She Said It...

Deb Rivel, board member of The Alex Foundation, quoted in Dr. Pepperberg's book, Alex & Me:

"Alex taught me the meaning of oneness. What I learned from him also supported what I always have known to be true: that there is just one Creation, one Nature, one good, full, complete Idea, made up of individuals of all shapes and designs, all expressing their oneness with one God. We are not different because we look different, but we all reflect the eternal beauty and intelligence of one Creation in our own peculiar way. It's what makes up the whole -- this textured fabric of thought and existence -- and knowing Alex has underscored to me how much the same we really are."

Right on.

Movin On -- Ur Doin It Rite!

A dear friend finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer a few months back, and had kept us all up to date with a blog.

Now his widow continues to share with her own blog. It's very moving, includes pix and some poetry that are her way of dealing with the grieving process. Susanne is a writer, and has put into words most beautifully what I -- and many others, I'm sure -- have experienced.

This poem today really hit the spot for me, and works for so many loved ones gone.

Stay or Now Go?

I rock in your chair, and lay in our bed
I sleep with your shirt on, your jacket nearby
I wander the rooms, touching the dreams
Of a beautiful life we once led

I hold in my hands the things you once touched
And ask do they stay or now go?
I hold in my hands the intimate wear
And ask do they stay or now go?
I hold in my hands the books you once read
And ask do they stay or now go?

Some things are easy, a moment of thought
Some things are hard, and wake me at night
Some things are…just things
Some have layers of memory
Some mean more to others, and less to me
Are these things you? Are they me?
Perhaps yes and yet no
And I ask do they stay or now go?

When you live in my heart in permanent estate
Do the things even matter? Do they stay or now go?
Does some of you linger on all of these things
How much do I hold, do I care?
Some day they’ll be dust, irrelevant, gone
It’s your life that must matter, not things

And yet, there is comfort, though bittersweet tears
When I touch what you touched, and wear what you wore
They do bring you close, help me feel you nearby
So, I’ll choose at least some of the things to now keep

~ Susanne Mariella Alexander, October 14, 2009

Oh, for Heaven's Sake!

Under the heading of people who clearly have too much time on their hands...but isn't it cute, anyway?

Baby watermelons...not!

I mean, what's not to love?

But I'M not gonna make them!

Almost Homemade Chicken Pot Pie...

Yes, really. This is the not-quite-from-scratch, scratch version. Because, picky as I am, commercial foods have improved enough that I not only use them, but also, recommend them. [Gasp!]

I know what you are now thinking! "Quick, check the back of her neck; did she go up over Copper Hill last evening?" and also, probably, "Who is this posting on Mom's blog?" Rest easy. Maybe I'm mellowing with age???

Whatever, I love pastry, especially savory pastry -- and making pie crust from butter and flour is tedious by hand (and, as you know, I'm too cheap to buy a food processor, besides which, it takes longer to set up and clean up than to do the work by hand for only two old people).

I'm not a fan of any of the prepared pot pies in the supermarket, although Pepperidge Farm did have an acceptable one some years back. Alas, it's no longer available, and was mostly crust, anyway...but good crust! There is a local restaurant (Grand Traverse Pie Company) which makes crusts as good as mine, but they cost $6 per 6" pot pie! However, I have found that Pillsbury has a prepared (uncooked) pie pastry that works just fine and tastes good, too.

To prove my point that the following recipe is easy and fast enough to make on a day I wasn't really expecting company until they called in the middle of my gardening... I whipped this dinner up from what I had in the pantry and freezer, and it was quicker than trying to thaw a steak or pork chops, and cheaper than taking them out to a restaurant. And while it was cooking, I had time to spruce up the house, take a shower and pick flowers for the table!

Quick Home-made Chicken Pot Pie

Svs 8 old(er) folks as complete meal, or 4 younger adults with salad, or 2 teenaged boys (but only if you add appetizer & dessert & half of everything else in the refrigerator)

Notes: Takes about half an hour to make up and 45-60 minutes to bake. (Or you could make two smaller pies and freeze one before baking. Cooking time then on the fresh one will be a little less, and frozen one can be popped frozen into the oven for at least an hour. Pastry will not be quite so flaky, though similar to commercial take and bake frozen pies.)

You'll need:

• 4 strips bacon (I used Oscar Mayer, kind of fatty, thin slices -- good for making lots of bacon grease, plus very crispy when cooked)
• butter
• 1/4 Cup flour
• 2 - 13 oz cans chicken breast in water (I used Sam's Club Member's Mark premium chunk)
• liquid from canned chicken
• water
• 1/2 of a 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables (diced peas, green beans, corn, carrots) I used Kroger brand
• 1/2 of a 14 oz package frozen Kroger Recipe Starters (diced celery, onion & carrot)
• 1 pkg refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts (2 crusts rolled out)
• large saute pan
• wire whisk
• 10-12" pie pan (I used glass, but tin or stainless steel will work. This is too heavy a pot pie for foil unless you set it on a cookie sheet to move it in and out of the oven. 10" pan will result in mounded filling that could boil over and make a mess, but looks pretty on the table. Larger pie pan will make a flatter, but less potentially messy, presentation.)

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. And take the pie crust out of the refrigerator to warm up a bit at room temperature while you make the pie filling.

Now, make the roux: Okay, this is just a pan gravy, but you are using bacon grease instead of roast chicken pan drippings. It's just the basic ratio of 1/4 cup fat to 1/4 cup flour to 2 cups liquid.

If you have already saved bacon grease from breakfast or whatever, you don't need to fry bacon. You can also substitute all butter and Hormel Bacon Bits, as the main flavor of the roux is going to come from the chicken broth out of the canned chicken, anyway. Oh, and if any of you just happen to have the rendered chicken fat on hand in your pantry, ready to make roux ... you are way ahead of me and up there with Julia Child, my dears!

Moving on for the rest of us...

1. Fry the bacon strips gently in the saute pan until crisp. Reserve (hide from other family members!) the bacon to crumble over the pie later. Measure the drippings to see how much butter to add to equal 1/4 cup, and return to the pan.

2. While bacon is crisping, open canned chicken and drain. Measure the liquid and add enough water to make 1.5 cups.

3. Place frozen veggies in microwave container with a half cup of reserved liquid and heat through (defrost and warm, don't cook). Drain into reserved liquid for the roux. This flavors the veggies of chicken, and the roux of the veggies, which allows this quick recipe to taste really made from scratch...

4. Over medium heat, add flour to the bacon drippings in the saute pan, and stir with a whisk until bubbly and slightly browned and without lumps. Couple minutes should be enough.

5. Pour in the liquid all at once, whisking briskly to mix well. Continue to whisk as the roux (gravy) thickens.

Now, mix the pot pie filling:

1. Gently add the chicken and vegetables to the roux (that's why I said large saute pan, but you could just toss it all into a big mixing bowl). Break up any very large chicken chunks, but not so much that it turns to mush. Bite sized pieces are appreciated by folks who are used to commercial pot pies that have only 1-2 bites of meat in them.

2. Crumble bacon pieces and sprinkle over the mixture.

To Assemble and bake the pie:

1. Carefully unwrap and unfurl one pie crust pastry and lay into the pie pan. If using the 12" pan, use your fingers to ease the crust up the sides to fit.

2. Pour the filling into the crust and mound it up in the middle if using the 10" pan. You can sprinkle the reserved bacon crumbles at this point, if you don't want to stir the filling too much before.

3. Spread the second crust on top and seal the edges well. Cut several slashes (chance to develop your artistic side) in the top to allow steam to escape and also to encourage any bubbling over to stay in the middle of the pie instead of running out the edge and onto the floor of the oven.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F in middle of oven for half and hour. Check doneness and if crust is turning brown too fast, add a foil shield. (Google it! I've never done it, myself, but some folks are picky about too brown crust on the edges...) Continue to bake another 15-30 minutes, depending upon several things (of course): type of pan, glass takes a bit less as it continues to cook after removing it from the oven; whether you use a baking stone (thanks, Celia, I love mine!) that helps cook the bottom crust and prevent sogginess, and also shortens cooking time.

5. Cool 15-20 minutes before serving -- otherwise you will serve lava temperature filling. It's good for leftovers, too, just not so flaky a pastry on reheating.

Et, voila!

Of course, if I have forgotten something, just let me know. :)

Love, MOM

PS, for the vegetarians? You can substitute coconut oil for the bacon fat and butter, increase the veggies, replace the water/broth with coconut milk, and leave out the chicken. This makes a wonderfully light (believe it or not) meal.

Think I'm there....

26 SIGNS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY GROWN UP....pretty old as Internet viral goodies go. I got as far back as 2002 without finding an author, so whoever you are? Thanks for the giggle and groan!

1. Your potted plants stay alive. In my case, that is largely because over the years I have learned which plants will tolerate being forgotten, rarely being repotted, and just about never fertilized. There are a surprising number of this kind of plant out there.

2. Having sex in a twin-sized bed is absurd. Well, I have never tried to have coitus is such a spot, but snugging works. Sleeping, alas, does not. We once took a vacation on Mexican trains, which were then maintained by the government mainly for the poor. First class was 60 seats, for which they sold about 75 tickets and kids rode free, with two bathrooms, only one of which would be working when the train started out. Second class was essentially a cattle car. We went Pullman Class, which means you get to have your own compartment with two beds, a private (and working) toilet, a little leather bladed fan that works only when the train is in motion, and about a zillion wall switches. Instructions for all of it are on the wall in English, which would be no help to most Spanish speaking folks, but didn't matter since only two of them will likely work. Different ones in each compartment. Anyway, the point of this diversion was to describe the beds, typical pull down berths (the Mexican train cars those days were all 1920-40s US RR equipment, held together by thick layers of paint) and came with specific instructions, to wit: only one adult and two children, or two adults and one child, per berth. We decided the average Mexican rail passenger must be considerably smaller than we were!

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge. Never did keep beer there. Did keep damp linen napkins and table clothes prior to ironing them. Dead Rats (a refrigerator cookie dough) and cloth covered bowls of friendship bread batter. Bag of tulip bulbs being cooled prior to planting. Oh. And the occasional petri dish of algae, or maybe a few body parts from dissection labs... Do you know, now I think on it, I never had much trouble with house guests snacking out of my fridge.

4. 6 am is when you get up, not when you go to sleep. Never an issue for me, as I was never a night owl. Only been awake all night on a few occasions: like when my son was born. And once when we spent the night in the airport at Tel Aviv, where they do not let you sleep.

5. You hear your favorite song on an elevator. Gasp! Don't you just hate that? Well, maybe if you can still remember all the words, it would be all right...........

6. You carry an umbrella. You watch the weather channel. Heh, some of the best shows on TV were on the Weather Channel, forget the weather! And generally, you can go for most of an hour before you are treated to a close up of murder being done.

7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hookup and breakup. Not so sure of that. Ever hear of swinging 60s? Seems to make better tax sense to hookup as a senior citizen, these days. Not going there. Two husbands are enough! Definitely have no patience with live ins in looser arrangements, or even revolving doors. Of course, I still have one of those husbands, so it is not an issue. Yet.

8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 7. In whose world? I'm female. We don't get vacations! Get real, here: chores are everywhere. Only place you can be where you haven't any to speak of is a convalescent hospital...and I don't have the money for that! However, retirement has the bonus of being able to schedule when and how those chores get done...and being able to turn over and snuggle/doze off again when you wake up in the morning.

9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as 'dressed up.' Sure they do! And way more comfortable than heels and stockings, not to mention ties. Hey, remembering to put on some lipstick is serious dress up these days!

10. You're the one calling the police because those darn kids next door don't know how to turn down the stereo. Well, only because they can't figure out what to say to the 911 operator when Beethoven rocks the building from our place... What is more difficult to handle is those poor, deaf kids driving around with their car stereos cranked up enough to blow cows out of their lane. (Doesn't work on deer, alas. More on that another time.)

11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you. Hmmmm. Shocking thing is that I am the oldest of my relatives still kicking. No, wait, I think there is one cousin still out there. None of my relatives told me that kind of joke, though there is some anecdotal evidence that I lacked the humor gene necessary to actually get the joke. My Dad used to tease me about how long it took me to get the point... But hey, is it my fault I didn't find out till college that his signature signoff as he went out the door, Hasta bananas, Buenos torpedos, wasn't Spanish?

12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore. True. I've switched to A&W. Or Steak'n'Shake. Hey, a hot date these days is a bacon double cheeseburger & fries, followed by a trip to the new library (in a rare and clever example of civic planning, it's a block down the street).

13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up. Former is true. Don't know about the latter, as we have not bought a new car. Last three have been used and we paid cash. (That should tell you right there how old we are!!)

14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's. Not applicable. No dog. No cat. Don't wanna be the one who has to walk them in what the weather around here is all year long. And have never lived with critters larger than a Budgie indoors with me 24/7. Not sure I could take the smell. When I did have cats and dogs, they lived mostly outdoors. I did not have to clean up their poop. I did, however, make their food from scratch. I still do for my birds.

15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt. Hey, sitting on the couch for any length of time makes my back hurt! And my feet swell. And requires strange noises in order to hoist myself up therefrom...

16. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 pm. Never did. Didn't need to stay awake late at night.

17. Dinner and a movie = the whole date instead of the beginning of one. Yep! Definitely a hot date = steak done just exactly right by dear husband, a good movie in front of the wood stove, a snuggle and some snickering (never mind the groaning when trying to get up to stagger off to bedtime). Now, if we leave home for said date, it would most likely be the afore-mentioned double bacon cheeseburger and visit to one of 17 local libraries...

18. MTV News is no longer your primary source for information. Sorry. Guess I never was that young.

19. You go to the drugstore for Ibuprofen and antacids, not condoms and pregnancy test kits. Boy, guess I was never young enough for those, either! I'm beginning to feel too old for this test.

20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer 'pretty good stuff.' Not applicable. Never drank wine. However, in other areas, this is very much true. For instance, not just any candy or soft drink will do, these days.

21. You actually eat breakfast foods at breakfast time. Nope. Not sure that I ever did after high school. Rather have leftover pizza, or steak, or chicken, than cereal. Nowadays, it is usually homemade soups, which require no thinking to pour into a bowl and nuke in the microwave. Add a home made roll or toasted bread, and there's a meal that required few working brain cells to prepare. Fixing eggs would be far too hazardous before the blood sugar is up!

22. Grocery lists are longer than macaroni & cheese, diet Pepsi and Ding Dongs. True. But Mac & cheese was never there, nor the Ding Dongs, by the time I was old enough to be making the list.

23. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again." Not applicable. But "Why did I think I could work on my taxes for 6 hours straight" and "What was I thinking, digging the sumac out of the garden; I'm not 20 any more!" are common exclamations. (The noises necessary to help sit or rise again from a chair do not count as exclamations. They are tools.)

24. Over 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work. Define work... I never played games until I retired. Cross my heart. Now we are beginning a business in the virtual world, Second Life. Some people still think SL is a game, so, um, is it work if it makes a living? Scarier still: is it taxable income if it never leaves the virtual environment?

25. You don't drink at home to save money before going to a bar. Never did. But I do sometimes snack before going out to dinner with family or friends, as their taste in restaurants runs to slightly more expensive places than A&W....

26. You read this entire list looking for one sign that doesn't apply to you. True. And even the ones whose specifics didn't apply, had applicable issues at heart. Sigh.

Guess I'm going to have to figure out what I'm going to be now that I'm grown up.

But, surely, if I put it off long enough, won't I be able to get out of it??

Okay, If You're Tired of Knitting....

...there are other things to do with yarn, LOL.

Today's edition of the Skull a Day Blog, for instance... And every one of the creations, about one every day, is different! Take the tour and see for yourselves

Sigh. When do these people get any chores done? Surely that much creativity must take up the whole day!

Make a Snowflake...

This is SO cool! (smile) Paper cutting for the 'Net...

Thanks to Nancy for pointing us to it...



Click on the icon, takes you to the site. Click on create a snowflake and play. Or click on the little white dots falling gently to see what others have created.

Allow for the possibility that you won't get the chores done immediately this morning.......

Too Good Not to Share...

My friend Kathy, in New Zealand, forwarded this gem to me this morning.

Made my day.

Beauty of Math!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321


1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111


9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?


And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321



Now, take a look at this...

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?


What equals 100% in life?


Here's a little mathematical formula that might help

answer these questions:


If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Are represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.


If:


H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%


And:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%


But:

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%



THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:



L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%


Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Great ways to waste time on YouTube...

Don't be afraid, now. This is good stuff, not scary, but maybe not safe for work, only because you need the sound, and everybody in the office will be over wondering what's so cool in your cube.....

The arts are fully represented on YouTube -- even some arts with which you might not be familiar:

Nora, the piano playing cat. She even does duets, so you should visit her web page, too. We aren't talking stomping on the keys, here. Nora really plays, and she has good position/posture, too, LOL. Her sequel is even better.

Dance, anyone? How about dance with props -- er, tools? -- well, it is dance, in typical YouTube off the wall fashion.

Step dancers (but not Irish). Watch the chairs carefully...

A video of what happens when you go on eBay at 2 in the morning because your hot flashes woke you up just enough that you weren't fully awake, but you couldn't get back to sleep...(Not that I would have personal experience with this) set to Weird Al's "eBay" parody.

Another video to Weird Al's "eBay" this done by a couple kids whose native language may not be English, but they are just too funny! This sort of fun with the 'arts' is what YouTube does very well...

A beatbox flautist...

This guy, another beatboxer, at the French national championships. Who knew this rap specialty had international competitions??

A sociology study turned into a music video: Free hugs.

And a Murat, who changes forever your stereotype of a mime.

Now, I'm not sure whether you consider the library, and reference librarians, to be part of the arts...but Ms Dewey most certainly in not your ordinary computer reference...

And to close, from our fav blog of LOLcatz

How to Build Community...

Today a friend (thanks, Margie!) showed me a copy of a poster, which had obviously been copied numerous times -- and as soon as I read it, I wanted a copy, too!

When I went on line to see if I could find the source -- because anyone who could put something this neat together deserves the credit -- but struck out. This appears to have been such a popular notion, and copied so much by just about everyone who saw it, that the source is too obscure for my Net skills to dig up.

Possibly, you have already seen these instructions...but I will list them anyway:

HOW TO BUILD COMMUNITY

Turn off your TV
Leave your house
Know your neighbors
Greet people
Look up when you're walking
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Honor elders
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn't break it
Have pot lucks
Garden together
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a traditions
Ask a question
Hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades
Sing together
Share your skills
Take back the night
Turn up the music
Turn down the music
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard
Work to change this

What I did find when searching the Web was an explanation of what one community did with the ideas, but I can't tell if they are the souce:

Vancouver and "How To Build Community"

Our “How to Build Community” poster is a resource for tens of thousands of people looking for ways to feel connected with their neighbors.

The lack of community many of us feel was evident to Eileen Mosca at a Vancouver city hall meeting. Well, Eileen decided to do something about it.

She contacted SCW with her idea, a guerrilla postering campaign in Vancouver! She began the process of organizing 150 volunteers to take 20 posters and a corner of the city each. It wasn’t long before she had well over her initial goal of people with at least 4,000 posters to paste.

The postering project itself became a community-building activity! Elementary students, senior groups, doctors, longshoremen, government workers, people from all walks of life volunteered to help.

Did their effort have a positive effect? To quote the mastermind of the project, Eileen Mosca: Because such things can’t be quantified I guess we will never really know. But you can be sure the posters touched people, made them think and perhaps made them decide to look up when they are walking…sing together…learn from new and uncomfortable angles…talk to the mail carrier… and maybe even dance in the streets.

Pretty cool, right?