It's almost a tradition now, Kim's annual attempt at pumpkin pie, a valiant effort to make something edible. I know it's supposed to be easy but somehow I manage to make a mess of it and it comes out in various forms fit only for the garbage can. Every holiday, Allen groans – Not again... PLEASE??? Of course, I ignore his pleas and continue to plan my attack. This year was no exception.
Marzipan. I love marzipan. Almonds made perfect. Eons ago, I made marzipan into fruit shapes and used food dye to color them. I made apples and pears and bananas. Bits of cloves made stems and blossoms, toothpicks dipped in the food dyes made fine out lines and highlights. It was great fun.
My friend D, lives on a ranch and they have some almond trees. Her husband, G, is an expert in machinery and big farm equipment. He's very clever and can make all sorts of tools and add ons for the tractors and other equipment. He made a tree shaker to harvest the almonds from their trees and then he made a mechanical nut cracker to shell them.
Every year she gives me a big bag full of shelled almonds. I put them in the freezer and eat them over the year. We have far more than we can eat though, and so there's quite a bit left over.
This year, as I thought about the pumpkin pie, I also thought about marzipan. Wouldn't some marzipan fruit be nice and it would go so well with that pumpkin pie I'm going to make? I decided I would attack on both fronts: one side marzipan and the other pumpkin pie. What could be simpler?
As I could not remember how I made the marzipan, I did the usual DuckDuckGo.com search for a recipe. The recipes seemed simple but it also was a bit more complex than I remembered but undeterred I began.
First you have to remove the brown skin from the almonds. For this you use boiling water and it appeared to be very straight forward. So I boiled the water and poured it over my almonds and then attempted to remove the skins. Hmmm, something not quite right there. The skins didn't come off that easily, at least not how the videos showed them. So I did a number of remedial actions but in the end it was 2 days and some very raw fingers before I had the skins off the almonds.
Then came the grinding part. I only have a small onion chopper that does a half onion at a time, but in went a handful of almonds and after a lot of grinding occurred, a very small amount of ground almonds remained. I looked at my BIG bucket of peeled almonds and the tiny grinder, then dashed into battle once again. About a week later, I ran out of steam and decided I'd ground all the almonds I was going to grind.
The leftover peeled almonds I toasted in the oven, which was its own side procedure, as I hadn't planned on toasted almonds but my fingers were sore and I was getting worried my little grinder would burn out if I keep on grinding.
Then I read the next part of the recipe, which was to mix up the ground almonds with brown sugar and using a candy thermometer heat to n-degrees or soft-ball stage. Oh-Oh. As soon as I read that last part I knew things were going to go down hill fast.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 1 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
Marzipan. I love marzipan. Almonds made perfect. Eons ago, I made marzipan into fruit shapes and used food dye to color them. I made apples and pears and bananas. Bits of cloves made stems and blossoms, toothpicks dipped in the food dyes made fine out lines and highlights. It was great fun.
My friend D, lives on a ranch and they have some almond trees. Her husband, G, is an expert in machinery and big farm equipment. He's very clever and can make all sorts of tools and add ons for the tractors and other equipment. He made a tree shaker to harvest the almonds from their trees and then he made a mechanical nut cracker to shell them.
Every year she gives me a big bag full of shelled almonds. I put them in the freezer and eat them over the year. We have far more than we can eat though, and so there's quite a bit left over.
This year, as I thought about the pumpkin pie, I also thought about marzipan. Wouldn't some marzipan fruit be nice and it would go so well with that pumpkin pie I'm going to make? I decided I would attack on both fronts: one side marzipan and the other pumpkin pie. What could be simpler?
As I could not remember how I made the marzipan, I did the usual DuckDuckGo.com search for a recipe. The recipes seemed simple but it also was a bit more complex than I remembered but undeterred I began.
First you have to remove the brown skin from the almonds. For this you use boiling water and it appeared to be very straight forward. So I boiled the water and poured it over my almonds and then attempted to remove the skins. Hmmm, something not quite right there. The skins didn't come off that easily, at least not how the videos showed them. So I did a number of remedial actions but in the end it was 2 days and some very raw fingers before I had the skins off the almonds.
Then came the grinding part. I only have a small onion chopper that does a half onion at a time, but in went a handful of almonds and after a lot of grinding occurred, a very small amount of ground almonds remained. I looked at my BIG bucket of peeled almonds and the tiny grinder, then dashed into battle once again. About a week later, I ran out of steam and decided I'd ground all the almonds I was going to grind.
The leftover peeled almonds I toasted in the oven, which was its own side procedure, as I hadn't planned on toasted almonds but my fingers were sore and I was getting worried my little grinder would burn out if I keep on grinding.
Then I read the next part of the recipe, which was to mix up the ground almonds with brown sugar and using a candy thermometer heat to n-degrees or soft-ball stage. Oh-Oh. As soon as I read that last part I knew things were going to go down hill fast.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 1 of 3 and was written by KimB.]
 |
| Peeling Almonds |
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?
Kim
Last year I started growing some special miniature bell peppers from seed. I carefully planted them indoors late winter and planned to put them out when the weather improved. Unfortunately, the plants didn't last that long and soon they withered and just looked plain awful. Some shriveled into nothing, the few that “lived” were spindly and weak.
In desperation, I put the survivors out anyway, not in hopes that they would grow but primarily so I wouldn't have to look at them and have that old gardener's complaint of: FAILED AGAIN. I deliberately “forgot” about them; I didn't even bother checking for any non-existent progress.
In the run up to the holidays and already planning a garden for next year, I went out to the side yard to see what was there, what needed fixing up and the general state of my containers. And wouldn't you know it – I had Bell Peppers! A lot of bell peppers! So many miniature bell peppers I had to take a sit down to take it all in.
About 8 plants survived the ordeal and each plant had 20 or more miniature bell peppers. I wasn't sure if they were bells because they looked a lot like green jalapeños. I picked a big bucket of them just the same and brought them indoors to show Allen.
They were quite beautiful, deep green, the biggest about the size of my thumb. We looked and sniffed but we couldn't tell if they were “hot or not”. We drew straws to see who was going to do the taste test. I lost.
Carefully, I cut a teeny tiny snip off the end of one of the peppers. Allen was ready to pour me a glass of milk, just in case. Sniff, sniff, sniff.... in it went. Long Pause..... it was SWEET! It was a real bell pepper!
I left the bells that I had harvested in the bucket on the counter, as I didn't have time right then to cut them up and get them in the freezer. They sat on the counter for a few days. And then another surprise! During the few days they were on the counter, about half of them turned into bright golden-yellow bell peppers. It was a gorgeous display of Green and Gold.
I kept some of the seeds as I cut them up. I'm not sure they will grow or if I will plant them but if I do, for sure I will not be doing them indoors this time. Then again....
Last year I started growing some special miniature bell peppers from seed. I carefully planted them indoors late winter and planned to put them out when the weather improved. Unfortunately, the plants didn't last that long and soon they withered and just looked plain awful. Some shriveled into nothing, the few that “lived” were spindly and weak.
In desperation, I put the survivors out anyway, not in hopes that they would grow but primarily so I wouldn't have to look at them and have that old gardener's complaint of: FAILED AGAIN. I deliberately “forgot” about them; I didn't even bother checking for any non-existent progress.
In the run up to the holidays and already planning a garden for next year, I went out to the side yard to see what was there, what needed fixing up and the general state of my containers. And wouldn't you know it – I had Bell Peppers! A lot of bell peppers! So many miniature bell peppers I had to take a sit down to take it all in.
About 8 plants survived the ordeal and each plant had 20 or more miniature bell peppers. I wasn't sure if they were bells because they looked a lot like green jalapeños. I picked a big bucket of them just the same and brought them indoors to show Allen.
They were quite beautiful, deep green, the biggest about the size of my thumb. We looked and sniffed but we couldn't tell if they were “hot or not”. We drew straws to see who was going to do the taste test. I lost.
Carefully, I cut a teeny tiny snip off the end of one of the peppers. Allen was ready to pour me a glass of milk, just in case. Sniff, sniff, sniff.... in it went. Long Pause..... it was SWEET! It was a real bell pepper!
I left the bells that I had harvested in the bucket on the counter, as I didn't have time right then to cut them up and get them in the freezer. They sat on the counter for a few days. And then another surprise! During the few days they were on the counter, about half of them turned into bright golden-yellow bell peppers. It was a gorgeous display of Green and Gold.
I kept some of the seeds as I cut them up. I'm not sure they will grow or if I will plant them but if I do, for sure I will not be doing them indoors this time. Then again....
 |
| Miniature Bell Peppers |
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Root Canal Update
Cowards die a thousand deaths, and I had imagined all manner of unpleasantness during and after my scheduled root canal, but it was painless! What a surprise!
I had based my expectations on past experiences and was reluctant to believe the assurances of my brother that it would be a walk in the park.
My Doubting Thomas attitude prevailed even as I sat in the dental chair reading a paper describing the pitfalls and failures of root canal procedures, then signing my name giving the dentist permission to proceed.
At home afterward, I was anxious as the hours passed thinking the discomfort would begin at any time. I had to rely on 'frozen medicine' (aka vanilla ice cream), to alleviate tension, but the hours passed and so did the next several days without a single hint of pain!
What a nice ending to one of life’s most miserable conditions, toothache.
I had based my expectations on past experiences and was reluctant to believe the assurances of my brother that it would be a walk in the park.
My Doubting Thomas attitude prevailed even as I sat in the dental chair reading a paper describing the pitfalls and failures of root canal procedures, then signing my name giving the dentist permission to proceed.
At home afterward, I was anxious as the hours passed thinking the discomfort would begin at any time. I had to rely on 'frozen medicine' (aka vanilla ice cream), to alleviate tension, but the hours passed and so did the next several days without a single hint of pain!
What a nice ending to one of life’s most miserable conditions, toothache.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
American Dream
What exactly is the 'American Dream'?
The phrase has been bandied about in recent years, but it seems to mean different things to different people. When I was a child, it meant that I was a citizen of the United States of America, a country that was governed by a Constitution which promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to its inhabitants.
I think it was taken for granted that we were living the 'American Dream' even when the country endured difficult times like the first world war, the great depression, and WWII. We retained that belief, and counted ourselves lucky to live in the USA.
During the dust bowl and depression the country experienced such extreme poverty that welfare of the populace became paramount. Social programs were instituted to alleviate the suffering and growing dissension. Social Security, (referred to as an entitlement program), thought of as a helping hand when first inaugurated, has become a life line for millions today and is regarded as a main ingredient of the 'American Dream'.
Although new 'entitlement' programs added ingredients to the dream, the idea of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness no longer seems to be enough. Being a citizen doesn't seem to be enough either. The current meaning of the American Dream seems to be the goal of achieving wealth and gain of personal privilege, even at the expense of others. We seem to have lost something in the national psyche.
The phrase has been bandied about in recent years, but it seems to mean different things to different people. When I was a child, it meant that I was a citizen of the United States of America, a country that was governed by a Constitution which promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to its inhabitants.
I think it was taken for granted that we were living the 'American Dream' even when the country endured difficult times like the first world war, the great depression, and WWII. We retained that belief, and counted ourselves lucky to live in the USA.
During the dust bowl and depression the country experienced such extreme poverty that welfare of the populace became paramount. Social programs were instituted to alleviate the suffering and growing dissension. Social Security, (referred to as an entitlement program), thought of as a helping hand when first inaugurated, has become a life line for millions today and is regarded as a main ingredient of the 'American Dream'.
Although new 'entitlement' programs added ingredients to the dream, the idea of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness no longer seems to be enough. Being a citizen doesn't seem to be enough either. The current meaning of the American Dream seems to be the goal of achieving wealth and gain of personal privilege, even at the expense of others. We seem to have lost something in the national psyche.
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| Statue of Liberty |
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Root Canal
I'm scheduled to have a root canal. I'm not looking forward to it.
At this time in my life, I've already exceeded my misery quotient and I need another bout of misery like a hole in the head... or a drilled hole in a tooth.
This all came about when I experienced a mild tooth ache while eating supper several weeks ago. The discomfort seemed to come and go, but persisted over several days so I made an appointment to see the dentist. I was told that the toothache was the type that would come and go but that I actually needed a root canal.
As I left the dentist's office, I was undecided on my next move, but in the back of my mind I knew I'd end up having the root canal. Of course I tried to put it off for as long as possible. The big decision was when to have it, before or after, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I like eating holiday meals and I didn't want to start the new year sitting in the dentist's chair, so the only logical decision was to go ahead and bite the bullet, so I made the appointment. Thank heavens I'll have time to summon up the courage, and if all goes well, I'll enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
At this time in my life, I've already exceeded my misery quotient and I need another bout of misery like a hole in the head... or a drilled hole in a tooth.
This all came about when I experienced a mild tooth ache while eating supper several weeks ago. The discomfort seemed to come and go, but persisted over several days so I made an appointment to see the dentist. I was told that the toothache was the type that would come and go but that I actually needed a root canal.
As I left the dentist's office, I was undecided on my next move, but in the back of my mind I knew I'd end up having the root canal. Of course I tried to put it off for as long as possible. The big decision was when to have it, before or after, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I like eating holiday meals and I didn't want to start the new year sitting in the dentist's chair, so the only logical decision was to go ahead and bite the bullet, so I made the appointment. Thank heavens I'll have time to summon up the courage, and if all goes well, I'll enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
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| Dental Tools |
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Mega Hurricanes
The latest hurricane Typhoon Haiyan has caused such catastrophic destruction in the Philippines, one can hardly grasp the enormity of the event. The death toll and the suffering of survivors is beyond measure.
Since the declaration of national calamity issued by the Philippine government, aid from around the world is beginning to arrive, but the scope of destruction is so vast its difficult to deliver it where needed.
If we are due to experience catastrophic events caused by climate change, we won't have to worry about nuclear proliferation and the threat of nuclear weapons. Mother nature will have solved that problem.
Since the declaration of national calamity issued by the Philippine government, aid from around the world is beginning to arrive, but the scope of destruction is so vast its difficult to deliver it where needed.
If we are due to experience catastrophic events caused by climate change, we won't have to worry about nuclear proliferation and the threat of nuclear weapons. Mother nature will have solved that problem.
2013 Some of the Natural Disasters of the Year
- 2013 extreme weather events
- 2012–13 North American drought
- Chelyabinsk meteor
- January 2013 Northwest Pacific bomb cyclone
- February 2013 nor'easter (Winter Storm Nemo)
- Late March 2013 North American winter storm
- 2013 Madagascar locust infestation
- St Jude storm
- October 2013 North American storm complex
- Typhoon Haiyan
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Rice Paddy Art
The news recently showcased a photo of rice paddy art and I thought it was incredible. Farmers using different types of rice make fantastic images in their fields.
The trend was started in 1993 in Japan with complex designs pre-planned on computers. 700 people work to plant the different types of rice needed for each design. Larger designs can span multiple fields and the farmers work together to make the designed rice quilt images.
The trend was started in 1993 in Japan with complex designs pre-planned on computers. 700 people work to plant the different types of rice needed for each design. Larger designs can span multiple fields and the farmers work together to make the designed rice quilt images.
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| Rice Field Art |
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| Rice Field Art |
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| Rice Field Art |
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| Rice Field Art |
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Theater: Janis Joplin Musical by Richard
Recently, Frances and I enjoyed an outstanding, entertaining musical play: One Night With Janis Joplin, at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. This is the life story of Janis Joplin and how she became a rock star.
She lived and grow up in Port Arthur, Texas where she began her love for singing. Janis spent limited time attending college in Beaumont and Austin Texas. A friend asked it she would like to go to California and said yes, and found her self in the notorious Height Asbury area.
She and her music grow, which covered Soul, Gospel, Country, Blues and Rock.She found her calling in Rock Music. With talent, ability and hard work she became star. Her voice was unique and with her body language you could see her express many emotional feelings.
The length of the play was two and half hours. The music and singing were wonderful and enjoyable to watch and listen. The music even had the entire audience up swinging and dancing. This is a great play for any one to see.
This play is leaving San Jose Ca. and going to New York for a Broadway run next month. I wish them all well and success in the big apple.
[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]
She lived and grow up in Port Arthur, Texas where she began her love for singing. Janis spent limited time attending college in Beaumont and Austin Texas. A friend asked it she would like to go to California and said yes, and found her self in the notorious Height Asbury area.
She and her music grow, which covered Soul, Gospel, Country, Blues and Rock.She found her calling in Rock Music. With talent, ability and hard work she became star. Her voice was unique and with her body language you could see her express many emotional feelings.
The length of the play was two and half hours. The music and singing were wonderful and enjoyable to watch and listen. The music even had the entire audience up swinging and dancing. This is a great play for any one to see.
This play is leaving San Jose Ca. and going to New York for a Broadway run next month. I wish them all well and success in the big apple.
[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]
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| One Night with Janis Joplin SJ Rep Playbill |
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Debt Ceiling
While browsing Guardian news on my touchpad, the intriguing headline, 'Solution To The Debt Ceiling Crisis', caught my attention. The article explained a solution which would allow the government to pay all current and future debts ad infinitum.
If authentic, our crisis of government shut down, caused by tea party members in the house of representatives who refuse to pass a budget funding the government so it can pay its bills, would be solved, and it could, would and should be used.
By applying Curry's Triangle Paradox, which was discovered by Paul Curry in New York City in 1953, the following example by Mariano Tomatis shows how the solution works by demonstrating how to make chocolate from nothing.
[Editor's note: There may be ads included on the video segment.]
If authentic, our crisis of government shut down, caused by tea party members in the house of representatives who refuse to pass a budget funding the government so it can pay its bills, would be solved, and it could, would and should be used.
By applying Curry's Triangle Paradox, which was discovered by Paul Curry in New York City in 1953, the following example by Mariano Tomatis shows how the solution works by demonstrating how to make chocolate from nothing.
Everyone knows that there is no coulda, woulda, shoulda.
[Editor's note: There may be ads included on the video segment.]
How to create chocolate out of nothing
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Demise of Libraries
Libraries are beginning to go digital. It won't be long before books, with colorfully designed protective covers and numbered pages to turn and bookmark, will be a thing of the past. Books, as we have known them, are being displaced by electronic books.
Many libraries are now offering eBooks and electronic reading and visual devices for checkout by persons of every age. There are even devices with games and educational materials that parents can choose for babies of very young ages.
While sitting at my computer, I browse the eBooks in my local library and download them to my HP Touchpad. I like the convenience of scrolling the choices at any time of the day or night and I never have to worry about returning it to avoid an over due fine. But it is sad to know that the joy of browsing the stacks and leafing thru the pages of a title to decide you want to read that particular book will soon be a pleasure of the past.
Ever since I learned to read, libraries have been a second home. The town I lived in as a child had a Carnegie library my siblings and I passed on the way to and from school. It was in those days that my sister, Adeline and I developed a life long attachment to libraries, not withstanding the disaster of our being so heavily in debt to the library when we were 7 and 8 years old that it took all one summer to pay off our over due fines.
Libraries were a free source of entertainment for us during the great depression and remained so over the years, enriching our lives beyond description. I have fond memories of listening to Adeline's library records of famous Broadway musicals as the two of us worked a jig saw puzzle over morning coffee when our children were in school.
Knowing books are on their way out hasn't stopped me from buying them though. I often shop the sale table in my local library and I order them electronically from time to time.
While sitting at my computer, I browse the eBooks in my local library and download them to my HP Touchpad. I like the convenience of scrolling the choices at any time of the day or night and I never have to worry about returning it to avoid an over due fine. But it is sad to know that the joy of browsing the stacks and leafing thru the pages of a title to decide you want to read that particular book will soon be a pleasure of the past.
Ever since I learned to read, libraries have been a second home. The town I lived in as a child had a Carnegie library my siblings and I passed on the way to and from school. It was in those days that my sister, Adeline and I developed a life long attachment to libraries, not withstanding the disaster of our being so heavily in debt to the library when we were 7 and 8 years old that it took all one summer to pay off our over due fines.
Libraries were a free source of entertainment for us during the great depression and remained so over the years, enriching our lives beyond description. I have fond memories of listening to Adeline's library records of famous Broadway musicals as the two of us worked a jig saw puzzle over morning coffee when our children were in school.
Knowing books are on their way out hasn't stopped me from buying them though. I often shop the sale table in my local library and I order them electronically from time to time.
Carnegie Libraries are still in use today.
In 1992, the New York Times reported that according to a survey conducted by Dr. George Bobinksi, dean of the School of Information and Library Studies at the State University at Buffalo 1,554 of the 1,681 original buildings in the United States still existed, with 911 still used as libraries. Two-hundred seventy six were unchanged, 286 had been expanded, and 175 had been remodeled. Two-hundred forty three had been demolished while others had been converted to other uses.[13]
Wikipedia: Carnegie library
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?
A. Nonymus
Salad Bar?
Recently when I was 2nd hand shopping, I saw a wonderful old hanging sign that read “Salad Bar Open”. I have taken to calling the garden the 'salad bar' ever since.
All the neighbors have been enjoying the garden too – some are foodies and chefs, so we are all following and enjoying the developments in the farm / salad bar... and especially the herbs.
I'm sure glad I enjoy the gardening – I call it my 'therapy'. One certainly doesn’t do it for saving money, but for the love of it... otherwise who would create potatoes and tomato's that cost $25 each!!
Home grown veggies do taste better, and of course you know exactly what is in them. I really enjoy the process. There is just something deeply satisfying about playing in the dirt, and creating life. The harvest is the ultimate 'pay off', but I enjoy gardening so much I'd do it for free.... oh wait... I AM doing it for free!! OMG – sometimes we actually get what we wish for!
“Manga Manga – Abondanza!!”
Salad Bar?
Recently when I was 2nd hand shopping, I saw a wonderful old hanging sign that read “Salad Bar Open”. I have taken to calling the garden the 'salad bar' ever since.
All the neighbors have been enjoying the garden too – some are foodies and chefs, so we are all following and enjoying the developments in the farm / salad bar... and especially the herbs.
I'm sure glad I enjoy the gardening – I call it my 'therapy'. One certainly doesn’t do it for saving money, but for the love of it... otherwise who would create potatoes and tomato's that cost $25 each!!
Home grown veggies do taste better, and of course you know exactly what is in them. I really enjoy the process. There is just something deeply satisfying about playing in the dirt, and creating life. The harvest is the ultimate 'pay off', but I enjoy gardening so much I'd do it for free.... oh wait... I AM doing it for free!! OMG – sometimes we actually get what we wish for!
“Manga Manga – Abondanza!!”
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Update on America's Cup 34th competition
We WON!!! We WON!!! We WON!!!
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| Oracle Team Wins Americas Cup 2013 |
| SCORE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oracle | team USA | 9 |
| Emirates | team New Zealand | 8 |
Saturday, September 28, 2013
AC72's
What's are AC72? They're wing-sail catamarans,72 feet long by 46 feet wide, weighing 13,000 lbs with a wing-sail 131 feet tall, covering 2,798 sq feet in area, sailing @ 40 mph (35 knots). They hydrofoil at or above 18 knots which boosts speed 35 -40%.
How do I know all this?
I watched the televised competition of America's Cup on the bay at San Francisco.
I was always intrigued with the design of a catamaran but, since I”m not into sailing, I never became interested in them, consequently never dreaming of a cat sailing ABOVE water.
Designers of naval architecture have utilized space age materials of glass and carbon to create light weight structures attached to hulls. Sails have given way to wings and when the AC72's foil, they are like magic carpets flying above water.
Horses are the sport of kings, but racing AC72's is the sport of only a handful of mega-billionaires. Being prohibitive, the number of entrants in the race has dropped.
They are also dangerous to manipulate with one known fatality to date.
In all probability though, further experiment in design will continue since hydro foiling saves fuel and sailing at such astounding speeds will certainly be ours in the future.
How do I know all this?
I watched the televised competition of America's Cup on the bay at San Francisco.
I was always intrigued with the design of a catamaran but, since I”m not into sailing, I never became interested in them, consequently never dreaming of a cat sailing ABOVE water.
Designers of naval architecture have utilized space age materials of glass and carbon to create light weight structures attached to hulls. Sails have given way to wings and when the AC72's foil, they are like magic carpets flying above water.
Horses are the sport of kings, but racing AC72's is the sport of only a handful of mega-billionaires. Being prohibitive, the number of entrants in the race has dropped.
They are also dangerous to manipulate with one known fatality to date.
In all probability though, further experiment in design will continue since hydro foiling saves fuel and sailing at such astounding speeds will certainly be ours in the future.
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| AC72 Oracle Catamaran |
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Vandalism and the 300
During Labor Day weekend 2013, 300 teenagers broke into and trashed the home belonging to Brian Holloway in Stephentown, N.Y. The teenagers took photos of themselves and each other as the $20,000 damage was occurring and posted them on Twitter, along with running in-progress dialog.
Holloway, an ex NFL player, invited the teenagers to come help clean and repair the damage, urging the them to take responsibility for their actions and for the community to come together to help them learn to make better decisions and re-direct their lives as they are on the cusp of serious implications for their own futures: drugs, alcohol and more serious criminal activities.
Holloway re-posted the photos and dialog from Twitter on a web site http://www.helpmesave300.com/ where he asks the public to help him save the 300 teens by teaching and guiding them to a more responsible path.
The teenagers' parents voiced criticism of Holloway's re-posting the photos on his website. Some threatening lawsuits and other retaliations for reposting the original photos and tweets. One of the student's tweeted during the event: "So glad my parents don't give a f### what I do".
Vandalism isn't just about property damage. It damages the lives of those directly impacted both the victims and perpetrators. It's a long lasting and life changing event.
In the era of social media and the desire to be "first post!", this is a window into the real views of the teens which is unhindered and not self-censored, with no parental interference. The images and tweets are global and cannot be retracted. They are what they are. They will be there forever because that is the nature of the internet. Nothing is ever removed permanently. There's always a backup somewhere with the images and tweets.
Parents need to be concerned about the effects however, pretending that their children didn't do anything wrong or denying their actions doesn't set a very positive example. Getting "caught" isn't the punishment. The teens are already "caught". It's about why did they think that it was "OK" to start with? Some of the vandals were not children or teens, they are adults over 18 and became negative role models to the others. Why did any of the 300 think it was OK to trash the house of friend, neighbor, schoolmate, teammate, resident? Why do the parents think it is OK to deny the implications of the actions in and for their own family, friends, school and community?
As of 9/22/2013, 4 of the 300 have helped restore the damage done; the community did come together and helped repair the house. 4 maybe not seem to be a large number, but that's 4 teens and their families who understood the importance what happened and the need for change. There are 296 more lives that need to be turned around.
The parents of the 296 need to "give a f###" about their children and show that they do care. That they care for themselves, their children, their lives and the community.
Holloway, an ex NFL player, invited the teenagers to come help clean and repair the damage, urging the them to take responsibility for their actions and for the community to come together to help them learn to make better decisions and re-direct their lives as they are on the cusp of serious implications for their own futures: drugs, alcohol and more serious criminal activities.
Holloway re-posted the photos and dialog from Twitter on a web site http://www.helpmesave300.com/ where he asks the public to help him save the 300 teens by teaching and guiding them to a more responsible path.
The teenagers' parents voiced criticism of Holloway's re-posting the photos on his website. Some threatening lawsuits and other retaliations for reposting the original photos and tweets. One of the student's tweeted during the event: "So glad my parents don't give a f### what I do".
Vandalism isn't just about property damage. It damages the lives of those directly impacted both the victims and perpetrators. It's a long lasting and life changing event.
In the era of social media and the desire to be "first post!", this is a window into the real views of the teens which is unhindered and not self-censored, with no parental interference. The images and tweets are global and cannot be retracted. They are what they are. They will be there forever because that is the nature of the internet. Nothing is ever removed permanently. There's always a backup somewhere with the images and tweets.
Parents need to be concerned about the effects however, pretending that their children didn't do anything wrong or denying their actions doesn't set a very positive example. Getting "caught" isn't the punishment. The teens are already "caught". It's about why did they think that it was "OK" to start with? Some of the vandals were not children or teens, they are adults over 18 and became negative role models to the others. Why did any of the 300 think it was OK to trash the house of friend, neighbor, schoolmate, teammate, resident? Why do the parents think it is OK to deny the implications of the actions in and for their own family, friends, school and community?
As of 9/22/2013, 4 of the 300 have helped restore the damage done; the community did come together and helped repair the house. 4 maybe not seem to be a large number, but that's 4 teens and their families who understood the importance what happened and the need for change. There are 296 more lives that need to be turned around.
The parents of the 296 need to "give a f###" about their children and show that they do care. That they care for themselves, their children, their lives and the community.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Cream Puffs
I just ate a cream puff. I know.... it's heart attack food and a highway to heartburn, but I ate it anyway.
It has been years since I last ate one. In fact, I didn't know bakeries still made them considering they are such artery clogging food.
The first recipe my high school Home Economics class learned to made was cream puffs. When I got home from school in the afternoon, I practiced making the recipes I learned in class and cream puffs became a favorite after school snack for my brothers and sisters.
As the years passed, the recipe for making cream puffs got filed away and 'lost in the stacks'. Those delicious, creamy, light as a feather. vanilla fragrant cream puffs were only a distant memory. That is, until my two sisters, Adeline and Esther, and I visited our brother Jerry and his wife Barbara, a few years ago.
During this week long visit, we spent a lot of time reminiscing childhood memories and as a surprise, Jerry made cream puffs for us. The three of us were able to visit Jerry and Barbara again the following year and we demanded Jerry make cream puffs for us. Jerry's cream puffs became legend in our family stories.
Eating one brought back wonderful memories of sharing those happy days.
It has been years since I last ate one. In fact, I didn't know bakeries still made them considering they are such artery clogging food.
The first recipe my high school Home Economics class learned to made was cream puffs. When I got home from school in the afternoon, I practiced making the recipes I learned in class and cream puffs became a favorite after school snack for my brothers and sisters.
As the years passed, the recipe for making cream puffs got filed away and 'lost in the stacks'. Those delicious, creamy, light as a feather. vanilla fragrant cream puffs were only a distant memory. That is, until my two sisters, Adeline and Esther, and I visited our brother Jerry and his wife Barbara, a few years ago.
During this week long visit, we spent a lot of time reminiscing childhood memories and as a surprise, Jerry made cream puffs for us. The three of us were able to visit Jerry and Barbara again the following year and we demanded Jerry make cream puffs for us. Jerry's cream puffs became legend in our family stories.
Eating one brought back wonderful memories of sharing those happy days.
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| Cream Puff |
Saturday, September 07, 2013
Phalaenopsis Orchids
I received six beautiful Phalaenopsis orchids from my son who saw them on sale. The store was selling them for $2 apiece and he couldn't resist buying them. Now I am the proud owner of these beautiful plants.
I had always assumed they were touchy plants requiring sensitive care and particular temperature, but apparently care and maintenance is surprisingly easy according to the information I read on the internet.
At various times in my life I've met people who raised orchids in small private greenhouses and was always impressed with their choice of a hobby. On occasion I've admired one displayed on a coffee table at an acquaintance’s house, but I was really taken aback when I visited a friend in a hospice some years ago. Each room of the hospice had an exquisite Phalaenopsis in full bloom for the pleasure of the patients. I have often wondered if a nurse had suggested them.
The blossoms, at the end of long canes, are exotically elegant and remind me of colorful butterflies. The plants I have are pink, red, yellow and lavender. There are so many species, each with its own characteristic and combination of colors they are a joy to learn about.
I had always assumed they were touchy plants requiring sensitive care and particular temperature, but apparently care and maintenance is surprisingly easy according to the information I read on the internet.
At various times in my life I've met people who raised orchids in small private greenhouses and was always impressed with their choice of a hobby. On occasion I've admired one displayed on a coffee table at an acquaintance’s house, but I was really taken aback when I visited a friend in a hospice some years ago. Each room of the hospice had an exquisite Phalaenopsis in full bloom for the pleasure of the patients. I have often wondered if a nurse had suggested them.
The blossoms, at the end of long canes, are exotically elegant and remind me of colorful butterflies. The plants I have are pink, red, yellow and lavender. There are so many species, each with its own characteristic and combination of colors they are a joy to learn about.
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| Phalaenopsis orchids |
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| Phalaenopsis orchids |
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| Phalaenopsis orchids |
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
To Bomb Syria: Yes or No?
The air waves are full of discussion about bombing Syria, pro and con. I'm surprised we are even discussing it. The general public rarely gets an opportunity to voice an opinion one way or the other. I think we Americans love military operations since we have had so many of them. I was curious about the number of U S wars and 'Police Actions' so I went to duckduckgo.com to find out.
I was flabbergasted at the number of web sites listing them and even more astonished when I perused some of them. Many web sites have comprehensive lists of military involvement starting with the American War of Independence, September 1, 1774. The American War Library lists: Year, Location, Killed, Wounded, Cost.
Of my family, my husband, one sister and four of five brothers and are buried in U S National Cemeteries.
How do you think I will vote?
I was flabbergasted at the number of web sites listing them and even more astonished when I perused some of them. Many web sites have comprehensive lists of military involvement starting with the American War of Independence, September 1, 1774. The American War Library lists: Year, Location, Killed, Wounded, Cost.
Of my family, my husband, one sister and four of five brothers and are buried in U S National Cemeteries.
How do you think I will vote?
List of wars involving the United States American War Library American Military History New and Recent Conflicts of the World American History Timeline
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Ice Road Truckers
In a 7th season episode of History's television program, Ice Road Truckers, drivers had to cross a frozen lake on thin ice. One of the truckers removed half the cargo his rig was carrying before he attempted crossing.
During winter, truck drivers maneuver huge rigs over frozen lakes and rivers in the Arctic Territories of Canada and Alaska. Only when freezing temperatures allow the creation of roads over frozen grass swamps, lakes and rivers, are the truckers able to deliver supplies and construction materials to the mining and commercial establishments.
The roads are treacherous, but experienced drivers manipulate semi trailers around hazardous curves with snow banks and ditches at every turn.
Drivers who accept the challenges, earn high wages for each run. The appearance of straight stretches of highway can be deceiving with unseen hazards under the ice and snow. Semi trucks weighing as much as 60 tons, can at a moments notice, slide into a ditch or thru a crack in the ice. Drivers make delivery runs 24/7, taking advantage of the frozen roads before Spring melts the lake and river ice.
Watching Ice Road Truckers is a nail biting, holding ones breath, adrenalin rush! The men and women who drive those roads are a special breed!
During winter, truck drivers maneuver huge rigs over frozen lakes and rivers in the Arctic Territories of Canada and Alaska. Only when freezing temperatures allow the creation of roads over frozen grass swamps, lakes and rivers, are the truckers able to deliver supplies and construction materials to the mining and commercial establishments.
The roads are treacherous, but experienced drivers manipulate semi trailers around hazardous curves with snow banks and ditches at every turn.
Drivers who accept the challenges, earn high wages for each run. The appearance of straight stretches of highway can be deceiving with unseen hazards under the ice and snow. Semi trucks weighing as much as 60 tons, can at a moments notice, slide into a ditch or thru a crack in the ice. Drivers make delivery runs 24/7, taking advantage of the frozen roads before Spring melts the lake and river ice.
Watching Ice Road Truckers is a nail biting, holding ones breath, adrenalin rush! The men and women who drive those roads are a special breed!
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| Mackenzie River Ice Road |
Saturday, August 24, 2013
It's a scary world by A. Nonymus
It's a scary world out there. For ordinary folks to criminals wanting to create mischief, the revelations that everything we do is being reported, tracked, scanned, digitally tracked via CCTV, and stored, is eye opening, but do we really have to be careful of the microwave, the dishwasher, refrigerator, and coffee maker?
An article in Yahoo Finance on 9 Household Items That Can Track You by Adam Levin details how ordinary items in your home can be used to track and record data about you. Not only can they track you but "bad guys" can even affect medical implants like pace makers and insulin pumps which are all run by micro chips and can be hi-jacked using the same techniques used by the NSA.
If you want to take control of an area, country, state, city, town, street or home, all you need to do is to cut off the electricity, which cuts off the electronic toys and everyone is helpless. This information is used more by criminals or corporations with less than pure intent, but it can be used to apply pressure or threat of serious disruption to services from nearly any corner of the world.
What's happened to us?
And what is happening to all this data that is being gathered by governments and corporations?
I recently heard this word "yottabyte" and I looked it up. A yottabyte is a really big number equal to a bunch of "zettabytes" - basically it's a trillion terabytes!
The NSA super computer farms described by Robert Gelber in 2012 and more prominently in recent news, can hold multiple yottabytes of data. There are about a half dozen or more of these computer farms - all just happily mining everything! They also pick up all the information from your in-home devices since everything that travels electronically is swept up too. What time you make your coffee, times you use the microwave, when you wash the dishes, how often you do laundry - and what exact settings you use or prefer ... I mean ... where does it end?
Who thinks this stuff up?
I used to joke that we 'paranoids' can 'never be too sure', but I never conceived, even in my worst moments of paranoia, of anything on this scale! Even now I can barely grasp the concept, and it literally is breathtaking.
So, just give the microwave a knowing sly grin next time you nuke the java, or run the delicate cycle on your washing machine!
From Wikipedia Yottabyte:
[Editor's note: This story written by by A. Nonymus]
An article in Yahoo Finance on 9 Household Items That Can Track You by Adam Levin details how ordinary items in your home can be used to track and record data about you. Not only can they track you but "bad guys" can even affect medical implants like pace makers and insulin pumps which are all run by micro chips and can be hi-jacked using the same techniques used by the NSA.
If you want to take control of an area, country, state, city, town, street or home, all you need to do is to cut off the electricity, which cuts off the electronic toys and everyone is helpless. This information is used more by criminals or corporations with less than pure intent, but it can be used to apply pressure or threat of serious disruption to services from nearly any corner of the world.
What's happened to us?
And what is happening to all this data that is being gathered by governments and corporations?
Yottabyte: a descriptor of electronic storage capability.
I recently heard this word "yottabyte" and I looked it up. A yottabyte is a really big number equal to a bunch of "zettabytes" - basically it's a trillion terabytes!
The NSA super computer farms described by Robert Gelber in 2012 and more prominently in recent news, can hold multiple yottabytes of data. There are about a half dozen or more of these computer farms - all just happily mining everything! They also pick up all the information from your in-home devices since everything that travels electronically is swept up too. What time you make your coffee, times you use the microwave, when you wash the dishes, how often you do laundry - and what exact settings you use or prefer ... I mean ... where does it end?
One yottabyte can hold ALL the knowledge, books, communications, and all information and data ever created since the dawn of man.'They' are serious about storing this information and I do mean ALL information.
Who thinks this stuff up?
I used to joke that we 'paranoids' can 'never be too sure', but I never conceived, even in my worst moments of paranoia, of anything on this scale! Even now I can barely grasp the concept, and it literally is breathtaking.
So, just give the microwave a knowing sly grin next time you nuke the java, or run the delicate cycle on your washing machine!
From Wikipedia Yottabyte:
"1 YB = 1000000000000000000000000bytes = 10008bytes = 1024bytes = 1000zettabytes = 1 trillion terabytes.;
"To store a yottabyte on terabyte sized hard drives would require a million city block size data-centers, as big as the states of Delaware and Rhode Island.[1] If 64 GB microSDXC cards (the most compact data storage medium available to public as of early 2013) were used instead, the total volume would be approximately 2500000 cubic meters, or the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza."
[Editor's note: This story written by by A. Nonymus]
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Television
What has happened to television?
Television lends itself admirably to the airing of debates on topics of public interest, but recently, courteous exchanges of view has degenerated into screaming matches between diametrically opposed factions. Hosts of live interview programs invite knowledgeable people to appear and express their views, pro and con, on subjects of social and political interest. I enjoy watching them even when I disagree with the opinions being expressed.
Traditionally, the discourse is carried on in a courteous and respectful tone as both sides of a subject is explored and opinions clarified, but recently many people appearing on these programs are so highly charged with emotion, the shows erupt into screaming matches with waving hands, pointing fingers and yelling over each others voice.
Not long ago, Wolf Blitzer on CNN had two women screaming at each other over the voting law in South Carolina. Hannity, on Fox, seems to enjoy having women scream angrily at each other because he never interrupts to ask them to speak one at a time.
This screaming fad seems to have infected many of the TV talk channels. Perhaps if the celebrity hosts of these programs instituted a little more control over the discussions, a listener would actually learn something about the topic being discussed.
Television lends itself admirably to the airing of debates on topics of public interest, but recently, courteous exchanges of view has degenerated into screaming matches between diametrically opposed factions. Hosts of live interview programs invite knowledgeable people to appear and express their views, pro and con, on subjects of social and political interest. I enjoy watching them even when I disagree with the opinions being expressed.
Traditionally, the discourse is carried on in a courteous and respectful tone as both sides of a subject is explored and opinions clarified, but recently many people appearing on these programs are so highly charged with emotion, the shows erupt into screaming matches with waving hands, pointing fingers and yelling over each others voice.
Not long ago, Wolf Blitzer on CNN had two women screaming at each other over the voting law in South Carolina. Hannity, on Fox, seems to enjoy having women scream angrily at each other because he never interrupts to ask them to speak one at a time.
This screaming fad seems to have infected many of the TV talk channels. Perhaps if the celebrity hosts of these programs instituted a little more control over the discussions, a listener would actually learn something about the topic being discussed.
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| Olive Branch |
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Baby Morality
An astonishing segment on 60 Minutes, a CBS TV program, showcased a study on whether babies are born knowing good from bad. The segment had aired once before, but I had missed it.
Researchers studying child cognition have conducted studies showing that 6 to 8 month-old babies display a strong preference for 'helpers' over 'hinderers'.
The babies, too young to talk and walk, but able to reach for items, are shown scenarios using plush toys like teddy bears.
One scenario shows a rabbit puppet having difficulty opening the lid of a box, and one of two teddy bears watching the rabbit, begins to help the rabbit raise the lid.
When the scenario is shown again with the rabbit trying to open the box, the teddy bear on the other side of the rabbit jumps on the lid preventing the box being opened. Later, when the 'helper' and the 'hinder' toys are held so the babies can take the toy they want, every baby tested reached for the good 'helper' toy.
Researchers also discovered that 3 month-old babies, who are too young to reach for an item, also chose 'helpers' over 'hinderers'. When they were shown the same scenarios the older babies had seen, then offered the toys, their eye movements showed that they looked at the 'hinder' toys for a few seconds, but rested their eyes on the 'helper' toys for almost a minute .
Researchers studying child cognition have conducted studies showing that 6 to 8 month-old babies display a strong preference for 'helpers' over 'hinderers'.
The babies, too young to talk and walk, but able to reach for items, are shown scenarios using plush toys like teddy bears.
One scenario shows a rabbit puppet having difficulty opening the lid of a box, and one of two teddy bears watching the rabbit, begins to help the rabbit raise the lid.
When the scenario is shown again with the rabbit trying to open the box, the teddy bear on the other side of the rabbit jumps on the lid preventing the box being opened. Later, when the 'helper' and the 'hinder' toys are held so the babies can take the toy they want, every baby tested reached for the good 'helper' toy.
Researchers also discovered that 3 month-old babies, who are too young to reach for an item, also chose 'helpers' over 'hinderers'. When they were shown the same scenarios the older babies had seen, then offered the toys, their eye movements showed that they looked at the 'hinder' toys for a few seconds, but rested their eyes on the 'helper' toys for almost a minute .
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Fractal Flower
I saw this beautiful Fractal Flower by Sharon Apted. Enjoy.
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| Fractal Flower Sharon Apted |
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Crossword Puzzle Words
As I worked a crossword puzzle, I came across a word ending in "erer". As I wrote e,r,e,r in the blank squares of the puzzle book, I realized that I rarely use or spell a word ending in those letters. They seemed strangers to my every day vocabulary.
Wondering how many words I could think of with this ending, I spent a few hours listing the words I could think of, but when I got stumped I resorted to duckduckgo.com for an answer. The computer kept thinking I was asking about "ere', but with persistence, I was astonished to discover 168 words ending in "erer".
As an avid mystery book reader, I can't believe I missed thinking of the word "murderer"!
Wondering how many words I could think of with this ending, I spent a few hours listing the words I could think of, but when I got stumped I resorted to duckduckgo.com for an answer. The computer kept thinking I was asking about "ere', but with persistence, I was astonished to discover 168 words ending in "erer".
As an avid mystery book reader, I can't believe I missed thinking of the word "murderer"!
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| Arthur Wynne Inventor of the modern crossword puzzle 1913 |
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Perfect Pot by KimB
Recently I had the not so great pleasure of looking for a new cooking pot.
I had set up my now previous, perfect saucepan on the stove with 6 eggs, water and a dash of salt in it to make hard boiled eggs. I set the timer and well, no surprise, I forgot about it and didn't hear the timer go off. A fairly long while later, Allen heard POP, POW, POP in the kitchen; the water had evaporated off and the eggs exploded. It was a mess to clean up but the worst part was my perfect pot was ruined.
The perfect saucepan had rounded edges on the bottom that fit a stirring spoon shape just right. As the edges were rounded you could scoop out everything from rice to oatmeal and not have it stick into the corners. It had a non-stick coating that made clean up easy. It had a lid too. It was just perfect.
I have another cooking pot that is also perfect: a stew pot. While I'm not into Home Economics much, a few years back Allen had asked me what I wanted as a gift. I told him I wanted a big cooking pot that I could cook stew in. One that could be used on the stove or in the oven. Mom has a terrific recipe for Stew (see the pdfs on the sidebar) and I like making it but all the cookware I had just wasn't right. Either they didn't hold enough or they were too hard to clean or hard to handle in the oven. So I set out to buy a stew pot for my gift.
We went to an upscale kitchen supply store called Sur la Table. I asked the clerks there for a stew pot that could be on the stove or in the oven. We were in luck. They had one on sale, with a glass lid, non stick coating, handles, deep sides, rounded edges, worked on top of the stove or in the oven … in short it was PERFECT. It was also pretty pricey but Allen said to get it and we brought it home.
It's now my favorite big pot and I extol the virtues of this pot to whoever will listen. It's deep so food doesn't splatter over the edges. It's got the rounded edges so you can scoop the bottom easily. It has two sturdy metal handles so you can carry it from stove to work surface easily even when it's full of piping hot stew. I cook loads of stuff in it. It's my finishing pot. I cook up my spaghetti sauce in it: ground meat (turkey, sausage, beef and sometimes lamb), onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes and then dump the cooked pasta into mix. Heat. Stir. Serve. I cook meat loaf in it. I make soups and Chinese style stir fry. I cook leg of lamb in it and even make seared pepper steaks in it.
So, naturally after getting such a terrific first pot, our first stop was at Sur la Table to get a replacement for my burnt up saucepan. We asked the clerk for a saucepan and gave the description of what I wanted. He shook his head and said he didn't think he had a pot like that but he showed me what was available. We started at the high-end pots costing more than $200.00 and quickly moved down the price range to the el cheapo just under $125.00. None were perfect pots. They had straight L bottoms. They were guaranteed to stick (you have to have kitchen helpers to clean these). They weighed a ton. And last but not least, they were Not In The Budget.
So, we were clueless about what to do about my burnt up saucepan. I was feeling pretty low but Allen suggested we go to Target and see what was there. So, off we went. I didn't expect too much but perhaps something would work out. We went to the kitchenwares and there were several Name Band/Celebrity Chef Endorsed pots to chose from but on examining each there were “flaws”. Like Goldilocks some were too heavy, some didn't have a good lid, some had handles that were hard to hold. And while they weren't quite as expensive as Sur la Table, they weren't cheap. I decided not to take any of them.
I'd just about given up, when Allen called me to come check out another pot he'd found. It was on the really cheapo side of the aisle. He held out the pot for me to look at and I instantly knew THIS WAS THE PERFECT POT. It was light weight. It had a glass lid. The handle was sturdy and easy to hold. It was non-stick and had rounded edges. It was deeper than my previous pot which was a bonus. The pot has 2 pouring lips on each side and the glass lid had deep edges with vent or sieve holes where you drain off liquids or allow some steam to escape. The best part was the price. It was less than $15!
I am now, once again, the owner of two perfect pots!
[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB.]
I had set up my now previous, perfect saucepan on the stove with 6 eggs, water and a dash of salt in it to make hard boiled eggs. I set the timer and well, no surprise, I forgot about it and didn't hear the timer go off. A fairly long while later, Allen heard POP, POW, POP in the kitchen; the water had evaporated off and the eggs exploded. It was a mess to clean up but the worst part was my perfect pot was ruined.
The perfect saucepan had rounded edges on the bottom that fit a stirring spoon shape just right. As the edges were rounded you could scoop out everything from rice to oatmeal and not have it stick into the corners. It had a non-stick coating that made clean up easy. It had a lid too. It was just perfect.
I have another cooking pot that is also perfect: a stew pot. While I'm not into Home Economics much, a few years back Allen had asked me what I wanted as a gift. I told him I wanted a big cooking pot that I could cook stew in. One that could be used on the stove or in the oven. Mom has a terrific recipe for Stew (see the pdfs on the sidebar) and I like making it but all the cookware I had just wasn't right. Either they didn't hold enough or they were too hard to clean or hard to handle in the oven. So I set out to buy a stew pot for my gift.
We went to an upscale kitchen supply store called Sur la Table. I asked the clerks there for a stew pot that could be on the stove or in the oven. We were in luck. They had one on sale, with a glass lid, non stick coating, handles, deep sides, rounded edges, worked on top of the stove or in the oven … in short it was PERFECT. It was also pretty pricey but Allen said to get it and we brought it home.
 |
| Sur La Table® Hard Anodized Braiser, 4½ qt. |
So, naturally after getting such a terrific first pot, our first stop was at Sur la Table to get a replacement for my burnt up saucepan. We asked the clerk for a saucepan and gave the description of what I wanted. He shook his head and said he didn't think he had a pot like that but he showed me what was available. We started at the high-end pots costing more than $200.00 and quickly moved down the price range to the el cheapo just under $125.00. None were perfect pots. They had straight L bottoms. They were guaranteed to stick (you have to have kitchen helpers to clean these). They weighed a ton. And last but not least, they were Not In The Budget.
So, we were clueless about what to do about my burnt up saucepan. I was feeling pretty low but Allen suggested we go to Target and see what was there. So, off we went. I didn't expect too much but perhaps something would work out. We went to the kitchenwares and there were several Name Band/Celebrity Chef Endorsed pots to chose from but on examining each there were “flaws”. Like Goldilocks some were too heavy, some didn't have a good lid, some had handles that were hard to hold. And while they weren't quite as expensive as Sur la Table, they weren't cheap. I decided not to take any of them.
I'd just about given up, when Allen called me to come check out another pot he'd found. It was on the really cheapo side of the aisle. He held out the pot for me to look at and I instantly knew THIS WAS THE PERFECT POT. It was light weight. It had a glass lid. The handle was sturdy and easy to hold. It was non-stick and had rounded edges. It was deeper than my previous pot which was a bonus. The pot has 2 pouring lips on each side and the glass lid had deep edges with vent or sieve holes where you drain off liquids or allow some steam to escape. The best part was the price. It was less than $15!
I am now, once again, the owner of two perfect pots!
[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB.]
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| Chefmate Aluminum 3-qt. Saucepan |
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Theater: A Minister's Wife by Richard
We saw the musical A Minister's Wife at the San Jose Rep. The story is based on a George Bernard Shaw's play Candida. George Bernard Shaw was born in Ireland but moved to London to make his living.
This was the premiere showing on the West Coast. This musical production was enjoyable to watch and hear the cast sing the many sections of the play.
The story is about two men, the Minister and a friend, both of them would like the affections of the minister's wife, Candida. The time and place, the drawing room of Dominic's Parsonage on a fine morning 1894.
We left the theater feeling well entertained and then headed home for a good night sleep
[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]
This was the premiere showing on the West Coast. This musical production was enjoyable to watch and hear the cast sing the many sections of the play.
The story is about two men, the Minister and a friend, both of them would like the affections of the minister's wife, Candida. The time and place, the drawing room of Dominic's Parsonage on a fine morning 1894.
We left the theater feeling well entertained and then headed home for a good night sleep
[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]
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| A Minister's Wife |
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Recipe Box: (Not So) Quick Spanish Rice
(Not So) Quick Spanish Rice
From the recipe box of KimB
I've been learning about rice recipes and experimenting with them to make them more my own. One recipe I've been working on is Spanish Rice. It's not that easy to do or do well but I keep working away at making it easy for me and tasty too.
One criteria is that is has to be easy to put together. My days of standing for hours in the kitchen are fast fading in the rear view mirror. So, anything I undertake has to fit into the limited time I'm willing to put into cooking.
Second criteria is that it has to taste good. A bad recipe is just not going to get a rerun, especially during the summer heat when you can cook eggs on the sidewalk.
Third criteria is that the recipe has to be forgiving about what I have on hand and what I can use as a substitute.
This is my current incarnation which I think is pretty good.
(Not So) Quick Spanish Rice
1 cup organic jasmine rice
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 jar organic salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 ¼ cups water
Preparation:
- Rinse the rice in cool water until the water runs clear.
- Place the rice in pot and drizzle with the olive oil, add the salt, cumin and coriander.
- Turn the heat on medium and stir until the rice turns white and is well coated with the herb mix.
- Add 4 tbs to 6 tbs of the salsa mix to the rice and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the 1 ¼ cups of water, stir and bring to a boil.
- Put the lid on and turn the burner down to lowest level.
- Cook with the lid on for 15 min. Remove from the burner.
- Let set with the lid on for 5 to 10 min.
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| Spanish Rice |
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Calamities
I wonder if the proportion of calamities we are presently experiencing is the same as it might have been when men carried swords for self defense, and highway robbers stalked carriages. When natural catastrophes like wild fires, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes occurred, only people in their vicinity were aware.
Just like today, ethnic groups migrated and warred over territory, creating havoc as man made religions clashed. The human condition, theoretically, has improved, but the same degree of power and privilege still exists, causing an unbalance of 'have and have nots' around the globe.
Of course advances in science, medicine and labor saving devices have eased the daily struggle to survive, but global television news coverage of barbaric atrocities of persons searching for better living conditions, destruction of huge areas of habitat due to extreme weather conditions, murder and mayhem for political dominance is such a constant litany of world wide calamities, it suffocates and overwhelms. The threat of nuclear catastrophe is always with us.
In the grand scheme of things, events come and go and history records them. I guess its human nature to adapt and survive. We do find ways to overcome the stresses and actually find ways to pursue happiness. Like my grandmother used to say, “a hundred years from now it won't make any difference”.
Just like today, ethnic groups migrated and warred over territory, creating havoc as man made religions clashed. The human condition, theoretically, has improved, but the same degree of power and privilege still exists, causing an unbalance of 'have and have nots' around the globe.
Of course advances in science, medicine and labor saving devices have eased the daily struggle to survive, but global television news coverage of barbaric atrocities of persons searching for better living conditions, destruction of huge areas of habitat due to extreme weather conditions, murder and mayhem for political dominance is such a constant litany of world wide calamities, it suffocates and overwhelms. The threat of nuclear catastrophe is always with us.
In the grand scheme of things, events come and go and history records them. I guess its human nature to adapt and survive. We do find ways to overcome the stresses and actually find ways to pursue happiness. Like my grandmother used to say, “a hundred years from now it won't make any difference”.
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| South Dakota Tornado Photograph by Carsten Peter |
Monday, July 08, 2013
Learning how to grow potatoes Part 3 by A. Nonymus
Planting Idaho Russets
The volunteer russets got re-planted in large tree tubs and in about a week they are already full up with soil mix to the top, and the plant stems still rising about 18-20” above the lip!?. I can see now that much deeper containers would be better, but so far they seem to be thriving quite nicely, although the tops are so 'leggy' now that some are starting to lean and fall over with apparently with no damage.
Yield should be, according to the information, about 5 good potatoes from each stalk. I have about 10 stalks in each burlap bag with fingerling potatoes. I'm hoping for a yield of about 50-ish fingerlings from each bag. The tubs of Idaho's only have about 5 large plants each, so I'm hoping for about 20+ per tub, although some sources suggest that grocery store potatoes, if they grow at all, never 'grow right'.!?
Everything I read reminds also to keep some as starters for next year. We shall see. Harvest time is best in September and October, so plenty of time to grow. I'm reminding myself however not to 'count chicks before they hatch”.
Next year I will likely try the 'garbage can' techniques for the large Idaho Russets, but continue to use potato bags for the smaller fingerling and gourmet 'taters'. Online I found a specially made bag just for potato gardening. It's designed to provide air and drainage, and is reusable. It's apparent even now that the burlap bags will probably be a one time use, as the burlap is clearly wearing from water, sun, and weather, although – so far - they are keeping the dirt and potatoes enveloped, and appear strong enough to make the whole season.
The potato harvest endgame is, theoretically designed, to just dump the bag or container out and voilà ... ya just collect the potatoes!
[Editor's note: This story is Part 3 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
The volunteer russets got re-planted in large tree tubs and in about a week they are already full up with soil mix to the top, and the plant stems still rising about 18-20” above the lip!?. I can see now that much deeper containers would be better, but so far they seem to be thriving quite nicely, although the tops are so 'leggy' now that some are starting to lean and fall over with apparently with no damage.
Yield should be, according to the information, about 5 good potatoes from each stalk. I have about 10 stalks in each burlap bag with fingerling potatoes. I'm hoping for a yield of about 50-ish fingerlings from each bag. The tubs of Idaho's only have about 5 large plants each, so I'm hoping for about 20+ per tub, although some sources suggest that grocery store potatoes, if they grow at all, never 'grow right'.!?
Everything I read reminds also to keep some as starters for next year. We shall see. Harvest time is best in September and October, so plenty of time to grow. I'm reminding myself however not to 'count chicks before they hatch”.
Next year I will likely try the 'garbage can' techniques for the large Idaho Russets, but continue to use potato bags for the smaller fingerling and gourmet 'taters'. Online I found a specially made bag just for potato gardening. It's designed to provide air and drainage, and is reusable. It's apparent even now that the burlap bags will probably be a one time use, as the burlap is clearly wearing from water, sun, and weather, although – so far - they are keeping the dirt and potatoes enveloped, and appear strong enough to make the whole season.
The potato harvest endgame is, theoretically designed, to just dump the bag or container out and voilà ... ya just collect the potatoes!
[Editor's note: This story is Part 3 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
In an old country song, "The Arkansas Traveler", there is a talking narrative between musical verses, where the city slicker is dialoging and questioning the farmer on the porch, and trying to be friendly he asks the farmer...
“How did your 'taters turn out?”... and the old curmudgeon farmer replies... 'They didn't turn out... I had to dig 'em out!!”
Thursday, July 04, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Learning how to grow potatoes Part 2 by A. Nonymus
Planting Fingerlings
I pre-sprouted the fingerlings in an old egg carton in a process know as 'chitting' – a way of creating green sprouts prior to planting - it was recommended to separate by colors and not let them touch each other. They had been mixed when I got them, but I separated by colors. It only took about a week for the fingerlings to begin sprouting in the egg carton. The yellow and red sprouted quickly. The blues didn't sprout but they got planted anyway.
Once they started showing shoots in the egg carton, I planted them in the 3 bags, one bag with the yellow, one bag with the red, and one with the blue. I rolled the bag sides down, like old socks, and filled each with about 6” of garden soil and straw mixture.
From the very start, the yellow fingerlings seem the more robust, with the reds not far behind. The blues are much slower and may not do so well.
After about 6 weeks, it's time to add more soil to the bags to keep the stems covered. And this is the brilliant part: roll up the bags as the dirt is added to keep the stems covered constantly as they grow. When the bag is completely unrolled and filled to the top with soil/straw mix, the stems will have been kept covered to the 'max', which in theory, provides maximum yield. So far everything is going to plan.
I'm not really sure yet when to harvest potatoes, but one source suggested waiting until the top growth is dead, and another source suggests harvest as they grow to induce more tubers. I'm leaning toward the view that its best to just wait until the plants and leaves die completely, which provides maximum energy and growth time to the tubers... and lets face it, it's a lot easier on the harvester too.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 2 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
I pre-sprouted the fingerlings in an old egg carton in a process know as 'chitting' – a way of creating green sprouts prior to planting - it was recommended to separate by colors and not let them touch each other. They had been mixed when I got them, but I separated by colors. It only took about a week for the fingerlings to begin sprouting in the egg carton. The yellow and red sprouted quickly. The blues didn't sprout but they got planted anyway.
Once they started showing shoots in the egg carton, I planted them in the 3 bags, one bag with the yellow, one bag with the red, and one with the blue. I rolled the bag sides down, like old socks, and filled each with about 6” of garden soil and straw mixture.
From the very start, the yellow fingerlings seem the more robust, with the reds not far behind. The blues are much slower and may not do so well.
After about 6 weeks, it's time to add more soil to the bags to keep the stems covered. And this is the brilliant part: roll up the bags as the dirt is added to keep the stems covered constantly as they grow. When the bag is completely unrolled and filled to the top with soil/straw mix, the stems will have been kept covered to the 'max', which in theory, provides maximum yield. So far everything is going to plan.
I'm not really sure yet when to harvest potatoes, but one source suggested waiting until the top growth is dead, and another source suggests harvest as they grow to induce more tubers. I'm leaning toward the view that its best to just wait until the plants and leaves die completely, which provides maximum energy and growth time to the tubers... and lets face it, it's a lot easier on the harvester too.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 2 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
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| Fingerlings |
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?
A. Nonymus
We have a robust and vigorous garden this year – with some special projects and new frontiers to conquer. Everything is in containers and the garden is thriving.
In spite of crazy Gulf Coast storms, unseasonable cold and early heat, bad techniques by the farmer, false starts, sundry bugs, birds, over watering, and haphazard fertilizing, the container garden is just thriving beyond any reasonable expectations, reminding me of the line in Jurassic Park... “life will find a way”!. Ain't it the truth!?
Our containers use commercial garden soil, some also mixed with water retaining soil mix. Most veggies are in good ol' garden soil. All the potatoes are layered in a mix of garden soil and straw. I'm using a granulated (dissolve in water to apply) fertilizer about every 2 weeks (when I remember).
As a first, we have been having fun with potatoes this season. Our first ever effort with potatoes on any 'serious' level. Many years ago I had tossed some seed eyes in the ground, and got a few puny potatoes. The results were so disappointing I never tried again. However, this year – on a whim - I decided to try again with a bit more serious effort.
I'm growing the potatoes in containers; some in large tubs, and others in bags. I'm really focusing on the “bag” system, which so far has exceeded any expectations by a mile. All the fingerlings are in burlap bags, and the Idaho's are in the big 5 gallon containers. I'm really pleased that all of the 'taters' seem to be thriving, much to my astonishment. I have been learning more than I ever expected about growing potatoes.
Happy gardening!
We have a robust and vigorous garden this year – with some special projects and new frontiers to conquer. Everything is in containers and the garden is thriving.
In spite of crazy Gulf Coast storms, unseasonable cold and early heat, bad techniques by the farmer, false starts, sundry bugs, birds, over watering, and haphazard fertilizing, the container garden is just thriving beyond any reasonable expectations, reminding me of the line in Jurassic Park... “life will find a way”!. Ain't it the truth!?
Our containers use commercial garden soil, some also mixed with water retaining soil mix. Most veggies are in good ol' garden soil. All the potatoes are layered in a mix of garden soil and straw. I'm using a granulated (dissolve in water to apply) fertilizer about every 2 weeks (when I remember).
As a first, we have been having fun with potatoes this season. Our first ever effort with potatoes on any 'serious' level. Many years ago I had tossed some seed eyes in the ground, and got a few puny potatoes. The results were so disappointing I never tried again. However, this year – on a whim - I decided to try again with a bit more serious effort.
I'm growing the potatoes in containers; some in large tubs, and others in bags. I'm really focusing on the “bag” system, which so far has exceeded any expectations by a mile. All the fingerlings are in burlap bags, and the Idaho's are in the big 5 gallon containers. I'm really pleased that all of the 'taters' seem to be thriving, much to my astonishment. I have been learning more than I ever expected about growing potatoes.
Happy gardening!
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| Cucumbers |
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Learning how to grow potatoes Part 1 by A. Nonymus
In researching how to grow potatoes in a container, I found a lot of great information online, and discovered that one person had great success with fingerlings in bags. I scrounged up 3 old burlap bags and followed the instructions on a YouTube video, filling the bags with a mixture of straw and garden soil to about 6” deep to start. The plan is to add soil and roll up the sides of the bag as the stalks grow. Then we planted each whole fingerling about 10 per bag, and covered by several inches of soil mix.
I learned that it's important to keep piling soil up around the stem of the potato plant – which induces more potatoes, as the tubers grow from the covered stalk. The bag system is perfect, since you roll down the sides of the bag to start, but then add dirt as the stems grow unrolling the bag upward. In theory, when the bag is fully unrolled and full, you will have a nice yield from each plant.
This concept of mounding dirt around the plant stem is also applied to the 'garbage can' system. Start with a little dirt in the bottom, and keep filling as plants grow. Tip the can over to harvest. Of course the can needs good drainage. Some special tubs are available online, but I think I'll get a 40 gal. plastic trash can and drill good drain holes at the bottom along the sides for next year.)
But just try to find burlap bags!
After asking all around and calling various vendors with no luck or leads, I finally got lucky at a local feed store, and they gave me 3 old burlap feed bags. I was surprised that I couldn't find burlap bags anyplace. Problem solved this year, by a stroke of luck.
I recently found a source online for reusable 'potato' bags made exactly for container potatoes. I'm sure that next year I will give those a try, as it's already apparent that burlap, at best, is a one season use item.
After 2 months, the bags are holding – but just. So next year garbage cans for the big potatoes, and the commercial bag system for the delicates varieties and fingerlings.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 1 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
I learned that it's important to keep piling soil up around the stem of the potato plant – which induces more potatoes, as the tubers grow from the covered stalk. The bag system is perfect, since you roll down the sides of the bag to start, but then add dirt as the stems grow unrolling the bag upward. In theory, when the bag is fully unrolled and full, you will have a nice yield from each plant.
This concept of mounding dirt around the plant stem is also applied to the 'garbage can' system. Start with a little dirt in the bottom, and keep filling as plants grow. Tip the can over to harvest. Of course the can needs good drainage. Some special tubs are available online, but I think I'll get a 40 gal. plastic trash can and drill good drain holes at the bottom along the sides for next year.)
But just try to find burlap bags!
After asking all around and calling various vendors with no luck or leads, I finally got lucky at a local feed store, and they gave me 3 old burlap feed bags. I was surprised that I couldn't find burlap bags anyplace. Problem solved this year, by a stroke of luck.
I recently found a source online for reusable 'potato' bags made exactly for container potatoes. I'm sure that next year I will give those a try, as it's already apparent that burlap, at best, is a one season use item.
After 2 months, the bags are holding – but just. So next year garbage cans for the big potatoes, and the commercial bag system for the delicates varieties and fingerlings.
[Editor's note: This story is Part 1 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]
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| Fingerlings in Burlap Bags |
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