CANNON - FT. COLLINS SUNSET - GOOD EATS - JIBBER JABBER

Cannon is one of the local horses that roam the 20 acres to our south. Often on my morning walk, I will come up to him while he waits to be fed. He allows me to pet his nose. I talk to him like he understands me, telling him he is a good boy and that I appreciate him taking his time to let me say good morning.
 

Cannon on his feed.

 ---------------

Fort Collins Sunset earlier this past week

 

 Morning alone time; "The way it should be." Tea needs refilling, though.

----------------

GOOD EATS 

 HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

(From recent post) Lunch bowl of tomato soup with saltines. There is no other way for me. I still can see my father grabbing a full of saltines from the sleeve of crackers and crumbling them over his bowl of soup. Quite often, this was done twice. The crackers were folded into the soup before eating. I copy him to this day, although I do go a little easier on the cracker quantity. 

Sausage, zucchini, yellow squash, onion and eggs casserole 

 "With the crunch of Frenches fried onion on top."

One of my wife's go to meals that feeds us for a couple days. 

FOUR POUND BONELESS RIB EYE STEAK

Local markets had ribeye steaks on sale. I asked if I could get a ribeye roast for the same price. Butcher said "No, I cannot sell ribeye roasts; but I can sell you a 4 pound ribeye steak." I looked at him, he looked at me and I said, "I'll take two please."

A few minutes later I received two of the most beautiful "roasts" I have ever seen. The one above was a test this past week end and I should have ordered more "4 pound boneless ribeye steaks." 

Following photos just for food photography.

 

Her slice.
 

My slice.

I oven baked this "roast" like I have every other ribeye roast. Simple olive oil coating, salt and lots of pepper. Four hundred fifty degrees for 20 minutes then 325 degrees until center temp near 120 degrees F. Rested 20 minutes.

It was the quality of the beef. Nothing more, nothing less. And yes, it tasted as good as the photos convey. This "steak" fed us three full dinners for two.

---------------

JIBBER JABBER

Behind on posting due to real world problems. I was hit with the flu a week ago and down with all that entails. Cough syrup and congestion pills helped going through the rigors of the flu, but the exhaustion and weakness kept me down for most of the week. My wife was again my savior with small comfort food meals and constant over watch. She never ever complained, was always there to tuck me in and "hover" over me. 

Thanksgiving dinner did not happen. That meal now scheduled for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. 

My wife starts making Christmas cookies today for the Dallas family. They all need to be mailed out on time. Next batches of chocolate chip cookies for local friends and neighbors will follow that. I am determined to not tease myself with testing batches as I am within 5 pounds of where I want to be weight-wise. 

Cold weather now for east Texas, damp and wet. Propane fire place on most of the day and as we settle into winter, holidays and end of the year. Cats are fat and spend most of their time snuggled together in their cat house with electric blanket. They meow to eat and jump back their warm corners. 

Appreciate the visit this week.  

 

 

 

 

 

WO-1 "ARNIE" NAKKERUD, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN 11/11/2025 - VIETNAM MOVIE

W0-1 ARNOLD OLAF NAKKERUD 

 

Dear Arnie,

"It has been 57 years now and some memories are starting to fade. But not those of you, your friendship and those months we spent in Ft. Wolters, Texas and Ft. Rucker, Alabama. 

We were kids then, you from Seattle and me from Hoquiam, Washington. We met early on in flight school, attended classes together, flew together and spent much of our free time carousing the back roads of Mineral Wells, Texas and on our road trips to Panama City, Florida on our weekends off while at Ft. Rucker.

Of all that I learned while in your company and in our travels together, the most important was to live every day to the fullest and never ever change who you are for anyone for any reason.

Ft. Wolters and Ft. Rucker are no more, my friend. They are now historical landmarks from those days we lived and where we learned how to fly Army helicopters. Much has been written and history books are full of our brothers in arms, those times and that war. 

You were and still are my brother in every sense of the word. 

God Bless and be at peace."

 

 

Graduation Day. "Arnie" in the middle of several other newly commissioned Warrant Officers in the class of 66-17. On this day, we were awarded our wings, our WO-1 officers bars pinned on our shoulders and our orders. The majority of our graduating class were all headed to fly helicopters in Vietnam.

--------------- 

Vietnam Movie. 2/20th ARA. 1st Air Cav-1967

Photos taken and compiled in 1967 serving with The 2nd of The 20th, ARA, 1st Air Cav. We flew out of An Khe, Bong Son, The An Lao Valley and Phan Thiet. Lyrics and music by Joe Galloway "God's Own Lunatics" from "The Shadow of The Blade" 

---------------

It is my hope this day, that all veterans will never be forgotten for their service and sacrifice to our country.

God Bless America 

Thanks for the visit this week 

 

STORM CREW - SALTINES AND SOUPS - TIME CHANGE - JIBBER JABBER

Storm damage line crew morning "show-up" with several thousand outages left to repair.

----------------

GOYA SALTINES 

We finally opened one of the Goya (from recent post) saltine cracker cans. We were surprised to find that the crackers are packed in foil pouches, 4 crackers each. The saltines are thinner than other brands, and have a crisp salty flavor.

The saltines worked perfectly in a bowl of homemade broccoli-cheese soup.

First of November now with colder temperatures means breaking out the soup pot.

And this just in!!

Her is making cream of tomato soup. 

 ...continued next week

 --------------------
TIME CHANGING

 

I just learned again how much this bi-annual time changing causes some stress. 

 

We have tried a few tricks changing the time early, later in the day or ignoring the fact. I now remember that technology changes all of that because cell phones, computers and smart electronics are right there when you wake up to let you know that you are getting up an hour too early. Eating breakfast too early. The time to go out side for the daily morning walk arrives before I am ready. Or is it later? Feeding the cats at a new time cannot be done in one night because "they know what time it is for feeding," regardless. New cat feeding times take a few days adjustment. 

 

The in-home generator now does it's bi-monthly start up checks at 05:00 not 06:00. We will adapt.

  

She is in charge of all the home clocks and I am happy that she has taken this task on. We do work well together because we both have learned that no amount of pissing and moaning helps the process.

 

She cannot change the clock on the microwave no matter how many times she tries. I can. She has given in to let me do that.

 

But the analog chicken clock pictured above is the clock that breaks the camel's back. No matter what time all the other clocks say it is, the chicken clock is always our go-to time reference, coming or going. It was there this morning to remind us life is an hour out of sync. 

 

A ladder is needed, instructions are always given to me that to be careful and not break a chicken in the process of getting the clock down. "Those are your mother's and it would break my heart to lose one."

 

I gently bring down each chicken and secure it. The clock is twisted, lifted, pulled gently off the nail. A new battery is added, the clock is cleaned and the time set, the chickens are cleaned and I get back on the ladder and reverse the process. 

 

Finally, each chicken is re-oriented in its proper position. I have yet to set the chickens initially correctly. They are moved, pivoted, pushed back, pushed left or right and rotated to with in a nano inch of perfection in relation to the clock and each other. Once perfect, having walked the length of the kitchen, she expresses, with glee how wonderful they look. That is a good moment for me proving that I do have patience, that it will be months before we have to do this again and that that analog clock will pay back instant time information dividends a dozen times every day. 

 

JIBBER JABBER

 

At some point in your future, you will need pill boxes. I lived the majority of my life without them. But that has changed.

 

Taking two blood-thinner pills an hour apart was a mistake. To the point of driving to the emergency room to make sure I was not going to implode or "ooze out." The doctor enforced that it was indeed a big mistake and not to do it again. Thus, pill boxes and even a check list. Seems like overkill, but I have not made that mistake again. And I am more organized in the daily pill-taking process. Memory will be another issue, too, as you age. 

 

I only take three pills that are doctor-prescribed. Not bad, but the add-on supplements for eyes, vitamin this and vitamin that and a magnesium gummy all help with ............... they help!

 

And you will have to learn how to use your calendar on your cell phone for appointments. Doctor appointments. Yep, you're gonna have more doctor appointments than you think you will. And you cannot have appointments that require you drive in the dark to go to the appointment or return home.  

 

Her said this morning that "80 is the new 65." I am not sure about that. I rode a motorcycle coast to coast to coast when I was 65. My wife and I together would be hard-pressed to drive that now. Probably, but it would take longer and there would be many pit stops. 

 

Thanks for the visit this week.