Christmas goodies

These sugar coated pecans are super quick to whip up and they are delicious. I've only tried this recipe with pecans, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work just as well with other types of nuts. Toss them in decorative tins or candy bags and you'll have nice little gifts for your nut loving friends, co-workers, etc...

Sugar Coated Pecans

You will need:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and vanilla until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Add the nuts to the egg whites and stir well until the nuts are evenly coated. Next, place the nuts in the sugar mixture, and toss to coat.
4. Spread the nuts out evenly onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake at 250 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Enjoying wildlife photography - while it's still legal

I discovered this little guy at the foot of my front porch step this evening when I got home from work. Luckily, he was still hanging out once I got the dogs in the house and grabbed my camera. Fortunately for now, I can still enjoy photographing the critters I find out in the wild. But if one group has it's way, that might change...

I'm not going to list the groups name as I don't want to give it any further exposure (if you really want to know - just google this topic), but according to an Aug 8, 2008 post on their website.. their goal is to expose Bird Watchers for what they feel are "cunning, pervasive, horny predators". In particular, they are targeting senior citizens and feel that "they should be discouraged from bird watching and should engage in socially accepted activities instead". They admit that not all birdwatchers are guilty of being perverts, but feel that far too many are and that they are corrupting our innocent children.

I really thought this was a joke, but after reading some of the comments on their site - there seem to be quite a few people who share this view, plus I found several videos on YouTube showing these people out on the streets protesting and handing out flyers. Their website goes on to say that

"A member of Congress, who requested anonymity, is quietly drafting legislature that would levy stiff fines against people caught with bird porn in their possession, either photos or internet images."

So I guess this picture I snapped a while back could cause me some legal trouble one day?!? LOL!


For the record, I was on the beach well before these little buggers showed up, and they didn't seem to mind one bit that I was there! ;-)
Let me also just say that if you are personally disturbed by a TV show or photo that captures natural animal behaviors - it is you're absolute right to get rid of your TV and computer and never come out of your house!

You know, I've been truly stressed out lately about the pending tobacco ban at work - so I have to thank this group of loons for getting me laughing and smiling again.

Labor Day 2008

I spent part of this beautiful day tending to the garden. Five tomato plants were pretty much done, so I pulled them out and planted several rows of snow peas and a row of lettuce. This is the first year I've tried to grow a late season crop, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, they'll be ready to harvest before the first frost hits.

A worthy read for smokers and non-smokers alike!

SMOKE LIES NANNY STATE - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: SMOKE LIES NANNY STATE

Tobacco discrimination at work

The speculation and rumors have been circulating for months now, but still no release of the 'official' new policy. The latest twist going around today is that not only are they going to ban smoking on company property (including in your own personal vehicle), but that no legal tobacco products will be allowed on the premises! At first I thought my coworker was just kidding around, trying to get me riled up - but 'twas not the case. How the feck will they be able to enforce this - mandatory oral cavity inspections to make sure someone isn't chewing, car searches to look for butts in the ashtray?!?
Although I've tried to not let it (as nothing is 'official' yet), this has upset me to the point where I can't get my mind to stop reeling - and it's beginning to effect my health in ways that smoking cigarettes never has. Anxiety attacks, trouble sleeping, mad at the world... although I know it sounds crazy, this may very well be the straw that breaks this camel's back.
Before posting a pro anti-tobacco comment, think long and hard about why someone could and should be upset about a policy like this.
Stay tuned for updates...

NYS Fair Pics

Mmmm, there's nothing like the smell of beef, pork and chicken cooking low and slow. Hubby bought his first smoker this past spring and has been hooked ever since, so of course, we had to stop and check out all the various setups, not to mention conduct a few taste tests. ;o)
The fair always brings out the kid in me, and I can't leave without visiting all the various livestock - sheep, cows, goats, pigs, horses, alpacas, rabbits, etc... I'm sure hubby wouldn't complain a bit if I said I wanted to skip them - but he was a good sport and came along with me. I in turn, reciprocated by joining him to check out the old/antique tractors.

New for 2008 was a second memorial in dedication to our service men and women. You can't see it well in the pictures, but there are several brick paths representing each branch of the military that extend from the sculpture. The individual bricks list the name of the soldier, rank and years of service. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my nephew had a brick in the Air Force path.


Pictured below is the Navy leg of the original veteran's memorial where my dad has a brick.


All in all, hubby and I had a great day despite my being a little queasy for a few hours after taking a ride on the Top Spin. This wasn't the first time I had ridden this ride, but I'm pretty sure it'll be the last! I eventually recovered and was able to enjoy several other rides, plus we stayed late enough to catch a great fireworks display and I won my first ever game of 'I Got It'!

Not sure what the Top Spin does - click the play button!



Video courtesy of: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a14_1190564973

Biodiesel from NYS Fair butter sculpture

Nine hundred pounds of butter will end up fueling the vehicle fleet at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). "Thirty-seven percent of the college's fleet runs on some form of renewable energy, including biodiesel," said ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr. "Using the butter sculpture is a unique way to fuel the ESF fleet."
After the fair’s 12-day run ends on Labor Day, the butter will be brought to the ESF biodiesel production facility. The first step is to clarify the butter to remove the water and milk proteins. He said it takes about nine pounds of butter to make a gallon of biodiesel, so this year’s 900-pound sculpture should yield around 96 gallons of biodiesel.

Source (and video footage):
http://www.esf.edu/communications/news/2008/08.20.butter.htm

MAD magazine covers

You must 'think of the children'....

First off, I'll be the first to admit that I am way behind where I probably should be in my knowledge of politics and history. I personally hated them back in school, and have only recently, due to the current political environment in the USA, developed an interest in them. Better late than never I suppose.

So here's the deal - something snapped in me about a month ago and just hearing the phrases 'For the children' or 'Think of the children' now makes my blood boil. It doesn't seem like a day goes by anymore without some politician proposing another piece of legislation that will 'save/protect our children'. I wonder if this is a relatively new movement or have I just been oblivious to it all these years? Anywho, I decided to do a little research on Google tonight and came across the following quote -

"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."

In my opinion, this pretty much sums up what has been going on. Now, being a newcomer to this whole history thing - I had never seen this quote before tonight and wouldn't have been able to tell you who said it.

Do you know? Here's a clue...
Source: Mein Kampf; the Ralph Manheim translation published by Houghton-Mifflin, 1943. pg 403.

Still not sure - click on the link to discover the author...
http://www.crusader.net/texts/mk/

For more perspective on this issue, please check out this well written post at the blog - What is Going On?: http://swfreedomlover.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/for-the-children-overused-and-abused-manipulation/

CNY Scottish Games / Celtic Festival

Hubby and I goofing around...


Brooke had fun meeting lots of new friends, including this Scottish Deerhound...


Highland dancer competing...
Neither of us could muster up the courage to try some haggis. ;o)
Stone ThrowSheaf Toss
Caber

Rooting the Runners

8/24 Update - separated 'baby' plants from 'mom'

To my surprise, the hanging strawberry basket I purchased at the Regional Market this spring has produced some of the sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted. Since my plan is to build a raised strawberry bed next spring anyways (just have to figure out where to put it), thought I'd try to root some of the runners. Not being quite sure about the best way to do this, I checked out various articles online and decided to use the advice from this site as a guide: http://www.gardenhive.com/fruit/strawberries/grow/runners/

I potted 20 of the best looking runners this morning and the picnic table (aka: Linda's Garden Bench) now looks like a mini strawberry patch.

In a few weeks, the roots should be pretty well established and I'll be able to snip their lifeline to the mother plant.

Coverup for the ugly freezer

What to do with a freezer that works perfectly but looks like hell...and buying a new one is not an option.

A convenient solution for a lot of folks would be to put it in the basement, great idea but ours isn't accessible from inside the house. Next best solution for us, has been to hide it in the garage out of sight! This would've worked better if our garage were attached to the house, but it isn't. With another CNY winter right around the corner, it was time to move it indoors. And really, who wants to run out to the garage or down to the basement to pull out a couple dinner rolls anyways?

The top of the door was in the best condition with just a few little rust spots. So step 1 was to have hubby give it a fresh coat of appliance epoxy spray paint. We would have just painted the rest of it and called it a day if it weren't for the dings, dents and floppy motor housing door that doesn't latch properly. As it was, a coverup was the only viable solution.

Haven't seen these tools in at least a year... I think I remember what I'm doing. Can't screw up this cut so I measure and re-measure multiple times. ;o)

It's all coming back to me now... I sewed 2 rows of basting stiches and then pulled to gather.

Next step was to add the band. It took a little more time than expected to get the gathered piece to be the same length as the band and to make sure the gathers were evenly spread out over the entire piece.

Last step was to attach the skirt with sticky Velcro squares. It's basically done at this point but I'm going to go back tomorrow and sew the squares to the fabric for extra support as I'm not sure they will actually stay stuck. This was a fun rainy day project - and for a total cost of about $20, we now have the convenience of having a freezer in the kitchen.

Before pic:

Haven't killed it yet!

This is the newest addition to my African Violet collection. It's finally blooming after having sat around idle for a few months. I had to adjust the white balance settings in order to get an accurate representation of the colors and I also placed a clear translucent plastic funnel over the camera flash to soften the light.

Festivals galore...

It was a big weekend for festivals here in CNY. Some of the fun offerings included Oswego Harborfest, St. Patrick's Irish Festival, and the Syracuse Arts and Crafts festival just to name a few. The fireworks at Harborfest are by far one of the best displays in the CNY area, however, I decided to skip out this year and stay closer to home.
I started the weekend by heading over to the Irish fest Friday night after work to catch a local band called Quigsy & the Bird. They played many traditional favorites such as Whiskey in the Jar, Tell me Ma, Unicorn and The Orange and the Green. This is some video footage from their website:


Q&B open the Irish Fest! from jrm1949 on Vimeo.

Saturday evening, it was back over to the Irish fest with my mom in law to check out another local band called The Flying Column. http://www.theflyincolumn.com/index.html

The music was great and we shared a table with an elderly Irish gentleman who must have kissed the Blarney Stone at some point. ;) He was quite charming, although a little tough to understand due to his thick accent. After the band finished, it was time for the Irish dancers to perform. The crowds had quickly filled in around the stage and were blocking our view from the table. As I was scoping around for a better spot, mom and our new friend had climbed up on the table (so they could see over the crowds) and were swaying back and forth to the music. I never thought I'd see mom up dancing on any table, ever - LOL! And all she had was one glass of hard lemonade.
Anywho, for a simple no frills, free festival - this was pretty good. Music, dancing, food, brew and some good company - what more could one ask for?

Sunday, it was off to downtown Syracuse to check out the Arts & Crafts festival. Shortly after I arrived, a group of belly dancers in full costume put on a performance.


Browsing through the tents I was in awe at the talent some of these artists have, wow! There were so many unique goodies for sale, it wouldn't take much to drop quite a bit of cash here. I ended up getting a glass bead bracelet and one of those herbal neck/shoulder sacks that you can heat or cool depending on your ailment. This would've really come in handy a week or so ago, but at least I'm prepared for next time.

More garden pics

These are super chili's that I purchased at the CNY Regional Market. Although the plants are only about 5" tall, they are loaded with peppers. This is my first year growing these and so far, I am quite pleased - can't wait to use them in some recipes! Suggestions welcome!

This is a habanero plant that I picked up at Walmart. It's about a foot tall now and is growing in a container. As you can see, it has one decent size pepper already and there are plenty of others in the works .
Several of the tomatoes are starting to ripen now. I placed my lens cap next to these Jet Stars for scale.

Just having some fun on a rainy Sunday morning

I had planned on working in the flower beds this morning, but the weather decided not to cooperate. So in between doing house chores and laundry, hubby and I took a little break to create our South Park avatars . We each did our own and then I combined them using Photoshop. The resemblance is quite remarkable - lol!

Enough playing around - time to get some work done before we head off to a benefit later this afternoon.

Homeless in Denver

FYI - this post has been slightly edited:

So by now you may have heard about Denver's plan to give homeless persons tickets to the movies, zoo, museum, etc.. during the DNC. If you missed it, you can check it out here - http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/15/homeless-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-movie-ticket-duri/

Part of what I find disturbing is the picture that accompanied this article. Now I don't doubt there is a homeless problem in Denver, but does anyone really believe these guys are truly 'homeless'? Call me cynical, but they look like 20 something year old punks that just need a good kick in the arse - look at the smirks on their faces! I'm pretty sure that if they got a hold of any free tickets, they wouldn't go and enjoy a little cultural enlightenment - they would sell them at 1/2 value to get the cash.

Anywho, reading this story reminded me of the South Park episode 'Night of the Living Homeless', here are a couple clips...





While Denver denies that they are attempting to make the homeless 'less visible' - I can't help but question their motives. Especially when you consider these offerings are only being proposed for the few days that the Obama campaign for 'change' (pun intended) and the mass media are in town.

Girls night out...

My girlfriend from work invited a bunch of us girls to go to her Lia Sophia jewelry party tonight. Being the supportive co-workers that we are, we accepted her invite and thought we'd make a night of it by going out for dinner before heading over. The jewelry was pretty nice for costume jewelry albeit a little pricey. They had a necklace/bracelet set that matched perfectly with the outfit I had on, but it would have put me over budget - even with the buy one at regular, get two at 1/2 deal. So I opted for a couple pairs of earrings and necklace extenders instead - came to just under $50 including tax and shipping. Although these types of parties (or should I say money pits) aren't really my cup of tea, I had fun spending time with everyone outside of work. We should really try to do this more often - the dinner and drink part, that is. ;o)

Tomato Tally

After a slow start, the tomatoes are finally beginning to take off. It's been 7 weeks since I planted and here's where we're at:

I counted 25 tomatoes on the Jet Stars and 33 on the Romas, both with lots of flowers in the works. The Big Boys aren't doing quite so well... on a total of 6 plants, I counted 16 tomatoes and there are very few flowers. A few of the BB plants also have yellowing leaves at the bottom. ;(

The plants seem a little 'stunted' compared to previous years which could be partially due to me forgetting to add the slow release fertilizer granules to the soil before planting this spring. I had also pinched off a bunch of sucker leaves early on and maybe got a little carried away.

I've since let the suckers be, and to make up for the lack of fertilizer, I have given them a couple shots of 'worm poop' http://www.terracycle.org/all_purpose_2l.htm/ , a few banana peels and a watered down dose of Miracle Grow. Not all at the same time of course, but not on a regular basis either. Although they're nowhere near the height and bushiness of previous years, it looks like I might end up with a respectable yield after all.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Whipping up some sinfully sweet crushes

I spent part of this morning making Strawberry Crushes with the berries I picked yesterday. This is a high calorie recipe I found at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NY Presbyterian website (with a few tweaks of my own) and it is absolutely delicious! The recipe works best when the berries are frozen and it yields 2 - 16oz servings. Approximately 337 calories/serving as is, less of course if you decide to cut back on the sugar.

Place the following in a blender:

1/2 c crushed pineapple
1/2 c water
1/4 c lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey
6 Tbsp sugar
1/2 medium banana (broken in pieces)
2 c frozen strawberries
1/2 peach
3 ice cubes

Blend thoroughly and enjoy!

How I met Mom and Dad

Hi there, my name is Brooke! I first spotted mom and dad at the pet store while they were shopping for dog food. Lucky for me, I'm an American Akita or they probably wouldn't have stopped to give me a second glance. They weren't looking for another dog, especially a 'pet store' puppy, but I was determined to change their minds. I showed them how I wasn't shy with the other puppies, but was careful not to be too rowdy. When mom picked me up, I got really excited and began wagging my tail and giving her kisses - it didn't take long to win her over. Dad had been watching all this and I could see he was breaking down, but he was really trying to stand tough. It took a lot of persuasion from mom and the store clerk to even get him to hold me, but once he did, I knew I almost had him. The clerk really helped me out when she told them I was born on Friday the 13th. They seemed really happy about this and in no time we we're in the car heading home.

It's been 2 1/2 years and life is pretty great. Mom and dad expect me to be obedient, and I almost always am. Lately though, I sometimes can't help myself and I run out of the yard to chase a squirrel or rabbit when they tell me no. They don't like when I do this and will cut my playtime short and put me back in the house. They hate to 'punish' me and I'm not crazy about it either, but I know I deserve it. I think I'm just going through a teenage thing and hopefully it won't last much longer.

Well, thats pretty much it for now... hopefully mom will let me write again sometime soon.