LINEMAN STORM CREWS - TOASTING BREAD - BROCCOLI - SWEDISH PANCAKES - MORE LINEMAN STORM DUTY STORIES - MERRY CHRISTMAS

Last weekend, early in the week.

ME:   "Still on storm duty?"

SON: "More than ever: 22 spans of wire down. Just rolled up on the job.            Pitch black.  

          Been all over New Hampshire for the past 48 hours." 

Big cold rolling across the country coming before Christmas.

Lineman will be out working in the weather to do their very best keeping the lights and heat on when the power goes out. Many will not be home for Christmas.

Drop off a box of coffee and a box of doughnuts if you happen upon a utility storm crew. Say thank you. Son says that folks who simply say thanks to them is reason enough to do what he does. "Nothing like seeing the power and lights come back on in a blacked-out neighborhood."

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WIFE'S HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS TOASTING BREAD

She saw some fellow advertising raisins on the net and was weaving bread/adding raisins. She decided to give it a try and 6 loaves later had it perfected. These loaves were the first so I think she got it right from the get go. 

Impossible for us not to sit down and not tear off a piece of warm bread right out of the oven and coat with melting butter. We did and it was grand. This bread shines as toast in the morning.

Several loafs gifted to neighbors and a couple set in the freezer. 

Cookies have been sent, have arrived and family happy to have a taste of old family cookies their mother and grandmother use to make. No one does this but my wife. The simplicity of simple homemade gifts. 

Local neighbors and folks who cross our lives through out the year. The smiles on the faces of our local refuse pick-up crew is always a gift.  A smiling "Merry Christmas" given and received.

The kitchen counter and table have been mostly cleared now. A real feeling of the Christmas spirit alive and well here in a small corner of east Texas.

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BROCCOLI

I did not know how hearty broccoli was as a winter vegetable. The spots on the leaves above were wet spots from a colder than usual night. This floret is the second harvest. 

Nine degree temperatures coming the night I took this picture so all was harvested to include a cutting of the best looking leaves for dinner. Chopped, boiled and eaten with a touch of butter and salt. Very tasty and full of nutrition.

I plan to do a larger planting of this vegetable next fall. 

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VENTUSKY 

Check out this weather site. Add it to bookmarks as you can check anywhere on specific current weather. Excellent for this particular cold weather moving in from up north. 

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CHRISTMAS DAY 2022

Slept in this morning. First cup of coffee, several small gift exchange with my wife and both of us finding a Christmas card that tells of good love between husband and wife. Simple. 

Tradition continued this morning with my father's Swedish pancake recipe. Buttered and coated these with syrup. Stick a fork in the edge, roll it up and cut in three bites. Last a few seconds, but is heaven. Thanks dad!!

Last day and night here for the cold snap that covered the country. We weathered it all w/o issue. A little planning helped.  

Lineman son just called and is still on storm duty. They are heading up to the middle of NH. Said that yesterday, Christmas eve, there were  80,000 with out power in southern NH, this morning there are 9,000. 

He also said that he had just been raised up in the bucket when the micro burst rolled through southern NH the other day. He said limbs and debris were flying all around him as he rode out that wind gust. Also said that when all was said and done, the bucket truck could not move forward or backward due to all the downed trees and debris around them. Hell of an work office experience, huh?

He said the crew had just had breakfast, were heading out to pick up "truck groceries" and get to another repair site. Also said that the foreman has dinner reservations made for later tonight. Chinese. He will get a hot Christmas meal as will his crew. HT to the foreman for taking care of his crew. 

Wife delivered the last batch of cookies yesterday afternoon. Neighbor brought over 2 helpings of Crème Brule yesterday for our Christmas Eve treat. He bakes quite often and tries new recipes. We are a test bed for him and oh so happy to "be there for him." Just wonderful.

From east Texas, Merry Christmas. Say it with me: Merry Christmas. 

Appreciate your visit this day. 

WOUNDSEAL - BROCCOLI - PACKING FOR A ROAD TRIP - PROJECT BUILD - STUFF

Still available from the net for delivery. For all the right reasons, should the need arise where we have to be self sufficient in the event of a small injury. Just as possible, to be able to help a neighbor.

As an older man, my skin has gotten thinner on my arms and tears at the slightest scrape or cut. I bleed. I bruise. I heal. Putting a good band aid on the wound no longer works as taking the band aid off also can take a chunk of skin with it.  

All of my life, my forearms have borne the brunt of protecting me from things like doors closing in my face, falling objects or unexpected items coming at me. Reflex response. 

Today, those responses are alive and well, but the simplest of reflex protective response quite often ends in some bleeding wound. These above wound seal have been tested, used and work wonderfully.

Quite often, I do not even know I have injured myself until I see blood running down my arm or my wife asked me what in the hell did I to myself.

A fellow neighbor is also an older gentleman and experiences similar bleeding from similar wounds. We have shared a few of the smaller packets with him and he now swears by them. Carries packets on the tractors when out in the fields working. 

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An early morning gift. 

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BROCCOLI LEAVES

I have not had this kind of success with broccoli before.

Hearty, resists the cold and in doing so, produces sugar in the process. The leaves become sweeter. Most important to me is the longer term of my garden feeding us on a daily basis. Steamed, sautéed or wilted in a salad. The broccoli plant feeds before and after the florets are harvested. More will be planted next season. Optimistic, huh??

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ROAD GOODS

Part of a lineman's on the road goods. Departing early in the morning for a job a few states west. Right smack dead in the heart of the beast. High end work with energized power lines. 

Dad will worry but he tells me not to. Has good guys with him and all well trained and grounded in the times of our lives. But a dad worries.

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STRANDING GRAVITY WATER FILTER STAND BUILD (whew)

Gluing finished frame today. Having fun and good for the head. 

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OTHER STUFF:

Lanny Wilson - Heart like a truck.

I would listen to more county western like this. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FROM Raconteur Report

ARTIST TALENT I wish I could draw like this. 

FROM NC RENEGADES . I hope we are wrong. Short video. 

Maybe park information like this in some, not too far off, corner of our minds. 

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A good week in east Texas. Some rain that was greatly needed. Temperatures wonderful. Winter is coming. 

Gas fireplace on to take the morning chill out of the house. 

But the elephant in the room is getting larger. No October surprise. As of today with elections 2 days away, no red flag or EOTW catastrophe that I know of. 

Lots of local shooting around us yesterday and last night. Loud booms. But this is not out of the ordinary. Could be feral pig hunting or just plinking. Normal Saturday night in East Texas. 

Folks I visit with up north, locally and day in and day out, chatter with my wife, find growing concerns for coming upheaval. Blog chatter is of a red wave. I would expect this using common sense from experiences of the population these last two years.  Change for the better of country and all folks. But common sense, as I see it, just might be for old men. 

Folks up north talk of empty shelves in the stores. Here in east Texas all seems normal. I think because we are closer to food belts and food production. Prices are up, but availability appears ok. May be that it is that there are more small stores and markets to shop. Most dollar stores are well stocked.

But if there is indeed a real diesel shortage, it is just a matter of time.  

Two days to mid-terms. We have voted and at our place of voting we were told that early turn out is very high. But I wish they were hand counted.

I appreciate your visit. I do. Put in last minute items as you see fit. Love those close to you and be kind to others who pass through your days. Stay away from crowds. Do one thing you have been putting off for weeks now. 

Say a few prayers even if you do not know how to pray. Give it a shot. Just you and God. He hears. Yep.