Here’s That Rainbow I Was Talking About
I brought out the big camera for that one. However, I did get my new phone. Very exciting. But, I have to go to work, so I will brag all about that later and show you my groundbreaking “first-picture-taken-with-the-best-phone-camera-ever-!!”, also later. Have a gorgeous day. It’s nice out because I have to go to work. If you are looking forward to a crappy, unseasonably cold, or rainy day, so you can stay indoors, anytime soon, just wait until Monday. It’s my day off so you can be sure that it will deliver all the bad weather you want! Later.
My Last Few Hours With An 8th Grader!
We are only a few short hours away from 8th grade graduation! After the girl got home from school/graduation rehearsal, we went back to the school, to get the extra ticket we needed, but that didn’t get included in the packet she brought home. Then we drove around in the pouring rain—torrential, tornadic, blinding downfall—that I basically asked for with my previous post—(so far all tree parts have remained on the tree) and got Chinese Food and lottery tickets. I spent all my cash on those stupid things. But look! Look how colorful they are! All that money just waiting to be won under those little silver scratch offs. Then we came home and ate and watched Sex and The City 2 until my son called for a ride home from b-ball practice. Then we dropped off the tickets for the dad and got gas. Then it rained more, the sun came out, and a rainbow appeared. Really.
I have the picture proof. But it will have to wait. I have exactly 16 minutes on the stove timer to get my ass up and dressed and out of this house with the girl and family. Did I mention we have a graduation to go to? Suspense and excitement ahead. The girl is giving a speech and everything! So proud. So happy. So old. Two in high school. Almost. Later.
Breaking News! ANOTHER Tree Branch Falls In My Yard On A Windy Day!
Shocking, right?! Imagine that. Another tree branch cluttering up my yard. Not to insult nature or anything, but this limb was already dangling. It’s been hanging on, by the skin of its splintery teeth, figuratively speaking, for about 2 weeks now. So it’s not like we needed hurricane winds to knock it down. Just a nice, steady, flow of air, blowing every few minutes through the high up branches, with the occasional bursty gust. We’ve been on fall watch every day. You know: Look up when you go out. Check the wind. Check the rip. Don’t stand under it. Blah blah blah. The way you do when branches are a constant and real threat in your daily life. You would think, by now, no more branches could fall. But, same as me, you would be wrong. Apparently there is always one more branch that needs to make a home on my lawn. It was my own fault, anyway, yet again. I dared to move, and remove, some of the previous limbs and branches from the grass on my day off, Tuesday. I had the nerve to try and “clean” the yard so that the neighbors don’t call the debris police and complain. Those trees were probably standing there thinking, “Psshh. Look at this stupid girl. Dum Dum. She likes to move sticks? Watch this little trick.” And here it is. One more for my collection. Nice try universe. I am not impressed. Only one? Really? Please, tree. I am a professional, serious collector. This limb didn’t even make a loud noise when it hit the ground. I mean, I heard it, but it’s not like I ran to go see what happened. It’s not even worth my time to go out there and move it. So there. Now that I have sufficiently pissed off, and smited, the powers-that-be, and probably just jinxed the rest of my day, I guess, maybe, I will go outside, and move my present from the gods. I mean, I have children to think about; I will offer thanks, and wait for the lightning to strike.
Smokin’ In The Boys Room
And by “boys room”, I mean the outside. While I work this weekend, my BF has decided to do many manly things, like, work on his motorcycle, cut large tree limbs with a chainsaw, and smoke much meat. It sounds like so much fun I just wish I could have had these days off to be here for all of it. Ahem. No, really. (Not really). I like to spend my holiday weekends working and taking care of sick people and listening to their families tell me what a crap job I’m doing. It’s what I got into this profession for. That rewarding feeling of spending more hours with other people’s families instead of my own. Without sarcasm, I really do like my job. It’s just some families make it very difficult to keep calm. The patients are fine. It’s just the families sometimes. Still, I think it will be better than the manual labor that needs to be done here. Sweaty, with heavy lifting. Oh wait, that’s my job too. Ha. OK. Enough. That’s my work rant. Back to the meat!
Apparently this is stuff you need. Along with a starter tube thing that gets the coals going, a temp gauge, (actually two temp gauges, one for the cooker and one for the meat), water for steam, spices, herbs, liquids, “rubs”, side dishes, buns, etc…and of course: The Meat. This will all cost you approx. 90 dollars or so. If you had to buy your own smoker, that could be an extra 100-500 dollars, depending on quality and advanced smoking technology. Or something. This smoker in the picture was the gift the BF got for working so hard at his job for this many, past 15 years. It seems like it’s nice smoker machine. I have just been informed that the meat is at 162 degrees. The number we are looking for is 190 I believe. We are doing pulled pork as the maiden smoking. I keep typing “we”, but I literally have done NOTHING except take the pictures and type this. Soon, I will get dressed and leave, so I won’t even be here for the big finish. But, of course I have a preview. Please feast your eyes below on three hunks of pure animal flesh, cooking and smoking, slowly, and at a certain temperature, for maximum tenderness and pullability. It really smells good too:
Two on top, one below. That sounds like a good name for a band or a book title. The key to cooking this right, I am told, is slow and low. Also, coincidentally a good band name or book title. At any rate, what we want is to put it in our mouths and not even have to chew. The meat should literally pull apart and melt like butter on our palates and slide juicily and effortlessly down our throats to our waiting tummies without any pesky chewing involved. But usually it’s on a bun with sauce, so please, family, while I am gone, chew a little, please. Bread mostly needs to be chewed, somewhat, to break it down. Then swallow. No need to ruin a good weekend with “Heimlich’s” or “ambulances” or “hospitals” or “morgues”. Thank you.
Thus ends the meat post for today. I hear and smell lots of manly things going on in the neighborhood today, so I need to get the hell out of here! The outside temp is up to 75 degrees. Sunny and beautiful for the Midwest. The meat temp is at a cool 165. The BF is cutting sticks with the chainsaw. The boy/son is playing XBox in his room enjoying none of the outside weather. The daughter is still at my sissy’s house and will prob go from there to her cousins house to spend the night, after she stops here first to eat meat. She loves meat. Yes, I see what I typed there, but I’m leaving it. It’s too early (for me) to try and fix the innuendo. She’s 14 for cry-yi. Some girls are salads and try a vegetarian phase, not mine. She is steak all the way.
Let them eat meat! And don’t forget it’s Memorial Weekend. Hug a vet! Thank a soldier while you are grilling those hot dogs and drinking that beer! Even if you just send up a big toast and a cheer into the great unknown. It’s all good karma to the universe. Later.
Stevie Pic #6 The Tree
It blooms, white as can, be for about one whole day, then it fades like all the other trees. This is not her best picture, because I think we missed the high bloom, but it’s here for “filler”. Fast pic. Fast post. Stay in the game because I have to go to work now for the long weekend. It’s my holiday. But I am not going to complain too much because unlike the military people, I, at least, get to come home every day to my family. Hopefully I will post more as we go through the next few days. Nothing groundbreaking or relevant to any particular thing, just whatever I have on hand and can post quick and efficiently. If you are home this weekend, please enjoy it and take a few moments to think, about all who have, and still are, out there making a difference, so we can have a barbeque and hang out in the sunshine. Although the sunshine is not available right now. Looks like rain. I guess that’s OK too. Cozy up inside and have a nice cup of coffee and I will check back later. Hug a vet (or a soldier) if you have one near. And as my cousin always says, (who has a son in the Army (Rangers–Special Forces)—AND my other cousin, who also has a son in the Army (Bomb Squad)—which I need to give a personal shout out too–hey Brett–(and momma) you’ll get your own dedication soon—SO SO proud of both, she says in case you forgot already: Freedom isn’t free. Our kids are out there carrying on! Mine says he’s going too after high school. Then I will really be on the soapbox shouting the word. Wow. This is a sudden heavy turn for a post about a picture of a tree. Ending now. Get those flags up and hanging! That’s what I’m going to do right now! Later.
Thanks Stevie! For #4.
My next favorite thing to take pictures of after birds and flowers and trees. The sky! Or more accurately: Clouds in the sky.
I saw this big space, just wide open in front of me, while I was driving to work yesterday, but I didn’t have the time or place to stop and take the picture. The sky is so amazing when all those clouds are up there, looking like they just got thrown across the blue, right in front of you, just waiting for you to arrive. You can see the curve of the Earth and almost feel the world turning under your feet, and you can imagine, for that one moment, that the road, and this life, can go on forever.
I can not be the only one who sees all that blue and just wants to keep driving until the highway ends and the water begins. If you have ever driven to the ocean, and I mean, driven straight on a road, for miles and miles, towards the end of dry land; Watching the sky change and seem to open up as you get closer and closer; And the air changes and the wind blows salty through your open window and you just know you are at the end of the world; Then you probably know what I mean.
But maybe that’s just me. I daydreamed of running all the way to work. And then I went in and forgot all about it until right now when Stevie sent me this to post here. All that from one photo. Pretty amazing. Thank you my lovely girl.
Stevie Pic #3
Not even going to comment. No time. Thank you Stevie! Your pictures are always good! Work now. More later.
My Lips Are Chapped!
As promised! You want. You got. Now go buy and tell me that it works good. Today you might need it. My thermometer reads 82 degrees. And I have to go to work. Again. It better be nice tomorrow too so I can enjoy one day off of beauty. Or at least temperate weather. I even took the pic all artsy fartsy like just for my cuz. No, they are NOT paying me. I wish. Just so you know, I am wasting all kinds of shower-work-prep-time just to post this one extra thing today. And obviously wasting more time talking about it. Sheesh. Make sure you check out Stevie’s flower picture below. It’s quite pretty. Just like her! And it goes with the blue-ish, dusky theme we have going here today. Enjoy the weather all! Later!
Stevie Pics!
She took the next few pics I will be posting. With her IPhone of course. I have to go to work, right now, but I don’t want to keep the same pictures, especially of some dandelions, on the front of this thing for days and days. Besides, I have endless pictures that she takes to use at a moment’s notice, so I could really go all lazy bones here and never post my own stuff again. She takes A LOT of pictures. Full credit to my sweet little girl! (Don’t worry cuz, I will get that lip balm picture up and in the books for posterity) Everyone have a great day! It is beautiful out here in the Midwest! 77 degrees and counting. Pity I will be indoors, but no one just hands me money for sitting at home typing words into the ether. Later.
I Know They’re Weeds But I Gotta Post Something
It’s late. It’s been another week. Hot. Cold. Warm. Chilly. Calm. Windy. Sunny. Rainy. I told my cousin that I would post these dandelions. So here they are. Next up is a fantastic picture of the Nivea Lip Balm I promised her I would post so that she could go and buy it because it works so good. Warning! Old people posting. This is our conversation on a hot, partying, Saturday afternoon at my sissies:
“Now, where is my chapstick? I never leave home without my Chapstick.”
“Oh I know. I never go to work without my lip balm, my eye drops and my reading glasses.”
This is just sad. The week can only get better from here. Later.
just shy of pretty 