Friday, November 27, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thanksgiving
I must apologize because I lied about making the last big turkey for Thanksgiving. That one got pardoned...for now. Don't blame me though, it wasn't my fault.
Six days before the big day my husband took the small fridge to the basement and turned it on. After it was cold we put the 20 lb. turkey into it. Two days prior to the big day I decided I had better check on it to see how far the thawing process was coming along. Imagine my surprise, and dismay, when I touched it only to find it rock hard. I guess my husband should not have set it to MAX. Who knew. It's such a tiny fridge and that turkey barely fit into it.
At that very instant, I didn't know if I should sh*t or go blind. Panic set in. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Not really, but it could have the way I felt.
Since my discovery was late at night, it left me with one day to decide what I was going to do. We still had some shopping to do and I thought maybe I could find something in replacement, hopefully. I didn't want a huge turkey, just a turkey breast, if I could find one.
My husband suggested we visit Jaindl's Turkey Farm, a stone's throw away from us. We did. They had turkey breasts. We bought one. And we lived happily ever after.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Last Big Turkey
This Thanksgiving will be the last year I will be making a turkey weighing at least 20 pounds or more. Next year it will probably be just a turkey breast, maybe one of those brine ones I saw at one of the stores we visit.
Every year as far back as I can remember (and that's not too long), I have had a huge turkey never less than 20 pounds. Why was that you ask? Because the grocery store where we shopped ran promotions each year and if you spent enough money weeks before Thanksgiving most of the years you got a free turkey. Sometimes they just offered them at a ridiculously low price. So we would get one and throw it in the freezer.
Last year I had two in the freezer by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. I made one then and this year I am making the other one. It's time to call it quits. I don't mind making a big bird because I always make them in an oven bag. It keeps the oven fairly clean, the bird is very moist, and it only takes three hours. I think the hardest part is getting the wrapper off and the parts out of the body cavities. I make my husband do that. I really don't like sticking my hand up some bird's butt. Or it's neck for that matter.
It has been just the two of us for the last bunch of years and I still make a full meal but on a smaller scale. Stuffing, candied yams, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, the usual. This year I will be making the green bean casserole with the fried onion rings for the first time. For dessert I have a pumpkin cheesecake that I made and is in the fridge waiting to be devoured. And don't forget the whipped topping for that baby.
After we are done eating, the fun begins. I strip the carcass of all the meat. White meat in one bowl, dark meat in another. (I guess I had better make sure that all the cats are well fed at that point, especially Punkin'. He's quite the scavenger.) The white meat is used for sandwiches both hot and cold. I take the dark meat and any leftover white meat not used for sandwiches and make a barbecue. And I freeze it because by that time we are so sick of eating turkey and that barbecue tastes so much better months later.
So here's to you and yours...have a great Thanksgiving Day and don't forget what the day is really all about. Give thanks!
posted by Cheyenne at 1:00 AM comment(s) made:
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Friday, November 20, 2009
HI!
posted by Cheyenne at 1:02 AM comment(s) made:
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Just Think About It...
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
-Abraham Lincoln
Edited: It has come to my attention that this list was not said by Abraham Lincoln but rather by a man named William J. H. Boetcker. Sorry if I misled anyone.
posted by Cheyenne at 5:15 PM comment(s) made:
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Saturday, November 14, 2009
OK, I Have A Complaint
And it's about cell phone usage while driving.
How many of you out there are guilty of using a cell phone while driving? Whether it's talking, texting, playing games or whatever else one can do with a cell phone, I would like to know why it's so dang important that people have to do that. Why do they even want to put someone else's life in jeopardy, not to mention their own? I value my life. I don't want to be caught up in a wreck like this:
Or worse yet, this:
And I apologize for the language on this sign but I would love to shove it into every person's face that uses a cell phone while sharing the same street with me.
There is absolutely no excuse to be talking while driving. No excuse to be texting either. Or playing games. Or Twitter. I have seen a woman on the phone while smoking a cigarette. She was using her knees to drive. She had a baby in the car with her. What the hell is up with that? Don't these people value their lives...or their children's lives? Are people that stupid that they don't know the consequences of such behavior? Obviously they are stupid, because more and more people are doing it every day.
Sometimes I let them know I am displeased with their behavior, and the look on some of their faces is priceless. They act like they have every right to do what they are doing. The problem is, a lot of them are doing it in cars so small they don't stand a chance if they hit something bigger. I feel sort of safe in our F-150 pickup truck, but not safe enough because I still want to throttle every person I see talking while driving.
(I am now stepping down from my soapbox and pushing it under my desk. Carry on.)
posted by Cheyenne at 12:44 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Unbelievable
In today's mail I received a post card from a weekly news magazine stating that I had overpaid my subscription when I recently renewed it. I paid exactly what was on the renewal slip.
Because of said overpayment the magazine people are extending my subscription by one issue. Or, they said, I could get a refund for the overpayment if that's what I preferred. I think for $.01 I will go with the extra issue.
Yes, you certainly did read that right: one penny overpayment gets me a free issue. Maybe I should do that every time I renew.
********************************************
On another subject, I recently wrote about my teams letting me down. Sunday wasn't any better. The Giants lost their fourth game in a row. Dale Jr. was having a great race and I thought for once he was going to be able to pull off a top five finish, or at the very least a top ten finish. I should have known better. Toward the end he was told he would be five laps short on fuel, so his crew chief called him in with seven laps to go for a splash and go. He got the splash but not the go...the car stalled and by the time he got it started and got back out on the track, he was three laps down. He finished somewhere around 25th.
When does it get better?
posted by Cheyenne at 1:24 AM comment(s) made:
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Friday, November 06, 2009
Been Having A Bad Week
Back and hip pain that is unbelievable have kept me at bay for most of the week. It is getting better every day and I have an appointment with the chiropractor again next Wednesday. I can pretty much deal with this pain...it is the pain of my sports heroes that I cannot deal with.
My NY Giants have lost their last three games after winning their first five games. What the hell is up with that? Come on, Eli, get your sh*t together.
I am not a big Phillies fan but I would have preferred them to win the World Series rather than those oh-so-smug damn Yankees.
I have no idea what happened to my NY Mets either. Their first half of the season was very good and then everything just seemed to go into the toilet and stayed there.
There is no need for me to even talk about Dale Jr. these days ~ his entire year has tanked. I can only hope that next year will be much better.
So with all this happening and not much good going on in my sports world, any wonder my body has reacted the way it did. Hey, I have to blame it on something, don't I?
I do have some good news, however. Our wind turbine is really churning away and doing its job. Our electric bill for this month has dropped from $173 to $104. Last year at this time it was $225. Gotta love that.
And little Punkin' is doing great. He had his second series of shots this week and weighed in at 2 lb. 2 oz. at the vet. He is still underweight for his age but like I keep reminding the vet, his momma was tiny too. He'll do just fine.
And my last piece of good news concerns sports. Penn State has lost only one game this season so they have given me something to cheer about. Let's hear it for Penn State. Yay!
posted by Cheyenne at 1:20 AM comment(s) made:
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Sunday, November 01, 2009
I Am Not Ready For This
Now that I have reset all my clocks and the darkness takes over earlier than I would like it to, I also have to think about this crap coming to visit over the next five months.
Light snow like this isn't so bad, I can deal with this:
Heavier snow like this I'm still not too sure about:
It's when things like this happen that really irritate me. This happens every year, guaranteed. It is caused by our wonderful snowplow people employed by the state because this is a state road. And every year we have to call them to come out and fix our yard. Our yard keeps getting shorter every year; next thing you know it will be up to our porch.
So, yeah, I am not ready for no stinkin' snow. Just the thought of it makes me ill. I don't know why either because I don't have to go out in it or get rid of it. I could contradict myself here and say that once it starts falling it's not so bad, but I guess I really don't like the dampness that comes with it. And those days when the wind is howling makes me want to pack up and leave for warmer climes. But that will never happen. I'm not destined to move away from my safe haven. This is my home and it has been for the past 23 years. I can't see myself living anywhere else.
Well, that's just the biggest lie I ever told. Of course I can see myself living elsewhere. Just not in this country. There is a little country calling my name pretty much on a weekly basis. Maybe more than that. But I will never answer the call. Now if someone came to me and said they had a house waiting for me in that particular country and that everything that needed to be done here was all wrapped up in a tidy little bow, then I would ask when does the plane leave? And I would join my husband and three cats and be on my way lickety split.
Hmmmmmm...did I just hear someone ask what country? Thought so. That would be Scotland. There are a lot of other countries I would probably have no problem living in, but my ancestors on my mother's side seem to be calling me.
