Sunday, June 4, 2023
St. James Infirmary - Another Version
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Friday, June 2, 2023
THE FRIDAY FUNNIES
Gosh it's been a long week.
But also a short week.
It seems like just yesterday I was posting about that sheet pan dinner that SWMBO prepared.
Well, sorry for my absence from your blogroll.
I'll try to make up for it as June has arrived and the gardening season with it.
So let me entertain you.
Monday, May 29, 2023
DINNER
Melissa Clark (my favorite red-head) of the New York Times is the master (mistress?) of the sheet pan dinners.
But she's got nothing on my Master Chef in Residence, Ms. Judy, aka SWMBO.
Witness:
Before
After
My plate
My salad (sliced fresh cantaloupe)
My witnesses
Saturday, May 27, 2023
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
In the United States of America this is the unofficial beginning of Summer.
So the feasting is on.
Barbecue grills with hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, corn on the cob.
Desserts of rhubarb pie, strawberries over ice cream, watermelon.
Memorial Day, on Monday, is a federal holiday, thus we get a three-day weekend.
But the original meaning was a day set aside to mourn and honor those who lost their lives while serving in the Armed Services.
Originally called Decoration Day, the graves of those warriors were marked with small flags.
My only relative that I know who died in service is buried far away.
But I was up this morning putting in a couple of hooks so we too could fly our flag.
It's out there now in front of our home, fluttering in the breeze.
As we gather on patios and in back yards and swimming pools and ball parks, let us enjoy the good food and the good friends and the good times.
But never forgetting why we have this weekend.
Friday, May 26, 2023
THE FRIDAY FUNNIES
Some weeks you get to thinking it's just been too stressful (Judy's pacemaker replacement) or too sad (Tina Turner's death) to find any reason to laugh.
But then there was that thing on Twitter (Musk & DeSantis) the other day that lightens the load.
So Fellow Travelers, let's get on it.
It's Friday!
Y'know I always wondered what life was like up there on Starship Enterprise.
Pretty funny, I guess.
At any rate, this is bringing an end to the week and now the weekend is staring you in the face.
And it's a THREE-DAY weekend!
So brace yourselves to start grilling season.
Have yourselves a great time and always remember to keep laughing!
Here, kitty-kitty . . .
( . . . ahh, good plan . . .)
Thursday, May 25, 2023
THIRSTY THURSDAY
Arizona is preparing for a long hot summer.
The temperature in Phoenix climbed over the 100 degree mark the other day.
And it's still May.
Where I live it's about 20 degrees cooler.
But that means the low 80's.
And it's still only May.
So watch out for July and August.
There may be some unpleasant new records set.
Meantime, it's a pleasant day here, with a brilliant blue sky and a somewhat gentle breeze in an area of the country known for its windy days.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
NEW JUDY
We spent the afternoon yesterday in the Cath Lab at the hospital in Prescott.
That's the Cardiac Catheterization Lab to those of you not in the know.
It's where doctors perform minimally invasive tests and advanced cardiac procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease.
So explains the Google.
What it meant to us is that Judy had to have her pacemaker replaced.
The one she'd been living with for 9 years had finally lost enough battery strength to require a new one.
Here's what a pacemaker, or generator, installation looks like.
It is typically placed just under the skin with wires, or leads, running into the chambers of the heart.
In Judy's case, the leads were doing just fine so the new device was just hooked up to them.
The purpose of the "machine" is to maintain an even heart rate when something has caused the natural rhythm to falter.
Judy went in for her surgery at 4:15 and came out about an hour and a half later, feeling fine but looking a bit woozy from the anesthetic.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
SOUFFLÉ
I read about a recipe for a cheese soufflé recently.
It is credited to the great chef, Jacques Pépin.
Actually it is credited to his mother, Maman Pépin.
As the story goes when she was first married, at age 17, she did not know how to cook but she knew her 22 year old husband liked cheese soufflé.
A friend supposedly told her it was simple: a white sauce (béchamel), cheese and eggs.
Since she was French, even though she did not know much about cooking, she did know how to make a white sauce.
So she made the dish.
But surprise!
She did NOT know that in a soufflé the whites of the eggs are separated from the yolks.
However, the dish puffed up, was cheesy and was a great success for many years to come.
So, I followed Jacques telling of the recipe.
He makes his with Gruyère cheese, for the nutty flavor.
I only had a little less than 4 ounces of Gruyère but added another 6 ounces of Swiss cheese.
I don't know if it made any difference but the dish was incredibly, deliciously cheesy.
That little green thing in the center of the picture is NOT a price tag.
It's a piece of minced chive.
And I received the ultimate compliment.
SWMBO said "I think this recipe is a keeper."
My tummy and my ego are both happy.
Saturday, May 20, 2023
SATURDAY SERENADE
Friday, May 19, 2023
THE FRIDAY FUNNIES
Y'remember yesterday?
Oh, c'mon, I know you remember yesterday, don't you?
Okay, then we're in the same boat.
But I remember yesterday for one reason.
It was ThrowBack Thursday.
And why is that important, you ask?
Because then I can remember that today is FRIDAY!
And you clever readers know what that means . . The Friday Funnies!
Once again I've had to clean out my humor/humour bank a bit and therefore you just have to read this week.
No funny memes (that means cartoons, oldsters), just words to make you laugh.
So get ready.
Get set.
GO!
Okay, okay, I know this is a cheat, considering what I said at the top but THESE GUYS JUST KEEP BUGGING ME!
So, as always, here they are.
That's it.
I swear that's it.
What more can I say anyway?
Except, have yourselves an exceptionally enervating weekend!
And always remember to keep laughing!
Here, kitty-kitty . . .
( . . . oh, man . . .)
Thursday, May 18, 2023
THROWBACK THURSDAY
I haven't done a ThrowBack post for a long time but today's the day, thanks to my friend, Timmer the photographer.
I don't know how long ago these photos were taken, or where, but I do know none of us have looked this way in a long, long time.
Jeanne, aka the Beaner, and I
Jeane, Judy (aka SWMBO), and I
On second thought I think these may have been taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Tim and Jeanne came down from Denver and we drove up from Phoenix and we met there for a spring break weekend.
Whenever or wherever, good times with good friends.
Tim and Jeanne are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary this Saturday.
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
SYTTENDE MAI
How could I have forgotten!
It's a dried whitefish like cod that is brined in LYE, then soaked (allegedly) to get rid of that taste, then steamed until it flakes.
It smells horrible and it may be the reason that Norwegians who eat this stuff accompany it with generous topes of beer and Aquavit.
But that's just me.
I have heard that many people of Norwegian ancestry in my home state of North Dakota love the stuff.
There's just no excuse for some people.