Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Lemur]

On 6/18/2016 at 2:41 AM, MunichNark said:

Totally off topic, but I'm beyond delirious that both Irish Football teams have won their respective matches in the Euro 2016. For both to even qualify is one in a million, but to win against Ukraine and Sweden is.......well..........fucking fantabulous.

Even Iceland managed to win against Portugal.

You can tell I'm an American, I thought Northern Irish athletes participated with the UK team, but apparently not in EUFA.  Good!  

[Micks Picks]

Munich we have small fairs and festivals thrown by Irish, Celts, Greeks, Italians, Brits, Germans, etc celebrating the countries of origin of people or recent immigrants.  They are fun, full of music, dance, games, products and invariably in my experience, very nice people.  No attempt of the all important multi=culturalism in this country, just all out out good times and learning about other countries and their people in a fun way.  Irish and Celts also have animals known in their country, the Irish Wolfhounds or Scottish deerhounds, terriers from Irish, Border Collies from Scotland, and some bulls, and other critters not often seen.  I enjoy them.  The people really are nice and welcoming.

[Barb23]

14 hours ago, Happyfatchick said:

I made some dip the other night, and thought it needed a kick.  I put in a little Old Bay, and it was delicious.  Not sure I can duplicate it, but it was good.

so today in the grocery, I looked for chipotle seasoning because I've convinced myself there's nothing better.  (Well, maybe chocolate).  I discovered (as I'm sure all of you knew) that chipotle is a jalepeno pepper allowed to ripen to red, and smoked.  I also discovered a chile pepper is a jalepeno allowed to ripen to red and not smoked.

i feel like I just found out about Santa Claus.  Even worse, I kept reading (yes, I'm standing in the grocery aisle reading this on my phone...) and found out about the Easter Bunny.  I've been duped!!!

As a native Marylander, there's nothing better than Old Bay.  Besides seafood, it can be added to anything to give it a little zing - great on fries, popcorn, chips & my favorite - chicken wings.   It's funny that the restaurants charge an extra dollar or so for "Chesapeake Fries" when all they do is shake on some Old Bay.  A can of it was included in the welcome kit when my son started at the University of Maryland. 

[MargeGunderson]

Barb23, you've reminded me of the deliciousness of Utz's crab chips (which are basically potato chips with Old Bay seasoning for those of you who have never tried them)! I can't regularly find them here in the Greater Boston area, but when I do I stock up!

[Barb23]

9 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Barb23, you've reminded me of the deliciousness of Utz's crab chips (which are basically potato chips with Old Bay seasoning for those of you who have never tried them)! I can't regularly find them here in the Greater Boston area, but when I do I stock up!

Try the Utz website.  I order the individual bag of chips & you can choose the flavors incl the crab chips.  Its like 60 bags in a box & they do sell the larger bags but not sure if the crab chips are a choice with those.  The shipping is high but the cost of chips is low so it actually works out to be a little cheaper than buying them in the store. They come double boxed & the bags are packed so tightly, the chips arrive just fine & not crushed like you would expect.  

[Happyfatchick]

Wow, Barb and Marge, you guys are hard core!   Did you ever try Old Bay in Cole slaw?  That's the only way I eat it!

[kathe5133]

I never heard of Old Bay!  How is that possible?  It sounds like something I would put on everything!  I order my groceries on Peapod and I looked it up. They have it.  Next order I'm getting some!

[Andalusian]

2 hours ago, kathe5133 said:

I never heard of Old Bay!  How is that possible?  It sounds like something I would put on everything!  I order my groceries on Peapod and I looked it up. They have it.  Next order I'm getting some!

When I make fried chicken, I add Old Bay to my flour seasoning.

I don't tell anyone that, because it's my secret.

[Lemur]

5 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Barb23, you've reminded me of the deliciousness of Utz's crab chips (which are basically potato chips with Old Bay seasoning for those of you who have never tried them)! I can't regularly find them here in the Greater Boston area, but when I do I stock up!

Ever had crab fries?  Fries with white cheddar sauce and Old Bay?  I suggest waffle-cut or steak fries if you're going to try it.

[Catlyn]

1 hour ago, Andalusian said:

When I make fried chicken, I add Old Bay to my flour seasoning.

I don't tell anyone that, because it's my secret.

Some secret, :) I do the same thing! It's a nice pick up spice for tuna pasta salads!

[Almost 3000]

Now you guys are going to make me finally open a can of Old Bay I bought when I had to get to the shipping minimum on Amazon. It was in a recipe I'd just looked at so I tossed it into the cart. Its been sitting here for almost a year. I think I'll try it on air popcorn cuz I'm always looking for some flavor there. Don't care for chipotle flavoring but has anyone tried Tajin? Its a classic spice mix with mild chilies, sea salt and a hint of lime that people even put on fruit.

[kathe5133]

My roommate has a can.  It's over the molding in the kitchen as a decoration and the "best if used by" date is August of 2015......  She insisted I could "have" it.  Which means I'll use it twice and then it will disappear to some random location.  (I once found the salt shaker in the bathroom).

She was quite insistent until the sell by date.  I did taste some and even old Old Bay is kinda yummy, but my very own can will arrive when I order my groceries next week.  Thanks everyone for the tip!

[GeeGolly]

Is it only me, or is anyone else thinking of Old Spice deodorant?

[Jordan Baker]

8 hours ago, kathe5133 said:

I never heard of Old Bay!  How is that possible? 

I'd never heard of Utz (mentioned in a few other posts) until an episode of "Mad Men." I thought it was a made-up company.

[crazycatlady58]

So, on  the first  day of summer  , I have a question  for everyone  what taste  makes you think of summer ?  For me it is watermelon .  It reminds me of swimming  in the creek with my  extended  family  with the watermelon  cooling  in the creek. Going home tired  and sleeping  SO GOOD. I wish  I could  sleep  that  deep now.

[allonsyalice]

1 minute ago, crazycatlady58 said:

So, on  the first  day of summer  , I have a question  for everyone  what taste  makes you think of summer ?  For me it is watermelon .  It reminds me of swimming  in the creek with my  extended  family  with the watermelon  cooling  in the creek. Going home tired  and sleeping  SO GOOD. I wish  I could  sleep  that  deep now.

You know those feeezies, the ones thag are literally dyed ice in plastic? THOSE. i wait until the end of the summer, and buy 3 or 4 boxes of 100 mini ones while they are on sale and it's never been a bad decision.

[Love2dance]

Taste of summer....going to the drive-in and having a hot fudge Sunday or chocolate malt then parking on an empty lot overlooking the city for a make-out session with the steady boyfriend. Ahhh, memories. Yeah, I'm old.

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

So, on  the first  day of summer  , I have a question  for everyone  what taste  makes you think of summer ?  For me it is watermelon .  It reminds me of swimming  in the creek with my  extended  family  with the watermelon  cooling  in the creek. Going home tired  and sleeping  SO GOOD. I wish  I could  sleep  that  deep now.

Cherries, s'mores and hot dogs from the grill. 

[GeeGolly]

Blueberries and rhubarb are tastes of summer for me. Along with the above mentioned s'mores.

[MunichNark]

22 hours ago, Micks Picks said:

Munich we have small fairs and festivals thrown by Irish, Celts, Greeks, Italians, Brits, Germans, etc celebrating the countries of origin of people or recent immigrants.  They are fun, full of music, dance, games, products and invariably in my experience, very nice people.  No attempt of the all important multi=culturalism in this country, just all out out good times and learning about other countries and their people in a fun way.  Irish and Celts also have animals known in their country, the Irish Wolfhounds or Scottish deerhounds, terriers from Irish, Border Collies from Scotland, and some bulls, and other critters not often seen.  I enjoy them.  The people really are nice and welcoming.

Sounds fun.

Northern Ireland plays Germany at 6pm in the footie EM. I'm rooting for Norn Iron, tomorrow the Republic is playing whoever, which basically means that both teams will be ousted, but well. They qualified.

Ah, of course, Summer solstice tonight.

The sounds of lawnmowers are summer. Or planes flying high in the sky, birds tweeting whilst a soft breeze slowly whispers..........

[lookeyloo]

For me it isn't a taste. It is the feel of warm or even hot sunshine on me - the smell of tar macadam - the sound of airplanes - birds chirping. I am a city girl so when we were kids the Windows went up. This was pre air conditioning in NJ. 

[Lemur]

A couple of things, the heat and humidity coming up from the concrete when you step out of my office and the way it just kinda hangs at your knees and gets into your clothes, the smell of chlorine coming from the pool, and lighting tiki torches (no lie, I have like a half dozen of them burning even if I'm just going outside to let the dogs get some air).

[Happyfatchick]

The sound of cicadas.  My hummingbirds feeding.  (Which also adds to my feelings of loss and depression in autumn).  A taste: I have a hard time eating real meals in summer.  I can easily eat a hamburger or hotdog cooked on the grill, but I don't want pot roast and potatoes.  I think I could do the whole summer on pasta salad and sandwiches.

I do, however, have one specific taste that only my mother could do.  Cut off corn.  That's summer.  That first haul in of fresh white corn (silver queen, baby!), shucked, cleaned and cut off.  Cooked down in a frying pan with butter and milk and lots of salt and pepper.  I can produce this dish...but it's not my Mama's corn.  

[allonsyalice]

if we're talking feelings, it's always when I step outside the building im in for my last exam I'm writing (even though that's usually in april) and I step outside and the sun hits my face and i take a deep breath and all the stress melts away.

that's summer. 

[Jynnan tonnix]

For me, it's feeling as though I'm wilting, even if it's only in the mid-70's outside, and that I have to wait for at least three more months for a day I can properly breathe in again. I hate, HATE heat! At least here in the Northeast there's always the chance of a random, cooler, drizzly sort of day once in a while, but those are way too few and far between.

We lived in Scotland for a couple of years early in our marriage, and that's my idea of the perfect climate. Though I do allow that this probably makes me a little odd...

[frenchtoast]

I'll join you in that oddity. I saw somewhere that people that were born in winter enjoy that cooler rainier weather. My birthday is Feb 1, smack dab in the middle of winter and it's my favorite time of year--cold with short days and sometimes lousy weather. 

ETA: I think it was this article.

[emma675]

I'll be honest, I hate the summer. Even though I grew up in Texas, I have never done well in the heat. My office is about 50 degrees and it's close to 100 outside and I'll be amazed if I don't get sick at least once this summer. Give me the fall--crisp air, football, leaves changing, etc.

[Jynnan tonnix]

25 minutes ago, frenchtoast said:

I'll join you in that oddity. I saw somewhere that people that were born in winter enjoy that cooler rainier weather. My birthday is Feb 1, smack dab in the middle of winter and it's my favorite time of year--cold with short days and sometimes lousy weather. 

ETA: I think it was this article.

My birthday is Jan 2, so that works :)

I even like the shorter days as well. There's something cozy about them. When we lived in Scotland, the shortest days in winter had the sun coming up around 10:00 in the morning and setting by about 3:00 pm. And it never got too much higher than the horizon either. I thought that was kind of wonderful :)

Edited June 21, 2016 by Jynnan tonnix

[Love2dance]

57 minutes ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

For me, it's feeling as though I'm wilting, even if it's only in the mid-70's outside, and that I have to wait for at least three more months for a day I can properly breathe in again. I hate, HATE heat! At least here in the Northeast there's always the chance of a random, cooler, drizzly sort of day once in a while, but those are way too few and far between.

We lived in Scotland for a couple of years early in our marriage, and that's my idea of the perfect climate. Though I do allow that this probably makes me a little odd...

I'm a July birthday, but I hate summer heat, too. I love real autumn weather, but we seem to have less of it since global warming. And I also don't like daylight savings time.

[bigskygirl]

I like the longer days, but I do not enjoy the heat. The shorter days and becoming darker earlier does not help the eye damage and light sensitivity. Of course the sunlight does not help either. The heat makes my allergies and chest pressure worse. It is the ole catch 22. No fans or air conditioner running and no open windows equals hot and stuffy room making the allergies and chest pressure act up. Turn the air conditioner and fans or open the windows, the allergies and chest pressure act up. I am also allergic to grass, so this time of year is not fun especially when people mow their lawns or use weed killer. Maybe I should ask one of the doctor(s) or my physician assistant for a mask to wear along with a note explaining why I need to wear one so I do not scare people in the credit union or law enforcement center. Ha! The cold can cause aches and pain and the TMJ to act up, but I can deal with it.

[Lemur]

3 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

For me it isn't a taste. It is the feel of warm or even hot sunshine on me - the smell of tar macadam - the sound of airplanes - birds chirping. I am a city girl so when we were kids the Windows went up. This was pre air conditioning in NJ. 

How did we live pre-AC?  Seriously, we didn't have it at all in my house growing up, not until I was 12.  And then it was only in my parents' bedroom because my dad worked nights. And it wasn't that we couldn't afford to go buy window units, it was that the we couldn't afford to upgrade the electrical panel in the house so we could run them all at the same time.  Seriously, right up until my mother sold the house, we used to run extension cords down stairs or out windows from second floor bedrooms to unused first floor outlets to get multiple units off of one breaker.  But yeah, growing up, it was a box fan stuck in the window, and roaring 23 hours a day (it needed to be turned off that one hour so it didn't short out and burn the house down).  And we slept in that!  The days of taking a lukewarm shower right before bed and then sleeping under the fan ... only to wake up and need another shower.

[lookeyloo]

46 minutes ago, Lemur said:

How did we live pre-AC?  Seriously, we didn't have it at all in my house growing up, not until I was 12.  And then it was only in my parents' bedroom because my dad worked nights. And it wasn't that we couldn't afford to go buy window units, it was that the we couldn't afford to upgrade the electrical panel in the house so we could run them all at the same time.  Seriously, right up until my mother sold the house, we used to run extension cords down stairs or out windows from second floor bedrooms to unused first floor outlets to get multiple units off of one breaker.  But yeah, growing up, it was a box fan stuck in the window, and roaring 23 hours a day (it needed to be turned off that one hour so it didn't short out and burn the house down).  And we slept in that!  The days of taking a lukewarm shower right before bed and then sleeping under the fan ... only to wake up and need another shower.

Very nostalgic - eventually there was a unit in my parents bedroom. Somehow we managed, didn't we?

[Almost 3000]

Interesting about a time without indoor air conditioning being the norm. I grew up with a swap cooler on the roof and for Southern CA the change of season meant my dad going up on the roof to clean it up. The climate has changed though and its to humid for swap coolers anymore.

A nice memory is apricot halves drying on old window screens on the porch and lemonade my mom made with simple syrup not just sugar tossed in and stirred around. We had lemon, apricot, plum and orange trees in the back yard which was the norm. Now the competition for fruit is so fierce because everyone has removed their trees that we can't get to the fruit before the squirrels do.

[Lemur]

8 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

Very nostalgic - eventually there was a unit in my parents bedroom. Somehow we managed, didn't we?

That's the thing, it was like a survival skill, and you lost it when you finally moved to a place that had the infrastructure to support AC.  

[lookeyloo]

3 minutes ago, Lemur said:

That's the thing, it was like a survival skill, and you lost it when you finally moved to a place that had the infrastructure to support AC.  

Right - we did things to keep cool - and a lot of the adults sat outside on the porches and smoked while we caught lightening bugs and annoyed each other, waiting for it to cool down enough to go inside and sleep.  Some nights were toss and turn.  Only my opinion - air conditioning, cable TV, and job transfers caused the demise of neighborhoods as we knew them.  Windows up, everyone inside, in front of the TV.  No more neighbors sitting outside on a porch, a stoop, etc.

[Lemur]

19 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

Right - we did things to keep cool - and a lot of the adults sat outside on the porches and smoked while we caught lightening bugs and annoyed each other, waiting for it to cool down enough to go inside and sleep.  Some nights were toss and turn.  Only my opinion - air conditioning, cable TV, and job transfers caused the demise of neighborhoods as we knew them.  Windows up, everyone inside, in front of the TV.  No more neighbors sitting outside on a porch, a stoop, etc.

Don't forget the "starter home" concept. I was informed by my brother that I'm supposed to upgrade my housing every 10-15 years.  You know, buy a bigger house, move further out into the country.  (For the record, I already have an almost 2 hour commute and my lot is oversized in 3/4 of an acre.  I can't imagine moving further out or having a need for more land.)

[Barb23]

My taste of summer......Old Bay.  Just kidding except when it goes on  freshly steamed crabs!  HFC, I also thought of corn on the cob with plenty of dripping butter & peaches, so juicy it runs down your arm.  My favorite summer memory is the last day of school, esp in elementary school when the teacher would clean out the closest & we would come home loaded with dittos (remember those?), outdated books & various other papers to play school with over the summer.  Oh, how could I forgot playing Barbies outside on my friends picnic table?

[bigskygirl]

I remembered playing school and going to the drive-in movie theatres, getting A&W rootbeer and making rootbeer floats, camping, visiting family, and drinking from the hose outside. Nothing like cold water from the hose.

[Jynnan tonnix]

The only really good thing about Summer is swimming...There's nothing like feeling the cool water on your scalp and the back of your neck when you are hot and sticky and dunk under for the first time :)

[lookeyloo]

24 minutes ago, Lemur said:

Don't forget the "starter home" concept. I was informed by my brother that I'm supposed to upgrade my housing every 10-15 years.  You know, buy a bigger house, move further out into the country.  (For the record, I already have an almost 2 hour commute and my lot is oversized in 3/4 of an acre.  I can't imagine moving further out or having a need for more land.)

We are the idiots who upsized when the kids moved out, and recently upsized again when we changed states!!  We did downsize the size of the lot considerably this move, which all works out for us.

10 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

I remembered playing school and going to the drive-in movie theatres, getting A&W rootbeer and making rootbeer floats, camping, visiting family, and drinking from the hose outside. Nothing like cold water from the hose.

I remember all of that too, except the camping, but we would go "down the shore" (Atlantic) and pack as many cousins as there were at the time into whatever accommodations we were in.  No one minded.  It was fun. 

[Catlyn]

Flowers and gardening are my favorite summer past-times now.

Younger, I remember riding our bikes everywhere. Day camp at the park near us, where we made countless loop potholders and played games or it was summer Bible School at the Methodist Church nearby. (A lot of us weren't Methodists, but it was not expensive and our parents were glad we were busy and out of trouble.)  Lightning bugs, coming up from the ground during twighlight, sometimes there are so many, it makes the trees light up like they had fairy lights.  Hearing the Good Humour man's bells and everyone coming out of doors to meet him. Staying out way late. Our favorite game was spy-hide-and-seek, where we would dress in dark colors and hide almost out in plain sight.

Rustic camping with tents by the Bay. Swimming in the neighborhood pool. Running inside or into the backyard because the mosquito sprayers were coming around. Running through sprinklers when we couldn't get to the pool. As a kid, we had three pairs of shoes during summer: flip flops for running around in, sneakers for going to the store or riding bikes, hardsoled for church and other dressy occasions (which were few). Most of the time we ran barefoot.

We were hot sticky messes at the end of the day, but a cool bath usually took care of that. It also cooled us down enough to get to sleep.

[HooHooHoo]

I guess I am the weirdo who loves the summer heat. I can't get enough of it. I don't ever feel truly warm unless I am in the sunshine. It is only in the high 70's here today and I think it is a pretty crummy summer day. Needed my cardigan most or the day b/c it is breezy. 

On another note, does anyone know what happened to my home page?  My shows aren't showing up although if I look in settings they are all still selected. iPhone if it matters.....

[Mrs. P.]

I'm old enough to remember the attic fan that we had back in the days before air conditioning.  It was loud and creaky, but somehow it circulated enough air for us to survive the summers in Houston.

I can't imagine life without AC now.

[bigskygirl]

Another fun summer memory-going to rodeos, fairs, and parades. Small towns usually had the best rodeos/fairs/parades. The parade and rodeo in East Helena, Boulder and Whitehall were great. The county fair and rodeo use to be good, but it is a major pain in the behind to find parking and getting in out and out. My sister and I were in 4-H, so we had entries in the county fair. I actually won some ribbons for my homemade cookies. I keep saying I will take my husband to the rodeo in East Helena, but we have not went yet.

[Jynnan tonnix]

We don't have central air in this house. I guess one advantage of window units is that it gives you some flexibility in which rooms you want to cool. Personally, I'd set the whole house to a refrigerated setting if I had my druthers, but my husband always takes to sleeping in the guest room in the summertime as I have to have both the a/c and the fan hitting me full blast so I can sleep, and he hates circulating air of any kind hitting him at night. Also, my mother-in-law is staying with us again (it might end up being permanent sooner than later), and she wears a cardigan over a long-sleeved shirt, then throws her jacket over it and still has to turn on the gas fireplace at times to get comfortable.  And we have no a/c running downstairs at all so she doesn't freeze. I hide in the bedroom, mostly...Cooking dinner is not fun.

[Tabbygirl521]

Lame, I know, but I always look forward to the first Coke Slurpee of the season. It is semi-rural near my house and the nearest store I can walk to is 7-Eleven. We wait for a nice, hot day and make the trek. 

(Weirdly, the nearest supermarket is Whole Foods...)

Also love the first day we can take our little aluminum boat up to the Stillaguamish River, near Stanwood, WA, where Mr T grew up. The boat launch is maybe a mile from the  mouth, where it dumps into Puget Sound. When we can, we float out with the tide, and back with the tide, and try to time it so we can find a nice exposed sandbar for a picnic and some swimming. 

Edited June 21, 2016 by Tabbygirl521

[Happyfatchick]

 Hoohoohoo!  What a name!!!  

I love summer too!  Love the heat (and I get PLENTY).  We're having a drought this year in Georgia, and we were due.  This makes summer not so fun with crunchy brown grass (even the dandelions have given up).  We have drought about every 6-7 years and we're there. Hopefully, it's just one summer this time.  I get depressed when the weather cools down.  It represents death, to me.  We camp a whole lot in the fall, and party outside with a big fire (mostly to stave off my cold weather funk), and it helps - but my innermost "me" misses green leaves and growing things.  I can admit I'm not a huge FAN of 90+ weather, but I am a fan of not cold.  I stay outside as much as possible - I'm on the back porch right now, in fact.  The family joke is that I start griping when it hits 70 and complain until it hits 70 going the other way.  I'm lucky:  I'm exactly where I should be.  I get juuuuust enough winter to make me wish for summer.  The downside of my particular climate is a very short spring.  I looooove Spring, it's my favorite (because of Things popping out of the ground, and leaves starting to bud out).  It represents life, to me.

an addendum:  When I was very little, my grandmother came to live with us.  She was of that generation who believed women wore dresses.  Women.Wore.Dresses.   We moved from Maryland to Georgia, and shortly after the move, ditched our boat of a Pontiac to a Chevy Chevelle.  It was olive green, my mother considered herself a "sport" driving it, and it had air conditioning.  (I remember our first color TV too, but that's another story - considering he was raised Amish, it's a pretty good story...).   So when my Granny went to the doctor, or church, she would wear a regular dress with open toed pumps, and her stockings rolled down to her knees.  (Think Vickie Lawrence playing "Mama").  We were SO excited about that Chevy with a/c (at the time, we only had one window unit in our house.  We thought that a/c was HOT DANG.   My Granny would get in that car on a 95 degree day and start pulling at her dress and complaining.  "Ooooh, its cold!!!  I don't like that wind blowin' on my kneeeeees!"  She whined.

the last trip we took involved going crossing Florida from Destin to Orlando with 2 teenagers.  So that every time we stopped, "shotgun" happened.  (Did I mention we also had 2 dogs with us?) I gamely went along with it every time I got dumped out of the front passenger seat because there was dog hair and dog slobber, knees, elbows and flatulation everywhere, and it was only fair.  Then one time I found myself sitting on the hump seat in the back, so that I'm inches from the air vents that cool the back.  And guess what I heard roll out of my mouth???  I actually SAID (I heard it myself) "Oh, wow!  That's cold!  I don't love that air blowing right on my legs!"

Edited June 22, 2016 by Happyfatchick

[lookeyloo]

Well everyone. I am in the ER at Emory midtown with chest pain and fever and chills. Been xrayed, two sets of blood drawn. IV inserted. On heart monitor now. Very annoying. I'm hungry and they said no food. Maybe all the Duggars will pray for me. Nah, I'm Jewish. They would try and convert me.  

[bigskygirl]

{{{HUGS}}} lookeyloo I hope they figure out what is going on, and you feel better soon.

[BitterApple]

lookeyloo, sending healing thoughts your way!!! Feel better soon!