Fog ~ Rain ~ Picture of the Day ~ Odd Named Cities in Nevada ~ Monkey Bread Muffins ~ John & Tanya Berokoff ~ National Maple Syrup Day

 

Good 42º super foggy morning. 

 

 

Yesterday looked like rain, but I didn't even know it was until Dude came in wet!!! That was about 11am. The it started raining hard about 12:30. Didn't last long and we didn't get the wind as the Extreme Weather Alert said we would. I think we got about 1/4" of the rain. No sun all day..............

 

Picture of the Day..... then and now, Ann-Margaret

Last name Olsson, born in Sweden, and was married to Roger Smith from 1967 until his death in 2017

 

 

Interesting about cities in Nevada...

 

Scotty’s Junction 

This one’s not that crazy, but it does have a really great story.  

The town started as a depot for the building of Scotty’s Castle, a millionaire’s mansion now part of Death Valley National Park.  Interestingly, Scotty was not the millionaire.  Instead, he was a prospector, con man, and major-league character that the millionaire – Chicago insurance magnet Albert Johnson – took to in a very big way. Today, the town has 11 people, and includes two businesses, a truckstop/campground, and a brothel (The Shady Lady).

 

 

Stagecoach

Named after the John Ford Western of 1938, this town is a wonderful example of life imitating art.  Not.

 

Stagecoach is just east of Carson City on Route 50.   It’s got a little over 1,800 people.  Beyond that, it sounds pretty darn boring.  I’d say about 90% of the results on Google Images for this place are small houses, trailers, or lots for sale.

 

Lovelock

Now, does this have anything to do with the Shady Lady?

 

Unfortunately, it does not.  It does have everything to do, however, with one George Lovelock, an early settler.  If you’re wondering where the heck that name comes from, it was actually not an uncommon one for a Middle Age dandy who cared a lot about his hair.  I kid you not. What started out as a lush spot along the Humboldt Trail, then a station on the Southern Pacific, eventually became the metropolis of 2,000 that it is day.  In addition to being the county seat of Pershing County, Lovelock also boasts a major prison, one which once housed O.J. Simpson. 

 

 

Winnemucca

This is funny enough in itself, but it’s even better in translation.  Turns out the town was named after one Chief Winnamucca, whose name means “one moccasin.”  So, was he known for forgetting to put the other one on?  “Hey, uh, Chief.  You, uh, forgot your moccasin [again].”  Winnemucca is actually pretty big time.  It has over 7,000 Winnemuccans and is also the county seat of Humboldt County. 

 

Local industries include mining, gaming, prostitution, and manning the many hotels and restaurants along I-80.  That last one is particularly important, as it’s 350 miles to anything going east and 165 to anything going west. Ever on the lookout for those elusive tourists, Winnemucca has used many slogans over the years, including “Proud of It,” “Chukar Capital of the U.S.,” and “City of Paved Streets” – none of which I am making up.  Events to draw in said  tourists include a Mule Show, a Basque Festival, and the Run-a-Mucca Motorcycle Rally.

 

 

Steamboat

Hard to associate Nevada with water, let alone with steamboats.

Well, the map shows that this place is south of Carson City, and in very near proximity to Steamboat Springs as well as Steamboat Creek.  My guess is that the vents, fumaroles , and geysers around the hot springs let off their steam in much the same way that a steamboat might.  It’s how Steamboat Springs, CO got its name, after all.

 

Legend has it that none other than Mark Twain was the one who gave the Nevada springs their name.  Other famous visitors include Ulysses S. Grant, Jack Dempsey, and Man o’ War.  The spa is still there today, but the suburbs of Carson City seem to be fast encroaching.

 

 

Deeth

A typo for “teeth”?  Misspelling of “death”?

Well, you’ve got your choice of two stories with this one:

• The first does indeed relate to death.  The story goes that travelers without enough water would certainly meet their death in this inhospitable region (the northeast part of the state).  How we got from “death” to “deeth,” though, isn’t quite as clear.
• The second is that the town was named after an early settler named Deeth.

Deeth is, in fact, a not totally unheard of surname.  The boring explanation for the surname is that it comes from an Old English word for tinder, dytha, and signifies someone who gathered it for a living.  Interestingly, the name is sometimes spelled “Death” (but still pronounced “deeth”). This near ghost town has 20-some flesh-and-blood inhabitants (though it had 250 at its height). 

 

 

Searchlight

Okay, there are three tall tales for this one:

• A prospector who once said, “You’d need a searchlight to find gold here.”
• A brand of matches
• Searchlights used to guide miners to the brothels in town
• A guy named Floyd Searchlight (???)

This small town of 500 is just south of Las Vegas.  Historically, there were boom periods for gold and silver mining and for the Hoover Dam.  It has one famous son, Senator Harry Reid, and a couple of famous former residents, including Clara Bow and Edith Head.

 

 

Weed Heights

Formerly Heights of Weed, the town’s name was changed when the Chamber of Commerce types got tired of all the stoners that seemed to be attracted to the place.

Seriously, this place was actually created and named by the Anaconda Copper Company.  What kind of employees they were trying to attract, though, when they called it something like “Weed Heights” is not entirely clear.

 

Well, wouldn’t you know …  As it turns out, it just so happens that one Clyde E. Weed was the mine manager.  Poor schmuck.  Poor townsfolk.

 

This one’s just east of Carson City.  Now that the mine’s closed, it’s almost a ghost town.  There is a nice view of the very blue water that filled the old pit (and is now an EPA Superfund site!).

 

 

Pahrump 

Sounds like something some 19^th Century prospector might have said when his diggings revealed nothing.  You know …  Pshaw!  Hurrumph!  Fiddlesticks!  Pahrump!

 

Well, believe it or not, it actually could have been worse.  The name is from the Indian pah-rimpi, which means “water rock.”  Pahrimpi, Pahrump … Pahrimpi, Pahrump …  Ah, heck, it’s a toss-up.

 

Pahrump is just west of Lost Wages, with Mt. Charleston separating the two.  It’s actually got 36,000 inhabitants, and boasts casinos, racetracks, wineries, and more of those completely legal brothels that Nevada is famous for (including the well-known Chicken Ranch).

 

• Just a little out of place – Boulder City, Sun Valley, Austin, Alamo, Dayton, Manhattan, Virginia City, Charleston, Genoa, Golconda, Mercury

 

 

 

 

Monkey Bread Muffins

 

 

• 1 tube (16 ounce) refrigerated Grands Buttermilk Biscuits
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

 

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix with your hands, coating all the pieces.
4. Place about 3 biscuit pieces in each muffin cup.There will be 2 leftover, use as you wish.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until cooked through and golden. Remove from oven and serve warm.

 

 

 

Special anniversary today.... high school friend John Berokoff and his bride Tanya are celebrating Anniversary #51! Congratulations kids!

This picture taken at Sierra Park Grammar School:

back row L-R Gary Dimkitch (deceased), Janice Farrar (unknown where she is), and John Berokoff

.... and front row L-R

me, Myra Osborne (unknown where she is either), and Linda Watterlond

 

And here's a recent one John sent to me...

                                     Beautiful couple!

 

 

 

 

Historically this date..........

1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs, stating that sightings are generated as a result of "A mild form of mass hysteria, Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity, psychopathological persons, and misidentification of various conventional objects."

 

And births this date include....

1894 – Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (d. 1979)

LOVED loved loved watching him conduct the Boston Pops! When Brian was a little guy, 2 or so, he'd sit on my lap and conduct with Mr. Fiedler! Cute!

1927 – Richard Long, American actor (d. 1974)

                                    Big Valley... big fav!

 

1947 – Wes Studi, American actor

 

1953 – Barry Livingston, American actor

 

1962 – Richard Jewell, American security guard and accused bomber (d. 2007)

 

Later I watched my Patriots lose to the Steelers. ☹

Our sunset at 4:45 was colorful....

 

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Monday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

December 17 is the perfect day to begin the day with pancakes, french toast or biscuits topped off with delicious maple syrup as you celebrate National Maple Syrup Day.

It is usually from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple or black maple trees that maple syrup is made from although it not limited to those maple species.

These trees, in cold climates, store starch in their trunks and in their roots.  In the spring, the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap.  The maple trees are then tapped by boring holes into their trunks and the released sap is collected.  After the sap is collected, it is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

Maple syrup was first collected, processed and used by the indigenous peoples of North America.  The practice was then adopted by the European settlers who gradually refined production methods.  In the 1970s further refinements in the syrup processing were made with technological improvements.

• A maple syrup production farm is called a sugarbush or a sugarwood.
• Sap is boiled in a sugar house which is also known as a sugar shack, sugar shanty or a cabane à sucre.

Up until the 1930s the United States led in maple syrup production, now Canada is the world’s largest maple syrup producer.

Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States.

 

Clouds ~ Temps ~ Shopping ~ Fun Sweatshirt ~ Bruiser ~ Picture of the Day ~ Ukulele ~ Melting Potatoes ~ Dinner ~ National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

Good 42º very cloudy morning. 

We are under a wind advisory through tomorrow and 100% chance of rain today. Stayin' in! 

 

 

Yesterday I managed to get out and do a little shopping. I wore my red sweatshirt....

 

It always gets lots of comments and laughs!

 

The weather stayed the same old cloudy and cool all day. We warmed to 46º. 

 

 

Bruiser is such and investigator. He likes to sit on the fence posts and watch the pasture for something interesting. But, when I step outside with my camera to take his picture, he immediately moves!

 

 

 

Picture of the Day..... Then and now... Robert Redford:

 

 

Interesting about ukulele.....

The word ukulele in Hawaiian means jumping flea. The term is used to refer to a musical string instrument (plucked, nylon stringed instrument usually played with the bare thumb and/or fingertips, or a felt pick). Today the ukulele is used worldwide. It is featured in TV shows, movies, opera, etc. and is especially poplar with millions of individuals in the countries of Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In the 19th century, a former British army officer named Edward Purvis was living in Hawaii. He became an official at the royal court of King Kalakaua. Purvis was given the Hawaiian nickname of 'Ukulele'. He was considered to be a small and lively person and therefore, he was called Ukulele ("jumping flea") by friends and others.

When Portuguese immigrants arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1879, they brought several of their native musical instruments. One of the instruments was a small four-stringed guitar. Purvis liked this new instrument. He learned to play it. In time the small guitar became a general favorite with everyone on the islands. It took the nickname ukulele of the man (Purvis) who had made it popular and had completely incorporated its use in and outside of the Hawaiian society.

 

 

From Jeff the Closet Cook.... (closet size kitchen!)

Melting Potatoes

 

 

Magical roasted potatoes that are crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside in a tasty lemon an garlic sauce!

Looking for a side dish for tonights dinner? These melting potatoes are amazing! They are roasted in butter in a pan until the edges are all nice and golden brown and crispy before they are finished by roasting in a lemon and garlic chicken broth/sauce until the insides are so nice and soft that they melt in your moth! These melting potatoes are one of those game changing side dishes that once you try them, you’ll never go back!

 

• 1 1/2 pounds yellow fleshed potatoes (such as Yukon gold), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

 

1. Toss the potatoes in the mixture of the butter, thyme, salt and pepper, arrange in a single layer on a metal baking pan and bake in a preheated 500º over on the top-middle rack until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, per side.
2. Flip the potatoes again, add the broth, lemon juice and garlic and roast for another 10 minutes

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1707 – Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan

1773 – American Revolution: Boston Tea Party – Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawksdump crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act.

 

1811 – The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri. These four so-called mega-quakes are believed to be an ongoing cataclysmic danger that could reprise the 1811-12 series of 2,000 quakes that affected the lands of what would be eight of today's heartland states of the United States.

 

1985 – Mafia: In New York City, Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of the Gambino family.

 

 

2003 – President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 into law. The law establishes the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission to enforce its provisions.

 

 

 

And births this date include...

1938 – Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress

 

 

1961 – Sam Robards, American actor

Son of Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall....

L-R Bogart's daughter Leslie, Sam, Lauren, Bogart's son Steven

 

 

1963 – Benjamin Bratt, American actor

 

 

Later dinner was Schwans 3 Cheese & Spinach Ravioli I dumped in boiling water, cooked, and drained. Then I put some cheese soup and some white clam sauce in a pan and heated it.........

 

Added in the ravioli and some of Schwans roasted sweet potatoes....

 

SUPER GOOD!!!

 

That and a piece of pumpkin pie for dessert!

 

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Sunday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo 

If you are a chocolate lover, December 16th is your day!  If you could cover anything in chocolate, what would it be? It’s National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! There are so many foods that are improved by covering them in chocolate, we do not have time to list them all.  So go ahead, indulge, as this day is a chocolate lovers dream come true. 

HOW TO OBSERVE

Pick up some chocolate covered anything or try your hand a coating chocolate on one of your favorite treats.

(Chocolate covered bacon..... huh, Karen?)

Frozen ~ Clouds ~ Wind ~ Rain ~ Phone ~ Picture of the Day ~ Hippopotamus Sweat ~ Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Chicken ~ Alyssa Santisteven ~ National Cupcake Day

Good 39º high foggy morning.

Yesterday morning with not many clouds the sun came out and warmed things up. From 27º we went to  36º. Then about 10am the clouds moved in... and left again and moved in again....

We had a severe weather alert for high winds. At noon it looked like it was raining on my mountain and the wind picked up wild! And yes, it started raining here... wind blew the rain all over my windows! POURED.   https://youtu.be/oiQuZ-T2AfE

That lasted for an hour, then the POURING stopped and it just rained.

After that, without sun, we warmed to 49º.

It was doing the same in Grants Pass. In fact, their camera lens got rain on it....

The phone company guys got here about 2pm and fortunately for them it was only raining softly by then. Here they are wayyyyyyyy down from my house working with a bucket to get the wires taken care of.....

Fortunately they got the problem fixed and my phone is working perfectly again! 

Picture of the Day.... LOL!

Interesting about hippos.....

The hippopotamus or hippo mystified ancient Greeks because it appeared to sweat blood. Although hippos do sweat a red liquid, it isn't blood. 

The Hippo's skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-colored. The secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood sweat", but is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colorless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. Two distinct pigments have been identified in the secretions, one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). The two pigments are highly acidic compounds. Both pigments inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria; as well, the light absorption of both pigments peaks in the ultraviolet range, creating a sunscreen effect. All hippos, even those with different diets, secrete the pigments, so it does not appear that food is the source of the pigments. Instead, the animals may synthesize the pigments from precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine. Nevertheless, this natural sunscreen cannot prevent the animal's skin from cracking if it stays out of water too long.

Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Chicken (Low Carb) 

Now this sounds awesome. Gonna make it, soon. Will get the ingredients when I go to the market.

Are you looking for a delicious low carb chicken recipe? Our Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Chicken so easy to throw together and so good! Serves 6-8

• 16 oz Cream Cheese softened
• 9 oz Frozen Spinach cooked and drained well
• 14.5 oz Artichoke Hearts chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken 
• salt and pepper to taste

• Place the chicken in the bottom of a casserole crock or traditional 6 quart slow cooker.
• Salt and Pepper well.
• In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, spinach, artichokes, garlic and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in mozzarella cheese. And then spoon over the chicken.
• Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Notes

• We liked to use our casserole crock for recipes like this. However, if you don't have a casserole crock, you can use a traditional 6 quart slow cooker.
• This recipe works best if your cream cheese is VERY soft to mix with the other ingredients. If it isn't soft, pop it in the microwave for 30 sec to make it nice and creamy to mix in.

Special birthday today...

Phil & Suzanne Santisteven (both LASD ret) are celebrating their daughter, Alyssa's birthday today. HAPPY 20th  BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!

Historically this date...........

 

1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.

1939 – Gone with the Wind receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy]], after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10, 1973.

After the trauma of his ear being cut off, he suffered emotionally and was in a self induced drug coma and later suffered paralysis.

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.

1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan

2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.

And births this date include

1892 – J. Paul Getty, American oil tycoon (d. 1976)

... amazing his grandson was found on his birthday!

1918 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (d. 1961)

1949 – Don Johnson, American actor

Man oh man, his "marriages" and associations with women are something else!

I had to make a quick trip to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. I picked up my mail and got a number of Christmas cards. I so appreciate every one. I do not send cards anymore, spend all my creative time working on the blog! Thank you thank you if you sent me a card. ♥♥♥♥♥

 After the rain stopped, Bruiser was happy to be out and about....

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Saturday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

Each year, December 15th also recognizes National Cupcake Day. The cupcake was originally known as the 1-2-3-4 cake because the recipe called for 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, 4 eggs and also 1 cup of milk and 1 spoonful of baking soda.

The single-serve cake makes it convenient for serving and sharing.  Today there are a variety of recipes and just as many flavors to choose from.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Bake a batch of cupcakes and share them with a friend or two.  Try one of these recipes:

http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/food/margarita-cupcakes

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/10/29/red-velvet-cupcakes/