Category: Uncategorized

Making a spectacle of myself

   My grandfather Al used to call my grandmother Elsie “Squint Eyes”, which doesn’t sound like a very affectionate pet name, now does it.  I can tell you this… theirs was a true love story that never petered out. He was writing her love notes on the bedroom and bathroom mirror (with her favorite red lipstick, much to her chagrin)  right into his eighties. 

 Dear Squint Eyes – I do love you so. See you at dinner – xo 

   I, on the other hand, have never been called Squint Eyes. NOoo… I  am Hawkeye! Eagle Eye! Laser Vision Woman!… My husband teases me constantly because he is the competitive type, you know. 

When we’re on the road, he’ll challenge me to 
 “Read that sign up ahead.. let’s see who can read it first!”
… I always win.
   I am the one who sits in the Eye Doctors office
 and proceeds to read the copyright year at the very bottom of the chart,
just to show off. 
Last year the Dr. said…
“Well, you still have perfect vision… but it gets us all sooner or later.
You’ll be in to see me for glasses in the future, it happens to all of us”. 
 I scoffed!   
Silly girl. 
I’ve been catching myself lately…
holding the menu at a distance
trying to read the fine print on a bottle of aspirin
The eyes taking just a bit longer to shift focus from the book to the television.
You know what this means, don’t you?
Now any time we take a road trip,
I’m gonna have to memorize all the signs beforehand.

Barn, baby :-)

 The framing crew arrived today – they will put up the walls of my horse barn, and then move up the hill to the equipment barn.  I’m doing a happy dance ~

I finished my perennial rock/shell/driftwood garden at the side door too…

Sarah Palin’s tanning bed and trampoline e-mails revealed
C*sey Anthony’s hideous murder trial
Yet another Weiner cluttering the news (why is it still surprising??)
Weird weather everywhere
I’m am so tired of the non-stop crapitude that is our news – I’m tuning it out. 
 Barn and garden  – that’s where you’ll find me
doing a happy dance..

Frankly speaking

  I think I got it from my grandmother Elsie… the deep affection for a good hot dog. The flames were fanned  by the fact that the best hot dogs in the world were located in the state of my origin.  If you’ve never had one,  put it on your bucket list…. a NYC hot dog, straight from the vendors cart.  Never mind that the water those dogs are boiling in looks like they got it straight out of the harbor – those dogs are awesome.

  Oh, I know they’re pretty much made out of crap, but there are regulations afterall…

According to an article by Peggy Trowbridge Filippone of About.com, Frankfurter content is regulated by law in the United States. Traditional hot dogs are made of beef, pork, veal, chicken or turkey. They are available with or without skins and may contain up to 30 percent fat and 10 percent added water. For vegetarians, there are tofu hot dogs. (ick. That’s not a dog)

Hot Dog Terms Regulated by Law


• Beef or all-beef: Contains only beef with no soybean protein or dry milk solid fillers added.

• Kosher: All-beef, usually heavily seasoned with garlic.

• Meat: A mixture of pork and beef, usually 40 percent pork and 60 percent beef with no fillers.

• Frankfurter: May contain up to 3.5 percent fillers and made from a combination of meats.

Hot Dog Style Glossary

• Chicago dogs: Yellow mustard, dark green relish, chopped raw onions, tomato slices, celery salt and a poppy seed bun.

• Kansas City dogs: Sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese on a sesame seed bun.

• New York City dogs: Steamed saurkraut, onions and pale yellow mustard sauce.  See second photo.

• Coney Island dogs: Topped with a spicy meat mixture.

• Southern slaw dogs: Served with coleslaw on top.

• Corn dogs: Placed on a stick, dipped in corn bread batter, and deep-fried.

• Tex-Mex dogs: Topped with salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, and chopped jalapenos.

• Pigs in a Blanket: Wrapped in pastry and baked.

• Baltimore Frizzled: Split and deep-fried. ( I didn’t find a good picture of that)

   What ticks me off is, my blood pressure has been on the rise (what? am I that old?? No!!!)…and someone told me a variety of stupid symptoms I’ve put up with over the years may have to do with a gluten allergy.  So I’m trying to get sodium and glutens out of my diet.  Guess what’s the number one offender… GASP….

  My beloved hotdog.  
That’s just ticking me off…. It’s the little things, you know.
You’re craving a hot dog right now, aren’t ya?

Holy Heatwave, Batman

   I didn’t think , after the winter we’ve had….
.. that I’d be complaining about the heat.
But here I am….and it’s hotter than Hades.
My flowers are wilting.
The chickens seem to like the heat
and I make sure they’ve got cold clean water and cool lettuce from the garden to pick at.
They’re starting to look like real chickens!

Dear Hunter of Florida – this is Giselle below!
And up above, first chicken on the right is Gracie, your mom’s choice!

Remember my lofty ambitions regarding
pimping the chicken coop?
This is as far as I got.
My horse barn is taking shape!

 Where ever you call home, I hope you are staying cool or dry or not too wet and you’re getting enough rain but not too much and it’s warm but not Hades-like and you find yourself far out of the path of any tornadoes or floods or water spouts and there are no earthquakes anywhere on earth any time soon,  Amen.

A Recipe for the Summer garden files

The St. Petersburg Times published this recipe in 2010 out of Trisha’s cookbook “Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood”.  I have the book, and LOVE this recipe.  I suppose I won’t get in trouble if others have already outed the recipe, right?  

TRISHA YEARWOOD’S SQUASH CASSEROLE

2 pounds yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced ¼ -inch thick
 ½ small sweet Vidalia onion, peeled and diced
 1 teaspoon salt (divided use)
1 large egg ½ cup mayonnaise
 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
 ½ cup crushed butter crackers, such as Ritz (about 12 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Place the sliced squash and the onion in a medium saucepan with about a cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and cool.

Put the squash into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer; the mixture should remain kind of chunky. Add the egg, mayonnaise, cheese, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and mix until combined. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared dish, top with the crumbs and bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

Location, Location

  For weeks we have been laughing at  observing a male common house sparrow who has taken residence in our recycled- house-parts birdhouse.  This year we placed it on the edge of the brick patio in the backyard. He has been sitting on it, chirping forlornly, occasionally puffing his feathers and defending it fiercely whenever another male bird came near.  I wondered what he was doing, as there did not appear to be a female building a nest or co-habitating in any way.   So I googled…

 “The mating habits or courtship of the House Sparrow can begin as early as January and continue through July. The males claim their nest sites and defend its immediate territory. There is no defined area outside the nest that the bird defends.
The male chirps by the nest site trying to attract a female. When a female comes by the male chirps louder and more quickly. Sometimes the male will follow the female a short distance and hop or wing quiver around her if she passes by him. Other males may join in trying to attract the same female. Mating occurs throughout the breeding cycle, (March through early August) near the nest site, and may occur several times during the day. Once the birds pair, nesting begins.  These birds are monogamous, usually for life.
Although lost mates are quickly replaced during the breeding season. ” 
 (what else is new)

So there you have it.  I figured this guy has been trying real hard for a while now.. perhaps it was the location of his house that was making it impossible to attract a girlfriend. All the males defending the bluebird houses had mates already.. those were located away from our patio.   My son and I moved the house and wouldn’t ya know…  within 24 hours….

The girlfriend moved in.

Sometimes, location is everything. 

Caught with a hoe.

  Now get your mind out of the gutter.

  Today is one of those glorious weather days when working on the farm is pure bliss. I’m taking a break from the sun and chores to post these pictures.  These are the days I cherish.  Gratitude is the attitude today and I’m soaking it all up, breathing deep.

 Some of you might remember the neighbors in the new subdivision who didn’t like looking at farm equipment two fields over from them, right?… Well, they’ll be looking at a barn full of farm equipment from now on… hope this makes them happy.  They’ve been seen taking photos of our manure spreading and haying tactics.
Below is the foundation for an equipment barn.

 Walter and son have hayed these fields for many years…
they’ll leave us some bales for the horses this year with each cutting…

 

Foundation for the horse barn – small this time, three stalls and hay/shavings/grain storage room

  Hello, my name is Karen
and I’m a Coca-Cola addict.
It is what it is.

The Whistle Stop Cafe

 My favorite breakfast place is in Deep River, CT.  The coffee is always good, the owner is always pleasant, and the menu is original and delicious!  It’s a tiny place, which only adds to the charm.  In warm weather seasons you can sit outside in either the front or back yard.  My husband jokes that he never sees me happier than when I’m sitting at the table enjoying my awesome cranberry walnut toast and Austin’s Wrangler Omelet.  I sure hope that’s not true 🙂

 Hedy Watrous,  chef/owner extraordinare…

 Austin’s Wrangler.. Hash, roasted peppers and horseradish Cheddar – YUM~

 I’m not paid for advertising on this site, so you know if I’m talking about it, it’s probably really good.  If you live locally, try a summer Sunday morning at the Whistle Stop Cafe.  Tell them I sent ya.