What goes up...

Today Ribhard learned that, while the famous maxim "What goes up must come down" is often true, the converse is not necessarily so. Ribhard backed the car out of the garage and DOWN the driveway and drove out in the snowstorm to get logs for the fireplace. He had more trouble getting back UP the driveway so left the car parked in the culdesac. You'll notice in this picture that a couple of our fellow neighbors were those overacheiver-types who actually shoveled instead of waiting for some sun and a little melting - ok, we need a lot of melting this time.

boiled peanuts

boiled peanuts

first you nee to buy some "Raw" peanuts still in the shell......these are sometimes sold or called raw or green peanuts at Wal-Mart, Kroger's, Sams, Publix, Safeway, Albertsons, or etc.....most people that work in grocery stores outside of the south don't have a clue what raw or green peanuts are..much less boiled peanuts.........so just make sure they ain't roasted or salted or cooked peanuts when you buy them to boil. (I mean don't buy any like you get at baseball, football, or basketball games already salted and roasted....understand?)

put two pounds of raw peanuts still in the shell in a 3 quart pot and let them soak over night....(or what ever amount of peanuts will fit in whatever size your cooking pot is..it ain't that important..just make sure the peanuts are covered with water .)

after soaking all night...........cook on low heat.......kinda like a simmer for about maybe 3 - 4 hours...start off with the peanuts just covered with water (they may still be floating even after soaking all night but will cook down in the water in a little while) ..sprinkle half cup of salt over the peanuts and stir them occasionally......peanuts will absorb water so you need to keep adding water from time to time and also keep adding salt as you cook too.....after about 2 - 3 hours taste a peanut....when it is done it will be firm but not MUSHY...do not over cook.....when they get just right you can take them out of the water and eat them hot. You can also save the juice and keep some peanuts in that for later. if you let them sit in the juice they will absorb more liquid and be saltier..which could even make them better...........depends on your tastes........Boiled peanuts can be kept in the ice box for several days in an airtight tupper ware type container....or plastic zip lock bag........you can also drain them and freeze them if absolutely necessary..like if you were going on a car trip (or flying ) to parts of the country (North of Georgia and.or west of Mississippi) unfamiliar with boiled peanuts.

You can make them Cajun style too...just add jalapeño peppers and/or some Frank's Red Hot and/or Tabasco the last 1/2 or 45 mins of cooking...the peanuts will soak up the flavor.

Yard Sale Must Go On!

Today I learned that nothing - not even murder - can stop a good yard sale in Gylfport. I offer excerpts from today's Gabber front page story:
Murder, Sling Blade-Style
Confession, and a Yard Sale
Donald Price, 52 was Murdered on Saturday
In a phone call reminiscent of Karl Childers confession at the end of Sling Blade, Gulfport resident Riley Bryan, 67, called 911 just before 9 o’clock Saturday night and told operators he had shot his roommate, Donald Price, 52.
Bryan fatally shot Price in the head in the presence of Susan Vinson, who identified herself as Price’s wife, and Bryan’s brother, Carter Bryan. Witnesses say that the two disagreed and Bryan got a gun and started shooting.
Neither the witnesses nor Bryan will tell police the subject of the roommates’ disagreement.
“We’re getting different stories. The only person who knows for sure what the argument about would be Riley and he’s not talking,” Interim Chief of Police Howard Coombs told The Gabber.
This murder breaks Gulfport’s six-year run without any murders. The last murder, in 2003, resulted from two men arguing over a pocketknife in the Arts District. One man shot and killed the other as a result of this spirited disagreement.
Following Saturday night’s shooting the Bryan residence participated in the citywide yard sale Sunday morning, police say.•••
Aug reports that neighbor Randy checked out the yard sale. The widow explained she had to get rid of her husband's items (sad memories). Word is there were some killer deals.

Penguins Unite!

Today, I learned there was a place for me on Polvo'd's bus - well, maybe at the back of the bus. Check out this description of the slow-running movement that John Bingham, head penguin, is credited with starting.
In the running lexicon, the word "Penguin" has come to mean a person who runs more for the joy of running than for recognition and public rewards. Some of us are perpetual Penguins. We are consumed by the pleasure of movement.
Other Penguins find their joy in the challenge of reaching their own potential, whatever that is. For some it has meant running the Boston Marathon, the only U.S. marathon that has qualifying standards. For others, it has meant finding an independence and freedom in their daily runs that expands their limits.
Can there be such a thing, then, as a Penguin athlete? Or an athletic Penguin? Can people who are fighting to lose thirty or forty pounds be athletes? Of course they can! Can people who have waited until their forties to become physically active be athletes? You bet. Can people who finish last in a race be athletes? Yes, they can. And yes, they are.