Overload

It's what happens when you have a lot of opinionated folk in the same space.

I'm loving it. I think Mr. Big Food's Dad is loving it. 

Rocky: Then & Now

September 14, 2011.

October 30, 2012.

Quite the little male, don't you think? We support his malehood, given that Missy is 5X his size. He has to work hard to stay on top. And I mean that literally.

For reference, the lower pillow is where I sit. Daughter C sits on the upper one. Not that C is dominant-- we're not dogs-- but when Rocky sits on either of them, he's ... well, I'm no dog psychologist.

He is a handsome dog, don't you think?

He. Is. A. Dog.

Baked Sweet Potatoes à la Roxie

I need to work on the color balance of this photo because the white sweet potatoes were a little whiter than they appear here.

The vegan side dish with tonight's oven fried chicken. Pulled the sweet taters out of the garden about 10 days ago. Washed them off. Pare boiled them for about 20 minutes. Stripped the peels off. Rolled them chopped pecans and doused them with a bit of sugar. Baked. 

Real recipe soon. I promise!

Sometimes, I enjoy just looking around.

The view from my desk. Like an 8th grade perspective drawing.

The drapes have been steamed. The lamp globes rinsed in hot water. The fan blades dusted as best I could.

Still need to Windex the TV.

Whoever came up with the concept of a non-flat ceiling was a freaking moron.

Fall Cleaning.

This is what ugly looks like.

21-0.

I do believe we are getting the snot kicked out of us. 

College football is the last best diversion.

Oh. Man. A four man rush and Russel is creamed. Well, it's just football. 

Recipe: Water Crackers

"I should have asked [Mr. Big Food] to help me roll them thinner," she said.

And then, after we'd all had one, she said,

"I should have made the whole recipe."

I say, "Live & Learn & Bake" 

Recipe here.

We had a great jambalaya tonight. Recipe soon. I promise.

A Day for Rocky & His Kind

National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

"We Believe"

I should have taken some photos while in S'vegas today but I didn't. So this one at AR-15 will have to suffice:

Places and People all over Starkvegas are sporting "We Believe 8-0" signs. For the Record, Dudes & Dudettes, I'm hoping we win. But Hoping and Believing isn't going to change the fact that Bama plays the same kind of football State does. And Bama does-- or has done-- it better than State does-- or has done. One can still hope Hope trumps reality, but one should not count on it. Unless, of course, one appeals to a higher being. In which case, Hope & Pray State wins!

Hail State!

That is my political commentary of the day. Go Johnson!*

If you want to read some funny stuff, read the threads at AR-15-- there are more than one posts on "We Believe."


*In states where he doesn't upset the Apple Cart.

Comments

Dear Reader(s),

Yesterday's post about leaving the dogs at home when we take the dogs for a walk received a delightfully irrelevant comment about raw dog feed and a link to a dog food brand.

Thankfully, except for suek's comments sent from her work computer, the blog doesn't get much spam-- and what it does get is a hoot. Nevertheless, I've decided to enable comment moderation which just means you won't see your comments until I give them the A-okay. 

Thanks for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Marica 

P.S. Dear Dog Feed Person,

If your comment wasn't spam, I apologize for thinking so. If you are a real person, please continue to read the blog. Thanks!

Let's Eat

I have been delinquent in posting recipes. We've had some delightful food lately. I especially liked "Delightful Chicken." It's a keeper.

The dressing for the 3-bean salad--and the salad itself-- was off the hook. Mr. Big Food pulled it out of the fridge and we nibbled on it as he made tonight's supper of homemade sausage, rice, peppers, etc. And then there was last night's pork. And let's not forget Freeto Pie.

Rocky's Taking Tomorrow Off

Recharging

He's been walking to the Court House and back with Miss M-- about 2.4 miles round trip-- the past few mornings. And then he's been walking around the property with Miss M, Missy, & I later in the afternoons. He's tired.

Missy, on the other hand, keeps going and going and going... . Just when I think she's gone... . BOOM! She finds a tennis ball or catches the scent of an armadillo or a bluebird. And... she's off! 

Word on the Road is that Miss M is taking Missy on a walk to the Court House tomorrow. 

I'm looking forward to a pleasant stroll in the pasture with Rocky. La-de-da.

"Next time we take the dogs on a walk

let's leave the dogs at home." Constructive thought from Miss M.

Man. Talk about not minding your manners... ! I appreciate that the woods must be an olfactory smorgasbord for them, and that they are not perfect. But even by their standards they were misbehaved-- wild & crazy, even.

I blame the moon.

October 2012 (More here)

Taken to Task

today was I for not properly documenting Miss M's gradual Transition from a City Mouse to a Country Mouse Adventures here on the Farm in Rural Mississippi.

She was right to do so. In my defense, those vegan bonbons we've been enjoying are right filling!

This afternoon, we paused our Soap Operas and prepared to take the dogs for an afternoon walk. As we approached the Shop, Miss M commented that I could blog about our upcoming walk.

"Dang, I don't have my camera," I said, looking at her, hopeful that she'd run back to the house to get the camera. She didn't take that bait.

"C'mon. Let's go get it!" she said.

I stalled.

"C'mon! We're not lazy. We're Farmers!!" she said.

So we trudged back to the house... .

And all I have to show for it are these:

Happy Birthday

to our Crappy Old Friend, A. Leland-- the Hume dude!

A. Leland is unintelligible sometimes.

Sandy

However, after Sandy crosses Jamaica and Cuba, things get really interesting — and dangerous — because the atmospheric setup is uniquely conducive for Sandy to become a bizarre and, possibly, extremely destructive hybrid storm, injecting its tropical moisture, warm core, and low barometric pressure into a dynamic atmospheric situation involving a diving upper-level trough, driven by the jet stream, and the resulting clash between warm and very cold air. We could end up with a “subtropical hurricane” — a category that isn’t even supposed to be able to exist — bashing the U.S. East Coast with fierce wind, rain and surge, while its back side produces extremely heavy snow over the northern Appalachians. It would be like a nor’easter on steroids.

[Emphasis in original]

"A nor'easter on steroids" does not sound delightful.

Read the rest here.

Huh?

Unfortunately right now our culture seems interested in finding out whatever we can, instead of using discretion about what’s relevant and what’s not, and instead of thinking about whether the enormous pain we are about to inflict on the individuals involved (including innocent family members) is really worth it. Politicians are not the Kardashians. Their claim to fame isn’t who they are, but what they do.

Writes Katria Trinko at NRO.

~~

Thanks to Daughter C, we have experiencing a "Bourbon Crisis" here at the Farm. Miss M has declared a BYOBYFB state. BYOBYFB is rather G.M.O.Y.A.

~~

Despite The Bourbon Crisis, I think I'm capable of reading Katria's post. And I have a few questions.

1. Should be, "Unfortunately,"

2. That's a really bad sentence.

3. I do believe the Kardashians claim to fame is who they are. But I don't know. 

4. "Their claim to fame isn’t who they are, but what they do." Who is "they?" The Kards or politicians? 

5. Isn't what you do in one-to-one correspondence with who you are?

Blaze

Orange

Sweet

Apologies

I understand-- and am sympathetic-- when one of my "written by a person with a life" go-to blogs  goes silent for a while.

Hope you do--are--too!

An Eventful Day

Today Mr. Big Food and I traveled to Oxfordtown and TSUN.* Miss M and Mike joined us. 

There was an EVENT on campus.

We were not there for the EVENT, and that's what I told the security guard who was guarding Visitor Parking Street, but he let us park in EVENT PARKING anyway. 

As per usual when we visit TSUN, we walked across the Grove headed for the Union and a cup of bitter coffee. As we were walking, I mentioned to Miss M that 50 years ago James Meredith became a student at Ole Miss. We chatted about subsequent EVENTS.

An unpleasant turn of EVENTS.

"Farming in Flip-Flops"

That's what Miss M. says she's going to call her blog!

Sorry. The photo seems a bit out of focus but I don't have time to play with it-- I'm we're cleaning up the patio gardens.

+90

That's how many minutes you can add on to my unrealized-- i.e., not realized-- life after they (the death panel?) pronounce me dead one day. 

What a waste of 90 precious minutes of life. 

The stupid part is, I won't be voting for either of them.

And so it goes.

Mill

I'm no Utilitarian, but I'm reading some John Stuart Mill. Interesting stuff. Stay tuned.

"It is desirable, in short, that in things that do not primarily concern others, individuality should assert itself."

From the crappy old book series, The World's Great Thinkers, Man and the State: The Political Philosophers, edited by Saxe Commins & Robert N. Linscott, published by Random House (New York) in 1947.

Tonight was veggie vegan night!

As you know, Monday is was Veggie Night.

We eat a lot of veggies!

The first order of business on Veggie Night is to fry some Bacon so there is Bacon fat.  The second piece of business is to calculate how to cut down on the amount of cheese called for in these old recipes.

Ch ch ch changes.

Monday night is now Vegan night. Tuesday through Sunday, there's at least one Vegan Side Dish.

I'm cool with that!

Oh, Missy

why couldn't you have been a short haired dog? 

That's a rhetorical question. I don't think German Shepherd-Lab mixes have short hair. 

I've seen commercials for little bity battery powered devises which vacuum dog hair off dogs. I wonder if the brush attachment on the real vacuum on Missy herself be effective? It seems to me that it would be less work vacuuming the hair off her back than off the floor.

I laughed & laughed!

You often hear public-health officials talk about obese Americans. But for some reason political scientists tend to ignore them, even though they are a huge and expanding portion of the electorate. According to statistics, almost exactly half of all persons are above the median weight. That means that if the slim split evenly between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, ballots cast by heavyset citizens could literally decide the election. It may turn out that 2012 is the Year of the Adipose-American Voter.

I especially liked, "[a]ccording to statistics, almost exactly half of all persons are above the median weight."

From today's Best of the Web.

Recipe: Oven French Pancake

For Aggie

Some may be wondering why I keep saying, "For Aggie." It is because my friend Aggie, Mistress of Shoestring Manor, has a 'thang' for cast iron. Even Mr. Big Food knows this! Here's how he began the email when he sent the recipe: "recipe attached (for Aggie)."

This pancake was delicious. The edge is about 2-3" higher than the rim of the skillet. We didn't, you you could fill it with fresh fruit or whatnot and serve it as a dessert.

OVEN FRENCH PANCAKE

3 eggs

½ C flour

¼ tsp salt

½ C milk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450^o. Beat egg with a fork to blend. Slowly add flour, beating constantly. Stir in salt, milk, and butter. Grease a 10 inch iron or ovenproof skillet. Pour batter into cold skillet, slip into oven, and bake 18 minutes. Reduce oven to 350^o and bake 10 minutes more.

"So pull up a chair,

get a cocktail, and we'll talk about life," was the response to my query, "What are y'll doin'?"

We decided to move.

Mr. Big Food was fixing supper. It rained.

So. Daughter C loves the Farm and Miss M. is here, on the Farm. Excepting Kat & Ton--and Max-- deciding to move here, it's not clear to me how life here at the Farm could be better.

The Great Distraction

There's some video below.

I had a chance to chat with Critz at the tailgate. (Mr. Big Food's Vegetarian Squash Dressing was a BIG hit and a nice compliment to the grilled sausages, by the way.) 

Critz asked if I was a Democrat and I found his question sort of odd, as Critz has been a frequent visitor to the Farm. I reminded him that Mr. Big Food and I work hard at being non-hypocritical Libertarians.We exchanged some pleasantries about State of the Union and of the World-- nothing political, just a mutual acknowledgment that things in the Union and in the World could be better. 

Critz and I agreed that College Football-- and especially the hoopla of SEC tailgates-- were  great distractions from the State of the Union and of the World.

I mean, Dude, what else are we going to do on an October Saturday afternoon?

I'm hitting publish as I figure out how to post the video.

Fluid.

"Come and take a picture of this before it falls!"

Even if one does not know what "it" is, the command alone-- issued before one's second cup of coffee-- should be enough to send one running for one's camera.

A French Pancake in a cast iron skillet

It was delicious! And easy! And it did not fall.

Aggie, I promise I'll post tomorrow.

UPDATED: Aggie, I promise I'll post the recipe... .

It's Fall

And you know what that means. The bugs are gravitating to the house. Okay-- that's clearly nor the correct word because gravity has nothing to do with it. But the bugs are homing in on the house.

Just when I thought we were all ready to settle in, Missy spied something-- a bug-- on the floor. She's got an eagle eye for small motions and her motions do not go unnoticed by Rocky (except when he's sound asleep). There was a brief flurry of activity.

And now... well, hard to say what's happening now.

Ahh. There she goes. Finally laying on the floor. Rocky's back with Mr. Big Food. Deep breaths all around.

And of course I breathed too soon. Damned bugs.

And now she whines at the door, indicating that she needs to go out yet again. I assist and tie her out. It's a cycle. Every time I open the door a bug comes in. She chases it, gets excited, and thinks she needs to go out.  To let her in, I open the door again. How to break the cycle?

STOP OPENING THE DOOR!

A Brief Exchange

I had given my keys to Miss M. to put in her purse. As we were boarding the elevator, I asked for them. My keys and her keys had become entangled. We had the following brief exchange:

Miss M.: Mom! Do you have a whistle? 

She has a whistle on her key chain.

Miss M.: MOM! DO YOU HAVE A WHISTLE?

ME: No, Sweetie, I

Miss M.: Oh right. You have a gun.

Me: That's right.

To set the record straight, I do have a whistle, but it's not on my key chain-- although that's not a bad idea-- and my gun is not on my key chain, either. 

I didn't hear any talk of Individual Liberty tonight.

Not that I was expecting any. 

So I decided to not put in a proper Fall Veggie Garden. Rather, I'm turning my attention to the soil, and-- little by little-- to some landscaping. Because no matter how things go next month, the soil always needs to be tended, we will need some pretty things to look at in the next few years. 

I'm hoping I can coax Miss M. into helping me clear that space way up front and planting some daffodils.

Bow tie

MAROON!

His tie is MAROON. Her nails. MAROON!

GO STATE!

How appropriate

is it that a couple of days after Columbus Day I've fallen off the blog map?

Quite.

Tonight we-- Mr Big Food, Miss M. & I-- watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It's the gateway movie. After you've seen it three or four times, you begin to understand heroes and cowards. After thirty-four times, you still wonder what was in Haley's hat box.

Haley seems to me to be the most tragic character. She was so feisty when she was young.

Miss M has arrived | 1066, The Norman Line Begins

Background, from L to R: Rocky, Daughter C, Miss M. Foreground, the Incredibly Well Behaved Missy

And naturally, as soon as I type the words, "Well Behaved," Missy launches into a little tirade of "I know I was just out for 15 minutes but I'm bored and think I need to go out again" yapps. "Shut. Up," I say in a calm and assertive voice.

Tonight was veggie night. Daughter C asked how much bacon was involved-- a fair question to ask of a veggie night's menu. Alas, there was no bacon! ;-(

Mr. Big Food suggested that instead of watching a crappy NFL game, we might all enjoy watching another episode of Saturday Night, the Second Season-- the season where the future Senator from Minnesota makes embarrassing appearances. (They were not yet calling it Saturday Night Live.) The episode we'd be watching was guest hosted by Eric Idol-- of Monty Python as we explained to Miss M. We all liked the idea.

The episode begins with Eric Idol rolling out a red carpet for a woman who really does look like a young, but mature, Queen Elizabeth. Idol's monologue is funny. His point? The big difference between America and Great Britain is money. Great Britain doesn't have enough. (Americans have paid no royalty fee for the use of the English Language.) Therefore, we will have a telethon to raise money for Great Britain.

And here's where crappy old stuff kicks in. The number to call is 555-1066.

I said, "Magan Carta" and was shot down by Mr. Big Food, Daughter C., Miss M., Rocky and Missy. Everybody but me remembered the Magna Carta was 1215.

And then what happened is something I'll never forget.  I went for A Manual of English History (1877), C went for the World Book Encyclopedia, Miss M. just sat there and consulted her phone.

1066. Battle of Hastings.

1066: The Norman Line begins

 I do not claim to know anything about the Battle of Hastings. But I do claim pride in my daughters.

Ch ch ch changes

Daughter C is on her way home from North Carolina.

I've been instructed to get Kitten out of "our room," and to not put Rocky in there tonight, for an obvious reason. 

The dynamic at The Farm is about to change.

And once more I ask, "What's the point of having a farm in rural Mississippi if you don't share it with those you love?" 

And I answer, "There would be no point. That was one of the bullet points for having a farm in rural Mississippi. Just ask A. Leland."

So Red!

Dried Tobasco peppers

I have so many Tabasco peppers, I don't think I'll ever need to plant another seed! We have a quart jar filled with peppers and vinegar; now nearly a quart dried. And there are thousands more to pick! Wonder if Daughter C could sell some at work?

"A Huge Night For the Game Cocks"

G&T: gin martini & green tea

Let's watch college FB.

Yawn.

Let's go to the Den.

A New Category of Big Food!

Big Food Favorites

Mr. Big Food's Big Food Manual and Survivalist Flourishing Guide now has almost 17,000 recipes. (I've actually lost count but he knows precisely.) Among them are some we've enjoyed many many times. Sonny Bono's Pasta dish, Cassolette, Across the Garden Soup, Squash Dressing... to name just a few. We've decided to call them "Big Food Favorites." 

Last evening we enjoyed  a classic Big Food Favorite meal: Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Grilled Lime Butter Tortillas, Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa, and Havana Bananas (with Sailor Jerry's spiced rum, not 151-- those days are over). 

Recipes to follow. In the middle of making sausage and waiting for it to snow. Haha. Just kidding but it is danged cold!

So today, I was visited by a nice lady representing Research Triangle Institute

which has contracted with the United States Public Health Service.

She seemed like a nice lady. But I ain't answering any questions.

I admit, I was sort of torn. I think she was from NC. She wore a cure little outfit, and her car was a beater.

She probably gets paid to put addresses to places that can't be found, e.g. The Farm.

I am sympathetic. I cautioned her to mind the fire ant hill at the end of the sidewalk. To which she replied,  "I didn't know what fire ants were until I came down here." Poor Dear.

But I'm not answering any questions.

Fall Food

Carrot custard

Pork sausage with potatoes, with homemade caraway sausage

Delicious! Recipes later.

Other Thoughts: "The Power of the Media"

I have a new post up at Other Thoughts from a Big Life in Rural Mississippi.

The morning after he withdrew from the 1968 presidential campaign, LBJ delivered a speech to the National Broadcasting Association in which he mused on the role of what we now call MSM/Legacy Media in American political life.

I excerpt some passages, and link to the whole thing.

To quote Foxworthy--

THE PRESIDENT'S ON... ALL THREE CHANNELS!!!

Viet Nam was not settled at that time. Historical perspective.

Water

melon

Yeah. I know. October isn't exactly watermelon month. But I didn't get the seed in when I should have. So what can I say? We'll be eating fresh watermelon-- four of them each weighing about 30-40 pounds-- and watching the leaves change.

And by the by-- we still have frozen watermelon from last year!

Knave or Knight?

A little puzzle for you before the evening begins (with help from several crappy old books and that infallible source, Wikipedia, which I draw on below).

You are stranded on an island whose residents are either Knaves or Knights. All Knaves are Liars. All Knights are Truth-tellers. You wander the island looking for Freedom, knowing full well Death is a possibility.

You come to a fork in the road. One path ahead leads to Freedom, the other to Death. Each of the two paths is guarded, one by Robert, one by Paul. You know that one of the two is a Knave, the other a Knight. But you do not know who is which. By asking one yes/no question, can you determine the road to Freedom?

The answer is, "Yes, you can." And now the question becomes, "What is that one question?" [Hint: There are two possible questions.]

Think about it and after you've scratched your head, continue reading.

Attention Hunters!

I am only half way kidding.

Yesterday around 9am Rocky chased one in the pond pasture. Today before 7am one was moseying down the path to the lake. Later, one was watching Missy and I from the range. Tonight Missy will bark at them through the open window. Rocky will join in (but truth be told, we're not sure if he's barking at deer or just joining in).

There are plenty for us all. 

If interested, please call 555-... or contact me using the blog's contact information (see tab above).

Recipe: El Paso Bean Bake

This was a pleasant surprise. Beans are not my favorite, but I would enjoy this again. Mr. Big Food substituted frozen corn for Mexi-corn. 

Recipe below.

Recipe: Chili Casserole

Mr. Big Food made some adjustments. He made one half the recipe, cut back on the cheese, and as we have an overabundance of peppers, he used fresh and just parboiled them.

It was very good!

CHILI CASSEROLE

Serves 6

6 green chilies, canned or roasted, cut into strips

1 lb cheese, grated

1 egg

2 C milk

1 tsp salt

½ C cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350^o. Place a layer of chili strips in a lightly greased baking dish, then a layer of cheese, and repeat until chilies and cheese are used. Beat eggs slightly in a bowl, add milk and salt, and pour over chili and cheese. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs and bake 1 hour.

Recipe: Baked Pork Chops and Rice

Ready to go into the oven

BAKED PORK CHOPS AND RICE

Serves 4

Salt, pepper, to taste

8 center cut pork chops

2 Tbsp oil

1 ½ C long-grain rice

4 oz mushrooms, halved or quartered if large

2 ½ C beef consommé (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section—or use 1 10 ½ oz can condensed consommé combined with 1 soup can water)

1 bell pepper, cut into 8 rings

1 onion, cut into 8 slices

1 tomato, cut into 8 slices

Season chops with salt and pepper, and sauté in oil until well browned. Preheat oven to 350^o. Combine rice, mushrooms, and consommé, and spoon mixture into a lightly greased casserole. Arrange chops on top of rice mixture. Top each chop with a bell pepper ring, onion slice, and tomato slice, cover casserole tightly, and bake 1 hour 30 minutes.

Doesn't this look goood?

Recipe soon

Rice and mushrooms on the bottom covered with consume, topped with browned pork chops. Looks yummy.