Lazy...

I have been so lazy lately. Not really, because I have been doing things that needed to be done, but I am sleeping a LOT! I wake up refreshed, so maybe I just need the sleep! I have been swimming, 2 hours 3 times a week, so I am getting my excerise. I also have actually putzed in my yard, cleaned the deck, planted some pots of herbs and petunias, weeded a barrel full of weeds,(Nothing in the barrel but potting soil and weeds) and have finished two unfinished projects for my daughter! I finally finished her Christmas present. From LAST year... ( I KNOW, I Know...BAD Mommie) I made her some stitch counters for her knitting needles. I always just used those little colorful plastic rings, but Now-a-days they have these cute little charms on them, so I made her two sets of them. CUTE!

I also finshed her shawl. She is a Study COordinator for a Bio-Tech Lab and she under airconditioning all day and her shoulders get cold. She wears a sweater, but they are constricting, so I used the Wool that she spun and gave to me, to make her a trinagle shaped over the shoulders shawl. I then beaded it, so it is really pretty. And just perfect for Ms Granola!

I finished updating the archive scrapbook for the Playhouse, and now I am trying to finish a throw I have been working on for awhile. Still have not finished my quilt, But that is next. THen on to more scrapbooks...one for SHerry, and then for my kids. I need to get my sister's back to her. I borrowed it back to use as a reference and still have it!! Bad Sister!!

Spring and summer arrived here last weekend, with weather clear and sunny and warm, Temps in the high 70-80's F., but now we are back to cold, wet, gray and windy. I think we have seen our summer weather. I hope not, but I have the heater on right now, and I do not have faith that it will get much warmer.

Around here Lilacs bloom in April, THe Rhodies bloom in May and the Roses bloom in June. But this year EVERYTHING is in bloom at the same time!!! Every bush is gorgeous and the Blooms are big and plentiful. I have been stopping by the cemetery and grabbing a big bouquet of Lilacs off the many bushes they have there. My house smells so good!!! Alas, THey are fading now, and the roses are popping, so I will have to switch vases and places to swipe flowers! (I asked first!)

I am sitting here eating a great big bowl of cantelope and red grapes. I know I will be sorry later on this evening, and will have to stay close to home, but they taste so good!! I have been craving some relitively inexpensive fruit. Grab it while you can...Lord knows the price on it will go up soon also.

I have a backyard full of all kinds of birds this year. Just lots and lots of them. I am shooing away the starlings though, as they are noisy, messy and greedy!! and they chase away the smaller birds. SHOO!!!

I Have seen Lola off and on lately, not daily, as she has had babies, judging by her little titties, so she just pops in and eats when she feels safe, and I assume, the babies are sleeping. The Big Grey squirrel is back also. I call her Susie! And George and Gracie, the Band tailed pidgeons have arrived too. Goldfinch in flocks, house finches and house sparrows galore and brown headed cowbirds. I have Evening grosbeaks, and black headed grosbeaks, and red cross-bills, and towhees and nuthatches. Busy little feeder!! I use predominately black oil sunflower seeds, but I do put out mixed bird snack, and peanut suet blocks for the woodpeckers.

Gotta run, Sadie wants in...Stay safe, all of you in tornado alley!!!

Sunday Funnies...1 day late

A Wise Indian Elder once said:

When told the reason for daylight saving time the Indian Elder said,
'Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of
a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer
blanket.'

UM UM GOOD!!

Last week Oprah had a few of her favorite things on, one of which was this Turkey Burger. It looked so good So I decided to try it.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill

Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. "I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world," she says. The Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger will be permanently available at the Trump Bar and Grille in Trump Tower in New York City, open to the public for lunch and dinner. It will also be served during lunch in Chicago at Sixteen, the Trump International Hotel restaurant.

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours***.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

***The Chef said not to skip this important step.

I forgot to get apples so I got pears instead, and I did not have scallions, so I used a walla walla sweet onion, and I dont care for celery, so I left it out. I diced the pears and onions and sauteed them together like the recipe said to do, I reached for the turkey burger and had only gotten a pound instead of 4 pounds. So I added everything to the burger and along with the Major Grey Chutney I added the chipotle smoked tabasco sauce and gave it a good mix with my hands. Then I saw where it said to refridgerate for 2 hours, so I said screw it and made meatballs instead. Didnt have noodles but I did have spaghetti. so I cooked up the meatballs and the pasta and then I needed a sauce. Did not want to use a red sauce, so I thought SWEDISH MEATBALLS! I had a 10 year pkg of seasoning that I had used half of looooong ago, and I dumped that into a bowl with 2 cups of milk and stirred it all together. Not enough, SO I added 1/2 of a country gravy mix and a can of evaporated milk. added a dash of nutmeg and stirred that gravy until it was nice and thick. OH MAMA!!! It was sooooo GOOOD!!!! THe next time I do it I will add an egg and some bread crumbs just to hold it together. OH they were good. Much better than those frozen ready packs you can buy. who woulda thought about adding onions and diced pears.

Ya'll need to try it!! Your mouth will be really happy!

I HATE TV!!!

I am going to quit watching TV!! After watching all of the season finales this week I am so exasperated. First I watch CSI MIAMI and watch Horatio get shot be his son's stepfather and lay there on the tarmac dying, while Wolf receives an email that says it is done! ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

Then i watch NCIS for 2hours to find out that Director Jenny is shot, and we assumed killed. and then at the end the new DIrector fires Ziva, and reassigns Dinozzo and Mcgee to shit assignments and hands Gibbs three new file folders for three new team members.
ARRRRRRGHHHHHHH again!!!!!

Then I watch Criminal Minds and watch as the entire BAU team climbs into different black SUV's and then watch as ONE of them gets blown to bits...AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH even again!!

THEN I watch the season finale of SHARK, to find out that his nemisis may get off, and then I check the fall line up and find NO SHARK listed!!! DOUBLE DAMN ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Last night I watched the season finale of CSI NY and watch as Taylor drives off with a gun pointed at his head and a psycho in the backseat.

C'MON CBS!!! You cant do that to me. DOnt kill off my favorite characters and then cancel the show! I missed CSI Las Vegas so I am not sure what happened there but it cant be good!!

I also watch Tonight with Jay Leno to hear that he is being replaced by that IDIOT CONAN OBRIEN! Well I guess NBC has lost the one show that I watch on NBC, I will have to switch to Dave Letterman. I HATE CONAN OBRien!!

I gave up on soap operas YEARS ago because I could not stand the suspense. SO now I am hooked on shows that hold over for 3 months!! It was bad enough that we had to wait through the writer's strike, Now we have to wait through SUMMER!

THe only saving grace is There seems to be several new shows for the summer that look pretty good.

I also HATE the way the networks move the shows around. You have to consult a TVguide in order to find out what time your show is on. Try finding a TV GUide anymore. ChEEEEERIST!!!

Now to make matters worse, I have DISH Network, and it isnt listed in our local paper. THe networks are, but try and find out what time the HISTORY channel is really on, depends on your time zone. EGADS!!!!

Wish I could write to the networks and have them actually SEE the email. All I ever get is an automated response!! Seems like they just dont care what I think.

Damn Media!!!

Weird weather!!!

You have read about our unusually cold and wet spring...record snow fall in the mountains, and just three weeks ago we had snow and record cold down here at sea-level.

Last Friday we had record hot temperatures up in the 90's, and actually a whole day of SUNSHINE!! It was WONDERFUL!! then the High moved onshore, and allowed another Low to move onshore. RIght now it is cloudy, rainy and only 48 degrees out. THe wind has a bite to it, and once again I am freezing. THe weather reports have the winds coming in off the strait at 35 MPH! It is picking up here right now, and naturally because tomorrow is trash day, it will be blowing like HELL! either the trashcans will blow over before the trash truck cometh, or it will wait until after they have gone by which means I will have to chase my cans down the street, figure out whose cans were in MY yard, and then find the lids! I actually found my can, lid intact, sitting on the porch of a house in the next block!

Both of my children made it home on Sunday!! I cooked the other half of the 20 lb prime rib roast that Bob got for our CHristmas dinner. He gets a really good deal from one of his friends every year, so I cook half of it for Christmas dinner and freeze the other half for when-ever! SO I bribed them with roast beef and rhubarb cobbler. It worked! TIm came in Saturday night, and got the lawnmower ready for mowing, and then spent 3 hours mowing the grass that was (I kid you NOT) 14" high! He did such a great job of holding his temper back. Normally he would be cussing a blue streak at the number of times that the mower got clogged! I am sooooo proud of him!! Now if he can only make it back next weekend to mow it again, it should be fine for a week or two.

Donna brought her wheel and we sat out on the back deck and she spun, and I talked! It was a really nice day.

Bob and I went in to Mt. Vernon on Saturday, and noticed the LACK of cars in the parking lots at the mall. Either the weather had them all at the beach, or the economy has them with no money, or the price of gas has them staying home.

(I shall be right back!)

Ok, slight pause to get rid of a cup of coffee!

From Thursday through last night the news reports have been warning people about staying OFF the rivers during the hot spell, as the snow melt in the mountains was filing them to capacity and the river currents were very strong. The water temperature was extremely cold also, and thus made the waters very dangerous! regardless of all the warnings, there were at 9 people that died in the currents without life jackets. and one family was saying the government should have done more to keep people off the water.

PEOPLE!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! YOU CAN NOT MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD SAFE FROM IDIOTS!!! If you chose to go on the rivers after all of the warnings were posted and it was on all of the radios, then no one should be blamed but YOU!!! In FACT you should be charged for the cost of the rescue/recovery efforts! I just dont understand people. I wont go in the water at ALL unless I can see the bottom, and then only when I am trying to get my fishing line out a little further. Why are there some who believe that the GOVERNMENT should be responsible for your entire conduct? EGADS!!! Use the brain that your creator gave you!!

A Friday FUNNY!!!!

Who is crazy????

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the
patients were shouting, "13...13....13...13.

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks
and I looked through to see what was going on.

Someone poked me in the eye with a stick.

Then they all started shouting. "14...14...14...14....."

A New Element discovered!!!

Science Reveals Heaviest Element Ever Discovered. Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction normally taking less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years. It does not decay, but undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes, not to mention multiple oxymorons. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe
that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. That hypothetical quantity might normally be called 'critical mass', but in this unique case it is known as 'critical mess'.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium (Am), another just-discovered element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Author unknown...

AH Well!!!!

So Tim had to work today! figures....

HE is working at a shipyard, painting a Ferry, and they have to get it done, so they are working 10 hour days, 7 days a week. DOUBLE time on Sunday, so he went for the money. I guess I cant blame him. So I was planning just a quiet dinner with DOnna, and my sister called and said she and Sherry and Mike would be here around 3:00 for dinner. ????? ok.

So now I have to clean house and go back to the store and get the ingredients for Chili Rellenos. I make them better than any I have found in any Restaurant. We got the recipe from a little hole in the wall restaurant in Chula Vista California in 1953. And there are none better in my opinion. SO I will be cooking dinner for the family.

It appears that we just MIGHT be getting SPRING this week. It poured last night as a cold front came through, and the wind blew, and beat the rain in through the open window into my face. This morning it is clear, and Sunny, and almost WARM! It should reach the 70's this week!! That is 20C I think...or close. maybe.

So what are you doing with your incentive check? are you stimulating the ecomony or paying bills? Mine is all going on Dr bills from last September. Even with insurance I still owe almost 4000.00!! WHEW!!! This really hurts, I can not imagine what people with NO insurance do. Whomever we elect this year, had better have Universal Health care on their front burner and turned up really high. I am getting warmed up for another rant, so bare with me until I get there. We have got to get our population educated to VOTE! We cant have a true Democracy if those who feel their vote doesnt count for anything DONT VOTE! They may not agree with my politics, but they need to be heard!!

Are you registered to vote? GET'ER DONE!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there.

He's BAAAAACK!!

Tim got released Monday at 8:00 and I had to get up early to go get him. (GRRRRR....I sleep LATE in the morning....) I picked him up at 830 and headed home. I asked him as we started off if he was through. He said yes, and I said "take a deeeeep breath. Now remember what it feels like, as that is FREEDOM and only YOU can take that away from you." He got a silly grin on his face and agreed. We came home, checked in with his Probation Officer, and then he headed for the Garage, cleaned that up and unloaded his van. It has been sitting in my driveway for 2 1/2 years, fully loaded with Lord knows what all. Even Tim did not know, as he didn't load it, his friend did. SO he unloaded it all into the nicely cleaned garage, and washed all of his clothes.

Tuesday we did a dump run, and got rid of all the shit that he didnt want, and the old stove and water heater that has been sitting in the front of my house for two years. He took his flat tires into Les Schwab and had them fixed, and then came home and started his van. I just KNEW it would not run. But it started right up and coughed a bit, and ran just beautifully! I am surprised as it is a pile of JUNK!

Yesterday we went to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and paid his district court fines, then went and got his drivers license back. THen we headed to Dept of Licensing and got new plates for the bucket of bolts, and came on back home. He got into his van and drove it down the highway to see how good the brakes were. Mushy, but they work...sorta. (EGADS)

So now, My SOn has a new start on hopefully a clean and sober life. He realizes just how much this past ten years has cost him in Money, in possesions, and in reputation. He is ready to fend off the Demons, and is determined not to repeat. He says the worst part is the lure of the REALLY EASY money that can be made by dealing. I had NO IDEA how prevelant drugs, especially METH, is in society. I have watched all the documentaries on Meth-anphetamines, but I guess I am a pollyanna because Tim says it is EVERYWHERE!!! he even pointed out to me where he thought Meth houses were. (PLEASE LORD KEEP HIM STRAIGHT!)

We had a long talk, and I feel pretty sure that he has his head on straight right now, and that he will be fine.

If any of you have kids on drugs, PRAY LIKE HELL THAT THEY GET ARRESTED!!! and DO NOT BAIL THEM OUT. let them serve their sentences. TIm says he is glad he got caught and went to prison, because he did not realize how out of control he was.

I guess I am glad I did not know also. It would have KILLED me.

This Mother's Day will be the first time in almost 30 years that both of my kids will be HOME!!! I cant wait.