Loosely Speaking

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Everything Else

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Olympia: Home of the Anti-Climax

I heard incorrectly too--thought they said we would have sunshine and blue skies tomorrow. We will, of course, but they will be on the other side of the clouds that will be raining on us. *sigh* Jack Russells are cute little guys, and smart, too, aren't they? And active! Olympia is a drag for New Year's if you don't have reservations. It's either that--no walk-ins, sorry--or everyone closes up at 9 because its Wednesday. You'd think they would want the business! We ended up having dinner among... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Gapcohen wrote today about the super-commercialization of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This began as my comment to her post. There are three Walmarts within easy driving distance from here, and they are preparing to put in another down the road, less than a mile from here. It will be next to a Costco and Fred Meyer (that may be a chain that does not yet extend to every corner of the US--yet.) There is another FM about 7 miles from this one. There are Sears and Target anchoring one mall across the... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Bags and bags and bags...

Of the travelers still camping in airports across the country-- though their luggage made it through. This was how it appeared on Monday evening when I finally picked up Charlie. Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 15, 2008

recipe: The Best Tuna Salad Ever

No pickles, no miracle whip! tuna celery onion parsley dill lemon garlic real mayo My mom always used albacore, but chunk light is tasty, too. Add to the drained tuna some finely-minced celery, parsley and onion--green onion is a good alternate to yellow onions. (I use those big sweet Walla Walla onions, or others with less sulfur content and a better flavor than standard yellow onions.) Add in garlic powder, and the juice of one small lemon or half a big juicy one, and a sprinkling of dill... Sign in to see full entry.

recipe: Orange Biscuits

Start by making biscuit dough. (Interesting variation on the kind you get following directions on the biscuit mix box: substitute yogurt for the water or milk, if you like sourdough.) Well, actually, it is better to make the biscuit dough after fine-grating the zest off an orange--the thicker the skin, the more zest you get. Get as much as you can, to make a nice little bright orange mound. Then blend in regular white sugar until the sugar has gone all that lovely orange. This will be a paler,... Sign in to see full entry.

recipe: baba ghanouj

First, burn an eggplant... A Lebannese chef says to make slits in the whole eggplant before putting it in the oven or on the grill or in the fire, and slip in slices of fresh garlic. As the eggplant cooks, these will melt into the meat of the vegetable. So to speak... When it is thoroughly burnt on the outside and mushy on the inside, pull it out, cut open the skin and scoop out the goopy stuff into a bowl. Sounds good so far, doesn't it? Add to the burnt eggplant mush, some tahini (like peanut... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Keeping Chrstmas 'Christmas' may not be about keeping the faith.

I've thought for a while that the folks who bridle at the secularizing of the holiday greeting were maybe mostly the pathological Christians who can't tolerate anyone else celebrating their own season as overtly as Christians do Christmas. But I'm thinking there is a different spirit operating here... There are a lot of people who are not especially full of Christian fervor who call it Christmas and celebrate it wholeheartedly with all the traditional trimmings, and who are entirely content to... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Rocking Rector tells of a recent hunt, red jackets, dogs and all...

But the foxes are off the hook, legally protected from these human shennanigans: the dogs follow a scent trail of aniseed oil, she says, laid out by some foxy-clever individual who probably knows how to make it interesting. Perhaps at the end, the doughty dogs are rewarded with licorice...? I'm glad to hear that the foxes are no longer the target--though, acknowledging that there was a time when foxes ate into a crofter's livelihood, and control of their population was a necessity. The thing is,... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Remember that para-Mormon bigamist colony...?

I just learned something that helps me clarify in my own mind how I feel about this group. I try to keep in mind always, when inclined to judge anyone, that I don't know what it is to be them, don't know their whole story, nor what lies and inaccuracies have been reported about them; and that in such a state of ignorance, I should not form any conclusions. But I am coming closer, in this case. It seems since the recent legal difficulties, a number of the residents of the compound have been... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

What are gas prices doing in your neighborhood?

Lowest around here is $1.68 (rounding up that final tricksy.9) Charlie saw $1.65 before leaving Colorado last week. How low will it go, before bouncing this time? These prices are about a third what they were last summer out here. It may not be another check in the mail, but it isn't bad as economic relief. I am considering driving out to visit the lad and bring him home for winter break. After all, I have not yet gotten pictures of the west in snow! How is the economy affecting your daily life,... Sign in to see full entry.

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