It Has Been HOT Out Here

It has been so hot here, that I actually had to bake my bread last week, early in the morning.

I mentioned it in the post about making oven baked meatballs for sauce, a few posts ago, which you can view HERE.

In spite of the heat, the bread came out excellent, and I have been happily eating it, since.

This one looks much better than the last one, and I sent this photo to our friends in Phoenix, since we had had a discussion regarding where to bake the bread.

She and my Husband suggested baking it in the bread machine, in my garage.

No thanks, I found a way to make it happen without baking in a garage.

Colorado River

My Water Post For Today.

This photo was taken back in September of 2024, when our train was running late, so we passed the Arizona/California border in the daylight.

Yes, being late brings on problems, but getting to see scenery that you normally sleep through, is priceless.

The Colorado River is so calm and serene, at this point, and you can see the Interstate 40 overpass, right next to the rail road bridge.

Never be upset, just appreciate the ride.

I hope you enjoy.

Oil Grasshoppers (AKA: Pumpjack)

I took this photo deliberately, to show off the central valley of California.

We were on the train, passing the area of Camp Roberts, not too far from Paso Robles.

It is filled with so many of these grasshoppers, especially when driving the 46 between Paso Robles, and Interstate 5.

You have many that are just northwest of Bakersfield, too. I believe much of it follows the immediate area around the San Andreas Fault.

We are an oil rich area of the United States.

It is an interesting aspect of the State of California.

Bugs

We have some sort of new bug crawling around our garage front.

I have heard I am not the only one, so I am not totally upset about it.

Well, it got worse, when I woke up to one of them on the front of my freezer.

I don't know how it got into my house, and I hope that it wasn't the start of something.

I grabbed it with a paper towel, and sent it out the back door. They say if you pick it up, and squish it, you will get a blister, so I was careful.

It might be a Master Blister Beetle, and I go along with that, because I see them mating all the time, which I saw photos of, for that particular beetle.

I am not happy at all, having them around, but at least they are not mosquitos.

Full Buck Moon, And A Fire

I woke up a bit early, and so I heard about an early morning fire down the hill from us.

It was 5:30AM, and there was black smoke in the sky...and a beautiful Full Moon!

So, I took a photo of it, and you can see how nice it was.

The fire was a car at one of our dealers, that took out other cars, and a service area.

It was very sad to see.

Good thing it was not my Chevy Dealer.

Meatballs In The Oven

Here is what I normally do, taken from a recipe post way back in 2013.

When I make meatballs, I cook them in a fry pan, and then add them to sauce, that I am cooking.

A lb or so of Ground Beef (at least 80 or above)

About a cup of bread crumbs (Italian seasoned) or plain. If plain, add some parsley.

If you want, substitute some Panko Bread Crumbs. (You can use both seasoned and panko, whatever you have in the house).

2 eggs

A splash of milk, for some moisture.

2 Tbl of Cheese (your choice) I used Kraft.

A bit of Pepper, to taste.

Fry in 2 Tbl of Olive Oil and brown on all sides. Drop into the bubbling sauce and cook for at least an hour or so.

What I did this time, since I had to preheat my oven, to make my bread. I placed them on a cookie sheet and baked them in the oven for about an hour. I did turn them along the way, but I don't think that is an absolute.

I had seen this technique on I Think I Can Cook's Tic Tock website, and figured I would utilize some unused oven time.

It worked out perfectly, and then I placed them in my sauce, that I was cooking for dinner.

Saugus Food Drive

I read about a food drive going on at Saugus High School, on July 25th. A member of their football team came up with the idea.

I am always buying food for the poor, as you all know, so it was no problem to buy a few cans for this food drive.

We brought 2 bags worth over to the school, and we noticed a (we thought) mother taking photos. It ended up being a photographer from The Signal.

So there we are, featured prominently in their story. You can see the entire layout, HERE.

If you want to see what was donated, here is a photo for my records.

The small cans are single serving soups, that are already rehydrated, so all you need to do is heat it a bit.

Great for seniors, and homeless.

We get them from the senior center, and if we don't want the soup, it gets donated, so it does not go to waste.

I am still shocked that we ended up in the paper.

A Penzey's Water Tower

Something unexpected was sent my way, from my traveling Son.

I knew that Penzey's Spices originated in Wisconsin, but I never thought there would be a water tower somewhere.

I got a real kick out of it.

I have written about them several times, the most recent one is HERE.

After being attacked for his political views, I am glad Bill Penzey is still in business.

A nice water tower, Bill. Keep your spices in front of them.

Wisconsin

My Water Post For Today.

I have absolutely no idea where this photo was taken.

My Son sent it my way, during his travels to Oshkosh, so I am assuming this might be Wisconsin 44 over the Fox River.

No matter what, it is a new photo of a (new to me) area of our Country.

I hope you enjoy.

Donald Trump To Visit The Milford Proving Ground

My Son sent us an article, that informs staff, that the President of the United States will be visiting his place of work, on Monday.

Thankfully for him, he works from home on Mondays, so he will not be on campus.

He is currently at the Oshkosh air show, but he is sad that he will miss the planes dealing with the President, land and take off from his local airport.

Seriously, aren't you seeing enough planes? lol

I have only been on the Proving Ground once, and not allowed in any building.

If you want to read about the history of the Proving Ground, you can do so HERE.

Gordie Howe Bridge Opens!

The Gordie Howe Bridge finally opens this weekend.

Unfortunately, because of our current Chief Executive, the United States was not invited to the opening ceremony.

My Son has been waiting for this, but he is actually at the airshow this weekend, in Oshkosh.

Probably for the better IMHO.

My Husband and I look forward to riding on it, whenever we get back to Detroit.

Sorry Canada, for all the headaches, and thank you for the beautiful bridge.

Broadcast Operations, AKA Traffic

It has been 6 years since I stopped working in Broadcasting.

I still have friends around the United States, and one of them posted this on Facebook.

Minus them not mentioning acquiring programming (which was something I had to do for my station), this is basically right on.

I was lucky that I did not have to do it alone, but my former work partner, basically does it all now, because they got rid of all the others, including the Programmers.

I feel so sorry for him.

As I have mentioned to others, but probably not here, I have been offered work, but I have turned it down.

I don't need the money at this juncture.

May it stay that way.

Drug Prices May Go Up?

Wow, another thing to have hanging in the back of your mind...a tariff on generic drugs.

Most of the drugs I take are generic, which is nice, since I pay nothing for them.

The trend, for the past year has been trying to help the population, by lowering some of the high cost drugs.

I have enjoyed getting some of my drugs at a lower cost, but ultimately it won't bother me too much.

I have a drug cap, so once I reach that number, I am in the clear.

We will see how this plays out, but I hope it does not bother those who can't afford their medications.

A note: Yes, that is A Charlie Brown Christmas, on my desk. :-)

New York, Once Again

The first trip of the Fall season, has been booked.

For any travel to NYC, going on the week of 9/11 is always an inexpensive option.

I have done it for many years, and using Jet Blue this time, with some points I have collected along the way, made it even cheaper.

I have the tickets, and the hotel for the bulk of the stay on Long Island.

I still need to book the TWA hotel (yay), and a rental car.

I don't have many plans yet, but visiting my brother-in-law, close to his 1 year anniversary of death, is definitely on the agenda.

I plan to spend many days with my sister. We normally get a quick drive-by, so this one will be so much more.

The Financial District Of San Francisco

When I think back at our short time in San Francisco, I remember the Financial District.

It is only a 3 block area of Market Street, but it also has hotels in the area.

Many of the working class come in off the ferries, or come out of the Bart subway, and have a short walk to their offices.

It seems to be very busy, and we spent about 2 hours just sitting in this area, watching the world (and Waymo's) go by.

I don't think Los Angeles has anything quite like this area, and it made me so happy to experience it, once again.

San Francisco, I love you.