Donner makes Director in Yeller Texas

For a number of years now, my wife and I have been trying to arrange things in such a way as to get moved down to the Canyon Lake area of Texas. What's that saying, "If you want to make God laugh tell her your plans"?

My wife has worked for the school she is at for about a year and a half. She put in just over seven at her previous school. In all of this time she has had good days and bad, much like you'd expect from any job. Believe me when i say, there were more bad days than good at all of her previous schools. On the other hand, the school she is currently at is everything she could want in a job other than the job title and the privileges that come with it. However, laying that aside, she absolutely loves her job and when she loves her job everything works well at home. Looking back, that was the quiet before the storm.

Sometime around the first of November, an executive recruiter called her to see what her job status was. During this call, he determined he had a position that would be perfect for her and asked if he could put her in for it. She said yes. It's not like the first time she's received a phone call promising the moon and nearly always they are either somewhere we just won't live, the money is terrible, or both. ( See also Hayward, California for 60K, for those that don't know, that's just not a good deal even if you are willing to live there)

Within forty eight hours of his putting her in for the job she had a telephone interview. It sounded more like a round table for business strategies than an interview. Two days later, she was at the corporate office meeting all the suits there and being interviewed. The following Friday, she flew to Amarillo for a tour and a face to face with the President of the school. The following Thursday, they made an offer, she countered, they answered, and she took the job. That puts us at the beginning of this last week. Wow Dude!!! There's no grass growing under this deal.

Now here comes the fun part. We have two boys in High School: a Freshman and a Sophomore. We talked to them about this and they were really good about the move. The jock wanted to make sure his new high school was 5A because of college recruiting and the brain wanted FFA. Well, there is only one High School in Amarillo that accommodates both, but there is one.

Now for the funner part. She starts work there on the thirteenth. The kids get out of school for Christmas on about the nineteenth. Then there are two sheep that prematurely get to go to the butcher on the sixth. Then there is all the packing and everything else that goes along with a move. So, i may or may not blog again before we move. I probably will, but if it seems like i have dropped off of the face of the earth just know it's only because we are moving.

By the by, i figured that pizza and sodas are cheaper than Bekins, so the jock's invited the team over to help load the truck. Suddenly, I'm seeing flashbacks of those old Tourister Luggage commercials with the ape. I better pack well.

Please, join me in congratulating a fine strong woman as the Director of Education!!! Well done Donner!!!

P.S. For those interested, we currently live 502mi. from Alpine. We are moving 372mi. closer, but will still be 417mi. away. Only in Texas.

Until i find you again, Peace be with you. Dave

Oreo and Milky move in

Occasionally in life you find yourself on the wrong side of the equation and if you're lucky someone or something will reveal to you the other possible points of view. I was reminded of this Monday afternoon.

My son, Zeke, joined FFA (Future Farmers of America) this year when he entered High School. We talked at great length about the commitment involved in raising a show animal and the challenges that each one brings to the table. Things like: Sheep are dumb and act like cats, Goats are a pain in the butt and are true escape artists, Pigs are really smart and you can teach them to do anything a dog can do, but if they are used to you doing something for them and you miss a day they get their feelings hurt and can be hard to deal with, Steers are big and they eat a lot, but they end up being really big puppy dogs and the really bad news, he isn't raising a pet.

After much discussion, he decided on a lamb. Since this is an Agri-business project, I bought his lamb in exchange for his raising a feeder lamb for me. It's a nice cooperative approach and he saves the cost of his lamb at market.

Okay, so the day the lambs arrived i went with him to drag the feeder to the barn while he dragged his show lamb. We didn't really drag them, but they weren't too keen on the halter to say the least. When they picked their lambs, there were twenty kids and he drew number "2". What a great place in the order for picking. He took his turn and i really liked this smoky colored one, but he picked this white lamb i wasn't too keen on and then he got the one leftover lamb for our feeder.

So, we get them back to their stall and get them all fixed up and go home.

We quickly fell into the routine of going to the barn, mucking the stall, dragging them for exercise, halter feeding them, and going home. However, we did have a bit of a rough start getting our son to be proactive in taking control, especially haltering them. I showed him how to corner them and grab them, squeeze them between your legs and halter them up. So, about the third day i haltered the feeder (Oreo) and tied him in the run. Then i watched as Zeke chased the big one (Milky, his show lamb) around and around the stall. It looked a lot like Tom and Jerry, but wasn't at all funny to me. After all, he's about 5'7" and 150 and this lamb is about 100lbs. I got irritated at him dallying with the damn thing and grabbed him abruptly and barked at him. I told him if he didn't take haltering his lamb seriously he could get hurt and not to underestimate it because it's so cute and cuddly. He gave me one of those teen looks of terror and bewilderment, so i showed him again.

There is a two step riser in the corner for them to stand on, with their front legs, while they eat in their stall. Yeah, you know what's coming. I grabbed that woolly bugger and ended up straddling it on the top tier of the riser. With it firmly between my legs, i went to halter it. As i reached with the halter, the damn thing bucked and i went flying.

When i found my feet again, they were straight out in front of me. My butt bone hit the ground, my back hit one step and my neck hit the second. Now i have been knocked silly a time or two in this life, but that crap hurt. I swear this wasn't two minutes after i told him not to do the very same thing. ACk!!! Karma is a mother.

I didn't break anything, but i bruised more than my pride. On the upside though, Zeke has taken control of the lambs and is handling them like a pro.

I wonder if that's what they mean when they talk about sacrificing for your kids??

Till next time, watch what you say, it might be good advice.

Dave

Pen Pals are not Anachronistic

A few weeks ago i got an email through Facebook from a Japanese woman i knew from my days at the University of North Texas. She said she was doing a project that involved the mail and if i wanted to participate all i needed to do was send her my mailing address. Now, we've all gotten those emails about our rich uncle from Nigeria that left us ten million dollars and we just need to get it to an American bank or some such crap. So anytime someone i don't see or hear from regularly wants my mailing address, i'm a little skeptical. After all, i do place a premium on my privacy and afford some level of due diligence to protect it. Then again, i knew from the moment we met that she was a good person. So i took a chance and sent her my mailing address and waited to see what would come of it.

A couple of weeks later, i received a postcard in the mail from Chofu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan. A plain little card, stark white on both sides with her name just above mine. On the reverse, there was a brief little paragraph being guarded at the corners with watercolor koi fish in hues of aqua and violet. A reconnection made across a four year lull. One she closed simply with, "Hope to see all of you one day". What an offering of love. I have said it many times, but it is just as true each time i say it, "A letter is an act of genuine love, for there is nothing on this earth more precious than our time and to give our time freely with no concern for compensation is nothing short of a gift of love. Unconditional, open and free".

The next day i got out my collection of stationary and picked one that was simple and muted. Bone colored paper with stencils of something like sandy colored birch leaves across it and i began to return the love. I closed mine as simply as she, until we meet again, peace be with you.

In a world so full of complexity and demand on the spirit, don't lose sight of the joy simplicity can bring you. Surround yourself with love and that is what you will receive.

Until we meet again, Peace be with you,

Dave

The Mosque, The Wall, and what the Faux News Saw.

I have yet again found myself in, i would say Dutch, but that might raise some one's ire, trouble with a few of my contemporaries over my political views. Let me preface this by saying that i would never assume the position of being any better than they, nor am i any less. The current offense is somewhat connected to an aging one; The Mosque that is going to be built near the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks that took place in New York and the fence or wall to be or being built to separate the United States from Mexico. Lovingly referred to as "The Tortilla Curtain".
I have been branded a Liberal. A bleeding heart, commie loving, anti-American sap that is enabling those who drain the life force out of our country one entitlement at a time. Here, i will attempt to explain why i am not a bleeding heart Liberal and i'm not a Democrat and i'm not a Republican, nor am i aligned in a straight party manner with anyone. I am, however, a free thinker and i believe as i believe. I am a Christian, though i'm a Catholic and there are those that just don't see the two as being connected. As far as being a Catholic, no, i don't uphold all of the beliefs the church would have me to. Finally, Yes, i am a man. I know i don't have cocktails with the guys at topless bars or watch sports or never let anyone see me cry. If that's what it takes to be a man, i wouldn't want to be.
So, let's get to it:
Death Penalty: There are some people in this world that probably should be put to death, but that job was filled well before any of us got here.
Abortion: The argument over this only concerns the two people involved and the person providing the service. Imposing your beliefs on someone in the name of God, negates the very thing you profess.
Governmental Size: Yes, i would like the size of the government to be scaled back. A bunch.
Right to Bear Arms: Unless the Constitution has changed recently, it's the right to bear arms in a militia. I don't see anything wrong with Deer Rifles, Shotguns, even most pistols, but who needs a weapon designed to kill people en masse to go hunting.
Gays in the Military: It's an all volunteer military. If they are willing and do their job, then that is all that should matter. (side note: women in combat rolls. Same rule, if they are willing and they can do the job, Hell Yes!!! see also: Lyudmila Pavlichenko)
Gay Marriage/Civil Unions: Here again, this only concerns the people involved and the person officiating.
okay, so you have an idea of where i'm coming from. Now for the official reason behind my opinion on the tortilla curtain and the NYC ground zero mosque.
The Chinese built a wall to keep the hordes out. While it makes really nice post cards, the invading hordes got over the wall. OH Wait, correction, they didn't make it over the wall, they walked in through the gate. Don't believe me though, google it. Okay, so how will they walk through the tortilla curtain?? Yeah, like none of us ever drank before we turned 21. The prevalence of false entry documents will go up to a point where they (the U.S. Government) will more than likely issue us citizenship cards. You know the kind with biometric information or DNA or at the very least something trackable. Okay, now i'm a nut, a conspiracy theorist of the first order. They have tried before to give us citizenship cards, but don't believe me; google it.
As for the Mosque, is it better to not build it so close to where so many died at the hands of Muslim Extremists? Is it really a slap in the face to all those people that died that day? On the other hand, is it a much larger statement to the world by building it? Would we not be showing those extremist factions that our core belief in the Freedom of Religion has not been corrupted by them. That our resolve to live in a free society can not be brought down by zealotry and murder?
Maybe now is the time to remember to turn the other cheek and one of my favorites, Luke 23:34 Judge not...
It's for the record, i'm just sayin.
Be good to each other even when you don't understand what the other person's problem is. Dave

Brain Surgery for Luck

You know your day is going to be outside the norm when you are met first thing in the morning with, "Will you give me a Mohawk today?". Being the guy i am, i was suddenly swept away to The Last of the Mohicans. You know that scene when Daniel Day Lewis and Wes Studi are eyeing each other on the cliff. If you haven't seen it, it's still a great movie and i highly recommend Netflixing it.

I don't know whether it was old fashioned day dreaming or shock, but i didn't answer fast enough to keep from hearing the word "Dad" being repeated over and over again. I somehow found my way back to reality. I'm laying in bed looking up at my son and his big smiling face with my brain screaming, "are you insane??"

At this point, my head is echoing the word NO, no, no, no, no, and i opened my mouth and said, "Why??" Talk about your disconnects! I felt like two people trapped in one body. I may have been saying "no" on the inside, but he sure heard the "why". "It's for good luck in football this year," he said. Oh Joy of Joys, This is where being an old school dad would have paid off. I could have said no and that would have been the end of it, but i like to have reasons for the decisions i make involving my kids in the hopes that they will show their own children some reason in decision making. I just couldn't dream up a good enough reason to not do it. It's not like school has started yet and his hair grows like his mother's, which is very fast. So, i just couldn't come up with any reason that didn't sound any less retarded than giving him the Mohawk. I thought, you know, we'll talk about this later. If we talk about this later, chances are i'll find a good reason for not doing it. Naturally, i said sure, we can give you a Mohawk. I don't even know how that happened. I'd like to blame it on being somewhat still asleep, but nah. He's fifteen, if he's ever going to do something ridiculous with his hair, now's the time. Besides, the likelihood that i could do it was pretty low and i figured i'd end up giving him another Army haircut after i messed up the Mohawk and he'd be satisfied we tried.

Okay, later in the day i was sitting at my table and i started looking up information on how to cut a Mohawk. Yes! I know how ridiculous this sounds. I watched a couple youtube videos and a how-to i found through Google and thought, i could probably do this.

We cut his hair.

Fortunately or unfortunately, i did it. Let me tell you, it isn't quite as easy as you might think. There is a strange bit of geometry there. A couple of degrees one way or the other and, well suffice it to say the only thing worse than a Mohawk is one that isn't lined up straight front to back.

So far, a half dozen of his friends in football have followed suit. I think it's kind of cool that there is this weird kind of solidarity between these teammates. I have to tell you though, most of the comments over this have been both positive and benign, but good old Coach Steel had the best comment. He simply looked at him and asked if he had had brain surgery. I loved it. It really made me laugh.

So that's what has been going on in my world. Well, maybe not all of it, but definitely the cutest story of the week. I am nearly satisfied with my tortilla recipe and i'll probably post it in the near future for anyone so inclined to give it a whirl.

Till then, you guys have some fun, life is serious enough,

Your friend in the shadows, Dave

Asian Chicken in a Crockpot

Okay, i have been promising to give this recipe to a friend for what seems like forever. Well, today is the day. All i can say about this is that it makes a lot of food. I have two teen boys and there is usually enough for two meals. Don't sweat it though, the leftovers keep like spaghetti and it freezes and reheats just fine. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know what your experience was like. One other thing, if you want to make a smaller batch, you should be able to half the recipe with no problems. Remember, when it comes to flavor it's what you like not what i like that counts. So, go forth and Asian Chicken till you are blue in the face.

Until next time, Provecho, Dave

Asian Chicken in a Crockpot

about 4 Lbs of Chicken, 12oz jar of Teriyaki Baste and Glaze, 20oz Can of chunk Pineapple, 3T Garlic Chili Sauce, 1T Sriracha (Rooster Blood) hot sauce, 1T Sesame Oil, 5T Lite Soy Sauce, 1T Garlic Powder, A good Finger of Fresh Ginger, 1/2 a Medium Onion roughly chopped, 1/2 oz Toasted Sesame Seeds, 4T Jelly or Jam*, 2T Roux**

Peel the Ginger Root and cut a section out of the middle equal to about 2/3 of your finger of ginger. Rough chop the ends and julienne the center piece (cut like little match sticks). Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. I make this in the crock pot, but i guess you could make it in a dutch oven or other large pot. Empty the contents of the Teriyaki Baste and Glaze in the crock pot. Swirl just enough water in the bottle to get most of what is clinging to the sides. In a blender combine, the rough chopped ginger, 1/3 of the chunk pineapple and its juice, chili sauce, Sriracha, Sesame oil, Soy Sauce, Garlic powder, 1/2 the Sesame seeds, Jam, and Roux and blend until foamy and pretty smooth. Add to crock pot and stir together well. Add chicken to crock pot by pushing each piece down into the sauce until you have it all in or full. You should still have the reserved 2/3 julienne ginger, 2/3 of the pineapple chunks, and 1/2 of the sesame seeds. Cover these and put in the refrigerator. Cook on high till internal temp is at least 180F. I generally put this on in the morning and it's done when i'm ready in the evening. Fifteen minutes or so before serving, add in the reserved Ginger and Pineapple. Serve over rice or noodles and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Makes quite a lot of food.

*Jam note: use most any of the lighter colored or citrusy(citrusie, citrus-ish) jams or jellies, apricot, plum, even marmalade, but stay away from strawberry and grape YIKES!!!

**Roux: mix equal parts of flour and oil in a skillet and brown the mixture on medium heat. This takes a little while, but don't rush it. If you don't want the hassle just add plain flour to the mix when it's cold, but then again it's only in here to give the sauce a little more body.

Well there it is. More often than not, i'll make this up in my crock pot the day before and throw the whole thing in the refrigerator. The next morning i'll pull it out and turn it on. It sounds like a lot of hassle, but it really isn't. Just remember to throw the reserved pineapple and ginger in before you cook your rice or noodles and then everything will be ready together.

If you have a problem or don't understand something let me know. Please, do comment if you give it a whirl and let me know how it turned out. Hell, leave me a comment if you don't or if there is a different recipe you are looking for.

You guys be good and enjoy, Dave

Ugly Blog

It's been a few days since my last post and it feels like a year. I swear, so much has gone on in the last couple of weeks that i'm not sure where my mind was when i left off. We had a full week of family vacation, a vehicle failure, a date, another car failure, and a whole pile of memo boards and bread. I will try to explain some of this, though if you don't understand take comfort in knowing i was present for these events and i don't understand either.

I should preface this paragraph with the declaration that; i love my wife. Yes, of course, there is a but coming, so please try to be patient. Donna K and i have been together for many years. Some of them have been good and some have been less than ideal, but most have been horribly comfortable. She gets up and goes to work and is a brilliant tyrant all day. I am acclimated to this arrangement and definitely have my own routine. Okay, get ready for that But. BUT, when she goes on vacation and we are all together for a week, our world is total chaos. She doesn't know what to do with herself all day and my routine is just blown. There's simply no hope for me doing any of my normal things when she's home. This year was made worse by her car deciding to go on holiday as well. So, as far as our going to New Braunfels or Alpine went; it didn't. We did some stuff locally, but i really wanted to get away to a place where i could no longer see concrete and asphalt. Football starts for the guys next week, so this summer is gone. So much for i'm going to make it to San Jacinto this summer if it kills them all.

At some point here in the last week or so, i decided i needed a memo board to hang in my kitchen that i could put my master bread recipe on and shopping notes and stuff like that. Well, i found one of those memo boards and couldn't believe what they cost. The other thing is that they are so plain. It's like you have two choices, black or white. If you are lucky, you might find one that's more of an ecru. ACKKK!!! I took a good look at the damn thing and said thirty bucks my ass. Instantly, i could see it. Foam core, cotton batting, half yard of fabric, ribbon to match and some buttons, oh and that all too important appliance, the hot glue gun. The first one took me about two hours to make. I no sooner finished it and Donna K had to have one, then we added one more for "The Ridley" and i was done. Okay, so maybe not quite. Her boss saw them and had to have one for her daughter. Okay, so that's four. Well, i turned my sewing room around so make that five. They really are pretty easy to make, they just take some time.

Our fifteen year old son went out on his first date last Friday. Oh he's been out before, but it's always been for an occassion like a quinceanera, or a party or something like that. This time it was just him and this nice little girl. I guess this ushers in a new era in our house. I hope i'm prepared for this one. I know one thing is for sure, he better keep making his grades if he wants to keep going out.

The other thing i did besides give the mechanic all of my money was to pull "The Bachelor's Guide" out of moth balls. TBG is a cookbook i have been working on for years. It's not your typical recipe book like so many others, but instead it's more of a reference for the kitchen. Ideally, it's most applicable for people with marginal to adequate skills in the kitchen. It shows you how to save time, money, face (in some instances), while improving your overall skill set with confidence. It's not finished, so that's not a plug!!!

I've been teaching my boys how to do some cooking using the book as a guide. It's hard for me to stand by and watch someone do something, i do regularly, struggle at it. I know they can't learn if i don't let them struggle along the way. It's just one of those things that's hard to do.

UUUGH, i'm hating blogger today.................... I want to use word and have my pictures migrate too. Someone pleez, tell me how you get everything to sit the way you want it to. I'm posting this and i am only doing it to get out of this endless loop of fix a problem and get two more.

I'm going to post that promised recipe next, so stick around. D