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.

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Fort Collins Sunset earlier this past week

 

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

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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.

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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.  

 

 

 

 

 

CHOCOLATE PIE - HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PROJECT - CATFISH(ING) - MOVING FROM THE BIG CITY

 FOR BREAKFAST

Not delicate or quality pie slicing techniques. Twisting turning motion from the pie tin to the plate. Slice delivered with a downward twist on the front. 

Not homemade. Store bought. Neighbors bought an extra while shopping down south. Wife said to. As for me, I will not buy one. Simple: I cannot quit eating once I start. It is painful to turn my back and try to find something to occupy my mind and time. Distractions! Will power is zero!

I imagine piemakers with extrusion guns full of chocolate pie filling and one with the same of whipped topping. A machine then finishes it off with chocolate sprinkles. Then boxing, storing and shipping. Eight bucks. I would pay $50 on the street corner. So best never to bring one home.. 

I forget about it soon enough. But not this past Easter Sunday. Set it in the fridge Saturday night and it sat there for 9 hours. Waiting. I refused to open the door and make eye contact. And I could not sneak a midnight taste as the queen bee would know in the morning.

In a world gone mad, we can still find a chocolate pie.

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  EAST TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR PROJECT COMPLETION

How did your junior year teenage daughters/sons do with their high school project this past school year? 

This 17 year-old east Texas high school young man did quite well don't ya think?

All built/welded from scratch!!

Schools open! Teachers teaching! Kids achieving! Kids learning! Who knew?

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

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HOLDS 16,000 LBS. FIRMLY TO ANY CEMENT PAD

STAINLESS STEEL 1 GALLON MILK CONTAINER. CREAM RESTING ON TOP

   

A throw back to days of old. Many a weekend visiting my grandparents farm and helping haul large pales of milk from the barn to the cooling creek. Grandma sending me back down to the creek to skim a few pints of cream off the tops for her kitchen cooking.

EAST TEXAS CATFISH(ING) "Teach a man/woman to fish." It's true!

Easter weekend. Fishing, like hunting, for sustenance. 

Family freezers now full of fish fillets for a year. Neatly stored along with hunting seasons deer meat.

Look at the tip of the front fin of the cat fish and see the brighter solid bone from the inner fin towards the tip. That tip is a razor sharp needle and will easily draw blood if grabbing the fish incorrectly or, quite often, when the fish flip flops while trying to handle it. 

East Texas norm of frying cat fish is dragging the fillet through corn meal and then into the frying pan. Folks here love it. But the bride and I are used to a light batter on fish and prefer to use a tempura mix. We have been told that 7 UP mixed in self-rising flour works well too. 

Catfish are good eats!!

Scraps please!

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HOMEMADE ROLLS 

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PHOTO WORTHY

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Wrap up.

For the 5 years that I have been blogging, I have often run across comments and folks exploring ideas of leaving the big cities and finding an out of the way place where living and common sense prevail. Where an individual family can still become self-sufficient. Where an economy is working and employment available for anyone who wants to work. Like minded people. 

We, too, were looking (3 years) but more from a retirement point of view. Then C19. 

Timelines changed for many reasons.  The last year of blogging here covers all of this. 

I see the same concerns/discussions today. Folks looking to move. But how to? Can we? Where do we go? These question plus hundreds more come into play and each have to be addressed.

Bottom line. All parties have to make the commitment. All have to work all the changes and problems to over come. All parties need to be ready for a mix of failures and successes. Be able to leave things behind. People behind. Family behind.  All will be weighed against what the new future can hold, longterm. Anyone dragging their feet will all but foil the attempt at what the new future can hold. Know this to the "Nth" degree.

A very good friend of mine told me a story of starting this kind of serious conversation with his wife and she broke down in tears at the idea. That was good information. Best to find all of this out at the get go.  

You will have to accept the idea that life/living can get worst in the move. Life/living can get better in the move. BUT it probably should not be the same as what you are living now. 

Have the hardest of conversations. Lay the whole deck of cards out on the table. See where that leads. Do not rush into the move. If you can visit the places you are considering. Spend a day or two driving the area. Money and time well spent. Moving somewhere only to find out it was a major life mistake can best be solved by spending some time in that local. 

Grandpa Charles and Grandma Rose left Russia separately with nothing but a small bag and the clothes on their backs. They were healthy, had excellent hard work skill sets and left everything behind for the coming to America. Everything they knew and loved in Russia was given up for the prospects of a new life.  They met each other in Chicago, she as a mail-order bride working off the indebtedness rather than marry the man who bought her, he to escape the life under the Czar

 

We can all achieve anything we think we are big enough to do.

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Situational Awareness: A good read and re-visit of keeping our heads up.

Thanks for the visit this week. I appreciate. Have a blessed week.