Hats for Chinese Children

Hey, everyone! I'm back! I haven't had time to write because I have been crocheting hats! These are a donation going to China for hatless children. These hats were carefully laundered so there wouldn't be any cat hair on them.



It looks like Newman thinks these hats are his!

The reason there are so many orange hats is that the friend to whom we are sending the hats uses orange on his business product. He is going to use the hats to promote his business.

These guys are embarrassing! They shed everywhere! I can never get a picture of a cat when I want to, but they made sure they got on all these pictures.

Newman's "Garden"

Check out this crazy cat! Yes, that is a begonia he plans to eat. I bought the double red begonia at the grocery store on Valentine’s Day, thinking I had a nice little gift for myself for $2.47. Because it was still too cold to put it outdoors, I set it on the kitchen windowsill. The plant started shrinking and losing leaves, and the leaves that remained looked like they had paper cuts all along the edges. Newman is not a jumping cat. He doesn’t care to jump up on the countertops or stove, so we didn’t even suspect that he was jumping up in the sink so he could chew on the begonia. As the begonia starting shrinking, my first thought was “it must have a bug in it”. This is the power of denial: We could hear him jumping and said to each other, “That sounds like Newman jumping on the countertops or stove, but he never does that”. We finally caught the little bugger standing in the sink so he could reach the begonia.
I repotted the plant and put it outside. It has not grown any more leaves and the only flowers are the few on top. I brought it in the house just for the photo shoot.
Newman stands at the back door and talks to begonia. If I go out the backdoor, he follows me around meowing and begging for the begonia when I come back in. One day I showed it to him with the reprimand “see what you did to this plant”, and he jumped up and snatched off another flower! I really thought he would prefer catnip.

2009 Vegetable Garden

Okay. Today I made the decision I am done being a loser. It is embarrassing to live in the Tomato Capital of the World and never have any home-grown tomatoes. My tomatoes are in pots. There is a black cherry tomato, an Ace (disease resistant, and I still don’t trust myself about growing heirlooms, although we love eating them), and an heirloom called Dinnerplate. And there is a cucumber plant in a pot. I have one big, empty pot left that doesn’t have a plant. Greg has cast three votes on what should be planted: eggplant, a yellow tomato, or summer squash. I have not cast any votes yet.
The vegetable pot project has been helped immensely by having a blog, as I need something to write about and sometimes the idea well is dry.

Green Enchiladas

This is the best I can do for a recipe on the green enchiladas. It is Greg’s recipe, but he said I should write it up, and everyone knows I don’t care much about measuring ingredients. However they turn out for you is how you will eat them.

2 pounds ground pork
2 pounds Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 big bag of the small tortillas (either flour or corn; we prefer corn)
1 big can of green enchilada sauce
Cilantro

First, go to the butcher shop and have them grind two pounds of pork. I ask the guy to cut off as much fat as he can before he grinds the pork, and I will pay him extra to do it. Brown the ground pork, and season it with garlic salt. If you like peppers and onions, add them to the pork. Cool the browned pork.
Grate the cheese.
If you want to do it, you can sauté the tortillas in oil as you roll the tortillas. I don’t do this, but Greg does.
Place a tortilla on a dinner plate, add equal amounts of ground pork and grated cheese, roll up the tortilla, and place in a Pyrex baking pan that has a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom. When all your pans are full, snip the cilantro all over the top of the enchiladas. Pour the green enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle some grated cheese over the top. Bake at 300 to 325 degrees.

I only bake one pan, and freeze the rest unbaked.

The traditional Mexican way to prepare the enchiladas is to layer everything in a pan; don’t bother rolling up the enchiladas, and it will be like a big casserole.

I made a similar dish when I organized a St. Patrick’s Day buffet at work and requested everyone bring green food. I think this is what I used (it was vegetarian as I didn’t know my co-workers dietary habits).

1 or 2 cans diced green chilis
1 big can green enchilada sauce
Corn tortillas
2 pounds grated Monterey Jack cheese

Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a Pyrex pan, layer the tortillas, sauce, chilis, and cheese, ending with a layer of tortillas and a thick layer of green sauce (so it stays moist and the tortillas don’t dry out). If it looks like it is getting too dry while it is baking, cover it with aluminum foil.
You can also add sour cream and/or a can of cream of chicken soup when you are layering it.
I didn’t have any leftovers, so I guess everyone liked it. It takes five minutes or less to put together, and the only utensils you will get dirty will be a can opener, cheese grater, and a bowl.

Adult (geriatric) Beverages!

For 42 years I have been the head of the cooking department for a household whose dietary habits are mostly influenced by food lore and kitchen superstitions; toast and Cheerios; my blatant disregard for timing (grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast and popcorn for dinner); my life-long refusal to make fried chicken because I am not cleaning up that kind of mess and besides, my friend sustained third-degree burns when she fried chicken; my distaste for bananas; anything starting with "pancakes"; and my extreme annoyance regarding anything related to the grocery store ("can't you just eat fish sticks and dried apricots for dinner, because that's what we have and I am not going to the store now; I promise I'll make steak and baked potatoes tomorrow").

It's hot in the valley, and sometimes we like a cool drink in the afternoon. And I try to live by my motto, "let someone else clean up the mess", so we are big fans of Jamba Juice. If someone is making a Juice run, my order is "anything that doesn't have a ground-up banana in it". So, it's established we like cold, blenderized, fruit-flavored drinks.

Now, I realize that for most folks a cold, fruit-flavored drink involving the use of a blender means Daiquiris, Margaritas, or Pina Coladas. We have an entirely different idea about liquid refreshments--ours are milk based, discovered by accident! Most people call it a fruit smoothie, but we call it elixir, nectar of the Gods.

Remember my dislike of bananas? A couple months ago, I had planned to eat one banana that had been lingering or malingering around the kitchen, and then the next day I again planned I would eat it, and then the next day, I planned to throw it away. But I thought I would give a blender drink made with a banana a chance, and how bad could it be anyway, especially if Greg drank half; after all, it is just fruit, and I am not wasting food that I have had to chase myself to the store to get. I blended up the banana with a carton of yogurt, some milk and soy milk, and frozen raspberries. Oh, my gosh! I don't know the magic part of these ordinary ingredients, except that perhaps it happens when everything is whirled together. We are hooked! We have had some version of this every day except one in the past two months, and the day we didn't have it, everything went wrong!

So far, the only two required ingredients are the banana and a cultured dairy product or dairy substitute. Even if you are on a diet (especially if you are on a diet), this is a great drink as you can regulate the amount of sugar and fat. We use kefir or yogurt, the banana, soy milk and whole milk, and any kind of fresh, frozen or canned fruit. Our favorite addition is frozen mango chunks.

It is easy, it is cheap, you can keep enough ingredients on hand so you don't have to go to the store every single day, the variations are unlimited, and it can even be used as a meal, especially if you are a little old grandma or grandpa.

Monster Cookies Abbreviated

I like to bake--kind of. Mostly I like to eat fresh cookies and pretend I am domestic. The things I don't like about baking are making a shopping list, going to the store, and buying unusual ingredients; measuring a lot of stuff and mixing it up; putting 800 cookies on baking sheets and waiting for them to get done when it is already 102 degrees in Galt; taking them off the baking sheets and putting them on cooling racks all over the kitchen; finding enough containers to store them; and getting a bunch of odd utensils dirty that Greg will be mad about when he goes to wash the dishes. But I wanted some Monster Cookies! I found a lot of recipes on-line and had a couple in my cookbooks, but they all start off with "1 dozen eggs"--I wanted a dozen cookies! So I hunted down a small recipe and reduced it down even further until it was something manageable, and even reduced the sugar a little. There is no flour in them, so you won't get heartburn due to your wheat allergy. The measuring isn't fussy; if they don't turn out like you planned, you are just going to eat them anyway. These aren't diet cookies; sorry, I don't know how to fix that. There is only one dozen, little old grandmas and grandpas don't need a Rubbermaid tub of cookies. I didn't even use the mixer, just creamed the first six ingredients together with a spoon. If you plan to eat them for breakfast and want them to be a little healthier, use raisins instead of chocolate chips and M & M's (that is, if you like raisins; we don't). You know how you like your cookies--if you like them crisp (like we do), bake them a little longer; if you like them chewy, use less oatmeal and bake them for a shorter time. After you make them two or three times, you won't even need to look at the recipe. See? There, now you have one dozen cookies and you hardly made any mess at all.

Use a greased baking sheet and set the oven at 350 degrees.

1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter (just cut it off the stick)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/3 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup M & M's

Cream together the first six ingredients. Stir in the oatmeal, add the chips and M & M's. Roll into 12 balls and place on a cookie sheet, and flatten them down a little. Bake them. Eat them. If there are any left, put in a zip lock bag.

Me---Reading!

I know all you book-lovers and readers will find this difficult to believe, especially since I have always considered myself a book-lover and reader. I never take time to go to the library! But today I treated myself to a trip to the library. I know most people don't consider that a treat--its more of a necessity!
Sacramento County has an amazing library, but we live 35 miles from the library. There are numerous little branches that are great, too, and we have a wonderful little library in Galt. It is 1 minute away by car and 10 minutes by foot. But do I ever take the time to go there instead of spending my time playing Bejeweled Blitz, browsing the internet, or knitting while lying on my back in bed? Today, all that changed!
And I think I really scored! I picked up "The Soloist", "Names My Sisters Call Me", "Retail Therapy", and"The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing". Nothing heavy, you know. I have to ease myself back into reading.
It's not like I haven't been reading anything. I read the Bible from cover to cover three times, three different versions in the past two years. And my AARP magazines.
So, I am feeling rich, I have a stash.

My "Garden"

I took some great pictures that make it look like I am a gardener. I like to plant things, and drag the hose around watering plants, and I like to look at flowers, and eat vegetables. But that definitely does not make me a gardener. I don’t have the “know-how”, the soil, the energy or time or patience to be a real gardener. Most of my “garden” is planted in pots due to our hard-pan soil. Whatever isn’t growing in pots, is just due to time and circumstances.
Most of the garden is red geraniums. The hummingbirds love them and they are so hardy that I can stand on them with no damage. They don’t freeze over winter. They don’t burn up when it is 120 degrees. They don’t shrivel up if they don’t get watered for a week. It takes no skill to grow geraniums and they show up well. If you want another geranium, just break off a branch and stick it in the ground.

The area I photographed is the strip between our driveway and our neighbor’s driveway. We have been friends and neighbors for many years, and they are great neighbors, but we have different ideas regarding what makes a good yard. They prefer concrete and dirt, and refer to the strip between our driveways as “the weeds”. The strip with the flowers has taken me at least 10 years to get growing, due to my minimal skills and interest, and our lawn guy's best efforts to destroy anything he hasn't planted himself. But when this little strip finally took off, I was definitely proud. The pink flowers are Mexican evening primroses. There are white four o’clocks springing up that won’t bloom for a while yet, but they are very fragrant. There is a carpet of scarlet pimpernel (it’s native; this development used to be a cow pasture), violas, and spearmint running wild. There are garlic chives that I can’t control. There is a pot of Shasta daisies and a couple of pots of African daisies. And of course, there are California golden poppies. I am really hoping that Round-Up doesn’t happen when the neighbor comes home. I apologize for the TV cable tower; we think it is an eyesore, too, and doesn't really fit the scheme of the "garden". But, on second glance, in the picture, it looks kind of Asian and modern, doesn't it?

Taste Restaurant

For Mother’s Day, my dear husband took me to my favorite restaurant, Taste. It was a beautiful drive to Plymouth yesterday afternoon, but did I have my camera so I could share the gorgeous California scenery with you? No, of course I didn’t. We drove through the valley to the foothills and saw valley oaks, hundreds of pygmy goats with their babies in pastures, volcanic rock formations, wild flowers, vineyards, and snow still on the distant Sierra Nevada Mountains. Dinner at Taste is always a treat and always delicious. Greg had prawns for the first course and deemed them the best prawns he had ever eaten, and he also had mushroom cigars. I was skeptical, too, the first time I heard of mushroom cigars, but they are a treat that shouldn’t be missed—chopped mushrooms rolled in phyllo dough and baked, served on little dabs of mashed potatoes with truffle gravy. We both had filet mignon, our favorite, topped with green peppercorn butter, and served with grilled asparagus and lyonnaise potatoes. I had sorbet for dessert—pineapple, blood orange, and raspberry.
But our very first course was a bottle of pink sparking wine that we shared with our two favorite servers and the owners of Taste to toast their two recent awards. Taste was voted in the top 50 U.S. restaurants by Open Table and voted the Best New American Restaurant by KCRA (for non-Sacramentans, it is a local TV station).
Check out their website at www.restauranttaste.com and try to get to Plymouth for dinner.

Technology Challenged

I kind of got behind on my blog-writing, being all work-addicted and obsessive compulsive like I am. Now, I have had two days off to catch up on household projects. A major project on the to-do list was to install a new keyboard and mouse, as the old keyboard hasn't been right for a year and the mouse hasn't been right for longer than that.
Greg picked up a wireless laser combo at Best Buy, which has been sitting here for one month waiting for someone to hook it up. My first thought was that he would be the guy to do that, with my ineptness for all things technical and/or related to electricity.
I finally decided I was up for the challenge, so proceeded to insert the DVD into the computer to follow instructions so I could actually have a functional work station, being that I make most of my money by typing reports. I couldn't figure out why there was no cord on the wireless keyboard, just had to think on it for about one hour that it was a "wireless" keyboard, so therefore, no cord. I did figure that out right away about the mouse, though. It took some time to get it figured out and get the receiver plugged into the tower, but it did all go without a hitch--and I am so proud of me!!! I even got it registered on-line.
Other not-so-good news about me and electricity occurred yesterday. We have an electrical outlet in the bedroom that has been a problem since we lived here. Yesterday, I plugged the vacuum into that outlet and there was a popping sound, and no power to the vacuum. My first guess was that the vacuum blew up, but it worked on a different outlet. I mentioned it to Greg, and then forgot about it. A couple hours later, about 4:45--just before all businesses close for the day, I noticed the freezer wasn't working. And then decided maybe I should check some other outlets and switches. Greg made a quick call to an electrician, who tried to help over the phone, but no luck. Something just wasn't right with two outlets in the bedroom not working, the hall lights not working, and only one outlet in the garage working. I rigged up an extension cord for the freezer, so that was okay for the night. The electrician came this morning, and found the problem immediately. The outlet that had never seemed to be quite right had been installed incorrectly and it took 18 years for it to finally give out. Greg said he should have become an electrician like his grandma had encouraged when he was young, as it cost $104.32 to repair the outlet and took about 10 minutes.
Okay, now on to typing those reports that have been staring at me all day.

Me--working!

Well, check me out! Working three jobs! Who do I think I am anyway--superwoman? It really hasn't been as bad as it sounds. I knew I would be busy with training and that is just temporary. After I am sufficiently trained at the third job, I will hopefully have a two or three day per week schedule, and if it is less than that, that would be good, too. I am extremely grateful that I have any work when I see so many people who are unemployed or less fortunate, and it isn't just any work, but I like all my jobs. I really do not have to look very far to see just how blessed I really am. The bad thing about it--I just haven't had time to do my blog and my Facebook and my e-mail and my pictures. And me just getting the hang of all this electronic stuff! This week, I am off to CPR training as I let my CPR card lapse at the end of February due to not paying attention.
Sorry there are no photos of the delicious dinner my dear husband is preparing. We have been talking about green enchiladas for weeks now, and tonight is the night! Its a big batch, too, so there will be plenty to go in the freezer for one of the nights when I worked at least two of my three jobs.

Happy (early) Birthday to Me!

What a great early birthday gift I received from Greg! Last night, he took me out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Taste, in Plymouth. Taste hosted a Library and New Release Dinner for our favorite winery, Vino Noceto. We are long-time diners at Taste--love the food, love the staff, love the owners; but we are very new to the winery scene, even though the area where we live is fast becoming the new “Wine Country”.
Earlier in the fall, we visited Vino Noceto for the first time, and sampled their red wines, and as a special treat, we tasted Frivolo for the first time, and loved it! We went back to Vino Noceto in January, and the tasting room staff told us about the upcoming dinner. We were actually on our way to Taste for dinner when we stopped at the winery, so when we arrived at Taste, we immediately made reservations for last night’s dinner, and were the first on the reservation list. We wanted to share the experience with friends or relatives, so we made a reservation for four. When I got home, I immediately e-mailed Lee to invite her and Mark to come, but it wasn’t in their plans due to other commitments. So, we proceeded to try to think of someone else to invite, and finally decided to invite our friend, Shawn, who unfortunately called yesterday to say he couldn’t make it to dinner due to an outbreak of poison oak. So, there we were with four reservations, and just Greg and I able to go to dinner. Greg called the restaurant to cancel two reservations, and we felt badly that it might have prevented someone else from attending dinner. (We later found out there was a waiting list of 30.) We knew there were very few tables for two at the restaurant, but we had enjoyed dining with strangers at our table when we were in Europe, and thought it would be great fun if we shared our table at Taste with someone we didn’t know.
From our couple of trips to the winery, we became slightly acquainted with the tasting room hostess, Tracy, who is very knowledgeable about wines, local geography, horticulture and viticulture, and local history, and she likes to share her knowledge with others, so she is a really interesting conversationalist.
We arrived early at Taste and were very pleasantly surprised that we were served a glass of Frivolo. Of course, the restaurant was packed—with wine connoisseurs, wine brokers, grape growers, winery owners, investors, high-volume wine buyers, and media people. And then there was Greg and me.
Tracy, from the winery, was there to help with the presentations, to mingle, and of course, to sell wine. We greeted each other and visited for a few minutes, and then she was off to greet other people. At one point, she came back to our table, and said she thought that the seating had been changed so that she would now be sharing our table. Of course we were delighted that we would be sharing our table with someone we already knew a little. Then she flagged down her husband, Brad, and brought him over to the table, which was the first time we had met him. We all hit it off famously and started visiting, and sharing experiences, and just really had a great time getting to know each other.
At one point, Brad used a word for a beverage that is never heard in California. He called soda “pop”, and I was just about to ask him if he was from Wisconsin or Minnesota. He then said he was from St. Peter, MN, so we were off on Minnesota stories, and growing up German. All in all, we had a great time, made some great new friends, ate delicious food, drank wine we would have never otherwise tried, and I deemed it the best birthday party I ever had!
Check out the websites for the restaurant and winery at www.noceto.com and www.restauranttaste.com If you come to California, we will take you to both, and you will have a great time, eat amazing food, meet cool people, and see beautiful scenery.
This is the menu from last night. The restaurant owners remembered that I am allergic to shellfish, so they substituted the prawn on my plate with a piece of monkfish. We think we are kind of pretentious and snooty, eating cheese for dessert (and both of us with a sweet tooth).

A Love Story

We have an interesting story on how we met—or maybe it’s racy, or naughty, or maybe that is just how life is!
In 1991, I had lived in Sacramento for three years and dated a few men, but not the right ones. My friend suggested I put a personal ad in the free newspaper. I thought it sounded like a poor idea (you know, it would bring out all the nut jobs), but she insisted it was a great idea as I would be able to pick out whoever I liked!
Against my best judgment, I wrote up an ad: I was looking for someone 35 to 50 years old, someone who liked to hike, bike, and camp, someone who was close to retirement, etc.
The way the ads work is this: The girl (or guy) writes the ad, which is published, then makes a recording for the guy (or girl) to hear, so they can leave a message which you can retrieve, and then you call the person who responded to your ad. The ads run in the free newspaper for three weeks.
Okay, then, my ad was published with an error! So I was put-off by that, and decided it really was stupid and a waste of time and I wasn’t going to make a recording, so there!
Then, I checked my messages, and I had five responses, even though I hadn’t made a recording. So, I quick made my recording, but it wasn’t anything like the printed ad—it was kind of more or less a joke.
I kept a notebook of the callers. I know you don’t really know if someone is crazy or not until you meet them, but the guys that called all seemed alright. There were 45 that called. They left their first names; last names; where they worked; their home phone number; their work phone number; how many kids they had; their alimony payment; and whether they were bald, fat, or toothless—all the information a single girl needs!
So, again, like I said, all these guys seemed alright, then Greg called!
First off, it will help to understand the story if you know that Greg is an electronics genius. He was a computer repairman in the Air Force, he worked at a radio station, and I don’t fool with anything electronic without his approval and instruction, so the funny part of the story is coming up.
The messages played in reverse order, so I got this message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the third time I’ve called. I don’t know if I am sending the message or erasing it. I don’t know how to use voice mail”, and he proceeds to tell me a couple things about himself.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the second time I’ve called”. . . .and so on.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg. I’m 32 years old. I’m a babysitter and housekeeper. I’m in a wheelchair”, etc. (I later found out he had never read my printed ad, he just heard my recording).
Before I had even met him, he made me laugh! I laughed all day! I didn’t know if I was going to call him back—you know? He apparently couldn’t read (the wrong age; way, way too young), it was pretty apparent he didn’t bike or hike, close to retirement age???? And what kind of job is a babysitter and housekeeper? Anyway, like I said, I laughed all day, and that evening decided to call him. Maybe he had fallen out of his wheelchair and bumped his head or something, you know? Or needed some other kind of help—like with reading or voice mail. Oh, plus, he had the most magnetic, intriguing, sexiest voice I had ever heard.
So, I called him, but he was busy. Then he called me, and I was busy. Then I called him back at 11:00 p.m. and we talked for three hours; we didn't want to hang up. I know I am not witty, I don’t think fast on my feet, I don’t have funny things to say, and Greg is witty, funny, fast-thinking, articulate, and charming. But, on our first phone call, I was saying funnier things than he was! Now, where did that come from? I was being so clever, that he couldn’t even think of something clever to say back.
We finally decided we would meet the following day. We decided a good, safe, neutral place to meet would be the Sacramento Zoo. But, he didn’t drive, so we couldn’t meet there—I would have to go to his house and pick him up! A very, very good thing that he wasn’t a serial killer or something!
Anyway, I went to the house where he lived with another couple whose baby he took care of, and as soon as we met, we were both, “Oh, you are so cute!” We went to the zoo, and we could hardly look at the animals because we had to look at each other!
He wanted to take me out to dinner the next night, so of course, we did that. And, then the rest of our life happened and we had this picture taken!

Greg and Elaine - September 27, 1992

My Eyes Are Younger Than Me!

Good news following my eye exam! I guess that is something that doesn't usually happen when a person is old. I think my last exam was two years ago and the guy said I had cataracts starting. Today, I found out I have no glaucoma, no cataracts, and no macular degeneration. I told the dr. I thought my vision was better than it used to be, and she confirmed it. She wrote me a new prescription for weaker glasses. She also said my eyes "were set for the computer", so I don't need trifocals. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I have heard previously you can train your eyes to be nearsighted or farsighted by how far you focus your vision; i.e., you can make yourself nearsighted by holding a book too close when reading. I have never been able to get any glasses to work right when I am using the computer, so I have just plodded on typing and typing without glasses, and now I think I have trained my vision to be adjusted to computer work. I still need glasses to drive and to see across the room, but the new prescription is for a lower adjustment. And I have been religious about taking my nutritional supplements, which I think has played a huge role in my improvement and subsiding cataract condition. Anyway, hurray!!!!

"A Walk to Beautiful"

If you have not yet seen this movie, it is being rebroadcast on NOVA. Be sure to watch it. My dear husband had recorded it for me a while ago, not realizing what it was about, but he likes to keep me amused. The subject is kind of . . . let's say, "icky". But we were both deeply touched by the movie, the young women in it, and the charitable organization. The website for the organization is www.fistulafoundation.org and the website for the movie is www.walktobeautiful.com If you like to donate your time or money to worthy causes, I think this is one that would make the top of the list.

Facebook

I finally stepped into the modern age and set up a Facebook page less than two days ago. What an amazing tool for finding missing loved ones! My son has a FB page, and we can instant message each other, and I wrote on his wall. I found a niece I hadn't heard from in more than 30 years, and we have e-mailed each other and written on each other's walls. And I found my son's first girlfriend, from when they were 12! And we e-mailed each other and exchanged a couple of laughs. The story of the first girlfriend: I was so proud of Todd that he called a girl when he was 12 and was so polite. We planned he would invite her to lunch on a Saturday so they could have the entire afternoon to play. We had tater tot casserole for lunch. She was dropped off at our house by her dad, and when she arrived, she was a foot taller than Todd. She was wearing a skirt and hosiery! She was a young lady! We had a lot of fun entertainment planned--board games and MTV, and we had an Atari game. Things went well through lunch and for probably an hour or so, and then Todd's 12-year-oldness got on top of him, and he just had to do somersaults and acrobatics; couldn't help himself, that's what he did best. Hmmm, not a good thing for impressing young ladies. She was very politically correct, though, a very proper young lady, and didn't start crying or go home, but spent the rest of the day talking to Lee. I have shared this with hundreds of people and they all enjoyed it. Todd still makes me laugh and I was very happy to connect with the young lady so we could share the fun of this story.

Head Trauma or Lil' Flip?

I am a person who can’t just wake up and jump in my car and go to work; never have been. It just takes me a while to wake up. If I need to be at work at 4:45, I get up at 2 or 3 a.m., so that I have time (in my words) to “get over myself”.
Everyone knows I have been ill with the flu or some other respiratory-type illness now for a couple weeks, and I am getting tiresome about my symptoms and all their details. I have improved every day, so you can imagine my dismay when I awoke at 5 a.m. on Saturday to prepare myself for work, and I had something wrong with my hearing! It was a horrible buzzing and roaring sound, with blank spots. Okay, I did have an earache with this flu, but I thought it was better, and until now, it hadn’t affected my hearing. My first thought was an ear infection or fluid in my ear. Ohh, wait—my hearing is fine, it’s not my ear at all. The noise I hear is inside my head, a whooshing, sucking sound! My second thought was I had a stroke—only a brain lesion would make that kind of howling noise. Or--nooo, I think I would feel much worse if I had a stroke and maybe not be able to use my arm or leg and be unable to make coffee; the noise isn’t inside my head. Oh, I know, it has been storming—that must be it; yeh, the wind is blowing. Well, hmmm, if the wind is blowing that hard, as unlikely as it is to happen in California, it does sound somewhat similar to a tornado.
So to check on the storm, I pulled open the back door after I had determined I did not have ear infection, wasn’t going deaf, hadn’t had a stroke, and was still able to make (and, most importantly, drink) coffee. It was just Lil’ Flip, a “celebrity” motorcycle rider who lives behind us, riding his stunt cycle, revving the engine, and sliding around corners, over and over, at 5:00 a.m. in the rain. Silly me, I thought stunt riding was a 5 p.m. thing, not a 5 a.m. thing, and it hasn’t been that long ago that he was “stunting” and ran into the mailbox, and broke his arm.
I’m happy to report that my flu symptoms continue to subside, my hearing disorder is gone, and I don’t think Lil’ Flip broke any bones.

Lemon Bars

We are still eating yummy things from the backyard. I have an antique recipe for lemon bars, which I have modified to something more to our taste, more intense. If Greg's family has a potluck, his sisters and cousins are very happy when I bring these. I took pictures, but they were too blurry to put on the blog. When they are in season, I use Meyer lemons from the yard. I use a Pyrex pan--which is better when making acid-y things. And I don't over bake them so the filling stays softer. This was our dessert this evening.

Lemon Bars

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice

Cut together flour, butter, and confectioners sugar. Press into 8" x 8" pan. Bake 20 minutes at 325 - 350 degrees. Beat the remaining ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20 minutes. Be sure to watch closely so they don't over bake.

Baked Potato Soup

I got the idea from Lee to make this soup, and found the recipe on the internet. I have been cooking since I was 7 years old, and don’t care too much about measuring ingredients. This soup is great for free-lancing: you can add more of the stuff you like and leave out whatever you don’t like; you can make it thicker or thinner; and you can make a lighter version with low fat ingredients. Greg had more dental work done today, so this is our dinner. Plus, we are having a storm, so it is definitely soup weather. And baked potatoes are my favorite food of all time.

Baked Potato Soup
· 2/3 cup butter
· 2/3 cup flour
· 7 cups milk
· 4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and cubed, about 4 cups
· 4 green onions, thinly sliced
· 10 to 12 strips bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
· 1 1/4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
· 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour; stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve baked potato soup immediately. This baked potato soup recipe serves 6 to 8.

Todd and Lee at work

I guess this is a day for nostalgia. Check out these two grubby looking little rats. Don't they look proud of the big hole they dug by the front door? Lee thought this might be the first sign that she was considering archeology as a career. They filled in the hole every night and dug it out again every morning. Hmmm, sometimes historical photographs might be more than a mom should look at . . . I wonder why I didn't wash the door once in a while--or ever by the looks of it.

Retro Bride and Groom

Is this picture a treasure, or what? It is my mom and dad on their wedding day.

Therald Esser and Esther Kanz were married on August 21, 1946. My dad was in the Navy during WWII, and then was a farmer all his life. His favorite pastimes were hunting, fishing, and playing cards. Mom was a telephone operator before they were married, and then a professional homemaker. She always cooked and baked awesome things for us to eat, sewed, and loved to garden.

Working at Home

I got behind on the blog because I’ve been “working at home”.
I’ve been told I am “lucky” that I “get to” work at home. Well, yeah, but there are no employer benefits when you’re self employed. I’ve been working at home for almost five years and Greg has been working at home for 17 years. We don’t have an office in the house—it’s the entire house, which is 1,000 square feet and looks like a giant medical record repository. We don’t each have a space that we can call our very own—it is all taken over with medical records stacked here and there. We are never away from work because it is always there, right where we live, on the table where we eat, on the sofa where I sit when I watch TV, on the floor that Greg has to steer his wheelchair around. It is embarrassing or impossible to have people over as there would be no place for them to sit!
I already know most people envision that a person “working at home” is spending more time watching soap operas, sipping coffee, and chatting on the phone than actually turning out work product, or making business calls, or typing up documents. You know—“I work at home”.
I have heard what we do called “turning boxes into books”. That’s a pretty good description of a copy paper box full of medical records condensed down into the 1” of records pertinent to the case which is being reviewed by the physician. To get the box full of records down to 1”, every page has to be read to determine if it is something of value to the doctor, then put in chronological order, and indexed down the right hand side with tabs. For the most part, that is what Greg does for the doctor he works for.
And, for the most part, what I do for the doctor I work for, is take the records that have been condensed down, read all the miserable, scribbled, hand-written, illegible, abbreviated, undated notes and compose a medical record summary as I am typing. I have to read, compose, type, and turn pages all at the same time.
Now, I like computer work. But games and e-mail are 180 degrees in the other direction from sitting in one spot for hours, squinting at illegible stuff, condensing one page into one sentence, and grammatically typing it all at the same time, while you correctly spell medical terms.
On the plus side, I like setting my own schedule and not having to wait on someone else’s schedule. I like not having to drive someplace every day. I like being able to take a break and throw laundry in and out of the washer and dryer, and put something in the oven, and watch the business channel on TV, and read the on-line newspapers when I want to.
But then there are many more days and weeks like the one happening right now.
On Wednesday, I was in bed with a fever, ill with the influenza. No paid sick day. So, when I got up on Thursday, I was feeling somewhat better, and wanted to start working right away, doing something “easy”, as I was still ill. To get a quick start, I didn’t get dressed (my first mistake), and typed line item summaries of medical records while I was still in my pajamas. Then, all day long, I couldn’t take time to get dressed, so actually slopped around the house in my pajamas until I went to bed at 11:30 (my usual bedtime is 8:00). I didn’t have time to make anything to eat, but there was a quarter serving of leftover spaghetti I warmed up. Greg had to run errands in the middle of the afternoon, so I asked him to get me French toast sticks at Jack-In-The-Box; he got two tacos for himself. No time to get any fruit or vegetables prepared, no time to do laundry, no time to exercise, no time to clean, no time to even be able to drink enough fluids, no time to go outdoors for fresh air and sunshine. I mean, there was NO TIME!
After I spent more than four hours writing the line item summary, I did my next “easy” project, which took 10 hours. The medical records were on a disc. Seems like that should be a time saver, huh? Nope. There were 1499 pages of records on the disc, and I had to read all of them, decide if it was pertinent to the case, print the pages I needed, highlight the info I wanted, and put the records in chronological order so I would be able to easily see if the next records were duplicates. If I had received the actual hard copies of the records, I could have gone through them in probably two hours instead of ten hours. That was indeed the “easy” part of this record review. Today, I am writing the line item summary of the records. So far, it has taken seven hours and I’m not yet one-fourth the way through.
I’m not complaining, or at least not much. I am grateful, very grateful, that I have a job when so many others don’t. I can wear my pajamas and make tea, and eat junk food while I work. But, it is also the most physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding job I have ever done. It is not a job that is conducive to taking breaks, as you have to keep up the pace to make progress. I get all kinds of great advice from people who have never written a line item summary that I should take frequent breaks, but the work would never get done if I was taking breaks a couple times every hour; a certain momentum has to be maintained to get to the end.
So, for those of you who wish you could “work at home”, I encourage you to give it a try. Find out how great it is to balance your dinner on a stack of medical records. Feel the embarrassment of having friends over and there is literally no place to sit because every chair is covered with medical records. Try navigating a wheelchair through a maze of boxes full of records or around stacks of paper that are slipping everywhere. Work 15 hour days because your work is where you live and there is no chance to take a break, and if you don't get it done and out of the house, you will be deluged.
We don't feel like we have a home--it is just storage for other folk's medical records. And that doesn't even touch all the bad karma we are accruing by having other people's medical conditions all over our house.

January 20

I set up this display last night. Good thing we saved the campaign sign. We were up by 6:00 to start the inauguration day party. We are more hopeful for our country now that President Obama is in office. Our country needs so much in the way of health care, economic, educational, and social reform. I watched the entire inauguration festivities--so far, and saw the Fergus Falls Marching Band, who were all very cute indeed as they marched past the viewing booth.
Now, I'm not sure how the dinner turned out. The roast was overdone and dry, the Yorkshire pudding didn't puff very much and stuck to the pan so there wasn't a lot in the way of presentation, and I put too much vinegar in the Green Goddess dressing. The cake, carrots, and wine were delicious, though.
Well, now I must go and take down our sign as we think it will be a collector's item, and our first one was stolen from the lawn on Halloween.

Inauguration Day Menu

I understand the Obama family prefers organic, local, and seasonal dietary choices, but in celebration of the inauguration, we are having a retro menu: roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, salad with Green Goddess dressing, German chocolate cake, and a bottle of Frivolo to wash it all down.
Since I could read cook books, I have had a strange fascination with Yorkshire pudding. I haven’t made it--just puzzled over the reason a person would bake cream puff batter in beef fat, and then eat it (???). It still doesn’t make sense, but I am going to give it a try.
Green Goddess dressing was always my favorite, but I haven’t been able to find it in stores for years, and I am pretty sure that no one makes it anymore. I have the recipe in at least two cook books, and have never made it, mostly because I found the ingredients objectionable. I don’t know why Green Goddess dressing tastes so good when it is made with such odd materials. This project required I purchase my very first tube of anchovy paste, ever.
German chocolate cake—doesn’t really need much explanation other than it is Greg’s favorite.
The Frivolo isn’t retro. Greg bought me a case for Christmas and it is reserved for only very special occasions, such as the inauguration of our best hope to save the USA.
Our recipe-writing ancestors weren’t much for paying attention to saturated fat or cholesterol, were they?
Oh, alright, I will throw a few carrots in with the roast and slice a plate of oranges for our vitamins A and C.

Belated Christmas Presents!

We got a fabulous gift today—cookies and venison! The gift from my brother and sister-in-law was on hold due to Greg having a root canal done and being unable to eat much of anything good, and a serious shortage of home made cookies. Everything was in perfect condition when we got the overnight Fed Ex delivery. I was just planning to make up some fried eggs for breakfast, so we had the eggs and slim jims, followed by a “cookie buffet”. Bless her heart, my sister-in-law sent more than 6 ½ dozen cookies! And they are all delicious. We had just finished up our other Christmas goodies, so this was welcome indeed.

This is the venison, which we love and which is difficult for us to get as Greg is no longer able to hunt. From the left, ring sausage, slim jims, and jerky. The ring sausage was still frozen solid when it arrived from North Dakota. We are having sausage and mashed potatoes for our dinner tonight.

These are the cookies: spritz, peanut butter blossoms, candy cane topped sugar cookies, peanut butter with peanut cookies, M & M cookies, and a peanut butter-coconut-corn flake cream cookie dipped in chocolate. We both love the peanut cookies. Greg’s other favorite is the spritz and my other favorite is the candy cane topped cookie, with little pieces of crushed up candy cane in the cookie.

Its a really good thing I am back on my walking and Gazelle exercise program.

Pink Lemonade

This is a seasonal treat, made with ingredients from our own backyard. Lemonade made with Meyer lemons--spiked with blood oranges. Greg likes his with sugar and I like mine with stevia. It's delicious and full of antioxidants.

Valley Weather--Again!

There aren't any photos today. Yesterday, I was complaining about the weather, being 27 degrees and all. Today, on January 12, we are getting our first taste of spring. It is 60 degrees on the dark side of the house, and in the sun, it is warmer than the inside of the house! I took the back road home from Folsom and there are California golden poppies blooming! We haven't even had any rain yet, which is a bad sign, but Greg is hopeful that the rainy season isn't done.

Backyard Projects

I love blood oranges and planted this poor thing in a pot about 10 years ago with the intention I would some day dig a big hole in the backyard and plant it.

Here is another blood orange tree in a pot in my backyard.

This is a miniature Meyer lemon--its also waiting to be planted in the ground. I didn't give it much care this year, but the lemons are amazing!

And this is a pot of daffodils in the backyard, blooming in 27 degree weather in January! They have since been cut and brought in the house as I just can't see good daffodils freezing.

Coco--A Very Tough Little Cat

First off, I should apologize to Coco for using such a horrible picture of her. She really doesn't look like a devil cat, but she is difficult to capture, so this is the best we got.
She is just a little gal, about 5 pounds, and is really a little old lady, almost 14 years old, but she has a yowl like a mountain lion and basically is the "person" who runs this household.
On Sunday, I noticed she had a bad looking bottom tooth, so I made an appointment on Monday for her to see the vet on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning before she even had breakfast, she got boxed up and carted off to the doctor. The exam was quick and didn't sound good--she had at least the one tooth, and probably two, that needed to be extracted. She has a long-standing history of thyroid disease; and yes, she has a goiter, and we have been giving her pills for that for years. But as she has aged, I guess her thyroid has gotten worse, as the vet determined, after lab work, we need to give her two pills per day. Yes, I know I am a nurse, but administration of pills to this gal is man's work, so Greg does that.
She had her dental procedure done, and the reports we received were that she was a very good kitty. I picked her up on Wednesday morning and then got the final report, which was shocking. The poor little thing had eight teeth removed! We were instructed to give her soft food for about one week. And she ate a whole can in less than 24 hours! I guess she must not have been able to eat very well with her poor, old broken teeth and she was hungry! Greg thought he would set out a bowl of her regular dry food for her today, and even with the not-yet-healed extractions, she gobbled down half a bowl. It seems she is on the road to recovery.
We really didn't have any idea that her teeth were so bad, and the vet reassured us that we aren't really bad cat parents, that cats don't process pain the way humans do, and that cat's teeth can get really bad before it is noticed.

California Orange Tree

This is the orange tree that I have agonized over for 15 years. 2008 was apparently not much of an orange year as they look kind of sparse. Whether I water, fertilize, and prune really does not make much of a difference in regard to the quality of the oranges. The picture doesn't really do the oranges justice as most of them are larger than grapefruit. As we have heard that oranges should not be picked until after Jan. 1, we just had our first "taste test" today. We usually don't pick the last ones until Valentine's Day.

One of Greg's favorite "orange products" is grated rind mixed with sugar. It keeps for a year in a Mason jar in the refrigerator and you can use it to sweeten tea or sprinkle it on anything.

Another yummy thing to make with oranges is orange butter to spread on warm toast. Cream together 2 Tbsp. butter and 4 Tbsp. powdered sugar, add 2 tsp. orange juice, and 1/2 to 1 tsp. grated orange rind.

HP Printer Ink Cartridge

Hi Everyone. Does anyone use an HP 57 tricolor ink cartridge? I mistakenly bought it, ripped the package open to put it in the printer, and then found out it doesn't work in our printer. I obviously can't return it. Let me know if you can use it and I will mail it to you.