Ruminations

This new job is keeping me busy. Between that and still trying to loose weight I have not been able to get here and do anything. I promise to get better.
The first survey is over and we have written 15 tags. Not bad for a nursing home that hasn't had a survey in 3 years. We actually expected worse.
It really was fun we ate out a lot and laughed a lot. I learned a lot too. The ladies I am working with are so very knowledgeable.
I spent this last week at home writing my citations and dragging the dog around the neighborhood. We have had cool mornings so the earlier the better. I just wish he would not poop in other peoples yards. I am not going to clean it up, Nobody picks up the horse droppings their dogs leave in my yard. I might charge for free fertilizer. I need to change direction of the walk so that the last bit is in the shade. The dog starts panting too hard in the sun.
So May 3 the dog gets his teeth cleaned. His mouth smells worse than his butt so it is really needed. I think he may be deaf. He ignores me a lot, but then most all the men in my life have ignored me. Even cutting his balls off did nothing to improve that.
Tomorrow is much day. Raul my Mexican gardener ( I guess it is not PC to say Mexican since I do not know from which country he is really from) will come and plant bushes and tote mulch to the back yard for the trees. I had to order 5 cubic yards of the stuff in order to get it delivered. I got tired of toting it around in the back of the vehicle. Not to mention I am too old to be doing that stuff anymore. Well maybe if I loose 10 more pounds.
So this morning I weighed self and have finally lost the first 10 pounds. It feels really good. Just that I have so far to go it is barely a dent. I am doing the weight watchers, bumped up my exercise and am learning to leave food on the plate at the restaurant. Hopefully I will be able to see my lady parts again with out a mirror, don't know how guys with the big beer guts know what the length of your junk is.
My scanner screwed up on me. It keeps saying the program is unstable. There is another scanner here that won't work cause it says it need ink. Don't know why it says that cause I have never used the thing. Tried to get the ink cartridge out so I could go get one. I couldn't figure out how to get it out. Sometimes technology cause more problems than they are worth.
Cells phones are one piece I could live without. People standing around in stores and other public spaces yaking loudly on phone is annoying. I was at the airport in Charlotte 2 weeks ago and some jerk was talking so loud you could not hear the overhead paging for flights. I wanted to jam that phone down his pretentious neck.
So this week we had a lady shot and killed in the parking lot of a doctors office and her 3 day old baby kidnapped. The baby was found safe and sound. The woman doing the murder wanted the baby because her boyfriend thought she was pregnant and she needed a baby so he would marry her. Well get this the lady she killed was white, her baby was white, the killer very black as well as the boyfriend. Talk about color blind. Don't really think that would have worked. One thing that pisses me off is that if the killer would have been white and mother black we would be having protests and riots claiming it was a hate crime. Why are we not having that now, I don't think this killer woman has any regard for people only herself.
Need to cut this short the dump truck should be here soon and it is time for lunch. Lettuce and tuna, yum.

Birdsong and dog puke

While I wait for my first assignment for my new job I am contented to continue to read more of Anne McCaffrey collection. The Rowan is the first in a series of books about humans with more than extraordinary telekinetic and telepathic abilities. I am also cleaning the house, dealing with yard issues, and a number of things.
When I bought this house I immediately bought three trees and planted them in the back yard. The intent was to make sure that there was some shade back there. It is on the east side of the house and the early morning sun would heat the house too quickly. So I planted 3 trees. I planted a silver maple, red oak, and a bradford pear. The oak and the pear have flourished the maple has grown a little. I do not know why the maple won't grow. It is frustrating.

the maple

the pear

The trees attract the birds. They flick and flitter about catching bugs and what not. They also shit all over everything. The chairs, the generator house, everything gets a hit by bird poop. Poop of any kind has germs, therefore my back yard is one giant petrie dish.
Well the flittery pooping birds are not that many because of the resident hawk. Yes the hawk. To be specific there are 2 of them. I have many pictures of them sitting on the fence, a movie of one of them eating something, and a movie of one swooping at me. They are beautiful huge beasts. Noiseless, graceful in flight they do sit majestically on the fence, watching. The little birds are noisy. They fight with each other, squawk  and poop as they fly by. There are a couple of doves that sit on the fence and kiss. The doves hide under the azaleas in the front yard. In the winter they look like they are puffed up trying to keep warm.
The worst are the ones who sit on the top of the chimney to the fireplace. While cheerful birdsong is okay for a short period of time but this one sits there for hours. The birdsong reverberates down the chimney and becomes 3 x as loud as normal. This drives the dog nuts cause he thinks he hears them in the house. But since the TV sits near the fireplace the birdsong drowns out the TV. I must appear crazy running out the back door flapping my arms to scare the bird off.
One day some birds were fighting in the backyard carrying on and such. It was early evening and the house shades most of the back yard as the sun sets in the West. I walked outside and was standing on the patio when I noticed the shadow what looked like batman sitting on the chimney. After my heart started beating again I turned around and saw the hawk sitting up there watching his supper cavort in the back yard.
The back yard is the dogs domain. He searches it everyday to make sure no one has invaded his space. He is 13 years old and his hearing and vision is not as it should be. Occasionally he gets an upset tummy and eats grass. Bird poop grass.
When that happens he come in and pukes. If you watch a dog they are not very eloquent when they barf. There sides heave in and out and this partially digested kibble comes out like a lumpy pudding. The worst is if you let them alone they re-eat it. They are not wasteful. In order to keep that from happening again I usually get up and remove the mess before they can re-eat it. After all something about that feast is what made sick to begin with.
Well my trusty friend puked twice the other day. I cleaned both up rather quickly. The second incident the dog spent 2 hours looking for it. He sniffed the entire living room floor and then some. Ugh what a disgusting habit. Must be something left over from being a wolf and when food was scarce.

New job

Yes. Faithful reader all one of you. I have a new job. Started today getting paid. I will be doing government work. That is all I can really tell you. I will be traveling and might not get here as often as I would like. If you are a friend then you will get pics and updates from me on facebook. If not then sorry.
I am so totally grateful to have a job. It is really an awesome job and the money is really good.
I have been home for such a long time I have gotten cabin fever and stir crazy. Well later folks I have to go do some review.

Anne McCaffrey

This post is about one of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey. For those of you who do not know of her work then you are missing out. Science Fiction Fantasy was her genre. Was is the correct tense she passed away November of 2011.
I write about her because she was a gutsy lady, one to be admired. After divorcing her husband of many years she uprooted herself and moved to Ireland. Supporting herself with her writing she saw many thin years and when her Dragon riders of Pern series took off she gained the recognition she deserved.
She writes stories with strong female characters who are intelligent, sensuous and strong. Women who were not afraid of being leaders or going against the grain. Ms McCaffrey was herself a leader and went against the grain. Not many individuals have wherewithal to move to another country on their own to make a fresh start. To make a move even a short distance takes a lot of fortitude.
So back to her stories. I have several of her books the ones I like the most are the Crystal Singer series. I am currently rereading them and noticed that the main character also threw her old life to the wind and moved to a new planet, new career, new adventures. With in the stories we also see that McCaffrey also showed us the internet. Many of her characters go to the terminal to look up information. They record personal thoughts and check their credits balance. I found this so insightful for a woman writing a book back in 1985 to include this in her stories. Checking messages and looking up stuff is something so common place now but unheard of back in 1985.
Killshandra the main character of the Crystal Singer series develops memory loss ,as do all the singers. Seems that the Crystal affects the singer in such a way that they become obsessed with the crystal. Could this be a description of Alzheimer's and it's memory loss or possibly the single minded obsession of a drug addict.
I never read the dragon rider series. Life got in the way. So as soon as I am able I will have to obtain the series and read it.
When Ms McCaffrey died we lost a really great writer. Her depictions of strong independent women were spot on.

That time of year. Prepping for a storm

May- June starts hurricane season. Having lived through the Rita evacuation and Ike I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to be prepared for the eventual power outage and other eventualities. I find it better to do this now than wait till the last minute. I plan for at least a week of no power. Lucky that all the power in my neighborhood is underground and comes back on rather quickly.During Ike we only were out for 3 days.

When Rita was threatening Houston with a direct hit as a category 5 storm I was on the south side of town. Normally it would have taken 30 to 45 minutes to get home from where I was but due to the evacuation I could not get anywhere. I wound up zig zagging through town. With my son on the phone who was using a google map and me in my car I managed to get home in 2 hours. All the northern routes where bumper to bumper and not moving. I managed to stop at the store bought the very last insulated cooler and a couple of jugs of water. We gathered the stuff we would need till the next day and bugged out. I did have a friend make hotel reservations for us up in Dallas so we had a place to stay.

That was long and tedious journey. Mom in the back seat complained the entire time we were gone. The dog in a makeshift kennel whined and cried most of the time and would occasionally bark. (made a dog kennel from a covered cat litter pan. The back had a grate for air but the front was open so we cut holes for paint stir sticks to keep him in the thing. It worked) All of the interstates were not moving that day but armed with a key map of Houston, and a larger one for Texas we managed to zig zag out way to Dallas. Of course we all know Rita turned at the last minute and dropped down to a cat 3 but still did billions of dollars worth of damage.

First is to make sure I have some cash stowed away. ATM's are not going to work with the power off. The amount of cash is up to you. Place all you cash, birth certificates, passports copies of your ID's, homeowners insurance and anything else legal in a plastic bag or water tight bag. Put that bag someplace accessible to you but not available to someone who should not have it.

Gas. You will need this for your car or the generator. I have 2,  5 gallon plastic cans for this. The plan is fill them up before I need them. Now gasoline doesn't keep so I will have to get something called "stabil" to put in the the containers. I will keep my gas full in the car not letting it get below 1/2 tank. I need to find an affordable hand crank or pump to move the gas from the car to the cans if possible. I saw a large 15 gallon gas tank on wheels that would be nice to have.

The generator is in storage. I keep it with all of the instructions and the oil in a safe place. Have to wait for the storm to pass before it can be used. I can see myself in some comedy routine trying to start this thing in 70 mile and hour wind. Along with the generator you need extension cords, and all important a carbon monoxide detector. So many useless deaths from carbon monoxide that generators emit. Of course in most instances the generator was in the garage or too close to the house.

Batteries. You will need these for the radio, camping lamps, flash lights etc. Rechargeable are nice to have. A solar battery recharger would be nice to have especially if you do not have a generator.

Food. Think protein. Canned meats should be a priority. Spam can be eaten straight from the can, cooked in casseroles, sandwiches, and just a multitude of ways. Canned tuna and salmon are also good sources of protein. Then there are jerky's that you can eat the way they are or rehydrate and make into other dishes. Stew like soups are also good for this. Do not buy frozen foods. Unless have a generator you can hook your refrigerator up to you can plan on eating and cooking all that frozen food in the first 24 hours. Food items should be chosen based on shelf life. Dried, canned, powdered works best. Make sure you include a powdered drink mix like tang or lemonade, as well as instant coffee, tea, and powdered milk. You can use powdered milk for cooking or cereal. Powdered eggs are also an option. I would not spend my money on MRE's or these commercially prepared food kits. They might not be well received and are more expensive than collecting your own. If you go to the grocery once a week and add extra to you list you should be well stocked by the time hurricane season rolls around.

Cooking. I have a gas stove. It worked even when the power was out. I have lighter that has a long snout on it for starting charcoal and it came in handy for lighting the stove. So I could still cook in the house using my regular cookware. A propane grill, camp stove and various fuels are out there for use. You might need to modify your cookware for use over an open flame. If worse come to worse I do have a gas fireplace that burns wood but do not attempt to cook using manufactured firplace logs. Those have a lot of chemicals and additives in them and are not a healthy option. After Ike it was common place to see folks out on the driveway with their grills going. Great way to meet your neighbors and be social.

When Ike visited us it was a cat 3 hurricane and did not cause that much damage to the interior reaches of the city and areas North and West. It was the coast that was hardest hit with many homes destroyed and several lives lost. If a cat 5 is bearing down on us I am out of here. My house will not survive winds that strong.

There are other issues and adventures related to Rita and Ike I will share at another time.

Book Report: 19Q

I have a passion for science fiction, especially that dealing with the end of the world or mass destruction. Either by war, famine or disease. I found this book while doing an internet search for new books. I ordered this from Amazon and it arrived here on Monday.
I have wasted a fair amount of time reading this book.
For only having 234 pages this is the most ponderous, dry book ever written. My genetics textbook from college was more fun to read.
The plot centers on people who start dying from a fictitious illness that originally caused mild seizures but was controlled by a new medication. Three greedy scientist -business men cook up the condition, a means of giving people the condition, and a cure. The main scientist is killed by one of the business partners because. Of course we will never know he is killed off before the book ever begins.
The implausible premise that a whole new element is discovered that causes a gene mutation that causes the "disease" is pretty hokey. The author doesn't know the difference between a disease, condition, or affliction. He keeps referring to it as a disease.
There is little to no character development in this book. We are introduced to several  people that seem to get killed off or are abandoned shortly after being introduced. There is no clear protagonist and the only antagonist are 2 dead business men and mutated chromosome.
Don't bother to buy this book. Waste of money.
Oh the cover is is nice, that is the only redeeming quality.

Roast Beast

Nothing is better than the Sunday roast. Unfortunately it took me years to figure out that I failed at roast beef. Two years ago I purchased a crock pot slow cooker, the kind with the removable crock. I had one of the crock pots that you had to get creative when it came to cleaning it, as the crock was permanently fixed to the heating business. I threw it away. Hated trying to clean it.
So got a nice new one and decided to try out a roast. Thanks to the slow cooker I am now a wizard with beef.

Any cut will do, I usually get what is cheapest and on sale. Salt and pepper the outside and brown all the sides in a skillet with vegetable oil.
Place browned meat into crock and add 2 cans french onion soup, 1 large carton of beef broth, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion cut in large chunks. Cover, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can also do 4 hours on high but the best is low and slow.
Once the meat is done gather it and place on platter, cover with foil to keep warm. I say gather because usually the meat falls apart at this point.
You can use a cup of the liquid left in the crock for gravy. You can strain it or not and place it in a small sauce pan. Heat liquid and in a separate cup or a small jar mix 2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch with cold water and stir. When liquid boils add corn starch and stir, it will thicken quickly so keep stirring. If it gets to thick add more liquid left over from roast.

( my camera doesn't do justice looks dry but it is not)

Ahh leftovers. In this economic time nothing gets discarded. Save the liquid and the meat separately and refrigerate over night. The next day shred enough beef for sandwiches about 1/2 cup per sandwich. Place in a pot with a small amount of the leftover liquid and bring to a boil. If you have a special desire for more or different season then add those to the pot. Once the meat is heated and softened then serve on buns with what ever side dishes or accoutrements you desire. I smear a small amount of mustard on my bun.

Soup time. Take the liquid and remove the globs of fat floating on top and discard. Place the liquid in a large pot. Chop up the remaining meat and place in pot. Add 1 can tomato sauce and one can each of whatever vegetables you like. Beans of all kinds, corn, peas, potatoes are good and hearty. If you want you can add fresh vegetables if you have them. Add whatever seasoning you desire. I usually add some salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, thyme, and a tablespoon of sugar. Cook covered for 15 minutes if the mixture is too thick add more beef broth or tomato sauce, you might need to add more seasoning to this. If too wet add a handful of macaroni, rice, or quinoa. You should wind up with a very tasty and hearty vegetable soup.