Happy Anniversary to us!

Today was our first anniversary in PA but our 38th all told. We celebrated with lunch at Kazimi's, a wonderful Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant. Michael had shrimp shish kebob and I had broiled crabcake. Extremely delicious. We both had a dessert I'd had there the only other time we've been. They bake you your own small round banana cake and then top it with caramelized bananas (sort of like creme brulee topping on banana slices--weird but wonderful) then add a huge scoop of the most amazing butter pecan ice cream I've ever had. You have to wait 12 minutes or so for them to bake the cake but to eat it fresh hot out of the oven topped with the fruit and ice cream is amazing! Michael outdid himself on presents this year but I will wait for tomorrow to post about that as I haven't taken pictures of them yet. The executive admin at Michael's work made the card based on my interests. We love talking to her as she's French Canadian. Her husband is a hockey ref. How cool is that? The snow is today's allotment. For those of you who have been to my house in PA, you know there are slate ledges along the side of the house. Good luck finding them today.

Corruption Pennsylvania-Style

It ain't all in Illinois and Louisiana, folks. The big news in Luzerne County is that two judges are accused of getting huge kickbacks for funneling kids into a private juvenile detention center. If indeed guilty, they evidently managed to get the county's detention center condemned and sent lots and lots of kids into this new private center their "friends" built. In Louisiana, you let your brother-in-law's construction company build a really expensive bridge somewhere. But to send kids to juvie whether they need to go or not just to make money? The thought makes you sick, doesn't it? Of course, innocent until proven guilty. There was another scandal around here a few months ago where a woman was accused of stealing from a charity account of donations meant to support spouses and children of soldiers sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. This also seems pretty low on the moral scale. Makes trying to sell a Senate seat look like a bad business decision in comparison.

There is corruption everywhere. To quote Captain Renaud in Casablanca, "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" But I really feel that (if guilty) these local folk lower the bar to new levels of scumbag-ness. Anytime you harm children for your own personal gain, you have sunk below reproach.

Okay, so I'm a teacher

It seems I was born to be a teacher but went into the profession kicking and screaming. It was the last thing I wanted to do. Even though I'm not teaching right now, except for an occasional Sunday School lesson, the urge comes over me and I have to share. So today, gentle readers, are ten household tips. If you're my child, you probably know most of these already. If you're a guy who has someone to look after the kitchen stuff, you'll probably be bored.

1. Guacamole will stay green for a few hours or more if you put the avocado seed back in the dip after you have finished making it. Honest, it works like magic. (BTW, do not ever add mayonnaise to guacamole. That is a sin, in my opinion.)
2. Sandwich bags (the cheap ones without the zipper) are great for storing non-fragile small Christmas ornaments. Put the ornament in the bag, roll the bag around it and flip the top over just as you would with a sandwich. It makes a nice little bundle. It keeps them separate and clean and provides some padding so they don't get hurt in the box. (Zipper bags would work but they don't provide as much padding. And they cost more.)
3. Sandwich bags (the cheap ones without the zipper) are great for putting small candies in Christmas stockings, Easter baskets and party favor sacks. Just tie them up with curling ribbon and they look cool. Again, zipper bags would work but they don't look fancy.
4. Wash jeans inside out for the first few washings and they will look new longer.
5. Use clothespins (the spring type) to close up all cereal bags, chips, cracker sleeves, etc. Use two on a big chip bag. They're way cheaper than chip clips, plus they're smaller and they're stronger. So what if they look weird? I don't think they're giving a prize for neat-looking pretzel bags.
6. Old pantyhose are great for tying up tomato plants.
7. When you use up one of those magnetic shopping lists, rip the magnet off the cardboard and tape it on to a non-magnetic random notepad with clear package tape. (You know people give away free notepads all the time!) The magnet will still stick through the tape and you don't have to pay for another magnetic pad.
8. When you finish a jigsaw puzzle, put the pieces in a gallon-size zipper bag, and put it back in the box. If you push the air out it will fit better. No more missing pieces and you don't even have to worry if the box breaks at the corners. (Which it will.)
9. Use a small sandwich zipper bag to store twisty-ties and other small items like rubber bands in your kitchen. If you fill up the bag, you've got too many so don't save any more.
10. If you're limited on storage space in your kitchen, keep your bread and rolls in the microwave. Unlike the oven, you're not going to turn it on without opening the door. When you need to use the microwave put your bread sacks and roll sacks on the counter then return them when you're done. (This does mean that you have to clean your microwave frequently. A plus in my opinion.)

So there you have it. Some of these were taught me by someone else but some were born of necessity because of my really small kitchen. Others were invented just because I'm really cheap and pretty green about not buying stuff when I've got something else that will do just as well.

You guys got any tips?

Taking a good picture

I remember an old joke about a man who said that his older wife was just as beautiful as ever, it just took longer. The same thing goes with photos. I throw out most of the photos taken of me these days. (And since I'm the photog, not many photos get taken of me.) But today since Derrick had just worked his magic, I asked Michael to take my picture. I threw out three but kept this one. I think he did a great job. This is what I think I look like. (Probably don't, but getting older stinks.) I took a few of him with tuba. It's still not the portrait I want. Perhaps he will dress up in his tux one of these days for the formal portrait with large brass object.

We went to the home show today and enjoyed a presenter called Brian Santos so much that we returned after lunch to hear him again. He teaches you how to paint and finish walls. Michael and I agreed that his presentation had a high "G" rating. The "G" rating is based on how many times you say to yourself, "Gee, I didn't know that." It was fascinating and I learned a lot. It would have been nice to know all this stuff about twenty years ago. I would have saved myself a lot of grief. We talked with waterproofing specialists about our damp basement (welcome to PA) and also talked with a furniture restorer about the Wellington chest.

It was great to have Michael with me all day and I think his cell has only gone off once today. Yeah!

Two very different homes

The picture of Dad in his new living room contrasts strongly with the view of N and T's house in Austin. You can just catch a glimpse of a quilt that N says will be a prize winner. It is gorgeous. Her house is so funky that she and T will have to do some repainting before they sell it. But luckily their realtor realizes that it's unique and so some things like the zebra wall under the kitchen counter will stay. Sweet! And another cute picture of my kids.

Today was warmer. Up to 40 degrees and so some of the snow melted. But it will be in the 20s and low 30s for the next ten days. Just a fluke, I guess. Today I made a 100 goals for 2009 and a list of 100 ideas for magazine story ideas. I feel a lot better about myself now. Last year was pretty unproductive. There's nothing like writing down goals to make things happen.

The best thing that happened today was that I got to talk to M in Prague. I love her so much and it's so cool to be able to talk to her for just pennies a minute via Skype. (Free even if we're talking computer to computer.) And V's birthday present arrived in time for her party so I'm glad about that too. Now if everything will just fit!

Well, I hear a little Miata with snow tires coming up the driveway so must go. It's 7:23 PM and I know he was up three times during the night answering calls. Let's hope he really gets Saturday off.

Apartment --part two

I've got lots more pictures folks. But I wanted to show the two big helpers. K and K were absolutely awesome. One brought all his kids to help out, the other brought the fiancee-decorator and his cordless drill. I can't tell you how much the twins and grandkids helped out with this move. I got to stay with Mom and Dad for the day and go shopping for bedding while they did all the moving and arranging. How's that for a deal?

I actually felt pretty good today and went to see Derrick, my coiffeur,and so I look pretty nice right now. I am feeling more and more human by the minute. And I absolutely don't feel the cold in my down jacket, boots and Thinsulate gloves. I also went to the bank. I hated to give up my Wells Fargo bank in Denton and now Wachovia and Wells Fargo have merged. Whoo-hoo! I had to go to Rite-Aid also. That's a pretty dirty word around here because Michael works for Caremark/CVS. But Rite-Aid has a GNC section and I needed riboflavin (vitamin B2). They didn't have it at CVS. My doctor says it will help space out my migraines. But I need to take megadoses. 400 mg a day! I looked it up on the Internet and indeed, that's the dosage they used in the study. I also found out that it will take at least two months to notice a difference.

It is very cold here. Snow was on the ground when I left and there was a lot more when I came back. It hasn't been over 32 degrees in days and days so it's all still there. My yard is crisscrossed with animal tracks. Deer, rabbits, and squirrels are all using my yard as a playland. The deer are only out in the wee hours of the morning, so I haven't seen them. There are bears around here but evidently not in my neighborhood. I'm very glad of that. As one of Michael's co-workers said, "I've never been part of the food chain before."

As Promised

As promised, here are some pictures of Mom and Dad's new apartment. The first picture is of Mom with her decorator, S. She is my brother's fiancee and she did an amazing amount of work getting furniture arranged and the apartment decorated. The other two pix are self-explanatory. It is a beautiful place and I am willing to bet the best decorated apartment at the retirement village where they live.


On the home front in PA, the temp outside is 19. Consider that it was 70 when I left Texas. Needless to say, since I am on antibiotics again for this cough I can't shake, I'm at home and staying put. The piano tuner is doing his magic right now and so this afternoon I can have a private jam session. (Is it a jam session with only one person? I doubt it.) I spent yesterday bopping from one web feed to another watching the inauguration. It was a good way to spend a sick day. Judging by President Obama's dancing last night, I predict that he will become one of our most popular presidents ever. Signed, sealed, delivered, he's ours.

Years ago when we lived in Iowa, we would stock up on Bis-Kits and other foodstuffs we couldn't get up there. Once we even took frozen blocks of fresh shrimp. Now it's my turn again. I brought home suitcases full of foodstuffs from Texas and LA: Corn-Kits, Bis-Kits, instant roux, dried ancho peppers, etc. Also, N. thoughtfully gave me three boxes of fluffy white icing mix. I can't find it here. I'm hoping to make shrimp gumbo this evening if I feel up to it. Shrimps and rice, very nice.

I'm back

I'm back! It was great to be able to help out Mom and Dad and then go to see two of my kids. They are pictured here cutting up at Amy's Ice Cream in Austin. (And aren't they the cutest things?) Side note: best flavor at Amy's on Saturday? Cop Stop. N asked what it was--Coffee ice cream with doughnut pieces mixed in. ZL drove to Austin to meet me there and NS and ZL and I played Rock Band (Although we all tried out all the parts, N did most of the singing and Z did most of the drumming--wonder why?) We ate fabulous Mexican food on Friday night and then went to N's favorite Vietnamese place on Saturday. Then Zach and I drove back to Denton (where barbecue was in order) and I went with him to church on Sunday morning. I saw some kids I'd seen grow up from childhood and a couple of dear friends who help with the singles ward Z goes to. Funny moment at church: I introduced myself to the bishop as Zach's mom. My son was right behind me. He looked at me, puzzled, and said, "Zach D?" I realized that he hadn't spotted my son and that probably he has ten Zachs in his congregation. I think it was the most popular boys' name in America the year my son was born. I left right after sacrament meeting (bawling, of course) and had uneventful flights back home. I was so glad to see Michael and I think he was pretty glad to see me.

Everything is completely covered with snow here. Quite beautiful. But I have to admit that I did enjoy ten days of glorious sunny weather.

It was poignant in the extreme to be back in Texas and Denton even though I was only there a few hours. It still feels very much like home. I wondered how it would be. It's like I never left. Everything still seems so familiar. And even though a few things had changed (they're building a huge bank on the corner of Eagle and Carroll and there are actually four lanes open on Loop 288 in front of the mall), it was still very much as I remembered it. I realized after this trip that even though I grew up in Louisiana, Texas really is home. I just feel different when I cross the state line.

I am still having bad coughing spells. I started coughing back in November. Lots of plane flights with bad air, the inevitable dust that gets stirred up during a move and the dander from my beloved grandanimals, Wrecks, Mikey, Feynman and Winston have made an impact. So I have an appointment with the doctor today. I hope I can get over this soon.

Gag Me with the Proverbial Spoon

Hello, sports fans. It's been quite a week and I'm sorry there's been no time for updates. Mom and Dad have moved in quite well now. They came back to Risinger Drive yesterday for things they didn't know how to tell me to find! So the apartment kitchen is functional, the media room is coming along (even though they're still having problems getting a good cable signal--Comcast is working on it) and the bathrooms are becoming more convenient as they organize things better. My job as gofer has been fun and I've been to Target, Wal-Mart, Brookshire's as well as many runs back and forth between their two homes. We ate lunch in the dining room yesterday and I feel that Mom and Dad were kindly and warmly received and it didn't surprise me that both men Dad talked to were able to connect with him professionally. So why gag me with a spoon?

Sorry if you like the book, but I must comment on The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I picked up a copy at Mom's house just to see how Nicholas Sparks is making so much money. I have to admit I skimmed quite a few pages but I did read all the way to the end to see how the plot worked out. My opinion? I'd rather be poor than have to write a book like that. Not only is the writing really bad, but the ending is predictable and the plot depends on not one but a couple of medical miracles. And a really racy scene hidden in a schlocky romantic novel never hurts. As far as the bad writing, here are quotes from the book. I found representative bad sentences by just opening the book to three different pages randomly (and I didn't cheat--truly random): page 166 "We could not foresee the future, but then who can?" There are a lot of cult leaders who will be disappointed by that one. page 58 "It satisfies my creative urges." A male character said that one. Good grief. page 72 "The sky grew darker and the moon rose higher as the evening wore on." Ya think? Alert NASA. They'll be thrilled with that info. I am reminded of an interview I heard with Truman Capote a long time ago. It's been so long ago, my memory of the context isn't clear. It may have been someone quoting him. So this isn't reliable info. But as I remember it, he was commenting about a national arts grant program. He said in that drawling voice,"Who are these awful people they keep giving money to?" I feel that way about Mr. Sparks. If you're a fan, again I'm sorry. You can always say to me as Katharine Hepburn says in "The Philadelphia Story" "You're the worst kind of snob, an intellectual snob." De gustibus non est disputandem.

Only have a moment

I'm at Mom and Dad's gorgeous new apartment (I obviously had nothing to do with the decorating) and I only have a minute. But I have to say that Keith and fiancee Sandra, Kevin, Holly, Mark, Ben and Shelby did a fantastic job. Kevin's son, C, was a real trooper and was a great sport through it all. Pix later.

Packing

I have no idea why it takes me so long to pack for a trip. Michael can do it in an hour. It takes me hours and hours. This trip will be lengthy so I'll check a bag and hope that I see it again. It will be really cold here when I leave but fairly mild in Texas and Louisiana. I'm wearing my coat to the airport then leaving it in the car for Michael to bring back to me when I return. This will prevent leaving it behind the way I do in Utah. Last night I was shoveling the driveway again. This time it wasn't fluffy snow but sleety ice. Michael bought an amazing snow shovel that practically does the job for you though. It's like pushing a baby stroller.

I'm also off to the post office to mail V's birthday present. It won't wait for me to return to PA. Nor will any of the bills so I have that fun job today as well. And, of course, I need to go to CVS. I don't know how I lived without our employee discount!

I will miss Michael but I am looking forward to some warmer weather and some barbecue and Mexican food. It will be fun helping my folks get settled into their new apartment as well. I love organizing kitchens and closets. Michael gets irritated as I will often redo my cabinets and then he doesn't know where to look for things.

Signs of a bad economy

So the economy must be really bad. The other day as I was checking out of the grocery store, the cashier handed me the usual long stream of paper with coupons, etc. She said, "There's ten dollars there for you for your next visit." Sure. It was just some weird coupon, right? Wrong! It was ten dollars and it spent just fine yesterday. I got dinner and some treats for free. Yesterday I went to the mall (because of feeling bad I hadn't done any shopping before or after Christmas) and felt stupid because all the big coupons and sales were on the weekend, not on Monday. I also realized that I didn't haggle. Evidently, bartering for a better deal is okay everywhere nowadays, even at retail stores. I mentioned the fact that I'd missed the coupons on the weekend to the clerk at Macy's and she said, "That's okay." She handed me a ten dollar card. Then at Christopher and Banks, as I was checking out the clerk gave me a twenty dollar card. Does anyone else want to give me money? (And no, I didn't spend a fortune at either store.)

So I'll be going back to the mall today to spend the 30 dollars in free money they gave me yesterday. (I would wait, but I'm going out of town, right?) BTW, I bought some awesomely cute clothes. I'm wafted right back to the 70s and I bought a lot of my favorite color to wear, owange as V would say.

Are things as crazy where you are, or is it just Wilkes-Barre?

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?

My M posted a picture of her baby girl today. I can't (of course) lay my hands on the picture of her at about the same age, but I think this photo will give you some sort of a clue as to how much they look alike. M was a few months older here and had slimmed down a lot (not kidding.) Sometimes people change so much that we have to go back and remember those folks almost as strangers. Baby M certainly was different back in the day, but just as thweet. Check out her blog and see if there's as much resemblance as I think there is.

The other photo is of two really skinny people who decided it was a good idea to get married in January of 1971 in spite of his being drafted during the Vietnam War. We're coming up on our 38th wedding anniversary this month. This photo was taken at our rehearsal dinner. So it's interesting to think of us being not married in this photo. That takes some real imagination. Dear Abby posted letters this past month about getting married young and whether it was a mistake or not. I was shocked to find that those folks got married at about the same age we did. I didn't feel like I was that young. I had my college degree for Pete's sake! I do know that marrying Michael was the best decision I ever made. Plus, there have been some incredible benefits. Baby M, for one.

Happy New Year's Resolutions!

Resolutions work. Too bad I haven't made any yet. But I'm getting there as fast as I can. When I get those resolutions made, I'll post them.

My plans for this week include flying to DFW on Friday, driving to Shreveport, spending the week with my folks helping them move. Mom and Dad come first on this trip. If I have time after they're well-settled in, I'll drive to Austin to see my redhead and then up to Denton to see my boy at the end of the trip. I'll be back in PA on Sunday the 18th. I'm planning to find time to eat Mexican food and to say y'all a lot.

So plans for the New Year, resolutions and all that cool stuff will have to be put off for a few weeks. But they're coming. I'm a total believer in them.

Need a laugh?

That's "Mr. Ground Sirloin" to you.

Just lost two and a half days

Lucky me. Migraine all day New Year's Eve, all day New Year's Day and half of today. I'm hoping that it's gone but I still feel a little lurking twinge in my left temple. I need to go buy groceries but am afraid to leave the house for fear it will come back. What with bronchitis for Christmas and headaches for the new year, I feel pretty cheated.

I've heard migraine described as punishment without sin. I have to admit that in the middle of one, you wonder what you did to deserve it. You also rack your brains for the trigger that started it so that you will never eat that food again or do whatever it was that caused it again.

Here's the biggest issue with moving to Pennsylvania so far--cold air is a migraine trigger. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. Here's my number one resolution for 2009--outgrow migraines.