What's for Dinner???

I think I mentioned in a previous post that we like to try new things. While I pride myself on trying new things, I've been giving it a bit of thought and perhaps I'm not as adventurous as I'd like to believe. I don't really enjoy lamb, and I don't like meaty fish, or oily fish. So for the most part, we have chicken, beef, pork, turkey, mild whitefish or shellfish, or a vegetarian dish.

The trick is to cook the food in new and different ways! Since January, I've worked with a different cookbook each week, choosing a soup, a beef dish, a pork dish, a chicken or turkey dish, a fish dish and a vegetarian dish from each cookbook. So far this year we've tried recipes from 13 different cookbooks. The number is interesting because we don't actually do one cookbook per week. I suspect it's more like a week and a half, and this number confirms that. Tonight we had steak with tomato,cucumber and watermelon salad. It sounds really strange but it was AMAZING! The dressing consisted of olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, spring onion, mint and cayenne pepper! A bit of a bite! Fabulous!

Tomorrow we'll try a crab mornay recipe here at Nutty Acres. (We decided to call it that because we have pecan trees and we live on Walnut Street and "it's us". -- What would you call it?)

Bon Appetit!

Moving through the Golden Years

Something seems to happen to a good number of people in their mid 80s. Many (not all) lose mobility. I'm not entirely sure what happens. It could be pain from arthritis that makes movement painful. It could be that it's more difficult for them to see where they're going because their eyesight isn't what it used to be. Maybe there's a loss of balance. Maybe it's a loss of motivation to do anything. I think sometimes it's because they took a fall that resulted in an injury and now they are afraid. But the thing I'm relatively sure of is that once you lose your mobility, you can't get it back. You'll be dependent on a walking stick, a walker, or a wheelchair.

Sometimes when we go to a movie, my right knee doesn't want to leave when the movie is over. I know this situation will NOT improve with age. My plan to exercise more to build up strength in my knee seems to be aggravating it more than strengthening it. Perhaps I'm not doing the right exercises, but walking seems to help. I realize that I need to work on it now, rather than wait 20 years until I can't walk at all.

And roughly 20 years is what we're looking at but the time to act is NOW. If we want to avoid mobility issues we need to keep moving! Walking, cycling, dancing, yoga - there are any number of things we can do to sustain our mobility. (Sitting in front of the TV is not on the list!)

We like to live life as fully as we are able. We want to "go and do". We have many friends in their 70s who are still "going and doing". (I hope they're still "going and doing" 10 years from now.) We want to be like them. But, I accept that when we hit our 80s, we'll probably have to slow down a bit. That being the case, NOW is the time to pick up speed...

Being Social

Mark believes that all social networking sites are toxic and evil, especially Facebook. But I'm not ready to bail on social networking just yet.

I have really enjoyed reconnecting with people who would otherwise just be distant memories. I enjoy reading about what they've been doing and viewing the pictures and videos of their vacations and grandkids.

But it's getting a bit like email in some ways. Remember when email was a novelty? It was so much quicker than picking up the phone. You could stay in touch with everyone no matter where they were. And it was so much cheaper than a phone call. But how many people used email to keep in touch? Mostly it was (and to some degree still is) used to forward jokes and inflammatory political messages. I just got to the point where I didn't open them.

And now Facebook is getting a bit like that. A year or so ago everyone was sharing quizzes. "Which Disney Princess are you?" "Which Biblical character are you?" "Which city should you live in?", etc. When these first came out I thought they had some basis in psychology and the study of personality. Boy, was I naive! It became obvious to me that anyone could publish a quiz when I noticed the preponderance of poor grammar and spelling. It's not likely that anyone with an advanced degree in psychology does not know how to use spell-check. Clearly, we should not pack up and move to San Francisco based on this quiz.

Next came the surveys. "Which states/cities/countries have you been to?" "Which foods have you tried?" "Which movies have you seen?" Again, issues with spelling and grammar. (Yes, I am a "Grammar Nazi". Using the wrong verb tense is tantamount to scraping your nails down a chalkboard.)

And now, it's platitudes. Everyday I am bombarded with cliches and truisms. At first I didn't mind, except for the ones that were lacking good grammar. (There is a difference between "you're" and "your". There are also very distinct rules for using apostrophes. These rules seem to be lost on a great number of people.) But now, like the emails they are becoming a bit tiresome. I have a few friends who share one of these "photos" once every few months. That's fine. But I have a few friends who feel compelled to share five of these things per hour. Really? I want to know what you're doing. What you're thinking. Is your life really defined by cliches? I doubt it. (At least I hope not.)

Just a couple more pet peeves about Facebook. I believe that God knows everything. Everything includes what's been posted on Facebook. But seriously, I would like to know what the people who start their status updates with "Dear God" are thinking. If you are truly going to pray to God, just do that. I believe your status update is intended not for God, but for me. To impress me with how "godly" you are, but believe me, it has the opposite effect. If you want the rest of us to pray for you, just say so.

And just so you know, you are not likely to change my political or religious views no matter how many links you provide. It's interesting to have a discussion, but too many people just shut down when faced with an opposing view. And people seem to "say" things online that they would never say to someone in a face-to-face situation. It's just rude.

We're getting close to the end of my complaints. Business! That's what LinkedIn is for. Facebook is "social" not "business". How many of you have actually closed business that can be attributed to Facebook? (I would be surprised if many of you have actually closed business that can be attributed to LinkedIn.) And if you want to keep promoting your business to me on Facebook, don't get annoyed if I promote mine to you.

This doesn't really annoy me, but I find it incredibly silly. I am friends with a couple who carry on conversations on Facebook even though they are in the same house. Really? Is your house so big that you can't find each other to carry on that conversation? And really, it doesn't concern the rest of us.

My primary responsibilities are to run the back office for my husband's business, to trade options, and to make our home a nice place to be. My time to spend on games is a bit limited, although I especially like Words with Friends. But today I saw an ad for a new Facebook game called "The Ville". This is the game where you can "create your dream home and social life". Maybe I'm missing something, but I think you'd do better with your dream home and your social life if you got off Facebook. Just sayin...

Get Out of that Rut!

As humans, we settle into routines. It's comfortable and familiar. But if we're not careful, that routine can turn into a rut. And when you are in a rut I think you are stuck.

I know women who haven't changed their hairstyles in the ten or more years that I've known them. And I suppose that if you find a style that works for you, perhaps you should stick with it. After all, the Queen of England hasn't changed hairstyles in 60 years. It seems to work for her. I'm just afraid that I would find it boring.

I know people who eat the same thing week after week. I'm reminded of a conversation I was listening to when an acquaintance was talking to her son about the summer his cousin came to visit for a month. "Remember? We had hotdogs on Monday, that boil-in-the-bag turkey with mashed potatoes on Tuesday, chicken noodle soup on Wednesday...." The same food every week! Didn't even switch the soup around to have it on Friday. Soup was always on Wednesday and it was always chicken noodle. I found it boring just hearing about it! I try new recipes every week. Yes, that's right. Every week that we're at home, we are trying new recipes. Sometimes we even try new foods. I grew up in a house where spaghetti and meatballs was considered an exotic ethnic food. I think Mark's upbringing was much the same because spaghetti and meatballs is way too exotic for my father-in-law.

I know people who go to the same place for vacation every year. We typically end up going to England once or twice a year since most of Mark's family live there. And we usually try to go north to my family reunion once a year. But we always try to combine those trips with a side trip just to keep it fresh and interesting. I don't mind going back to a place I've enjoyed, as long as I get to go someplace different, too. We go to San Antonio at least once a year. But we don't always stay at the same hotel, and with one notable exception, (Boudro's) we don't always eat at the same places.

But like most people, we have a routine. After we've cooked dinner and tidied the kitchen we sit on the porch and talk. Sometimes we listen to music, sometimes we play backgammon, sometimes we fiddle with our phones and ipads. Sometimes instead of sitting on the porch we get in the hot tub and sit there. Sometimes we stay inside and watch TV. Sometimes we go out to a movie, or out to play darts or trivia. Sometimes we go to a musical or a play. And sometimes we go out for dinner instead of cooking at home. We've even been known to go shopping. The routine is really quite variable.

So get out there and try something a bit different this week, even if it's just a new nail polish color.

Remote Control

I bought several workout DVDs so I'd have something to do on days when it was raining and I couldn't go for a walk. It was my inability to get the DVD player to work that prompted us to get a new "smart" TV. And I know it works because we've watched a DVD or two on it.

So yesterday when I popped Jillian Michaels into the DVD player and watched all the promotional stuff so I could get to the main menu, I was very disappointed that I couldn't actually get to the "workouts" from the menu. I clicked the source button. I clicked the up and down arrows. I clicked the forward and back arrows. Nothing. I took the DVD out and put it in again. I watched the promotional stuff again. I clicked all kinds of buttons, which is scary because that's how the last TV got buggered. I tried the controls on the front of the DVD player. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to get the selector to move from "Recommendations" to "Workouts". No luck. It was obvious that this DVD was just defective and I would have to send it back. Rats! Sending things back is always a bit of trouble, so I figured I would just have to go through all of the DVDs I bought to make sure I didn't need to return any others. But for the time being, I just wanted to get my workout in before the markets opened. I set Jillian aside and opened up Denise Austin. I put Denise in the DVD player and was just about to get in position to work out when I noticed a remote control on the chair. Hmmmm.

I had discovered the source of my problems with Jillian. I wasn't using the right remote. I was using the TV remote instead of the DVD remote. Duh!!! Nothing wrong with Jillian at all. Back into the machine. Worked perfectly.

Hopefully, I'll learn from this mistake. But there is a remote for the satellite dish, a remote for the TV, a remote for the DVD player, a remote for my computer monitor and a remote that belongs to something else that we may no longer have. In a drawer there are two remotes for the Wii. I'm not a morning person and it would seem that I'm easily confused. But it made me think about how many things are controlled by wireless remotes these days. In addition to the remotes associated with the TV, we have remotes for the garage door, remote locking devices for the Jeep and the PT Cruiser, and a remote control for the Sleep Number bed. One of the ceiling fans has a remote control. I'm sure I've missed some. And be truthful, how many of you have ever pointed the key fob for your car at your door with the expectation that the door would unlock?

Remember the days when you had to get up to change the channel? (No channel surfing in those days!) You had to get out of the car and open the garage door to get the car in. (In torrential rain, snow, wind, all types of weather.) If you couldn't remember whether you'd locked your car doors, you had to walk all the way back to where you were parked and physically try the door and manually lock it if you'd forgotten. Those remote controls are great little devices. Now, if only my husband had come with one....

Beasts of the Southern Wild

We went to See Beasts of the Southern Wild. It won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. We'd seen the trailer but what I saw wasn't what I expected. It's a very moving film, but in many ways it is hard to watch. You watch and realize how cushy and sheltered your life is because deep down, you know that there are people who live on the fringe the way the characters in this film do. It makes you wonder if they live there by choice or because they have no other options. I often wonder the same thing when we take road trips and I see what can only be described as hovels that are obviously lived in. "Why do they live that way?"

Then there's the saying that cleanliness is next to godliness. I was raised to believe that even if you didn't have the best of everything, that what you did have should be clean. Nothing in the environment depicted in the film was clean. I couldn't stand that much filth and disarray. I don't think I could stand it even if I'd been raised with it.

I understand that the film is about survival. People who are struggling to survive don't necessarily have time to tidy up and plant flowers. But they seemed to have time to drink themselves silly. Do they drink because it's cheap entertainment or do they drink because they are in despair? Or is it just an integral part of that lifestyle? Although the scene with the canned soup and dog food declare abject poverty, the scene with all the fresh shrimp and crab indicate that some things are abundant. Even the opening scene indicates that there are more holidays than anywhere else in the world. And as many of us know, happiness is not something you can buy.

Hushpuppy is portrayed as wise beyond her years, but at age six you accept your life as it is. Unless you're being physically abused, you're pretty happy. You're not yet aware that there are neighborhoods where they have more and better stuff than you. You have not yet learned to covet your neighbor's stuff.

On the other hand, Wink comes across as being a bit irresponsible. His illness is somewhat mysterious, and even though it appears that he "escaped" from the hospital because he's still wearing the hospital gown and bracelet when he returns, I was wondering how he got there in the first place. The bathtub didn't look like the kind of neighborhood that has an ambulance ready to whisk you away. If someone took him, why didn't they look after Hushpuppy? Or at least let her know where her daddy was? Yes, it is a parent's job to see that a child learns to get on in the world. But usually not at the age of six. This man knows he is dying. I suppose learning to catch a fish is important. But why is he not trying to find Hushpuppy's mother? Where is his family? Why is he not making arrangements for her? And why wouldn't you have a fishing pole instead of trying to catch fish with your bare hands in alligator-infested waters?

The movie is full of symbolism. Prehistoric animals (that eat people) unleashed by the melting polar ice cap represent change and fear. And Hushpuppy bravely faces them just as she faces the death of her daddy. But most six-year olds would not. And I think I prefer my six-year olds to run to me for protection. There is a time to fend for yourself. It is not age six. Thank God it wasn't a true story.

Sorry, We're ALL Closed

Last night in a fit of pique Mark said "you will never drag me out of Frisco before I eat again." Did I drag him out of Frisco? We went to a movie and then stopped by to visit with friends. It looked like it was going to storm and I said I'd like to go. We got in the car and he asked if I'd like to grab a bite to eat before we went home.

Me: Sure, I could eat.
Mark: I'm starving. Do you fancy La Hacienda?
Me: Hmmm, Mexican food is so heavy.
Mark: Well, what do you fancy, then?
Me: Not sure, is there anything else you'd like?
Mark: We could go home and get the Dickey's coupon and go there.
Me: We could do that, or La Hacienda is fine if that's what you'd like. I don't mind. Really.
Mark: Why don't we go to Dickey's?
Me: OK, let's do that.

Does this sound like I dragged him out of Frisco?? No. I didn't. It was his idea to leave Frisco. When we pulled into the drive, Mark ran into the house for the coupon and then we headed for Dickey's Barbecue. The parking lot looked remarkably empty. It was not open. It was Sunday. We had no idea what time they closed (assuming they were open at all) because the hours weren't posted on the door. I guess if you don't post them, it leaves you with pretty flexible hours. We already knew that Papa Gallo's was closed. That left Southern Kitchen, Lucy's, Jimbo's Pizza, Burger Fixins and McDonalds.

McDonalds was open but eliminated because it's not real food. (We classify it as "road food". You can only eat it if you're on a minimum three hour journey.) Jimbo's was eliminated because it is about the worst pizza on the planet. Burger Fixins was closed, Southern Kitchen was closed. Lucy's was our only hope. I could see that there were a couple of cars parked out front before I turned the corner. And when I turned the corner I could see the bright red neon sign -- "OPEN". But Mark could see the not so bright but really big sign on the door -- "CLOSED - Please come again".

And then he said it. "You will never drag me out of Frisco before I eat again."

Seriously, there are worse things than having to eat at home. Granted, it was too late to start preparing a meal. But we had a wide variety of cheeses in the fridge, plus hummus, pate, an assortment of olives, and crackers, all waiting for just this occasion.

The Plight of Poor Mr. Pig

My sister Karen and my friend Nadine have been waiting to see pictures of Mr. Pig on Facebook. But I haven't posted any because he hasn't been looking that good.

I had placed plants in Mr. Pig back in the spring. They didn't do well so I removed those plants and replaced them with something I thought would do better in the full sun. But after two weeks those plants looked even worse than the first ones.

The situation called for extreme measures. Mr. Pig, along with five good sized pots and several smaller ones were gutted today. Any plant that still had a bit of green somewhere was replanted in a different location, all in the ground. Hopefully, they will thrive in their new locations. If they don't they'll either die a natural death and disappear, OR they will be uprooted and replaced with something that does thrive.

I emptied all the soil from these pots into a big trash can where I could mash it up and mix it with some mulch and put half of it back into the pots. They will all be topped up with Miracle-Gro potting soil. (I know Miracle-Gro is the best because one year I filled one pot with Miracle-Gro and an identical pot with Vigoro and then put in identical plants. The Miracle-Gro pot had noticeably larger and healthier plants than the Vigoro pot.)

Also, I don't think I'll be buying anymore plants from Home Depot or Lowe's this year. Getting them cheaper doesn't really work out if you have to replace them every two weeks. (They no longer offer their "One year money back guarantee". Probably cost them a bundle last year when everything was dying because of the heat.) Or maybe it's because they know the life expectancy of their plants is less than one month. It doesn't really matter. I'll be going to Calloway Gardens or Bruce Miller Nursery to find replacements. So hopefully, one day soon Mr. Pig will once again look fabulous.

Nothing really to do with Mr. Pig, but the pansies have lasted a remarkably long time in their baskets this year. But it's time to replace them, as well. I'll have a lot of gardening to do next week.

Curiosity Almost Killed the Cat

Our 4th of July celebration was pretty standard. Barbecue - an assortment of smoked meats (sausage, chicken, chopped and sliced brisket), side dishes (beans, coleslaw, and potato salad), trimmings (pickles, peppers, onions, and chips), and of course, watermelon. The best part was that I didn't have to cook it! (Although Mark did point out that I make better barbecue sauce than what was served.) But it was very, very good.

We ate our barbecue overlooking the lake, listening to a rhythm and blues band and watching an assortment of people try their hands at horseshoes. A lot of father-son pairs playing horseshoes. I noticed that the dads all seemed to have a great deal of advice for their sons on how to throw the horseshoe. This seemed to be the case whether they were any good at it or not. But it makes you smile.

We left that party and went home and watched fireworks from our hot tub. (And no we're not crazy! The heat is turned down and as long as the water is below body temperature, it feels very pleasant.) I'm not really sure where those fireworks were coming from because our town had their fireworks on Saturday night. So it was like "bonus" fireworks.

After soaking for 45 minutes, we got out of the hot tub. I sat in my rocker and started fiddling with my phone. Mark went in to top up his drink. When he came back out, Hefner was at the door waiting to go in. Heidi should go in, too. Where is Heidi? We don't see her anywhere. As Mark starts calling her, he sees something thrashing around in the hot tub. It's Heidi! She must have jumped up on the edge and because it was wet, she slid in. And claws are no help getting out. She couldn't have been in there long, but it was clearly long enough to suit her. When Mark rescued her, she literally clung to him. Poor little Heidi.

We'll be putting the top back on immediately in the future. And I think there is one less thing for Heidi to be curious about.

Distracted by What?

We all do it. Go to the store and forget what you're supposed to get. That's why we make lists. Like the one I made for Mark so he could stop at Market Street on his way home from the Verizon store. (Why he was at the Verizon store has to do with a lapse in memory, but that's a completely different story.)

Anyway, I gave him a list.

1. oyster sauce
2. 81 mg aspirin
3. granola

When he arrived back home, excited that the wifi modem was indeed covered by insurance, I asked if he'd remembered the oyster sauce. No. He hadn't. He said he was distracted by the aspirin. Really? Yes. It seems there was an entire aisle of nothing but aspirin. It was overwhelming to find the right one and the oyster sauce was forgotten, even though it was at the top of the list.

Oyster sauce was needed for dinner, so he got back into the car to drive the 10 or so miles back to the store to get the oyster sauce. I went into the kitchen. The aspirin was there, along with the granola. He'd also managed to buy seven different types of cheese, hummus, pate, soused herring, sea salt and cracked pepper potato chips, and some oatmeal beer. Do you really think he was distracted by the aspirin?

Where's Your Emergency?

We live in Celina, Texas. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a small Texas town in northern Collin County -- population about 5,500 (most of whom have moved here in the last five to ten years). You can call the mayor and talk to him on the same day. If you call the water department, someone will be there within the hour. We've got a newly refurbished town square and some new parks. Click this link if you want to know more.

But most of all, it's a quiet, safe place. If you forget to lock your door it's not a problem. If you go out for the day and leave the garage door open, it's not a problem. Everything will be just as you left it.

So imagine my surprise when someone rang the doorbell at 1:48 AM. I know it was 1:48 because the first thing you do when you're awakened from a deep sleep by a doorbell or a phone is look at the clock. It woke us both up.

Me: Who could be ringing the doorbell at 1:48 in the morning?
Mark: I don't know. Don't answer it.
Me: I'm not going to. Should I call the police?

So now we're both sitting up. Mark is listening. I am thinking - "Leave the lights off, we don't want to tip them off that we know they're here. Whoever is out there is probably checking to see if we're sound asleep before they break in to steal all our stuff and kill us. I can't believe this, we'll be like Dallas with robberies and drive by shootings."

Anyway, after five minutes of Mark hearing nothing and my wild imaginings we agree to phone the police because I will never go back to sleep.

Dispatcher: Collin County 911. Where is your emergency?
Me: Celina
Dispatcher: What is happening?
Me: Someone rang my doorbell a few minutes ago.
Dispatcher: Ma'am, are you expecting anyone?
Me: No. (It took a lot of restraint to say no and leave it at that. Really, would I call the police if I'm expecting a late night guest?)
Dispatcher: (short silence)
Me: No one rings my doorbell at this time of night. I've lived here for 30 years and no one has ever rung the doorbell at this hour.
Dispatcher: I'm going to send someone around. They'll check the grounds and then they'll knock on the door.
Me: Okay, I'll be up waiting for them.
Dispatcher: Ma'am, do you have a weapon out?
Me: I have one, but it's not out. Should I get it?
Dispatcher: Ma'am. Where is your weapon?
Me: It's in a drawer here in my bedroom. I can see it. Should I get it?
Dispatcher: Ma'am, hold on ma'am. Do you have a Jeep?
Me: Yes, we do.
Dispatcher: The hatch was open on your Jeep. An officer rang your bell to let you know.
Me: Oh! Thank you!

So we got up and went outside. The officer had already closed the hatch on the Jeep. I asked Mark if it had been broken into. No, it hadn't. He went out to get his supra key so it would be charged and ready for the morning and forgot to close the door.

So Celina is still a safe, quiet place to live and the police even watch out for old gits who can't remember to close the back doors of their Jeeps.

I know where I've been...

It's been a productive day. I go through my credit card bills with a fine-toothed comb. This is how I know that the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago billed me for a Coke that I didn't drink. (One of the advantages of paying for the room using hotels.com - any incidentals will come through as a separate charge.) I didn't realize the room even had a mini-bar and if I did, I wouldn't have had a Coke. I certainly wouldn't have had a $5.10 Coke.) I also found that Caley Hall, that nice hotel we stayed at in England has made the mistake of charging my debit card AND my credit card. I have a better chance of recovering the credit card charge, which is unpaid, as opposed to the debit card charge that has long since left the bank account. Am I wrong to expect the Citibank "specialist" to help me?

Specialist: Do you have the receipt?
Me: No, I have the credit card statement and the bank statement for my debit card, both showing a charge.
Specialist: Are the charges on the same day?
Me: No, the credit card shows May 31st, which is right, but the bank statement shows the debit on June 6th. And it's a different amount. The credit card was billed at the correct rate.
Specialist: It's different because of the exchange rate.
Me: No, it isn't. It's a UK bank account. It is in pounds and the charge is in pounds. They've charged 95.50 pounds but the contracted rate was 89 pounds.
Specialist: It's different because of the exchange rate.
Me: No, let me explain again. The bank account is in the UK. It is in pounds. The charge is in pounds. The only time an exchange rate comes into play is on the credit card and that shows 89 pounds, which is the correct rate.
Specialist: You said it was a different date. Did you stay there in May and then again in June?
Me: No, I stayed there one night. Only one night.
Specialist: Are you sure?

Seriously, does this woman think that I'm so old that I don't know where I've been?? It was only last month, not six years ago.

Finally a temporary credit is issued and I can move on to my bank statement. I see that I've been charged for checks. The problem is, I didn't get any checks. A quick call to the bank to have them reverse the charge for the checks and reorder them. Simple, right?

Not simple. Because no one knows the whereabouts of the checks my account is now considered "compromised". The only way to fix this is to close the account and open a new one. This requires a trip to the bank. (Not that this is a big deal. It isn't far.) This also means I have to contact people who make direct deposits to my account. I also have to contact people who draft my account for payments, like my insurance and utilities. I have to track Mark down so he can sign all the paperwork, too. You wouldn't think it would take the entire afternoon, but it did.

And for all my efforts, I've only saved us a bit less than a couple hundred dollars. But that's okay. It will more than cover the cost of a movie.