Squirrel pilates and more

How far are you willing to go...to get what you want? I have many material passions (ok, addictions) in my life, and with the exception of saving a life, I cant say I would be willing to do THIS! And how odd is it, that the first thought I had was "wow, what good core strength this squirrel has". Damn, that must be some good suet!
So this led me to think about what suet equivalent would drive me to these antics. My mom's chocolate chips cookies? Rendezvous Room dry-rub ribs in Memphis? Breakfast at Mother's in New Orleans?
Then, like a bolt of powder sugared lightning, it came to me - beignets! Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would hang upside down, from a tree limb, for Cafe DuMonde beignets in New Orleans. Sorry, mom - you ran a tight 2nd . Oh, my mouth is watering now (you can see why here).
Suet must make you thirsty. I wonder if having a gluttonously stuffed belly changes your center of balance, and makes it harder to teeter on the side of a birdbath? Probably not, with the pilates strength, and all.
I can also post about INdoor animal stuffs. Especially now that the "stuffs" appear to be at a safe point. Our Gracie turned 14 back in December, so daily gimpiness is just part of her arthritic life. We treated a nerve issued in her shoulder back in October, but a couple of days ago, when she wouldn't bend her neck down to eat off the floor/ground (what?! no scarfing up every crumb in sight 'cause its probably edible?), I suspected it was flaring up again. However, in the 24 hrs between making the appointment and getting there was awful! The neck thing wasn't worse, but she was apparently "losing her back end". Needless to say, this freaked me out, but I was comforted knowing we had an appt. in a few hours. Steve had to call me home from a lunch date because she had fallen and he couldn't get her up (he could have, but was afraid of hurting her more).
To greatly shorten the story (and give my mom a chance to wipe her teary eyes), we got her into the vet's and now have her on a course of steroids. He said it could be any of three things. Two of the ailments would respond with the meds/steroids, and one of them has no treatment. He gave her an injection + pills, hoping she would respond quickly.
So far, so good. She hasn't fallen (or had any other accidents) since Thursday. She even wanted up on the bed with me last night, which was a good sign she felt "well enough" to want to do it. Our mattress/springs are on the floor, which was done when our dog, Pete, couldn't jump that high anymore,but still wanted in bed. How easily I throw my deaf ear to the Bedding with Dogs Critiques - especially when Gracie lays along side me, dropping her big warm head onto my belly, and exhaling a long sigh that says "there is no place I would rather be than right here".
I bet she would even hang upside down in a tree for it!

Curiosity cleaned the cat

I'm not so sure what really made me investigate this project, but I am certain half of it had something to do with the ridiculous price of laundry detergent. Although, isn't this a chronological requirement of being in a certain age group [cough *over 40* cough] - that you start complaining about the price of stuff? The other half of my interest is attributed to the curious child trapped inside me, when I thought "Wow, I never realized detergent was something you could make". I must have assumed detergent was only make-able by companies with "special" ingredients.
So I completed extensive research, found this was safe and economic, then put out the sign: The Lab is OPEN!
If you are interested, or inclined to make your own, I have a picture here of all the ingredients you will need + the recipe: (click pic to enlarge)
Liquid Laundry Detergent

2 cups of grated Fels Naptha laundry bar (lightly packed)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda (this is NOT baking soda)
water
large pail w/ cover, to mix (and store, if desired)

**use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load**

In a sauce pan, add one quart water and the grated Fels Naptha. Warm this on medium heat, stir occasionally, to melt the soap (don't boil). To the large pail, add borax and washing soda. Gently stir in two gallons of hottest tap water and stir until powders are dissolved (I used a large slotted spatula). Now stir in the melted mixture from the stove. You will see right away that the mixture is congealing. Continue to stir a couple of minutes, let cool, then cover and let sit overnight.
When I checked mine in the morning, it was set-up like jello. Stirring it will break up the mixture, creating an expected "glop". I scooped some into a mason jar and shook, which will thoroughly mix and make soap pourable. I found it easier to use my emulsion blender ( hand blender) to speed blend the soap, then poured it into containers for storage.
The picture below kind of shows how it looks a little like melted ice cream. (Comments below)
This worked great for me. The first load I did was of dirty dog towels and dog sheets. I thought this would be a good test of dirt removal. I have an extra large capacity *he* washer and used 1/2 cup of soap. All the items came totally clean. For regular daily clothes, I would use 1/3 c for my size loads.

***This is great for *he* washers since it does NOT suds. No suds at all.
***The Fels Naptha is a laundry product (although in my grocery store, its in the body soap aisle). It is a laundry bar/stain remover. I grated mine in my food processor (then rinsed very well). I also bathe with this soap if I have been anywhere near poison ivy - I'm just sayin'.
*** Washing Soda is NOT the same thing as baking soda. I found it at Meijers (also at Krogers). Washing Soda is a laundry booster, similar to the Borax - so if you would use these products in your washer/laundry system, they are fine here, too. Washing Soda and Borax are found in the laundry aisle.
***This recipe does make a couple gallon batch, and considering you use so little for each laundry load, you can split a batch w/a friend, or only make 1/2 a recipe.

My price breakdown:
Fels Naptha = $1.59
Washing Soda = $2.99 ($1 worth used)
Borax = $3.59 ($1.25 worth used)
Which makes the entire batch cost = $3.85 for two finished gallons (makes 64 X-large loads, or 128 normal loads). This is 6 cents per X-large load!!!

After all the research I did, THIS is the site I found most informative, and there is a link for more recipes which include powdered options.
Another recent laundry change I have made, is to use white vinegar in my final rinse instead of liquid softener. Liquid softener has build up on your clothes, plus on the washer/hoses. I added about 25 drops of lavender essential oil to a gallon of vinegar then just give it a quick shake before adding to your softener dispenser. There is NO, let me say this again, NO odor of vinegar left behind.

If anyone else tries this, leave me a comment.

Show Me Your Beads

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Laissez les bon temp rouler!
Can you guess from the picture how we are planning to spend today? Is there anything more perfect than this pairing?.....something New Orleans-ish AND basketball! So here are all the beads I will be sporting at the game tonight - as this yankee celebrates Mardi Gras. Maybe they will bring The Bucks some luck!
These beads were all purchases, however somewhere on my own Bucket List, is the goal of "earning" them the right way!


The best thing about Mardi Gras (or really everything about New Orleans) is the food! Yeah, I am all about that food. It even gives me a little spine shiver thinking about it! Ok, ok - moving on......here is a King Cake. It is served during Mardi Gras season parties. Do you see the little plastic baby in the middle of the ring? This would actually be hidden in the cake, and the person who gets it in their piece is the host of the next party. I ordered a cake shipped from N.O., and made gumbo last weekend. Mmmm. The cake is filled with a flavor of your choice (I like cream cheese - like a danish), and the icing is a powdered sugar drizzle, then sprinkled with colored sugar. The purple = Justice, the green = faith, and gold = power.
The next big thing are all the parades. I have never been to a parade, but we toured the factory that makes all the floats. The picture here of the three faces, is appx 1 story tall! This tour was really neat. Most of the elements are made of layered styrofoam, then carved, and painted. It is truly an art and hard to grasp the size proportions. Just let me say, parades we all have in our home towns, would be like comparing a County Fair to Disney World.

The dozens of people who ride the floats wear the most incredible costumes. During this same factory tour, we could try on some sample costumes. They were incredibly heavy!
Here is Steve. He is 5'10, if that lets you understand the size proportions. There are two parts here. The large shoulder piece is on braces that are harnessed over your shoulders. When all that is strapped on, you slip on the jacket portion, which is sewn with beads, etc., which makes it heavy, too.
The riders on the floats would also be masked. They throw out beads, coins, and candy to the crowds.

Here I am in another costume. I am 5'7", and think they said mine would have been worn by a male. Even as strong as I am, I could never have worn this, balanced on a float and thrown stuff. It would be exhausting. As odd as this sounds, considering my love affair with New Orleans, I would never want to be there on an actual Mardi Gras. I just don't like those kind of crowds. I'm not much of a Bourbon Street fan either - at least to just hang out. It is a world of its own, and you can truly "feel it" when you step on that street.

But I guess I'll have to get back on that Bourbon Street horse someday ...especially if I want to earn those beads!!!

I am off to celebrate my favorite things.... Go Bucks!!!

Ya Gotta Be Kidding?

I see all the oddest stuff now that I carry my camera with me all the time - and knowing I have the ability to capture "The Stupid", it has led to seeing things a little differently. And of course, there is NO fun in keeping this ridiculousness all to myself. Which leads me to my first picture:

When did having a dead iPod battery become an emergency? Really? And how widespread is this disaster, that a marketable product had to be created to prevent it? Aaaarrrggghhhh! Of all the unfortunate occurrences in my lifetime, this tragedy has not stuck. I feel truly blessed.
As absurd as it is, that our society is SO spoiled it is able to RE-define "emergency", I find the second picture below to be the opposite of spoiled.

I mentioned in an previous post ( here), that I refer to my neighbors as The Clampetts. Hmm, maybe that needs changed - how about The Flintstones? Did anyone else get whiplash from traveling back in time to see this picture? The day I walked out onto our deck, in 10 degree breezy weather, I literally said out loud "you've got to be kidding me". Then I spun around as quick as possible to get the camera.
We have electric in these here parts now. There is also public water -no need to haul it in from the well. There is even a new drying machine - to use for your britches.
Now, before all you environmentalist get on my back for poking fun at my energy saving neighbors, did you see my reference to weather? Not to mention the three inches of snow on the ground. So, I ask you: Does frozen laundry dry quicker than warm laundry. I bet these neighbors have never had a dead iPod battery!
Here is a picture that doesn't really fit today's category - I just find it fascinating. I should probably include my "goodbye" to you, since my mom will kill me when she sees this picture on here. (hmm, maybe she should have been wearing the goofy hat here)

Last week, we had a windstorm, and an 80 ft pine tree came down at Mom & Fred's house. It fell along the driveway line, so at least nothing was damaged. Here is the how tall the base was that came uprooted. Mom is 5'2". She will schedule autographs by appointment.
I just thought it was cool. On a side note, our own electric flickered a couple of times during this storm - but we never lost power (and probably never will again now that we have a generator).
I hope your week includes plenty of tunes.....and thawed pants!

Divas Gone Wild

Which is probably a title I should have re-thought, considering the pictures of this post include liquor AND livestock!
I spent a long weekend with my girlfriends, The Crop Divas, and you just never know what kind of fun we will have. Our intention is to get alot of hobby projects done - but mainly, having a "girls weekend". (Being away from husbands and kids are a big plus, too.)
The bottles to the left, is the fun that I brought! A friendly cashier at our grocery shared this "recipe" with me - its called a Peppermint Patty (not to be confused with Charlie Brown's friend). Squirt some chocolate syrup in your mouth, then chase it with a shot of peppermint schnapps. Ooooohhh...that is smooooooth! Especially once the fire goes out! Really, though, it DOES taste just like the candy. We all had several "candies".
Let's just move on from here...

We did have such a good time laughing and just being "girls". We even made Diva Audrey blow hot coffee out of her nose. Now isn't that the true mark of a successful party?
The next morning, Diva Charlene, needed to make a quick trip home to check on her livestock. She is a Gentle"woman" farmer - and this is birthing season. OK, let me say that I am born/raised a "city" girl, which means "I don't know nothing about birthing no {farm} babies". I kneel down, on my pansy knee, and take my hat off to Charlene. She found this brand new lamb arrival. Can you believe the lamb she is holding is only about 8 hrs old? I just thought they were so much smaller. She had her loaded her into a box and drove her back to show us, with another arrival, Lucky. [click pics for larger image]

Yes, Lucky the Goat is named for his fortunate survival! Don't you just love the white patch on his head? Looks like a toupee! Charlene said he was born 01/31/09, which made him a week old when this picture was taken. He was quite a bit smaller than the newborn lamb. Charlene found him born (premature) and struggling in the extremely cold barn . She warmed him back at the house, ultimately in a sink of warm water. Then milked the mother and bottle fed him. When he was stronger, she returned him to mama to feed, but kept him back inside until the weather was warm enough for him in the barn.

All my Diva friends are such strong women - and I learn SO much from them. I cant possibly fathom the work/heartache/love that goes into farming - or being a cancer survivor - or surviving a near fatal/life altering motorcycle accident!
Maybe my name should be Lucky, for having these women come into my life! Cheers {with a peppermint patty }!

I Got Nothing

Yeah, those of you who know me know, I never just have "nothing". But I have exceeded a 1,000 visits (1,014 to be exact) this blog, and should have planned for something bigger! I have found blogging very therapeutic, and feel very flattered that you all have visited. Here's to my best friends and new friends - cheers!

Again, I come with just random thought chunks. I should really carry a little note pad with me, to record ideas I get, since at least twice a day I say out loud "man, I'm blogging that!" - and then forget by the end of the day. Yeah, I am over 40. This means I am finding myself being lumped into the category: Old School. I have discussed this with my other friends (who are all over 25 years of age), and we have decided that Old School isn't all bad. Old School means you still have manners. You still have ethics. When did being polite and considerate start having such a negative connotation?

First chunk: today is Hank Aaron's birthday. I don't keep this marked on my calendar, but when I saw a "Day of" calendar, it was a listed event. ***warning, Old-School opinion to follow*** Hank Aaron IS the Home Run King. He set this record of hitting the most home runs (715) back in 1974. Anyone who cheats to break this record, *cough, Barry Bonds, cough* DOES NOT COUNT. I do not recognize this, and if it is printed in any record books, there should be an asterisk. A big, huge asterisk *. This particular asterisk meant you didn't have ethics.

Here is some "Schooling" for the youngsters: say please, say thank you, cover your mouth when you cough, expect me to stare when you have tattooed and pierced yourself into ridiculousness, get off that phone/text all the time (sorry, you're not really that important - all the time), give me courteous customer service when I come into a business to spend money that is keeping you employed, dress respectfully when you are at church/funeral/wedding.........I am sure I will think of more stuff. In the meantime, I think I'll make some t-shirts that say "Proud To Be Old School" ('cause apparently I can wear that to church/wedding/funeral).

And since I like my blog posts to have some pictures, I took some at the basketball game this week. That Purdue beat-down was terrific, wasnt it?! Ok, onto the pictures: I like to find some constant oddities and give them names. The girl in this picture I call Elvira. This picture doesn't even do her "hair" justice. It is so ridiculously jet black, it looks like a Halloween wig for Elvira (or maybe Morticia). I'm not questioning her "talent", just her choice of color & style.
Here is a picture that the WHOLE arena finds hysterical. We only refer to him as "Dancer Boy". OSU has a "dance team" (which I think is code for 'not good enough to be a real cheerleader'), and they come to dance during a time out. Its ALL girls......and one boy (in the lone black tshirt). Ya know, there probably isn't anything I could type here that you aren't all thinking in your heads, so I will leave it at that.
And last, but not least, here is "Little Richard". But, at least he is a cheerleader, right? Seriously, though, he looks (and acts) just like the real thing.
See what happens when I go a week without getting my blog out? Sometimes you get the UNsorted version.
I also forgot to mention that today is National Weatherperson Day. I'm not quite sure what to do with that information - is it just a title, or some kind of suggestion? Well, my suggestion is to MAKE IT WARMER!

...And Happy 75th Birthday to Hammerin' Hank Aaron!!!