Making the Most of a Month

Whew! Let me catch my breath. Hard to believe another month is almost history. Before we turn the page on the calendar, I should attempt a recap.

First, though, here’s a photo of the boyz to bring a smile to your face:


Ok, so we started the month of October off right by celebrating Missy M’s birthday.



I cannot tell you how much we are enjoying being close to her. We have brunch together almost every Sunday, although today’s meal was supper of M’s yummy potato soup...which was perfect on this first truly chilly day of Fall.

That same week, I got to attend my first Georgia Master Gardener Association’s annual conference in nearby Buford. Spent a great couple of days devoted to classes, workshops, and meeting new folks. Even had some good fortune with the Silent Auction items. Fun!

I think I told you that we have joined the Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Georgia. I signed up for several classes this Fall, and we joined several of the Special Interest Groups (SIG) including the Lunch Bunch, the Supper Club, and the Lady Dogs Basketball group. While that last SIG won’t begin until basketball season, the other opportunities are keeping us busy.

I’ve been to two classes so far: Growing Blueberries and Figs in Georgia and World War I Military Training Camps in Georgia. The first one will help us as we plan our garden here (more on that in a sec); the second one gave me some insight into Papaw (Grandfather Keaton)’s boot camp experience at Camp Gordon as well as his service at Fort Oglethorpe (where he was a Quartermaster). 

We enjoyed two lunches at a couple of Athens restaurants (that we probably would never have tried) with the Lunch Bunch. And we met for a lovely dinner with the 6 other members of our Supper Club. Our hosts made a pork loin roast and asked that we bring sides with the theme of Autumn Harvest. I made an apple pie for dessert and baked yeast rolls as a special treat. 

We volunteered to host the November dinner...which will actually be a Sunday brunch instead. (More on that in my next post.) Now, you may be wondering whether I’ve gone ‘round the bend by asking people to come over to our house...you know, the house that is still being moved into? Actually, I thought that might give us just the nudge to get things wrapped up before the Holidays are upon us.

Soooo...we have finished the unpacking of boxes (for the most part)...and are beginning the hanging of pictures and curtains and shelves and what not. And you know what? Casa 303 is really starting to feel like our home. 

We did take a break this weekend to travel to NC to go to the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) and stay with Bro J in Asheville. I took a class on Beginning Spinning on a Takli, and Mr. T took a beginning wood carving class and made a Spirit Stick...cool! 

From the drive through the mountains to the Fair itself to the time we spent with J & J, it was a really great weekend! 

As we begin this last week of the month, I am staying the night at Missy M’s house with the dogs, since T will have to rise-and-shine to welcome the workers who are coming at 0-dark:30 to install our new garden shed tomorrow. It’s the same shed that he and I built from a kit in HPNC (the one with the purple doors), but we decided we had enough on our plates and could get a crew to do the heavy lifting (we’ll still have to seal, caulk, and paint, etc., ourselves). And after the shed is in place, we can get the garden going.

Oh yes. It truly is feeling like our home.

Start As You Mean to Go On

If you are reading this post, then congratulations! You, too, made it through another year! I personally have mixed feelings as we start 2017: elation, because we survived one of the most stress-filled 12 months ever; thankfulness, because we are both healthy (as is Missy M); and trepidation, because we are beginning a truly harrowing period, IMHO. I have avoided posting political comments (because you probably already know we both identify as progressive Democrats...and because whatever my thoughts are, they aren't going to change your mind), but I must go on the record as one of the loyal opposition: I have zero respect for or faith in the president-elect, so let's just say I have concerns. Overpowering concerns.

Breathe in, breathe out. Move on.

I do believe in that very British saying quoted in the title: "start as you mean to go on." As an example, since I mean to do more blogging this year rather than less, I am starting off the year with a blog post.

You know, most people seem to focus on the "start..." part, but I'm thinking mainly about the "...you mean to on" part. I  believe in making progress which means I believe in putting one foot in front of the other...and moving on. And in that vein, we have followed Southern training and tradition in starting off the New Year.

As is our custom, we welcomed in the New Year with Mimosas (champagne and orange juice, served this year in two glasses that survived both the Estate Sale and the subsequent purge of the leftovers. We had spent New Year's Eve in typical fashion: at home, watching TV, reading, and knitting. We never have been party animals and prefer to be off the roads rather than on. We binged-watched all 6 episodes of "The Durrells in Corfu," a Masterpiece program we'd somehow missed this past season. We FaceTimed Missy M, who was toasting in the New Year in Georgia, trying to keep her pups from freaking out over fireworks by keeping her quilting machine humming as well as a loud movie going on TV. (We had relatively few fireworks here, thank goodness!)

You know by now that we eat black-eyed peas, cooked with ham, on New Year's Day for good luck (peas) and prosperity (pork)...and we held to that tradition, serving oven-braised Brown Sugar ham and black-eyed peas in the form of Hoppin' John. To ensure wealth, you're supposed to eat greens (always turnip greens and collards in a true house of the South), so they were on the menu.  Representing gold on our menu were candied sweet potatoes and cornbread wedges. (A few years ago, we started including a dish from our garden to ensure good luck with next year's harvest...hence the sweet potatoes...;-) Over the years, we've added good luck foods from other cultures to the menu, like rice (in the Hoppin' John) and grapes. And, because Mr. T won't touch greens with a ten-foot pole, we had cole slaw (because cabbage is the "green" of choice for many cultures)...he will eat that. We make sure to serve pork for all meals (had sausage and biscuits for breakfast), and never, ever chicken or turkey. [Poultry scratches around for everything; pigs move forward and make progress...or, so it is said.] I'm not really superstitious. Really, I'm not...:-)

Remembering the superstition that "what you do on New Year's Day, you will do all year long," we have tried to spend a relatively stress-free day. Mr. T and I took our coffee out to the garden and wound up working there a little bit this morning. He added a couple bags of mushroom compost to the asparagus bed, while I picked the remaining cotton bolls that had been missed on earlier rounds. I know, I know..."but you have your house on the market, why are you working in your garden?" What can I say? Because we enjoy it.

However...

We had a house showing in the afternoon, so we wound up doing housework, even though I typically try to avoid that...and doing laundry...on New Year's. Needs must, right?

Anyway...

I do hope that you and yours have had a great start to a better year for us all!

First You Make a Roux...Redux

The okra is coming in, fast and furious from the Kitchen Garden...as are the Juliet and Roma tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. Check out the recent harvest! [You can read more about okra over on our Gardening With the Giants blog...click here to go there.]

Let's see...okra, tomatoes, green peppers, onions...that must mean it is Gumbo Time!

If this subject is sounding a bit déjà vu, you are right. I wrote about making gumbo last year in First You Make a Roux. You can read that one again, if you'd like...click here to go there.

Only, today, I simply don't have the time to stand over and stir a Dutch oven full of simmering okra stew ('cause that's what gumbo is...:-). Mainly because I'm standing over a kettle of boiling water, blanching more okra, more tomatoes, plus a peck of green beans...getting everything packed for the freezer. So the gumbo will have to develop all those lovely favors over on the other counter in the slow cooker.

Still, there's one step I won't forego for the sake of saving time: making the roux. I consider that an essential part of a true Louisiana-inspired gumbo...for that's where I learned to appreciate both gumbo and its namesake ingredient (the West African word for okra is "gumbo"), when we lived in Shreveport...and where I learned to make it, Bayou-style.

In Louisiana cooking, many recipes begin with the statement "First, you make a roux..." Several years ago, when in New Orleans for a conference sponsored by Mr. T's employer of the time, Idealease, I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. We made Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, and Pralines. I still have the recipes...and use some of the techniques I learned that day. The very first thing we learned was how to make a roux...light, medium, and dark...since three out of the four recipes started that way.

So, to make our Gumbo, first you make the roux...

...and then you let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting...or, in this case, all the tedious tending.
 

===========================

Sunday Supper Slow Cooker Gumbo

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons oil (can use part bacon grease)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups cut okra

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fresh, peeled tomatoes, like Romas

1 pod red pepper ( cayenne)

1 /2-1 Tablespoon seasoned salt like Tony Cacheries

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded, cooked chicken, like leftover rotisserie-style, optional

1/2 cup leftover cooked ham, diced, optional

Chicken Stock

1-2 cups shelled deveined cooked medium shrimp

2 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Chopped parsley

Directions:

1. In a cast iron skillet, make a roux by combining flour and oil; mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes or until mixture turns caramel brown. 

2. Add prepared veggies to the roux in the following order: onion, green pepper, and celery (stir for 1 minute); okra (stir for 1 minute); and, after adding a teaspoon of fat if needed, the garlic. Remove from heat. Put veggies in 3 1/2 to 4 quart Slow Cooker, set on High Setting.

3. Stir in all remaining ingredients except stock, shrimp, rice, and parsley. Cover. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to  low setting and cook for 6 hours. 

4. Add shrimp to gumbo mixture; mix well. If gumbo appears too thick, stir in some chicken stock. Cover; cook on low setting for additional 20 minutes. 

5. Serve gumbo over cooked rice, garnished with chopped parsley. Enjoy with French bread...so you can get every, last bite!

Something Old, Something New

That was then -
1976

It was a warm and humid May night in central Mississippi. The predicted rains were cooperative and came in the early afternoon, long before the 7:00 hour on the invitation, when I would walk down the aisle with my Daddy to join hands with my soon-to-be husband. We made our way the short distance from the Holiday Inn-North, where we had entertained out-of-town visitors...and Momma had hosted the Bride's Maids' luncheon...down the Frontage Road to Christ Lutheran Church.  This particular church and its pastor were unfamiliar to me, although Mr. T had grown up in its embrace, as well as in the Lutheran faith. 

Never fear, I was represented in the person of the minister who had served our tiny West Tennessee town's United Methodist church when I was a teenager.  Concerned that Mr. T's family and friends would feel excluded unless we wed in his hometown, and hoping that my family and friends would make the drive down I-55 if asked, we recited the vows we had written in the presence of those in attendance...and not one, but two men-of-the-cloth. 

Following the ceremony and the photos (left), we toasted our future and our good fortune in having found one another, at our reception held at LeFleur's, a normally lovely fine-dining establishment, but in the throes of refurbishment on that particular Saturday.  No matter, the food was excellent and beautifully presented, and the wine flowed.  Well, I can't exactly vouch for the food since I didn't eat anything at my own wedding reception.  Nerves?  Excitement?  More than likely the latter rather than the former.


This is now -
2011

That was 35 years ago today. Our love has grown stronger with the passage of time, and we are as happy to be together now as we were then (photo, right). Interestingly enough, our marriage has out-lasted that church congregation and that restaurant.

Since we have some limitations on traveling together for any great distance at the moment, we celebrated our anniversary close to home at the Childress Vineyards near Lexington, NC.  Brother J and SIL J came into town and stayed with Mom so we could have a relaxed brunch with no worries.

Fantastic!  We had the Tasting Flight, which is a three-course meal, served with a Childress wine to match each course.  We were especially bowled over by the White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake (left, below).


Third course at the Bistro...
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
served with Childress Classic White Wine


To run the numbers...

In 35 years, we have lived at 18 addresses in 7 states (one of them...NC...3 different times...:), some as short as a couple of months while we were in temporary quarters or in transition after selling one house and waiting to close on the next one.  The longest we have lived at any one address?  Six years and 5 months:  Cordova, Tennessee.  Second longest?  Six years and 1 month:  O'Fallon, MO. 

In truth, our home is wherever we are together.

We have a beautiful daughter who is the light of our lives...always has been and always will be.  We have done the impossible by combining three generations under one roof...and living to tell tales about it.  And, we have given our hearts and homes over to many hounds, including our current brace: Duchess, Gus, and Elmo.

As the card Mr. T gave me says:  Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking in the same direction.  Oh, so true.

So, today we celebrate the old and the new.  The couple we were...and the couple we've become.  And, once again, we toasted our future and our good fortune.

And, because it is expected that I will ask this...I wonder where we'll be this time next year?  Or, in the next 35 years.  Hmmmm.....

Sunshine in My Eyes

What in the world is that noise? And, why won't it stop?

That was my sleep-befuddled reaction to the dulcet sounds of Interlude, coming from my cell phone. I'd set the alarm** the night before, just to make sure I'd get up in time to get to the Master Gardener Mentor-Intern Breakfast (all the way across the county) by 9:00. Good thing I did 'cause I'd probably have slept into next week at the rate I was going on Wednesday morning.  Made the mistake of staying up late, knitting and watching the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night; had to watch to the bitter end, thinking that the Hogs would pull it out over the Bucks...no joy there, however, as hopes died with an interception with a minute to go.

**RE:  an alarm clock.  I gave up both my wrist watch and my alarm clock when I left the corporate life for consulting.  I do have to make meetings and scheduled sessions, but I find that my computer, my cell phone and wall clocks keep me on time...most of the time.  Additionally, I've always had this internal tick-tock that is generally reliable.  But, getting my bedtime off can get my internal clock "off."  So, I resort to a back-up.**



Sun shines on intersection of
Skeet Club/Wendover and NC68/Eastchester

 I had no idea what traffic on Skeet Club/Wendover...which I have to take all the way through Greensboro to Burlington Road...would be like around 8:00ish.  Since living in Atlanta, where it once took me an hour and 29 minutes to drive the 17 miles from our house in Duluth to my office in Dunwoody (!), I do not complain about traffic.  It's NOTHING now. Piece o' cake, compared to the Big City down I-85 in Georgia.

One thing I didn't count on was the sun (photo, left).  Good grief!  They must have laid-out the road-bed for Wendover by following the arch of the sun.  Right in my eyes...or coming through the passenger side window at such an angle that I couldn't escape it.  Painful.  I may have to re-think those prescription sunglasses (which I've always avoided by having transition lens...which have some limitations while driving).

Oh well. 

I got to Burlington road with about 15 minutes to spare, so decided to go through the Dunkin Donuts drive-through to get some coffee.  Now, I'm a Krispy Kreme gal. Love me some melting-sugar-coated lighter-than-air yeast-raised doughnuts.  Makes my mouth water just writing about them.  Because I'm in the Krispy Kreme kamp, I have very strong, negative feelings about Dunkin Donuts.  Ugh is the nicest word that comes to mind.  Their donuts are better used as weights for a fishing line, I'm thinking.  But, there was no KK in sight, only a DD drive-through.  What harm could it be, since I was only going to get some coffee?

As I've said before, I like strong...but not boiling hot...coffee.  Also, I drink milk in my coffee.  I detest powdered creamer in my coffee.  Hate. It.  Nor am I a fan of cream.  No, I'd much rather have milk.  Real, cold milk.  So, when I go through the Krispy Kreme drive-through on Main Street in HPNC, I always order a coffee and a carton of milk (2%, since they don't have skim), along with that big box of a dozen Hot Now doughnuts.  No problem.

Here's how it went at Dunkin Donuts:

Me, into the squawk box at the drive-through:  I'll take a medium coffee and a carton of milk.
Female voice on the other end:  We don't got no milk, 'mam.
Me, after looking over the menu again:  Well, I guess I'll try a medium Latte, then.
Female voice:  Do you want that with whole or skim milk, 'mam?

Took every ounce of willpower not to laugh hysterically...or to say something snide like: well, they do got milk at Krispy Kreme.  I certainly didn't want to tick someone off inside while they were preparing my Latte with Skim milk...which cost me about a buck more than my coffee and my carton of milk at KK, I might add.

Anyway.



It's official!  I'm a Master Gardener Intern
Class of 2011!!

At the Breakfast held in the auditorium of the Guilford County Agriculture Center building on Burlington Road, we got to meet our mentors and some of the other members of the Class of 2011 interns.  We paid our dues, got our nametags (photo, right), and picked up our binders, one of which weighs more than a few pounds.  Guilford County Urban Horticulture Agent and Lead Instructor Karen Neill told us that each week's topic was like a college-level course...so be sure to read the material prior to coming to class on Wednesday mornings.  [Uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into??]

One of the mentors seated at our table said not to worry.  You can't learn it all...and they won't cover it all, anyway.  The main thing was to get a well-rounded introduction to all the topics, and to know where and how to research the topics.  Good advice from a veteran.


Simple Kneads in Downtown GSO

After a tour of the Legacy Demonstration Garden, which is maintained by the Master Gardeners (and which will be one of the required volunteer activities for Interns), I was still feeling a bit stunned, kinda like the sun was still in my eyes...and also more than a little happy to be so close to Gate City Yarns in downtown Greensboro (photo, below/left).  Yarn therapy!  That's the ticket!!



Yarn therapy at
Gate City Yarns in downtown Greensboro

Ahhh.  After an hour in the yarn store, petting all the fibres, preceded by a side-trip to the nearby bakery (photo, above/right) called Simple Kneads where I enjoyed a yummy, spicy Jalapeno-Cheese Focaccia pastry and a Diet Coke for my lunch, and got a loaf of Spelt bread to go, I was right-as-rain again.  And, ready to return home to begin reading my chapter on Botany.

Well, maybe I'd better swing by Krispy Kreme...just in case...

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Eastern Bluebird at suet feeder

Good morning!  And, welcome to the New Year!!  After two days of rain and drizzle (AKA:  yucky weather...:), the third day of 2011 dawned bright and beautiful...albeit a bit on the nippy side (still in the 20's at 9:00 a.m.).  This photo (right) of an Eastern Bluebird was actually taken with Mr. T's new BirdCam last week/last year, but I still thought it was appropriate to the title.

We spent yesterday watching the pro football games on TV, while taking down the tree and packing up Christmas around Casa 3917.  It may take us a week or two to de-decorate the outside, though, since we'll have more of the same type of weather throughout this week, with snow expected again next weekend.  Having reindeer in your yard on Valentine's Day isn't too terrible, is it?  We could start a new trend in Sailing Point.  Hey, if one of my neighbors can have a live goat, who could possibly object to a couple of lighted, white-wire reindeer?

You'd think we'd be sick and tired of football after watching multiple bowl games over the past few days, but you'd be wrong.  At one point, we had two going at once, using the picture-in-picture feature to swap views on the Alabama game with the Mississippi State game.  SEC 2, Big Ten 0.  Hoo-rah.



Masa Mittens for Me -
First Finished Object for 2011!

 I actually do love watching football games, 'cause you couldn't ask for better knitting time.  On New Year's Eve, I started a pair of mittens for myself with some yummy-soft Ultra Alpaca in a warm yellow color called Masa.  I had picked up this skein in the Orphan Skeins bin at Common Threads last week for 25% off regular price...a find!  As it was basic pattern, modified in length to fit my short, stubby hands and worked on US 7 double-points over 40/41 stitches, from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, made for warmth and utility more than for show, I was able to finish them in a day (photo, left).  Now, my hands will be warm on my walks. 

BTW, I find it a wee bit humorous to report that I purchased the 5" double-points I used for these warm, (alpaca) woolen mittens on my trip to Arizona last year.  They are the perfect length to use for mittens and gloves...so what if they came from the desert?

We made sure to welcome in our New Year with all the foods that are supposed to bring good luck and financial rewards throughout the coming twelve months:  sweet rolls and grapes with our Mimosas for breakfast; then for dinner, black-eyed peas (out of the freezer, packed from our own garden!), pork chops (seared then slow-cooked), turnip greens (or cabbage-slaw for Mr. T, who won't touch either greens or sauerkraut), rice, and sweet corn muffins.  As a child of the South, I grew up with the peas, greens, and pork lucky triumvirate, but we've added the sweet rolls (as a substitution for the sugared donuts, which would be acceptable but require more attention to detail early on New Year's Day...:), rice, and grapes over the years and the moves we've made to other parts of the US.  I sure hope we covered all bases with our menu!

I'll make this post brief (well, brief for me...:) as I want to take advantage of the sunshine and get my walk in this morning, wearing my new mittens of course.  Before I leave you, though, I'll share a couple more of the BirdCam shots:  the one on the left (below) is a Northern Cardinal and the one on the right is...well, you recognize the biggest "bird" we have at our feeders, don't you?



Northern Cardinal at feeder

Guess who?  Grrrrrrrr.

We Give Thanks

What a wonderful day it was!  Even though the weather outside was not the best (drizzling rain, cloudy, etc.), we were dry and warm and well-fed inside.  For these and all our many blessings, we continue to give thanks.



Table Turkey

 Anyone who knows me knows I love to decorate for the holidays...pretty much any holiday.  I have color-coded plastic containers in the attic for practically every special day...and Thanksgiving gets two boxes.  Mr. T got them out when he put the Halloween boxes (3 of them...:) back up, so I've had the mantles and the dining room table decorated for several weeks, adding a touch here and there.

As you can see in that picture (right), the centerpiece on the table again this year is the stuffed turkey I made 20-25 years ago.  There are also matching placemats, napkins, and aprons.  I add lots of fall colors in the leaves, the flowers, and the candles...and I sprinkle leaf-shaped confetti about on the tablecloth.  A pain to pick up...but a fun touch nonetheless.



Publix Pilgrim salt 'n pepper

  Also, on the table are the salt and pepper shaker set we call the Publix Pilgrims (left).  We got our first set when we lived in Duluth, GA, and shopped at Publix...still one of my favorite grocery stores.  I also have a set of napkin rings to match.



Pilgrim Hat Pots

 This year's addition to the tablescape was Missy M's Pilgrim Hat Pots (right).  She is so creative!  She got some black spray paint for two clay pots, which she adorned with cardboard "belt buckles."  Then, she added some beautiful potted mums she found on one of her trips to Home Depot...running errands for us while we were working on the Garden Shed (yes, I'll get back to that topic in the next post, I promise...:).  They fit right in with the turkey centerpiece and all...and were a sure hit.

For Thanksgiving Day 2010, I got up early to get started on the To Do List.  Each year I write out my menus, who joined us for dinner, and on the back, I add both the To Do's and notes on What-I-Should-Do-Differently-Next-Year.  With that first cup of coffee in hand, I noticed that I had written on my list for 2004 to "remember to spray the inside of the oven bag with Pam, so it won't stick to the turkey."  A really good idea...and something I seem to forget every year.

First things first:  a second cup of coffee.  Second things and so on:  get the turkey out of the brine (my recipe calls for the bird to spend the night in the cooler, submerged in brown sugar, salt, spices, wine, water, and apple cider), into the bag (I use one of those handy-dandy Reynolds Turkey Oven Bags), and ready for roasting.  While the oven preheated, I headed out to the garden to pick lettuce for a salad, and as Ella Rae was so eager to join me, I let her dash through the gate...without giving it much thought.  Soon, she was joined by The Drool Gang:  Duchess, Gus, and Elmo.  Oh boy, let's go play in the Way Back!



Lettuce protected by row cover

 While I was busy removing the row covers from the rows of lettuces (right), they were busy rolling around in what we've been descriptively calling The Stinky Grass:  some grass clippings our neighbor had saved for us in black bags, that have been sitting in the hot sun all summer long...and that were in the last stages of composting when Mr. T spread them on the newly-tilled areas a couple of days ago.  Now, grass clippings for the garden are really a blessing, I assure you.  Having the dogs dousing themselves in the scent is something else entirely.

I could smell Ella approaching me before I saw her.  Good grief!  Mr. T wiped the Houndz down with the Baby Wipes, while Missy M had to give her poor pup two baths...the second one in diluted vinegar.  That little chore wasn't on our original To Do List for the day, but you do what you have to do, right?



Salad greens washed and ready for fridge

 While the others were attending to the cleaning chore, I put my apron on and got busy in the kitchen.  With the turkey in the oven (and the ham ready to go in after 90 minutes), I washed my salad greens (left)...including the nasturtium blossoms (yes! they are indeed edible, as well as pretty!)...and bagged them up for the crisper.  BTW, I do so love the salad spinner Missy M got for me last year...love it, love it, love it!

The last of the green tomatoes that were saved before the first freeze had turned red and would provide the color for the simple salad.  Other garden contributions to the Holiday meal would be: 

• peas and lima beans for the Three-Bean Casserole;
• yellow and zucchini squash for the Zippy Squash Casserole; and
• sweet potatoes for the Sweet Potato Souffle.

All of these casseroles had been made earlier in the week, so all I had to do was get them out of the extra fridge in the garage and ready to finish off in the oven:  get them hot and bubbly, then add the toppings to each.  I had made up the Crock Pot dressing (use the link to that basic recipe, which is similar to mine...only I use only one can of Cream of Chicken Soup, along with one can of Chicken Broth...and only 2 eggs...and I add finely diced carrots for some color...:) on Wednesday night, so I just plugged in the Crock Pot and turned it on "high" for two hours...then down to "low" for the rest of the time...just a few stirs required...and it doesn't take up a burner on the stove!  Those would be needed for the gravy, the mashed potatoes, and the rice.  Hey, we've never met a starch we didn't like in this family!

I had also made up my Potato Roll recipe the night before, so I got that bowl (it's a huge Tupperware bowl that takes up way too much space in an already crowded fridge) out to let the dough reach room temp and start its second rise.  After that, I rolled up 90 balls of dough to make 30 tri-cornered rolls.  Yummmmm!  They would be the last thing to go into the oven, just 15 minutes before dinner was served.

Things hummed along, and we were ready for Brother and SIL J&J when they arrived at around 11:00, bringing along a lovely three-pack of wine from the Biltmore Winery.  We had a nice visit while the meal continued to cook...and soon, it was 2:00 and time to eat.  Judging from the kind comments, I think we can call Thanksgiving Dinner 2010 a success.  Oh, and my note for this year's list?  "Remember to bag up some ice on Wednesday so there will be plenty for dinner."



Mr. T with J & J at Oak Hollow after dinner

 While N/M/E took a little nap after dinner, J & J, Mr. T, and I took a little stroll through the neighborhood, down to the lake (right)...and when we returned to the house, Missy M was just finishing up with the first round of dirty dishes.  Now, that's really a blessing!

I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a bountiful meal and all the blessings of the Day, surrounded by family and friends, and then drifted off to a peaceful night's sleep in a warm bed on clean sheets.  And, if you did, remember to join me and take a bag of canned goods and non-perishables to the local food pantry sometime this week.  We'll be glad we did!

Aloha! Part 2

nem·e·sis (nm-ss)  [From the online Free Dictionary]

n. pl. nem·e·ses (-sz)

1. A source of harm or ruin: Uncritical trust is my nemesis.
2. Retributive justice in its execution or outcome: To follow the proposed course of action is to invite nemesis.

3. An opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome.

4. One that inflicts retribution or vengeance.
5. Nemesis in Greek Mythology The goddess of retributive justice or vengeance.

[Pardon the interruption.  Had to take a longer break from posting than anticipated.  My nemesis caught up with me.  Vertigo...BPPV.  Cannot beat it or overcome it...must just take my medicine and let it run its course. Lost 4 days.  Better now, thank you.]

Now, where on earth was I?  Oh yes...I left you waiting for the rest of the story in Maui, didn't I?  Not a bad place to be!

Let's see...it was sunset on Monday, Labor Day, our third day on Maui.  And the whole world and its favorite aunt had been at the beach or in the pools, it seemed.  Or, auntie...as they say.  There was a luau going on down on the hotel's lawn, and we were enjoying the music (and a cold Hawaiian beer) on our lanai.  Since we "did" a luau on our first trip to the Islands in '79 (when we stayed on Oahu), and the host was Don Ho, we figured we'd already seen the best.  We'd also gone to the Polynesian Village on our second trip in '91 and learned the story of the arrival of the first people to the Islands...so all we'd really be going for was the music.  We had that...no charge!

Day Four started out a little...eh, differently, shall we say?  For one thing, there was no race for the best beach chairs at 7:00 a.m., as we'd noticed on the previous mornings.  And, instead of other guests, our first sight (right) was the landscaper...climbing the palm tree for some maintenance with a machete, next to our lanai where we were enjoying our breakfast!  Ah, summer season must be well and truly over.  We'd wondered when they did all the jobs that needed doing to keep this resort in tip-top order.  We learned that the hotel had far fewer guests, starting today...but that was just fine with those of us still there.  Mo' bettah, as they say.

We headed to the Beach Walkway to check out the south end...another nice little morning walk, about 25 minutes out, 25 minutes back.  More beautiful views, this time of Molokini (the islet that's really the rim of a partially sunken volcano crater...and a top snorkeling destination) and Kaho'olawe (the now-uninhabited island that was used by the U.S. Navy for bombing practice), one in front of the other off to the west, southwest of our part of Maui.  Once again, we spotted birds we don't see in NC...and took lots of photos of each of them.  That's a Western Cardinal (left)...close kin to the all-over bright red Northern (or as the Hawaiian Bird Book calls it the "Kentucky") Cardinal we have at our feeders.


A little beach time, then off to see some sights!  We headed to Lahaina, about an hour away on the West side of the island, to do a little shopping and gallery-hopping...and finish a fine day with some fine dining.  And, can you believe it?  We just happened to turn onto Dickenson Street when we headed into town off the main highway...and what should be right there but The Needlework Shop...the only yarn store on the island.  What luck!  Actually, they are really a quilt shop...and I would love to have taken a class in the art of Hawaiian quilting...but they do carry some locally-dyed yarns, two skeins of which came home with me.  Tee hee.

Oh, don't feel too sorry for Mr. T.  Right next door was the Maui Vintage clothing shop...home of the Hawaiian shirts like Thomas Magnum (be still my beating heart...:) wore.  He had a tough time deciding on which one he would wear out of the store (!), but he finally went with the Paradise Found Star Orchid in Black.  Good choice!  Doesn't he look fabulous in his new purchase, over there on the right?

After a few more shops and galleries, we found a cute cafe on Front Street that opened across the back to the beach...where they were having $2.00 margaritas until 6:00.  Best deal we found the whole week!  We both had been rather unimpressed with the mai tais (not like we remembered on our last trip...too many "specialities" or fancy additions to suit our tastes), so we decided to Go Mexican on Maui!  Tasty.

We topped off the evening with reservations at Pacific'O restaurant.  That's where that shot of us enjoying another sunset was taken (above), with the island of Lanai'i in the background.  Yes, that's real; that's not a fake back-drop behind us.  We were seated on the patio, practically on the beach where the luau (yes, another one...:) participants assembled before heading to their destination just down the beach.   Again we got to enjoy the music.  This evening, Mr. T got the mahimahi dish and I tried the ono (also known as the wahoo), prepared with macadamia nuts and goat cheese (again from the Surfing Goat dairy).  We split that beautiful salad over there on the left...I just had to take a shot of it before devouring.  Fantastic!

It was a lovely day, but we were happy to head the car back to Wailea.  Tomorrow would be a full day, with the Road to Hana on our itinerary.  What's that, you say?  Do return to learn all about it!

I'll have to pause my tale for another bit (hopefully not as long as the last...:), since it's time for the Fall Premiere of NCIS.  Gotta get my Gibbs fix!  I've had to make do with reruns all summer...and I'm ready.

See you soon!

Aloha!

• Two first class tickets to/from Maui:  225,000 American Airline Advantage miles (points) + $30 in fees
• An ocean-front room with lanai at the Grand Wailea Waldorf - Astoria for 8 nights:  280,000 Hilton Honors points (+ $0 in fees...:)
• A rental car from National Car Rental for a week and a day:  70,000 Hilton Honors points + $100 in fees (more or less)
• A wonderful vacation in paradise for Mr. T and me:  priceless!

We're back!  At least, we are for the most part.  My body may physically be in HPNC, but my brain must still be on Aloha Time...running slowly and six hours behind.  I don't feel jet-lagged, but I do have my days and nights a bit mixed up.  Staying up til 1:00 a.m. here.  Trying to sleep in until noon-ish, if the dogs would just let me.  Maybe I'm trying to stay on vacation. 

Mr. T seems to have made the transition back to the real world OK, as he is off to Raleigh today.  Me?  I'm trying to make a dent in the mountain of dirty clothes, while I tackle the 201 emails in my inbox and the 576 photos we took on two digital cameras.  I'm working on a DVD complete with Hawaiian music to commemorate the trip...as well as a Photo Book, hence the reason I stayed up so late last night.  I'm also searching for someplace that will develop a couple of disposable cameras we used for our underwater shots.  Thought I'd take a time out to post today. 

We had a fabulous time celebrating Mr. T's Big 6-0h birthday all last week.  That photo up there (above) was taken on our first morning (Saturday) when we awoke to find that our "ocean-view" room had been upgraded to "ocean-front." Since it was dark when we finally arrived the night before...and we were so exhausted after an 18-hour travel day that took us from Raleigh to Chicago to Los Angeles to Kahului, Maui airport to the resort in Wailea, HI..., we didn't realize just how close to the Pacific ocean we had been sleeping.  We opened the shutter-style sliders that had successfully covered the sliding glass doors onto the lanai to that stunning, breathtaking view.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Get the camera!

Day One started with room service breakfast, served on our lanai.  How absolutely lovely.  We then spent the rest of the day recuperating and relaxing on the beach and in the ocean.  We also took a walk around a portion of the grounds of the Grand Wailea resort, which is over 40 acres, all told.  There are beautiful waterfalls, fountains, statues, sculptures, flowers, paintings, and mosaics everywhere you look.  Even a chapel with the most amazing stained glass windows (left).

In the heat of the afternoon sun, we did take a break from the beach to drive to the local Safeway for some necessities:  milk for my coffee (as I can't stand that powdered stuff in the packets), juice, yogurt, bagels, cream cheese, and snacks...plus water, Diet Pepsis, beer and wine...and a Styrofoam cooler to keep everything cold.  The hotel provided the ice for the cooler (which we kept in the ginormous bathtub)...and their own wonderful Hawaiian-grown coffee for the in-room coffeemaker.  As much as we enjoyed that first breakfast, we weren't eager to spend that much money for room service every day...and we really didn't want to get dressed to go to one of the restaurants on property at the start of our day.  We loved the view from our lanai, and we intended to take advantage of it as much as possible!  We even found a pizza place, The Round Table,  in the Safeway shopping center; take-away pizza and some local-brewed beer (Fire Rock Pale Ale)  on our lanai for the front-row seat on our first sunset (right).  Perfect.  We're starting to relax now!

Day Two began at 3:00 a.m.  It was Mr. T's birthday, and we wanted to see the sun rise on the top of Haleakala Volcano...a two-hour trip up and around one of the winding-est roads you can ever imagine.  In the dark.  Even with our early rise, the summit (10,023 feet) parking lot was already full by 5:30 a.m. on this holiday weekend, so we were directed to another viewing point, Kalahaku Overlook, at 9,324 feet.  A bit lower, but still cold (49 degrees) and still above the clouds (as you can tell in that photo, left) and with a better view as it turned out.  Not only did we get to see the sun rise at about 6:04 a.m. ...amazing..., we also got to see a rainbow in a valley whose view would have been blocked at the summit.

While most of the crowd made their way back down the winding road, we drove up to the summit for the view...which was so clear this morning that we could easily see the Big Island of Hawaii in the distance, with the peaks of volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa visible, rising above the clouds.  We could also see down "our" side of Maui to Wailea beach...as well as the cruise ship entering the port near Kahului on the other side of the island (where we spotted the rainbow earlier). 

That's a photo (right) of a chukar we took at the summit...we were just fascinated by all the birds we don't see in North Carolina.  We chatted with a park ranger (as this whole area is a National Park) about some of the birds we had spotted, and she directed us to a natural area called Hosmer's Grove near the entrance to the Park (back down the winding road)...where we found a huge stand of eucalyptus trees, but too many children playing too loudly in the nearby camping ground to spot many native birds.  Still, we got to see rain in the rain forest area of the island...rain and sun at the same time!

As we made our way back to sea level, we toured through the Up Country of Maui, starting with coffee and cinnamon rolls at Grandma's Coffee House.  Then on to the Tedeschi Winery (didn't care for the pineapple wine, but loved the white chocolate candy) and then to the Surfing Goat Dairy Farm (loved the cheese).  Saw the lavender farms...and lots and lots of sugar cane, waving in the wind.

We finished the Big Day at Mama's Fish House, a highly-recommended restaurant in Paia, on the north side of the island, where we saw yet another beautiful sunset.  (Follow that link to listen to some great Hawaiian music by HAPA. Just minimize their window to allow the music to keep playing, while you return to this site in another window...you can hear the music while you continue to read.) The food was fabulous, as we had heard (the Park Ranger nearly swooned when she found out where we were going that night) and read (great reviews on Trip Advisor)...fresh everything...the service excellent...expensive, yes, as is everything on Maui, but well worth it for the occasion.  They had even created a birthday card in Hawaiian and placed it on our reserved table.  Every person who stopped by the table wished Mr. T "Hau ' oli la Hanau, Thomas!"  Our waitress snapped that shot of us just as we were finishing our last bites of macadamia nut-encrusted mahimahi stuffed with lobster, shrimp, and crab, served with jasmine rice (me) and seared salmon with tropical fruit salsa (Mr. T) (left).  Then, she served him a complementary ice cream sundae with fresh coconut slivers!

Day Three was a "rest day."  After breakfast on our lanai, we got our color-coded bracelets (a requirement by the resort to use the pool and beach facilities:  towels, chairs, umbrellas, etc.; they use a different color for each day of the week) and blue-striped beach towels, which we used to "reserve" a couple of chairs near the in-pool, swim-up Volcano Bar, where a waterfall runs all day (as you see in that photo of my toes and the pool, right).  Yes, the pool could be a bit noisy, since it was a kid-magnet with all of the rushing river rapids and water slides, but we needed a break from the sand in our suits.  And they kept the music playing all day long!

Before beginning our pool-side tanning and reading session though, we took a stroll on the beach walkway that ran in front of the resort, heading to the right/north of the property...30 minutes out, 30 minutes back.  A nice stretch of the legs.  This gave us the best views of the Ma'alaea Harbor, on the West side of the island, as well as the West Maui Mountains and Iao Valley State Park area.  We also spotted some folks snorkeling around a reef (left) and decided we'd like to try that, too.  We'd do the walkway the other way (south) tomorrow.  So much to see, so much to do.  Must remember to relax and decompress.

As the day before had been a big food consumption day (and Day Four promised to be another one), we gave our tummies a rest day, too, with snacks by the pool for lunch and Subway sandwiches on the lanai for another wonderful sunset supper.  We'd gotten some of the goat cheese spread at the Dairy...add crackers, fruit, and pour a little wine...and we were in the zone.  The Happy Zone!

I'll give us all a break and save the rest of the story for another post.  Come back to read about our snuba sailing excursion to the island of Lanai, our harrowing ride on the road to Hana, and our up-close look at a stingray and a hammerhead shark, as well as our dining experiences at Pacific'o in Lahaina, Buzz's Wharf in Ma'alaea,  and Humuhumunukunukuapua'a', right here on Grand Wailea.

Mahalo!

Damages*

*No, this post isn't about the FX show, Damages, although I wouldn't mind saying something about it.  I got hooked on that one a couple years back, by watching a marathon of the first year.  Glenn Close plays attorney Patty Hewes to perfection.  And, Rose Byrne is great as her protege (well, in Season 1) Ellen Parsons.  Ted Danson, Martin Short, and Lily Tomlin...all excellent in dramatic roles, all receiving Emmy nominations for their parts.  The presentation of each season is the same:  starts with the present time; flashbacks to past, gradually moving the flashbacks forward to catch up with the present in the final show of the season.  You really have to keep up, or you'll be lost as a goose...and have to wait for the marathon after the season ends.  I guess, however, I should be using the past tense, since the finale for Season 3 was such a wrap-up that I imagine there isn't going to be a Season 4.  Too bad.

Instead, I'm posting about the plural of damage. Damage...as in destruction.

We had a terrific thunderstorm on Tuesday.  Lighting, lots of thunder, torrential rain (.6" in the rain gauge), more thunder, and wind.  Oh goodness, the winds.  Clocked one gust over 45 miles per hour at PTI, they said.  It must have blown through the Way Back on its way to the airport.  Can you tell in the photo to the right that those are my tomatoes...and their cages...on the ground?  In all, 12 plants were uprooted and suffered damage; I stopped counting at 100 lost tomatoes (in various stages of green-growth), not to mention the worlds of yellow blossoms that would have become tomatoes.  Sigh. 

Just about broke my heart when I began the rescue-and-repair on Wednesday morning.  Took me a couple of hours to get the cages back up and in the ground, and all the damaged stems/vines trimmed and removed.  I also had to put several stalks of corn back in the ground, as they had been blown over.  I have a good crop of bicolor corn so far, and I would hate to think I'll lose all those lovely. sweet, juicy kernels...not to the lack of water, but to wind?

After noon, I headed to Home Depot (my "home away from home") for some 6' stakes, which I will use to secure the cages and plants.  I'll have to get up at dawn tomorrow to get the stakes in the ground, as we are under a heat advisory for the rest of the week:  we are at 91 today, with a heat index of 100; the air temperature for tomorrow is predicted for 97, with a possibility of 100 on Saturday.  Gotta get the gardening done before 10:00 a.m., for sure.

I did say "damages," didn't I?  Plural.

I'll start this paragraph with my sigh.  Sigh.  This is one of those "you can't win for losing" kind of situations.  N/M/E, who has a variety of health issues due to her primary diagnosis of "you're 90" (as you may recall from an earlier post about what our family doctor said...:), is facing a dilemna.  She takes Celebrex for her arthritis pain (along with several other pain medications for her back pain, etc.) and has for several years.  Now, two of her doctors have become so concerned about the results of a recent (early June) blood test that they have ordered her to stop taking it.  Stop. Taking. It. NOW.  Both of them had their nurses call here this week to discuss their concerns.  One of the docs (not the one who prescribed the med., by the way) went so far as to remove it from her prescription list in her medical record.  Just wiped it out.  What's going on here?

Well, if you are savvy about NSAIDS, you will know that kidney damage is a threat for long-term users of those types of medications.  You will also be aware that the reason we (and I am including myself in this group) continue to take Celebrex in spite of the threats (and there are others) is that there is no other medication that is as effective with arthritis pain and is as well tolerated (read that:  that doesn't cause stomach problems).  We've gone through all the other NSAIDS, without much success.  What to do, what to do?

N/M/E has had to make a choice:  live with some more chronic pain vs. risk permanent kidney damage.  She's going to try life without the Celebrex for the next couple of weeks, then have some more bloodwork done.  That way, we'll see if it is a cause-and-effect going on...or, if there is something else in play.

Big sigh.

Interestingly enough, I have to say that she seems to be feeling a good bit better this week.  After our visit to Dr. K this morning, she said she felt like going out for lunch...something she hasn't felt like doing recently.  She also wanted to go to the Farmer's Market for some fresh NC peaches, since she's heard so much about them on our local news channel.  Two birds, one stone.  We had lunch at the Moose Cafe, as you can see in the photo to the left, which is on the property of the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market. 

We both got the Buttermilk Fried Chicken breast with green beans.  I got the mashed potatoes, and N/M/E got the fried apples.  I also ordered an extra side of pickled beets for us to split.  The meals come with biscuits with apple butter and cornbread.  If you like your cookin' country, then you would like the Moose!  N/M/E pronounced it to be some of the best fried chicken she'd had in NC, so we'll definitely make a return trip soon.

Then, we swung Lillie Pearl PTC over by the retail area of the Market so we could pick up a peck of peaches.  Free stone.  Juicy and sweet.  I know 'cause the lady cut one open and let me taste it!  Excellent.  I can't wait to slice some up to go over ice cream tonight...and cereal in the morning.  I may even have enough to make some peach preserves.

A little sugar on those peaches should help soothe away some of the pangs of those damages, eh?