Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: January Thaw

You may think that Colorado is all snowflakes and sleigh bells this time of year. Truth is, in my neck of the Colorado woods, we're looking at brown dirt and grimy, crusty piles of white that shrink a little more each day. The chickens spend a lot of time in a 'tunnel' which juts out from the regular yard. The Brick fashioned it from a library table covered with chicken wire. The chickens spent a lot of time staring out over the yard from it. In the summer, they like to watch me garden -- but right now, there's nothing to look at. What are they thinking, all jammed in there?

Taken in mid-December, when we had more snow. See Castle Rock in the background?

   Sure, the mountains are getting some fresh snow now and then. But nobody along the I-25 corridor is at present. (At least until this weekend.) 
       What do we care -- the Broncos just beat the Steelers! 


Alan Rickman died. I was a big fan of this multi-talented actor, not only for his sterling work in Die Hard (Not-so-good German accent...but menacing). I 'met' him first via a less-known movie, Truly, Madly, Deeply, where he dies -- but still hangs around his true love's place. (Because she wants him to.) Oh, and Quigley Down Under, as well as Robin Hood. (He was a terrific villain. "I don't play villains," he once said. "I play very interesting people.") One of the richest, most nuanced voices in the business: Helen Mirren said his voice "could suggest honey or a stiletto blade."

   
"I do take my work seriously. And the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously."
                    -- Alan Rickman


A very creepy Bigfoot report from a 1999 sighting, just posted. If you live anywhere near Kewanee, IL, you're going to want to read this. WARNING:  You might want to set this aside for now -- Yahoo is saying it's been compromised. I've read it for years, with no problems...must be a temporary problem.

A desperate plea on a GoFundMe page...from a woman whose family blew all their money on lottery tickets for the recent Powerball drawing! (Needless to say, they did not win.) Here's the weird part: she actually got some people to contribute. Especially since she promised to blow any money given on more lottery tickets.

A Spanish princess may be headed for the slammer. She's currently on trial for tax fraud, and it's not looking good. But that's not the least of her troubles. Her kingly brother also stripped her Duchess title last year, making her just regular royalty. (Ouch)

A luxury Manhattan apartment building with two doors: a 'poor' door and a 'rich' one. Tenants on each side even have a different address.

Ten weird lawsuits that were ultimately dismissed. (Or, even sadder, settled.) Can you imagine suing because someone sang "Happy Birthday to You?"  (From Listverse)

Banoffee pie -- the recipe. Have you heard of this? Toffee, bananas and cream topping...mmm. (From Paula Deen)

Is the stress of paying for it worth the joy of having that toy you've always wanted?  If the answer is yes, then you're fine...but often, it isn't.  Donna Freedman tells it like it is.


Funny cat jokes and quotes from Reader's Digest. Like this one:
    One night while I was cat-sitting my daughter's indoor feline, it escaped outside. When it failed to return the following morning, I found the beast clinging to a branch about 30 feet up in a spindly tree. Unable to lure it down, I called the fire department.
    "We don't do that anymore," the woman dispatcher said. When I persisted, she was polite but firm. "The cat will come down when it gets hungry enough."
    "How do you know that?" I asked.
    "Have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?" she said.
Two hours later the cat was back, looking for breakfast.

Hmmmph!

Marathon runners who cheat. Shades of Rosie Ruiz... and if you've found this interesting, try

Eleven ways to cheat at long-distance running -- and almost get away with it.  (From Mental Floss)

Hollywood's biggest cheapskates -- a slideshow. For some of these, you might want to take notes... (From Radaronline)

A new blog I found -- Crazy Mom Quilts. The ideas are easy, and the colors are wonderful.



Have a great week.

Has Your Ship Come in?

The Brick and I have been gobbling down episodes of  The Last Ship.  (Go here for a lot more on the show, if you're curious. Adam Baldwin is our 'buddy,' from his stints on Independence Day and Serenity...so it wasn't a difficult jump.) We just finished Season One, and are breathlessly waiting for Season Two. (When you don't have cable, you're behind a bit -- but then you get the pleasure of watching the storyline unfold without having to deal with constipation commercials.)

Think military destroyer, a worldwide epidemic...

     and, of course, The End of the World As We Know It.

(You knew I was going to sneak this in, didn't you?)

Much to our mutual surprise, it turns out that The Last Ship is actually filmed on two military vessels: the USS Halsey, and the USS Dewey.

Why is that interesting? Because after his submarine escapades, the Brick was stationed on -- wait for it --

    the USS Dewey.

Granted, his ship was this beauty: the Dewey, version DDG-45. Named for George Dewey, the USA's only Admiral of the Navy. Her motto:  "The First And Finest."



Actually, she wasn't the first, but the third of four ships named for Admiral Dewey. She was launched in 1958, decommissioned in 1990, then scrapped in 1994. The Brick wasn't surprised -- he said she was already considered an 'old' ship when he served on her in the late 1970s.


For the show, we're talking ship #4: the NEW Dewey, DDG-105.





The new girl is a sleek-looking boat, too. And fortunately, you see lots of her during various scenes. (According to the special features, many of the people in the background are actual ship's crewmen, going about their business.)

Which the Brick loves...except when they mess up on military facts and customs.

 Case in point: they had the commander of the USS Nathan James saluting back when his men saluted him.

   "Where's your cover?" the Brick was yelling. 

     Yes, his cap. I am told the commander of a ship NEVER salutes without his hat on -- nor is he expected to return the salute in the first place.

      Not that I would know this.

.

Pantry Challenge: How Are You Going to Eat This Month?

Can you eat from just your pantry, fridge and freezer for the next 30 days? 

For the next 30 days or so, that's what I plan to do. I've done it before...and others do it regularly this time of the year. For good reasons:

*You're paying off holiday bills.

*The kitchen's still stuffed with leftovers from said holidays.

*You're sick and tired of dragging all this extra stuff around (And watching it spoil.) And of course:

*It would be nice to begin the new year with some saved money.

So here's your chance...
    and a good way to start: 
                       CLEAN OUT THE REFRIGERATOR.

*What's going strong? (Citrus, celery, stored apples and such should still be doing okay -- but add them to soups, stews and desserts if they're not.)

*What's starting to show its age? Clip off the nasty parts -- and use up the rest.

*What can be combined with items in your freezer and on your shelves? 

Maybe a salad from all the bits and pieces

Now you're starting to consider this properly. Don't forget to use up the bits & pieces in your fridge, either. (I'm speaking from experience -- two pieces of leftover pizza, cut in squares and heated, stretched a can of chicken soup into supper tonight.)

But don't let it drag on you -- this is not supposed to be a burden. Stop if you need to. And don't be so strict that you must skimp on birthdays and other celebrations. This is just temporary.

Here's what I plan to do:

*Use the fridge items first...the celery's looking fine, but I have several bits and pieces of cheese that need to go away. (Solution: macaroni & cheese.) Half a head of cabbage is starting to show black around the edges. (Pull those leaves, give them to the chickens, and use the rest for tomato-and-cabbage-soup. Or maybe minestrone. Here's a good recipe.) Citrus and apples are okay right now. So is a pound of turkey bacon.
        *I'll scrub both crispers out, so it looks tidier in there, anyways.
        *The fridge door is crammed with bottles that have just a 'little' sauce. These will be combined, used up or thrown away.
       *Several yogurts need to be eaten. What we can't use will go to the chickens. (They LOVE dairy.)
       *Generally we're okay on eggs. In fact, we sell 3-5 dozen a week to customers. They love them, and it helps the chickens pay for themselves. Plus we get plenty of eggs for our own use.
      If you can't say this, add $3 or so to the amount below.

fresh eggs...mmm.

*Keep a small $$ weekly for milk and markdowns. We drink about 1 1/2 gallons a week -- that's $1.99/gal. I'll try hard to keep it at $5 weekly, but will stretch to $10 if there's something incredible.

*Clear away and tidy up as I go. As the freezer and shelves hopefully empty, I'll wipe down, consolidate and throw away too-old and stale items as I find them. (This is tough for me...but it's needed. Can you hear the Brick cheering?)

A pound of venison from the latest trade is thawing in the refrigerator -- maybe lawnmower tacos? Naah,  Porcupine rice, I think.      
     Saute a cup of rice and your meat together -- add a tablespoon or packet of onion soup mix, about 5 cups water, and whatever veggies you've got, chopped fine. (Maybe that celery, plus carrots from the everpresent bag in the crisper. Complements the sage flavor our Colorado mulies get, from foraging through the brush. Cornfed whitetails -- those are further east.) Cook about 20 min., until rice is done. Serves 4-6.

I've also got a package of turkey hot dogs in the cooler. Maybe pigs in the blanket? (That recipe's coming shortly.) Serve a little dipping sauce with them -- that would take care of at least one of the bottles on the refrigerator door. Hmmm...

What could you do? Join me -- and lots of others -- in a pantry challenge. I'll keep you posted each week on my progress. 

What -- not eat out all the time, and actually SAVE MONEY?!

     

Tinhorn Crafts...

...or maybe Aluminumhorn Crafts. (I guess)


Our friend at the Life After Money blog made a beautiful, durable hanging out of a discarded wire chandelier/basket, some beads --

      and snipped-up aluminum tin cans! 

Here's how.  I've got ideas for other ways to use this clever idea, including a quilt project or two.

Submarine News

Did you hear about this? 

The USS Georgia, a guided-missile submarine, was coming back from maneuvers last year on Nov. 25. Into its home base at Kings Bay, Georgia. Where its crew had been a bazillion times before.

Beautiful, isn't she...

(Okay, it was late at night, but that shouldn't have mattered.)

So what did the sub do?

Hit a buoy and grounded itself. 

Repair bill: an estimated $1,000,000.  (At least it was just damage to the outer hull.)

The Georgia's captain, Dave Adams (blue crew), was relieved of duty and immediately reassigned. To his credit, Adams took responsibility for a stupid mistake that no doubt was made by one -- or more -- of his crew members. His statement:

     "The actions that hazarded Georgia upon a scheduled return to port in the dark on the morning of 25 Nov. were mine alone. I ask that my lapses not be used to denigrate the terrific service of the sailors and families of Georgia Blue. After 30 years of serving in the world's finest Navy, my only regret is that I will miss sailing with them again to stand against our nation's enemies."

With 30 years experience under his belt, that says a lot. (He could have just blamed it all on them.)

We have had a special interest in all things submarine since the Brick's six years in the Navy -- and a share of that stationed on the USS Batfish. His brother Jim spent nearly all his career on subs, as well, including a number of years as commander of the USS Pennsylvania. (On the gold crew, if I remember correctly -- subs have two crews that alternate, gold and blue.)

The Batfish was stationed in Charleston, SC, a harbor notorious for shifting sands and currents (so changing depths). Therefore, the Brick was not that shocked, hearing about the Georgia. According to him, a fair amount of the ocean charts they had, anyways, were not complete. And he'd known about at least one incident where a sub nearly smashed itself into an underwater mountain that the current chart didn't show. (Oops. Hopefully that was fixed in the next edition.)

"A million dollars damage?," he snorted. "That's nothing to subs."

And before the Brick's time on her, the Batfish herself ran 'hard aground' 22 January 1973, while headed out to sea. (They pulled her off and towed her back for repairs.)

No doubt that makes Captain Adams feel better about the whole business...
          but it still was a foolish thing to let happen.

Ironically, the Georgia and her then-crew were featured in a 1993 Disney documentary, Submarines: Sharks of Steel. Made the sub look invincible, no doubt.

Ah well.  They can't all be the Batfish.



(The old WWII Batfish (SSN310) can be toured, by the way, at the Batfish War & Memorial Park in Muskogee, OK. The Brick was on the 'new' version (SSN681), which was decommissioned in 1999 and scrapped, sadly, in 2002. The Brick can't talk about his time on board without having to kill you...but you can find out some of the crews' stories here, including a rather creepy story about tracking a Soviet sub with 16 missiles, headed for the East Coast.)

The USS Batfish -- also a lovely, sleek boat

I Resemble That!

The Brick burst out laughing when I showed him this...I wonder why? 

(Thanks to A Girl And A Glue Gun for the inspiration)

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Digging for Treasure?

I've been doing a lot of reading this weekend, hanging out with Mr. Flu and his wife, Mrs. Nausea. When Mrs. N. is nearby, my usual winter fare of cookbooks and 'cozies' (novels about village life wherever, by Miss Read, Helen Forrester and others) is OUT.  Nothing sounds good.
    So I went digging for treasure, instead -- both in Richard Kellogg's Wall of Silver (a lost mine near Houghton, Michigan) and W.C. Jameson's Colorado Treasure Tales. Both are fun to ponder, but I'm not convinced the near-inexhaustible riches these guys describe are true. Better get a metal detector and find out.

     At least they don't talk about food.

If you enjoy treasure-hunting, too, try Beau Oumiette's (or Aquachigger) video series on Youtube. He's made some amazing discoveries in the water near a river crossing -- hundreds of coins. Here's a video to get you started:

Telling those who serve on our behalf  THANK YOU -- all year-round. Plenty of programs and links for you to write, support and send packages to the military. Frugal Upstate is a vet, so she understands.

David Bowie died. An 18-month struggle with cancer (actually, health problems for years) took him at age 69. If that isn't enough shock...

Wil Smith's high-school aged son Jaden is now the official 'face' for Louis Vuitton. Yes, SON. Louis Vuitton's WOMEN'S wear, that is. Guess wearing a skirt to your high school prom (not to mention many other places) paid off.

The 15th annual Drop Your Pants day just happened on New York City subways -- and elsewhere. No doubt Jaden (and Louis Vuitton, for that matter) think this was a great idea.
     (Yes, that was rude. I should be ashamed. But I can't get The Mama's voice out of my head: 'Just because everybody else jumps off a cliff, does that mean you should do it, too??')

Starting tomato plants. It's about time to consider this...

Why should you save? Trent at The Simple Dollar lays it out -- and he's right.

'Bare Bones with Style' continues over at yours truly's Holiday Goodies blog -- and the current installment is on favorite meals for kids. (Sweet potatoes was before it -- Chicken's next.)

Nazi looted art -- it's more prevalent than you think. An interesting overview. (From Skinner Auctions)

A three-year-old in a diaper, driving a Big Wheel. On the median of a busy highway in Florida. The only reason he didn't make it out onto the street: several drivers noticed (thank God) and worked together to box him in. (In case you're wondering, the dad was in the bathroom, although he arrived some time later via bicycle.)

The mountain lion with something different -- an extra set of teeth!

Don't have children if you can't care for yourself. While I agree (sort of) with Financial Samurai's starting point, there's no way in a billion years that everyone is going to rack up a million dollars in worth before they can start having kids. Is money everything?!? Controversial, but helps you think.

What it's like to live on the world's most remote island. (Though I would have nominated Pitcairn Island of Mutiny-on-the-Bounty-fame for this...)
   
The $188 million lottery winner tells you why she wasted...er, invested...all that money on an alleged druggie boyfriend.   (Remember the boyfriend from last week's list?) Ahem.

Beautiful charms from... Shrinky Dinks? Yes, thanks to the Graphics Fairy.

Nine foods that relieve nausea. Wonder why I checked on this...


Have a great week -- stay healthy and warm.