Ode to Sookie, Kadee and Solitude

Hullo folksies and bloggers and whatsiwhositers!!! How's your weekend going so far? Mine was pretty fantastic!!! I have Thursdays and Fridays off ... so the beginning of my workweek is Saturday at 11pm. Really not too shabby but there's always something wrong with starting your week on a Saturday. *sighs*

Such is life when you live in a world that's 24/7/365!!! I know you all are happy for your produce, pampers, scott towels and such ... which is why I LOVE to come to work on the weekends!!!

I'm so freakin' pleased that I've installed Windows 7, I can't even begin to tell you how much better it is than Vista!!! I love love love it!!! *end gush*

My kidlets were pretty playful this weekend. I got a couple of shots of them ... but they were rather supine at the time. Hehe!!

Sleepy Sookie Bear sleepin' on da bed

Kadee Belle Burrowing in da laundry basket

I have no more news ... so here's a bit of a funny for ya ... and then on with the show!

What is Generation Y? I've wondered this myself... Now I know.

- The Silent generation , people born before 1946.

- The Baby Boomers , people born between 1946 and 1959.

- Generation X , people born between 1960 and 1979.

- Generation Y , people born between 1980 and 2009

Why do we call the last one generation Y? I did not know, but a cartoonist explains it eloquently below...Learned something new today!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them, And they flew...
Guillaume Apollinaire

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

If you could go back in time to another decade, which decade would you choose and why? Would you want to return or stay there? What if you could bring one other person with you?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Nihilarian

PRONUNCIATION:
(nih-i-LAR-ee-uhn)

MEANING:
noun: One who does useless work.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin nihil (nothing).

USAGE:
"You may find yourself worrying that you're turning into a nihilarian."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Ode on Solitude

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air,
In his own ground.

Whose heards with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest! who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away,
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mix'd; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please,
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me dye;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lye.

Alexander Pope

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Stuffed Shells w/ Arrabbiata Sauce



Ingredients:
12 ounces (1 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 36 shells)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking sheet
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, diced
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups marinara sauce
2 (15-ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
Lightly oil a 12 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Lightly oil the baking sheet and set aside.

Partially cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still quite firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. You will continue cooking the shells in the oven after they have been stuffed. Using a slotted spoon, drain pasta shells and place on oiled baking sheet, spreading them out so that they don't stick together and allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.

In a medium bowl, stir the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolks, basil, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spoon 1 1/4 cups of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Arrange the shells in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the mozzarella.

Bake in the lower third of your oven until the filling is heated through and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Sookie the Terrorist of V-Day

I really am around folksies ... AND I have some excellent news too!!! I finally upgraded my home laptop to Win7 and it's speedy fast now. What does that mean, you ask? It means that I can read and comment on blogs from home now. I can upload piccies and whatnot too. I can do a lot more on blogger than I could ever do before!!! WOOT WOOT!!! I love that!

Other than that ... I have been reading your blogs. I haven't really felt very good the last few days, sort of addled in the brain due to sinusitis ... so nothing clever is coming to mind.

I'll tell ya a little bit about Sookie and Kadee though. Sookie of course always wants to play ... and sometimes Kadee does and sometimes she doesn't. Kadee backs herself into a corner and Sookie won't let her out. I've resorted to using the water torture method for curbing this behavior. Sookie is now shooting me quizzical looks at this new phenomenon!

However, on Tuesday night ... the two of them were tearing after eachother through the apartment ... Kadee was chasing Sookie, it was good to see.

I was a bit afraid that Kadee would feel tortured yet again by another dog. (The reason she was at the shelter was because her original owners had her and her sibling. Kadee's sibling was a bully, and Kadee isn't very good at sticking up for herself)

My food plan is a bit shot again because of my schedule change, but I'll get back on track with that next week. I'm maintaining the loss I've had though, and being sick this week will probably help a bit too. *winks*

I will be settling in on my Sunday Book Stroll and I'll be doing that once a month. Probably the last Sunday of every month. I'll give you notice before it goes up though. The next one will be on The Lovely Bones

I'm going to be super sleepy Wednesday morning (I'm writing this on Tuesday but you'll probably be reading this Wednesday night so this will be in the past tense then. I sort of feel like I'm Hiro from Heroes ... travelling through time and such)

I only got four hours of sleep today, owing to the fact that I had to pick up my pc, get on the horn to the cable company, and then reformat my harddrive. Which by the way is EASY PEASY LEMON SQEEZY with Win7. Win7 is my NEW best friend!!!

That's all ... on we go with some other stuff ... *sneezes and sniffles*

I'd like to extend a special thanks to all of our veterans. Thanks so much for ensuring our freedom. It's certainly more than our government does for us! Bless You!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you
Wayne Dyer

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

If you had one night left to live, what would you do? Would you prefer to spend your final night with a loved one or alone? What would you choose for your last meal?

(wow this one is kind of morbid!!!)

If I had one night left to live ... I'd spend a little time with my family ... and a lot of time getting it on with someone ... really ... nearly anyone would do! LOL

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Daymare

PRONUNCIATION:
(DAY-mayr)

MEANING:
noun: A terrifying experience, similar to a nightmare, felt while awake.

ETYMOLOGY:
Coined after nightmare, from a combination of day + mare (an evil spirit believed to produce nightmares). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mer- (to rub away or to harm) that is also the source of mordant, amaranth, morbid, mortal, mortgage, ambrosia, and nightmare.

USAGE:
"Reports like these give me a deep and sickening feeling, somewhere between a daymare and deja vu."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too?

Over There,
World War II.

Dear Fellow Americans,
I write this letter
Hoping times will be better
When this war
Is through.
I'm a Tan-skinned Yank
Driving a tank.
I ask, WILL V-DAY
BE ME-DAY, TOO?

I wear a U. S. uniform.
I've done the enemy much harm,
I've driven back
The Germans and the Japs,
From Burma to the Rhine.
On every battle line,
I've dropped defeat
Into the Fascists' laps.

I am a Negro American
Out to defend my land
Army, Navy, Air Corps--
I am there.
I take munitions through,
I fight--or stevedore, too.
I face death the same as you do
Everywhere.

I've seen my buddy lying
Where he fell.
I've watched him dying
I promised him that I would try
To make our land a land
Where his son could be a man--
And there'd be no Jim Crow birds
Left in our sky.

So this is what I want to know:
When we see Victory's glow,
Will you still let old Jim Crow
Hold me back?
When all those foreign folks who've waited--
Italians, Chinese, Danes--are liberated.
Will I still be ill-fated
Because I'm black?

Here in my own, my native land,
Will the Jim Crow laws still stand?
Will Dixie lynch me still
When I return?
Or will you comrades in arms
From the factories and the farms,
Have learned what this war
Was fought for us to learn?

When I take off my uniform,
Will I be safe from harm--
Or will you do me
As the Germans did the Jews?
When I've helped this world to save,
Shall I still be color's slave?
Or will Victory change
Your antiquated views?

You can't say I didn't fight
To smash the Fascists' might.
You can't say I wasn't with you
in each battle.
As a soldier, and a friend.
When this war comes to an end,
Will you herd me in a Jim Crow car
Like cattle?

Or will you stand up like a man
At home and take your stand
For Democracy?
That's all I ask of you.
When we lay the guns away
To celebrate
Our Victory Day
WILL V-DAY BE ME-DAY, TOO?
That's what I want to know.

Sincerely,
GI Joe.

Langston Hughes

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Spaghetti w/ Pinot Grigio and Seafood

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio (or other white wine)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds clams, washed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups arugula

Preparation:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the seafood mixture. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the arugula. Stir gently and place on a serving platter. Serve immediately.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Hark Hark ... the new schedule is barking rediculous!

Okay ... I have a really quick funny about Sookie Bear. The other night, I was getting ready for work, and she was sitting on the edge of my bed. From her location she could see herself in the vanity mirror. She went ballistic on herself ... barking and carrying on, until I took her to the mirror. I'm not quite sure if she's gotten that she was barking at a reflection of herself. It was pretty funny thought.

I'm starting to get used to the two of them barking, I guess I had just gotten used to it being so quiet in my apartment for so long. But it's easy to fall back into ignoring the craziness that small dogs have with the barking.

Sookie is learning how to entertain herself ... and is getting to be a bit less of an attention whore. Although, I still need to pick Kadee up and give her personal snuggles so Sookie isn't always attacking us during our snuggle time.

They're both getting into the feeding and walking schedule, however with my personal schedule change, I'm not diggin on it so much ... heh!

You know ... when I get into the swing of things ... I have my Quote, Question, Word, Poem and Recipe of the day ... I'd love it if my readers (if I still have any) would let me know if they make use of the word of the day or the recipe of the day at all. When I post the WOTD I usually try to use it in a sentence that day or the next ... sometimes it can be a challenge! Anyway ... let me know!

I'm going to be off work the next three days ... so I won't be posting again until early Monday morning ... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

If you could change one major thing about your life, whether a relationship, your job, your living situation, your school, etc., what would it be? Are you currently working toward a serious life transition?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Acnestis

PRONUNCIATION:
(AK-nist-uhs)

MEANING:
noun: The part of the body where one cannot reach to scratch.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek aknestis (spine), from Ancient Greek knestis (spine, cheese-grater).

USAGE:
"In what has to be the longest post-election season in living memory, the last five months have felt like an acnestis upon our collective soul; like that little patch of skin on our backs that we just can't reach to scratch ourselves. It's irritating. It's annoying. It's left us reaching and spinning around in circles."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Hark! Hark! The Lark

Hark! hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chalic'd flowers that lies;
And winking Mary-buds begin
To ope their golden eyes;
With everything that pretty is,
My lady sweet, arise:
Arise, arise!

William Shakespeare

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Rosemary Chicken and Balsamic Ravioli

Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces each
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, eyeball it, just enough to coat chicken lightly
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 stems rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tablespoons
Salt and coarse black pepper
4 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin with a whack against the flat of your knife

Ravioli:
1 package, 12 to 16 ounces, fresh ravioli, any flavor filling
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls

Spinach Salad:
6 slices pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
1 bunch, about 10 ounces flat-leaf spinach
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Coat chicken in balsamic vinegar, then olive oil. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper and let stand 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for ravioli. Salt water and drop ravioli in water. Cook 8 minutes or until raviolis expand, float to top of water, and are al dente.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cracked garlic to the pan. Cook chicken 12 minutes, or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.

When the chicken is 2 or 3 minutes away from done, heat a second skillet over medium low to medium heat. To the second skillet, add butter to the pan and let it begin to brown.

Remove chicken from the first skillet and transfer to a warm platter. In a skillet over medium high heat and add the pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits, about 2 or 3 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain and return pan to heat, reducing heat to medium. Add oil and shallots to the pan and let the shallots saute 2 minutes.

When the butter for the ravioli has browned, add cooked ravioli to the pan and turn in butter to heat through. Add balsamic vinegar to the ravioli and cook a minute or 2 longer to reduce the vinegar and glaze the ravioli. The vinegar will become thick and syrup like. Add cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to the pasta and remove the pan from the heat.

To the sauteed shallots for the spinach salad, add sugar and cook sugar with shallots 1 minute. Add vinegar to the pan, scraping up pan drippings. Add spinach to the dressing and turn to wilt and coat it evenly in sweet vinaigrette. Add crisp pancetta to the salad.

Serve chicken along side ravioli and spinach salad, all on the same dinner plate.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Ears in the Turrets Hear ... Wonderdog

Okay ... so you all know what a TV junkie I am ... right? Well I have to say this no TV situation ... is sort of FREAKING me out. I'm heading online to check on my Library card, make sure it isn't expired. I may have to go check out some TV programs. Oh but I'd forgotten, I don't have the remote for my DVD player ... so I can only watch the first episode of each disk. There goes that brilliant idea.

Other than my TV withdrawl symptoms, things have been maddening around my apartment. The complex is laying new carpet in the hallways and on the stairs which has been making my doggy Kadee freak out ... literally she's been Barky McBarksalot ALL day long.

I'm thinking to myself (and if truth be told telling her at every waking moment) ~ Mama's working nights, mama needs to sleep during the day babycakes ... mama needs little miss Barksalot to shaddup already!!!

So this afternoon ... I finally just shut her out of the bedroom. Not in a mean way, I just shut my bedroom door while she was at the front door barking out her peace. I suppose I could have just left both dogs at home and gone to my mom's house to sleep. Hindsight, 20/20

I'll tell you what happened instead though. Kadee would go bark at the front door, then come scratch on the bedroom door ... then back to the front door; return to the bedroom door. Finally ... she figured out that if she barked she couldn't be in the bedroom ... but if she was in the bedroom, she couldn't bark ... I suspect it was a real conundrum for her. One of those 'things that make you go hmmm' moments. In the end, she decided quiet sleep was the best choice. Ahhh ... thank the gods for small miracles and two hour naps.

In the meantime ... Sookie the wonderdog (this dog can FLY man!) was pouncing on my head at every given opportunity.

Sookie also nearly scared 10 years off my life. I woke up from a stingy 1 1/2 hours of sleep (my last nap of the day) and made my way to the living room. Bear in mind here, Sookie is usually right at my heels whenever I move around. So I was surprised she wasn't following me.

Slightly alarmed -- thinking perhaps I'd left her shut out on the balcony or possibly that I had forgotten I'd duct taped her to the wall somewhere -- I started looking around for her. My apartment is not huge, there aren't that many hiding places. I looked in the pantry (more on that later), in the bathroom, in the bedroom closet, in the laundry room, on the balcony and under the bed. Sookie was NOWHERE to be found. I looked in all those places again ... calling her name. Still NOTHING.

Now I was fully alarmed! Then ... THEN I spotted a suspicious lump under the covers at the end of my bed, and lo and behold ... there's Sookie, so deep in sleep and downy comfort; with one of my socks tucked happily between her teeth, that apparently she couldn't or wouldn't hear me call. Funny dog, trix are for kids! Now, go make the bed!

Sooo ... back to TV ... because really it's my obsession. I've gone through all my Harry Potter movies. I've watched The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon and Deep Impact. I'm thinking that on my three day weekend, I'll do the LOTR trilogy one day. Then I'll do Titanic and Gone with the Wind the second day. And on day three, The Dune Saga! Sounds good n'est pas? Needless to say ... I'm going to have a lot of tv catching up to do once it's all 'back on!'. Yup. I maybe off blogger for a while when that happens ... so you all better bloody well enjoy while you can!

You're all welcome though, bring your own popcorn, beer, soda, whatnot ... I have tea ... and rice puffs!

That's all folks ... beedah beedah beep beep!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.
Ambrose Bierce

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

Do you tend to forgive and forget or hold grudges? What is the longest you've ever stayed angry with someone? Is there anything the other person could say or do to win back your friendship and trust?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Nihil Obstat

PRONUNCIATION:
(NY-hil OB-stat, NEE-)

MEANING:
noun:
1. Official approval.
2. In the Roman Catholic Church, a statement by a church censor that a book is not offensive to the Church.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin nihil obstat (nothing hinders), from nihil (nothing) + obstare (to hinder), from ob- (against) + stare (to stand). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sta- (to stand) that is also the source of stay, stage, stable, instant, establish, static, and system.

USAGE:
"The Army Corps of Engineers last week gave its nihil obstat to the Hudson River Park, New York City's scheme."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Ears in the Turrets Hear

Ears in the turrets hear
Hands grumble on the door,
Eyes in the gables see
The fingers at the locks.
Shall I unbolt or stay
Alone till the day I die
Unseen by stranger-eyes
In this white house?
Hands, hold you poison or grapes?

Beyond this island bound
By a thin sea of flesh
And a bone coast,
The land lies out of sound
And the hills out of mind.
No birds or flying fish
Disturbs this island’s rest.

Ears in this island hear
The wind pass like a fire,
Eyes in this island see
Ships anchor off the bay.
Shall I run to the ships
With the wind in my hair,
Or stay till the day I die
And welcome no sailor?
Ships, hold you poison or grapes?

Hands grumble on the door,
Ships anchor off the bay,
Rain beats the sand and slates.
Shall I let in the stranger,
Shall I welcome the sailor,
Or stay till the day I die?

Hands of the stranger and holds of the ships,
Hold you poison or grapes?

Dylan Thomas

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Cider-Glazed Turkey

Ingredients:
For turkey:
1 (12-to 14-pounds) turkey at room temperature 1 hour, neck and giblets (excluding liver) reserved for turkey stock
1 apple, cut into chunks
1 small onion, quartered
1 small bunch thyme
1 cup water

For cider glaze:
1 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

For gravy:
2 cups dry white wine
Melted unsalted butter if necessary
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
About 4 cups hot turkey giblet stock

Equipment: a 17- by 14-inch flameproof roasting pan with a flat rack; kitchen String; a 2-quart measuring cup or a fat separator

Preparation:
Prepare turkey:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third.

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and season inside and out with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Put apple, onion, and thyme in large cavity. Fold neck skin under body, then tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks together with string.

Roast turkey and Make cider glaze: Add water to pan and roast, without basting, 1 hour.

3Meanwhile, boil cider and sugar in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until emulsified. Let glaze stand until ready to use.

After turkey has roasted 1 hour, rotate pan 180 degrees. Roast, without basting, 40 minutes more.

Make gravy while turkey rests:
Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into 2-qt measure and skim off fat (or use a fat separator), reserving fat.

Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Strain through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices.

Put 1/2 cup reserved fat (if there is less, add melted butter) in a 4-qt heavy saucepan and whisk in flour.

Cook roux over medium heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add pan juices and stock in a fast stream, whisking constantly, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Briskly simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve turkey with gravy.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Fun Dip and a Lemon

Hey guys!

(Do ya'll remember this format? It's been a while eh?)

First I wanted to thank you all for voting on the names of my canine kids. Obviously I was only able to use one, and Sookie had been my first choice, and seems to be working well for the kidlet ... as she's a little powerhouse of energy and spunk!

Kadee obviously (I finally looked at her records to see how the original owners had spelled her name) couldn't have her name changed, as she was way way way to used to it. Again, though, thank you all for voting.

CD I loved the way you looked at it ... how they sounded when you yelled them. That cracked me up!!

In the spirit of All Hallow's Eve ... over at the The One-Minute Writer the writing prompt was what was your favorite sugary treat growing up.

I'll tell you, I'm not all that big on sugary treats these days ... but my favorite one growing up was the Fun Dip with the Lick-a-Stick.

Basically (in my time) you got three pouches of kool-aid like dry sugary powdery stuff and a candy stick that you would lick and dunk into the powder ... man that stuff was tart and good!!!

I remember getting that stuff and attending my brother's baseball games. Ho boy was I boy crazy then. All those cute ball players. I would be cheering them on and seductively dunking my stick in the candy goodness on the sidelines. Hmmm yeah ... those boys would come running like a pack o wolves. Stealing kisses behind the bleachers. *sighs* Those were the days.

It also reminds me of those long summer days ... my siblings and our friends; racing our bikes up to Stop-n-Go, getting our favorite candy and racing back home. Playing baseball in the cul-de-sac. Laying in the sun with my girlfriends; reading Seventeen and Teen Beat magazines. Giggling and laughing and running and playing. That's what Fun Dip reminds me of!

(no wonder the candy never landed on the hips back then!)

These days, eating candy is few and far between for me ... I'm not all that into sweets. As a matter of fact ... I find it difficult to get the proper fruit intake in most of the time, but I'm doing much much better on that these days.

In honor of All Hallow's Eve ... last night I had a baby snickers bar!!!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.
Rene Descartes

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

What was your favorite sugary treat as a kid? Do you have a specific memory attached to it?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Bowdlerize

PRONUNCIATION:
(BOAD-luh-ryz)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To remove or change parts (of a book, play, movie, etc.) considered objectionable.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), a British doctor, who edited the Family Shakespeare, an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's works. Bowdler believed the original wasn't suitable for the delicate sensibilities of women and children. He also edited other books, such as Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and the Old Testament in a similar manner.

USAGE:
"The film [The Birth of a Nation] faced more courtroom challenges than any movie before or since, and many locales did ban or bowdlerize the movie."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

A Lemon

Out of lemon flowers
loosed
on the moonlight, love's
lashed and insatiable
essences,
sodden with fragrance,
the lemon tree's yellow
emerges,
the lemons
move down
from the tree's planetarium

Delicate merchandise!
The harbors are big with it-
bazaars
for the light and the
barbarous gold.
We open
the halves
of a miracle,
and a clotting of acids
brims
into the starry
divisions:
creation's
original juices,
irreducible, changeless,
alive:
so the freshness lives on
in a lemon,
in the sweet-smelling house of the rind,
the proportions, arcane and acerb.

Cutting the lemon
the knife
leaves a little cathedral:
alcoves unguessed by the eye
that open acidulous glass
to the light; topazes
riding the droplets,
altars,
aromatic facades.

So, while the hand
holds the cut of the lemon,
half a world
on a trencher,
the gold of the universe
wells
to your touch:
a cup yellow
with miracles,
a breast and a nipple
perfuming the earth;
a flashing made fruitage,
the diminutive fire of a planet.

Pablo Neruda

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Chicken in Dill Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 whole chicken legs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons whole-grain or coarse-grain mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Preparation:
Whisk together flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Pat chicken dry, then dredge legs, 1 at a time, in flour, shaking off excess. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, skin sides down first, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate, then pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.

Add shallots to skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add broth, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to skillet, skin sides up, along with any juices from plate, and cook over moderate heat, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and boil sauce until reduced to about 1 cup and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dill, then pour sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Sidenote: This is actually something I can eat on my program ... less the veggie oil and flour and using chicken breasts. I'm going to give this one a try next pay period!

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Dead Tv's and Super Dogs!

Well folksies ... my new doggies are getting used to being 'home' with me. As a matter of fact ... Sookie Bear has made several an attempt to literally eat the nose right off my face. It was cute the first 50 times ... it's getting a swat on the bum now.

Katie Belle keeps putting Sookie right in her place ... a well placed growl and a cute little lick. KB has the bad cop/good cop thing down pat!!!

Now for some other news ... I've had some difficulty with my cable company. I keep asking them what my monthly payment would be with taxes and each time they give me a number I dutifully change it in my billpay in my bank account ... then about 3 months later they cut off my service and say that I'm 300 bucks in arears. Un-freaking-believable. So here, I thought everything was hunky-dory and all my bills are paid and accounted for ... then all of the sudden ... service is cut off!

I'm patting myself on the back ... 'good girl ... you've got your shite together, it's fantastic, let's go get some dogs!!!' But NO NO NO NO NO ... Here I find out ... AGAIN ... that the cable company has effed up my account and they cannot account for it! Shocking? I'm no longer shocked!

Bloody hell ... I can't get it back on until the 10th of November. Which also means that I don't have INTERNET access until the 10th of November as well, AND that I have to pay a reconnection fee. Needless to say ... It may be a while until I comment ... as really ... being able to comment on some blogs from work has been hit or miss forever now. I'm reading you though!!!

So ... I'm going to look into what the charge is to get internet through my cell phone provider. And I'm going to call and have the cable company recalibrate my package to exclude internet and phone service and just cable service.

If the difference isn't that much ... I'm changing.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with my cable company ... that they can't help me get my bloody account balance to zero ... and then give me the exact amount that I should be paying with tax for my package each month. (Which by the way I've asked them time and time and time and time and time again ... yes really that many times and each bleeding time it's a different bloody amount!)

I do believe I'll be writing them a very strongly worded letter as well. It's getting rediculous! I was in 2 months ago ... paid my balance down to zero but for the re-connect fee and sat there in front of the rep and asked her how much my monthly bill was including tax, excluding purchased movies. She said ... 177.34, I tapped the amount into my blackberry. Then I set up my bank billpay for 178 bucks a month ... that's an incredible amount of money. NOW NOW ... the lady I spoke with on the phone yesterday ... says it's 183 a month!!!! #$%# THEM!

Okay ... I'm off now ... to look at Verizon's internet access info.

I'll let you all know how it goes. (#$%#in bloodsucking vampiric cable companies!!!)


Brightest blessings,

Surry

Katee Belle and Sookie Bear

Introducing the Canine Kids

Sookie Bear

Katie Belle

Stay tuned for hopefully better images ... my camera died ... these are all I have right now.

Blessings,

Surry

Canine Kids

Well folksies ... I mades my decision. I'm about to adopt 2 new canine kids.

I have a short list of names that I'm thinking of using. Let me know what you think.

1. Nixie
2. Breena
3. Eliska
4. Sookie
5. Myka
6. Alysia
7. Edain

I've put up a poll in the upper right hand corner of my blog. Vote away!

Brightest Blessings,

Surry

Everybody Tells Me Everything

Well ... I do believe that my annoyance and thus yesterday's rant can be explained away by an excess of femininity this week. That's right folks ... PMS!!!

Excellent ... we all love it ... even you guys out there, you know you secretly do! I mean ... it's like the WWF of relationships week when this happens. It's incredible!

Anyway ... since my good friend Ian got all pissy about my last post ... and just flat out started being a big huge snotty meany-pants, I'm all about saying good riddance. Really, it's for the best ... I never wanted kids ... so his snot-nosed whining won't really be missed. And really 'J' you do deserve much better than that. (My opinion ... take it as you will girl, ya know I think you're the bees knees!)

Moving onward ...

How about that boy in the balloon? That poor kid ... actually all that man's kids ... really could we get a bit of child services intervention going on with that family? Those parents need some serious council and those kids need some serious help. Dad makes the kid lie on national TV? (shakes head in disgust) What a disgrace!

Mayhaps we'll see them all again on yet another episode of Wife Swap or whatever little reality show alien balloon daddy is trying to tout, I'm sure we can all only hope.

Elsewhere in the news ... well really ... there's no real news ... only Obama ... whew ... I guess nothing is really happening anywhere that's newsworthy. Cult of Personality anyone? Did I hire Obama to be on TV? NO I DID NOT ... I hired him to lead this nation, if he wanted to be a TV star ... he really should have changed his resume'. Luckily, I have about 24 hours of non-media television to keep me entertained. WEET!

Speaking of TV ... on Sunday ... I'll be posting at my new Certified TV Junkie Blog my take on the week of shows that I watch. Highly uninteresting, aye. But if you missed watching something, you can pop over there and see if it had been worth your while to miss it. I'm kind and generous that way! (hold your applesauce)

I'm seriously considering getting new doggies. We'll see how I feel about that in a week, I've been dogsitting and my mom's dog, god bless her, is completely neurotic.

That's all folks; here's a little funny ...

GRIT (Girls Raised In Texas)

Someone once noted a Texan can get away with the most awful kind of insult just as long as it's prefaced with the words, "Bless her heart" or "Bless his heart." As in, "Bless his heart, if they put his
brain on the head of a pin, it'd roll around like a BB on a 6-lane highway."

I was thinking about this the other day when a friend was telling about her new transplanted northern friend who was upset because her toddler is just beginning to talk and he has a Texas accent. My friend, who is very kind and, bless her heart, cannot do a thing about those thighs of hers, was justifiably miffed about this. After all, this woman had CHOSEN to move to Texas a couple of years ago.

"Can you believe it?" said her friend, "A child of mine is going to be "taaaallllkkin liiiike thiiiissss."

Now, don't get me wrong. Some of my dearest friends are from the North, bless their hearts. I welcome their perspective, their friendships, and their recipes for authentic Northern Italian food. I've even gotten past their endless complaints that you can't find good bread down here. And the heathens, bless their hearts, don't like cornbread!

I have a friend from Bawston, bless her heart, who thinks it's hilarious when I say I've got to "carry" my daughter to the doctor or "cut off" the light. She also gets a giggle every time I am "fixin" to do something. And, bless their hearts, they don't even know where "over yonder" is, or what "I reckon" means!

My personal favorite was my aunt, saying, "Bless her heart, she cain't help being ugly, but she could'uh stayed home.."

Texas girls know bad manners when they see them:

1. Drinking straight out of a can.
2. Not sending thank you notes.
3. Velvet after February.
4. White shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.

Texas girls always say:
1. "Yes Maam."
2. "Yessir."

Texas girls have a distinct way with fond expressions:
1. "Yawl come back."
2. "Well, bless yer harrt."
3. "Drop by when ya can."
4. "How's yer mama?"
5. "Love yer hair."

Texas girls know their three R's:
1. Rich
2. Richer
3. Richest

Texas girls know everybody's first name:
1. Hunny
2. Darlin'
3. Shuger

Texas girls know the movies that speak to their hearts:
1. "Gone With the Wind"
2. "Fried Green Tomatoes"
3. "Driving Miss Daisy"
4. "Steel Magnolias"

Texas girls know the three deadly sins:
1. Bad hair
2. Bad manners
3. Bad blind dates

G.R.I.T. = Girls Raised in Texas !

Now you run along, shuger, and tell this to ANY females aspiring to be GRITS--Even the northern ones, “Bless Their Hearts", and tell it to men who think Texas women are precious.

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ
One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.
Edward Abbey

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ
What's the best pick-up line you ever heard (or tried)? What's the worst? If you're instantly attracted to someone, will a stupid pick-up line dampen your interest?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ
Mausoleum

PRONUNCIATION:
(maw-suh-LEE-uhm, -zuh-)

MEANING:
A large tomb, usually an ornate stone building.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Mausolus, a Persian governor in 4th century BCE. His monumental tomb was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, after which any grand tomb is now called a mausoleum.
Also see columbarium.

USAGE:
"Wu is leading a delegation to attend the 80th anniversary of the burial of Sun Yat-sen at a mausoleum in Nanjing."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ
Everybody Tells Me Everything

I find it very difficult to enthuse
Over the current news.
Just when you think that at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens,
And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.

Ogden Nash

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Spicy Thai Soup w/ Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Onion and Garlic Mix
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon green curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup Lime Shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
Juice of 2 limes, divided
Slices from 1/2 lime

Preparation:
Blend Mashed Sweet Potatoes , and broth in a blender until smooth; pour into a medium pot over low heat. Whisk in curry paste and ginger. Cook 10 minutes.

Quick tip:
While cooking, arrange the enchilada bake and prepare the topping for the shepherd's pie.

Turn heat to medium. Add Lime Shrimp and peas; stir frequently until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add lime juice (from 1 1/2 limes). If not eating immediately, pour into an airtight container and freeze. Otherwise, serve, garnished with lime slices.

To reheat:
Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir in juice of 1/2 lime.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~

Screaming at an Old Chat Love ... I'm that retarded!

Oh dear ... I've been chatting with an old online friend of mine. A love actually, in my naivety. I started chatting with him about 10 years ago, and at the time we would phone eachother often. Nearly every night. At the time, he claimed to be in love with me. Yay ... I found chat love 10 years ago!!!

Moving on.

He and I started chatting again about a month ago. It was normal at first ... talking about old times, what's going on these days. Yadda yaddda mudda fadda!

The situation is that he's now fascinated with this girl. He claims to be in love with her. This girl happens to live in Canada. Ian lives in Oregon. Obviously it's a long-distance type relationship, yay and good for them! He does nothing but talk about it non-stop ... asking what he should do ... should he stay with her, should he dump her? I understand ... he's frustrated by the failed (and seemingly false) attempts by her to visit.

Their problem is ... she's been trying to get down to visit him and each time, something has come up that prevents her trip. She hasn't been able to make it. All he talks about is whether he should continue the relationship or not because she hasn't dropped every damned thing in her life to go and visit him. I'm tired of it. I'd like to continue our friendship (and I'm striking up a pretty good friendship with her too) but I'm sick to death of talking constantly about this one and only issue. I'm sick of being in the middle of them both. It's bloody annoying!

So last night I was forced to work a double ... 16 hours. Ian gets online today and starts in about himself and Jen. No hi ... no how are ya ... no whatcha been up to ... no how's work? NOTHING!!! Just ... what should I do, stay or break up?

Um ... hullo? What am I, chopped liver?

Finally I told him (quite flippantly) that in the end ... his selfishness will drive her and me both away ... and he'll not have to make any decision at all. So he probably shouldn't worry over it so. What does he say?

Ian: "So ... should I break up with her? Maybe she doesn't deserve me!" (literally this is what he said right after I said the above)
Me: "I don't think you deserve her, you're a selfish crybaby!"

Ian: "So ... what should I do ... leave her alone, break it off?"
Me: (mouth agape, really? he's asking yet ANOTHER EFFIN TIME?) "Do what you wanna do"

about an hour later ...

Ian: "So ... should I tell her I don't want to talk to her anymore?"
Me: "Tell her your going to the gorram moon for all I care, I don't really care what you choose to or not to do"

Ian: "crybaby yahoo smiley"
Me: "You know what Ian? I worked 16 straight hours yesterday. I got about 2 hours of sleep, and it's likely I'll have to work another 16 hours tonight ... you messaged me ... no Hi how do you do ... you just went into your selfish egotistical diatribe and questioning about what you should do with or about 'J'. Some friend you are."

and finally ...

Ian: "How am I selfish?"
Me: "I worked a 16 hour shift last night ... and lucky for you ... I'm tired and pissy enough to repeat , as I've literally JUST told you this. I was forced to work a double shift last night -- 16 straight hours, I got about 2 hours of sleep. I'm charged with dogsitting my mother's dog, and really can't be gone 18 hours a day while I'm doing that. I am being forced to do another 16 hour shift tonight. BUT ... when you first messaged me today ... you said Hi. You never asked me how I was, what I was up to, how things were going, if I'd grown horns or halos, or perhaps sprouted a tail since the last we'd chatted? No no ... can't do any of that ... don't really care what's happening with anyone else or in anyone else's life ... as long as you can talk about 'J' ... and repeat over and over and over and over the same stupid bloody questions, that I told you before only you can answer as I don't live inside your rock hard head, that you've been asking me for the last sodding month!!!! So thanks so much for your friendship ... but I'm tired of it ... tired of you being a big inconsiderate whiny little baby brat. And I'm tired of talking to you today, see ya!"

What a doofus!

End Rant.

I feel much better.