Same lady, happily married for 50 big ones, it's all downhill from here. Questions like, "should we travel, stay put?" No retirement, even if I work for you, I won't sit around and rot, all the things you talk about when you're ready to slow it down.
Well, I had an old dental bridge fail and we thought, first thing I should do is get my "choppers" fixed. So I had to have some teeth pulled, x rays, bite wings, whatever that is and then a beautiful "Burt Lancaster Partial."
As time passed, I notice a lump on my neck that wouldn't go down even after two go rounds with Penecillin. I returned to the Dentist and he told me to see my Doctor and let him know the results.
Well, I saw my Doctor and asked her what the lump was and she said "I have no idea!" So she gave me some Malaria penicillen and said that should take care of it, well, it didn't~
I then found out about Radiology and that it wasn't a competitor for Spotify. This was new to me, and it didn't feel right. I had to go there several times, they couldn't seem to get what they needed to give me an idea about what was going on with me. Remember when you were a kid in school and they told you if you break down the chemicals and compounds in your body you were worth about a $1.50? Well it was becoming obvious that I was gaining value to a lot of individuals as this process proceeded.
My Doctor called after about four sessions and told me the lump was suspicious and may be cancer.
This is one of those times when advice is given because of past experience, like 50
years ago. When I was in High school I was still a very small teenager, waist 27 inches, weighed 109 pounds soaking wet. I was the perfect size and weight to become a jockey. I had always had a love for horses and my neighbor at the time, had a love for betting on them~
That's Jorca and me coming out of the 2 hole
When I graduated he took me out to Suffolk Downs in East Boston and introduced me to Trainer Eddie Anspach who gave me a job walking "Hots" (cool down horses after workouts) I didn't get a chance to ride or even get on a horse for several months. That was par for the course I found out~ Once I started exercising the horses in the morning and following the boss's directions during race workouts, he helped me get my Jockey's license and I was literally, off to the races. My second year I was starting to struggle with my weight and I asked some fellow Jocks if there was a way I could deal with it and they told me to see Dr. Swartz the track doctor.
I did see the Dr. and he opened up this big pill book and said which ones do you want? They were all photos of Amphetamine in different colors and strengths. He told me not to worry because all the jockey's took them. Little did I realize that I was now getting on a train I didn't think I would ever get off~
I think it was a deep dish pizza, took a bite and the old bridge decided to give it up. The wife made an appointment and she let me know. Now dentists and prying out fingernails with a pliers have always been equal in my mind. So I showed up and surprisingly enough, a lot has changed since my last visit. The Novocaine needles aren't 27 inches long anymore, and the dentists are really nice and understand that you may actually fear them. He told me that they would make recommendations on options to fix my problem.
It all started here
So far so good~So some of my teeth had to be yanked and the Dentist told me that the X Rays missed an infection. He told me I should have my personal Doctor check it out and could my Doctor fax him the results. So far I'm not concerned. Then we went and had dinner at my daughter's house and the first thing she asked was if I was growing another head. I was now starting to get a little concerned, because after two rounds of Penicillin, still no change. Next Post; My Doctor Visit~
My recipe has a few unique tips to make it the best you have ever tasted! Don't just take my word on it~ Several years ago my wife asked me to make something special for her Artist's Night Out. She told me it had to be "Super Special" because she didn't want to be "embarrased!" Whatever was made had to be very, very special. I asked her to give me a number of people that would be there and she told me at least 50~ I asked if it was a Potluck and she almost threw up in her mouth. We talked and I assured her I would make her something everyone would love. So the night of the event I took her to the oven to show her what I made and she freaked out! She said, "that's peasant food!" I told her "don't take it then, but everybody loves potatoes!" She came home later and and said "you could have made 10 of these and they would all be gone, the Art Center Director was scraping the pan! Thank you so much! It was the star of the event!"
Fresh Russet Potatoes
Fresh Sweet onions
Whole Milk
Super Sharp Cheddar
2 Pounds Kielbasa
2 boxes Betty Crocker AU Gratin Potatoes
Duke's or Hellman's Real Mayonaise
9x14 Deep Dish Casserole Pan
1/4 pound LOL butter
Tomorrow we'll show you how to make it, make sure you got the stuff first~
We had my wifes bloodwork done and we found out some very disturbing things, her blood pressure,
seriously high, blood sugar, way out of whack and cholesterol, off the charts. In six months she has lost 35 pounds, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are all at normal levels. No drugs just a very simple diet. I will post the diet along with her blood work results in a before and after post after the Holidays are over.
3 pack (0.32 per ounce)
4 pack (0.39 PER OUNCE)
Now back to the subject; the shelves are not only a display for products, they actually "talk!" The cost per sheet, cost per ounce. On numerous shopping trips the larger sizes were more expensive. Cereal, probably the number one culprit, toilet paper, and the juice aisle. I'm seeing it more and more. Be diligent, money is tight in this economy, taking a few extra minutes will help you save a lot of money over the long term. Remember check serving sizes per product. Example, I'm holding a jar of honey, under nutrition facts it reads, serving size 1 tablespoon (21 grams) Servings 33 per container. The total fat, sodium, total carbs, sugars and protien are based per serving not per jar, very important when choosing a low carb or low calorie diet. This jar of honey has 17 grams of carbs and 16 grams of sugar per serving. It also reads in very small print on the bottom, *Percent of Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Read labels, they "talk" too. How does old fashioned bread pudding sound? Recipe coming in my next blog. Please enjoy the original, "Snap, Crackle and Pop" video. When you poured the milk on the cereal, it made noise, thus snap, crackle, pop!
I remember when we had our first child, we wanted nothing but the best for her. My wife heard from one of her Hippie friends that fresh goat's milk was the way to go "man." Jackie, my wife said, "Far out! let's do this deed." She then became, I won't say obsessed with goats , but let's just say enamoured and focused on the thought of owning her own goats and her mission to becoming a goat farmer began.
Typical Goat Trailer
Soft Top
"Open Air" Goat Trailer
"I told you I could climb"
One day soon after the goat farmer idea was planted in her head, I was met with a beaming, newspaper holding wife. Now I will take a moment to impart a few words of wisdom to young married fathers. If you are met by your wife, who has just had a new baby and she is excited about an idea that will make her a better mother it does not matter if you have worked a 12 hour shift at a glass factory or if you work midnights. My advice to you is to smile, tell her at that moment that they are the best mother in the world and go with it or you will be very, very sorry. I grew up with many sisters and knew the look and even though I was horrified to the very depths of my soul, I smiled and said "Hi honey what did you find in the paper?" She proceeded to tell me that she found goats for sale and that they were only 50 miles away. She was so excited about starting her goat farm and doing the best for our daughter I couldn't resist her. A trait that after 43 years of marriage I still posses today. I promptly said "okay, let's go." I figured. How bad could it be? We live on a 10 acre farm. It is just a few goats. How hard could goats be? No problem. So off we went.
Pontiac "Goat Trailer"
After what seemed to be 11 hours and a million wrong turns, we finally found the place. 1969 was long before the days of GPS and cell phones, so trips could be daunting. Like many young people we decided we would set off on our goat trip without a trailer because of course magically we could find one once we arrived. At the goat farm, I was put on goat trailer location duty and my wife began the goat negotiations. After awhile I looked over and saw my wife talking to the goat farmer and she was crying. Now this goat farmer was ancient and in many ways had started to resemble his goats. I knew I had to intervene because this old man was standing in between my wife and her babies goat's milk. Quite honestly I was afraid for him. I rushed over to decipher the hysteria and it seems the ad in the paper said "Want Goats" and the ad didn't end in a question mark. Oh no, the goat farmer wanted goats and my wife drove here to get his goats. Knowing my wife she was not leaving here without goats. She was on a mission.
She began her negotiating. Let me tell you, my wife is a skilled negotiator. She is charming, friendly and everyone loves her (ok must-she can be fiesty). She is a powerful little thing, especially when she makes her mind up about something. Truly the goat farmer did not have a chance. He, of course, agreed to let us buy a goat that was milking. There was a catch though. She had a goat buddy whose heart would break if they got separated. We had to take them both. So my wife the skilled negotiator not only succeeded in talking a goat farmer out of a goat he wanted to keep from people he wanted to buy goats from, but now he was offering her a second one as well. Oh and yes, still no goat trailer. My wife is beaming, I am sweating. The feeling of a whole cart of groceries and not knowing if the ATM card is going to work is washing over me. I confess and tell him the unfortunate truth all I had was $20, I can't afford to buy the second goat. My wife begins to tear up again. It is deathly quiet. He thinks for a minute, and he decides to give us the second goat absolutely FREE! My wife is elated.
Typical Goat Farmer
No grass as far
as the eye can see!
Absolute panic sets in. Dare I ask another favor of the man who never wanted to sell goats? I asked the goat farmer if he had a trailer so we could get them home. He said ever so clearly "no I don't." Now I did not mention this earlier but my wife and I are in a Pontiac 2 door coupe, not a pickup truck, a car. My wife smiles with a solution, always looking on the brighter side and says, "I think we can fit them in the back seat." OK there is a limit. I said, "they're not dogs. They're goats with horns and I really don't think they've ridden in a car before." She looked at me with that face I now know so well. The face that says, "we are not talking about this now." That face that states, "I need you to go with me on this." I have learned that going on the journey of her "creativity" instead of fighting her or forcing my own "realistic" ideals has brought more laughter, memories and color to my life than I could ever have imagined. I am glad I did not rob myself of that. Now back to the goats.
Well we never did get that goat trailer. Yes that's right we shoved those two goats, horns and all, into the back of our 2 door Pontiac Coupe. Within 5 minutes the inside of the car was a war zone. The windows were fogged up and every time we would stop at a light, the goats would release their frustration in the back seat. A resounding symphony of simultaneous excretions of which I had never smelled or heard before. We were trapped in that car for what seemed to be a lifetime with those goats. No hope of escape, no fresh air, people passing, pointing and laughing at what looked to be horrifically disfigured children, the ramming of the horns into the back of my seat, the gnashing of teeth, the horrible bleating screams! The goat's kicking and our stomachs hurting from the non-stop laughter of the lengths we will will go for our great ideas. To this day this was the longest 50 miles I have ever driven with my wife. It is the story I love to tell and it is one of the real memories I cherish of our many years together. I am sure you are wondering what happened to Jackie the goat farmer? Well she made it home with her goats, started the goat milking program and 2 weeks later heard raw cow's milk was a better way to go for babies. What the heck, no more goat's milk for our daughter, just fun lawn mowers. She asked me if a small cow could fit in the back seat? Enjoy the video! Remember, your Comments are always Welcomed!
Prep: 20 minutes, 6 hours in a crock pot, serves 8, $1.94 per serving.
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 onions,chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper,seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
The Bomb!
1 green bell pepper, seeded and minced
4 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5 cans of fire roasted tomatoes
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 cups of butternut squash (about 2 lbs, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
Step One
Warm Olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.Saute onions until tender (about 3 minutes) Add Garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add bell peppers and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes longer.
Step Two
Transfer peppers, onions and garlic to a slow cooker. Stir in black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
Arrange butternut squash on top and cook on low for 6 hours.
Step three
Season chili with salt and pepper.
Serve with sour cream. salsa, and any other topping you like.
Per serving, 276 calories, 8 grams of fat, (1 gram saturated fat) 0mg Chlo., 16 grams fiber, 11 grams protein,50 Grams carbs, 1,190 mg sodium.
