Healing

A few of my readers contacted me in concern after seeing Mama Dog's nose in a recent entry. To set your minds at ease, here is a picture I took at the end of last week. As you can see, her nose is healing nicely. Sure, she'll be left with a good scar, but she's a pretty tough old girl.

iPod Roulette for August

This month's iPod Roulette was especially fun using my new Bose docking station. It really does enhance the listening experience!

Given there are more than 3500 songs on my iPod, I don't know why I think I'm going to get a true sampling in just 15 picks. For what it's worth, here's what I came up with this month. Do any of these appeal to you?


1. Stoned Love (The Supremes) - My husband loves Motown, especially groups like this one.

2. Angelsea (Cat Stevens) - From my favorite Cat Stevens album, Catch Bull at Four.

3. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) - Another great album, Songs from the Big Chair.

4. My Burdens Have Rolled Away (Melody Boys Quartet) - This group was a lot of fun to see in person. Good old "Southern Gospel".

5. Bach: French Suite #4 in E Flat, BWV 815 1. Allemande (Glenn Gould) - Piano at its best.

6. Here I Am to Worship (Michael W. Smith) - I love his "praise & worship" music, especially this song.

7. Eyesight to the Blind (The Who) - From the rock opera, Tommy.

8. Nature Boy (George Benson) - Finally some jazz!

9. Duchess (Genesis) - This album (Duke) is best listened to from start to finish.

10. Ain't No Sunshine (Kris Allen) - Season 8 American Idol winner.

11. In the Still of the Night (The Five Satins) - I would have sworn this was by someone else! Perhaps this is the cover?

12. Not Meant to Be (Theory of a Deadman) - My younger daughter introduced me to this song.

13. Sweet Sixteen (B.B. King) - King of the blues.

14. Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils) - Was this a one-hit-wonder? Offhand I can't think of anything else they did.

15. We Bow in its Aura (Veil of Maya) - Death Metal. It's what my son listens to these days.

Are you curious?

After reading yesterday's entry, those of you who follow my blog closely might be asking this question:

"If you and your husband just celebrated your 25th wedding anniversary, then how is it you have a 30 year old daughter?"

Good question and one easily answered. When we married, it was a package deal with his daughter as an added bonus. My husband had custody, so she spent the majority of her "growing up" in our home. I helped raise her, dealt with her teenage years, put up with the bad as well as the good. I love her and she loves me. So, by golly, I'm gonna claim her as my own! Only when technicalities are necessary do I refer to her as my "step".

There. Does that clear things up?

Silver

When my husband and I eloped 25 years ago, I didn't give much thought to the distant future. Or at least that's what a "silver wedding anniversary" seemed like at the time.

Most years we don't do much celebrating (neither of us are particularly romantic) and only a handful of the gifts we've exchanged were memorable. I've blogged before about the shotgun I received for our first anniversary... probably the best gift! On our fifth I received a diamond ring since I'd only had a gold band up to that point. We gave each other desk chairs on our 10th.

There were several ideas tossed around over the past few months for gift possibilities this year. It was a "big one" and we wanted to do it up right. However, we woke on the day of our anniversary and nothing had been decided. Or so I thought. My dear, sweet husband totally surprised me with the necklace pictured here! Isn't it beautiful?!


After a fairly routine morning (with the exception of my surprise gift!) and a light lunch we set out. First stop was Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop, LA. He'd had his eye on a particular shotgun for several months and wanted to see one in real life. It passed his inspection and ended up being my anniversary gift to him. From there we headed south to Monroe, LA to the Sams Club warehouse store. We picked up a few items we needed along with a Bose docking station for my iPod. How about that.... I ended up with TWO great gifts!! We finished the evening with dinner in West Monroe before heading back to Arkansas.

In some ways it seems like just the other day that we got married. In other ways...it seems like an eternity! Sure, we've had our ups and downs (it wouldn't be normal if we hadn't), but looking back the good far outweighs the bad. God has truly blessed us!

Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams

I've mentioned before how much I enjoy "cozy mysteries". If you're not sure what a "cozy" is, take a look at these guest posts at Dorte's blog by cozy authors Jackie Fullerton and Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Over the weekend I finished the first in a new cozy series by Elizabeth Spann Craig written under the pen name Riley Adams. Delicious and Suspicious totally fits the bill as far as cozies go. I loved it! Set in Memphis, TN, it's filled with assorted references to Elvis, ducks at the Peabody, plenty of quirky characters, lots of humor, and enough suspects to keep you guessing. If you can make it through the book without a strong hankering for BBQ, you're a stronger person than I am. Fortunately the back of the book includes a section of recipes. You can be sure I'm going to try the one for Pulled Pork Barbeque and Sauce! I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, if you'd like another opinion of the book you can read Dorte's review here.

Chicken-and-Wild Rice Salad

We had this earlier in the week and it was very good. I didn't have any watercress so I served it on a bed of spinach and red butter lettuce. The recipe came from the July 2010 issue of Southern Living and can be found here.

My life (so far) in books this year

Dorte had a fun entry on her blog yesterday and encouraged others to join in so I thought I'd give it a try. She mostly reads crime fiction, but I had to stick with a broader selection. If you decide to play, please come back and leave a link to your post in the comments! Here's what I came up with to answer the questions:



In high school I was: The Girl Who Played With Fire (Stieg Larsson)

People might be surprised I'm: Infected (Scott Sigler)

I will never be: Contagious (Scott Sigler)

My fantasy job is: Queen Victoria Demon Hunter (A.E. Moorat)

At the end of a long day I need: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (Alexander McCall Smith)

I hate it when: Your Heart Belongs To Me (Dean Koontz)

Wish I had: Revelation (C.J. Sansom)

My family reunions are: Relentless (Dean Koontz)

At a party you'd find me with: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Stieg Larsson)

I've never been to: The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

A happy day includes: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)

Motto I live by: Listen (Rene Gutteridge)

On my bucket list: Beat the Reaper (Josh Bazell)

In my next life, I want to be: Delicious and Suspicious (Riley Adams)*


*I'm still reading this one, but used it anyway.

update: Marion and Pam have left their lists in the comments. Click here to see Tracy's post and here for Cathy's.

Ouch!

Our outside dogs have an entirely different lifestyle than our inside girls. They might not have the luxury of a controlled climate, but they have the freedom to go and do as they please. On these hot summer days they spend the bulk of the daylight hours close to home, saving their roaming for early morning or during the night.

They like to spread out on the cool concrete under the carport.
Jed sat up to pose for me.


Blue has a burrow in the cool earth under the hydrangea bush. She peeked out at me with her one blue eye.


Mama Dog had a run-in with something the other night, probably a raccoon or possum. Don't worry... the vet put her on antibiotics and it hasn't slowed her down in the least. Blue has a few marks on her face, too, but nothing like poor Mama Dog!

The Watchers

It was a busy summer and this remained only half worked for months. A few focused "puzzling sessions" completed it.

The Watchers

by Jack Williams

Refreshing

The heat and humidity have been oppresive recently. This verse (Isaiah 58:11) appeared in one of my devotional readings over the weekend. I found it nourishing on more than just a spiritual level.

"The LORD will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."

Favorite Five - Songs

It's been quite some time since I posted a "favorite five" entry. To make up for that, I'll tackle one of the harder topics on my list. Songs.

I love music.... all kinds of music. Most of my memories have a song associated with them. My moods are determined by what I listen to (or perhaps it's the other way around). So how on earth can I choose just five songs ??? To start with, all five could be Yes songs. In fact, I think I made that fairly clear on my Favorite Five - Albums post. So, I'm going to eliminate them and let it be understood that Yes belongs at the top.


1. Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann) - This song takes me back to my first two years of college when I was attending a small Liberal Arts school. It's funny how all these years later I can still sing along word for word when this comes on the radio (or my iPod). My closest friends from that time would probably put their money on two other songs, though: On and On (Stephen Bishop) or Storm at Sunup/Love Me Now (Gino Vannelli).

2. Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty) - This is one of several songs I always associate with the summer I spent studying at Oxford (in an American program). Another favorite from that time is Follow You Follow Me (Genesis).

3. Night Meets Light (Dixie Dregs) - After two years at a small college I transferred to a large state university to complete my education. It was there I discovered this group and this song in particular. Other favorites from that time frame are Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) and Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police).

4. Fairy Tales (Anita Baker) - I can't really say what it is about this song that I love so much. I don't try to sing along since I don't know most of the lyrics, which is odd considering how many times I've listened to it from start to finish.

5. Space Oddity (David Bowie) - No special memories for this one, either. Just a great, classic rock song!

This list could vary on any given day and, as always, I'm sure I've left off many great songs. Here are a few runners up: One of These Days (FFH), Cover Me (FFH), Pavane pour une infante defunte (Ravel), Sandy Beaches (Delbert McClinton), Ordinary World (Duran Duran), It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren), Sailing (Christopher Cross), In a Lifetime (Clannad), American Pie (Don McLean), Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin), Rocket Man (Elton John), Ain't Nobody (Rufus and Chaka Khan), Don't Want to Wait Anymore (Tubes), Make It Right (Lisa Stansfield), Mysterious Ways (U2), Between You and Me (DC Talk), Ocean Floor (Audio Adrenaline).



Okay....so this has gone far beyond just "a few" and I barely touched on some genres. Can you tell me some of your favorites?

How can this happen?

This article from the Associated Press was in my local paper today. I'm sure there is far more to this newstory than appears here, but I don't think any amount of information could help me understand how something like this could happen! It's heartbreaking.

Bentonville, AR (AP) - Police in northwest Arkansas say a toddler died after being left in a locked car for several hours Friday, when temperatures approached 100 degrees.

Bentonville police say the 14-month-old girl was left in her father's car while he was working at the David Glass Technology Center. Authorities say the father forgot to drop off the girl at her daycare center and went straight to work instead, leaving her locked in the backseat.

The girl was taken to Northwest Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Police say the temperature was 99 degrees shortly after noon Friday.

The girl and her father haven't been identified, and the death remains under investigation.

Empty Nest

Our kids had it drilled in their heads from an early age that once they finished high school they were expected to attend college or vocational school. Thanks to a generous (deceased) relative, there was money to help with this. Their alternative was to move out and be self-sufficient. All three worked part time during high school (hard, low-paying jobs) and therefore knew the value of getting a good education.

Our oldest and our youngest both departed right out of high school. Their circumstances were totally different, but both had a burning desire to get away. Each made arrangements to live on their own while attending school.

The middle child (our younger daughter) went a different route. She chose a school that was a five hour drive from home and opted for on-campus housing the entire time she was there. She was the only one of the three that still came "home" during school breaks.

That all came to an end this week. There was much sorting, packing (and unpacking), and sifting through a lifetime of accumulation. Although continuing her education with graduate school, this time she "officially" moved out.

As the proverbial "empty nest" neared I started to have some minor twinges of sadness. Then I stopped to think realistically. Our younger daughter's only about an hour's drive away. I'll probably see more of her now than I ever did when she was in college. Our son is less than an hour away and comes to visit frequently. Our older daughter is busy with her own family, but lives right here in town. The nest might be empty, but our time spent together and shared good times will continue!

Oh....and did I mention all the possibilities in that empty room left behind?!

Success

Remember the pickled squash post last month? It tastes just like I remembered.

Butterfinger Ice Cream

My younger daughter and I teamed up on the dessert for our family gathering Sunday night. Everyone enjoyed it, but several folks said they prefer creamier, richer ice cream.... the kind made with eggs and cooked to make a custard before freezing. Personally, I much prefer something like this which is more of an "ice milk".

Butterfinger Ice Cream
Contributed to Simple & Delicious by Tammy Drost of Cheyenne, WY

1/2 gallon whole milk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (16 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz. each) crushed

In a large bowl, whisk milk and condensed milk. Whisk in whipped topping until combined; stir in crushed candy bars.

Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.

When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

This is the book I won in the June giveaway at Find Your Next Book Here. Jenners' review made it sound like a totally wild ride and now that I've read it, I'll definitely agree with that assessment!

First of all, a warning: this book contains LOTS of profanity! I found that rather off-putting. However, that would be my only complaint about the novel. Yes, it's filled with black humor, graphic "hospital" details and quite a bit of violence, but it all played into the storyline. Besides.... my family loves dark humor and neither my older daughter (an RN) nor my older brother (a pathologist) ever spared us gory details about their work. It makes for interesting dinner table conversation!

The story takes place over the space of one day. However, there are frequent flashback chapters that explain the "whys & wheres" of what's going on in the present. In a nutshell: Dr. Peter Brown (aka Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwa) arrives for his shift at the hospital and inadvertently walks in on a patient who recognizes him from his former life (before Witness Protection) as a hit man for the Mafia. Before he can stop the chain of events from being put into motion, he's needed in another part of the hospital for an emergency. By the time that is handled, it's too late. The rest of the book is filled with a wild assortment of medical procedures, flashbacks and the effort to "beat the reaper" one last time.

Thanks again to Jenners for offering this as a giveaway. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I saw on IMDb that it's scheduled for the big screen in 2012. I don't have any details since I'm not a paid subscriber, but I did read the name "Leonardo DiCaprio" in relation to this somewhere else.

What Am I ? (#3)

1. My proteins are stored as a liquid, but almost instantly become a solid without clumps on request. Liquidity is achieved with a high salt content and low acidity. Only as the salt is reduced and the acidity increased do my proteins rapidly link together.

2. My draglines are three times stronger than the Kevlar in bulletproof vests.

3. The rings and spokes of my spirals are often coated with glue.

4. Despite only being a few microns thick, I can capture remarkable amounts of water (among other things!).

Have you figured out what I am from my clues? * Scroll down for the answer.





















I am spider web silk!


* Facts provided by the September 2010 issue of Discover Magazine.

Now that's hot!

Yellow Squash Muffins

With less than an hour until supper and a mess of squash on my counter last night, I did a quick search on the internet and found this recipe at Cooks.com. Although I cut the recipe in half, I used all of my squash (without measuring) and I ended up with a dozen muffins. They were quite tasty!

Yellow Squash Muffins

2 lb. yellow squash (about 8 med.)
2 eggs
1 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Wash squash thoroughly, trim ends. Cut into 1 inch slices. Cook in small amount of boiling water 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash. Measure enough of the squash to make 2 cups.

Combine squash, eggs and butter. Stir well and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add squash mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pan, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

A trio of recipes

Here are the recipes we tried over the weekend. Sorry I don't have photos of the first two.

Balsamic-Garlic Chicken Breasts
(Southern Living, July 2010)

4 (6-oz.) skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. honey

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

2. Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and cook 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken, and keep warm.

3. Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients to skillet, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Serve chicken with sauce.


Creamy Spinach Noodle Toss
(Simple & Delicious - Josie Smith, Winamac, IN)

1-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 bacon strips, diced
2 tsp. finely chopped onion
6-1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt-free seasoning blend
1/8 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain.

Stir the flour, seasoning blend, salt and pepper into drippings until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach, cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Drain noodles; transfer to a serving bowl. Add spinach mixture and cheese; toss to combine. Sprinkle with bacon mixture.


Sour Cream Raisin Empanadas

One refrigerated pie crust

2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. golden raisins
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. sugar
melted butter

extra sugar

Cut pie crust into circles using a 3-in. cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (approx. 13 to 14 circles) In a small bowl, combine sour cream, raisins, vanilla and sugar. Place a small amount of mixture into center of each pastry round. Gently fold over and seal with a fork.

Brush tops with melted butter then sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake at 425F for about 10 minutes.

2010 Cozy Mystery Challenge

I'm pleased to announce that I've completed the 2010 Cozy Mystery Challege ! Here are the six books I read and the links to my reviews:

Holly Blues by Susan Wittig Albert

Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark

Oolong Dead by Laura Childs

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehard

Fallen Into the Pit by Ellis Peters

I love "cozy" mysteries, so this challenge was right up my alley. I bet I'll participate again next year if it's offered!

Sunday Stuff

Between Netflix and RedBox, we've had the opportunity to watch a good movie each of the past two nights. Totally different genres, I can't say which I enjoyed more. Friday night was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Not what most would consider intelligent or thought-provoking, it was filled with fun, action-packed fantasy entertainment. Last night was Invictus. A wonderful "feel-good" movie with quality acting and directing (I love Clint Eastwood on either side of the camera!). Okay....so looking back I probably liked the latter best, but both were worth the time invested in watching.

During the past week our church hosted teams from OMP and sent off a group from our own congregation. This morning during worship the pastor asked all who travelled on the mission trip to stand and be recognized. Then, he asked that anyone who helped in any way with the group that came to our church to stand. Both groups were applauded. Although I helped prepare a meal one night I chose not to stand. This was in part because I hate drawing attention to myself in groups. However, I also have problems at times with the idea that we need to acknowledge every little thing folks do. Aren't we supposed to be doing it to glorify God and not to be recognized? Don't get me wrong..... I see no problem with letting the congregation know which kids (and adults) went on the trip and commending them for their service. However, I'm just not so sure about the second group. What do you think? Do I sound like a curmudgeon?

My younger daughter tried another recipe last week. She changed it around just a bit while preparing it. Although it was good, we've thought of a few additional changes that would make it better. It was submitted to Simple & Delicious by Audrey Arno of Enid, OK.

Tropical Pie

1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened crushed pineapple
2 medium firm bananas, cut into 1/4-in. slices
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
4 tsp. sugar substitute equivalent to 4 tsp. sugar
2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping, divided
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (9-in.)
4 maraschino cherries, halved
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place sliced banana in juice; set aside. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar substitute and 1 Tbsp. reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup whipped topping.

Drain bananas. Arrange half of bananas in bottom of crust. Carefully spread with cream cheese mixture. Top with pineapple, remaining bananas and whipped topping. Garnish with cherries and walnuts. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Yield: 8 servings.