SOUP MIX - COOL TATTOO - CONTAINERS - GRILLED STEAKS AND SHRIMP - FREEDOM FOR THE CATS - COVID REPORT

 

From Carmie's Kitchen. 

Found these soup mixes over a year ago. Tried the chili mix and found it quick, easy and guest worthy. Would let it simmer awhile and set a few hours before serving. The Chicken Enchilada mix has been in a box this past year and decided to give it try for lunch. Excellent.

Boiled a couple leg quarters and used the broth instead of the water the mix called for. Used the best of the meat from the boiled chicken. Followed directions.

This mix is open to your personal likes also. But the basic mix is also guest worthy. 

No kickbacks from Carmie's here. Just sharing.

...............

COOL TATTOO

..............

CONTAINERS STACKED IN LOCAL WALLY WORLD PARKING LOT

Have never seen this before. Seemed odd and out of sorts. But worker-bees told us all empty and normal. Apparently this particular store fills these for further distribution. 

..............

IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING!

...............

$35 BUTCHER BLOCK COOKING ISLAND (garage sale)

Repaired, sanded and two coats of mineral oil.

Second season crop of green peppers.

A year and a half later, the patio has a roof, a grill and cooking island.

First test meal last night. Yep, as much fun as I had anticipated. $8 rib eyes and a few Gulf shrimp. Served both Saturday night dinner and Sunday night dinner.  
............

FREE CATS

Long awaited day of freedom for the sister cats. They have grown big, full of piss and vinegar and oh so ready for their freedom. Opened the door and they were giddy with freedom. Backs arched, side jumping and checking out everything in the shop and car port. 

Sister cat is hidden behind clay pots.

Her and I worked outside most of the day projecting. The cats stayed near and were a joy to watch as they played in their new found freedom.  

Stealthy.
 ..............

JOE BIDEN

He still has approval ratings. 

Below found on Raconteur Report.

AFFIDAVIT OF LTC. THERESA LONG M.D.

 Take the time to read this for your own knowledge and understandings.

ALUGALUG CAT 

Musicians from around the world can make music like this. Cool.

...........

October coming this week. 

Nine months of political upheaval behind us, likely more to come.  

Times, they are a-changin!!

Heads up, knees bent and stay away from crowds. 

Thanks for the visit this week.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS - PHOTOS

 

Elbow grease costs little.  These are great times to get outside and apply elbow grease and a little TLC to our yards. 

Another harvesting of our 4 basil plants. Time consuming, but saving what we grow is part of the program. Sitting and snipping leaves brings with it good use of my time and satisfaction. This particular harvest of basil was rinsing, chopping and stuffing into an ice cube tray. Frozen cubes of basil zip locked and ready for soups/stews simmering on the stove. 

A quiet week. First world problems from gardening, yardwork, computer work, lunch out with visiting family and the general comings and goings. Hard to turn a blind eye to worldly chaos, but staying busy with chores and outings helps.

From American Digest.   "If I were the Devil." by Paul Harvey. 

I have heard this a few times over the years. But listening to this in today's climate is chilling. 

.............

Instrument panel of OH-13  Army training helicopter at Ft. Wolters Texas, 1966.

Running the tides, San Juan Islands, 1986.

Hughes 500 in confined area

 Early morning; DeHavilland DH-2 Beaver, Ketchikan, Alaska

.............

Short post this week. Appreciate the visit.

 

TIME RUNNING OUT - P-38 - VACCINE MANDATE - YOU HAVE THE RIGHT

Sept 10, 2021

Time is running out. At least it feels like this to me in these crazy crazy days of our lives. 

................ 

GOVERNMENT VACCINE MANDATES are officially laid out for all Americans this week. Push has come to shove. Pushback is coming to shove. 

Stay grey if you can. Little to no time left to stock shelves. If you are not ready, shame on you. No one is coming to save any of us. No one! You have seen and heard this before.

Get to $ stores. Local stores. Chain stores. Gas tanks full. Extra gas. Have plans. Have coms. Plan with no coms available. Plus a dozen things more directly affecting you and yours. Add full blown first aid kits. Help others.

It's whats for dinner!!

Dawn of a new era.

Quite often it is the presentation.

OOPS!

.................

Excellent drone footage.

Weakest Link from Bustednuckles with other assorted stuff.

The number 52 from  American Digest

............

 

Will leave you this week with fresh refrigerator bread and butter pickles and pickled (from cans) beets. 

Quiet week. Heat and humidity down and comfortable east Texas summer going into fall weather finally here.

Appreciate the visit this week. 

CAN I BORROW YOUR BULLDOZER? - FOUNDATION PREP - GARDEN FLOWERS - FOOD PORN - BEEFY MEX SOUP - QUIET WEEK

Borrowing a bulldozer.  

Protecting back roads by crossing on old tires. Works perfectly. Those tracks never touched the road.

Digging a large hole next to a pond to find a leak. Apparently, a tree left in the dike years ago had rotted and was wicking water out of the pond. 

Tree dug up, removed and the large hole filled back up.  All within a few hours work. Helps to have the bulldozer, "driving skillset!"

..............

FOUNDATION PREPARATION

Slab foundation preparation. All plumbing in place, extra cement beam support channels dug, moisture barrier and re-bar installed. Just about ready for cement pour. 

................

BRAZILIAN ROCK ROSE

ANGEL TRUMPET IN BLOOM

See the Praying Mantis?

Photos from neighbor's garden. 

................

FROM FOOD PORN ON TWITTER

HT to Ace of Spaces.

I could not stop watching. Maybe it was her accent. I thought of turning it off, but could not. My bet is that any guy that opens this clip, will watch to the end. Actually kinda fun. If she did indeed cook this steak, my bet is her phone is a constant  buzz. 

FROM KNUCKLEDRAGGIN MY LIFE AWAY

Watch the expression on her face. Good for the heart.

............

BEEFY MEXICAN SOUP

I was gifted one bowl of this soup. A test try. Looked good and I did take a photo. In my exuberance to share with you, I deleted it. Can't get it back due to lack of tech knowledge. Looked through deleted, not there. Damn, it was one of the better food pics I have taken. Yes, the soup was excellent. Demanded some early bread dipping. 

Key to the recipe is Hamburger Helper. There is a lot of room to fine tune this to individual preferences. A quick meal and full of flavor. May need a little more water, longer simmer; may not. 

...............

QUIET WEEK

Heat and humidity still a factor limiting outdoor activity, at least for us. Her and I have spent some time harvesting more basil and making a few small jars of pesto. Found a special on rib eye steaks BOGO and took advantage of the price.

 Tucked a couple away in the freezer. Have also tested and are finding that one steak, split in half for dinner, is enough. A side of salad or baked potato makes a wonderful meal. 

Both her and I agreed that there was a time where we both could have each easily eaten a steak apiece, like the one below, without issue. 

Green peppers and cherry tomatoes making a comeback and producing another crop. Chili peppers turning red hot on the vines. Drying the first harvest in the sun and will keep this up through the plants' producing season. These are the peppers, when dehydrated, that become the pepper flakes seasoning found on the grocery store shelves. 

We have dehydrated basil, thyme and rosemary. Each a small glass jar on the shelf next to the kitchen stove. 

A few months back her discovered small bags of dehydrated tomatoes at local $$stores. Again, she took advantage of the availability and price. We enjoy them in salads, soups, stews and just yesterday, her put the contents of two bags in a medium jar with olive oil, garlic and dried basil leaves. 

Now another condiment option for salads or put on toasted french bread with fresh basil leaf and piece of fresh mozzarella. New flavors that pop and add to lunches and dinners. 

Quiet week in east Texas. Appreciate the visit.