Chiggerfest #4

In the hubbub of the weekend, it wasn't until Mr. Big Food and I were on our way to our fourth Chiggerfest* that we remembered. Three years ago this weekend we-- with the help of friends--  changed our lives for the bigger.

Max & Diana, Sam & Colleen helped move just the essentials.

Goodbye city life!

Hello country life!

We rented a tiny little house before we bought the Farm. When Mr. Big Food asked our landlord-- as a courtesy-- if he minded that we had guns in the house, our landlord looked at us funny and asked, "What?"

Mr. Big Food repeated himself and our landlord laughed and said, "Heck no! Everyone has guns out here. See that line of trees? Shoot in that direction."

And so we did. The balloons are targets. 

~~

*Chiggerfest below

National Empty Chair Day: I wasn't going to participate

because putting a chair even at the end of the of our 1/4 mile long driveway seemed a bit unnecessary, given the politics of the two neighbors who would see it. Heck, not even the mail lady would see it today! (I am well aware of her politics.)

However... 

"If you don't know what National Empty Chair Day is about... ."

including Mr. Big Food, Rocky, Missy & myself, there are eleven mammals here at the Farm this morning. 

(There were eight for Sunday Supper. Late in the evening it was like musical chairs-- Alix, Chris & The Bartman left; Matt, Derek, and two other humans and two dogs arrived. As I've said before, what's the point in having a 60 acre farm if you can't share it with others? And yes, we are better off than we were four years ago. But we did that ourselves with help from friends and family.)

I woke this morning realizing that seven of our guests-- who will be feasting on baked cheese grits, hunter sausage, and muffins soon-- may not have contemplated Mr. Eastwood's remarks in the privacy of their own computer screens.

Foreground will soon be full of folks.

Back to the '50s

As I roam around the world wide web this afternoon, I see some folks are worried about going back to the crappy old 1950s and the days of Jim Crow.

I don't know who this guy is but he is no elite academic, I promise ya. Must be a redneck racist.

Jackson State's band, The Sonic Boom of the South, got a standing ovation from the Dawgs' fans.

~~

Founded as Natchez Seminary in 1877 by the American Baptist Home mission Society, the school was established as Natchez, Mississippi "for the moral, religious and intellectual improvement of Christian leaders of the colored people of Mississippi and the neighboring states." In November 1882, the school was moved to Jackson; in March 1899, the curriculum was expanded and the name was changed to Jackson College.

The state assumed support of the college in 1940, assigning to it the mission of training teachers. Subsequently, between 1953 and 1956, the curriculum was expanded to include a graduate program and bachelor's programs in the arts and sciences; the name was then changed to Jackson State College in 1956.

Further expansion of the curriculum and a notable building program preceded the elevation of Jackson State College to university status on March 15, 1974. In 1979, Jackson State was officially designated the Urban University of the State of Mississippi. Presently, Jackson State University, a public, coeducational institution, is supported by legislative appropriations supplemented by student fees and federal and private grants.

That's Bettter!

My comment wasn't published but I believe was read.

Than "We"

Please pardon the lack of blogging. It is not as if there's nothing to blog about!

The rain ruined the long John melons.

The Sonic Boom of the South was awesome (but not quite as awesome as a few years ago).

There was no fly over. Near the end of our National Anthem folks turned their heads in anticipation of the flyover. Disappointing.

The kids are here at the Farm and prompted a teeny dish washer unloading/loading dish banging rant from me.

I've begun skimming through The Art of Conversation. Much to say about this.

Missy is regressing. What to say about this?

And I would have thought the super smart people at PJMedia knew better than this:

Why our pets have better health care than us do.

I often write ungrammatically. Most of the time-- I hope-- it's intentional, "ain't no such thing," and so forth. But this is inexcusable. As James J. Kilpatrick would have noted, this should grate on one's ear. To be sure, it does on mine.

Just the facts, please. UPDATED

“Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best.” 

This one is partially correct. While Democrats are clearly the best, a broad consensus exists within the scientific community that Republicans are intrinsically evil and that most Libertarians are just pot heads.

Says Ned Rice, the so-called "fact-checker" of Mr. Eastwood's "speech" the other evening.

To be clear, neither Mr. Big Food nor I is a pothead. 

UPDATED: Do read the whole thing. It's funny! [Sorry 'bout that. Getting ready for Game Day!]

Bluuuue Moooon

How often have you heard of this rare event?

Blue Moon. The second full Moon in a calendar month. The next Blue Moon will occur in July 2015-- three years from now.

Once in a Blue Moon.

Some years ago, Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. His funeral was today. How fitting.

Happy Arbitrary 1st Birthday!

Let's PARTY!

 The folks at the shelter said she was born at the end of August. So August 31st it is!

"You ask me why I love her?"

John Wayne's America

Dear Mother Nature,

Enough's enough already! With all due respect-- and we have a lot of R-e-s-p-e-c-t for you-- it's time to attend to HS & SEC football.

Please turn off the rain.

Thank you.

Love from Mississippi,

Marica

A Sign in Every Single Classroom

It's very quaint-- provincial even. A sign with these two sentences really is in every single classroom.

As a Mississippi State University student I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.

 In other news... 

Harvard College’s disciplinary board is investigating nearly half of the 279 students who enrolled in Government 1310: "Introduction to Congress" last spring for allegedly plagiarizing answers or inappropriately collaborating on the class’ final take-home exam.

[hat tip Instapundit]

Rain, rain

Rocky

I'm learning How-to-GIMP. Clearly, I have more to learn, but I did manage to mask the bedspread! Sort of. GIMP is a free photo-editing program (for Mac & PC). Kat has written a ebook on How to GIMP.

Yes. I am bored-- a condition I'm seldom in because I can occupy myself and have lots of crappy old books to read. But it does happen from time to time and this afternoon was one of those times. 

The dogs are bored, too. Nothing to do but keep an eye on The Weather and bark at the wind. 

Keeping an Eye on The Weather / UPDATE

Note to self: Light from behind subjects = bad photo

It's raining.

A few semi-random thoughts.

#1

In Picayune, Mississippi Gregory Parker has died. The Weather Channel reports he was in his car when a tree fell on it. Folks at TWC then go on to lecture: Stay inside! Don't go out, you don't have to! Shut up.

[County coroner] Turnage says Parker had gone out to tow a pickup truck that was stuck in a ditch on Mississippi Highway 43 North and abandoned by its driver. He says Parker decided it was too muddy and the wind was too strong to attempt the tow.

Mr. Parker was doing his job. I'll never know who called him to go out for the stuck truck-- the local stories just rehash what's above. But you know what? If you're going to report on the circumstances of a 62 year old man's death, have the decency to get the facts straight.

Recipe: Fazolové Lusky na Paprice

Green beans paprika

FAZOLOVÉ LUSKY NA PAPRICE

2 quarts water

1 tsp salt, plus an additional ½ tsp

1 lb green beans, cut

1 C sour cream

4 Tbsp butter

¾ C onion, chopped fine

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp paprika (preferably sweet Hungarian)

Bring water and 1 tsp salt to boil in a stock pot, drop in beans by handfuls, return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cook beans just until tender (do not overcook), and drain beans immediately. Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan, add onions, cook until translucent, remove from heat, and stir in paprika until onions are coated. Beat flour into sour cream, stir mixture into saucepan with onions, and add remaining ½ tsp salt. Simmer 4-5 minutes or until sauce is smooth, gently stir in beans, and simmer about 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin in Sour Cream

served with fazolové lusky na paprice

Very eastern European!

Recipe below.

My! How times have changed!

They are not puppies anymore.

A day late

and a thought short.

I was just thinking I should have ground up some Tabasco peppers & water and sprayed it on the sweet potatoes. Stupid deer.

Inside the life of Tabasco

Yellow to orange to red

Up to 100 pods per plant!

Mr. Big Food is going to make his own Tabasco sauce! 

Speaking of Tabasco sauce, from the seed packet, I learned that the name Tabasco comes from the Mexican state. During the 1850s New Orleans and Tabasco traded extensively. The McIlhenny family of Avery Island, Louisiana began growing Tabasco peppers and developed the original Tabasco sauce.

McIlhenny Tabasco Sauce has a Scoville Heat Unit of 2500-5000. Tabasco peppers are 30,000-50,000. They are hot. Just ask Mr. Big Food who tasted a teeny tiny bite of an orange one the other day.

Recipe: Hearty Sausage Supper

My kind of food!

HEARTY SAUSAGE SUPPER

Serves 4

16 oz jar applesauce

14 oz can sauerkraut, drained

½ C dry white wine

2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed firm

16 oz can small white potatoes, drained

16 oz can small whole onions, drained

12 oz ring Polish sausage, slashed several times

1 Tbsp snipped parsley

Preheat oven to 350^o. Mix together applesauce, sauerkraut, wine, and brown sugar, and put into bottom of a 2 ½ quart casserole. Arrange potatoes and onions around edges of casserole, and place sausage ring in center. Bake covered for 45-50 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Whole Foods Supper

Organic sausages. Organic sauerkraut. Organic apple sauce.

Tennessee has some funny laws, so we had to go to a liquor store to get a bottle of white wine. Other than that, it was a Whole Foods supper.

This is what happens when you understand the rules

of grammar.

You have grammatically correct signs in your stores. 

Suffice it to say that I am not a huge fan of Whole Foods-- as a store/brand. I think it panders to folks who could just as well grow their own "organic" tomatoes and make their own "organic" granola & such but who can't be bothered to do such b/c they are soooo busy with their super duper important lives.

That said, I am a fan of John Mackey who recognized that there was a market for better quality food than one finds at Kroger. 

Oh! What fun!

via NRO's The Corner.

It's probably going to rain for the next couple of days and there's only so much rain-watching a body can do. 

How much fun am I going to have looking at these data?

First thought? Moving from Ohio Oiho Oihi to Mississippi That Landmass was a very smart move.

Second thought? If you are surprised by Texas, you haven't been paying attention.  

Third? What the heck is the color-coding scheme?

On top of everything else

we have to go to stupid Memphis today. Upside? Tops BBQ for lunch. 

Off to fire up the generator-- I hope. Meanwhile, some thoughts from this morning's stroll around the World Wide Web.

The Anchoress wonders

So, let me ask you, readers — do you also “expect the crowd in power to destroy everything”? Are you arming yourselves, stocking up on food and buying generators? Or do you think everything is going to be fine, and we all need to take a breath?
Or are you, like me, just a tad wary but still hoping that the nation can pull itself together?

Steyn at NRO

No dictator will ever need to declare martial law in America. All he’ll need to do is issue a “severe weather advisory” and everyone will stay indoors until they’re told it’s safe to come out.

Marshall Ramsey has a fun hurricane survival list

13. A Sense of Humor: If you can’t laugh at a time like this, you have bigger problems than a hurricane in the Gulf.

Landmass

http://marshallramsey.com/2012/08/27/cartoon-discovery-of-a-landmass/

Chance of Rain?

I'm predicting about 100% here at the Farm by Thursday.

The first thing I'd like to mention is that friend Aggie lives about a mile from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The storm surge is forecast to be 6-12ft. on top of high tide of 2-4ft. Please keep Aggie, her family and every one else down on the coast in your thoughts.

I had some errands to do in Town this afternoon and so was listening to Mississippi Super Talk off & on. Theme of the day? Responsibility. You are responsible for yourself and your family. Here's the problem. Everyone who listens to Super Talk knows this. Preachin' to the Choir. Still, as I stocked up on kitty litter, it was nice to hear.

Hurricane

Delicate, dry drink for the evening

• Cocktail glass
• Mixing glass

3/4 ounce bourbon

3/4 ounce gin

3/4 ounce peppermint flavored liqueur

Stir all ingredients together, with ice, in the mixing glass and strain into the glass

From Peter Bohrmann The Bartender's Guide (2001)

Recipe: Cheesy Grilled Tomatoes

Sunday supper

"Remove carefully!"

CHEESY GRILLED TOMATOES

Thick red tomatoes, cut into thick slices

Olive oil (for brushing tomatoes)

Salt, pepper OR Creole seasoning, to taste

Shredded cheese, any variety

Brush tomato slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper or Creole seasoning. Grill on well greased grill on one side, about 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn carefully with a wide spatula, top slices with shredded cheese, and continue grilling just until cheese starts to melt, about another 2 minutes. Remove carefully.

Recipe: Barbecue Sauce II

Classic: Chicken & BBQ Sauce II

“This is an excellent sauce for pork ribs.”—Lady Helen Hardy, Louisiana’s Fabulous Foods and How to Cook Them (date unknown)

BARBECUE SAUCE II

2 tsp dry mustard

Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp Tabasco

1 C catsup or chili sauce (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

Add enough Worcestershire sauce to dry mustard to make a thin paste. Add Tabasco, and catsup or chili sauce.

Issac

From Brendan Loy's post at PJMedia:

In a bizarrely low-key press conference that seemed more focused on calming residents’ “anxiety” and vaguely telling them to “be prepared” (and then making of a series of mundane announcements about municipal matters like trash collection and parking restrictions) than on advising them to take specific, concrete steps commensurate to the risk of a possibly major hurricane potentially making a direct hit on America’s most hurricane-vulnerable city starting in about 48 hours, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu did his best Ray Nagin impression Sunday, announcing a no-evacuation, “shelter in place” plan that suggests a stunning level of confidence that a worst-case scenario won’t happen, at a time when it remains, meteorologically speaking, very much in play.

The possibility that residents would be “sheltering in place” in a “place” the could, in the worst-case scenario, be swallowed up by the Gulf of Mexico, was not mentioned.

Mayor Landrieu said he did not anticipate announcing any revisions to the plan — such as a decision to order evacuations, a possibility he explicitly downplayed — until around noon tomorrow, by which time the onset of bad weather would be around 24 hours away. Despite reams of pre-Katrina literature indicating that it takes 48 to 72 hours to evacuate New Orleans in the event of a major hurricane threatening a direct hit, and despite the experience of 2005′s rushed and incomplete evacuation so flawed that it left 50,000 people to be rescued from rooftops and such by the Coast Guard, Mayor Landrieu apparently thinks 24 hours is enough time to make an evacuation work, if one is needed.

Okay then.

I want to be fair here. I’m neither a meteorologist nor a New Orleans official, planner or expert. Perhaps Landrieu is right, and I’m wrong. Perhaps New Orleans now has plans that will allow it to effectively evacuate in 24 hours’ time. My understanding has been that that’s basically impossible, but again, I’m concededly not an expert. It’s certainly true that, by midday tomorrow, we’ll have more and better information about Isaac’s projected path and intensity at landfall, both of which remain maddeningly difficult to pin down right now. So if it’s reasonably possible to wait until tomorrow morning to make the call, that would certainly be preferable. I’m just not so sure it’s reasonably possible. I thought the decision needed to be made today, despite the admittedly imperfect information and the very significant chance of a false alarm.

Even if an evacuation can reasonably be begun tomorrow if necessary, Mayor Landrieu certainly should have done more to prepare residents now for the possibility. In contrast to Governor Bobby Jindal, who explicitly advised residents of low-lying coastal areas to prepare today for a likely evacuation tomorrow (and even urged them to voluntarily leave tonight), Landrieu was maddeningly vague in telling residents what to “prepare” for. He seemed to be advising them to “prepare” to “shelter in place” — in other words, to stock up on essentials, etc. — than to prepare for possible evacuations. Moreover, the city government’s relatively nonchalant attitude at present guarantees that most private employers will take a similar attitude, meaning lots of residents with jobs won’t feel free to take off work tomorrow to evacuate.

Continued on Next Page ->

Red Sunday Supper

Chicken w/ bbq sauce

Tomatoes brushed w/olive oil. Flipped. Brushed. Cheese. Out of this world good.

Missy, what is your problem? You were out there while Mr. Big Food was grillin'. And it's not like you don't have pork chops steak and pound cake every day.

Calm down. 

Recipe: Tomatillo Salsa

on the left

This is the salsa for chips! Or anything else, for that matter. As Mr. Big says, "This is the freshest salsa we make." Not that all of our salsas aren't fresh-- but this one really tastes fresh!

The recipe (below) begins:

The combination of tomatillos, chilies and cilantro creates a salsa with an authentic Mexican taste. In addition to making a great dip for corn chips, this salsa works well as a condiment for fajitas, burritos and quesadillas.

Recipe: Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa

on the right

This was a more involved recipe than other salsas we've made so we took the time to read the recipe through together before we began. Along the way, Mr. Big Food remarked, "No. It doesn't need to be 15 minutes," or some such thing. So we made a few changes to the original (below) and I've noted those in red. 

About Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa... . I couldn't find chipotle or cascabel peppers at the Kroger in Tupelo, so we substituted pasilla peppers. This substitution may have made a difference in flavor. That said, this is not a salsa that I'd enjoy on a chip-- although Mr. Big Food would. It's... savory (?). Deep. Having tasted it, I think that the suggestion at the beginning of the recipe would be spectacular!

“For a sensational entrée, marinate a pork shoulder blade roast in this salsa overnight in the refrigerator. Then slow-roast it for about 10 hours in a slow cooker, until it practically shreds itself. If you prefer, spoon it into warm Kaiser or onion buns and enjoy a great meal of good-ole-boy pulled pork.”

National Dog Day!

Who knew?

The day’s founder, Colleen Paige, said she started National Dog Day as a way to say thank you to dogs for their bravery, dedication and unconditional love. But she had another intention too — helping American learn about the plight of pit bulls.

Paige said:

“I want to focus this year on whats happening with Pit Bulls. It breaks my heart to see the plight of certain breeds like Pit Bulls...

If interested, the rest is here.

And speaking of pit bulls... 

What a handsom young Staffordshire terrier mutt!

There's no moon out tonight.

Holy Moly!

You should smell our kitchen right now. 

Dried chilis toasted, soaked in water, pureed.

Tomatillos, Italian plum tomatoes, garlic & onion roasted under the broiler, pureed.

Combine.

Add sugar, vinegar &c.

Simmer for 15 minutes-- just long enough for a quick break.

Works of Art

What a Big Life Mr. Big Food & I have! It's not uncommon at all for us to have an opportunity to do something uncommon. Yesterday, for example, we fed some starving artists and got a behind the scenes glimpse of the Art World. 

It looks small, but it was life-size!

I was surprised to see such cool stuff just laying around.

Cast yourself anyway you want!

Even the tools are works of art.

No Starving Artists Here

Mr. Big Food grilled some burgers and dogs for the artists. The only context needed is that the lid on the grill I totted in has some lid issues.

An artist to the rescue.

Fixed.

It begins.

Recipe: Green Bean Puff

Ha ha. He said, "Puff."

Recipe: A General's Favorite Ham Loaf

Good enough for A General

In case you are wondering... 

General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. He earned the Medal of Honor for his valor and leadership as commander of the Doolittle Raid while a lieutenant colonel.

Eating food like this kept the General alive a long time.

~~

 

From Mrs. James H. Doolittle, Officer’s Wives’ Club, Los Angeles, Cal.

A GENERAL’S FAVORITE HAM LOAF

2 lbs smoked ham, ground

1 lb fresh pork, ground

½ lb graham crackers, crushed

1 C milk

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350^o. Mix together all ingredients thoroughly, place in a greased loaf pan, and bake 1 hour. “Excellent served hot or cold.”