Mindless Chatter - Weekend

Oh Ron, I meant to congratulate you last night but my wine fogged brain forgot!  :)  With all this rain, I don't think we will grill tonight, but last night I was thinking I would make chicken soup...now I think I will do chili instead!  I have a super easy recipe that I got out of a diabetic cookbook that I LOVE!  I can come home from work, throw it together in about 15 minutes and serve in 30, and it tastes like it has been cooking all day!  Even my dad, who I swear likes to take every extra step he can while cooking, thinks it is a hit!  I bet even Joyce would like this one!  The hardest part is browing the meat and using the can opener.  LOL  Speedy Chili Recipe  Oh, and I don't always use all the seasonings, just throw in what I have or like, but I do suggest getting some chipotle chili powder...it really adds a nice flavor!

BEVOLASVEGAS

Heather, there aren't many people who drink beer when they are sick....Welcome to the club!!

Teehee!  Interestingly, I feel tons better this morning.  Maybe we're onto something here....

It's a gorgeous and cool morning here. DH just left for work, so I have the day to myself. I have a little bit of cleaning to do and need to go pick up a few groceries and then I plan to relax and enjoy control of the remote for the day :)

I'm watching the early morning news and there was another playground fire last night. There was one the night before and there have been several over the last few weeks. What in world makes someone want to burn up playground equipment???? Did they grow up without any and now they don't want other children to have any? I just don't get it.

I almost bought some Spam at the store this morning but managed to talk myself down. lol  The store had chicken thighs on sale for $.99lb and pork loin chops for only $1.99 lb.  I stocked up. 

It is starting to cloud up again here.  I can't believe how quickly the plants are recovering with some rain.  My front yard is green again!!   I need to finish cleaning the house and then I have no plans. 

We had a nice walk this morning with the dogs.  I wish I had my camera with me.  Belle's feet were so muddy, her feet were twice their normal size.  She was completely unfazed.  Rex and Twister on the other hand, kept stopping to get the mud from between their toes.  Glad I always have water and towels in the car.

Have a good afternoon everyone.

Nah, no blender for the salsa ingredients.  Chunky is sooooo good.  I often add (to the ingredients Jackie posted) a bit of smally chopped green pepper, absolutely fresh garlic and a squeeze of lime juice.

Speaking of tomatoes....I'm gonna turn IN to V8.  I had slacked off a bit on drinking it when I sweat and of course I'm paying for it with leg cramps that wake me up in the night...repeatedly.

Ron, I'm so thrilled for you!  Congrats!  I think we've got everyone employed now?  Except Paige....we'll have to work on sending her extra job vibes now.....

boneyjean

I don't think we will grill tonight, but last night I was thinking I would make chicken soup...now I think I will do chili instead! 

That is serendipitous. Last night, we had chili. Tonight, we're having chicken soup. It must be a Texas thang. And thanks to everyone for the good wishes. I'm not sure how to find a job for Paige. But the job I'm leaving involves electrical work but you've got to be able to work heights. There's a 60 foot bucket truck that gets a bit jerky at the limits of the booms (that's unnerving, even for me.) We had some 85 foot stadium lights we had to free-climb with nothing but an OSHA harness and hook.

Actually, I saw the other day (I think it was in Dallas) a sign in front of a vet clinic looking for a vet tech, but I know that takes specific training and the right personality.

I've been spending the last hour or so troubleshooting my gas oven (Frigidaire.) I've tracked it down to the glow ignitor. It's a ceramic piece that glows and reaches a certain temp and the gas turns on and the heat ignites. However, it's only drawing 2.5 amps when it should draw 3.2 to 3.6. And it's showing 190 ohms of resistance when it should show continuity. Fortunately, they're not too expensive. Unfortunately, they are hard to locate. Home Depot's site only shows the round and I have the flat. I may still go by the store and see if they have it in our location. One can't always trust a national computer data base.For example, the Albertson's (grocery store) near us sells T-style edison screw-in fuses because some of the houses around here are that old. So, you never know what you are going to find. But this isn't the first time I've had an appliance get persnickety in a Sunday.

I am going to go look at a potential foster this afternoon.  The dog was turned into animal control after she miscarried.  She is supposed to be in very bad shape, & what was supposed to be a routine owner turn in has turned into a cruelty case.  She is a 3 year old lab, who currently weighs 35 lbs.  According to what the owners told AC, she has had four litters of pups, but since she miscarried, what would have been litter number 5, she is "costing the owners money."  I'm not really sure what to expect.

Glenda, are you taking any medications? (and I mean this in a NOT nosey way! Rhetorical question LOL) My mom was having leg cramps at night, and it turns out it's a side effect of the medicine she is taking (Tamoxifen) - her oncologist OK'd her to take a baby aspirin every day and she says that helps tremendously.

I thought I lost Tiki - I came home from work and checked all of her 'sleepy spots' but she wasn't in any of them...she went in my brother's closet and fell asleep on his dirty clothes LOL.

BF and I are going to have to give Pi a little trim - his fur keeps getting stuck in his wound and it's gross. They shaved all around it, but apparently not enough. I want to get him a new Puppia harness, the stupid pit tore his up, but there aren't any stores around here that sell them and all the ones on Ebay look so shady!

Ron - Good luck finding the part you need. We've gone thru similar frustrations but DH is usually persistent enough to track something down. Congrats on the new job too!!!

Amanda - that breaks my heart about the lab mama and how unwell she must be at 35 lbs. I wish I could help her out.

This has been the most gorgeous day and I want it to last forever. I always want the weekend to last forever, but this day is especially nice.

I have to complete some worksheets for a financial planner to see if I'm on track to retire in 2 1/2 yrs. I'm pretty sure I'm in good shape, but I really need to hear it from a professional. If he says it's not possible, I'll fire him and find someone else

Re the salsa - the recipes I found all said it would keep for up to 3 days. Is that really all the time that you can keep it? I wanted to make a largish size batch but wouldn't be able to use it in 3 days.

Can or freeze it Cathy.  I always can salsa.

Yes, nosy, I do take medications.  Celexa (aka my happy pill) lipitor, fosamax once a week if I remember,  calcium sups with vitamin D, a multi vitamin for "older women" and one baby asprin per day.  Vicodin as needed, usually once in a blue moon.

I really think that the leg cramps are because I slacked off on the V8 when I sweat...which is often and really heavily.  Obviously, sweating leaches tons of electrolytes out of the old body (and I don't use that term loosely!), and cramps like this are usually caused by low potasium.  So long as I keep up with the V8 (high i potasium) I'm ok.  My own fault for not keeping up with it, but gosh darn when they are so severe they wake ME up...and then make me limp the next day...........

Guess I should probably go to the doc this week.  I've got that "ants crawling under my skin" feeling that I usually get prior to a shingles outbreak, but it's been going on forEVER.

OMG!!!  I've got all FOUR deer outside my kitchen window right this second!!  Cool!

Went out and got Sammy some new food so he stopped puking.  YAY! 

Didn't really get much done that I need to, today.  I didn't finish cleaning, I didn't finish some things for work..... what a lazy weekend.  That's OK, I don't mind :)  I might even go to sleep early tonight!

I didn't have any regular cracker crumbs for my pork chops.  I crushed up some Pepperidge Farm Parmesan flavored crackers.  Yum, that turned out to be tasty.  Dipped them in beaten egg, coated in the cracker crumbs and baked on a rack in the oven. 

We had another weird little storm pass over just now.  The sun was shining but it was raining like crazy for a few minutes. 

Yay for Sammy not puking. 

Amanda, good luck with that Lab.  Keep up posted.  How are you and Brutus the Brave doing?

Megan and Pi, keep healing!

Glenda, I am amazed that the deer don't eat your landscaping.  Maybe they have all the food they need and don't need your flowers and shrubbery. lol 

whew busy, busy weekend and will remain busy, busy until Wednesday evening.

I have had intestinal cramps all day - with no change and no events.  very uncomfortable.

Happy the Giants were able to hold on - defense looked good most of the time and the offense had the same problem the always do - scoring touchdowns!

The weather has been stunning and is to remain so - yippee!

Glenda I am happy that the V8 works - miracle juice as I call it LOL

Amanda how sad about that lab - good luck!  Hope you and Bru and Meg and Pi are healing

awesome news on the job Ron - very happy for you!

Glenda I hope those deer don't eat your yard up in time - they sure like to eat everything around these parts and there is plenty of green that no one would miss but they seem to prefer landscaped areas and veggie gardens. You have been warned

We live near the farms for one of the univeristy agri depts and one field is backed by an island-like wooded area.  Every evening you can see deer there.  Tonight I saw 10-12 grazing in the dusk, marvelous.  I do love them just not in my yard

OK off to try and blast B awake so he will do his business.  He is out cold and super tired so he isn't going to want to do this, ho hum

This is becomig a bit of a cycle.  First I feed the birds and the squirrels camp out under the feeder to steal what falls.  So, I get critter food for the squirrels nd the deer come to snag that.  Now I buy 50 lbs of whole corn every week for the deer...erm, the SQUIRRELS, that's it, it's for the squirrels Mr. Game Warden.  I can't help if the deer eat the food I put out all over the yard for the squirrels......

Even prior to putting the corn out though, the deer didn't bother a single thing.  The birds peck holes in my ripe tomatoes, but the deer I guess are thanking me for the "squirrel food" by leaving everything else along.