A Redding Life

His And Hers Gourmet Pizza!

2009-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

I found the nicest pair of Mini Pizza Pans at the Grocery Outlet awhile back and rediscovered them in my cabinet last night! I was inspired! Viola', His And Hers!

First I bought the ready made dough from WinCo, along with shredded 5 cheese Italian blend to go! I like a good White Sauce, while my Hunny prefers the Red! For his, I selected a jar right out of the fridge left over from "Italian Chicken Sandwiches" last week, a very nice "Italian Sausage Marinara". For my white sauce I bought a small container of Spinach Dip out of the deli and then used the last of the French Onion Dip, again out of the fridge, and mixed them together! For both Pizzas I saute'd mushrooms and pan fried some red onions, sliced some jumbo black olives and crushed red peppers. For his Red Sauce Pizza, I topped it with Canadian Bacon & Linguisa, then for my White Sauce Pizza, I used leftover roasted chicken and artichoke hearts!

These were undoubtedly the BEST pizzas ever!

I Miss Them Already! Okay, Well Maybe Not As Much As I Should!

2009-07-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

They are really wonderful kids! I am just so exhausted trying to keep up with them! And that is just the cooking too! Anyway...Summer Vacation is over, school is looming high!

Tonight is the final night for "Cooking At The Cascade With Doni And Kelly" and I am sure hoping to make it! I love that movie "Spanglish" and I would like to watch someone else cook for a change! Whew!

Squashed Bread Breakfast!

2009-07-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, a recent trip home from the grocery store ended with an ample supply of pretty squashed up bread. So after all is said and done, do you really just throw it out to the 4 legged creatures when you still have 2 legged mouths to feed? Oh' I don't think so! My Dad would roll over in his fake wood box!

So I start the "Clem Cap" up, (my Dad's thinking genes in the old noggin) and I think about French Toast! But it is a little too pinched for that, so how about bread pudding? Okay, so how about some apples too? Well, little by little I came up with this one (below), which also takes extra special adaption for the fact that my oven is a Toaster Oven and needs some real recipe modification to begin with! But I will write it with temps for a REAL oven! LOL- Unless of course you want to know how to cook in your toaster oven, E-me! :)

"Squashed Bread Breakfast Bake"

6-7 slices of squished (or not) bread, cubed
5 eggs
1 red apple cubed small
1/8 cup orange juice (I used Sunny-D) :)
1/2 cup Half & Half
1/8 cup French Vanilla Liquid coffee creamer
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cube butter

I put the apple in the OJ to keep it from getting brown while I mess around with everything else.

Preheat oven to 325, melt butter in bottom of casserole dish, generously coat sides and bottom of dish. Leave remaining butter in dish.

Whisk together eggs, sugar, cinnamon and dairy. Add apple, coat lightly then add bread cubes. Mix gently with wooden spoon or spatula as to not break up too much but ensuring a good wet down and mix. Pour all at once into casserole dish. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, remove cover and cook for 15 more. Remove from oven, cover with towel and let rest for 10 minutes or so. Mine actually sat for about 1/2 hour and was totally groovy!

Also, I would have put in some raisins but I don't have any!

We had it with Vanilla Ice Cream, was like apple pie! You can top as you choose! :)

Okay- So, IS California About To Get A Jump Start On The New "Gold Rush"?

2009-07-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Or should I say "Green Rush"? LoL!
I say it is High Time we cash in on this cow! The tobacco companies have had a monopoly long enough!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j9P7paNzS32m_gMI8AAEkpvjXNWwD99F7TVO0

"Enchiladas De Casa" Recipe?

2009-06-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well...ummm. okay, let's see...

Filling:
about 1# lean (I like 15%) ground beef,
brown with 1 lg chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic crushed. Then add 1/2 bag frozen corn, 1/2 bag frozen peppers mix and bring back to temp. Then add 1 sm can chopped black olives, 1 sm can ortega chilies, 1 sm can diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, crushed red chilies to taste, 2 tbls modena vinager, (or red vin w/ a little honey) 2 tbls dried celantro (or fresh, sometimes I just use salsa!) , 1 tsp cumin and a healthy dash of "Pico De Gallo", ( a mexican spice) or even a packet of taco seasoning, (my sister uses it) saute for a few minutes and then thicken with a couple of tsps corn starch in about 1/2 cp water.

1 large can enchilada sauce, we like Med, 1#(+/-) shredded cheese of choice, we usually like co-jack, 14 or so corn tortillas, 1 sm can sliced olives for top.

Start with a couple of spoons of sauce in bottom, layer tortillas, tearing as needed to cover layer completely, a little more sauce, then cheese, then meat filling, cheese, sace, tortillas, sauce, cheese, meat, etc...taking care to spread evenly and smooth into place between each layer, ending with 1 top layer of sauce, cheese, olives, cheese, and a drizzle of sauce from the bottom of the can!

Bake 375* for about 45 minutes until golden and bubbly! Best if you cook ahead and then let it rest for awhile before serving so it "Stiffens" up, but mine hardly ever waits that long! I do have pictures actually, I just can't get my computer to talk to my camera!

I hope you give it a try, let me know!

There Is Just Something So Special About A Casserole!

2009-06-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

I found a beautiful as well as ENORMOUS casserole dish the other day at one of my favorite 3R (Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose) shops here in town for a mere pittance of it's original cost! So I could hardly contain my excitement long enough to get the ingredients for my family's all time FAVORITE casserole "Enchilada De Casa"! Oh my goodness, we will be eating this for a week so I'm so glad it came out!

What's To Love About Purple Stains?

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Everything! It means the Boysenberries are ripe! WooHoo! We just got back in from a first picking from our "Berry Tunnel"! Oh, they are MAGNIFICIENT! Some of the best berries ever I swear! I did manage to capture some footage when we were "weaving" our tunnel of vines, but unfortunately, I have still not figured out my butt from a hole in the... oh.. wait.. I mean how to operate this computer enough to get any video involved here! But back to the berries! Yes we have a wire "Tunnel that is approx. 18-20 foot long and far enough over my head that it requires a ladder for us shorties! Late winter or so we went out and pruned the growth from last year and wove all the vines up and even a couple over the top of said tunnel. It is the 3rd year of growth now and it is really filled in substantially! We will be overwhelmed with berries here in just a few days!

We barely just got over the Cherries! We have frozen cherries, dried cherries, canned cherries and cherry jam (some cherry syrup too) :) !

EEEWWW Cats Caught A Gopher!

2009-05-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is a good thing? Yuck!

Who Knew It Was So Complicated?

2009-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

The amount of papers that need to be generated JUST TO BEGIN the proccess of ASKING for a loan? I am going to be oozing brain juice all week!

Thank God I Was Born In America!

2009-04-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I am shaken sometimes when I realize the horrors survived by other humans in other parts of the world! I wish there was some way I could instill that empathy into my grandchildren so that they could understand the significant opportunity they have been blessed with JUST because they were born in America! I want to brow beat them into knowing the sacrifices that our armed forces make to allow them those privileges that they take for such granted as to even show contempt and disdain! How I would love to transport them to live in a remote village in Africa, to China or some other third world low spot and let them hang out there for a month!

Even more appalling is the treatment of women in some of these places! It just makes me angry and wish there was something I could do! I don't mean like vote for someone or send in rice either! I want to pummel someone!
These ladies are doing just that! Check it out! http://gulabi.hautetfort.com/

Donate if it moves you!

PET

Tamale Guiso, My Own Secret Recipe!

2009-04-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I stumbled onto an old recipe book with the title "Country Cooking". As I questioned this title and subjected it to a test of the Index I was pleasently surprised to find a "Tamale Pie" recipe! I hadn't had one since grade school! I have shared it and played with it several times now!

So, as I am known to do, I have spent several episodes tweaking and twiddling with this recipe to reflect my own tastes and some modern greats like Home Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic for example. I also use my homemade salsa, pan fried corn and carmalized onions to set it all up to an extreme flavor extravaganza! I call it "Tamale Guiso"!

So that is what I am serving today for my family along with some beans I have on the stove now and of course a big pan of Mexican Rice, (my recipe too)!

The original recipe is as follows in case anyone wants to enjoy an old standard for many people. In this day and penny pinching times it is also very economical! I remember the book my Dad used to use was called 101 Ways with Hamburger!

Tamale Pie

As published by Time Life Books (70’- 80’s?)

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

1-pound ground beef

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1-cup kernel corn

1 can (14 oz) whole tomatoes, drained

1-tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder

1-teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2½ cups milk w/*pinch saffron

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

2 cups grated Cheddar (Or) Monterey Jack

¼ pound fresh plum tomatoes sliced thin (or try sun-dried tomatoes)

½ cup chopped scallions

*1 small can Ortega chilies, (chopped)

1 small can sliced black olives

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2-quaart casserole dish

2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and the ground beef, cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the beef begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the green bell pepper, corn, canned tomatoes , tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the milk almost to a boil over a medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

5. Butter and then line the sides and bottom of the prepared casserole dish with 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture. Pour in the meat filling spreading evenly and then top off with the remaining cornmeal mixture.

6. Top with sliced ripe olives and arrange the fresh tomato slices, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

7. Sprinkle the scallions over the top and bake for 5 more minutes longer.

Serves 6, Enjoy!

10 Years Since I Have Seen My Mother...

2009-04-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

how can it be that long? Where did all that time go? I blink and a decade has gone by!

My Mother moved to Texas back then, to be closer to her family there. She was never really from California, she happened to landed here during her "Cattin" around days, and she just stayed! Yeah, my Mom has her own stories to tell I can say for sure! I have a chapter on some of her escapades, but I do not know that many, but the juciest one was when she was hanging out in a bar with ELVIS! Yeah, uh huh, that's right! My Mom and ELVIS! The REAL Elvis, the KING himself! Back in 57, Ft Chaffee, She was a singer/musician in a local band, there was drinking and a lot of fun but other than that, MOMS NOT TELLING!

Anyway...so here she is. Now what to do for entertainment? I was so hoping to get her to go out to Cottonwood for the Inaugural Farmers Market friday, but she is scared of too much walking. I am still working on convincing her, I would love for her to come out and get a chance to appreciate my favorite local bands such as Still Married and Pine Dogs!

I'll be going all out either Sat or Sun to make a big "Mexican Food Night" for the "WHOLE" family, over at my Aunts house, it should be quite the challenge! At least I can make the beans and the meat the day before!

Living On The Edge Of Memory...

2009-04-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

As in, I have about 204 MB left and my operating system needs 200MB just to run! I thought 20G sounded HUGE back when I bought this dino! Now, I bought a 500G external and haven't figured out how to do whatever it is I need to do to fix this beast! So day by day I live on the edge!

I'm trying to get a rig now, that I can AFFORD, so E-bay here I come! BUT...the research involved is so intense, I am sitting here all day waiting for a "duck" dammit!

Family Needs To Buy A Home!

2009-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone that wants to sell us a house? Here is a basic on who we are and what we are looking for: http://ricknlita.blogspot.com/

By way, we already recieved the "Good Luck With That' snark-o-gram!

Finding A Great Place To EAT Is Like Finding TREASURE!

2009-03-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

I stumbled into a little place out here in my (New) neck-o-the-woods, Palo Cedro, and I have to give a shout out about it! Wowowowow! It is a Mexican Restaurant named "Ortega's" and it is so good! As soon as you walk in it smells delicious, has a real nice atmosphere and your greeted with a genuine warm feeling instead of like you are bothering them or are just another ticket!

I was sorely disappointed last week when my BF and I visited another Palo Cedro establishment, and I do not want to speak too poorly of any place just because I was not happy...but..."where's the beef"? We paid a lot of money for a huge Burrito that was 80% rice, 15% beans and MAYBE 5% beef! No Way! Not Me Again! What a rip, plus no salsa's or sauces either? Get outta here! Or rather I will....

But, back to the "Ortega's", the food was really good, fresh with homemade beans and the best Chili Relleno I have had in a long time! Oh...and did I mention the PRICE? Wayyy coool!

Check it out when you get a chance, it is even worth making it a "destination" for a good night eat-out too!

Totting Teas And Tipping Tinctures!

2009-03-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have been sick lately, a dastartdly "cootie" jumped on me and beat me up! I have a standard way of dealing with these occasional bullies... I fight back! Usually I try to head them off at the pass, in this case the "nose" when I can tell I have been invaded. Unfortunately, this one snuck by me in the guise of an allergy episode!

First line of attack, sneeze and get rid of as many invaders as possible! Then kick in the fluids to rinse it all down. Everyone knows the rest...I can't be the only one that watches PBS for crying out loud!

I avoid OTC interaction as much as possible and instead rely heavily on Vit-C, juice, green tea and chicken noodle soup, etc... But totally avoid things like Nyqui-Something, Thera-Anything, or any type products and such-nots...
My friend however thumbs her nose at my herbs and teas, scoffing and rolling of the eyes as she takes some tincture I've offered just to shut me up! Then will drink half a bottle of green, a healthy third of the red and then top it off with a good overdose of pills washing it all down with a beer! I don't know which of us is the crazier but I'm betting my LIVER is a lot happier than hers!

ATT: Retailers: Time To Resurrect LONG Dead Customer "SERVICE"

2009-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Retail shoppers are sick to death of being treated as if YOU are doing them a favor by offering us your wares! In this time of screaming pennies, people tend to be a bit more selective of where and how they toss thier $$cash$$ around!
Customer Lost--Retail Giant Linen Store- $200+ sale
Customer- Excuse me, I think that comforter is on sale, it should be $59 but it rang up as $89.
Cashier (rolls eyes pointedly while sighing): I don't think so, but let me call somebody and find out!
*My friend now wants to slap this fellow as if she where his mother!
After MUCH, MUCH, MUCH ado.....
I'm sorry, that sale is only for the Green, Brown and Grey ones, the Blue ones are full price!
After all this, customer buys Brown one, vows to never return to ...Oh!...WAIT!... their going out of business, thats right, hmmmm....guess we will be buying sheets somewhere else for TWO reasons now!

On Believing In Karma!

2009-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Whew! I am sooo lucky! I just now finished shaking and quaking after having escaped by mere inches a head on with a car that at first looked driverless!! What was so important on the floor of that car that it almost took our lives? Oh little blue car, how lucky we are that I was alert with my head in the game!!

Denny's Delivers Dyn-o-myte "Grand Slam"

2009-02-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Denny’s Hits A “Grand Slam” With Publicity Stunt!

Wow! FREE BREAKFAST! I was so very disappointed yesterday after reading that we had missed the great festivities at the Cascade. And then, what do you know (BAM) Denny’s pulls out this cool publicity stunt and it is plastered all over the radio and spread like wildfire by word of mouth. Hmm, seems like Redding really responds to the radio, (hmm, have to explore more….) Anyway, JM and I jump in the trusty van and off we go…

As we arrived at the Denny’s of our choosing, (Vagabond) we observed a really long line leading out the door and around the sidewalk for a significant distance. We discussed the possibility of going to the other side of the freeway but decided that it would be the same no matter which one we went to because even behind us now, people were driving and walking in droves! Good Karma opened a parking spot as if we had an invitation. If we were on the fence about giving up or sticking it out for the adventure, we took it as a sign that it was meant for us to go! LOL!

We arrived in time for Channel 7 KRCR to turn the camera on us. We both quickly tried to shrink away, she with her “Morning Coat” on and I with my “Rooster” hair! Later we watched ourselves on TV anyway! HAHAHA! The line snaked through the lobby, out the door and about halfway down the side of the building when we arrived! However we did notice right away that the line was moving steadily and that everyone seemed to be in really great spirits. The line moved impressively fast and we were inside and seated in an astonishing 20-25 minutes!

The atmosphere was cheerful and the staff was moving quickly with obvious coordination. I know how hard it is to serve in just this type of atmosphere from “my world” past, so I can relate in a big way! Our server was friendly without being wooden, she was quick without being too brisk, was very efficient and our food arrived fresh, hot and perfectly prepared as ordered. Again, with a smile and amazing service!

I enquired to a couple of the staff as to the purpose of the “Free Event” today and was told that Denny’s wanted to reintroduce people to their establishment and draw new attention to their standards of service and food! So, simply a “Publicity Stunt”!

Well then YAY, Well done! Woo-Hoo!

My Rose

2009-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

My Rose

A couple of people I know got married some years ago. It was an ill-fated marriage; they really had very little in common, outside the bedroom, if you know what I mean. Their battles were long and makeup sex was strong, but after a few years it wore off, or rather on. After many attempts at attrition, there was just too much to forgive. One day while they were busy ripping and tearing their lives apart, I happened to stop by. As I was a friend to both of them, this was really an awkward moment, but too late, I was already there! As I walked around the property with her, (as she needed to vent,) I made small talk of the plants and flowers. I inquired as to the species of an ugly little lump of a stump in this small wooden container. It was a rose bush she insisted. With which he had attempted favor by dragging it into their lives at some point. It was an ugly little stump; it took some convincing for me to believe it was even a rose at all. She loudly persisted that I should have it, take it, do something with it; she sure as hell didn’t want the piece of crap. Reluctantly I accepted the “gift”. It looked dead, like a scrap of driftwood. I threw it in my car and made my escape as elegantly as possible.

A few days later I came across the “scrappling” in my car. I dragged it out, tugged gently at the stump and decided that it may have life in the root ball after all. Who knows what a good root ball can produce! I took it over to my potting bench and poked around the soil a little, put a handful of fresh mulch on top and sank a fertilizer stick into the deepest part of the little rotting container. It was evident that if it lived, I would have to get a new container for it soon. I found it a comfortable place to reside and figured I’d give it a shot.

Sure enough, just a few weeks later I noticed some shoots! I delighted in its first production of just one little rose. But it was clearly weak and it soon succumbed to a terrible round of nasty little critters that stripped its pathetic little stems to scrawny toothpicks. But after seeing that first rose I knew I could bring it back around. I went and got it a nice big new container, a bag of the best stuff around and gave it a place of distinction on my front porch.

The following season, I was ecstatic to get enough blossoms as to glean comments from passersby. Then once again, I had a hell of a bout with the critters. I was reluctant to use harsh chemicals because I felt she was a little delicate. I pampered her and did what I could with teas and concoctions. This cycle would play itself out for a couple of more years.

Then one year, just as she was beginning to put out some really promising blooms, again the damn critters began to munch, Oh! I can’t believe this! The poor thing has been trying so hard. It looked so sickly; I moved it away from the front of the porch to the back.
When I got up the next day there was a huge spider web covering most of what was left of leaves and stems. I figured what the hell, let him live there; maybe he can grow fat on some critters!

Sure enough, several days later I noticed that the progression of the critters had ceased. In fact there was some evidence of new growth. Oh my God! That spider really did eat the critters! Well, I was so astonished I tried to tell some people about it and I think they think I’m crazy. You Think?

Over the next couple of years, despite some amateur clipping accidents and several more bouts between critters, I have ended up with what appears to be a small, double trunk, mini “tree” of roses. This year my spider moved in early, how I love this guy, not another critter in sight! I played with the stems and crossed them over each other and secured them in the middle. They look really cool like that. The blooms are setting for the second time this year, and there is going to be even more this time around.

My friend stopped by the other day; it’s been years since she came around. As we strolled around my yard she proclaimed about what a beautiful rose that was! I proudly informed her it was the same one she had given me. Oh! No way, this was her rose? I bristled at the words rolling off of her tongue. Her rose? NO, this is my rose! But, being civil, I refrained from correcting her and let her wallow in her own self-glorification and lament about how she should not have given away such a beautiful rose. Her comment on how she had a spot that would be perfect for it at her new home, rolled off me like water on a duck. I wasn’t going to go there, and neither was my rose!

It wouldn’t matter to tell her that it would not even be in existence any longer had it been left in her care, nor that it would still not probably survive the future. She can beat her chest all she wants because the truth is; I know that I brought this plant to life. Yes, the root may have belonged to her, but she discarded and discounted its value. Now that it is plain to see it’s potential she wishes to bask in its glory! All of that doesn’t really matter, she can’t have it back, and it still lives at my house. I’m still the one that will run out and brush away the first snow and then tie and cover the stems to protect it. I will be the one to carefully trim it and feed it to help it “spring” to life next season. I’m the one that sees it grow and delights in the changes. I’m the one that basks in its glorious blooms! Ultimately, this is my reward; because you see, it really is my rose!

This story is dedicated to Step-Parents all over the world, I wrote this especially for someone that needed a new perspective on accepting another's "discards"!

Stories Of Life In The Past Lane!

2009-01-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the simplest little statements can trigger the most bizarre memories and thoughts about who you are and where you came from. The stuff that makes up the baseline things you do and how you react and behave can come from the smallest influences.

Having a conversation with my friend the other day, she says something about getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and then I made the statement that I never get up in the middle of the night unless it is an emergency or there is just something not right. She was curious as to how and why that is and I knew immediately that the reason was just as simple too. When I was young, there was a time when we did not have running water in our house, so that meant that we had an outhouse for our “business”. Trust me, when you live way out in the “boonies”, there are plenty of things that go bump in the night for REAL.

My dad had gotten a piece of property, by life circumstance, and he had to make the best of it. He brought in a bulldozer and cleared a pad out from the surrounding hillsides that left us smack in the middle of a giant horseshoe. The dirt walls were an average of about 6-8 feet most of the way around us. It was plenty big enough for us, but was probably only an acre or so at best. One thing for sure though, it was in the boonies! No neighbors, no electricity and no running water! We did have a big double wide mobile home, but again, no water, etc… It was given to my dad in exchange for some work, needless to say, it was not in the best condition to begin with, by the time they mangled, oops, I mean wrangled, it into position it definitely had very serious issues to say the least.

One night I had been in trouble already with a steady case of the trottins, so I prepared ahead of time with one of my Dad’s flashlights right at hand. Sure enough I awoke with a start, jumped outta bed and headed off, almost forgetting the light as I ran. I doubled back and grabbed it, terrified I was never going to make it all the way across the yard already. I ran all the way without even turning that damn light on, just by heart and the light of the moon. It really was close but I made it and was sitting there for a VERY long time, when suddenly I heard something walking around. I called out, but heard nothing in reply. No need, I already knew!

A couple of weeks back my Dad had already had an incident where he had opened the back door and just "hung it" outside to take a quick midnight release, when he looked up just in time to realize he was about to wiz in the face of a mountain lion staring back at him. Because of the proximity of the trailer and the hillside, they were eye to eye! His gut reaction was to just slam the door closed! By the time he grabbed his rifle and got back, the cat was long gone. Of course that only means for the night, because we knew our house was smack in the middle of his territory already. The same cat already had been around for several episodes in our lives! He would be wound in through my life for years, my Dad tried in vain to shoot him MANY times!

My Dad had put the little white pot house right up against the cut side of our mountain pad, as far from the house as possible, for obvious reasons. But that sure didn’t help me out any right now, at all! I could here him out here, just barely the slightest sound as the occasional rock moved or dirt shifted. Just enough to let me know he was still out there. First I shouted, even beat on the sides of the little hut, but I knew he was still out there. I finally tried to open the door just a bit, and shone out that light, I didn’t see a thing, just as I stepped out, I caught a flash from the corner of my eye and I dove back into the doorway! I started screaming now, DADDYYYYYY!!!

It took about a good 20-30 minutes before someone finally heard me and came out to my rescue! Of course the cat was long gone by then and I just looked like a ditz! But I still NEVER get out of bed to go to the bathroom at night!

Bathroom Math For Economy 101

2009-01-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Math? Who Needs That Stink’n Math?

“Who really ever uses math anyway? Why do I need it?”

Well, here’s one for you!
I know that some people might not really grasp what it means to get by with hard time economics, but I recently had to go through this one, and so, I thought that I might share it. It could enlighten someone, not only with a glimpse into the meaning of “hard time economics”, but also, offer up an answer to that age old debating question of “ What the hell am I ever going to use all this math crap for out in the real world anyway”! [Hint: Survive!!]

Due to recent catastrophic finances, my Daughter and I had to figure out exactly how much we needed to have, for a two week period, of one of the most precious of household necessities. TOILET PAPER!! Let me ask you, do you know how many sheets you require per bathroom visit? Do you know how many times a day you use the bathroom? How many sheets are on a roll, of the brand you buy? How many times can and do you use public vestiges or even friend’s homes. Could you increase these numbers, so that you can cut out some of your own home usage? How would you tolerate toilet paper rationing? These are things to consider when you do not have money!

First, there are four children under the age of 10 and then one that is 17, and 2 adults (when I am there). So, through experimentation, we have deduced that it requires the girls (3) at least 6 sheets per wipe. Since I require the boys to wipe as well, “air dry” and “shaking” do not cut it when I’m doing the laundry! So, even though the boys use less, I will just use the figures from the girls for the whole formula. Then I do some rounding, cause a little extra is always a good thing, just in case! Because of sensitivities, we are forced to buy unscented, lint resistant papers, which are always a tad bit more, so the math here is mainly for quantity. Cost will vary greatly. You will get the idea anyway.

Per person: 6 sheets per wipe, 1 trip for #2 = 2 wipes, 2 trips for #1 = 2 wipes for a grand total of

4 wipes per day X 6 sheets = 24 sheets per person, (round that to 30 sheets per, just in case).

1 roll is approx 400 sheets (double rolls) so, 400 sheets divides by 30 = 13.3 lets just call it 12 trips per roll. 7 people X 4 wipes X 14 days = 392, let’s call it 400. So now we have 400 divided by 12 = 33.3, we call that 34 rolls, packages come 12 rolls to a pack, so we need 3 packages of 12 double rolls for a 2 week period.

Now, if we can just figure out how to get by on the 2 packages we actually had enough money for! First, we are accepting no visitors, then, well, we have school, offices, friends, etc…!!

Now that’s math in the REAL WORLD!

Life With A Grain Of Salt...

2009-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Thank the Powers, it is not being rubbed into a wound! LOL! I keep reminding myself of all the wonderful things that I am so grateful for, it helps me not to keep harping on the not so groovey aspects of my life right now!

I love my Honey!
My Honey Loves me!
My Honey still has a job!
I am not paralyzed!
My car still runs (just not legally!)
My friend still loves me (I'm not kicked out yet)
My child is healthy!
I have food!
My clothes are warm and I have a nice fire going!

See I can do this!

We watched a program the other night about families that had their homes blown up and they were living in the streets with nothing but each other to cling to, no food, relatives and children all murdered or blown to pieces, no hope and no prospects. Made us feel like the luckiest people in the world!

I already spent my hour on the computer here at the library, I was reading all my favorite blogs and didn't leave myself much time to write! Oh well I know time flys....

Trying To Tread Water!

2008-12-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

I am sure there must be brighter days ahead! Even though I am not really sure when or where, I just know it has to eventually brighten up. I know better than to believe it cannot get any worse, because then of course I would get slapped up side the head with something really horrible and that would teach me!

Living The Life!

2008-12-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here I am living by the seat of my pants, I can't even get my computer hooked up so now I am relegated to my friends or the library! My car is still not legal and so the library jaunt is risky and best only run when the books are due back! Luckily, I do have access to one from my friend, but it is shared among many and time allotment is frugal!

I have gotten used to hauling my dishes back and forth to wash them, again, I have been through this one before! At least I have running water though! I could not handle fetching buckets of water again! The fire tending thing even came back after 40 years! Who knew? My G-daughter has some new experiences for sure! She will survive, I did! At least she gets a ride to school, I had to walk almost 2 miles in each direction, even in the ice and rain no matter what..... Yeah, she is sick of hearing it too! HAHAHAHA!

Well, my time is up!