Bucatini

Here we go! Happy last day of 2020. Bring on 2021!

The daughter of a childhood friend posted an article on Facebook that discusses a shortage of Bucatini, of all things.

Bucatini is a pasta that is so big that they put a hole in the middle of it. It's length is similar to that of spaghetti, but the largeness of the pasta, means that it does not twirl as easy as spaghetti does.

I happen to love it, but rarely ever break down and buy it. Thus, my Husband had no idea what the girl on Facebook was talking about.

I mostly thought it was an East Coast thing, but when I went to the store this week, they had it under the gourmet section of the pasta. For much more money, I might add.

It is best with a robust sauce with ground beef added. It clings to the pasta and makes a satisfying meal.

I am looking forward to making it.

I Finally Got My Grades

I have been waiting for one of my grades for the past 2 weeks.

I finally decided that I wanted to finish this year with a definite answer and so I emailed my instructor.

She got back to me and has no idea why the grades did not post yet. She sent them in weeks ago.

While she had me, she said I received an A for her Strategic Communication Class. As she said, Yay!

I already knew that I got an A for my Theory Class, so that means I did a good job, my first semester back.

Let's hope I can continue to keep my grades up, since graduate students need high grades.

NOTE: This Post has been updated on 12/31/20 to change my grade in Strategic Communication from an A- to an A.

GPA is currently a 3.66. Double Yay!

Our Christmas Photo (2020)

With no one around to take a photo of us, this is what you get.

Probably a bad angle and cropped too much, but it is what it is.

A photo of us both, after almost a year of quarantine.

We are holding our own and hope all who read this are, too.

Happy soon to be new year.

As 2020 Began, So It Ends, With The Golden Gate Bridge

My Water Post For Today.

This photo is from our cruise, almost a year ago.

I thought that as I began my 65th year on this earth, I would end it the same way.

With a beautiful photo of The Golden Gate Bridge.

This photo was actually taken on February 11th, the day we returned to San Francisco.

Always a win in my book.

May 2021 be better for us all.

I hope you enjoy.

Christmas Gifts From My Son

Christmas gifts from the Michigan side of the family were a surprise this year.

Last year my Son brought us homemade mustard.

It was a large jar for the two of us.

This year, with Covid, he decided to send his Father a variety of mustards, to replace the jar we finished months ago.

We were both happy to to see it and fully intend to use it when we cook our "Little Smokies" for the New Year.

On my end he bought me a book on 2 women who wanted to go up into space.

It is called "Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and their historic battle for female spaceflight".

Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb are the two women pilots.

I have started the book and it seems to be something that I find of interest.

My Son knows his parents.

Shetland Burra Brönnies

I have been holding on to this recipe for a bit. It needed dried fruit and I happened to have 1 more dried package of mincemeat left from last year. In good news, that stuff doesn't go bad. :-)

I followed the directions, doing what they said to do, but I think it turned out looking different, due to the mincemeat. No problem...it tastes just fine.

Burra Brönnie

This recipe makes two (2 lb loaf tins) brönnies.

*Note that this recipe freezes very well. I usually cut each brönnie in half and freeze as half loaves.

Ingredients

4 cups of mixed dried fruit
2 cups of soft brown sugar
2 cups of strong tea (or water)
4 oz of margarine
2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda)
4 cups of self-raising flour (sieved) (add to All Purpose flour 2 tbl baking powder and 1 tsp salt)
2 eggs

Instructions

Place dried fruit, sugar and margarine in a medium saucepan.
Sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and pour the tea over the mix.
Simmer gently for five minutes before leaving it to cool slightly.
Stir in the beaten eggs and flour.
Place the mixture into two greased and lined 2 lb loaf tins.
Bake at 160℃ (gas 4) (320F) for approximately 1-1 ½ hours. (For Aga ovens, place the rack on the floor of the top oven, and place tins in with the cooling tray on the runner above.)

Things To Be Thankful For This Christmas (2020)

******************************40 Years Later, Still In Love************************

These photos were taken on our cruise, back in February.

They were not cheap and we seriously blew our budget purchasing them, but being we all went into lock-down a month later, I am so glad I did.

I personally think my Husband looks fabulous, for being 77 years old. He has always been pretty good looking, to me. Especially his sparkling eyes.

Having these photos in black and white, makes them even more special and made me happy to have current photos in my home, for our 40th Anniversary.

I think the photographer did a great job on them and I used the photos for our holiday card this year.

Your Presents Are Welcome

In honor of Earl Pomerantz, who died back on March 7, 2020, I bring you, for one last time...

"Your Presents Are Welcome"

Ext. Holy Land – Night

(Note: In the Jewish tradition, which was in force on this first day of Christianity, all holidays begin on the night before. I don’t know why. Maybe they just couldn’t wait.)

THREE WISE MEN ARE CAMELING TOWARDS THEIR MIDDLE-EASTERN DESTINATION.

(Note: Because I have no idea of their actual names, the Wise Men will herein be designated by the gifts they are delivering: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. Sorry for all the Notes.)

THE NIGHT IS QUIET, SAVE FOR THE SOUND OF THREE CAMELS, CLOMPING ON SAND.

FRANKINCENSE: I could use some reassurance here.

GOLD: What about?

F: (STANDING FOR FRANKINCENSE, SO I DON’T HAVE TO KEEP WRITING FRANKINCENSE EVERY TIME) I’m a little worried about my present.

G: (DITTO ON THE INITIAL ) How so?

F: I’m concerned about its appropriateness.

G: What is it you’re giving them again?

F: Frankincense.

G: And remind me what that is?

F: An aromatic gum resin.

G: Uh-huh. And you thought that was an appropriate present because…?

F: Frankincense is known to have soothing properties. I thought after the turbulence of childbirth, the participants might enjoy its calming effect.

G: I suppose. But have you noticed how quiet it’s been? – a starlit firmament, the absence of a breeze, not a peep out of anything? If I were a Weather Man – or a songwriter – I’d say, “All is calm, all is bright.”

F: You’re saying they won’t need my gift’s calming effect.

G: It seems somewhat redundant.

F: They’re going to hate it! I know exactly what’s going to happen. They’ll be all nice about it and everything. “Look, Joseph – frankincense! What a beautiful present!” And then, angling for reassurance, I’ll say, “Are you sure you like it? I could take it back.” And they’ll say, “Oh, no, it’s perfect! We were just talking about how we were really low on frankincense and my husband said, ‘Maybe I should pick some up’, and I said, ‘Hold off a little. We might get some as a present’, and here we are! It’s like a miracle. I mean, it’s no ‘Virgin Birth’ or anything, but it’s still amazingly timely.” I despise that excruciating charade. I wishI had brought something else.

MYRRH: You wish.

F: Oh, yeah, I forgot. With you around, I am sure of no worse than “Second Most Terrible Gift.”

M: Well that’s not very supportive.

F: Your gift makes no sense.

G: What was your present again?

M: Myrrh.

F: Terrible!

M: It’s not that bad.

F: Oh, really? First of all, myrrh is also a gum resin. I mean, three gifts, and two of them are gum resins? These guys are going to have to be really good actors. “You can never have enough gum resin.” This is a train wreck!

G: A what?

F: It’s bad.

M: You know, there is actually a difference between my gum resin and your gum resin. Yours in an aromatic gum resin. Mine is a bitter gum resin.

F: (TO G) You know what bitter gum resins are used for?

G: What?

F: Embalming. He’s bringing a “burial spice.” (TO M) I hope you kept the receipt.

M: It’s attached to the “Myrrh” pouch. But the store’s in Mesopotamia.

G: You know, you Wise Men – and your behavior puts that name in serious doubt – you are making too much of this. Remember: “It’s the thought that counts.”

F: Spoken like a man who is giving them gold.

G: It was simply what came to my mind.

M: Oh, sure. “Let’s see. What gift should I bring them? I know. Something that makes everyone else’s gift look terrible and cheap!”

G: It’s not a lot of gold.

F: (To M) Did you see the cool pouch it's in?

M: That pouch is better than my present.

G: Look, if you two are so unhappy with your presents, you should have given them something else.

M: Like what?

G: I don’t know. Booties.

M: “Gold, frankincense and socks.” That’s much better.

F: Why didn’t you bring booties?

G: Because I brought gold! Dear Lord!... who was recently just born. Do I have to apologize for being the only one bringing a good gift?

F/M: (TOGETHER) YES!!

F: He put zero thought into it, you know. ‘Gold.’ Done!’”

G: I think we should stop talking for a while.

F: You’re the boss, Mr. Moneybags.

THEY CAMEL ALONG IN SILENCE. FINALLY…

F: Are you sure we’re going the right way?

M: Yeah. Maybe we should stop and ask directions.

G: That is not necessary.

F: Oooh, Mr. “Gold Giver.” Too good to ask directions.

G: There is one direction! “Follow the star.” I am following the star!

M: Okay! Take it easy! You are turning all red.

F: (TO G) Would you like a little frankincense to calm you down?

M: I’d like slip him some myrrh.

F: Oh. For “embalming.” I get it.

G: (DRYLY) Hilarious. A funny Bedouin.

THEY MOVE ON IN UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE.

F: You know, all this bickering? It’s because of the presents.

M: You’re right. If only we could honor special occasions in a less competitive manner.

G: A celebratory song, perhaps.

F: Says the man who won the encampment songwriting contest. The guy never quits.

M: Look, we are stuck with the presents, and that’s that. Let’s just hope they are big resin gum fans.

F: That’s gum resin.

M: Yeah. That makes a difference.

THE THREE-CAMEL CARAVAN PROCEEDS ON TOWARDS BETHLEHEM.

G: Everybody likes gold.

M: There he goes again.

G: I was talking to my camel.

THE ANXIOUS BICKERING CONTINUES. AND THE REST IS NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY.

A New Christmas Ornament

It must have been around Christmas time last year, I did a search on eBay, looking for the missing Teddy Bear Year's Ornament from my Son's collection.

Being he was born early and he spent a month in the hospital, we did not have the first Christmas.

I have many others that friends sent his way, but not the Hallmark one.

I put them on the tree together and it always bothered me, that I had 2 to 5 and not 1.

This year since things are so depressing, I broke down and decided to see if one still existed.

The one I had bookmarked had been sold and so I did a new querry and found one.

It arrived on the shortest day of the year and my bears are now complete.

My kid could care less, but his Mom is happy and that is what matters.

In the photo it is the sleeping bear with a 1 candy cane, all the way at the top right in the shade. The others follow downward.

Merry Christmas to me.

Celebrating The Holidays With The Traffic Folk

One of the best things about this quarantine has been the weekly Zoom session with the Traffic Folks around the Country.

We started in early April and here we are...celebrating the end of Hanukkah and the start of Christmas week.

Not only do I remember some of what I used to do, I can still give advice to those coming up behind me.

I thank whoever came up with this idea and as I am able, I check in with them all.

No one understands Traffic, like Traffic people.

We are one of a kind.

We Finished The Back Yard And Pond

Welcome to winter and the Winter Solstice. It also is my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, my brother.

My Water Post For Today.

Yes, this is not an exotic photo, but it signifies something monumental.

We finished cleaning up and repairing our back yard.

The sprinklers were first, then we grew some grass.

Next up we worked on the lights. Not a single one of them worked.

Only the one right on the edge of the side yard did. That meant that 7 lights did not work.

It was a challenge to fix each one...but we did. Though we never found the cable to add another light on the back side, where the bed jogs.

We finally resolved that issue by cutting into the main line by the next light in line and leading an extra cable over to where we wanted a light. Yeah, not the best answer, but we got tired of holes all over the flower beds.

On Sunday, we filled the holes with dirt, we laid 4 bags of bark around the beds, and cut the extra foliage around the pond to clean it up.

It now has a light on it again.

I hope you enjoy the better looking back yard and pond.

One More Food Drive For 2020

I decided to take the remainder of the year off. I had given food to many drives and dropped off things, when no drive was happening.

This week, the Santa Clarita Transit (the people who are in charge of our bus service) said that since they were not allowed to bring visitors on tours of the lighted neighborhoods in our area, they would instead make stops at parks on Saturday and pick up donations from people.

I had nothing prepared, since I am trying to keep my art room semi-clean. I knew that I had lots of things in my cupboard, so I went looking.

12 items filled this bag and I felt I did my part.

Happy Holidays Santa Clarita.

A Hot Meal From The Senior Center

I have been going to the free lunch at the Senior Center, for the past several months.

Out of 20 days, if I go 3 times, it is usually plenty.

What I have found is that most days it is some sort of chicken mixture added to salad or something. Not exactly the most appetizing entrée I have ever had.

Then something good comes along.

On Friday they had chicken parmesan and I go over.

The line was huge and I knew it was going to be something worth my time.

There was so much, that I have another meal with the left overs.

Finally a win from the Senior Center.

Thank you very much for your service to our community.

An Army Flag For His Birthday

For my Husband's birthday this year, I asked him if he would like to fly an Army Flag.

He immediately said yes to my request and so I ordered one.

Being it was a month before the election, it took a bit of time to get things like Flag Poles, since lots of Trump supporters were buying and waving flags, trying to show how many there were in the U.S.

It did make it just about in time for his birthday, but we discussed what we wanted to do. Just fly it in front of the bay window, or on the front of our garage.

We decided to use the garage, especially since it will be more visible, then back where our bay window is.

We are awaiting our new Flag Pole for the American Flag, but for now, our old one will do.

Go Army!

Nighty Night Makenna

Nighttime comes and we commune together in bed.

I have not been singing to her as much, due to worrying about the Coronavirus (I take no chances with my cat).

Last night she snuggled up near me, for warmth and I took a photo, since I had to check a message on the phone.

I like the photo.

I am sure she did not.

My Belgiun Angel

Probably the worst thing about this pandemic is the fact that Gina, my friend from Belgium, can't send me a gift this year and neither can I. It was the thing that we both looked forward to each Holiday Season.

One year she gave me a tree top angel, who is old and european. Yeah, that plug thing.

I don't plug her in for that very reason (and her age), but my Husband mentioned we should put a candle near her.

I had forgotten about these candles I bought several half price sales ago.

I think it works perfect. :-)

St. Lucia Buns (2020)

The Feast day of St. Lucy was on Sunday and in honor of her, I decided to try another recipe of St. Lucia buns.

This one came from King Arthur Flour and it turned out excellent!

It was at capacity in my bread machine. I went with 4 cups of flour and really waited til it was combined decently, before adding that 4th cup.

Definitely proof your yeast before using it. Ignore what they say.

St. Lucia Buns

Ingredients

Buns

1 cup (227g) milk
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, lightly crushed
8 tablespoons (113g) butter, room temperature
4 1/2 cups (539g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 cup (43g) potato flour or 1/2 cup (43g) dried potato flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt*
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Reduce the salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons if you use salted butter

Topping

1 large egg white (reserved from dough) mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
Swedish pearl sugar, optional
golden raisins, optional

Instructions

In a small saucepan set over medium heat (or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave), heat the milk and saffron to a simmer; remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Set the mixture aside to allow the butter to melt, and for it to cool to lukewarm, 30 to 35 minutes. You can reduce the milk's cooling time by about 10 minutes by refrigerating it.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, flours, salt and sugar.

Separate one of the eggs, and set the white aside; you'll use it later.

Pour the lukewarm milk and butter mixture over the dry ingredients.

Add the 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, and the vanilla. Mix to combine, then knead for about 7 minutes by mixer, about 10 minutes by hand, till the dough is smooth and supple.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large (8-cup) measuring cup, cover it, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's quite puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 12 equal pieces. A scale makes this job easy; each piece will weigh about 92g, or 3 1/4 ounces.

Shape the pieces of dough into rough logs, and let them rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. This gives the gluten a chance to relax.

Roll each log into a 15" to 18" rope. They'll shrink once you stop rolling; that's OK.

Shape each rope into an "S" shape. Tuck a golden raisin into the center of each of the two side-by-side coils.

Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or so between them. Cover them, and let them rise for about 30 minutes, till they're noticeably puffy, but definitely not doubled. While they're rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Brush each bun with some of the egg white/water glaze. Sprinkle with coarse white Swedish pearl sugar.

Bake the buns until they're golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. If you've used raisins, tent them with foil for the final 3 minutes, to prevent the raisins from burning.

Remove the buns from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Yield: 12 large buns.

Tips from our Bakers

For smaller buns, divide the dough into 24 pieces.
Roll each piece into an 8" to 10" log, and shape as directed.
Bake the buns for about 12 to 15 minutes, till they're golden brown.

A San Pedro Goodbye

My Water Post For Today.

Back to our trip to Alaska. This was sail-away, leaving San Pedro.

I happen to like the Coast Guard keeping us on the straight and narrow, with his wake on the side of the ship.

I noticed them a lot more in San Francisco (of course that was a lot longer trip out of the bay, and they needed to make sure we did not hit the Golden Gate Bridge supports.)

As a seasoned traveler, I now notice much more than I did on this first journey.

I hope you enjoy.

Saugus Cafe In Trouble

A message went up onto Facebook on Friday.

Saugus Cafe needs to have outdoor dining returned, or else they will be closing within a week.

My Son saw it and let us know. So I decided to do a Take Out order.

When I called I was told it is going to take an hour to prepare.

An hour (I said to myself, wow!) and I told them that was just fine.

I pass it on my way to do another errand and there is a line out the door!

When I got back, I got in and I waited. You can see how much is around the area. The bagged orders, the orders themselves on the counter and the piles of go boxes where the wait staff get them from the kitchen. In other words, the town came out to show support to Alfredo.

I don't know if it will be enough, but I hope it helps.

Update: Yecenia Mercado, Alfredo's daughter, has put up a Go Fund Me page, if you care to contribute. You can see it HERE

The Kibble Feeder

I have mentioned that we bought a kibble automatic feeder, just before our cruise.

We recently moved it into our bedroom and Makenna has finally gotten to the point where she patiently waits over by the feeder.

She was very confused, right after we moved it out of the family room.

We had to do that, because I am eating my lunch or dinner around the same time as the feeder gives her food and she startles much more now days. So I wanted her in a calm location.

All in all, it was money well spent.

Hanukkah 2020 Has Arrived

Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah, Oh light the menorah. Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora...

Here we are, locked down for the holiday. Not fun, but not much different from the day to day these past 9 months.

The only thing that worries me, is coming into contact with sick people. Nothing much you can do about that.

Minus the ongoing Pandemic, we are well and we lived to see another Hanukkah.

For the Jewish people in my life, I wish you a peaceful one.

It Has Been 11 Years Since "This Is War" Came Out

This Is War, the 3rd album by the band 30 Seconds To Mars, came out 11 years ago on December 8th, 2009. I wrote about the whole experience HERE.

This photo is coming up in my Facebook memories and in this very different and difficult year, it makes me even happier that I made the effort to be a part of something unique.

If you look at the photo, you can see that we were all crushed together and we were feet away from Jared and Tomo. Something that would not be happening now.

An unforgetable experience and a memory I am glad I documented on my blog.

The Decorations Are Finished (Holiday 2020)

Here is the finished decorations for this Holiday Season.

All is calm, all is bright, here at the angel house.

We used our blue lights for Hanukkah this year. They were bought for Saugus High Shooting last year, but we have our blue light shining every day, now. So we do not need these. It looks nice.

I may put up the lights for the fireplace, if I find a set, but for now it looks good.

Happy Holidays.

Makenna And Me

Makenna and I communed together for about 20 minutes on Sunday morning.

I had actually taken my shower and so I was not in my pj's.

She purred and purred and I loved it.

I think things have calmed down with her. At least it seems that way. She eats her food every day and acts close to normal. No throwing up.

Love my cat.

Pearl Harbor Anniversary (2020)

My Water Post For Today.

Pearl Harbor was attacked 79 years ago today.

It is a place I had always wanted to visit, but being I never got to Hawaii, it was on my bucket list....until this year.

One of the few good experiences of 2020 was that I got to travel to the memorial and experience it.

Being the ships that were bombed were left in the water, you can smell the oil that is still leaking out of them, it is quite dramatic.

They sit in a beautiful harbor, on a beautiful island. The contrast is striking.

Beauty and war, all together.

I hope you enjoy.

Getting Closer

As of Saturday evening, I am still working on my final paper. I hope to have it submitted on Sunday.

In the meantime, my Husband wanted to get the tree up. Me, not so much.

So I worked on my paper all morning and finally got the tree set up in the evening.

No ornaments yet, but it has pride of place in the living room.

We lit it before dinner and all was well. After dinner, a section of lights was out. Great, this tree is only three years old.

I found extra bulbs in the tree box and instructions on how to replace bad ones. I figured that must be what is wrong.

We both set out to find the bad one and after about six lights, I saw one was black. Got it, replaced it. Done!

Thank goodness.

Tri Tip...Always Welcome At My House

I had a Tri Tip roast a few weeks ago, it might have been for Rosh Hashanah.

Every time I make one, it reminds me of being away for 4 months back in 2013.

My Son calls up recipes when he doesn't know how to do something and this one was a big win, that we do each time.

Spice it, cook it in a fry pan until brown on all sides.

Let it rest for a half hour and then place on the BBQ or in the oven, until done. Yum.

Family History Comes Up Again

If you remember, this past July I took part in a geneology class put on by SUNY Oswego as part of Lifelong Learning.

Being I got accepted for the Graduate program, I was not going to have time to do much research.

What I didn't count on was the fact that my youngest nephew has gotten into it, BIG TIME!

So after talking to my brother, he contacted me about photos and stuff.

Lamenting about how sad he was about some of our relatives not having any connections.

He sent me some info the other day and I took a few hours off from my final project, to put the old information in.

When I printed it out, these names came up.

I guess my Mom gave me these hints, before she died.

It was enough to get me going on things and I filled in quite a bit of the family. Then sent it over to my nephew.

Very cool and unexpected.

An Egret On Our Lawn

You think you have seen everything, after living in the same location for 35 years...

I am sitting in my living room, talking to my brother-in-law and suddenly through the side of the bay window, I see something moving.

I yell at my Husband to get over here and get a photo of it.

He did and he posted it on Facebook, so my brother-in-law could see it.

As I looked at it and then at my Husband, I swear it was at least 3 feet tall.

As quickly as it came, it left.

Counting The Projects Down

This is the last week of school, for the Fall Semester.

I can't tell you how happy I am to get a break.

Last week, just before the Thanksgiving holiday, my group made our 1 hour presentation via Zoom, in our Communication class.

The hardest part, for me, was the fact that it got harder to get in touch via email.

I finally had to ask my professor if one of the students was OK. He was and we finally got the presentation going.

It was on "How to communicate in an online support group setting during a pandemic".

I was worried about time (it had to fall within 45 to 60 minutes), so I had a second powerpoint about my blog, just in case of an emergency. I figured all I needed was a few slides and I could just talk about each one, for a minute or so.

Thankfully, we came out at around 40 minutes and then it was question and answer time.

Done with that. One more paper to go for my other class.

Goodbye Andrew

With so many of my son's friends serving in the military, we figured it was going to happen eventually.

Unfortunately, it seems that it might have been PTSD, rather than the situations his friend faced, while deployed in the service.

Andrew, as mentioned on this post called Metal Gear Solid, (on the right, in this photo), was one of my sons, but without a number or nickname. He was just Andrew, to me.

He died this past weekend and to say the least, my Son's friends are all a mess.

We thought he was handling himself well, while living in Utah.

I guess not.

Godspeed to you, Andrew.

You will be missed by me.

Honolulu In The Evening

My Water Post For Today.

Being this next week is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I thought I would stay on the Island of Oahu, in Hawaii.

Honolulu Harbor, on our way to where we pulled in to dock.

So calm, so beautiful and yeah, if I was still working, I would love to live in the area (I hear they are looking for remote workers).

I hope you enjoy.

Holiday Lights (2020)

The lights are mostly up.

We stole 2 sets from the front, to put some on the back side of the house.

They are not automatic...yet. We may activate our last connected light timer. If not, we will just turn it off when the last one goes to bed.

No biggie, since it will light up our bedroom.

That's our first hint the lights are still on.

Here is the back side.

I think it looks pretty nice with the pop-up.

You can see we are still working out there. More parts came in on Saturday.

So we will finish the low voltage lights...eventually.

What We Had For Thanksgiving Dinner

It is 2 days after Thanksgiving, but before we move on, I wanted to highlight our very small feast.

We bought turkey parts this year, figuring that if we bought a turkey it would be 16lbs and that is just too much for us.

My freezer is usually at capacity, so I don't want more than I have.

We made the yummy Cranberry Pear sauce and it was excellent.

I made stuffing cups, but they came out too dry. I might try them again sometime, but definitely more broth.

1 sweet potato roasted, some olives and some of the pineapple we got for 99 cents.

Most of all, we are thankful we made it to this point.

Santa Ana Winds Are Blowing

I don't know if Sana Ana Winds was on anyone's bingo card for Thanksgiving, but here in the SCV, but it is definitely blowing today.

Shortly after this photo was taken, my Husband and I took the pop-up down, to protect it from the worst of the winds.

The flag out back was really blowing and hours later, the man lowered it a bit.

We are now under "potential loss of power" alerts. Sigh.

Love paying for electricity we lose at the drop of a hat.

Happy Thanksgiving (2020)

Happy Thanksgiving from the quarantine home of the angel family.

Makenna wishes all 4 legged animals a good turkey day. Find lots of scraps on the floor. :-)

Hubby and I will be having a quiet one, but it should be yummy.

I have turkey parts to roast, stuffing cups to make, a sweet potato to cook, the cranberries that I made the other day are wonderful!

We will get in touch with family this weekend.

It will be just fine and safe.

Thumb Print Cookies (The Pioneer Woman)

Best Raspberry and Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 c. raw almonds
1 stick salted butter, softened
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
6 tbsp. seedless raspberry jam

Directions

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and almond extract on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into smooth round balls. Place 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Refrigerate 1 hour before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 ̊. Bake the cookies until just barely turning brown, 14 to 16 minutes. (Don’t overbake!)

Remove from the oven, then gently press the back of a measuring spoon into the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Dust the cookies with powdered sugar. Whisk the raspberry jam until smooth. Spoon about 3/4 teaspoon jam into the center of each cookie.

I wanted to get rid of some Fig Jam I had around the house,

Unfortunately, when the big moment came, I found out the jam had gone bad on me.

So I used Apricot Jam, instead.

They are yummy and crunchy. I highly recommend.

Cranberry Pear Sauce

It seems appropriate that on the day of my Husband's birth, I discuss cranberries. :-)

Every once in a while you want to try something a little different.

This year I saw a Cranberry Pear Sauce and I decided to try it.

The recipe wanted me to use honey, instead of sugar.

That felt like a bridge too far, for me.

So I made the traditional recipe with 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, a bag of cranberries and a squirt of lemon juice.

Then I cut up 2 pears and added them to the pot and cooked for about 10 minutes.

A first taste and it seems good.

Sunrise On Kauai

My Water Post For Today.

It was a beautiful day, when we pulled into the harbor at Nawiliwili, Kauai.

The sun was just rising, showing us that the day was going to be special.

Compared to some other ports, this one was stunning.

I am so glad we took a cruise, instead of flying between islands.

My Guy At Work

The lights we ordered came in on Saturday, so my Husband got right to it, adding a light here and another one, there.

Of course, when he turned on the lights there was no change.

When they came on at night, there was no change.

A few hours later, I glance out the kitchen window and I see that more lights are on.

We just don't understand why it does that, but we are grateful that they eventually do come on.

Just a few more things to finish and it will be a done project.

Fixing The Lights

Our current project, minus watering the new grass in the backyard, is trying to get the low voltage lights working better.

We had exactly 1 light working so we knew there was a break somewhere near the windmill. I found it when I was digging up soil, around the divider between the grass and the bushes.

It has been an all summer project. First trying to fix sprinkler #6, then number #5. After getting them close to fine, I seeded parts of the lawn that had died from lack of water.

It is growing and we now spend an hour or two a day working on the lights. What is so weird about them is that my Husband connects them up and they don't work. Most evenings, when we go outside, another light has connected. We are only missing 2 at this point and we are waiting for parts to come this weekend, to add another by the windmill.

We are pleased with the way it is coming along.

Camilla

We are still working on our back yard and the other day we picked up some potting soil to grow grass with.

Next to the check out stand was a stunning camilla tree with this beautiful blossom.

I felt it was worth the time to take its photo, since Hubby was paying for our things.

Too bad, I have nowhere to put it, so it stays at the store.

Thanks for brightening my day.

Goodbye Tom

A childhood friend died on Wednesday.

He lived next door to us, growing up.

We used to play board games and matchbox cars in his backyard or ours.

When he played Monopoly, he was always the banker, (though he doesn't remember cheating). :-)

He doesn't remember this either, he taught me how to boil hot dogs for lunch. I still do it to this day.

God speed to you, my friend. It was always a pleasure meeting up for breakfast at the Airport Diner.

Good Bye Normal Cat Food

Makenna had some problems a few weeks ago.

The vet changed her diet to Rabbit, and after 3 weeks she seems just fine.

Now the hard part. Getting rid of the extra food I had in the house.

It has taken me a week to make contact, but the rescue that brought me my Makenna, is taking food for the cats they care for and foster.

There was one foster person here in Santa Clarita and I dropped the food off with her.

Makenna was NOT happy to see her food go. So sorry baby, you can't eat it anymore.

What Are The Chances?

You know my name, you understand my interest in this photo that I saw on Facebook the other day.

What I found so interesting was the fact that an angel turned up on the list.

Seriously, what were the chances of that?

I will try to live up to the many facets of meaning of this name.

I especially love the curse words buried in the middle of it all. :-)

Yeah, I guess that's me.