WEATHER BREAKS - EATING HABITS - JIBBER JABBER - LZ TWO BITS

 

 

Last hot day of the heat wave. At least for the next 7 day forecast. I hate to say it is all over and then have to take it back. Tomorrow starts temperatures in the low 90's with overnights in the mid 60's. Some rain predicted as a stationary front is hanging around.

 

 

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EATING HABITS 

 

A little Raspberry Vinaigrette does wonders.

Not a diet anymore. Now a new way of eating if I want some longevity from this body. An acute pulmonary embolism 4 weeks ago and I survived. 

 “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” JOHN ADAMS

Come to find out Cheetos are not a food group. Who knew?

I am fortunate that I have never smoked and have a good heart. 

A low carb, keto, Mediterranean-based diet. Walking walking walking and more walking. 

Not a painful change as I love all the foods that make up these eating lifestyles. Portion size control and I will adapt.

An easy to adopt philosophy of "eat foods that grandma or mom put on the table." Plan a daily 51% raw vegetables/fruits regime. Learn new recipes. 

Already I feel better and this success is easy to build on, even if I have to do it one meal at a time. 

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JIBBER JABBER

THE BURNING PLATFORM I find good reads here. All the elephants in the rooms now. Will they be ignored?

Mandates are Back

Not surprising as there have been many hints and testing of the waters of all of these restrictions coming back in late summer. I am curious what folks do now with all of the evidence from the C19 lock downs a few years ago. 

HOLLYWOOD 

Again not surprised. More so, I do not care. 

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SUMMER 56 YEARS AGO

Flight of four approach into LZ Two Bits

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September will bring easier days weather wise. We will sit outside on our car port and visit. Neighbors will stop by and spend time with us talking of no never minds. We will be getting our morning walks in on the quiet back roads. Gardens and hanging baskets will be cleaned and tucked away. For the most part, all had a good run this season. 

Appreciate your visit this week. Keep planning ahead and God Bless.

 

109 DEGREES WITH A 118 DEGREE HEAT INDEX - STREET TACOS - FRYING PAN

109 degrees forecast today with 118 heat index. I have not seen this heat nor index since we arrived here in east Texas 3 years ago. 

The cats have been coping outside, but this morning, we moved their cat house in the shop with two A/Cs running. Would have done this sooner but thought there was a wasps' nest inside their cage. Closer inspection this morning showed no wasp nest. A wasp bite is not something either my wife or I want to add to our concerns these days. Cats will be moved inside late morning.

Hurricane Hillary is not breathing down our necks and we will take that as a big up-side of this day.

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STREET TACOS

We have been told that a "street taco" can be anything you want it to be. A four inch flour or corn tortilla filled with some meat, sauce, spice and a myriad of other things, in any order or fashion, will work. Two each for our lunches and often dinners are very filling. Half the fun is taking leftovers, adding some zing and making sure that the taco can still be folded, is proving to be a very tasty new approach to our eating habits.

An upside is the simplicity of variety and good eats.

My recent health scare with blood clots has set me on a forever path of new eating habits. No going back 6 months from now to all those foods and such I have shared in the past on this blog. 

Low carb/KETO designed meals. I have always enjoyed veggies in any form along with fruits. There are hundreds of new ways to cook and eat that will make this life change easier for me to adopt. Surprising how much of these foods and meals can be stuffed into a soft tortilla shell.

The extreme heat cancels outside walking plans although I am able to get in an early morning walk. Adapting. Today a few chores was enough to take the place of that morning walk. "Pay attention to your body." Advice I take to heart.

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The bride bagged up a half dozen frying pans the other day, handed them to me and said to toss in the garbage. Two new frying pans from Amazon will be all we will need.

Two frying pans in the drawer and one tried and true WOK on the counter. Good to go! 

Simple pleasures like new frying pans are stupid I know. 

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 An hour of never before seen old 8mm Vietnam War footage

Editing recently digitized 8mm film from the Central Highlands, 1st Air Cavalry Area of Operation 1967, over these past two weeks has greatly improved my skills using video editing software. 

Fifty-six years, sitting in cool dark rooms, has kept the film in very good condition. Some of the film (now MP4's) is blurred but for the most part, a good run of vintage and historic footage.  Look for these as we near Veteran's Day this year. 

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Heat index already109 at 10:30. Gonna be a bitch today. 

Chores done and the cats are in their cage in the shop with a/c. They are unhappy, but it is for their own good, yadda, yadda. 

Appreciate the visit and God Bless.

WORKING SHEEP DOG - TENNESSE WHISKEY by SARA SPICER - VELVETING BEEF - HOT EAST TEXAS - DRAG RACING (ride along)

 "GREATEST SHEEP DOG...."

I laugh every time I watch this. A good start for this week's blog.------

Well, I went to his site (OZZY MAN) and went down the rabbit hole.

Just lost my S*** on this one. Complete uncontrolled laughter with tears running down my face.

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Found on Daily Time Waster.

TENNESSEE WHISKEY   I liked this song. Sound up/head phones on. FF to 3:00 in the video. Sara Spicer singing. I have not heard her before.

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DRAG RACING

 DRAG RACING WITH TRACY video

Ride along with her and share!

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HOT (forecast)

 

What each day was.

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Learning "Velveting Beef" to pass time these hot summer days. How Chinese restaurants tenderize beef.

I decided to give it a try.

 

If you enjoy Chinese foods and often eat out, you may recognize that the beef slices in the photo above look just like the beef slices in restaurant
Chinese dishes. I used an old package of frozen beef from the freezer to experiment on this dish. A matter of being curious and the wanting to  learn this. 

This adds a few more moving parts but well worth the planning and a little more effort.

I used half a white onion sliced and two small peppers from the garden.  packaged Mongolian Beef packet for the flavoring, and followed the directions on the web site above.

FYI My wife, who can be  IS a very outspoken critic of foods, gave 5 thumbs up. Cleaned her plate, twice. I do love a win!

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A cup of coffee in Johannesburg SA, 2007. Called a "Creme Caramel"..

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Hanging on a hook

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Building Afternoon Storms

Near the Yukon River, Alaska

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Mission complete, returning to base camp, Central Highlands, RVN, 1967.

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Talking of the heat in Texas will be a part of this blog through August and into September.  We are not alone in the heat this summer for sure, but it is a daily challenge to the normal comings and goings for us. 

I have noticed a big uptick in the price of beef. 

Gas is also up nearly .50cents per gallon seemingly over night. 

We are paying closer attention to keeping the rat car and the Dodge truck in top shape. No cutting corners on mechanical issues. 

Appreciate the visit this week.