towwad

Miss Fey-Fey

2010-03-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

On the bright side she helps me sleep.
when she wants a nap she just crawls in a pile of dirty clothes.

I have to be very careful because when I'm walking I don't know if I stepping on a piece of envelop
or 1lb of white puppy.

Miss Fey has moved in and is comfy. Mr. POO has a loving
home. I spoke with his
new "Mommy" yesterday.
towwad

Happy Birthday to me !

2010-03-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

She is here. She is as cute as a button and about the size of one.
She is sleeping in my lap and kicks me every now and then.
She will be 5 weeks on Monday.
I will be 65 years tomorrow.

Then to scrub the stove and floors.

Thank you God.

towwad, again

Birthday

2010-03-10T04:12:00.000-08:00

On the 12th of this month will be my birthday.
Everything that I can do wrong I have.
Nothing left but hope time will grant me enough grace to keep on trying.

POO Update

2010-02-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

He has been adopted. Will be a spoiled pet.
I'm lonely and looking forward to finding another helper.
I keep forgetting to take my Meds on time.
Out neighbor, who fell and broke her hip, came back home today.
I made Chicken Soup.

Good news on my health care front. Because I turn 65 next month my premiums will be considerably less.

More for me to lavish on new Baby.
She will need everything.
She will get it too.

Maby a bowl of Chicken Soup will make me feel better.

I think it is going to Snow.

Best,
tow---

FEB_10

2010-02-04T04:45:00.000-08:00

The POO is with his Vet awaiting a retirement home.
No final decision has been made or will be in the near future.
I'm still not smoking.
Gained 5 lbs but starved it off during a recent illness.
More on my POO situation next month.
Best,
TOW---

JAN_10

2010-01-17T02:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all.
Weather has not been good to us.
TOO-FAT-POO is still ripping it up with his 3 pound Yorke friend. She is a mess.

I'm still (trying) playing games with the idea of collecting the bits and pieces that actually make a game.

I have concluded that:
A) There is one game.
B) The Sprites and the way they can be manipulated, whether 2D or 3D, reminds me of C code.
C)The Graphics and Story Line are the things that make an individual game.

I have found a great appreciation for the costly software that can be used to build a game.

My New Year's Resolution:
Stop throwing away the OKARA that is left after I have drained my SOY MILK.
Dang near half the world does not have enough to eat and it makes no sense to use part of a SOY BEAN.
The OKARA can be quickly cooked and added to RICE, every SOUP that I can think of, MEATLOAF, MEATBALLS, FISH CAKES, BEAN DIPS,as well as added to CHEESE SAUCE for Veggies.
Add it to your SAUSAGE for GRAVY.
Hey, I'm Southern but I can tell you that OKARA mixed in with Grits is OK with me. Try adding some to your OATMEAL.
Best,
towwad

Christmas 2009

2009-12-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak.
General winter medical problems.

POO and his friend stayed together in the same large cage at their Vet's clinic while Miss Roxie's owner took me to a doctor. When we returned to pick them up I was thrilled when we were informed that my anxiety ridden old poodle did not cry or show distress while I was gone.
So now we know that he needs more than just being in a cage in a room with other caged animals, he needs another of his kind to be with him.
Mr POO is back on antibodies for his gums and he gained a half a pound.
All 3 pounds of Miss Roxie is perfect.

So, if you run into Santa, please mention that I have been good and would like to have a House and Car for Christmas. POO would like to have a little Sister.
Good night,
towwad

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is my anniversary post.
We, the POO and I, started here three years ago.
He is going on 10 years old and is still ripping it up with his 1 year old Yorkie friend.
They enjoy each other's company so much that we have a serious problem with Miss Roxie and Mr POO slipping out the door and running across the street to visit. Trouble is if nobody can catch them then and there they take themselves for a hike and we have to search the complex. It is dangerous for the dogs in that they don't fear cars or strangers.

I made an easy savory Dumpling recipe yesterday.
It was a combination of directions for Puffy and Flat dumplings.

I started with some homemade chicken broth and added Onion and Celery.
I would like to have had some Carrots and green Peas.

I used about 2C. Biscuit mix and flavored it with Sage, Rosemary, Parsley, Onion salt, Plain salt, and course grind Black pepper, and added some non-fat- Dry milk powder.
Mixed everything with small amount of water. Very heavy dense dough.

I tried the Drop-1-teaspoon method into the rapidly boiling broth. Puffed right up and when I tasted it I realized that it could be ok for some people but I did not like the cooked, but dry, center.
I was not satisfied with the over all taste and believe that Chicken, Vegetable, or any other kind of Bullion added to the Biscuit mix would help.

I refrigerated the Broth and the unused dumpling mix and several hours later I put the broth on to boil and used a sharp knife to slice the cold dumpling dough into 1/8 wide strips. By the time the broth was ready I had the dough cut into 1/2 to 3/4 long strips and stretched them a little as I dropped them into the broth.

Not bad. I had some whole Black pepper in the broth along with the celery and onion.
Only thing I did for serving was to add some butter to my bowl.
Yes, POO likes them too.

Next time I will go with the Bullion in the dry mix and build on that.

No money for Thanksgiving traditions this year.
We will just try to hold on to what we have and be grateful for that.
And I don't know just how much longer we can hang on.

This environment is not changing for the better.
Best,
towwad

10-12-09

2009-10-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Between last post and now:
I've managed to hang in there with the smoking effort.
Car troubles have been then and now.
My landlords have done some serious work with cleaning up the landscape problems.
Got light bulbs replaced in living room and kitchen. Something kinky about the living room fixture.
While POO was enjoying a play-date with his friend, her owner and I got into an ice cream eating contest. I lost but didn't mind because it was a lot of fun trying.
And I actually harvested about a dozen green beans.

Major XP problem.
Did a clean install.
Because I have my trusty WD stand alone I had backup.
But it was a pain to get the system back up. Things are not back to the way I had them.
I have replaced the MB and CPU but the other hardware is old. I'm looking forward to Windows 7. I will need a new PC for it.

Now that our weather has cooled I'm in the mood to cook again.
After 2 or 3 years trying my grocery stocked Rosemary. I got 2 bottles and looked for more.
At the moment I'm Fish hungry.
Thinking about a pan seared fillet with a ground Sunflower Seed and "something" sauce.
Best,
towwad

September, Sweet September

2009-09-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

We have rain. Weather has cooled.

I haven't smoked a cigarette since the middle of August. Am slowly adjusting to this self imposed change. Doubt that I will ever "Quit" but the patches I'm using do stop the craving. I don't have anything to prove, not doing this for any reason other than I am tired of the inconvenience of running out and having to make a trip to buy more.
I do miss the Second Hand Smoke smell because I grew up in a home of smokers.
I don't wear the patch but 16 hours a day because I don't smoke in my sleep.

POO is enjoying his play dates with his friend who lives across the street.

Summer produce was a disappointment. Hope fall crops will be better.

This is my version of baked Okra
I use several pounds because I like fresh baked Okra and I save the left-overs in the freezer to add to soups.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Line Jellyroll pan with non-stick foil.
Slice Okra 1/4" thick and place a single layer in pan.
If you want to use Salt and Pepper or any other dry seasoning you can do it before baking. I don't use anything on the batches I plan to freeze.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and remove pan from oven and use two spatulas to turn and return to oven and lower temp to 425 degrees. Check every 10 minutes.
It is done when you decide it is done.
Yes, POO likes it too.
Best,
towwad

August 09

2009-08-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

We have had an occasional shower or two but the weather has been brutal. Usually when the Al antic hurricane season arrives we catch a break in the heat. Hasn't happened yet.
POO is enjoying his play dates with his new friend. She is a year old and has reached her full size of 3 lbs.

Food has been a disappointment because of the problem with potatoes and tomatoes this year.
The beans we have on the patio are still alive but I don't see any sign that there will be anything to harvest.

I went in to have my ears cleaned out and now I can hear again but my equilibrium is out of whack.

Not much going on in the cooking department. I think I'll go with the imposable pies for a while.
Later...
towwad

Drunk Again

2009-07-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

It is a few minutes into Saturday morning and I can tell you that Friday was a busy one for us.
Started earlier in the week when POO went in for his rabis shot. He was still overweight--I have started defending his weight issue by saying, "Ah, that's just his jewelry and extra fluff.". He now will sport 10 vaccination tags. So he struts his stuff with a jingle-jangle.
I got a bottle of medicine for his gum problem. We started the eye dropper thing again.
And we are still working on his red tear stains. We also made an appointment for him to have his teeth cleaned on Friday.

And here is how our Friday went:
I make it out of bed and get myself together long enough to run POO to his clinic.
Get back and have my morning coffee.
Make sure that I have taken my meds, including the extra stuff I need for my stomach every few weeks.
Sit at my PC and read the news and mess around.

Start collecting things to wear. Found my "good" sneakers. Had to actually open my special drawer to find a bra. Got a new disposable undie from the package. Couldn't find any clean socks in the dryer and didn't think of looking on the wide sock shelf of that closet--when I got home I discovered one unopened pack of 6 pair and another new pair. Don't remember when I bought them. ( I'm a wash and wear here at home--just can't see the effort of folding ).

My only pantie hose were white and I was in a dark mood so decided to go bare legged but I added a long legged black pantie girdle for something "underneath".
Then I open the double doors of the closet that has clothes I deem worthy of putting on hangers. I have an array of beautiful dressy things in several sizes and lovely colors for every season and fabrics that feel good to the touch. I have been given every one of them but two dresses I bought in 1981. For some reason I do not understand, women give me the most beautiful clothes. I only wear one of the dresses I got in 1981. If it is too loose, I need to gain weight. If it is too snug, I need to lose some weight. Besides I feel good wearing it. I like the fabric and everything about the style except for it's 3/4 length sleeves.
I like the silky tone on tone embroidered blouse in white but don't want to go with skirt and blouse. I spy an understated black with tiny white dots silky dress that buttons to the collar which has long sleeves and mock French cuffs.

Get my Hair pulled to the nape of my neck and tied tight and look around until I find my black fru-fru thing that is hiding on my PC desk between the hammer and flashlight and finish my hair. ( It stays there when I'm home )

With hair done I slip dress on and notice the belt is not long enough. Humm. Discard the belt because the dress doesn't need it. Besides, I don't like belts. Then I start with the buttons and remember why I wear my favorite dress. It does not have any buttons.
I get the cuffs first. Then I have to struggle with the buttons from the waist up. At the neck is a tiny snap and a hoop for the button at the throat. So much tedious work getting the buttons done and when I smooth the front of the dress and look in the mirror I realize that the damned things are hidden and all of that work was to not disturb the tiny white dot pattern. It worked. Looked good. With my hair pulled back and that severe dress I probable looked stern and somebody not to be messed with. Would have been better if I could have worn my black or white pumps but my crippled feet are not capable of that yet. I keep praying about them. When I get in my car and notice the dress if sunlight I discover it is dark navy blue.

I have some time to kill so I stop in at a local family eatery and start by requesting a spoon to eat my meal and a word with the manager. Bet you can guess where this is going.
I get the hamburger steak with speckled butterbeans, collards and beets. Yes, I wanted the onion and mushroom gravy. Unsweetened tea.
The way to judge if a family owned eatery is going to have good food is by it's bread.
If their homemade bread is good then the other things will reflect the same consideration. These yeast rolls were not mile high. They were just high enough and nearly 4" square. Very good. Somebody cares about the food here!!
Eventually I got the spoon I needed and the manager came by. I explained my Handicapped American with a Canine Assistant desire to come there and asked if there would be any problem. Not a problem for her. She would mention it to the owner.
I thanked her for her time, hunted up my waitress and handed her my tab with a specially folded bill and gave her a hug and left.

One nice thing about being late for my doctor's appointment was that I didn't have to wait long. Got to know the new nurse. Liked her. Miss the one who retired.
I scared myself when the nurse mentioned my weight at 139+. Put my doctor in a good mood. We had a good visit but thing are hinkey with my lab test and I will have to go back more often until we can get a grip of my problems.
I get an appointment with another specialist and, "No problem about having the dog with me.".
Then I wander down to the lab and, because POO is not with me, I cry a little.

Then I'm off to get POO. Traffic is bad and gets worse because a police car needs to get through and we drivers are making a hole here and there as best we can. Wouldn't you know, one block after I turn into my Vet's parking lot I see the police car stopped.
I'm early but that is fine by me as there is a new cat in the house. This is the biggest long haired yellow cat I have ever seen. He is a good cat. He is huge. I ask to play with him. He lets me scratch behind his ears a little but I smell like POO and he prefers to avoid POO.
Eventually POO is brought out. He is totally zonked. He can walk, he doesn't seem to care where. I pay his tab and eventually get him in the car. He passes out. Wakes up when we get home and makes it to the door on his own after falling a couple of times.
When we get inside he has enough presence of mind to present himself to me to have his harness removed.
I take my afternoon meds and sip some milk as I start this familiar vigil of waiting and helping him until he is alert. About 6PM we take a nap. This time he chooses his lower bunk which is an 8" thick fold out bed/chair up against my bed. I scoot over to his side of my bed and lay my head on the edge so I can watch over him. I reach down and rub his back now and then. I dosed off for a little while and when I checked on him I noticed he had moved closed to me. I got up, drank some milk and went back to lay on his side of the bed. He would respond when I rubbed him. I slept again and during that time he moved around and ended up laying right under my face. I got up in time for my 11PM meds and he got up with me. Unsteady, but definitely awake.
I think he had another tooth pulled and thought he would not feel like food so I put a cup and a half of puppy biscuits on a plate by his water bowl. He fooled me. I put a cushion beside his rocker and he started going to the kitchen and getting a biscuit and bringing it back to the cushion to eat. This went on and on for over an hour and during that time he drank half the water in his bowl. He got full, went to his papers and has gone to bed in his quarters. He is still walking stiff legged and he looks rough.
I'm not going to get him up for the eye dropper.
Well, I spoke too soon. I will not do the eye dropper meds for his mouth but he is up again and gotten a special good cookie with a pill hidden inside and he is working on the puppy biscuits again. The more he moves around and eats and drinks and eliminates tonight will help him feel better tomorrow. He still rocks back and forth when he stands still.
Maby he will sober up in the morning.
And folks, I'm tired.
towwad

Hot, hot July

2009-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

My, my! Has anybody noticed that the temperature goes up in the summer?
Now that I have all 4 of the bulbs in my living room light fixture burning I can see well enough to read again.
Bought some books about PC Game Programming. While I immediately realized the amount of work involved in making a game, the material I have covered has been straight forward and code for the various and sundry items needed to help build a Library is included along with an .exe.
At the moment I'm still reading up on the old DOS games and my XP doesn't seem to like Running them. I usually end up with a Reboot to get my system back.
I confess I would be more excited about the book's writer if the games were not Bang-bang, shoot and be shot. I live in an area which has one of the highest murder rates in the country and would rather spend my time in a less volatile atmosphere.

Besides I have enough everyday challenges.
My car's battery cable needs to be replaced. I found a dealership which can get the original part for $32 + change. However, it will cost me about $179 to have them get the part and install it. I was going to go for it this month but my neighbor's friend made a thought provoking point when he mentioned that since both of my cables are mis-matched that changing out just one of them might not solve my problem.
So here I am string my heavy extension cord out to the car and hooking the battery charger up for 10 minutes. Presto! Cranks right up. And I scream dirty words at it.
By the time I have let the car run for 20 minutes while I put everything back up I have to spend a long time in my wheelchair with my bottle of heart pills.

POO has been having a problem of his own lately.
Lately when he is not in the room with me I will find him on my bed snuggled against my pillows. At night he has started to sleep with me. That would be ok but his idea of sharing my single bed is that he wants his half in the middle of my half.
I keep explaining that I really need for him to move over enough for me to get both of my legs on the bed.
He no longer gets up to go with me to the bathroom at night, just moves up on the bed to keep my pillows warm. He will come to the kitchen and sniff, if I'm eating something he wants he comes in, if not, he cuddles up with my pillows until I come back to bed.
I do not know how he knows but when I'm sitting at my kitchen table suffering the side effects of my heart pill he comes to my feet and lays down.

Garden has about a dozen beens growing. Don't know if I'll actually harvest any beans.
Food has been oven roast tenderloin. I cooked 2 of them and they were "Spoon tender".
I broke them apart with a spoon and then used my favorite food processor to grind the meat very fine. Put a pound in each of six containers and passed them out to my neighbors with some sauce. One of them actually said, "Thank you.".

My used to be favorite grocery store has reopened, but it is not in the same location and so I'm still looking for some of the things I can't get where I shop now.

That's it for now as POO has decided to lay in my lap and I can't reach across him to the keyboard.
towwad

June_09

2009-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are and the year is speeding along. Garden is dieing. POO is on the mend enough to be playful again. Car starts...most of the time.

My refrigerator problems have been fixed. It will take me the rest of the year to replace the food I lost.
The grocery store where I shop doesn't understand what small sized pasta is and my efforts to help the manager haven't gotten me what I want. In the past I could go to another large store and get all of the shapes and sizes I wanted along with yogurt and specialty items. That store changed management and went bankrupt in short order. I didn't like the new and last manager and that is why I stopped buying from them exclusively.
So I guess I will start making my pasta here at home.
In the mean time POO and I are enjoying summer fruit ( he decided watermelon is tasty ).
I'm very happy for him because he has lost 2 lbs. He is at 14 lbs. but the best I've been able to get his weight down to is 11 lbs. He is 10" at the shoulder but because of his breed defects he is 15" long. In other words he does not come close to conforming to poodle standards. And every time he suffers because of his breed defect problems I get really mad and think mean thoughts about puppy mills and the mindless merchants who support them.
Got myself a blender to go with my food processor and I'm off to find some ways to make pasta.
Oh, oh, here he comes again and he is after me for something.
I'm off to see what he has done this time-
towwad

Too-Fat-POO

2009-05-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

We got the rest of POO's meds and his Rx food. I misunderstood his weight. I thought he weighed 15 lbs, he weighs 16 lbs! For a toy poodle which should weigh 10 pounds he needs to loose more than half his body weight. And since he can not run I am going to have to help him walk more.

I have been eating too much fast food for the last two months.
Now that summer is here I can go back to the fresh fruits and vegetables I enjoy.

I have a yogurt maker and a soy bean juice maker...it is actually soy bean juice, same as any other vegetable juice, and I think it is silly to call it Milk.
I drink cow milk.
I cook with soy juice as I do not like to drink the flavored varieties...too sweet.
The thing I enjoy most about having the soy bean juicer is I can make tofu at home.
I don't make much at a time because I like it fresh made and still warm. I don't do anything to alter it's flavor. I usually eat the whole batch.

This is a favorite way that I eat rice and beans. It is based on the famous chick pea puree. Any cooked dry bean or pea can be used and it is easy to keep a stock of these canned peas and beans. Tip: Green peas work well too.

Drain the peas or beans and reserve liquid. Use food processor to puree adding reserved liquid if needed. Flavor to taste...I like garlic. Place in microwave safe bowls and refrigerate.

The grain called Wild Rice, Brown Rice and all of the different colored varieties of rice will work better than White Rice for this. When I use Wild Rice, for example, I cook a pound at once because of the longer cooking time and this type of grain holds it's texture when frozen and reheated. For a pound of cooked rice you will want to stir in a Tablespoon Olive oil before freezing. More importantly divide the cooked rice into usable portions.

So when you want your meal. Heat the amount of Rice and the amount of bean puree you will use.
I use 3/4C Rice and place it on my plate, then mash the center down to form a Rice Ring. Then I spoon some of the heated bean puree in the middle.
Add some Seamed Vegetables and have an Apple and melon fruit plate for dessert.
You do not need bread with this meal.

One more thing you can do with the Rice Ring is to put Carrot Salad or Cold-slaw in the middle.

Our beans are up and running...another 4 to 6 weeks and I should be able to harvest a few.

Back to being...,
TOWWAD ! ( I missed the little guy while he was sick. )

Happy Birthday POO

2009-05-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

He is back home and a lot better. Pom-pom tail is up but not waging. He still can not stand on his hind legs and place his front paws on my knees for me to pick him up but he lets me help him climb up in my ( his now ) rocking chair and, with a little help, he climbs in the car.
First thing he did when he got home was to check out the patio garden. Our green beans have sprouted and started to leaf out.
The strict diet has not been helpful for weight loss. But he is not moving unless he has to. We have to go back and get more meds and different food so I hope that in a few weeks he will be able to run again.

Today is his 9th birthday and he is entitled to some sick leave.
So far he has gotten a dog bone from our bank teller, and I will give him green beans. I hide his arthritis pill in a small cube of processed cheese and give him four of the "cheese pills" each morning and he gets 1 cheese treat each afternoon and evening for reminding me to take my meds. And I have bag of soft kibble which we use for play time...I toss a piece of kibble and he goes and gets it. That's it for exercise.

If our garden works out we should have the green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, kale, mustard greens, and sweet peppers. No need for me to grow tomatoes as I can get good locally grown ones within walking distance of our home.

He feels good enough to get excited about the "Go" word so we are off to shop.

towwad

POO's Sick Days

2009-04-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, he is back in the hospital. We just can't get him back up to working condition.
After all, he is 9 years old and has a lot of breed defects which cause health problems. And he has Separation Anxiety. He is happy to leave me and go with someone else, but he barks, howls and acts like he is having a nervous breakdown if he is crated or I walk out the door with out him. He is good for 15 feet but if I go beyond that he starts screaming.

When he is not able to work I suffer because I depend on him.
I don't sleep, don't eat, and am generally foggy minded.
My Service Dog keeps me focused and reduces anxiety.

While he has been home we managed to start my patio garden.
Don't know if things will grow well or not.

When I get downhearted POO gets me back up. He has pain but, in-spite of that, he is happy to meet people and other animals.

9 years is a respectable amount of time for a Service Dog to be on the job. I have not been able to find a retirement arrangement for him because of his medical needs.
So we will muddle on as long he can be mended. He will let us know when he is ready to stop trying.

We never formed an emotional bond so that will help me when the time comes.
I've had a PSD since 1980 and this is not the first time I've faced this problem.

It's a beautiful day but I need my POO back home to boss me around.
I've stocked up on green beans ;-)
tow-sans POO

April Bright side

2009-04-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Things got brighter. My neighbor got the car started and my ex-husband brought a battery charger for me to use when I needed it.
For a few days the car cranked and ran with no problem.

POO got sick and I took him to his doctor on the 10th and got some pills for his arthritis and he weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs! He should weigh 10-11 lbs.

At first we thought his back was sore because he has a new friend to play with. She is a 9 month old Yorkie and she has reached her full weight of 3 lbs. Smart and cute. POO is smitten. She zips and zooms around ( airborne most of the time ) while the best POO can do is dance around and roll over to beg for her attention. He stands at my back door howling to her and she has slipped out and made it across the street to see him.

After the visit to his doctor I began giving him his arthritis pill every morning but the second day he had a down turn and I rushed him back. This time it is a bladder inflection in addition to his back problem. So he was in the dog hospital from Monday until today. He is home but not a happy camper.

The car wouldn't start yesterday so I used the battery charger and it cranked right up.
We think my problem is with the battery cables.

Now I just need to take POO for a summer haircut and get the battery cables for my car.

Got everything to plant my patio garden. Could use some sunshine.
tow- and my green bean eating, on a diet, POO

April_09

2009-04-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

April first started with a haphazard near miss for the-POO when we made an early morning run to the grocery store.
He doesn't understand that not all cars will stop for him to lead me in front of them and so I try to find an empty buggy in the parking lot so that I can settle him on his rug up safe in the kiddy seat. Wouldn't you know that there wasn't one on the outside that morning. I tighten up on his leash and we make our way the few feet to the handicapped entrance and there is a very happy talkative rotund woman standing there with her empty buggy. She is talking left and right and laughing and not moving. After a few minutes she backed up to talk to some people behind her...they saw me and others waiting.
I make it inside the door to where the buggies are stored and slacked the tension on POO's leash so naturally he moved about 18 inches to my left. When I try to pry the buggy loose I sensed movement behind me and yanked POO's leash hard enough to scoot him in front of me and under another buggy to get him out of harm's way.
Sure enough it was the same happy woman who had blocked the handicapped entrance.
I think she must have two speeds...Wide Open and Barrel-Arseing Through.
Now, POO is smart about some things and when I indicate so he knows to, "Puppy Down". While he is down in a safe place I start to try to a buggy loose again.
Foolish me.
I didn't get beat up but I ended up fending off another woman who wanted to pet the poor little dog and got me told off for miss treating him. I tell her I need to get inside and she calls me Ugly...well, by then I'm begging, "Please just let us get inside. We are cold."
The buggy pops loose, I get the rug in place and give POO the, "Up" command. He puts his paws on my knees and I lift him up and settle him on his rug in the kiddy seat.
Then we make inside and do a fast shop for needful things and stop by the Deli for a takeout breakfast of catfish, large grits sausage and gravy and a biscuit.
We get home where POO's harness comes off first then I get the refrigerated items put away and we eat our breakfast.
We pile in the bed.
Two hours later I'm awake with a splitting headache. I start drinking milk to get my blood sugar back up.
That night we pig out on spaghetti and meatballs.

Last year my car's battery died on me and I spent months and more than a comfortable amount amount of money to have it fixed. Three months later it needed fixing again. Cost me again.

I went to a different place and he said the alternator was putting out and told me to drive it every day.
I have.
It died on me again this morning.

But on the bright side...as soon as I can see it, I'll wright about it.
towwad

March_09

2009-03-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 12 ! Happy Birthday to me.
I was born in 1945...you do the math.
The POO will be 9 in a few weeks.
I still see the world through the eyes of a kid and POO is as playful as a puppy.

We have a case of Rumble Tummy so POO will have Green Beans and I will go easy with the grub.
I have been enjoying fresh Strawberries. Just buy a small package and keep them at room temperature. Every time you pass by the container just wash and eat out of hand.
They don't last long.
Food grows with the warmth of the Sun and I think it is best to eat many vegetables and Fruits at a Garden warmth.

I think the all around best eating plan is Grains for Morning, Fresh Vegetables and Fruit for Mid-day, and Meat, Seafood, Eggs, or Milk in the evening.
This thing about having something from each of the basic Food groups at every meal leads to disgust for those who need to diet for weight loss.
I know how much of each Food Group I need each day so I eat the the individual Foods one at a time during the day. That means that I eat something 5 or 6 times per day and never feel deprived.
No more plates with a dab of this and an ounce of that and a half cup of another, a half slice of bread, part of a piece of fruit and the same scenario two more times that day.
One so called balanced meal in the evening is not going to help someone who had a Smoothie for Breakfast and a Burger and Fries for Lunch.
best,
Birthday towwad

2_09

2009-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

We have rain. Seems like it has rained all winter.
Don't think we will have to worry about running out of water this summer.
Rain means that the weather is not too cold.
When it turns to sleet I stay home.

I'm grateful to be safe, warm and have a good stock of food for the time being.

Am experiencing my annual nervous breakdown about my annual recertification for my dwelling. 5 days notice was not enough time to obtain all of the information I needed and maintenance has slacked off. One of the boards that is part of my patio has warped and is sticking up with two long nails sticking through the bottom. Reminds me of a big flat fanged serpent with it's head raised ready to strike. My living room ceiling light fixture is hinky in that the bulbs keep coming unscrewed. My bathroom exhaust fan is broke and not working.
On the bright side our new manager does try to get things done.
My tile floors need refinishing and that is not going to happen so I save up a few dollars and buy cheap rugs. If I can keep it up eventually I can have all of the floor covered.
I miss my little house with it's fenced in yard and my garden.
I believe my overall health would improve if I could be on my own again.
The POO is on the job and keep me on schedule.
Lucked up and got some fresh Brussels sprouts this year.
We ordered pizza last night. They weren't exactly pizza, but rather 2 of those half circle things with the filling in the middle. We ate one then and will have the other tonight or tomorrow.
I have cooked chicken and turkey in the freezer and all the fixing for Pot Pie.

For now it is going to be sausage and a super-sized bowl of grits.
towwad

1_09 Update

2009-01-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Looks like my Spiel Checker wasn't working in my last Post.

January_09

2009-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Things are moving along as expected this time of the year. We had our annual Christmas Rain.

POO went for another dental check and had another tooth pulled on Monday. I got some cans of his Rx food and he "Just loved it right off the plate!" He has green beans too and will eat one or two pieces of dry food. He is a good sport about me and the eye dropper full of medication twice a day. He goes back for a check up in two weeks.

My weight is back up to 130+. Biggest problem for me is that Suspenders don't come with the Diapers I wear so I have to wear a pare of bicycle shorts to keep them from falling down.

Food is anything that I can get my hands on.
For small amount of oven roast pork for Bar B Q I use "Country Backbone"
The bone is on one side like a chop and these are about 2" thick and the meaty side is about 2" wide. I slow oven bake them and use my Mon's Secret Sauce.
The secret to good Bar B Q is that you Slow Roast the meat first...only bast my Dad used was a Vinegar Paprika mix. Sauce the meat after it is cooked.
Best,
towwad

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T10:03:00.001-08:00

POO got a haircut and I got the bill.
He is very happy running around with his bandana...he will not wear bows.

Wishing the best for you and yours,
towwad

Thanksgiving 08

2008-11-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is my annual Thanksgiving post.
Thankful for my health not goin' South.
POO is stuffed full of Turkey or he would say Well Wishes too.
Now that the PC is fixed we will be using it and watching Football for the next few months.

Food is the same as first post '06.
Best wishes to all.
towwad

November 08

2008-11-16T01:02:00.000-08:00

Finally got some groceries.
Got a turkey and roasted it this evening. I don't have storage space so we will just have our celebration this week.
I'll be making side dishes for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
I forgot to get extra onions and Sweet Potatoes but I'll make a cake in place of Sweet Potato Pie.

POO has had a happy time of it lately. He went for a bath and a lot of spoiling.
The idea was that I would get someone else to bath him and I would clip his hair.
So far I've managed to clip about 1/4" on one side of his nose.
The only reason he let me get that done was he could smell the Turkey cooking.
So we will be in for a week of bribing and clipping.
Best news is that he is in good health...just a little overweight.
The weather is windy with cold rain and POO thinks that is perfect for outside activities.

Fake Stir Fry:
One, or none, of the following;
Chicken
Beef
Shrimp -- any Seafood

Jar of Roasted Red Peppers.
Can of sliced Water chestnuts
Can of Mushrooms
Can of green beans
Bottle of Teriyaki sauce
( I did not like the bottled sauce so I used it for a base and tweaked it. )
Packages of precut vegetables.
Cabbage and Carrot mix for slaw.
"Angelhair" cut Cabbage.
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Add anything you like and leave out what you don't like.
1 or 2 packs thin noodles. Cook and drain and stir in a Tablespoon or 2 of oil. Refrigerate.

The best part about making this is that you cook the meat or seafood and refrigerate it. After it is cool enough to handle slice, chop or whatever it.
Steam each Vegetable separately and refrigerate.

Slice your Roasted Red Peppers into strips.
Drain the liquid from the Water chestnuts, Mushrooms and Green beans.
Mix these together and refrigerate.

Check your Sauce...Plan to serve it on the side, don't add it to anything.

When you are ready to prepare the dish get a big pan and mix everything together and bake in a 350 degree oven. Stir every 10 minutes until it is piping hot.
If you are afraid it is too dry add a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 Apple Cider Vinegar.
Invite your friends and enemies.
Happy Thanksgiving,
towwad

Hard Times

2008-10-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

This month is a hard one for us in that I got the breaks on my car fixed and the $174+ cost ate up most of our grocery money. Also needed to spend a little more on Meds.

I managed to find 2 packages of beef on sale beef for soup. Got Celery and bags of mixed frozen vegetables and a few cans green beans for POO. Eggs, canned milk, four bananas, bottle of syrup, and a box of all purpose baking mix rounded it out.

The bananas were going brown so I ate two each day for two days...POO got a "Good-Cookie" treat while I ate a banana because he doesn't like banana but didn't want to be left out.

So now I'll have no fruit because the watermelon was over ripe...POO likes the sweetest part so I managed to scrape out enough for him to have some for several days. Got two cantaloupes and discovered that the first one I tried to eat was still too green. Managed to Mince the inside edges for POO. The other one has spoiled and gone soft while I wait for it to ripen.

The receipt for Pancakes called for 2 Cups baking mix and 1- 1/4 C. milk. I used the optional addition of oil and got a good pancake. I whisked everything together and used my small skillet and used about half the mixture to make a hungry person's size stack of pancakes. Had butter so I buttered them as I made them. Nice thing is the batter will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator.

POO got the first three...approtiately chopped and buttered. I know he enjoyed them enormously because some of the butter got on the dog food on his plate and he gobbled that up with the pancakes. I found that funny because he had pushed the dog food aside earlier in the day while he ate his green beans.
I ate mine with syrup. I prefer to eat a maple (or any spiced ) flavored pancake wrapped around a link of traditional link of pork sausage. And have over light eggs.

I have a package of sausage gravy mix so I will add some Apple pie spice to the pancake mix and use the pancakes as Flat Bread Dippers in the Gravy.

Because this pancake mix is wheat it can be flavored with savory spices and used with a bean dip for protein.
You can make your own bean dip by putting the cooked beans in your food processor and pureeing them...Add a little Olive oil if you can.
Bean Dips can be flavored many different ways too.

Don't forget about other Vegetables.
These are good meal time foods and are best eaten while warm the same way way you would fill a soft Taco. Just cook the vegetables down so that they are not Watery.
You can drain the Juice from the Cooked Vegetables and use Cornstarch to make a gravy for them. Direction are on the Box.
Squash and Onions.
Cabbage with or without seasoning.
Leafy Greens...Garlic is good with most of these.
Carrots...Go ahead and add some Apple Pie Spice and sugar to them.

It is helpful to have a Simple Cabbage Slaw or Carrot Salad on hand.

This is a time when all of those Condensed Cream of Whatever Soups come in Handy.
You can use the Undiluted soup and fill it out with a can of Green Peas or in the case of Tomato Soup use cooked Dried beans. ** If you are not able to cook dried beans then use Canned beans and Black-eyed Peas. Smash them with a Potato Masher.
Mix them together and Heat. Then just hold your Pancake as You wood a Soft Taco and Spoon some of what you have got on the Pancake and Eat out of Hand adding another spoon of filling as you go along.
This, along with some Juice and any Fresh vegetable such as Celery, Carrot Sticks, and Radishes, can fill you up.
With Tomato Soup+Bean Dips I like Potato Salad.

These are short time solutions and will leave you wanting to return to more Meat if that is what you were used to so don't over do it in the beginning.

If you have a Family, I suggest a 2 or 3 night a week Pancake Celebration.
Make the Pancakes ahead of time and Refrigerate, make several Dips ahead of time and Refrigerate.

For a Large gathering use 3 different Dips.
For 4 people or less 2 Dips and Fresh Veggies will probably satisfy.
Milk or Fruit juice to drink.
Apple for disert...Peel the Apples...As you peel each one put in a bowl with salt water and it will not turn brown. Then slice or Cube the Apples and put the pieces in salted water. Drain before serving.

Reheat Pancakes loosely covered in oven.
Heat Dips on Stove Top or in Microwave.

If you can afford it Chicken that has been boiled and chopped is good to add to Soup-Bean Dips.
Scrambled Beef goes with Tomato+Bean Dips.

My favorite is a variation of an old classic.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Can of Mushroom Pieces
Scrambled Ground Chuck
Instead of Toast I enjoy this with Plain Pancakes.
Just scoop the Dip on the Pancake and enjoy.

Another Stretching-it-out thing I do is to make Beef vegetable soup.
Ground Beef---Boil , refrigerate and discard fat.
1-Stalk Celery
1-2 packs Frozen mixed vegetables
When vegetables are tender I add
1-Can Tomato Paste
Add water and vigorously stir to dissolve Tomato Paste.
If there is room in your Pot add water to within 1" of pot.
Bring to rolling Boil and add 2 Cups of Pasta.
Simmer 15 Minutes stirring every 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and place tight Lid on Pot.
Check after 20 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Believe it or not I just love this stuff with my favorite brand of Mayonnaise and Crackers.
Oh yeah, this doesn't get past POO, he really goes for it.

Chicken Soup
Boil some chicken and remove from Pot.
Thighs are best for flavor.
Refrigerate Chicken.
Add water to broth and add
Couple shakes of Poultry Seasoning.
1-Stalk Celery
2-3 large Onions...more if you got them
1-2 packages frozen vegetables
Boil some Potatoes in separate Pot.
When vegetables are done
Remove any Skin and Bone from Chicken and chop.
Add to soup and bring to Boil.
Peel cooked potatoes, cube and add to Boiling Soup.
Stir gently.
If you don't have Potatoes
Add 2C pasta and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir every 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and place tight Lid on Pot.
Check after 20 minutes.
I dip POO's portion first and let cool.
No way I'm going to sneak Chicken past him.

My meal today is going to be Squash and Onions with Pancakes.

Later...
towwad

September_08

2008-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hey,hey, hey!!! Got my new motherboard and CPU in my case and it is doing fine.
This is the first time since way back when...that I have all of my drive lights working, and this Tech has managed to connect a light on the back where my Cable connection is. And yes I'm still using it with the side panel off. I can see 3D graphics for the first time.

Oh yeah, it has a Mach Speed P4MST-890 Socket 775 motherboard and an Intel Celeron D 356 3.33Ghz 512K 533FSB CPU. This is going to be fine for my XP. Only things I plan to do now are to add another stick of memory and swap my hard drive for a larger one. Then we start on my DREAM MACHINE.

As far as food is concerned I have sort of grazed my way through summer. I didn't get my spring garden planted but local prices have been good and this is the first time in over 10 years that I have been well enough to go for my favorite summer vegetables and POO has gotten melon happy. I get most of the watermelon because that is his least favorite. He really likes the honeydew and it is my least favorite. We both go for cantaloupe.

Now POO is a dog and he likes meat. There's not much of that during the summer months. I'm a Seasonal eater. I eat fresh, uncooked vegetables and and make pasta dishes during the warm months. I drink a lot of milk and eat as much cheese as I can afford. POO loves cheese anytime.

Cold weather is meat soups and stews with grains and potatoes. During the winter I will eat grapefruit and drink a variety of juices. I eat cooked greens in the winter.

I don't care much for bread. POO thinks half a slice of bread is a big treat as he wants to eat people food and I'm stingy with food except for his green beans. He doesn't like potato chips but mooches me out of half a bag of corn chips and hides them until after I've finished my food. Then he eats his.

Got the Car started and a new battery. Now I need to have the brakes checked.

That's it for now...off to the kitchen.

tow-

7_08 Update

2008-07-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

He's back from the dental procedure. He lost two back teeth and he is not a happy camper. His Doctor gave him a soft toy cat which I have named Sweet Kitty and he likes being rubbed with it but he hides from me. He will let me give him some yogurt but when he had his green beens this morning they upset his stomach. He got a pain pill and I took a nap.

I have a Tip for XP users:
Recently I tried to view some animated images I had downloaded.
After much frustration, I checked the Folder Options and noticed that I had a Bullet in Use Windows classic folders. I had done this to gain more viewable space on my monitor. When I changed to Show common tasks in folders I got the option to View as Filmstrip which shows the animations.

Now that my air conditioner is fixed we will probably be indoors except for very early mornings.
Food is still iffy...
tow-

July_08

2008-07-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

So here we are again with me shoving the eyedropper down POO's throat getting ready for yet another teeth cleaning procedure later this month.
He knows that we have to suffer through it and voluntary climbs in my lap twice a day and coughs, spits, and sputters until it is over at which time he receives 2 small treats. Then he is off to play.

Haven't seen the resident snake this year.
Looks like I'm going to have to have a Fall garden.
Managed to drop something on my left foot again so it and the ankle are twice the size on the right one.

I happened on an easy hot water pie crust recipe.
The directions said to put the shorting in a bowl and pour boiling water over it and whip it until it was light and fluffy and then add the flour/salt (sugar) stuff.
When I tried to whip the shorting and boiling water I decorated my kitchen with blobs of grease and needed a bath myself.
So the next time...I don't give up easily... I boiled the water, added the shorting and stirred to dissolve it. Then I put it in a bowl with a spout and took it to my food processor's bowl in which I had the flour/salt (sugar) stuff and while the processor was running I poured a steady stream of the hot water/shorting mixture in. Presto!! Made up as easily as cookie dough.

The thing that makes this easy to work with is that after it is mixed you dampen your counter and place a sheet of Waxed paper on it. Place the dough on that sheet and cover it with another. I don't have a rolling pin so I used a can to roll the dough out to the right size and thickness. Then you flip the ready to use crust over and remove the damp wax paper.
Now all you have to do is slide your hand under the wax paper and flip into a waiting pie pan or on top of a waiting cobbler.
I used the ones I made for Chicken Pot Pies. Shared with my neighbor and she enjoyed also.
Hey, it's Fat, Salt, Sugar, Flour. What's not to like?
Off to "Doctor" the POO,
tow-

June_08

2008-06-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Not much happing this month.
We do have some storms but at the moment it is just a sprinkle.

Too-Fat-POO enjoys pouncing on his treats. He is not very smart about finding them when they bounce. I have resorted to tossing a half dozen and some of them land on a chair, some of them bounce off the door and some of them land in POO's hair. Now that is funny. He dances around until it falls out and grabs it.

Can't crank my car. Need a jump start so I can get a new battery and replace one of the battery cables. It also needs new wiper blades, windshield cleaner and a full charge of air condition stuff. Actually it needs to be jacked up and run a better car under it. Sometimes I think I would be better served if could jack up POO and run a Doberman under him.

Changed my Meds and have gained about 6 lbs. I'm back up to 123 lbs. now.

I'm not much interested in hot cooked meals during the summer. I will roast something and make up the rest of my meal with fresh summer vegetables. Don't care much for bread.

Now about summer vegetables.
Be choosy. Don't buy something with split skin.
Find out how to sanitize produce and fruit. I do that first and then remove skin or peel every thing I do not intend to cook.
I also use a lot of pasteurized apple cider vinegar.
Most importentantely...when in doubt...use heat.
I go for a temperature of 170 degrees minimum for vegetables.
180 degrees ++ for moist cooked meats.
Use a thermometer.
tow-

Another POO Birthday

2008-05-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

He is 8 and running around like he is just 8 months instead of 8 years old.
I found a sale on his favorite treats and stocked up by buying 10 containers. He likes for me to toss them so that he can run and pounce on them. He also got a big bag of rawhide chips and I think they will last a year or so as he doesn't chew on the one I gave him...he put it in his living room bed and when I look at it he runs to his bed and lays over it and protects it as if it as if he were a mother dog with a just born puppy.

As sometimes happens with my Food Budget, both stores had a Seasonal Sale and instead of $135/mo for Food and Household supplies so I ended up spending a Total of $232.00. That is enough Food, except for Milk and Veggies, to keep me for 3 Months. POO's part was $25.00 and the on-going Household items were $26.00 so for actual Food I spent $181.00 and that dived by 3 is about $60.60 per month for 3 months. Not too bad. I will have to buy more Milk and Veggies along the way.

Still watching the Weather. It is beautiful at the moment but this is tornado season.

I had the bright idea to stop by a local store and buy 6 bags of growing soil for my planned Patio Garden. I didn't plan on them being so heavy. I drove around for a couple of weeks with them on the back seat of my car and when I finally got up the courage to try to put them on the Patio I stashed POO with a neighbor and used my wheelchair to help me move them. Will not be doing anything like that again!

Got to order my Seeds this week.

Computer crapped out on me again. Both of the men who messed up the Motherboard replacement no longer work at the store and that is a relief. The Manager had me bring it in and my CD Burner was shot and the Floppy Drive was gone too. Dust. Same thing that destroyed my Motherboard. They swapped out those and tested the PC and it works again. I like the new Tech so I'm going to get him to take out the MB and Processor that is in my case now and put in a Combo unit I have. I'm still running my PC with the side off the case to help keep it cool. As money is tight I will have to wait for a new Hard Drive and CD-ROM Drive and another Case. One thing I know for sure is that I never want another case without a Clear Side. I want to be able to See my Components!
Off to do something...
best,
tow-

APRIL

2008-04-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm looking outside and it is a beautiful spring day and I'm wondering when the next tornado will hit. At the moment we don't have the April snow forecast.

Too-Fat-POO still has a problem with his gums so I'm shoving the eyedropper down his throat twice a day and it looks like this is going to be a long process. I'm worried for him and he dreads the antibiotic doses and the daily mouth clean but if I bribe him with a treat he will come out of his hidy-hole and climb up on my lap, sit up and shake his head and stick his tongue out in a, "No, no, I don't like this!" manner. But with experience I'm getting faster at slipping the eyedropper between his back teeth and holding his head until the job is done. I'm rewarded with more head shaking, spitting, gaging, and choking until I give another treat. Then all is well between us again. I've added some Yogurt a couple of times a day and he appreciates that.

I'm collecting containers and have some bags of soil and hope to grow some vegetables this year.

Found a stove that has the features I want---it also has a price tag I can't meet.

Last year my rent was raised $40.00 a month and I never got an explanation of why. This year it was lowered $10.00 a month and when I told one of my neighbors she said I could take that and pay off all my bills and I think I'll use the rest for a world tour, if I can find some countries that aren't fighting about something.

FOOD:
Seems like I'm not alone in the food money crunch. I used a spreadsheet to make a Budget-Shopping template which I use to keep the cost of household supplies and food in check. I shop 2 grocery stores because I can't get some items at just one of them. I also take advantage of weekly sales for each store. I have also learned that the best prices are during the last of the month. Most stores have a "Seniors Day" during the week and that will shave a few more points off the weekly sales.
The image is my hit or miss "Food thing".
Because I've been doing this for a long time I have learned to stock up and not need every item each week. I got by this week by taking advantage of a sale and brought home a Roast, 10 lbs. of potatoes, Yellow and Zucchini Squash, Cucumbers, 3 hefty stalks of Celery, and a box of Muffin Mix for $14.95 + 9% tax of $1.35 for a total of $16.30.
I'm trying to set myself a goal of $20.00 per week.
The Cucumbers are a treat for me.
I get double duty with the Celery and Squash because I use them for "Eat fresh" and "Cook".
Fortunately I'm skinny so I shall indulge in a lot of Potatoes with Yogurt and Butter.
Tonight will probably be fresh warm Potato-Egg Salad with Onion, Sweet and Dill Pickles, Celery and just enough Mayo and a touch of Apple Cider Vinegar with Salt and Black Pepper to flavor it.
I'll have one of the Cucumbers and an Apple for Dessert.
Yes, I will over eat and not worry about this being a "Balanced Meal".
tow-

FOOD thingie

2008-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

MARCH

2008-03-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the lion and the lamb have come in together this year. One minute it is delightful and the next it is dangerous. It's been a busy month for us in that I had to do some major cleaning and move some heavy furniture from room to room. While I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor POO was ever faithful and stayed close by and watched me as I suffered. He stayed close but not so close as to get anything on his pretty white hair.

I got him back when I took him in on the 3rd to have his teeth cleaned and this time he was neutered too. His Doctor gave him some Happy Juice and he was flying high that evening when they let me bring him home around 4:pm. He had to wait a few hours for some food and more than 2T water but he just wanted to lay in my lap. He had 3 stitches to show for his operation and a nice clean smile. He still has one loose tooth.We are trying to save it. I did better with the eyedropper this year.He walked off the last of his "Happy Juice" around 11:pm and tore into his green beans and a big helping of dog food and zonked out for the night. Every now and then he would decide the stitches needed attention but he was back up and running the next day.

Neither of us got much rest that week as I needed to be everywhere and do everything and POO went right along. But as I headed out out Friday to collect some more information the manager of my apartment called and suggested that we postpone our meeting from Friday at 3:pm to Monday at 3:pm. I said, "I'll kiss your feet!".
When the manager got here yesterday I tied POO to a table leg and got my business done...well, almost done...couple of outstanding things to get.

Carried POO back to get his stitches out this morning and when we got him on the table we discovered that he had removed two of them himself last night. He didn't like being held down while the last was taken out but forgave us all.
We got back home and I fed him and myself and crawled into bed and he got right up and snuggled in beside me. KNOCK, KNOCK, BANG, BANG!!!! POO is alerting at the back door and I, in my almost knee long ragged tee shirt and diaper, open the door and lean against the frame for support while someone tells me that they are here for the monthly Bug thingie. I unlatch the screen, tell them to lock up after themselves and order POO back to bed with me.
He seems to realize I'm not well. I doze, the phone rings, POO alerts. Damed. I make it to the phone and tell the nice woman that I did refuse this years copy of my Yellow Pages that go with my phone book because I don't use it. Besides I have 6 or 7 copies stacked by the kitchen door waiting for me to get enough strength to haul them out to the curb. I also tell her that I wish they could do something about that company who came around this year with their Yellow-Something and threw them at our back doors. I just happened to be standing by mine when they were doing it this year so I went outside and picked it and threw it back at their van.

Don't know why, unless it is the extra hard work, but I'm losing weight again. I have a 5 to 8 pound buffer between now and, "We have to do something.".
Somehow my left foot got in the way of a package of frozen pancakes as they leaped out of the freezer on the way to the floor. Much hurt!!! Big bruise. Long time sore foot. POO managed to step on it with each of his four feet every few minutes and if I sat down he would back up and sit on it. He is trained to sit beside my left foot when I'm sitting but if he wants to flirt with someone he will sit on my left foot and make puppy faces at them while he bumps his butt up and down on my left foot. Hey, he is a Toy Poodle...

Can't get any of my software to write a Data CD. Something wrong. My CD/RW may have gone wonky. Don't know how, but I have to get the rest of my parts together and build the new PC.

Lets see...Food!!
I'm cutting down on Salt. Wish me luck.

With the rising cost of food and the sales tax on it I am looking at some alternative ways of buying cooking staples.

I had a chance to try powered eggs back in the eighties and they made good baked custards.
I have switched to powered milk and can only afford 10 quarts per month.
I have been trying different "Variety" meats and the Beef Kidney turned out good.

While I was rearranging my kitchen I counted and had 4 food processors.
Managed to give one of them away.

Manager said that I could buy my own refrigerator and stove as long as they fit in the space provided. Looking into that. Need freezer space. Would like to have one so frozen food doesn't rain down on short me when I open the door.

Tomorrow is my 63rd birthday and I usually buy myself a fancy cake. Not this year. With less salt I find myself craving something sweet. Normally I do not like cooked sweet things. Just fruit. Will probably make Banana bread.

Jewel Cakes
Note: Back when I made these I used 6" cake pans.
You can use any shape pan.
This will make a pretty presentation if you use a jelly roll pan.

I used 1 box Ms. Crocker's cake mix per cake and 1 can Lemon, Cherry, or Blueberry pie filling per cake. Made a great amount of powered sugar/Vegetable Shorting frosting so that I could flavor it to suit my taste.

Ok, decide how many you are going to make.
Group the cake mix, Pie Filling, and container of frosting for each cake.
No, I don't mind if you use bought frosting. It's your cake.
So, cook your cake.
Place it on the serving plate and anchor with a smear of frosting on the bottom.
Look through your things and find something like a grapefruit spoon. The idea is to start 1 1/2 " from the edge and gently remove some of the inner portion of the layer. Be careful not to go too deep. Less is best. Especially if you have used the jellyroll pan.
Frost the sides and build up a thick wall of frosting along the top edge back to where you removed the inner portion.
Start in the center and gently spoon some of the Pie Filling in the center of the well you made.
Well, if you made a jellyroll one layer you will use it all.
The thing to remember is Frost from the Outside in, Fill from the Inside out.

For a 2 layer cake you would be smart to mark your layer to make the well before you set it in place---The top Well doesn't have to be Round or Squared.
You can use a paper pattern and Pipe your Frosting Edge to make the shape you want. You want to remove enough cake so the Pie Filling has a place to contain it.

Bring your Frosting up the side and exposed edge of the top layer.
And set your Pie Filling Jewel in place by spooning Inside Out.

Don't feel like fruit, make a run on the Instant Pudding and Pie Filling shelves and load up on Chocolate Fudge, Banana, I like Butterscotch.
Oh yeah, if you get crumbs in the Frosting just throw some Coconut at them. The idea is to keep cake small so you can have several different colors to display. Keep the Frosting the same color for all of the cakes.
You could get more use per can of Pie Filling if you use Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling on the bottom layer but I didn't like that.
Final Note: Please do not stick tooth picks in your cakes!!!!
best,
tow-

February 2008

2008-02-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

You know, it is not easy being a handicapped person who must cope with ignorant professionals. Ignorance is not bliss, it is the stuff of illegal denial of services and abuse of professional authority. Anyone, with the where-with-all to afford it, can obtain some kind of certificate of higher education or job training. Neither of these necessitate being Informed.

It is a personal decision whether or not to become informed. I have been in a classroom and listened to classmates make a presentation and when asked a question they had no information. In other words they were ignorant. These students were about to get an advanced degree and use it to establish themselves as professionals working in the humanities and education.

I will give something I need to help someone who wants more education.
I will go toe to toe with any ignorant person who tries to set policy not in accordance with public law.

At the moment I'm in a fiery snit about some of the people who answer the telephone for professionals and cheerfully proceed to tell me that I may not do something as it is against "Policy". And I have been known to "Assert" my "Informal Education" by explaining in clear terms that I will see their "Policy" and raise them several Federal Laws and a Civil Rights action. You see, I've been there and had to do it in the past.

So I have come up with a plan. I propose that all Fourth Grade students start a Reading Program which is composed of basic Civil and Criminal Law. And this should continue with every grade through high school. Students who are exposed to basic information about Civil and Criminal Laws form grade Four through grade Twelve will have the opportunity to develop Coping Skills. I believe that as they head into the Work Place and the Voting Booth that they will have learned how to "Glean" useful nuggets of Information from the whirlwind of Verbage pelting them.

Indeed, I would like to see a Free K-12 Public Civil and Criminal Center.
If someone already has a Web Site like this drop me a line.

No food this time, I have a bellyache.
towwad
ps
If you missed it, here is my "Attitude" again.

The towwad's Attitude:
This is an imperfect world.
I am an imperfect person.
I live each day trying to be the best I can be.
I may not live up to your personal standard of excellence.
Because my aim goal and ambition is to try to be the best I can be I am always a success.
If you can't appreciate me, that's your loss.
If you don't like being a loser, you can try to change your perspective.
best,
tow-

Snow?

2008-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Jan 2008
And we have another new year.
POO has completely recovered from having to be boarded. One big problem is that he knows I haven't and he demands a lot of attention. Running my life is his job and he is supposed to direct my attention to what I should do and sometimes what I should not do.
For the past month or so he has been trying to get me to take a nap. He does not sleep with me but it is his job to "put me at ease enough to relax and feel drowsy". He goes to the bedroom door and does any and everything he can to get me to follow him. I suppose that he believes he is leading the way because most often I do follow him because I have to go through my bedroom to get to my bathroom. Yes, he can out run me to the bathroom too. He insist on staying with me while I'm in my bathroom no matter my reason for being there unless I turn on the shower. Then he runs and hides. But he is getting fooled some of the times lately as I have a discarded fern setting in my bath tub while I try to keep it alive until spring. You see, I have to keep the fern in the tub and not place it on the floor because POO is a boy dog and he will "hike" on it. The fern and I are not doing so well but POO has become as playful as a kitten.When I come out of the bathroom he gets on my bed and invites me to join him.
This is any time sleep procedure:
When I finally get in the bed he is waiting for me to get under my comforter
-- I try to keep the material between POO's toe nails and my skin as I'm a "bleeder" --
at which time we get up a game of me pushing and generally rough-housing him while he wiggles, rolls, yelps, and has a merry old good time until I get tired and roll over or he needs to go to his papers. I can not say how he determines the difference between me being asleep, deep in thought, or faking. But he knows the difference. If I lay still with my back to him he will body slam me and sometimes we go back and forth body slamming for a while. When I don't respond to that he will walk up along my back and, if necessary, step on my pillow to stretch his neck out across mine. If I say, "I know you're there." He will lay down by my neck if I am really sick or upset, if I'm not, he will move down to the back of my knees and lay there until I start to drift off. Then he gives himself a good shake and hops off to go to his quarters. If I rouse he will hurry back up to my neck and we go through my sleep check out again. He will not leave me if I'm awake. Since my heart attack he has roused me a number of times just as I felt the need for a heart pill.
I finally got a yogurt maker and a Soy Milk maker and we have greatly enjoyed them. Only problem with this brand of soy milk maker is that the beans must be hulled. I soak them and smash the day lights out of them with a potato masher to loosen the hulls. When I have to hand hull some of them I hold the soaked bean between my thumb and forefinger and squeeze and the bean scoots out. Most of the time I can aim it it in the bowl but every now and then the beans will end up across the room, bounced off the POO, or anywhere but in the bowl.
I haven't got the milk part tweaked to where I enjoy drinking it but I made a lot of things with it. POO decided he likes the soy milk and the ground beans and yogurt . Homemade tofu is the best!!!
I had some extra soy milk last night and and decided to use it in place of water to make some plain long grain white rice.
I use 1 part Rice to 2-3/4+ liquid to make stove top rice because I have chewing issues and need my rice to be soft.
Soy Milk Rice
2-3/4 C Soy Milk
1 C Enriched long grain white Rice
Salt
Cow Butter
Use a 2 quart or 3 quart boiler for this as soy milk foams.
Place Soy milk and Salt in boiler and bring to boil on high heat, it will foam.
Remove from heat and sprinkle Rice in Soy milk.
Return boiler to high heat and bring Rice to a Boil.
Reduce heat to Medium, place a Wooden Spoon across the boiler and prop the lid on it.
Set your timer for 18 minutes.
Check at the end of simmering time and if liquid is not apparent remove from heat and put the lid on the boiler without the spoon.
Let sit for 10 minutes and check.
I add 1/2 stick butter+ and stir and check to see if it is salty enough for me.
The Soy milk will make "Rags" when you stir the rice.
I enjoyed the rice prepared this way.
POO really enjoyed it too!

December 2007

2007-12-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings!
The POO and I don't engage in gift giving at Christmas but we appreciate any occasion to
eat a Special meal. Fact is we are "foodies".
POO saves food. If I give him something particularly good he will eat as much as he can and
use anything handy to cover the rest. And if it includes anything moist I will go right behind
him and put it in the garbage. I don't think he understands but he watches and seems
content to let me put his food in another place. He knows that the refrigerator contains
good things. He is just tall enough to sniff the bottom edge of the crisper bins and wag his
tail. I keep his homemade treats in there.
I was in hospital for a while and POO stayed with his Vet. We both came home a little worse
for wear but better off than when we went in. I was bruised and battered but relieved that
test and treatment was helpful. One of my neighbors rescued me before they could put me
on the psych ward-- I told them not to give me steroids!
POO didn't have any voice. It took me over three days of carrying him around from place to
place and person to person to get any response. Thank goodness and a special prayer for our
friend Shelia. He couldn't make much of a sound but when he got to her he got his little
mind back again.
So this for the POO pals in this world.

POO Cookies:
1 Pound boiled chicken gizzards.
1 Can Mixed Vegetables
2 Large eggs
1-1/2 C Oats.

In bowl of Food Processor -
Gizzards + Vegetables
Puree
Add Eggs
Puree
Add Oats a little at a time and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Should be a stiff dough.
Place in a bowl and cover and let rest 1 hour.
Should be very stiff dough.
I scoop rounded Tablespoons and make a ball and place on non stick jellyroll pan.
Pat each ball 1/2 thick.
Bake at 350 degrees turning every 20 minutes for about 1 hour.
Cool completely.
Refrigerate.
NOTE: POO can have only 3 at a time with plenty of water.
tow-

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

We have come to another Thanksgiving and I'm thankful that this year is coming to a close as it has been a hard one for us.I can only hope next year is better.

I did accomplish one thing and that was to place a PC with someone who didn't have one.
I'm collecting parts to build another one. Just need a hard drive, combo drive and Case.
Got everything picked out, need to get the money.
I have been spending as much time as possible at my favorite PC shop getting some hands on experience.
I will have to make some tools to help with my handicaps.
It was a big thrill to be part of installing the motherboard in this one.

Now for the good part, FOOD.
This year it will be baked pork loin with Onions and Carrots.
Cornbread Dressing.
Onion gravy.
Spinach.
Blacked eyed peas.
Chocolate-Orange Pie.
Alabama Sweet tea.

I will place a double layer of rough chopped Onions and Thinly Sliced Celery
and Carrots on the bottom of my greased Roaster and place my Boneless Loin medallions on top of them and cover the Loin medallions with more vegetables.
Then I will add enough water to cover the top layer of Vegetables by about 1/2 inch.
It is important to Not Let the surface of the Loin medallions become dry.
No seasonings at this time.
Cover the Roaster tightly with Foil with one tiny hole for steam to escape.
I will Roast at 325 degrees according to the Weight of the Meat.
The Low-Slow Moist Roast will make for a more tender outcome.
When the Roasting time is reached I Cut into one to Check to see if it is done.

Remove cooked Loin slices to a container and refrigerate.
Toss the Vegetables and a little of the Pan juices in a Food processor with some Chicken Bullion and Puree.
Taste for flavor.
Use this with more of the Pan juices to make up your Dry Dressing Mix.
I like Sage and Rosemary so that is how I flavor my Dry mix along with Salt and Pepper.
I use whipped eggs and Baking Powder to help the Dressing Puff.

When Dressing mix is ready to bake place one half of the mixture in your cleaned greased Roaster and place the Cooked Loin medallions on top.
Spoon the rest of the Dressing mixture over each of the Medallions being sure to cover.
Remember that this is now an "Egg" dish and Bake at 350 degrees.
The time will be determined by the amount of Dressing.
I Start mine off covered and finish off with a little time to just color the top.
Everything is cooked but the Eggs so time it and check for doneness as for any Custard.

October

2007-10-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

POO and the Snake:
POO is getting along in years and like a lot of older fellows he needs to
"go" often. He came to me preconditioned to meet and greet the public
while doing his work. He also came Paper Trained.
Still, he enjoys going outside to take a "hike".
When he was young it was his way to sniff every blade of grass and smell every flower and
eventually decide to lift a leg. Now-days he exits the door with one leg up and ready for business.

This morning I heard a baby bird in the shrub POO was headed toward but didn't worry because he is not interested in birds.
I saw the parent birds diving but thought they were diving at POO.
I was wrong.
POO doesn't have much height but he does have distance and while his left leg was up a black zig zag of lighting made it's way diagonally across the yard and disappeared under another shrub.
By the time I looked back at POO he had his right leg up to finish business.
My first thought was "SNAKE!!".
My second thought was POO wasn't hurt or he wouldn't be taking his time.
I didn't count on POO being POO.
I called him to me but he put his little nose to the ground and followed the exact path of the snake, zig by zag, across the yard to the base of the other shrub.
POO could smell the snake but the shrub was too dense for him to get in and too low to the ground for him to get under.
So POO couldn't get to the snake and he couldn't beg it enough to get it to come out to play with him.
Sooo...the boy-dog part of POO took over and he started where the snake went under the shrub and hiked his leg there and every 6 inches all the way around the 4 foot by 4 foot shrub.
And while he is doing that I am standing at the back door screaming every obscenity I can think of at him for being disobedient.

Yes, the baby bird made it back to it parents. POO hiked every 6 inches around the "Snake shrub" for a couple of weeks.
When the grounds keepers came by I had both shrubs cut back.

ONE CRUST POT PIE
***Special Note to my Student Friends with only a Hot Plate and
Toaster Oven.
You can just buy a can or 2 of Meat and a can of Mixed
Vegetables and a Package of Frozen pre formed Pie Crust in it's own
bake pan.
All you have to do is remove the Pie crust from the pan and break off
the Edges and Sides and Crumble them in small pieces and Brown them
in the Oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes.
Save the Center on a Paper towel.
Then All you have to do is open the Canned foods, drain them, and mix
in the pre baked Crumbs.
Dump everything in the Pie Pan and slide your
hand under the paper towel to lift and flip the Center Crust to the
middle of the pan.
Poke a couple of holes in the middle of it and bake
until it is over 165 degrees.
I go for at least 170.

It's back.

2007-09-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's back and I'm not too worried about it running hot since I removed the side of the case and have a 16" fan blowing on it.

As I have come to expect, I had to shake out the loose screw and find out how to plug up the hard drive.

The HUGE LCD monitor that came home with it does make my meager furnishings look pricer.

I plan to rip the PC's guts out and put in something I can respect.

I may try to use the odd-ball mb and the CPU to run my older stuff.

I plan to re-do this one with Intel.

I like this case because it has DVD, CD/RW, and a Floppy.

I'm not ready to give up my floppy.

And I do not like combo DVD-CD/RW drives.

I've started to collect parts and have decided on the type of PCs I want to build.

We have a small budget so it will take some time.

During the horse trading with David, who is a Stand Up guy if I ever met one, POO cut his foot and was very sick. He is stoic and by the time he gives a sign that something is wrong it is bad.

I managed to get his temperature down and with daily care he has healed little by little.

The first week POO was too sick to make much of a fuss he just trembled when touched. He lost his pride last week and started holding that hind leg up while running but that didn't last but a few days because he would get excited about going to see our neighbor and put the foot down so that he could stand on his hind legs and get petted. Keeping the foot flexed and a good toe nail trim along with extra green beans has got him back to riping around the apartment and running off if he gets outside again.

Booties for POO are next on the "Needs" list.

I almost "dropped" several times while he was down but he is back to looking after me again.

Ah, well, it's late and POO has been fed but I'm hungry.

SUMMER SQUASH

2 Quart Baking Dish--Mine is a round and has a glass lid.

Yellow Crookneck and Green Zucchini Squash

Yellow Onion(s)

2 Eggs

American Cheese ( White Apple pie type)

Milk

Cracker crumbs--You can use smashed Croutons, old bread...whatever.

Salt

Black Pepper

I start with the Onion because this is an Onion Flavored dish.

I rough chop it and toss it in the Food Processor, then put it in the Covered Dish and Microwave until Tender.

Save Cooked Onion and Cooking Liquid.

Clean and prep the squash by cutting the necks of the Yellow Squash into rounds about 1/4" thick. Remove all seeds, even immature ones, and slice the rest of the Squash 1/4" thick.

Split Zucchini and remove all seeds and slice 1/4" thick.

I keep cutting Yellow and Green Squash until I have filled the 2 Quart bowl, put the Lid on and Micro Nuke until tender.-- Stir every 5 minutes.

You will have cooking liquid and there is probably something good-for-you in it so keep it.

( I have been known to discard it)

Dump the Squash and Onions in a bowl.

Clean out the Cooking Bowl and Rub the Insides of it with Solid Shorting...Who do I think I'm fooling?... I use softened Butter. Put some Crumbs in the bowl and try to coat the Sides and leave some on the bottom.

Put it in the Refrigerator with the Lid on... Put the Lid on the Bowl, not the Refrigerator.

Must be latter than I thought.

Crack the Eggs in a Bowl and Beat the Daylights out of them.

Add Milk ( Cream is good too ).

Whip well.

Add Salt and Pepper.

Dump the Egg/Milk Mixture in with the Squash/Onion Mixture or go the other way if you think you need a bigger bowl.

Add 1/2C or so of Crumbs.

Stir to mix all.

Find your Cheese and make sure it is Grated or in small pieces.

Reserve 1/4C Cheese.

Find rest of Crumbs.

Bring your Baking Bowl back and remove lid.

Spoon enough Squash Mixture in Bowl to cover Bottom.

Sprinkle some Cheese over Squash.

If think your Mixture is too wet add a few Crumbs.

Spoon another layer of Squash, Sprinkle Cheese and so on until you reach the top.

Don't Sprinkle Cheese on Top.

Sprinkle Crumbs on Top.

Cover with Vented Lid--Aluminum Foil with a hole punched in it.

Bake at 350 degrees as you would any Custard.

If you have used a wide shallow bowl it will be done sooner.

Knife inserted in Center is the traditional test for being done.

I take it's temperature.

Turn off Oven.

After it is done remove the Lid and Sprinkle reserved Cheese.

Return to warm oven until cheese melts.

Not good Browned.

Enjoy!

Yes, I enjoy Pimentos, Parmesan, Sage/Rosemary, Dill, ripe Olives, Tomatoes but this is my Second Place Celebration of Summer Squash.

First Place is straight from my backyard garden and cut up in a bowl to be dipped in a little good salt.

I will not experience that again.

Putting back

2007-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Ran up on a tropical fruit sale at the grocery store a couple weeks ago. Been canning, freezing, going back for more supplies.

Got a lot of good ideas about Low and No sugar preserving from the Internet.
Also found an easier Yogurt making recipe than I have been using.
Couldn't find Plain Yogurt at the store so got a couple of small containers of No Sugar-Vanilla flavored with live culture. Made up a quart of the Milk mixture and added 3 Tablespoons of Starter. Sure enough I had a good mild flavored Yogurt in a few hours. I like it because it isn't obscenely sour like some of the commercial brands. It makes a good base for Curry and Vindaloo sauces.

BTW: I found an interesting and useful tip about Flavorings while Surfing...Packages of Unsweetened Soft Drink Mix powders ( you know, the "KOOL" Pitcher guy ) are ideal to keep on hand for a "Pinch" of Fruit flavor for Dry Herb and Spice mixes as well as flavoring Sauces. I used Lemon with Curry and it worked well.

Heating Pad Yogurt

Heat Proof Surface
Heating Pad
Big Pot-- You know the one I mean, Dutch Oven.
Candy Thermometer -- Instant Read is better
Funnel
Strainer
3 Heat Proof Glass Quart Jars with Lids
Iced Tea Spoon

This needs to be properly Refrigerated until use.
2 Cups Dry Milk Powder dissolved in
6 Cups Water*
*I don't care if you use 6 Cups of Milk
6 generous Tablespoons Plain Yogurt**
Don't plan on adding the Yogurt until you are ready
for the actual making to begin.

TRIAL RUN FOR TEMPERATURE:
Set up your Heat Proof Surface--
Put Heating Pad in Place and make sure you can see and reach the Control.
Place Pot on Heating Pan
Measure 2 Cups of water in each of your Quart Jars.
Place Jars in Pot
Carefully add 110 degree water to pot until the "Pot" water equals the Jar water.
Turn the Heating Pad to LOW.
Make a NOTE OF THE TIME.
Check every Hour until Jar water is 110 degrees.
You want to keep it under 120 degrees.

When you are at or between 110 and 115 sustained temperature
put 2 Cups Milk in each of 3 Clean Jars.
Add 2 Tablespoons Yogurt Starter to each Jar and Stir Well.
Place the Lids on the Milk mixture.
Take the "Water Jars" out of the Pot and put the
Milk/Yogurt mixture in the warm water.

I usually do a 2 Hour initial heat and after that do a 1 Hour ON -- 2 Hour OFF.
I wrap a Towel around the Pot while the Heat is OFF.
Remove it when ON.

How Long Does It Take??
Depends on:
Richness of Milk and Freshness of Yogurt Starter.
Controlled Temperature.
Check at 8 Hours.
Use your Iced Tea Spoon to scoop a little from one of the Jars.
If it is FIRM -- WAHOO!! You are good to go.
If not, keep checking.
Refrigerate.
Clean Up.
Don't worry if you see Clear Liquid on top of Milk mixture.
That is Ok, you can drain it off after the yogurt is made.
Now, you have my permission to dump the Yogurt out
of 2 of the Jars and Divide and Flavor it.
Hey, it's your food.
I would keep at least a Cup of Starter for the next batch.

I make Buttermilk and Yogurt because it is convenient.
It's a weekly event at my house.
Next time,
towwad

2007-08-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

My rebuilt PC reaction

2007-06-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm in a Snit

2007-06-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

This has been a beautiful spring...minus the much needed showers. We have droughts and wildfires.
The courtyard birds seem happy enough with the weather and probably the fact that there has been no sign of our resident hawk this year. Only one pair of squirrels are make the rounds this year. We usually have several pairs of them.

Last Autumn my next door neighbor and I watched and laughed ourselves silly as the local squirrels banded together to harass a few crows. One squirrel would get in front of the crows and chatter and flick it's tail while the others positioned themselves behind the invaders. Then just as the crows started to ignore the squirrelly in front of them the ones in the rear would rush forward chattering and flicking many tails. This caused the crows to flap their wings and jump up and resettle a couple or three yards away. Well, that wasn't good enough for the locals so the squirrels repeated the same maneuvers over and over until they had moved the crows the entire length of the courtyard or about a city block. There was nowhere left to retreat so the crows finally left.

I'm not happy with the results of my PC Motherboard replacement. I've been looking at some barebones kits and may go that way later this year.

At least I'll know that if I plunk down $160.00 + 9% tax, just for the motherboard, I'll be getting the brand I want! Before I got my first computer I knew that I wanted to know how to build them.

POO and I made a run on the grocery store this evening. They have new buggies and they are a dream to push. I just needed to grab
a few necessities so we didn't have to stand around long. Got some of the new postage stamps with the bell on them.

I'm getting back into the work of makeing my own bread. Normally I use my
food processor to make yeast breads but this is an easy one bowl-one-spoon-no-knead
bread.

Everyday Yeast Bread (Down Home)

**3 C Anybody's brand of dry Buscuit Mix.

**1/2 C Bread flour, if you have it.

** 2 or 3 T Quick rise Yeast...Note: I use the Yeast more for flavor than anything, it is a change from baking powder biscuits and cornbread.
** 1 C Dry milk powder.

**1 C or so of very warm water.

**Personal decision time: You can add any of a wide variety of flavor enhancers at this point. Raisins with fresh Lemon, Orange or Grapefruit Zest and/or Cinnamon, Vanilla make an ok Sweet Bread. Add some nuts if you like.
I use Dill and Caraway seeds with ground Dried Onion to make an herb flavored bread.

So, set the Heating Pad to LOW and toss everything but the water in the bowl and stir to mix.

Add the water and use the spoon to mix until all of the water is absorbed.

Put the dough in the pan.

Put some tap water in the bowl and stick your hand in it to wet it.
Use your wet fist to pound the dough out to fit the pan and smooth the
top.

Place the Pan on the Heating Pad and cover with the Cardboard Box.

Set your Timer for 30 minutes. You don't want the dough to rise to the top. Try for about 1/2 " from the top.

I heat my oven to 400 degrees and bake the bread at 375 for about 30 to 35 minutes.

I use the "Bounce Test" to see if it is done... that is, I hold the pan by the sides and bounce it up and down. If the bread is done it will turn loose from the bottom of the
pan and bounce up when I "Bounce"it.

Then I turn it out on a Rack to cool. It needs to be on a Rack to keep
the crust crisp.
Use your Bread Knife to slice this.

Did I mention I'm really down about the PC Motherboard replacement?

Altitude and Attitude

2007-05-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

POO and I marked his 7th birthday last week. He got all of the green beans he wanted every time he went to his plate and extra treats. He has, but does not play with, toys. I've tried to teach him to play but he just isn't a "Fetch the ball!" kind of dog. And because of his special place in my home he is not allowed to have anything that he considers his personal property. I must retain the authority to reach for anything he finds interesting and he must give up the item with good grace. He has been with me since he was 4 months old and we haven't had a significant problem....well, there was that thing with my pillows, but we worked it out. I think we do very well considering the difference in the way we perceive the world.

You see, I measure 5' 4" at the top of my head. POO stands 10" at his shoulder. That is a significant difference in point of view. Sometimes I will lay my head down so that he can sniff my face. He is very nice about it and immediately rolls on his back kicking all four legs. Then he is ready to run around making a throaty sound that remind me of a wind up toy. Every morning when I'm at my PC reading the news he sits up against my left shoulder and gives a good imitation of surfing the 'net too.

I mention this because many of the strangers we meet think he is a spoiled pet. If there is anything he is not it is spoiled. His whole life has been in service to me. My life depends on him. Compared to the pets in our neighborhood he has nothing but the right to go in public places with me. That is part of his job and he knows that his little harness means "Work!". The only thing he is allowed to receive is a kind word.

Sometimes we have different agendas but I'm willing to negotiate a settlement to our disputes. He will run away if he gets the chance so in addition to his work leash I have 2 others and he may not like it but he must be leashed. Oh, don't worry about him, one of them is 50' long. Sometimes he will eat half of his food and come to me...I will stop what I'm doing and sit in his favorite chair and hold the plate while he sits in my lap and finishes his meal. Then he is off to ignore me until he thinks he is needed again.

**************************************************************************
The towwad's Attitude:
This is an imperfect world.
I am an imperfect person.
I live each day trying to be the best I can be.
I may not live up to your personal standard of excellence.
Because my aim goal and ambition is to try to be the best I can be I am always a success.
If you can't appreciate me, that's your loss.
If you don't like being a loser, you can try to change your perspective.
******************************************************************************
Down and Dirty Rice:
** Chicken, Turkey, Duck, ( Anything flying low or slow enough to catch. )--skinless, boiled and cut into bite sized pieces.
** Oysters
** Shrimp--shelled and cleaned.
** Bay scallops.
**Boil, save cooking water and mince. No, not the water, just the meat and seafood.

** Fish fillets poached---save cooking liquid.
**Flake fish in big pieces.
** Smoked Sausage (Cut in bite sized pieces and boil, discard liquid and brown)
** Center cut ham. Dice and brown.
**Gizzards are perfect for texture. Just boil them and chop in food processor.
**I use Chicken Livers because I like the taste. Boil them in water with juice of half a lemon. Discard that cooking liquid.

**Anything else you can scare up short of roadkill.

**Chopped parsley
** Diced onions
** Diced celery
** Diced green bell pepper
** Chopped mushrooms
**Garlic, separated into cloves and skinned. ( Simmer whole skinned cloves in water until soft then puree. Reserve cooking liquid.)
** Salt
** Black pepper
** Cayenne pepper(optional)
**Boil in reserved cooking liquid until tender. Add water if necessary. Reserve any cooking liquid.

**Combine cooked items and store covered.
** If planning to use later this can be refrigerated over night or frozen and reheated in Microwave.

**Use reserved cooking liquid with water to prepare**6 c. hot cooked rice (can increase amount of rice for company)
**Stir in ½ lb butter.

** Frog legs.
**Dust with flour and deep fry.
Ok, say you don't have Frog legs, double up on the Smoked Sausage or Ham and use half to place on top of the finished dish.

Combine Meat, Fish, and Vegetables with buttered rice and place one pair Frog legs on top of each serving.

**A side dish of boiled Collards or Turnip Greens.
**Plenty of Green Onions.
**I like a skinned, reseeded tomato and peeled reseeded cucumber salad with this.
**My beverage of choice for this is a tall cool buttermilk.
**Southern cornbread is perfect for the greens and salad.

Spring Fever

2007-04-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have Spring Fever with headache, earache, runny nose, cough, sore throat...even my eyes hurt. My mouth is sore so I've been subsisting on soft easy to eat foods which have given me a case of Rumble Tummy. My Rumble Tummy includes indigestion, gas, the need to answer fast and furious nature calls, and of course the watery pharts! Having a bad coughing spell with a case of Rumble Tummy...not good!

*Got my broken PC back home last week. Not happy with it just yet. Got to cram a couple GBs memory in to get it going.

*'bout the only thing working right around here is the POO. He keeps leading me to my bed and jumps up on it and invites me to have a nap. A nap is about as long as I can sleep at the moment. He is keeping me on schedule with my meds and eating. I can't think of anything to ease my suffering but to Pray and be patient.

*Simple eats tonight.Egg Salad:
Boil some eggs. I don't care how many. That is your business.
Do whatever it takes to get them cooled enough to remove the shells.
I have a set of nesting bowls with round bottoms. Yes, they are "Nesting" but they have been here for years and haven't laid an egg or hatched anything yet.
The round bottom and high side help keep the eggs in the bowl when I use my handy-dandy pastry cutter---Pastry cutter, that thing with a handle on top and wires, or in my case blades, on the bottom. If you don't have something like that then you can just use a fork to hold the egg and mash it with another fork.
Or just throw the whole batch in the food processor bowl and let 'er rip.

Once the eggs are chopped you need to make some personal decisions.
I only use salt, pepper and just enough mayo to make a paste.
You can add sweet or sour pickles, onions, fresh peppers, celery, any spice or herb you like.
You can add hot sauce or go for the imitation seafood taste with a little ketchup.
I usually leave out the salt when I plan to eat it with crackers.
The POO and I never have leftovers.

Our Spring

2007-04-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a busy spring for us.
Actually, things started going down the toilet the first of February when I received notice from our new apartment manager that she intended to make a housekeeping inspection and collect my yearly financial records for my annual re-certification to live in this rent controlled apartment complex......within the next 4 days.

No way I could scrub 7 years of depression dirt and grime away in 4 days time so I left a voice message suggesting that we reschedule to my usual time in April which would give her the information she needed before my May 1st anniversary-move in date.
Well, she called back and we settled on my birthday in mid-March.
I wouldn't have made the effort but she didn't mind POO.

I started collecting cleaning materials and went to work. My dust bunnies were jack rabbit sized and while the floor is mopped just about every day it had not been waxed. I asked everywhere I went about floor wax and we ended up at a huge hardware store where I got two large bottles of something that promised to make the floor shine.
I used to be a do-it-yourselfer and with POO on his rug riding in the kiddy seat of our buggy we wandered around and I lusted for all of the tools and fixtures I saw.

I was sick and thought I felt bad because of moving furniture and the ceiling-walls-floor cleaning.
POO started sticking his tongue out and drinking a lot of water so I took him to his doctor and he had a problem with his teeth.
So I spent the next 3 weeks shoving an eyedropper down his throat to give him antibiotics.
Good thing I decided to practice the procedure with water first because the first time I tried he managed to twist sideways enough so that I "doctored" his right ear instead of his mouth.
Next try he bunched up his tongue and the contents of the eyedropper sprayed back in my face. After half a glass of water and a lot of trial and errors I managed to follow the Vet's instructions and slip the eyedropper between his back teeth and hold his head still long enough to get the job done.
POO will not bite but if he doesn't want to do something he can wiggle and twist and turn enough to discourage me. You would think that an averaged sized towwad could out smart a toy poodle but it is his job to be the boss here at home and he doesn't care for me doing things to him.

After 3 weeks of at home treatment POO goes in for the teeth cleaning procedure while I go to my doctor and show her my mouth problem. I get prescriptions and submit to enough xrays to make me glow in the dark.
I drop off the prescriptions to be delivered the next week and rush to see about POO.

His Veterinarian walks him out and said that things went well but when we try to put POO's harness on him he gives up and lays down. He is still snookered from the anesthesia. Another client in the room is feeling so sorry for POO and POO is feeling no pain and is limp drunk and letting it all hang out.
The harness is a necessary thing because he has a problem with his throat that causes severe breathing difficulties and pressure on his neck is harmful. He was also paralyzed for a short while with a back problem when he was a year and a half old. His throat and back problems along with kidney stones and those big beautiful round eyes are the reason why that in spite of his Mister Personalty trait is POO will never be a proud papa.
Once his harness is on and I snap the leash and say the magic word "Walkies" he gets up and staggers out the door and to my car.
I help him climb up on his seat and he goes to sleep.

When we got home I helped him out of the car, he made a nature call and staggered his way to the door to wait for me. I let him inside and unsnapped his leash and hurried to make a nature call of my own. He didn't wander into the bathroom as usual but all of a sudden I heard whimpering which turned to loud crying and blood curdling howls. I couldn't stop what I was doing and decided that if he could howl he was breathing and that was good. By the time I could go to him he was silent and I almost overlooked him. He had made it as far as his cushion beside my bed and had a totally lost and abandoned look about him. You see, there is one thing POO will not tolerate and that is being alone. He is happy to leave me and go with other people or animals...just don't leave him alone.
[ I tried that recently while I helped a neighbor. POO had a self-righteous toy poodle hissy fit and could be heard a block away. ]
So I picked him up and placed him on one of his pillows in the living room. I was in and out of the room but that wasn't good enough for him so I ended up holding him in my lap for over 4 hours until he was alert. And just as I expected he had a bad choking spell and I had to work on his throat a while to get him through it. After that he was back to being his spunky self again.
He is as playful as a puppy in spite of the fact that he will be 7 the first of May.

There was a snafu with my medicine and by the time it arrived I was wandering around moving furniture and not eating and sleeping only an hour and a half at a time and the other side of my mouth was sore. I knew that I wouldn't be finished with my apartment rearranging and cleaning by the time the new manager arrived so I had the happy inspiration to shove all of the living room furniture to the middle of the room and tell her that I was "Rearranging this room.". Don't know if she believed me but after finding some housekeeping faults she sat POO on her lap and sang "Happy Birthday" to me.
Ta-da! I'm 62!!

Next day I decided to stay in bed. Banging on my door!!! I would have ignored it but it is POO's job to alert when someone knocks on the door and he gets loud about it. I stagger to the door and it is the manager with the pest control people. I have a hissy fit. They are nice, I just wasn't up to it.
Durn-it, I was sick and tired.

With medicine and rest I got better and then call my doctor's office to report my progress as directed. Couldn't make myself understood so I got an email address and just sent the info that way.

Wonderful things, computers and the internet.My favorite computer had been run hard and heavy for 5 years and started acting weird. I thought it was a software problem and checked every application and everything about my OS. Finally I got out of my wheelchair and put the PC tower in it and rolled it out and loaded it in the car. POO and I take the PC to the shop and when the case is opened the problem is easily seen. It has over heated and the capacitors have popped their tops. Motherboard is dead. At first I was just going to save my hard drive and buy another computer and run my hard drive as an secondary but I discovered that my motherboard can be replaced and I particularly like the features I have with this tower. So as I write this I'm waiting for my "Big baby" to be repaired and using this 98SE laptop.

We changed started shopping at a different grocery store and I don't have to walk so much to find the things I need. POO didn't have any problem with the transition. But a lot of the customers haven't seen a service dog this small before and I've been fighting the women off with some stern words. NO PET!!!
I will stop and speak with any child or young person because I can help them grow up in a world where a lot of people need different things to help them get through life.
The people who aggravate me and cause me stress and harm are the adults with camera phones wanting to show me their pets and demand to pet "Your Baaaby".
They don't want to take no for an answer.
The reason they can't pet the dog is it is minding it's business which is to be present for My Needs. I'm pretty sure that these people wouldn't take someone's walking cane out of their hand to examine or pull someone out of their wheelchair to take it for a joy ride.

Now that I can afford meat again...
Meat Loaf:
1/2 or 2 pounds lean ground chuck or better
Any body's brand of dry Onion Soup mix
1 or 2 eggs depending on amount of amount of meat
1 to 1 and 1/4 Cup Vegetable juice...I use the one whose name starts with a V.
1 Cup of fine Saltine cracker crumbs
1 Minced Green sweet pepper
Black pepper to taste
Ketchup

Mix together the Dry Onion Soup, egg(s), and Vegetable juice/Green pepper/Black pepper.Add Saltine cracker crumbs
Cover and refrigerate half hour. If mixture is to dry add more Vegetable juice. If too wet add more cracker crumbs.
Bring out the meat and put it in a large bowl and break it apart as if you were going to scramble it.
Add the Soup/egg/vegetable juice/cracker mixture.
Make sure that everything is evenly distributed.
At this point I let my mixture rest in a tightly covered bowl in the refrigerator over night.
In a pinch you can do with an hour in the frig.
I shape mine in a traditional loaf and make 2 rows of Ketchup along the top.
I don't mind if you shape yours in a circle or triangle or make itty bitty balls...Hey, you have to cook and eat it.
I use a square baking dish, not my loaf pan, because it let's the little bit of fat drain better.
I start it off at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and then 359 for 35 minutes and take it's temperature.
When I decide it's done I turn the oven off and I remove any fat from the dish and return it to the hot oven for 15 or 20 minutes.
So that is that.
The new grocery doesn't have frozen biscuits so I have to wait until my other PC is home to get me recipe.

Something fishy this month

2007-03-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Fish Cakes
I use 15oz cans of water packed Sardines for these.
First one:
Plain fish cakes.
1 - 15oz can Sardines. Drain and discard liquid and remove bones.Mush up the fish so that it is flaky. -- No you are not going to hurt it, it's already dead.( Don't tell anybody I save the bones in a cup and munch them while the mixture is resting.)
Juice of 1 Lemon. Save the rind to remove the fish smell from your hands.
2 eggs. Beat the daylights out of them as that will help the cakes "puff" a little.
18+ saltine crackers. Crackers need to be crushed fine.
I mix this with my hands.
Place the flaked fish in a bowl.Add whipped eggs.Mix eggs with fish so that is evenly distributed.
Ok, if you are sensitive, use a spoon to mix the eggs and fish.
Gradually add crushed crackers and check the consistency. -- Too few crackers and the mixture will not hold a shape, too many will make small cakes dry and not hold together during cooking.
I divide the mixture into 7 portions.
Scoop up a portion and shape it in a rounded patty. If it will not hold together you may have too many crackers and can cheat by beating up another egg and forcing it through the mixture.Don't worry about beating the eggs, they will not fight back.
Sooo... shape the cakes and place them on a plate and cover tightly then refrigerate an hour or more to let rest.
I suppose you could bake these in the oven but I like the stove top method.
Weird but works for me.
Rummage through your stuff and find 2 long handled things you can use to turn the little cakes.
Find your 5qt dutch oven...that's usually the big one with a handle on both sides.
If it isn't non stick you are on your own here.
I lightly oil the bottom of mine and place 1 cake in the middle and the others around it -- try to keep them from touching. After all of the mashing and beating they just want to be alone.
The fish and crackers are "cooked" so we need to address the eggs.
It is fine with me if you want to make small talk to them but they will be busy.
Your stove top burner is MEDIUM.
Set the big pot on the burner and cover.
Wait 5 minutes and remove cover being careful of the stem.They may have puffed slightly.Try to gently lift and turn one of the cakes. If it sticks give it another minute.
It should have firmed up.If it breaks..oh well...turn the pieces.
When you have them turned they should be nicely browned on the top.That is what we want on the bottom.They will cook faster now but don't rush them.
Lift and check and poke a stick in one of them to see if it is "done".
Serve fresh cooked.I've never had leftovers to cope with.

Second:
Toss a hand full of ground Sage and a half teaspoon Rosemary along with some coarse black pepper in with the cracker crumbs in the original mixture for a Sausage like flavor.

Third:
Add ground Fennel to the Second mixture and use for meatballs for spaghetti.

For my favorite Pizza friends

2007-02-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

Flat Bread

Jelly Role pan -- Oiled
Oven -- 250 degrees
Food Processor -- Blade attachment in place
Cooling Rack
1) Place in Food Processor bowl
1&1/2 to 2 Cups Bread Flour - Now don't go using any "All Purpose" stuff here!
1 Tablespoon or 2 packs Quick Rising Yeast
3 or 4 Tablespoons cold cubed Butter - Use the real stuff, not imitation.
Run the Food Processor until the mixture is Very fine grained - No lumps.
While Food Processor is running -Add 1C Hot water -- You are looking for a very slack or "Wet" mixture.
2) Dump the mixture in the Jelly Role pan.Oil your hands and spread it evenly.
TURN OFF OVEN
Place Jelly Role pan in Oven and close door.
3) Spend the next twenty minutes happily slicing 2 or 3 Cans of drained Ripe Olives vertically - I use a dull knife.
**Collect all of those "Just can't leave it alone extra ingredients."
I know what you are thinking, uh huh, I do...
4) Remove Jelly Role pan from oven and place on heat proof surface.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Do be careful with the pan and don't burn yourself.
5) Leave 1" edge around each of pan and start placing Olives, cut side up, side by side.
**If you must have the Goat cheese, hide small bits under the Olives here and there.
6) Sprinkle a little salt along the outside exposed edges of the bread dough.
7) Bake - mid oven rack. I start checking after 20 minutes -- it will shrink slightly and pull away from the sides of the pan but that can be hard to see.
8) When you decide it's "done" remove it to a heat proof surface.
9) **If you must have Roasted Sweet Peppers, just plop 1" pieces here and there Over the Olives.
10) Set oven to Broil
11) Use a wide spatula, as a guide,
and sprinkle 2 Pounds of shredded Mozzarella cheese over Olives.
12) Place mid-rack under broiler and watch carefully that cheese just melts and does not brown.
13) Remove from Oven and carefully slide bread from Jelly Roll pan on to the cooling rack.
This is tricky, don't get burned.
Let rest 5 to 10 minutes for bottom to crisp.
Use Kitchen Shears to cut bread. Never a knife.
This is best served warm or slightly warm.
Use common sense to store and reheat.

February

2007-01-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

Still cold here.
Easy winter food:
A cabbage chopped and steamed tender
Cooked rice
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix and serve.
Yes, thePOO likes cabbage.

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

My new year's feast this year will be...
Catfish Soup
Water
Boneless Catfish pieces poached in water.
Remove fish to air tight container and refrigerate.
Add to fish broth:
Frozen peas and carrots
Large diced yellow onion
Thinly sliced celery
Simmer 20 minutes.
Remove vegetables and store for for later.
Measure Fish and Vegetable broth and add additional water to make 3 Cups.
1 Cup long grain white rice simmered in the broth on medium for 20 minutes.
1/4 lb butter. Add to cooked rice.
Add
Sage
Rosemary
Salt
Black pepper
to taste.
1 can Evaporated milk.
Combine buttered rice and vegetables.
Divide among serving bowls.
Heat fish briefly in Microwave and place on top of rice/vegetable mixture.
Warm milk and divide among servings.
Adjust Salt and pepper at table.

December

2006-12-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas !

I enjoy the winter season. Sooo many excuses not to be outdoors. And this puts me at odds with thePOO in that he thinks rain is something special.

Now for the good part...FOOD!
This year it will be Ham.
Took me a year to find a seller of aged country hams.
We will have sweet potatoes.
Field peas with snaps and cooked "greens".
Sweet corn.
Southern style biscuits.
House wine is Alabama Sweet tea.
Desert will be fruit and nut pie with coffee.

Plenty of music on the radio as the TV is broke.

Good cheer to all!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is a good time of the year for me to make my first post as it's coming up on Thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful about. Especially since all that I got for Christmas last year was a heart attack. I am thankful that I am recovering.
Now on to the good part...FOOD !
We have on hand:
Turkey and Giblets
Ingredients for Southern style Dressin'.
These include, but are not limited to, cornbread, biscuits, crackers, cooked onions & celery, hard boiled eggs, and oysters if you got 'em, all mixed together in something about the size of an old fashioned wash tub. Salt and black pepper to taste.
Liquid ingredients are turkey broth and slightly beaten eggs. Must have enough liquid to be "sloppy". Just can't abide dry Dressin'.
Cranberry sauce
Turnip greens
Green beans -- Mine will be a casserole of green beans, onions and water chestnuts with a cheese and crumb topping. POO likes his straight out of the can.
Steamed Cauliflower
Baked sweet potatoes with orange zest and a half pinch of allspice.
House wine is Alabama Sweet Tea.

Wishes for a happy Thanksgiving to you and Welcome to our Blog !
towwad