Shopping ~ Cowboy Caviar ~ PJ's Birthday

Good 45º sunny morning.

Yesterday I dropped the laptops with Turk. He seems to think there are too many processes running in each of them and looked like a couple of firewalls in action. We'll see in a day or so. Then to Brian's office to drop off a "Gulf War Veteran" sticker I got. Next The Grange for nyjer seed. Got a free 20# bag ... after you buy 10 bags of any kind of birdseed you get a free one! That was a $24 bag!!! Then to the Redwood Nursery and their plants were AWFUL! So, to Bi-Mart. Got basil, lemon balm, Italian parsley, lemon thyme, Greek oregano, and some wrinkled leaf basil. Off to the health food store for chewable Vitamin C's, and the post office to pick up a package.

When I got home I potted all the plants. Hint** when potting plants put a coffee filter in the bottom of the pot, keeps the dirt from coming out and lets the water run through!

I am always impressed every summer at the absolutely gorgeous hanging baskets of petunias in Grants Pass....

They are all over town and blooming like mad all summer long.

Now here's a recipe that is super good, easy, great for parties or not.... Dee made this for our last porch party. She said it's from Sunset Magazine.

 

2 T red wine vinegar

1 1/2 - 2 t. hot sauce (sriracha)

1 1/2 t. salad  oil

1 clove garlic minced or pressed

1/8 t. pepper

1 firm ripe avocado

1 can black-eyed peas

1 can white shoepeg corn

2/3 c. thin sliced green onions

2/3 c. chopped fine cilantro

1/2 pound coarse chopped Roma tomatoes

salt

chips ...

Mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper. Peel and pit and cut into small cubes the avocado. Drain and rinse the peas and corn. Add peas, corn, onion, cilantro, tomatoes and avocado. Mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste.

Use 'scoop' type chips, great on eggs, on salad.... Mmmmm...

Thanks Dee!


 

Dave and PJ came up in the late afternoon. Dave pounded the metal post into the ground, that I couldn't do Wednesday!

PJ and I sat on the porch with a glass of wine. Nice. Hit about 76º. How perfect is that?


 

Historically this date....

1908 – SOS is adopted as the international distress signal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS

1963 – ZIP Codes are introduced for United States mail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code

1979 – Sony introduces the Walkman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman

1981 – The Wonderland Murders occurred in the early morning hours, allegedly masterminded by businessman and drug dealer Eddie Nash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderland_Murders

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holmes_(actor)

And births this date include....

1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-born actress

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_de_Havilland

1931 – Leslie Caron, French actress  

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Caron

In her book Thank Heaven she states that she became an American citizen—evidently based on her mother having been born in the United States—in time to vote for Obama for President. (!)

1934 – Jamie Farr, American actor

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Farr

American television, film , and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal (later Sergeant) Maxwell Q. Klinger in the television sitcom M*A*S*H.
...............now this is funny because Jerry and Jim Klinger worked together at the Range!

1952 – Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor

He has vineyards and a winery. I bought some of his Chardonnay. It was good!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd

1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Charles's ex wife (d. 1997)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales

... and this is the birthday of Captain James Hellmold! He was a Deputy at Lakewood when I worked there. Super guy, good friend!

Happy Birthday Jimmy!!!

And today is a special birthday, my good buddy and BFF Pat, aka PJ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ!!!!!

.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸ ☆ ★ ☆ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★Happy Birthday ★
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ ☆ PJ!!! ★ ☆
║╚╦╦═╣╚╣╚╦╝╠═╦╦╗☆ ¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
...║╬║║╔╣╔╣║║╬║╬║║║.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•
╚═╩╩╝╚═╩╩╩═╩╩╩╗║¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆

All I know. Happy Friday. Ciao.

xo Mom-Soupy-Sue

July oneth....

International Chicken Wing Day

 

Dang Computers! ~ Scary Spider ~ Ice Cream Soda

   

Good 46º, somewhat cloudy morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, here is a hot button with me...

Pledge of Allegiance Divides Oregon Town

Watch this video:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1028712289001/pledge-of-allegiance-divides-oregon-town/
 (you will have to copy and paste this link to your browser)

What will we become.... socialists/communists? Sounds like we are heading that direction!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again yesterday, an interesting weather day. Started out overcast and very cloudy. Then the breezes started, some sun broke through, a PERFECT day! We hit 74º. Awesome.

I spent the majority of the day working on computer projects. Then I called Bob, our Qwest "Network Tech" and told him I was having a problem getting my laptops to engage with the wifi. He gave me some hints as to what to do, but they didn't work. So, "since he was close by" he stopped in. He got my little notebook sized computer on line (Acer 8"x10" 

)but couldn't get the big laptop to come on. Sum Ting Wong. Later I tried to go on line with the little LT and nana. Grrrrr. I called Turk and, sweet man that he is, said to bring them by. I'll do that tomorrow.  

So, then Maggie and I went down in the pasture to pound a post into the spot where Dean ran over a pipe (groan...) when brush-hogging,  so as to mark the spot... 

I have the pounder on top of the post, but I don't have enough height or strength to get it pounded into the ground. Sigh..... The post is over 6' tall and it was all I could do to reach the pounder handles! So, it sits there.....  Then I saw a berry bush that came up over night... and sprayed it...

The view from down there is neat...

And Maggs was enjoying the ride...

...The sky towards Grants Pass (west) was ominous... but there is nothing on the radar...

We went to get our mail .. taking pictures along the way..

And stopped to chat with Cindy who was outside with her grandson Evan...

He is the smiley guy. So cute!

Cindy said Mr. Skunk was down there under the porch. Swell. He traveled quite a ways in his condition! Poor sick skunk! 

Historically this date....

1864 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln grants Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort and recreation".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley

1882 – Charles J. Guiteau is hanged in Washington, D.C. for the assassination of U.S. President James Garfield.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_J._Guiteau

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Garfield

1953 – The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette

And births this date include.....

1917 – Susan Hayward, American actress (d. 1975)

Her death might be contributed to the radioactive fall out from atomic bomb test when filming the movie The Conqueror with John Wayne. Several production members as well as Wayne, Agnes Moorehead, and Pedro Armendariz later died from cancer-related illnesses. But, hell, they all smoked like mad!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Hayward

1917 – Lena Horne, American singer and actress (d. 2010)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Horne

1959 – Vincent D'Onofrio, American actor

 

OMG, he was in Full Metal Jacket! He was the strange one who killed himself!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_D%27Onofrio

1966 – Mike Tyson, American boxer

I discussed him in my blog on the 28th.

 

Ha! Quite the oinker now!

.....

and today is the birthday of a former Temple City neighbor of ours... Debbie (Mehl) Taylor. Mother of darling girls (Lindsay Windsay - Heather Weather- and Heidi), pretty lady, and a newlywed! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE!!!!!

In my bathroom last evening I found Harley sound asleep in the window

and a HUGE SPIDER in the bathtub!

OMG. I am such a spider fraidy cat

!

HARLEY GET THE SPIDER!!! What, you are so not interested? Gaaaaaa.... So I took a big gulp, put on my big girl panties, took a Kleenex and GRABBED it! Ooooohhhhhh I could feel it wiggling in the Kleenex! YIKES. I ran outside and left it on a brick! Sigh...................

All I know. Nuff said. Ciao.

xo Mom-Soupy-Sue

June 30th

National Ice Cream Soda Day

~ 1/3" Rain ~ Grape Salad ~ Camera Day ~

  

Good 58º cloudy morning. Pressure coming back up, no rain predicted, but you wouldn't be able to tell by the looks of my mountain!

Total rainfall yesterday was .33"

Today is the 180th day of the year, with 185 days remaining.

Ok, this is just too interesting. It is a "human clock" with all these little naked men ...

http://lovedbdb.com/nudemenClock/index2.html 

You will have to copy and paste it to your browser... sorry.

It will tell you what time it is whatever time zone you are in and if you click on it anywhere it will change to digital.  Amazing! Thanks Jimmy (Pierce ...former LASD pilot extrodinaire!) for this. xo

Now here is another favorite recipe of mine. First thing you will do is turn up your nose and say, "Ewwwwww". Be open minded, please.

This came from Jerry's dad's mom, Lena Edwards Maxwell, a Texas lady who always made this to go with her fried chicken.

 
Grape- Peanut Butter Salad

1 bunch green seedless grapes, rinsed, drained and off the stem.

1 cup (or thereabouts) of Best Foods Mayonnaise

1 cup (or thereabouts) of creamy peanut butter

Mix the peanut butter and mayonnaise together until smooth and add grapes. Stir. Amounts of peanut butter and mayo depend on the amount of grapes.

Be brave and try this. OMG it is sooooo good. Addictive! And kids absolutely adore it. Once the mayo and pb are blended it cuts the pb taste and there is no mayo taste. Compliments cold grapes!

Warmed to what felt like about 75º but with a breeze it was only 71º. Stayed cloudy all day. This was 3:30pm ....

.... and this was 6:30pm...

So, what happens is ..... when company leaves .. Harley beats feet upstairs to his favorite napping spot!

I have watering cans around the porch and learned painfully a long time ago that little tree frogs love being inside the watering cans. But, the spouts have too small a diameter and the frogs would get stuck, one died trying to get out. So, now I cut off the spout so it's big enough for Mr. Froggy ....

Animal lovers you have got to see this video Ben Hunt sent me. It's a pitbull  and a kitten. OMG, I was laughing out loud!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czhpQe-56qg&feature=player_embedded

Historically this date....

1974 – Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina. Her husband, President Juan Peron, had delegated responsibility due to weak health and died two days later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Per%C3%B3n

1974 – Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with Bolshoi Ballet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Baryshnikov

And births this date include.... 

1919 – Slim Pickens, American actor (d. 1983)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Pickens

1944 – Gary Busey, American actor

Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, assaults, many arrests, and all 'supposedly' related  to a non-helmet wearing motorcycle accident in 1988 that left him "impaired".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Busey

.... and today is Steve Skrnich's 55th birthday. Dave is a Sgt on LASD and was an Explorer Scout at Temple when Jerry worked there. He hero-worshiped Jerry and emulated him, down to the huge old cigar! Jerry taught Dave to drive in our yellow 1955 Chevy pick-up. Not easy to master for a kid, a "three on the tree", break, gas pedal, and starter button on the floor. Jerry said he "hiccupped" all the way across the Daines Dr./El Monte Ave! Hi David!! Miss you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (How'd you get this old???)

Had a very special phone call last night. An old high school pal, Gary (Duke) Rovarino! We never dated, but did hold hands in English Lit class.  He was on the Sheriff's Department and retired in 1997. What a blast from the past to hear his voice. I saw him a few times around the department (you have to realize, we had 10,000 sworn personnel so you can't see everyone!) but the one time that stuck in my mind was at our annual Chili Cook-Off and he was cooking for SEB in a long sleeved white shirt without a spot of chili on it!!! Amazing. I must have a picture of that somewhere!

This is his high school picture. Thanks for the call Duke!!!

All I know. Nuff said. Ciao.

xo Mom-Soupy-Sue

June 29th

Camera Day

  

Wow! Cool!