Stories and other stuff

I should have added this little clip to my last post.  This song was sung/signed twice (one of the ladies of the church knows sign language) and it's truly inspiring, along with one of my favorites!  I was fortunate enough to be early to church to see it performed twice, once before the service, once during.  I was really feeling the Holy Spirit today and this just added to the moment. I hope you enjoy it!

I hate losing stuff.  Or even misplacing stuff.  Here's the story: Hamburger is almost $4 a pound and I'm on a budget.  I wanted to make some chili today, so I thought to myself; self grind your own.  You have a grinder.   So I purchased sirloin steaks that were only $2.78 a pound.   But do you think I could find my grinders?  Yes, grinders.  Plural.  I own three of them.  Two are the old fashioned, metal hand crank grinders.  The other is an attachment that hooks up to my Kitchenaid mixer.  But I couldn't find the power grinder.  Nor the metal grinder that used to live under the sink.  It's  among the missing and I'm fixin' to tear apart my kitchen to try and find said items. But not today. Because I found the third grinder with the cooking gadgets that live in the garage.  Those are my wok, my Jerkey Blaster (best bargain cave buy ever!),  the vegetable strainer I have and of cours...

As I drove up the circle the other day, I took a good look at my house and I decided I needed to change a few things. For far too long, I've been doing just what I needed to, to get by with keeping the lawn mowed and the garbage picked up, for the most part (except the mess in the back yard), but I saw some things I didn't like. For instance, one of my window screens fell out of the window.  Another was coming out of the frame.  I had a ladder out back I used to pick apricots.  That was in July.  My boat had a flat tire and was kind of starting to be a catch-all for this or that thing. No longer. The ladder is put away for the evening.  Tomorrow I have to get out the 20 footer to fix the other screen.  All of the junk is gone.  ALL of it.  I still have a couple of shelves to clean out and some cupboards to clean out and can do that this weekend.  But the non-working appliances, broken and disgusting furniture, and garbage is removed f...

I don't post stuff on my blog like I used to and thought I owed an explanation.  The best one I can proffer up is that much like the teacher doesn't speak during the test, the students ought not to either. I'm going through a little set of trials that I don't understand, but the one thing I do know is that the last thing I need to do right now is to be blogging about them. No matter what the outcome of these difficulties are, I know two things:  God loves me, so ultimately, things will work out for my good, and that God is still in control. But if you could, and I don't often ask this, but I sure could use it, would you please be willing to say a little prayer for me to ask God to deliver me through this storm and to give me a big dose of wisdom for use until it quits raining? Thank you, Dale

Today is my friend's birthday.  But friend is too little a word for this man.  We may not be blood, but if I'd had a brother of my own, I'm not sure I could be closer to him than I am to my friend. Our friendship started in a far away place and has taken us through many different journeys.  He taught me how to hunt, set examples for me to follow in caring about and taking care of the people I was responsible for. He showed me what integrity looks like, and had I followed his example of how to be a husband and father, I would never have been in the mess I find myself in now, and even through this hard slog, he's always been there for me with good advice.  I know I frustrate the hell out of him sometimes because the things I do and don't do don't make a lot of sense, I couldn't have made it through this nightmare without his support and friendship. And as he celebrates a landmark birthday, I thought it right and good to use the blog today to just honor h...

I've been on my feet pretty much all day.  And, I'm tired.  I made a meatloaf about ten minutes ago, not realizing that it was almost ten p.m.  I haven't eaten what anybody would call a meal yet today.  I've been busy in the kitchen (we'll quit there!).  But I did make one thing that I wanted to try and I think it's pretty good. Roasted red pepper spread.  It's got more peppers in it than anything.  I had to buy peppers to make it, but Winco had huge red peppers for dirt cheap.  Everything in this spread got roasted, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, all of it, except the fresh basil.  It turned out well; tastes a lot like some stuff we bought from Harry & David last year at Christmas. I finally found a recipe I like for salsa, too, but it took almost all of the anaheim chiles I had in the freezer to make it.  I'm surprised.... some of those chiles had some heat to 'em.  That salsa is way good, so no need to ever mess around with t...

A lot can happen between now and election day and a lot probably will, but I think it's a pretty fair bet to say unless something really big happens, we're going to get four more years of Mr. Obama.  I'm not thrilled by that, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm hoping that if that's the outcome of the election, both Republicans and Democrats realize that the course of divisive politics we've been on for the last four years just isn't going to cut it anymore. Another term for Mr. Obama makes him a lame duck President by default.  He can't run again.  If we allowed for more than two terms, I'd vote for Bill Clinton again in a nanosecond.  Anyway, because Mr. Obama can't run again, that means in four years, we're going to get two brand new choices.  Mr. Romeny, if not elected, is done.  I think clearly, that while Mr. Romney may be a good businessman, he's not all that great of a politician.  You can't be all things to all peopl...