memorial day grilling

Dorothy's grilling a brisket today. Here's how she does hers. Last night she let it soak in a marinade consisting of red wind vinegar, pineapple juice, molasses, brown sugar, hot sauce, and red pepper. This morning we seared both sides then wrapped in in foil, poured in the marinade and now it will cook for three hours on the grill. Our bbq has a drip pan above the flame and we keep that filled with water to avoid burning the meat.
The brisket is properly seared and ready to be placed in a foil pouch with the marinade.

In goes the same marinade that it soaked in overnight
She seals the marinade and brisket into a foil pouch.

Now we let it cook for about 3 hrs.

quote of the day

There ain't no rules around here! We're trying to accomplish something!
--Thomas Edison

i hurt

Yes, I hurt, but not from physical pain of my own. Hunter, our 3 year old grand son hurt himself Friday and whenever any of the kids are injured , like Bill Clinton, I feel their pain.

It's a good thing children are so resilient and tough or they would never survive to adulthood. It seems like our family has had more than it's share of injuries. We almost lost Rachel in a car accident when she was 15. She's never totally recovered from that and neither have I. Kelly was in a bicycle accident and also had a front tooth loosened from a baskeball incident. Tara was attacked by a dog. Marley was run over by a car. And now Hunter fell from some monkey bars, hit his mouth and drove a front tooth up into his gums.

I know we can't lock up the kids until they're grown, but sometimes I wish we could protect them from life itself.

As you can see he doesn't seem to be uncomfortable. He was taken to a dentist who gave him some antibiotics and pain relievers until his appointment tomorrow. He refused to take the pain pills. He must have a high threshold for pain. Maybe it did hurt me more than it did him.

quote of the day

I appreciate people who are civil, whether they mean it or not. I think: Be civil.Do not cherish your opinion over my feelings. There's a vanity to candor that isn't really worth it. Be kind.
-- Richard Greenberg, NY Times Magazine
www.quotationspage.com

quote of the day

A criminal is a person with predatory instincts without sufficient capital to form a corporation.
--Howard Scott

summer daze

Lazy days of mid July

Country Sunday morning

Dusty haze on summer highways

Sweet Magnolia Blooming

Drive-in movies Friday night

Drinking beer and laughing

Somehow things were always right

I just don't know what happened..........Wait a minute! It's not summer. It's just the 25th of May and it seems like summer. 90 degree heat. The garden droops without water. The slightest movement brings on sweat. Is this global warming? What are we going to do when July comes.

quote of the day

When I can no longer bear to think of the victims of broken homes, I begin to think of the victims of intact ones.
--Peter De Vries

what i'm reading now

My friend, Pat, recommended this book, and I'm finding it to be a good read. From the jacket blurb: In this brilliant, witty, and accessible book, renowned Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert describes the foibles of imagination and illusions of foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tomorrows and misestimate our satisfactions. Vividly bringing to life the latest scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosopy, and behavior economics, Gilbert reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine the future, and about our capacity to predict how much we will like it when we get there. With penetrating insight and sparkling prose, Gilbert explains why we seem to know so little about the hearts and minds of the people we are about to become.

kindergarten stories

Marley, as the smallest goat in Billy Goat's Gruff prepares for her part.

The smallest goat prepares to go over the bridge.

There was old woman who swallowed a fly. (Marley 3rd from left.)

Kelly and Marley after the program.

quote of the day

No man should plant more garden than his wife can hoe.
--old saying

last doctor appointment

Today I was released by the doctor. Although I'm still sore and have trouble doing certain things, I was told that I can start doing whatever I want (with caution) and I'll gradually get back to normal. Certain things I don't want to give up though. Like lounging around in my pajamas. In fact, I would like to start wearing them to church. Dorothy vetoed that idea. I hate to give up the TLC I recieved from Dorothy for the last five weeks but she's already weaning me away from it. She actually expects me to accomplish a few things in the way of housekeeping while she's at work. I started a list. There's two things on it. Number one is dusting and as soon as I find the feather duster I'll get started on it. Then there's mopping. She said I could wait on that one since it might strain my stomach muscles.

I watered the garden today. I also washed some pots and pans from Kelly's birthday party. I don't want to do too much though. Easy does it.

kelly's birthday

All the kids gather round to watch as Dorothy lights the candles on Kelly's birthday blackberry cobbler. Kelly requested egg rolls for her birthday dinner so that's what we had with fried rice and stir fried veggies. I don't think Kelly would want me to publish the fact that she's 35 this birthday so I won't.

Kelly is pleased with her hedge trimmer we gave her.

quote of the day

From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.
-- Arthur Ashe

cooking

Since Dorothy is working now I've taken over some of the cooking duties. Yesterday I made an easy chicken dish. You fry cut up chicken breasts after dipping them in flour, rosemar, thyme, oregano, and pepper. Then you fry potatio chunks in the same oil. Set them aside on paper towels to drain, then combine them in a pan with white wine and bake. Before serving you scatter green peas over the top. It was very good. Tonight I'll try my hand at shrimp scampi and cheese tortelini.

there's a new bear in town

Last week a couple of Christie-Proctor firefighters helped the Westville Fire Dept. and Police Dept. to capture this 250 lb black bear that had wandered into a residential area of town. They used a tranquilizer to calm him enough to coax him out of the tree. He was taken to the Cookson Hills Wildlife Refuge.

purple martens

Last year I put up this Marten house and sparrows immediatley moved in. Purple Martens are very polite and private birds and will not nest with other species of birds. This spring I took the house down and cleaned it hoping to remove any trace of sparrow nest. Guess what! The Martens laid claim to the house first this year and are defending it with all their might. Not only are they pretty birds with a melodic trill, but they have a reputation for consuming huge amounts of mosquitoes. I hope so.

piece of cake

Here is the bakery/cafe where Dorothy is now working.


Kelly, the kids and I, sample some the goodies offered at "Piece of Cake".

rock'n'roll

Sunday, after the graduation ceremony we all went to my daughter Rachel's house for cake. While we were there the teenagers played some music. Times have changed. There was no phonograph in sight, nor tape player, nor cd player. The music came through the computer speakers from a MP3 player. At least that's what I assume.

I made the comment that the singer should have recovered from whatever was ailing him before he made that recording. That brought on a big reaction from the girls. They thought he was a good singer and it was cool music.

I was ten years old when Elvis sang "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog", and I grew up listening to the likes of Little Richard and Chuck Berry. To me, that was the true Rock'n'Roll era; the 1950's. The musical genre evolved over the years as the '50's groups gave way to the Beatles, the Stones, the Motown sound, the Eagles, but some where along the years I fell into a rabbit hole, musically speaking.

I can't pin point the time when Rock'n'Roll lost its appeal for me. The logical time would have been when my own kids became teenagers, but the songs of the early 80's were pretty good. I still find myself humming the tune to "Karma Chameleon" from time to time, and I think I wore out the cassette tape of "Footloose", that belonged to my daughters.

While I still enjoy listening to the old time rock and roll, the stuff coming over the airwaves today just doesn't qualify. It should be called something else. Maybe caterwaul, or how about cacophony?

While we're on the subject, how about Keith Richards? Decades of promiscuous sex, drugs, and alcohol didn't kill him but a fall from a coconut tree just about finished him off.

more grad pics

Kelly emailed me more photos from yesterday and they were too good not to include them here

Marley supports her cousin

Kelly with Hunter, Jenna, and Marley

getting back to normal

It's been a month since surgery so today I attempted to mow the lawn. I just did the front part where it is relatively level. Don't worry, I didn't over do it, in fact a snail passed me and as he went by he angrily shook his fist at me for slowing him down.

dual celebrations

It was a busy Sunday for our family. We met at Smokey Bones for Mother's Day and then attended Tara's graduation from Siloam Springs High School at the Barnhill Arena on the University of Arkansas campus.
At the restaurant: Burk, Samantha holding Jenna, Rachel, Dorothy holding Hunter.

Tara misbehaves while Marley and Kelly pose

Mortar boards into the air.

"the tassle is worth the hassle" Dorothy made this cake for Tara.

Samantha, Rachel, and Tara

Here's Samantha and Tara with their paternal grandfather, uncle and dad.

tilling the garden

I'm still not up to tilling the garden so my son-in-law Burk came over today and did it for me while Hunter and Marley walked along.

cast of characters

Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage and all the men and women are merely players." It occurred to be that I write about a lot of people in my life on this blog and maybe some of my readers would like to have these characters sorted out. I'm going to introduce the important people in my life over the next few posts, so you can get a picture of the milieu in which I live. First, let me introduce Dorothy, the love of my life, my confidant, my partner.

This picture was taken in March the day Jenna Grace was born.

comfort is king

Tonight we went to one of Marley's T-ball games. I wore the loosest fitting jeans I own and they were still uncomfortable. Since my surgery I've been lounging around the house in sweats or pajama bottoms, and now that it's getting warmer I'm discovering the joy of wearing only my boxers. The idea at first was to keep the clothing away from my stitches and not bind my sore abdominal muscles but do I really have to go back to normal clothes? When I was young I wouldn't leave the house unless my hair and clothes were impeccable. Well, the hair is gone and I have no clue to what is in style. I've been to the mailbox in my pajama bottoms and I'm wondering if I could get by with walking up there in my boxers. I doubt that anyone driving by on the highway would notice. I may experiment with that next week and if I do I'll get back to you on that. I wonder if they make sweat pants or pajamas in a more formal style to wear to church or some other function where the dress code is a little more upscale. I think I'll do a Google search on that. I'll let you know what I find.

visitor

Look who came to see her grandpa today. Jenna Grace.

quote of the day

It is not giving children more that spoils them; it is giving them more to avoid confrontation.
-- John Gray, "Children Are From Heaven"

scholarship

Tara at her high shool scholarship award program. She received over $3,000.00 in scholarships from local donors.

springtime

I got this much of the garden planted before my surgery. As soon as I'm able I'll till up more. Lizzie's watching to see if I move toward the creek. That would make her happy.

The back yard.

Front Yard. See the hammock under the tree? My Japanese Maple didn't survive the dry winter.

quote of the day

When things are at their worst I find something always happens.
-- W. Somerset Maugham, 'Of Human Bondage', 1915

a day at the ball park with marley kate

just waiting for action

At bat

Safe at first

Ready to go for second