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.

Editor's Note

Reminder: This Blog is entitled "Stuff We Learnt Today" - this blog is NOT "Stuff We Learnt Last Week", that is another blog.

I learnt last week............

there is a reason the dollar store sells oven cleaner for a dollar a can and King Sooper sells it for $6 a can...I messed around trying to clean an oven for 5 hours with the dollar stuff...and ended up getting the real Easy Off and doing the job in about 1/2 hour. This is one of several thing I have found is not a good deal at the dollar store...however the good out weighs the bad down there...and it is next to the ARC..so I will continue to shop the dollar store...selectively.

It's strange-basketball-player-story-Friday!

On Horseback with Nash:

On horseback a young Dirk Nowitzki races teammate Steve Nash down a thin strip of floury sand along the lapping shallows of some sub-tropical sea, the duo’s long hair flapping like matched manes in the wind.

Dirk is clumsy on horseback, Nash skillful. Waiting at the finish line, Nash joshes his friend:

“Howdy,” he says, doffing an invisible Stetson as Dirk’s steed lumbers over the snapped tape.

Dirk chuckles, executes an ungainly dismount. A breeze flutters their similar white riding shirts.

“Steve,” Dirk says later, the two of them sipping electric-blue drinks through complexly-looped pink straws, their horses happily gamboling a little ways down the beach. “What could be better than this, Steve? We’ve got the whole world, don’t we?”

Nash stares out at the giant red sun, dipping into the Pacific.

“Steve?”

Quick Hits ....

www.e-mancipate.net -- yes? no?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/24/swedish_shortage/ - Come again?

Recipe for a Great Birthday...

...a little quikrete, a dash of prestone, some red wine (of course), AND a little HUMPTY (feltch, that is)! Happy Birthday, Ribhard!

Birthday Toast to Abbzug

Happy Birthday, Abbzug!
(one day late, but that's how I roll)
Hope it was great!
Everyone, let's just continue to join Abbzug in a week-long birthday glass of wine...

is america great or what?

September 27, 2009
The Net Gun

The Net-2000 Shooting Net Rod uses compressed air to launch a 52 square foot net at criminals, friends, or animals. The net can travels approximately 50 feet, so you can be a safe distance away out of stabbing range anyway and still use the device. They sell for $419, but the net can be reinserted into the device and fired repeatedly, so it's got lots of replay value.
This is probably safer than a Taser Device, but more bulky to carry.
See the You-Tube Video below.....



YouTube Video: Non Lethal Weapon :net gun, CatchingNet, security net launcher (the net gun)

How many red flags can you count in this story?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33000786

Monkey Face Spider revisited

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of visiting Abbzug and Leopold in their natural habitat. While we proclaimed our interest in visiting them and their newly remodeled home "on our way to a conference" the next day, our hosts were suspicious. Within the first half hour, our astute hosts accused us of having an ulterior motive: a glimpse of the famous, rare "monkey faced spider" (See WTF blog entry, Aug 22). Apparently, the Professor and Ginger are even smarter than they might first appear. In any event, after touring the house (excellent craftsmanship and even more beautiful than pictured in the Woodford Project blog), we proceeded to a tour of the grounds where we managed to snap a picture of the afore-mentioned spider with a telephoto lens. This high tech equipment revealed the reason for the nickname. Double click the photo, and you will understand why this phenomenon was truly worth the 2 hour (or in our case 4 hour) trip.

Fun story on NPR today!!!

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=113055346&m=113062224


September 22, 2009 - TERRY GROSS, host:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross.

When the economy was on the verge of collapse in 2008, my guest, Matt Latimer, was one of the president's speechwriters, assigned to write a speech for Bush announcing his plan to deal with the crisis. It was, as you can imagine, one of Latimer's toughest assignments.

Matt Latimer dreamed of writing speeches for an American president, but when he got that chance with President Bush, it left him cynical and disillusioned. Latimer has written a memoir called "Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor."

It tells a story of how the son of two liberal schoolteachers became a conservative, worked on Capitol Hill, served three years as the chief speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and went on to become the deputy director of speechwriting for President Bush. Several quotes from the book have already made news.

chicharrones de harina

Chicharrones de Harina

We picked up Chicharrones de Harina at the latin grocery store the other day on the way to Ft. Collins. We called team Ft. Collins to find out exactly what we were buying while at the store (no one spoke English at the grocery store) but the combination of my mobile virgin constant phone static and my inability to read spanish words proved to be a barrier. I have googled them now and find they are made with rendered pork fat and flour apparently. Plou and I have both enjoyed them.....I with Valentina Salsa Picannte Mexican hot sauce extra hot (have you tried the sauce? very good!) and she plain. Have any of yall tried this food ? Just wondering.

The people of walmart

click here daily for a good laugh....

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

fun tee shirts

learned what it looks like .........

to see a very tall man sleeping on a sorry ass blow up bed that deflates halfway down and he puts pillows under the sorry ass blow up bed to try and sleep............and would probably be better off sleeping on the floor.

Ready to Ride

Stephany and Zoolander ready to leave from Colorado Springs to Reno!

How Bizarre, how bizarre...

Yea, so Ribhard actually awoke from a nap the other day singing in key while still half asleep, "Every time I look around, every time I look around..."