Details Matter People, They Really Frakin Do !

I got an e mail from my step sister this morning at work reminding me of something to do with the estate as it winds down .

She had previously mentioned that there was the matter of Daddy's watch to be attended to . I didn't think much on it because Daddy favored plain old Timex for his watches unlike some of us ( ahem..Moi ? ) who collects them. I vaguely declined and thought no more about it .

Ruh Roh !

I had no idea until I opened the attachment that it was in fact my paternal grandfathers pocket watch that was in question .

I replied back that if my brothers wanted it that they were welcome to it , but if not , I wanted it and the value of it could be deducted from the next disbursement.

Aside from the fact that actually this was not community property..( ahem) ...They had set up the trusts the way that they wanted to and in the end it is and was noneya ( none of my bidness ) what they set up. And...Laura was the one that spent every day for 8 weeks at her mothers side from the day she entered hospice to the day that she died, then with the help of the attorney administered the entire estate...so I can and genuinely do understand how a detail , even one as relevant as this could have been overlooked....it happens.


Details matter folks, I almost lost an opportunity to hang on to a family heirloom. Yes , I doubt it runs, but it is almost the only thing of my paternal grandfathers around aside from some oil paintings.

Lesson learned.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Not My Mothers Chicken, Thank You Jeebus !

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/zesty-braised-chicken-with-lemon-and-capers?fb_action_ids=610771518937299&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=fw-vert&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22610771518937299%22%3A490745592681%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22610771518937299%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%22610771518937299%22%3A%22fw-vert%22%7D

I love Food and Wine magazine. I read it on line ( at work..shhhhhhhh) and ran across this. Boop Mr Linky  to go to the recipe.

Years ago back in the Jurassic Era , my Mother decided to expand her recipe talents and took a run at French cookery . This was back when Julia Child was first on PBS in the afternoon and before  Mom's life completely blurred the edge of the line between the morning and the afternoon aka Jim Beam. In all fairness, the older I have gotten , the more I do understand how it was for her to basically raise 3 children alone in an era when the military culture was all about happy hours and I hope she will forgive me some of the more cruel things a self  involved teenage brat said.

Onward.

My mother never did anything halfway . For as long as I can remember, she had subscriptions to both Bon Appetite and Gourmet  . She read cookbooks as if they were popular fiction and shopped on the base as wisely as she could. When she would try a new recipe , it was more economical to double it or in some cases triple it , which is fine, I do that with my hot dish , but...try it first Mom. If it's awful, more isn't going to make it better..just more gag worthy...sorry Mom.

Point in case ..Chicken in White Wine and Garlic sauce.

MOTHER.....kids do not like French food unless they are actually French .

This is the first recipe that I have run across that I would be actually willing to try. I did buy chicken thighs by mistake...I was in a rush and thought I had bought breasts for chicken salad.

And it has less cream and seems lighter than the dreaded original....and CAPERS.

And SU wonders why I WON'T eat Lasagna.

I Can Only Hope ..

Normally , I don 't watch the Oscars except to snark some ( MOST/ALL) of the ladies and their fashion choices. There is just so much offered up each year that I can't pass up the train wreck. I am old enough to remember the classic Oscar shows, hosted by Bob Hope when there was at least a modicum of taste to it all and confess I miss the golden era .

That being the case, I am praying like mad that Seth McFarlane will do the whole thing as Stewie. Can you imagine the egos that would deflate faster than Texas hair in a monsoon ?

Oh please..Aunty Pol needs the laugh .

Have a great week.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

She's Off To Find Andy And All Her Bubbies And Sissies

Xena went to the Bridge yesterday.

Our hearts are shattered, and it has been hard the last three or four years to watch such a bright spirit dim a little more each day. There was nothing that we could do, nothing we wouldn't try but it was her time.

Loki and Boschka are bereft and looking for her , and since we watched Peaches go into a depression when her father Bubba went to the bridge 14 years ago, we know the signs.

I miss you my wooby, Daddy loves you and I know that you will always be there in our hearts .

Love,

Your Mama

Thus Far ...Or Why Pol Is Losing What Little Mind She Has Left..

It really is true , " If you want to  < Insert Deity Of Personal Choice Here > laugh, tell them you have plans.

I know it's been a while and I haven't been the diligent blogger  I once was , but sometimes life gets in the way .

Thus far....

We had gotten to the point that we had finalized most if not all of the choices for the renovation...granite, flooring paint etc. Then we found out that out that the Moron , our contractor and SU's partner in a variety of crimes has a family health issue, though not his own. Not my story to share so that is all that I am going to say here. We  left things on an open timeline and while I was not comfortable with the "whatever " attitude, I do understand . I remind myself that I am not the one dealing with the Big C.
So we just went " Meh " ....and left it go for a couple of weeks..

Last week as we were half assed preparing  for Mardi Gras and SU's annual trip to NOLA with the crazy Cajuns, the Moron called to say that he would be at the house on Tuesday , Feb. 12, aka yesterday to begin work on the guest bath .

FRAK.

Dude, I have stuff to do to get the boy on the road , and now I have to go to Lowes tonight ( last Wednesday ) and buy counter top, vanity, taps, commode and light....and arrange for delivery on Monday of this week...while SU is out of town and I am home. We have picked it all out and I have typed up a room by room list of that is to be done, vendor names, model #'s , item #'s and colors....and I hope this is all in stock and can be delivered this Monday.

Cha Ching..it can be delivered .

$$$$$ out the door.

SO there I am at home, trying to sort out all of this in my head...after the guest bathroom, what room do I prep ? Which bookcase to pack...the only reason I have a kindle is that we have run out of wall space to build another bookcase....I have a s**tload of hard cover books as does SU. Do we have enough boxes..where is the tape....panic...panic...breathe...breathe....OMG OMG OMG...and oh yeah ....OMG .

Friday I pick up the mail and there is a letter from the estate attorney in California. Enclosed was a receipt for the balance due on my portion of the estate.............AND NO CHECKS. I stood in my kitchen and began to hyperventilate. I ran out to the mail box and rechecked. Checked the flower bed, checked the driveway, the path through the garage into the kitchen...checked the envelope again..grabbed the junk mail out of the fresh kitchen trash bag ( like I cared at that moment ..no shit..) and I called the West Coast . A lovely young man named Mark said that the attorney was out of the office until the 18'th. I left a message and having realized part way through the conversation that I was dealing with an answering service, I thanked the gentleman and wished him a good weekend . I do the same sort of work at our firm in many ways so I know how it works ...and he was very nice, which does count boys and girls, it really does .

Good Times.

So I call Southside and he calls our step-sister , the Trustee and Executor of her mothers estate. She calls me and tells me that she mailed via cert mail the checks to the house , earlier in the week. My heart sank. Last August when yet again we were BOTH in NOLA, there was a distribution from the attorneys estate and I asked that all mailings be sent to me at the office . I don't get home until about 7 pm during the week and it would be the following weekend until I can get to the USPS to get said mail.

Saturday morning I get up at Oh Dark Thirty to feed the Feline Overloards and realize that on the weekend that I have no idea what actual time the mail runs..it like everything else can vary. So I watch ...and run out the door when I see the carrier at the box, but she's quick and I have to leap over debris..don't ask..so I wait,,and wait....and wait till I see her turn around to come down the other side of the street.

With all the grace and charm I could muster considering that I didn't take the time to put the damn dentures in and frankly had more on my mind that the fact that I now appear to mimic the whitest Moms Mabley on the entire block, ...I stood in the middle of the street and waved my arms all but doing a fairly accurate ( or so Cindy Lou Who says ) imitation of Jerry Lewis in one of his early films...

" HEYYYYYY LAAAADDDDYYYYYYYYY "

No certified mail slip.

Now nauseous , I realize that there will be very little sleep for me until Monday at the earliest.  I piddle with laundry and sit down to read...and begin to watch Xena .

Yeah.

Sunday , I do busy work....and watch Xena .

And realize her time is ending.

Monday, I wait for Lowes to call with the delivery time. They arrive and unload all the order save the faucet taps...$138.00 worth of Peerless Oil Rubbed Bronze. On the receipt I clutch in my hot little hand. On the Manifest/bill of lading. The driver suggests after stating that they no gotti John Gotti , that possibly the taps might have been inserted in the box containing the new vanity..nope. The counter top /sink ? ..Nope. Now why he would have thought that it would have been alright to open a customers sealed box to insert another item by another vendor and insert said item was and is beyond me.  The side kick driver FINALLY found the MIA taps in their box in the truck...Good deal dudes because you had one very po'd customer who was refusing to sigh off on a delivery valued north of 1K.

And then the mail came.

Lather , rinse , repeat.

I just sort of lost it by the time SU got home and I shared all the adventures I had while he was throwing beads.

Separately , I could have handled most of it all , I'd like to think ( LMAO ~ yeah right ) ...but to add the stress of a breaking heart as a truth is accepted ?

Not so much.

Checks were finally retrieved and deposited....the bathroom has begun and if I can make it through this next week..

The adventure has just begun.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Pioneers Of Television On PBS

As you might have guessed, we watch a lot of TV. Not ginormous amounts ( LOL ~ Err yeah honey , that's an episode of NCIS I haven't seen  ) . We actually enjoy the History Channel and Discovery . And we watch PBS.

Yes.

We have become our parents . remember when you were a teenager ? The very idea of watching PBS made you want to run like hell , fire up a joint and crank up Janet Joplin to ear drum shattering levels

No...wait..that was just me.

Feel free to disregard that shared moment of my life. It's probably better for all of us that way.

Last nights was an episode that I haven't seen and even though I knew it was a rerun ( big clue...Robert Culp is dead) , I had to watch it . I was and will always be a huge fan of George Reeves. Hell, I wanted to be Noel Neil and marry the dude. I prefer Ms. Neil to Phyllis Thaxter..Ms Thaxter was mean and bitchy to Jimmy Olson aka Jack Larson...so pfft to you honey !

Then there was Wonder Woman. I know that it was ground breaking for the late 1970's and Women's Lib, at least in Lynda Carters mind. Personally I think the series lasted as long as it did because of the Cher effect. My father could have cared less about the Sonny and Cher show but honey, let me tell ya...when Cher was on the house could have been on fire and he's still be focused on her navel amongst other attributes. It was cute for it's time and  to a fan of comics , anything was better than nothing for scifi on TV. I do however draw the line at " Buck Rogers of the 25'th Century"..except for the Vampires in space episode...lets just say stoners everywhere remember that one.

Ah..Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby ...again classic . Major laugh till ya gotta pee moment...the revelation that Arhhhnnnnold was deemed "too short " for the role of the Hulk....bwahahahah.

And then....Oh yeah !
It's Mike Curb singing " Believe it or not , I'm walking on air , I never knew I could feel so free...."
OH HELLA YEAH !

" Greatest American Hero " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

William Katt, Connie Selica , Robert Culp and Michael Pare !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved that show for so many reasons including but not limited to the fact that William Katt was sooo cute !

But it's more than that.

The premise of the series set the genre on it's ear.

I don't think there is a single person alive that hasn't wished, dreamt or imagined what it would be like to have some power or ability that set them apart from others . Failing that, I always felt that scads of money would make an acceptable substitute.

But lets look at it this way...the idea of a super hero has been presented in the following way : You are either an alien here to be a protector from another world as in Superman or the victim of science gone sideways such as Spiderman , Hulk or Flash or an anti social vigilante such as Batman. Depending on who you are , you know your mission statement and how to go about doing it.

But what if you got it wrong ?
What if you screwed it up ?

What if it was not what you wanted at all ?

Enter Ralph Hinkley.

I wrote a paper in college about this variation of the Hero myth.

Heroes are not defined by their victories and savior like moments of greater good.

Heroes are defined by their limitations , challenges and obstacles regardless of personal cost. They are defined by the manner in which they overcome these conditions and more often than not them selves in order to meet the requirements for the desired outcome  .

The character of Ralph Hinkley was an everyman who went from WTF is all this and you've made a mistake to Ralph Hinkley who made if not a difference, at least an effort.

And yes..sadly..the costume still sucked , but that was the only criticism I've ever had.

Now, go and try to get that song out of your head.

You're welcome.


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

The Easiet General Tso's Recipe Ever ~ Courtesy of Chocolate Moosey

http://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2013/01/31/general-tsos-sweet-chili-chicken-strips/

I have been a fan of Miss Carla , author of Chocolate Moosey for ages. Who wouldn't be ? If you take one of my favorite food groups ( chocolate ~ and YES , it is a group , at least in my house ) and my complete adoration of Captain Kangaroo, especially Mr. Moose , nuff said.

And yes , I am old enough to remember watching the Captain, Mr. Moose, Mr. Green Jeans , Bunny rabbit and all the others. Todays generation missed out enormously without them.

Onward.

Now, Asian cuisine is not something that I cook for us because SU simply does not care for it and I both respect and understand his position. ....so I wait until one of us is out of town. Cause I'm smart like that . I did have a recipe for a variation of this and it was good, but this recipe....easy peasy . I figured out that I can use my huge deep fat fryer if I need and I almost always have chicken breasts in the freezer because Ina Gartens chicken salad recipe with tarragon is to die for and a staple in our house . Hells bells, I still have a jug of the red rooster sauce in the fridge....yatzee !!!!

Go over and check out her blog, it's wonderful and colorful and all those things that are gonna make my voluptuous self a happy camper.

Go...go now..slap Mr. Linky and check it out !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Going Out On A Limb Here

SU and I are not football fans. Hell, I watch more footyball than he does and other than the random WSU game I can catch on the obscure cable  channel, I only watch the Army Navy game and Gaia help anyone that interrupts me.

That being said, I taped the Puppy Bowl which aired while I was at the nail shop and had planned to go through the recorded stuff that we still have on the DVR during Stoopy Bowl. We'd gotten home earlier than usual from the nail appt. because like everyone else the gals at the shop either had folks coming over or husbands at home waiting for thew wives to get home and get the food started. Trust me, its the way it works. Miss Jere Lee came over and had an odd request ...even for her . A week ago or so , she had gone to her gal to get her color redone , but unfortunaely Kim did not have the purple/aubergine/eggplant color that they had happily been using so my poor partner in crime was a tad twitterpated. You see, she comes from Louisiana and by Gawd, it's Mardi Gras and that is some serious shit in their lives. Costumes and so forth are planned from year to year , and it's quite central to the Cajun Catholic life. Well, there I am on the deck, kindle and beverage in hand when she comes over and asks for help putting a temp color on her hair..well , why the hell not. My first roommate when I was single in Virginia , back in the Jurassic era had been a hairdresser so I was pretty comfortable. I fetched towels , Cetaphil , heavy duty plastic gloves , combs, clips ( yeah ...I do have all that shite at hand..if I don't have it , you don 't need it  ) and off we went. I felt like an older, non corn row braided Alicia Silverstone in " Beauty Shop.." ..lol..I told SU " Welcome To Bubba's Bait Shop and Beauty Emporium "..it all came out the way she wanted and it's a temp color thingy so I had no fears..

Anyhoo....

We had a couple three Netflix that we hadn't seen so I thought perfect. Lets watch " The Avengers". I am as you might have guesses, a huge comic book fan and love Marvel. There is a reason my facebook avatar is the Scarlet Witch.

Talk about a disappointment.

BOR ING !

The first half of the movies pace dragged.
Thor..get the F over yourself.
The dude playing Loki phoned it in.
Casting folks...two words...Alan Cummings...trust me .

I will watch it again, because I am curious, but it just makes Iron Man 3 look better and better.

I have a recipe I found for General Tso's that I am waiting for permission to repost so hopefully..yeah..yummy.

Have a great week.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol