THUNDERSTORMS WITH A CHANCE OF MEAT BALLS - SHADOWS OVER TARA - DEFEATING AI - CHICKEN IN A POT - JIBBER JABBER

Weather complaining still alive here. But the heat and humidity may have run its race this year as cooler temperatures come this next week. One big thunderstorm last week cooled and cleaned the air. Soaked the ground to the point of leaving puddles in the yard. A sign of change in the air? Locals also tell of feeling fall "in their bones". I pay attention to things like this. Also, plants at the entrance of our driveway are "leggy", showing signs of season changing. Both cats are eating more.

And yes, the bride made a batch of meatballs the same day.  

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 FROM THE FERAL IRISHMAN 

THE CRACK TRACKS....SHADOWS OVER TARA 

Put on head phones, turn the sound up some and listen and read. Four minutes of your time. 

ht to fi.

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HOW TO DEFEAT AI 

Found on Ace of Spades 082325

You may have to expand some to read.

It is the human spirit, of thinkers and problems solvers, that continue to amaze me. AI is a "thang" consuming some of my head time. In the blink of a technological eye, AI has woven its way into our lives. The old man in me is still wedded to those ways of old. How to cope. I have read this a dozen times and smile every time. A wooden shoe in the gears of change. 

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"This is where I enjoy my coffee in the morning.  It’s heaven." 

An email sent to an old friend with some complaining of "the times they are a changin." He writes back and ends his email with this photo and how he spends some of this time. Puts a smile on my face.

thankyou J  

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CHICKEN STEW

1. Add a whole chicken, stuffed with a whole onion, to the big soup pot.

2. Cover with water and simmer 5-6 hours.

3. Bone chicken and strain the broth.

Plenty of rich broth for soupmaking and chicken meat meals.  This will help cure colds and flu-s this coming winter. 

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JIBBER JABBER

Aging will continue to be talked about here.  In a nutshell, I am slower. Not yet dead in the water, but slower in moving, positioning, getting up, sitting down and walking, making sure I do not stumble or lose my balance. Most everything seems not to be done without some thought of that which I am doing. Driving in heavy traffic is avoided. Driving the back roads of Texas is the slower pace I wish to live. I see scenery now, not the blur. 

Sydney Sweeney has been fun to watch these past weeks. I did not realize she was an actress with credits beyond wearing jeans. Good for her.

Cracker Barrel has gone full Woke and has lost millions and millions of dollars overnight. Cracker Barrel has long been a place I have enjoyed eating at. My recent visit with my wife and her sister and sister's husband took place just a few weeks ago. The food was great, service staff excellent and atmosphere relaxing. I could always count on all of that at any of their resturants for so many years. My last meal there was a cowboy chicken lunch and may have been one of the best meals I have had there. But those days are over for us. Cracker Barrel resturants are now but a memory. I cannot comprehend this self-inflicted mortal wound Cracker Barrel brand brought upon itself. 

Appreciate the visit this week. 

 

CATS COPING - 105 DEGREES - ROAD BLOCKAGE - PORTABLE GENERATOR - CAJUN WOK - FOUND ON THE NET -JIBBER JABBER

Days spent this month finding any place that offers a cool lay.

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 HOT IN THE PINEY WOODS

 

BACK ROAD OBSTACLES

Not uncommon to come upon fallen trees across back country roads.  Root systems are often exposed near road ditches and a gust of wind can be the final push taking a tree down. 

We came upon this fallen tree blocking the road. My wife texted the photo above to our county commissioner and he said that a crew would be dispatched to clear the road.

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CHAMPION 2500 INVERTER GENERATOR

 

I am 4 months behind the monthly schedule of running this generator. Always starts on second pull, this morning 6 pulls. I also dumped out the gas that has been sitting in it and replaced with a fresh gallon.

I have covered this small generator here a couple years ago or so when we lost our in home generator to a lightening strike. I feared losing all the food in the two small freezers in the shop. 

I found this generator reasonably priced, highly recommended by the sales person who had a couple of these makes of generators at his home and never has had a problem. I am now a fan of this model because of price, dependability and quiet performance.

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   CAJUN WOK

A favorite dinner that is 100% carb free.

My wife found a Cajun seasoning recipe on the net, modified it our likings and made a large jar for us to pull from.

She mixes a +/-1/4 cup of olive oil and adds the Cajun seasoning until it thickens when whisked. 

The vegetables are marinated in 3/4 of the whisked seasoning and turned for about 10 minutes before being added to the wok to be cooked. 

After the veggies are sauteed, they are removed and the sliced sausage with remainder of the seasoning are cooked. The vegetables are added back along with the uncooked shrimp and "wokked" until the shrimp turn color. A few minutes. 

The meal is plated in a bowl along with a couple spoonfuls of broth. This Cajun wok dinner improves every time she makes it. This time, an over abundance of shrimp was added. She thought too many, I thought not enough. 

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FROM THE NET

GNOCCHI   Funny. 

Tree falling gone wrong.

I long ago learned to take some time and ask myself "how can all of this go wrong" when finding ways to complete tasks that may be "iffy" and/or present new challenges. In the video above, standing back and looking at the tree would have offered a very big clue. Trying to push the tree back the other way offers up volumes of questions.

Brothers in a martial arts demonstration. 

Amazing.

HUMANS A futuristic story line that may not be so futuristic in 2025. 

My wife and I watched this series when it first aired (2015/2018). This past week, we watched it again and it felt much different given the time that has passed since the release. FREE on PRIME, three seasons, 24 episodes.

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JIBBER JABBER

I sat under the carport a little bit ago listening to the quiet. The weather is comfortably warm this morning and a warm wind is blowing. Some birds in the distance were talking and a few were hitting the bird feeder. But life and the on goings here are quiet x 2. 

As the moments wore on, a lawnmower started up in the far off and became a white noise. The cat "meowed" once but was too lazy to talk more than that. 

Plants and green peppers have been watered. 

We are one-third of the way through August and summer in Texas. 

Appreciate your visit this week.