Zucchini Is The New Kale ?

Wait long enough and everything recycles in one way or another .

I guess over the years, I have become more aware of food fads and or trends because the husband and I watch the Food Network, get the magazine and...shhhh....I have a shit load of pins/boards on Pinterest.

Quinoa, Sirracha, Kale...and now ( again  ) zucchini.

You can't throw a rock, swing a cat ( calm down..it's a saying , that 's all ) or fart nowadays without seeing some zucchini variation.

No , I am not talking about just the quick bread recipes that everyones mother , mine included had in the 1970's.

Chocolate zucchini cake...casserole........stir fry......slow cooker.....with pasta...with chicken....this is everywhere....it's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And don't get me started on Iceberg lettuce salads. That's the only kind of lettuce my mother bought because it was cheap and carried at the commisary.

Anyhoo, I guess I noticed all of this in a state of boredom at the office that required me to either play with Pinterest or take a nap...at work....pinterest for the win then.

Now mind you , I have boards dedicated to Bacon, Chocolate, Bundt cakes etc...and that's when I noticed the lil veggie breeders.

I wonder what the big thing for 2016 will be....saltines ?


And  for the record...all ya'll can have all the zucchini your lil heart desires..I am genuinely allergic to it .


Happy almost Friday Eve.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Is It Too Much To Ask ?

Ah Wednesday..you sorry bitch.

I thought it was going to be a simple day..that's what I get for thinking .

Is is too much to ask for a legal assistant to give us full disclosure when they book rooms for depositions ? is it too much to ask that if more than one of our attorneys is involved to give us all the names of all the parties ? How about the names of opposing counsel , witnesses or the actual style of the case ? How about an actual copy of the depo notice ?

Today started out fine, we got in and out of the hubbys dr. appt quickly so that was no biggie. I get to the office and one of the other receptionists ( there are 3 of us ) tells me that a lady is here for a depo and gives me the name of the attorney conducting it. Standard procedure . The lady is early so she goes off for a coffee, soon returning. She is then joined by her 2 attorneys. All is good, proper notifications all around.

Then it hits the fan.

We actually have a total of 3 depos up here today on 2 floors.

Did we get any information that we needed ?

Ah hell no.

Did attorneys flip rooms ?

Yep.

Did they tell us ?

Ah hell no.

One legal admin is out so the floater covering her desk had no information and NO inclination to be proactive in any way...not unusual on her part...GRRRR.

There is a reason folks that I use the legal pad at my desk to jot down names and as MUCH information as I can get because NO ONE sees fit to share.

I went above and beyond to be as gracious and charming ( opposing counsels words, not mine ) in  order  to sort it out.

Is reception happy ?


F NO.

Did admin. get an e mail detailing this situation ?

F YEAH.

It has to be done better and more effectively  if the management wants to keep a sense of polished professionalism within the Houston legal community......no small thing by the way .

Am I happy ?

NO.

Am I going to lay it at the door (s) of those responsible for creating this mess ?


Grab popcorn and watch me....

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Okay, So I Lied..Just A Teeny Bit .

Okay..I'm going to contradict myself.

I want to play with this and since I know that hubby reads this lil bloggy , I can get his opinion .


Eggs Benedict Casserole:

Ingredients:

12 oz Canadian Bacon chopped
6 English muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes .
8 Eggs
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon salt
A few dashes of hotsauce ( optional )

Hollandaise Sauce ( If using Pkg)

2 Packages Knorr Hollandaise Mix
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons cream cheese

Prepare mix per package instructions, add lemon juice and cream cheese , whisking together .


Hollandaise Sauce ( From Scratch )
4 Egg yolks
1/2 Cup heavy cream.
2 Tablespoons leemon juice
2 Teaspoons Dijon nustard
1/2 Cup melted butter


Sauce from scratch instructions:
In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water , whisk egg yolks, cream , lemon juice and mustard until blended. Cook until just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and the temperature is 160 degrees, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to very low, drizzle in warm , melted butter and whisk constantly. Serve immediately with casserole.


For the casserole:

Place half the Canadian bacon in a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with English muffins and remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whick eggs, salt and pepper .Pour over top. Refridgerate , covered 4 hours or overnight .

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove casserole from refridgerator while oven heats. Bake covered 35 minutes then uncover and bake 10 - 15 minutes until a knife inserted near the conter comes out clean.

Serve immediately with the Hollandaise Sauce .


Notes:

I think for the first run I'd halve the recipe, seems like a  lot for just the two of us.This could work into a nice meal in the winter with a green salad..

Nom Nom..

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Just Another Melted Monday ........

This is what my brain feels like.

MELTED .

It's 94 degrees with a heat index of 108 so yeah...it's officially " Aunty Pol ain't going outside in this shit  " time . There is no promise of rain this week at all other than a random pop up shower which not at my house so we all gonna be cranky pants down here. It's also hurricane season for the next 4 months which means we are all watching the Gulf temperatures ..warm water means " Uh oh " .

I've been pinning on Pinterest recipes that I won't be making /baking anytime soon but is nice to be able to archive recipes on various boards that make sense at lea\st to me..I think that the biggest one is " Chocolate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...hee hee. I'm a bit of a magpie like my late mother was regarding recipes . I have a binder of recipes that I have collected that I need to work on but that would mean that I'd have to turn too and attack the clutter in the den. It's only been 2 years after all.....

Things are fine finally at the house now that the A/C is fixed along with the car..don't get me started on that one..suffice to say I can now take breaking down in the HOV lane off my bucket ( or fuck it )  list.

OH and lets see..what makes me happy/amuses me today :

1. Watching or listening to The Donald Self Destruct...completely worth the good popcorn .
2. Syfy's 3'rd Sharknado movie this Wednesday...again ditto with the munchies .

AND


AND


THERE IS A VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THEY ARE BRINGING XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS WITH LUCY LAWLESS BACK TO TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


HUZZAH !

Have a great week and stay safe.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Gasp ~! She's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't faint y'all.

I know it's been ages and I haven't been posting as much as I used to .

Part of it is that life sometimes gets in the way and when the dust settles there , I find I need some quiet time..I can't focus enough to post something here and frankly, I have certain standards..even for this teeny self posted bit oh fluff .

Then there are times when there is nothing going on...nada...zip..and why bother.


Then..revelation.

These are the times that I should be grateful for . Yes, it seems boring to go to work Monday through Friday, come home , do the usual routine and the usual weekend variation. We  , knock on wood aren't getting the middle of the night dreaded calls and other than knee replacement issues ,  my father in law is in fine shape for his age. Gordy and I are in pretty good shape save allergies, arthritis and things that are natural to the 55 and over . The house and car are  fine. Jobs are fine . Gracie Marie is fine . But we know that this is the time of life when things can change on a dime.

We are grateful for the moments of genuine calmness.

We have friends and loved ones with real family /friends issues, some medical , some permanent as in the big dirt nap version .

I am a bit more motivated to yap here , when the mood strikes so you have been warned.

Waving from Houston.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

For The Husband.

Real Life Adventures Comic Strip, May 30, 2015 on GoComics.com







LOL,



The Wife.

Thirty Five Years....Wowzah !

It's hard to believe that it's been 35 years since that bitch had the mother of all hissy fits. Pullman is south of Spokane by about 80 miles or  so so you'd have to pick a spot between Spokane and Ritzville to get an idea of where I was in all of this.

NOTE " Sistah, I know that isn't really accurate but WTF..other than us and you guys, no one that reads this tripe has any idea of there WSU is...I'm just sort of going for a frame of reference here ..."

Onward.


I remember how quickly it  got dark...as in oh dark thirty dark...early afternoon. I thought okay..massive rain storm headed for the Paloose ..and then it hit me.


Utter silence.

No sound.

Nada .

No birds, no crickets, no frogs, no cats nor dogs.

The world hit the mute button .

Missy and Oogie were hiding in my closet . Nothing would get those 2 cats out for over 24 hours. I think I actually moved their box, food and water in there for them.

Then, I think the Civil Alarm siren went off. Maybe not, but I think it did. Doty said if we ever heard that to haul ourselves to the office...so I did.

Sistah and I worked together in the same building, I for the campus switchboard and Sistah for the campus pd. All I knew was that something was going on...


Now remember, this is before cell phones, the net, e mail , pc and all of that .Yes we had computers but that was back in the days of keypunch, Cobol and Fortran. If you wanted to talk to your folks/family/hottie you got lucky with at the Tavern ( dating myself..you bettcha) you called on a phone, now commonly referred to as a"land line". ..or you wrote a letter.


Yeah , the Dark Ages.

We soon found out that Mt. St Helens had blown and I remember thinking the younger version of SFW..that's down on Oregon.

Hah !

I had no idea that we were in the path of the ash . All I knew was that I was in the process of leaving Pullman,,,and how the hell were we going to paint the apt so I could get my deposits back. Having moved all my life courtesy of Uncle Sam, painting in/out was absolutely ingrained into me. Luckily the Professor who owned the building was understanding and it was not an issue.

We got used to hosing our clothes off before washing to not mess up the water hoses/plumbing. When you are in your 20's , your sense of modesty may not be as well developed as you might think . Everyone was having to do it so it so it became normal.

Trudging through ash..normal. Figuring out whose car would be the best one to make the beer run before the air filter gave out..normal.  I do remember Colfax County cops blowing  the shit out of their patrol cars before they realized what the ash was doing to the air filters..yep..

If you've ever watched " Dante's Peak" , that's pretty close to accurate.


It was a hell of a ride.


Have what ever kind of week you want to .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

The Tree Of 40 Fruit Produces 40 Varieties Of Stone Fruit

The Tree Of 40 Fruit Produces 40 Varieties Of Stone Fruit

Oh my word , I want this .

I know, I know , allergies bite and all of that but have ever seen such a beauty ? And the fruit..bonus !

Yes , ear I know what you are thinking but I have Mr. Trejo and Cindy's tree guy info so I could get it all squared away .  The damn pine trees in the backyard would be history buddy.Wouldn't that be pretty with the jasmine and Andy's plumbago on the arbor ?

Well, I can dream can't I ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol .

Animaniacs - Yakko's World - HIGH QUALITY

Insert Cliche Here

Had to .

Yeah , I'm that way .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

You Know You Have Tried This At Least Once .

Just sayin..

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Hee Hee..He's Gonna Really Roll His Eyes !

Boom goes the dynamite !


Yes, another Bundt pan.


It's a freakin Dragon ......MUST POSSESS !


So , me being me, I of course pulled the trigger on this on and it is on it's way.


Now in all honesty, it has been years as in before we got hitched that I have done any serious piping work . I doubt that I have the patience to be honest , but to be fair , I was fairly good at it . Did that stop me in any way from buying this ?

HAVE YOU MET ME ?

I can see this as a simple unfrosted cake with berries and or chocolate sauce on the side so I am not going to over think this ( honest honey..lol ) . It's just that it's a DRAGON !


I has to has it .


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Finally !

Finally.

I have not been able to post here for a couple of months because of some f up where Blogger only recognized Gordy's name on the home PC and hisself doesn't have a blog that I know of ..lol.

Soooooo

I follow Miss Laurie on IBKC and after reading the update on the Lumkins..they are all improved from the ringworm btw and almost all are now in their forever homes...poor lambs, it's been a long 6 months for them.

Anyhoo...I was able to resign into Google under my own creds so here I am.

At home , on vacay ...screwing off as it were.I have genuinely missed siting here with a cig and a cuppa coffee , it's just not the same at the office writing here...work being what it is .

I'm such a lil drone....NOT.

The weather is the perfect spring that we get to enjoy for hopefully 10 days or so, the Bluebonnets are all in glorious  bloomage in the Hill Country, the beds at the Casa are done, house repainted so life other than pollen from which there is no escape is pretty damn good right now.

Of course I should be doing laundry and all the mundane shit that is known as real life, and I will but not all at once.

I have learned the hard way to not push myself when I am off..the leg and the back won't take it any more and it's just not worth the torture .


I have a mental list..what I want to do , need to do and what ain't happening . Somewhere in the middle is reality and I know what I need his help with but our weekend is full.


Saturday is my birthday..yep..the big 6 0 .While I know that age really is just a number, parts of me dread the process...my solution is to fight it with grace and to take better care of myself ...let's hear it for facials every other Saturday...they rock !  Vain....you bet your ass I am .

It's a good thing that we have plans because there is a certain sadness that I am feeling this year. I miss my fathers phone calls for my birthday , we lost my stepmother on my birthday and Easter 1981 was the last time I actually spoke to my mother before she passed.

Hell of a trifecta.

But...

Jere Lee , Gordy and I are going to Dosey Doe to see Mike Zito Saturday night and I will enjoy Gordy being there for the first time to experience Mike in one of the most perfect acoustic venues in the country...and their Kobe burger rocks.

Sunday is the Shell Open which he and the Moron will attend , thanks Jim for the tickets so I know if there is a bit of a melt down , I will have some privacy for  a good old boo hoo...yeah ,  I am self aware..and I feel better afterwards in some weird ass way.


Have a wonderful holiday in what ever way you choose .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

This Is The Way I Really Am About It .

Yeah.

I love cake.

And cake loves my voluptuous hips among other things.

I don't remember the last time I had a proper birthday cake which is just as well I guess..sniff...It's just the two of us and there is nothing sadder than dried out stale cake...and that really happens in our house.

It is what it is.

Cupcakes..??....??...??

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Yes.....I Am Actually Ouisa...MWAHAHAHAHAH !

Yep.

The planters are all done.

All 39 of them.


New Petunias, new geraniums, new daisy's, old plants  trimmed and fluffed.

New roses planted along with Oriental lilies at the mailbox.

Planters all top dressed and watered.

Yard watered


Oh my Aikin Gump.

Sorry..there is a law firm here in town by that name and I use that phrase  a lot it seems.


Other than 3 weekends so to speak of planting mayhem, March has certainly been one of the odder ones in recent memory.



RAIN .

RAIN.

RAIN.

And yes, more rain.

It was  so pretty that even with the dreaded Pollen Agita...and we are headed into a 3 week plague of it right about now.....it was just too damn pretty this weekend. Housework....meh...it will keep and as of Friday, I will be on vacay for the usual birthday week present I bestow on my self. I no longer make the Websters version of a list, I just know that there are some things that I really need to get done, should do and want to do so the inevitable result will be a mixed bag of all three..but what the hell...as long as laundry is done aka clean towels and skivvies, it's all good.


I am going to need to wrestle my lap top from the hubs tho. He has some fercacktah setting on the pc on the den . When I go to the lil ol bloggy here...in any format, it says " Gordon's Blogs."


Err....nope.


Have a great week and save some Peeps for me !


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Do Nothing Cake

I came across this and it's basically a variation of a dump cake. Some have adjusted the amount of sugar because they thought it was too sweet ( ???) but I do not. Give it a whirl, it's easy and fast to make.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour - all purpose
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
16 oz. crushed pineapple  - undrained.

Directions:

Place the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix till blended with a spoon.

Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.


Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk.
1 cup coconut 9 sweetened
1 cup nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix butter , sugar and evaporated milk together and cook over medium heat until thickened..aprox. 5 minutes at a boil.

Remove from heat and add final 3 ingredients.

Pour over hot cake .


Note: Occasionally due to the whims of the baking gods, the sugar in the icing will form crystals as it cools. If this happens, just throw this bad boy under the broiler until the sugar melts..be careful not to burn the sugar, it won't take long to melt.....or don't wait too long to serve. Either way, the sugar crystals can be handled..no crisis.

Happy Hips Y'all.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Dying for Chocolate: What is White Chocolate? and ... a great recipe f...

Dying for Chocolate: What is White Chocolate? and ... a great recipe f...: Today is White Chocolate Cheesecake Day , so I'm taking the opportunity to write about White Chocolate ! By definition, white chocolat...

I may have found my birthday cake , courtesy ...again of Miss Janet and her blog.

I do love white chocolate.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Double Chocolate Pound Cake ~ AKA Potential Birthday Cake ----

Double Chocolate Pound Cake







I can always count on Miss Janet over at the " Dying For Chocolate " blog to give me the vapors at least once a week.



As I have gotten older, much of the sweet tooth bit has faded..salt is now a more dreaded enemy but I would make an exception for chocolate dipped potato chips..Lays...not kettle style....not that I am picky by any means.



Anyhoo...the chances of me getting my favorite cake (s) are slim at best because they involve 7 Minute frosting which is a complete pain in the ass...yeah...Angel food with 7 Minute frosting and Hersheys syrup drizzled from the top......yes..there was a frosting mix in the early 60's that combined this in fact...It was Southside Johnny's first birthday cake..I have pictures....



Or..



Coconut cake.





Sigh.



The problems with cakes are that for the two of us...unless one of us takes the leftovers to work, the cake dries out before we get around to polishing it off....and no...pound cake does NOT translate into cupcakes...the batter is way too dense .



Yes..it's am break time and I am hungry...good thing I have some trail mix stashed in my desk..a small amount ( less than 2 TBL.) takes the edge off.





Have a great Friday Eve and slap Mr.Linky to get Miss Janet's recipe over at her amazing blog.



Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Just Another Manic Monday

March already ?

Sheesh !

I need to check this out because I just saw it in passing ..but is it this upcoming weekend that we " Spring ahead ?" Didn't we just to something like that ? Of course no two clocks in the casa say the same time so I live by "ish" time.." It's 10 - ish ". .......close enough gang , close enough.

As is our norm, it was another rainy misty crappy weekend so I caught up on sleep and binged on an all day Dr. Who marathon on the beeb . He and I are relapsing with these damn colds , I think his never really cleared up and he needs to go back to the doc , but I'm just the wife...and my sinuses are fubared ...so unless it needs to be done, forget it. Yes, I kept the nail appt that I bailed on last week because I can't go over 3 weeks....but other than that....nada.

No one is going to  die if I don't vacuum when I feel this run down . Yes, the kitchen will be kept up - ish ....lol but other than that , pfft .

I can't get into the garden yet which is something of a blessing because I lose my mind with the pruning and don't have the umph yet. I need new gloves and there is a lot of clean up that has to be done not to mention Mr. Trejo mulching before I can floof all of the pots on the deck. True spring is hard to come by down here so I try to enjoy it as much as allergies allow.


Gracie is hissed off because we won't let her run amok and she has a newer trick.


She now stands in the middle of the hallway or any given room and yells ( meows ) at the top of her lungs for attention.....lol.....I however roll over and go back to sleep....Mama for the win...

 Have a good week.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Yippee Ki Yeah ...Whatevs

Yeppers..it's Rodeo time again in H Town.


And it's Lent .

So you can bet that you are going to be hard pressed to get any fish/seafood in the next few weeks in under an hour and a half for  any Friday lunchtime..hope your bosses are lenient.

And it's go Texan day at the office which means that people who are clueless as to the bidness end of a steer are in jeans and boots....and as far as the Buckle Bunnies are concerned...


" Shiney".


I'm always amused at the people who feel a need to get all gussied up in what is for lack of a better term..costumes for things like this. Don't look at me like that , yes, people go bat shit crazy for Mardi Gras but that is for a couple of nights at best.

Rodeo is a month long down here.

What is not as widely discussed is the Livestock Show and that's a big deal Maynard. HLSR ( Houston Livestock Show  and Rodeo ) generates a huge amount of scholarship money for kids that show their animals. Many are able to go to college or help their families because of it and if you have ever known anyone in 4H or worked a farm, you know that means a lot of work.

I do love to get glimpses of the calf scrambles...no baby cows are hurt y'all..but I am no longer willing to put up with the crowds...and I do mean crowds.

Gone are the days when we could go to shows at Reliant..like the Judds ( yes..that long ago ) or Jimmy. Basically it was a concert venue and not the park 5 miles back , get on shuttle buses mayhem..not for the weak of heart or those with mobility issues.

It's all good..more a case of been there, done that I guess....and besides.....we still have go Texan Day at the office.............


FREE BAR B QUE LUNCH FROM GOODE BAR B QUE..OH HELL YEAH.

Now , if they only had some Shiner to go with it.

Stay warm .


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Sadly, The Final Frontier .

I was deeply saddened but not surprised to hear of the passing of Mr. Nimoy . Yes, I use the proper title of Mister and not the familiar first name out of both respect and the simple fact that I have never had the pleasure of meeting the gentleman in real life..it would be forward to do otherwise .

He was a gifted and yet at times conflicted actor it seemed to me.Like many others, Adam West comes to mind , he found himself trapped in the character he was so famous for. He was at times bitter about the lack of opportunities he missed because of Spock and yet he finally seemed to be at peace with it all.

One thing that I always was amazed by was his gift as a photographer . While it is true that he was a gifted director, pure photography is a whole other world. The photographer can either convey his emotions  and visions through subjects or he cannot. There is no real middle ground. And he did convey just that .

If you asked someone my age to pick icons of our generation, you might get Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers, George Carlin or John Lennon..

Ask any scifi geek..and we have one simple answer..


Mr. Spock.

Gods Speed Good Sir .

A Loving Fan.

Colder Than A Well Diggers What ?

When I moved down here to the Gulf Coast eons ( 33 years ) ago from the Pacific Northwest , I quickly got rid of all of my winter togs.

Gulf Coast = Warm, sunny days so I thought .

Reality = Humidity and hurricanes which is fine since I had been through much the same in Virginia Beach as a teenager . When you are young, you don't notice the humidity except for the extra oil slick that is the absolute bane of any teenagers life...or so it seemed. You don't worry about staying hydrated because you are just too damn busy being a teenager and pissing off your folks ..or was that just me ? We ignored sunburn all too often and thought..we have forever to enjoy all of this.


And now it's February down here in South  Tejas.

And colder than a well diggers ho-hah..and by that I mean that it was snowing in Huntsville north of Houston, snowing north of Ft. Worth, DFW shut down and I am sure that it snowed in the Panhandle.

IE it was 34 degrees at 8:21 p.m. last night here in  town..and Gordy and I live 25 minutes north of town aka where this shit gets colder.

Now , we are used  to the hurricane season, we can predict it and pretty much track it. We know what to do, how to prepare and survive it. And..if you think survive is a bit of an exaggeration , google photos of Hurricane Katrina and Ike...I can wait...

I will take a hurricane any damn day of the week over this cold.

We don't as a rule have a lot of snow plows and frankly 99% of the folks down here can't drive in rain much less icy roads .

First and for most , it's just killing my left hip and leg..yeah..the combo platter...polio and arthritis.

Secondly, no one really has the wardrobe for this unless they snow ski. You can't find winter sweaters that work in the corporate world even with a  business casual dress code ( whatever the hell that is ) that work ....at least I can't . Yes, I can afford cashmere but I can't wear it..wool makes me nuts.

Layers are great, but meh.

I feel like I an wearing the same pants, sweater and jacket w/Shawl thrown over it every day !

I am tired of this crap. My body is embracing hibernation and I am bored  with it.

I want color, I want to plant geraniums,.....I WANT MY SANDALS BACK !

Wah !

Thus endeth todays rant.

Stay warm where ever you are .


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

As Expected..

Anyone who has lived down here long enough knows that our cold wintery bullshit starts right about now ..aka the week before Mardi Gras starts in NOLA . It can be 70 degrees the day before and BAM >

There it is.

It's currently 45 degrees, misty, half ass rainy and just plain nasty out there. People already drive like shit most of the time and when you add in the major bits of construction in Houston right now , the entitled asshats all come out to play, especially around the GRB ( George R. Brown Convention center. ) . Rumor has it that the plan in to turn it into a completely pedestrian/foot path area because hey that always works out really well. Throw in the construction for the light rail and then top this all off with the weather..it's no wonder I close my eyes a hell of a lot ...and no...I am not the driver . It has been said that this is all being rammed through in preparation for the Super Bowl here in 2017 . Yes the money would help the local economy but really ? Yes, the oil industry is laying off people because anyone with half a brain would realize that there would be a price to pay of the barrel price went down far enough.

I can hear the peanut gallery..." Woo hooo , cheap gas."

Shut it .

Yes, cheap gas is great , my husband is happy to not be payhing as much but the flip side...?

People are losing jobs in the oil industry, either through termination or lay offs . the effect is the same.

So what  ?

Okay....when you lose your job , you lose the ability to participate in the economy in the most basic ways. No, I don't mean that you can't go to Carrabas. I mean that going to Kroger is about to become a new skill set. Retail sales..forget that ..no income. IF you are lucky enough to have savings, you are more worried about keeping a roof over your

Here We Go Again.........

Once again the sick bug has stricken the  casa.

About a month ...yes...MONTH ago hisself started that nagging cough, sore throat crap and we thought oh well, this too shall pass.

Or not .

It never was the super fever sort of thing, more like when my sinuses flare up or it's allergy season, aka 360 days a year down here. Unlike Moi, he hasn't been as congested as I am apt to be but the cough is an all nighter.

I consider myself lucky to have a husband who is more prone to actually going to the doctor in comparison to yours truly.  I spent the better  part of my youth in various hospitals here and overseas for polio treatment so understandably, ...Dr's...." F dat  " .

Both he and  I are beginning to suspect pleurisy , again. We hadn't been married for more than a few years when he was stricken  with pleurisy. And I am not being overly dramatic with the use  of the word stricken.


He was sick off and on from October through the end of March that year.

Mardi Gras in 10 days is looking shaky .

Now it's the monitoring of the meds...he has certain issues that I am on the alert for .


I think that I am going to cheat and take a Tylenol PM after NCIS tonight so that I  can get a head start of what ever sleep I can grab.


Stay warm y'all..it's a bitch out there .


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Wait.....Whut ? ...Face Palm'n .

Sometimes I have to go WTF to myself on myself...seriously folks.

For example , on one of the blogs that I read everyday was a post about other things that one could make using a crockpot.

She had me at crockpot.

Now, I don't use mine as often as I would like to since there are only 2 bipeds in the house , nevertheless I like people who have the ability to color outside the lines of life and get away with it .

" Making a cake in a crockpot " .

KEWL  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bonus points = picture of a chocolate cake.

Easy peasy .

Wait.................whut ?

Even if I don't take the eggs out to warm to room temp..which almost never happens..if you are reading a recipe that uses a box cake mix and  so on...................

Why in the world would you use a crockpot to make the cake  ?

The recipe states "bake " 3 - 4 hours on high or 6 - 8 hours on low.

And the conventional oven takes 20 - 25 minutes depending on the size/format you choose .

Mixing the cake - 5 minutes . Baking time 20-25 in a conventional oven.

Total 30 minutes.

3 - 4 /6-8 hours versus 30 minutes ?

REALLY ?????????????????????????????????????????

Yep...face to palm in .....3............2...........1 .

And the dynamite goes boom.

Derp.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

This Is What Today Has Been Like .

I am the first person that will say that I have a habit of over thinking things, especially at work. Most of the time it is beneficial  aka job retention.

Other times , " Meh ."

Case in point .

The annual Shareholders meeting is this weekend at a local Swankenda hotel. The gal who helps to ensure that the hootenanny goes smoothly was not in today as he had jury duty but she and I discussed what needed to be done to get items delivered to her home at some point today.

Fine .

I have it all lined out and then I find out that there is an additional laptop that has to go along for the ride.

Also fine.

It's locally 4:30 p.m. and I am still waiting on the laptop as a certain someone up the food chain decided to make revisions to the power point presentation .


Dude..............FFS.

You knew that this was coming up. You've had plenty of time to hammer it out.

I can't send what I aint got and I felt really bad telling gal pal that this situation was f'd up....in a completely professional way of course.

Not my monkeys....not my circus.

TGIF y'all.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Ah....January.

It's been so gloomy weather wise that I thought this gif would be cheery. Besides, who am I to pass up a Janis quote ? She was a hell of a lot smarter than people gave her credit for, bad life choices aside.


I felt bad for the hubs last week . He had some time on the books at the end of the year and he could take a certain portion ....so he did.....and spent the entire week at home sick as hell. Congestion, cough achiness the whole package. So there he was with his soup while I was at work ...like I said , I felt bad..up to a point.....and then I got run down...brilliant move on my part.

Now , in my defense , I really do love the old fart, but....the coughing all night kept me up even with him being across the hall in his room.

Ok....this is how this works at Casa de Swamp..we have separate bedrooms and have for quite a long time.

WE BOTH SNORE.

There , I actually own it.

I am a light sleeper .

I can hear Gracie with out her bell and collar.

He sleeps like the dead .

In order for me to get any sleep at all, he is in the guest room...commonly known as his room. This has nothing to do with the state of our marriage thank you very much, it is simply a need to get some sleep. We both work 10 hour days and I am not a napper per se. If I can manage a nap on any given Sunday , I am overjoyed, If I go to bed too early, I wake up at 3 a.m.


Unless like tonight and most of the week I suspect, I will be crashing early.....my sinuses are in overdrive. Between the furnace because it's been cold and me being unable to sleep in an overly warm house, I am pretty much screwed . I felt bad enough Saturday to  postpone my nail/facial appointment to this coming Saturday and slept until 2:30 Saturday afternoon, re-chrashing at about 6:30.

I am not one prone to making New Year's resolutions. I ,  for myself believe that they are an exercise in self defeat. It's almost impossible for most people and by this I mean me to be consistent in drastic changes. Hella yeah , we /I mean well but after a week..two tops...I just shrug and go " F dat" . Not really the brightest thing to do but I am honest about it.

I am more at the point at the approaching age of 60 ( egad) of actively listening to what my body is saying without arguing about it with myself.

Yeah, me and the little voices in my head are a fun bunch.

Don't  be all judge-y  the above border line bad taste comment above. I was married to a paranoid schizophrenic and survived ...so yeah, I am allowed some sick humor now and then .


I'm just run down enough to realize my pillow and my water bed are calling my name.

The weather was 77 degrees today finally with some sun and then it's gonna drop down to the 40's again for a few days..which means Gracie will be po'd about no Mommy and me time on the deck and I will fight the crud.

" LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERS ! "

Ciao,
Aunty Pol .

Yes, This Pretty Much Sums It Up.

Real Life Adventures Comic Strip, January 07, 2015 on GoComics.com



Enjoy.



Ciao,

Aunty Pol