Pot size makes a big difference in the growth of plants. Not rocket science I know. But the above, soon to be red hot peppers, describes all of this quite well. Same seedlings from same starts.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
CADDO LAKE BAYOU BOAT TOUR (YOUTUBE VIDEO) - SIZE MATTERS (PROOF)
Pot size makes a big difference in the growth of plants. Not rocket science I know. But the above, soon to be red hot peppers, describes all of this quite well. Same seedlings from same starts.
Sunday, July 18, 2021
TOKYO - GANNY'S PIES - SHELF PROJECT COMPLETED - CATS SLEEPING - TEXAS LIVING ONE YEAR OFFICIAL
I found this image this past week on American Digest, July 11, 2021.
I zoomed in a couple times here which means you have to have to scroll and cannot see the photo in a single glimpse.
Regardless, I was slowed down earlier this last week scanning blogs I read. The enormity of citizens compacted in this area is well beyond any experience I have had around large cities. The photo held my attention and I was trying to put in some perspective of living like this. And there are larger cities ie., Manila for example.
But this photo is worthy for being worth a thousand words. Especially in that the whole city is not fully captured by the camera.
Tokyo: 16,121.8 people per square mile (Google Search).
To what point here. Mind boggling for a start! Engine Failure?
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GANNY'S PIES
Just south of us is this little restaurant. I have seen the sign and small building a dozen times. Fresh pies apparently. But I have paid no never mind attention to it. For what ever reason, it never caught my attention beyond a quick glance and not a place I planned to stop in and take a look. And I do love home made pies.
Then my wife stopped in on a lark coming back from an appointment a few weeks ago. Met Ganny and discussed her baking and menu. That was the day her told me that Ganny makes Chicken and Dumplings every Wednesday.
Her does not like Chicken and Dumplings. It is the dumplings. Always the story of her mother making this often for the large family. Served over mashed potatoes.
Her always squints up her face explaining how she would not eat it. Her brothers would devour the whole dinner, but her wanted nothing to do with it. It is the chewiness of the noodle dumpling. Serious body language along with every explanation. For me though, chicken and dumplings is a whole new world to dive into.
Just before 11:00 AM Wednesday, I told her I was off to try Ganny's for chicken and dumplings and she nodded, "drive safely and enjoy." I would always prefer we go out to lunch together.
I was the only car driving in and parking at Ganny's. No big crowds at opening. One small neon sign said open, the sign on the door said closed. I walked in.
I said that I heard a rumor that you serve chicken and dumpling every Wednesday. Ganny said hello and told me she only cooks one specialty meal each day. Everything else is pies. "I can make over 100 pies."
Like an idiot I repeated, "you can make 100 pies." To which she replied, "over!" A menu board on the wall had a dozen or so pies that were fresh out of the oven that day.
Ganny said she never knows on Wednesdays what will happen with her batch of chicken and dumplings. "Some days I have a gallon left over and other days I am sold out at 10:30." She opens at 11.
She set a medium sized bowl of steaming hot chicken and dumplings in front of me. Then a corner slice of out of the oven corn bread. The corner slice of any out of the oven corn bread is the gold standard. There are only 4 in any given batch.
Her serving me out of her kitchen was right out of any family meal serving play book. I was not in a restaurant, I was in a home, a guest, take it as it is, relax, enjoy and so forth.
And we chatted. Ganny had stories to tell. How she started her business, took the leap of faith to open her own restaurant and cook what she wants to cook before she turned 50. She wanted to do what she loves best. Her way!!
Keep in mind this restaurant is word of mouth. No big advertising campaign. I noticed that she was filling to-go cups on the counter as we talked. A full big ladle then a half ladle to complete the portion.
Whole warm pies rested on the stove tops and behind the glass oven door windows were pies on the bake.
Like moths to the flame, the front door comes alive. Friendly greetings, a little chatting then another small group of folks. They start coming and going. All take out. Cars park outside in random order.
During all of this I am nose down in her chicken lunch. This was personal. Every bite tells me that she will be sold out within a couple of hours. That I most likely will be back every Wednesday. "When it is gone, it is gone!"
During a lull, I asked for slice of cherry pie. Does it go with chicken and dumplings. Who cares?
Ganny said it was still warm and not set up. She served it in a bowl with a spoon. Just like home.
I have never waited on any cherry pie to set and be fully ready to eat. Well, ten minutes maybe. Homemade pie crust melting into the warm cherry filling and a few cherries in each bite. Like the chicken and dumplings, I could have easily over dosed there that day. But hey, next week is just around the corner.
I should be smart enough by now to know that the out of the way no never mind eateries often offer the very best in Texas foods. That there is always charm and a boat load of Texas welcome.
Ganny knocks this out of the park.
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SHELF PROJECT COMPETED
Seven shelves including the top completed mid week. Tools all picked up, last dabs of paint then gave her the keys Thursday morning. Happy girl.
Will never see a photo of these shelves empty ever again.
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CATS ASLEEP
A typical warm warm day after they have run themselves ragged. With a fan blowing over the middle shelf, one on top of the other, they drop dead asleep like youngsters who have played hard into a similar drop dead nap.
Monday, July 12, 2021
DINNER PLATE HIBISCUS - SNAKE INTRUSION - STORAGE SHELF BUILD - WORLD TRAVEL - STOL DESIGN
Protected from predictors under netting.
“SNAKE INTRUSION”
We lost power early in the week, midnight till 3 AM. It was the first real test of our whole-house generator.
The
generator is located just outside of our bedroom wall and
consequently the noise level was noticeably elevated. Not to be
unbearable, but loud enough to be noticed out of the everyday norm.
Of course her slept through it like a baby. I, on the other, hand went
into worry concerned mode.
After checking power outages in our area on the net, it appeared that the best explanation was “a planned outage” since it was straight up midnight when the power went out. And it was not a bump or two, but drop dead power cut off. At exactly 3 AM the power came back on.
A call that morning to the power company to find out if it was indeed a planned outage, the answer a simple “no ma'm.” Curious.
My wife called back and the explanation was given. “There was a “snake intrusion” at two of the local substations and the power was indeed shut off to solve that problem. That sounds planned to me.
Regardless. We did not ask more questions, although I would have liked to know what a “snake intrusion” looks like and how they rid the area of snakes.
There are snakes here where we live. We have heard stories, told not to walk in the tall grass or bushy places. Neighbor killed a 5' snake just two weeks ago while it was slithering across his lower driveway. Friendly snake. But 5' snake!!
Anyone talking spiders or snakes sends me immediately to Scarlet Ohara-ville...”I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.”
CORNER SHELVES CABINET PROJECT
I told the bride that I am taking August off. I am retired and it is about time I took some time off. Cat house, garden, normal chores and now building her corner shelves in the laundry room for storage.
The builder of this new home did/does not have a good grasp of room function along with design. Bathroom sink and cabinetry does not serve a laundry room purpose. "Where do I thaw the Thanksgiving Turkey?" Real world problem once a year; maybe twice.
More importantly, there is no storage room for laundry needs and kitchen supplies. The new shelves will be a big help. She will also get two corner shelves over the dryer.
This project is much easier and quicker than the cat house. Working inside on a hot Texas day helps.
Sunday, July 4, 2021
NEW CAT HOUSE - MORNING POND - BACON WRAPPED JALAPENO'S - INDEPENDENCE DAY 2021 - PERFECT HOT DOG
Kittens have more than doubled in size since we got them and I have been under the gun to get them into a roomy place where they have room to play, climb, jump, hide and practice all of their developing cat skills.
Friday morning was their first “walk” through. Set in on the ground floor of their five-level new home, they began their first explorations.
They much preferred the quick climbing up the wire side of the cage and forcefully pulling themselves through the few small places left inside the cage. Cats see things much differently than i do. All the shelves for the 5 levels were in place.
Jump down and repeat. Then a new path; then another and finally, the staging I built up the top level was discovered. That took an hour as they kept running and playing through one new level. One would look upward only to be hard hit by other landing on top or knocking her over. Which, of course, requires retaliation.
My wife is a new parent at heart. Her scolding falls on deaf ears. “Hey; don't do that!” I keep telling her that they are large kittens. They are cats!!
That they are doing what they are supposed to be doing and with great enthusiasm and skills quickly learned and practiced over and over. They are developing; evolving before our very eyes.
We watched for two hours, visited, laughed and finally the kittens were exhausted. We moved them back to their small cage, put them in the shop with A/C on and they slept for 5 hours.
And to answer your question, “do I have plans?” the answer is no. I invented this from the first cut of the saw cut to the last screw holding the top on.
(Publishing today.) Several days now in their new home. They have adjusted well and are acting like young teens. Bolder at trying to escape when we clean the cage, add food and water and moving them to inside evening quarters. The wife and I feel that they are double-teaming us with purpose now. The have no fear of trying any route of escape.
They believe they are ready for the keys to the Corvette.
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Morning Pond