Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Mo and I never did go to the club. Austin couldn't make it. Raf intended to go but had workmen show up hours late at his house so he had to stay and supervise. And old Rudy (who nickname,by the way, is "Sam" but don't ask me why) departed for London on Friday. Add a short but relatively strong shower of rain midmorning, and everybody decided to pursue other passtimes instead. 

It's not even 10 and I'm in bed already. Mo is still sitting on his little bit if carpet by the front door. But I am exhausted so I decided to try for an early night.i took him for his evening stroll and it's dry out there, but the breeze feels cold and damp. 

The moon tonight is full and noticably yellow. I tried to take it's picture, but that cheap camera in my cheap cellphone wasn't up to the task.

Since no club today, I had lunch as usual. Tuna with chopped onion and mayo, garlic and Cilantro. Used the stuff as filling for more sandwiches. Tummy ache afterwards, of course. Skipped dinner as a result of all that bread.  Didn't even make tea. While looking under the work bench amongst  mountain of crap, for my lost dollar, I found half a Sprite. Haven't had Sprite around here for weeks (been making my own lemonade instead) anyway, I uncorked the half Sprite and to my surprise it was still quite gassy! So I had that for dinner. 

I've just realized I never laid out my pills so I'm gonna have to get out of bed again. Would have had to anyway to close the door when Mo finally comes in. It's a hangover from when I was fighting with 31 tablets a dsy ($785/month!) at three separate times. I got a bunch of little pill boxes and by colour I know which is breakfast, which is lunch and which is dinner. So every three days, using a spreadsheet and some software I wrote, I would fill the nine pill boxes for the next three days.

Now the number of pills has fallen to half, and I've been doing it so long I don't need the spreadsheet any more, but I still set the meds out three days at a time. Should have done it before I came to bed.

Otherwise, little to report. I forgot to put the measuring scoop for Mo's good back in the bag, so he ate the scoop. 

Sometimes, when something good happens you avoid talking about it in case you jinx it. Or as the local saying goes, you "put goat-mout' 'pun it!" Well, about a month or so ago I ranted about Mo peeing in the house. Threatened to fire him out of a cannon, sell him to a Filipino restaurant, roast him in the new oven, wallop him with a cricket bat, etc. (None of which, by the way, did I actually do, obviously.) For the next couple of days he continued peeing in the living room regularly.all I did was clean it up. Didn't even shout at him over it. But then, the peeing in the house stopped. It's now been about four weeks since he's peed inside! Unless he has found a very clever way to conceal it... So, fingers crossed we may be looking at a house trained puppy, here! And, he hasn't torn up any books lately, either!  Shhh! Here he comes. No, it's ok. He took one look and left again. No, he's back!

I'll go lay out my meds for the next three days, and unless he decides to go out again in the mean while, will lock the door and go to sleep.

[dbklmt]

Did you get rid of Mo's crate?

[Netfoot]

19 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

Did you get rid of Mo's crate?

No. It's still here right by the bed. A few weeks ago I tried moving it away so he couldn't use it hoping he would just sleep next to me in the bed. Come bedtime, he was very disconcerted by its absence and I had to put it back to make him happy.

He does sleep in the bed with me, but not 100%.

I wonder if I removed the actual crate but left the platform, if he'd be ok using that as a bed? He won't let me close him into the crate if he can prevent it...

[Netfoot]

Early bedtime last night was a good idea. Even though I didn't actually get down quite as early as I'd hoped, it was early in comparison to recent weeks.

Got up before the alarm, and feel much better than usual for a morning time, although still feel a bit tired. Maybe I will do and early bedtime again tonight.

Blood sugar this morning was 3.9 mmol/L which is just under the minimum. Little surprising. I didn't have any dinner which obviously contributed, but I've eaten a boat load of bread lately, so this reading was unexpected. 

No plans for the day, so I guess I'll read, watch the idiot box and surf. And snuggle the little Mouse when ever I get a chance. Maybe even take a photo or two...

[Netfoot]

Cheese, tomato & cucumber sandwiches for lunch, followed by the usual tummy ache.

Went out to see if I could catch a photo of the little boy. Caught him napping on the verandah and snapped this, right under the balustrade.

A split second later, he was down the steps and in full kick-boxing mode.

While out there, I discovered the component parts of my second bedside phone stand. (See if you can guess what happened to the first.) All bits recovered with the exception of one if the two screws. I put it back together and it works but it's wonky. I will have to try getting a replacement screw from the hardware store.

 

[Netfoot]

Baby just came up for a cuddle, and as I was patting him, I noticed that he was chewing on his collar, which he had in his mouth like a horse's bit. He's gone and damaged it!

Now I've got to make him another one. And I don't know if I have enough black! Well, I have an entire 300' roll of black, but I'd just as soon not bust into it if I can help it? So, maybe another colour. 

He looked so cute in his all black! Well, now he'll have to settle for this:

[Netfoot]

Skipped dinner, and for once, I don't feel hungry. Had a glass of home made lime squash around five and the tummy ache came on again shortly thereafter. I wonder if the post-luncheon tummy ache is due to the lime in the lime squash rather than anything to do with the food at all?

Quick snap of Mo in his brand new collar.

Note the date, we will see how long it takes him to destroy this one. The next one will be a piece of string tied with a knot!

He dried himself off on the bed again, after crashing my shower party. Was hoping to get to bed early again tonight but a lengthy phone call with a buddy has me here late to bed again. 

Tomorrow, I will be hungry so I will eat penne pasta by the bucket load. Just not sure how to work dumplings into a pasta dish. And with the absence of any oven related cookware, I might try making some bannock bread on the stovetop. Just for a change. It was a long time ago but my last batch of bannock went down very well, at the club!

Supposed to go for a PT/INR test at Dr. Kristi tomorrow, but I don't think I'll bother.

Sleepytime!

[Netfoot]

Mo was s pleased when Unka Raf came around especially to visit with him for half an hour! And while he was here he helped me (or more correctly I helped him) patch the hole in my tire.

I now have a working spare again! And he brought a pump, so we were able to pressurize the patched tire to 34 lbs. and use soapy water to make sure the patch was good, and then we topped up the spare that now sits on the left front. It was 14 lbs. which is low, and I'd have had to make my first port of call a gas station to bring that up to spec.

Here is a photo of the screw we pulled out:

Along with the little rascal that scattered the driveway and garage with screws in the first place! It looks like a ¾" drywall screw. They are particularly sharp, and very hard. 

The little rascal himself was quite oblivious, and insisted on helping. His nosie had to be gently moved aside several times to prevent him getting glued to the tire by the schnoz. And come to the pumping up, he assisted by jumping into the van and repeatedly yanking the cord out of the cigarette lighter thingy. In the end I had to get in the car and hold the cord in place with one hand while distracting him with the other.

I asked Heidi if she would take him for a day and let him play with her crew, but she said no because her dogs wouldn't like it and they would gang up on him and beat him up. Ok. 

I also asked if there were any new photos of my new Great Grand Niece. I was told I could have photos but only if I promised not to show them to anyone else. What's the point of a photo of a new family member if you can't show it around and boast about her? I told her not to bother. So she sent me one via WhatsApp. I promptly deleted it and told her not to send any more. Naturally, I will be the unreasonable party here, when the judgement is made. I'm wondering if I should go back 10-12 days and delete all the photos I've already shared.

One thing my family is really good at is letting you know that you're not actually a part of it.

More good news today: The electricity bill is going up by 33% due to the increase in fuel cost. (They generate 99.9% of their electricity burning Bunker-C fuel.) Wow, and I was worrying about paying it at the usual rate! But it's all worth it if it means we get to make up our own pronouns and have people arrested if they choose not to use them!

That puppy is so cute. Seen above chewing on a squeaky toy that has been chewed upon so often and so hard I can't be sure exactly what it was to begin with!

I ate my bucket of penne for lunch (well, not an actual bucket). The sauce was very simple, onion, cucumber chredded, tomatoes, corned beef and spices. Instead of making lime squash I drank plain water. Still got a tummy ache so I don't think the lime juice is to blame after all.

There's a little of the sauce left over so I am going to think what I can cook that I can have that remaining sauce with. maybe a simple portion of plain white rice? And by plain I mean only some salt and a spoonful of Bajan seasoning in it, the way my mommy taught me! Then the sauce can go on top, and a plantain alongside!

I have to go to the bank and also to the pharmacy, but I can't do the pharmacy until the 19th which is two days from now. I think I will wait until Thursday and do both one time. Or I could walk over to the bank tomorrow and make my deposit (which contains coins so you can't use the drop-box, you have to line up for a cashier - 2½ hours, last time I did it!) I think I will take a little stool with me. My dad used to have a very sturdy Shooting-stick, but nobody has seen that since last time my sister borrowed it, and of course she denies all knowledge...

Edited May 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

I have to ask if you are thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables before cooking them, using them in soups, etc., or eating raw? Even fruits and veg that you peel to use? I know that just water and a vegetable brush is sufficient but I also use a spray vegetable wash and I can tell such a difference after washing! I even wash bagged salads that say they’ve been washed. I don’t trust them and I go ahead and wash them before using/consuming. I’m not saying this is causing your tummy aches but it might aggravate the issue. I shudder to think of the people germs and/or fertilizers on produce. 

[Netfoot]

4 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I have to ask if you are thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables before cooking them, using them in soups, etc., or eating raw?

Well, yes and no. I wash/scrub potatoes before yse. I rarely bother to peel potatoes because I believe the best of the nutrition and flavour of a potato is in or immediately under the skin.

I don't wash onions, but I peel off the outer layer(s) and discard them.

Carrots: I buy the mini-peeled variety sealed in a bag, and I always hold the bag up and check that no liquid is accumulating in the corner, so I know they are fresh.

Plantains get cooked in their skins, which are then discarded before eating.

cucumbers I rinse under the tap, and then "stripe" with a peeler and chop, or slice with the mandolin or a knife.

Cabbage I don't wash. usually I buy half a cabbage. I will peel off the outer leaf and then shave a thin slice off the pre-cut face of the cabbage so I get a freshly cut face to be going on with.

Pak choy: Crud collects between the stalks of the individual leaves. I separate the leaves and use a damp cloth to wipe clean the stalks. I don't wash the leafy part. 

I rinse tomatoes under the tap before using them.

Mushrooms (back when I could afford to buy mushrooms) I would simply wipe with a damp cloth, since washing them isn't a good idea because they suck up water.

Sweet peppers (again, when I could afford them) I used just as they came out the bag from the grocery.

Brussel sprouts: ditto.

Pumpkins: I buy a portion of a belly-pumpkin. I peel off the outer skin, but the inner yellow pumpkin itself I don't do anything with it.

Can't think of anything else I buy, really...

Between you and me, I think it's an ulcer. A lengthy legal battle has given me plenty of reason to stress out, especially now that after 11 years and 3 lawyers we seem to be back to square one. Dr. Kristi wanted me to have a CT over a year ago, but I couldn't afford it then and I certainly can't now. So the tummy ache (which isn't that bad and doesn't last that long) will have to be endured because it can't be cured.

Drinking some lime squash now, just to thumb my nose at the universe!

 

 

[Netfoot]

So I did a portion of plain white rice in a pot I'm not accustomed to cooking rice in. It always makes a difference when doing rice. You have to know the pot!

It came out just the way I like it, with the grains properly cooked but not sticking together. I can eat sticky / clumpy rice as well, but I like when the grains are just a little firmer and not in a big lump. I arranged it all in a circle on a plate with a shallower hollow in the middle. 

The sauce from lunch was in a bowl which I stuck in the microwave and kept zapping it for a minute or two, while I tended the rice. Finally I scooped / poured the sauce from the bowl onto the top of the rice, collected my lime squash and sat to my meal. 

I enjoyed the dinner! Despite the sensation of hot breath on my hip, I took my time and it was good. And to think it was just a lazy idea to help get me through the remainder of the sauce from lunch time!

But I couldn't finish it all. So I put the plate (with the remaining two or three tablespoons of rice & sauce mixed all together) on the floor, and there was someone waiting to greet it. Despite already having finished his own dinner, he laid into it with a will. It was all gone in less that 15 seconds, but he was still trying to lick the pattern off the plate 15 minutes later.

Watched The Batman tonight. It's dark, in more than one sense of the word. I have to tell you I hate comic book (super hero) movies because I hate super heroes. This one can fly. That one shits bullets. The other one is made of ice. What bull! But there is an exception! Batman is not a super hero. He is just a hero! No magical powers, no heavenly artifacts, not an actual god. Just a man with loadsa munny! I like Batman!

This movie was a departure from the classic Batman themes. Clean cut Adam West / Burt Ward vibe, I mean. This was way different. But I actually think it was a successful reimagining of the classic tale, different enough to be worthy of getting made, but enough of the original remaining to avoid being accused of completely ignoring the source material. As so many shows today seem to feel essential.

Finished Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and now looking to begin The Dolphins of Pern. I've read it before and recall I wasn't too fond of it. All about "shipfish" and not many dragons. But I'll read it again and see if I find it any more enjoyable than I remember. But not tonight! Nearly two in the morning, and I want to go to sleep!

No new photos of my baby, but I'll leave you with a different shot of him chewing one of his squeaky toys from earlier today.

Buddy liked to stash his bottles under the bed. Mo scatters them all around the house and yard!

[Netfoot]

I had a late lunch today, beans and sausage with a bit of onion. Ate it with bread and washed down with lime squash.

But as I said, it was quite late, approaching 3:00 and Mo didn't like it! Having eaten his own lunch, he was ready for his share of mine, long before it was ready! Cheeky little devil!

Tomorrow I have to go to the bank, and pharmacy. Will also buy some groceries while I'm there. And since it's very close, I will visit the hardware store to find a screw to fix the phone stand Mo ate. I just hope it costs less than 40¢, because that's all the change I have in my pocket!

I've heard some welcome, but somewhat unbelievable news, and when I'm out of the house tomorrow and let you know how it works out. 

Tire pressure on the tire we repaired yesterday is holding at 33 psi. Happy that the patch seems to have been properly done, thank goodness.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I've heard some welcome, but somewhat unbelievable news, and when I'm out of the house tomorrow and let you know how it works out. 

(Talking to myself.)

What I meant to say... was that when I was out of the house I would check to see if the news was true, and let you know howsoever it works out.

Edited May 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I was looking at that phone stand that wanted a replacement screw. It's actually designed to handle a phone or a tablet. It comes in three parts. Two of them make a place to lean your tablet. If you are using a phone, you fold down the top part so as to get it out of the way, and only use the bottom part. The third part is an adjustable back-prop. All three parts pivot on two screws, one of which got lost when puppy did his dismantling thing outside. Each screw is slackened with a knob, the three parts adjusted and the knobs tightened to  lock it in place.

I found some screws that would fit the knobs (M5-14), but they were too short. They wouldn't fit through all three parts with enough sticking out to catch on the knobs.

So, it suddenly occurred to me that since I'm not using it for a tablet, I don't actually need the third part! Reassembling without the third part, the screws only had to pass through two parts, and suddenly were the perfectly good length for the task.

It's job is to hold my phone up at night so if I wake, I can just glance at the massive, clock which is my screensaver and is clever enough to be ultra dim so as not to light up the room while being just bright enough to be easily read.

I'd post a picture of the setup, but unfortunately, it's difficult to get a phone to take a picture if itself.

Honestly, I don't know why I'm bothering. It won't be long before it's back outside in a pile of individual pieces. This will occur the moment I walk out if the room with the phone in my hand, and Mo sees the stand by itself on the bedside table. It wouldn't be a problem, if he loses the screws again, because I found a bag of about 25. But next time, it could be some other part that goes missing. Like one if the tightening knobs. Not only do I definitely not have replacements, but I can guarantee the hardware stores don't have replacements either!

[Netfoot]

So when it was time to lock up, I went out to the front door, and Mo refused to come into the house. I begged and pleaded but he just sat there and watched me. 

After a while, I gave up begging and pleading, closed the door and sat at my desk and watched a short YT video. To do this, I had to take my reading glasses off and put on an old pair of glasses with a focal length suitable for using the computer.

After 10 minutes, I opened the door and tried again. Mo came straight inside, and we went off to bed. But when I got there, I realized I was still wearing the old computer glasses. So I had to go back outside and fetch my reading glasses. 

Except I couldn't find them. I turned the desk upside down for 15 minutes, and the search radius widened to include the kitchen (which I had not even visited).

Eventually, in exasperation, I pushed the computer glasses up onto the top of my head... And in doing so, found the readers which had been sitting on top my head the entire time!

So I'm marking 30 minutes in the ledger against Mo. 5 for refusing to come in when I asked him to, begging and wheedling. 10 for the time I watched YT while I waited for him to change his mind. And 15 for the time I spent trying to find glasses I'd never have lost, were it not for him monkeying about in the first place! And hadn't actually lost at all, but it's still his fault!

Since my lunch was so late (after three by time I'd finished), I skipped dinner. Naturally, I am now hungry. Maybe some sort of vegetable stew for lunch tomorrow, served with mashed potatoes? Or rice again? Then over the weekend I could add curry powder for a complete change of flavour for the second half of the pot...

Edited May 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Got my chores completed, with a dog in the car barking the sort of continuous, ear-shredding, shrieky bark that sets your teeth on edge. I can't think what it could be other than this was the first time he's been out of the house in 12 days, and the poor baby thought he was going to the club! Sorry, love. We have half a tank of gas, so we will go on Sunday. So here's hoping the weather plays along!

Miraculously, the bank was concluded in less than 15 minutes instead of the 2½ hours I was expecting. I'm so glad I didn't bring a bar stool with me from home! If I had had to wait 2½ hours, I'm sure I would have regretted not bringing one.

And I can confirm what I heard yesterday: the Worthing supermarket is back open again! Honestly, if I'd been abroad for the last two weeks, I'd have had a hard time noticing anything different. In fact the only change I detected was very subtle. There was one aisle that was always a bit narrow. The width was the same as the others, but they had narrow refrigerated display cases spaced down the middle - actually off to one side a little. So on one side of the coolers you had a narrow path for your cart (too narrow for two carts to pass) and on the other side you had to suck I your tummy to squeeze even one cart past at all! Now, they have widened it up, giving people much more room to maneuver. Where the extra space came from, I couldn't say. Maybe they stole an undetectable 2" from each of the other aisles?

Anyway, I am back home with Barky MacShriekDog, unfortunately too late to consider working on the vegetable stew I originally planned for lunch. Instead, cheese, tomato & cucumber on slightly stale sliced white, with pepper sauce and a sprinkle of salt. I seem to be eating a lot of bread these days, but not the french baguettes from Martinique I really like. They used to make them and send them here frozen, where they would be baked in a special baguette oven and for sale still warm if you timed it just right! But athlete's foot out a stop to that. Great with Gorgonzola, Stilton or even the occasional Blue Shropshire!

Bought plantains, pak choy, sweet potatoes, onions, cucumbers and pumpkin. (Averted my eyes from the sweet peppers and mushrooms.) Some other miscellaneous stuff like eggs, evaporated milk, a few tins, another tub of red butter, some Delish Bajan seasoning (because the tub I have is close to empty), crackers, cheese, and my meds from the pharmacy.

Laying in bed now, about to see how many pages of Dolphins I can get through before sleep takes me. And wondering what the chances are that by time I wake, Mo will have transferred all the groceries from the van to the house, and packed everything away neatly...

[dbklmt]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

the french baguettes from Martinique I really like. They used to make them and send them here frozen, where they would be baked in a special baguette oven and for sale still warm if you timed it just right! But athlete's foot out a stop to that. Great with Gorgonzola, Stilton or even the occasional Blue Shropshire!

What does this mean?

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, dbklmt said:

What does this mean?

There was a typo. It should have read "But athlete's foot out put a stop to that."

Uh, athlete's foot is a phrase I use to describe the The Virus Of Completely Unspeakable Origin. You know. The one that had a British variant and a South African variant and a Brazilian variant, but whose actual origin could not be mentioned. So as to avoid censure by those who get off on making a fuss about things like that, I simply call it athlete's foot.

They used to prepare the baguettes in Martinique all ready for the oven, freeze them, ship them here, and the supermarket had a machine that you loaded the frozen, raw baguettes into, press a button and Voila! French-made baguettes, freshly baked right here! The pandemic put a stop to those shipments and (alas) to the availability of the baguettes. 

[Netfoot]

Finally unloaded the shopping from the car, and got started on my soup. (Stew?) 

Starting with beef stock, I prepared and added baby carrots, sweet potato (both the white and the orange variety l and brussel sprouts. I figured these would take longest to cook so they went in first. Next I added a tin of corned beef for some meaty flavour. After a while I added some diced pumpkin and some cucumber chunks. The last thing to go in was a small roux made with ordinary flour and red butter. I wanted a little thickening of the broth but not too much. Here is a closeup of the partially cooked soup just prior to the roux going in:

Once the roux went in I put the lid on the pot and gave it another 20 minutes on extra low, so all the components could finish cooking.

What I did not add: no pak choy, no English potato, no dumplings, no tomato, no channa, no plantain and no onion! It's very unusual for me not to include onion and I bought two bags only today! I can make and add dumplings tomorrow, and pak choy as well. And some onion. And plantain  And diced tomato and channa. These things can be added some for lunch and the others for dinner. Just to keep the concoction different each time.

I didn't buy English potatoes because I have a big bag of powdered potato I want to get through. So, I can make a portion of mash, put it in the soup bowl, and pour a ladle or two of the soup/stew over it. Or use the slotted spoon to get only the hard bits. Similarly, I can eat it as stew on rice. Or as a sauce on pasta.

For the record, rice or any kind of pasta actually in soup shows that the chef has psychological issues that need treatment. I don't have a problem with other grains; barley tastes fine in soup for example, so long as it's not overdone. I don't because I don't know how to prepare it and never want to risk ruining a soup by adding barley in an experimental but faulty fashion.

Beans and peas are fine too, once they are well soaked prior to use, assuming you are starting with dried. In the case of channa, I can get the dried channa and start from there, but I generally buy a tin of channa in brine from Matouk's in Trinidad. (They also do a curried channa in tins, but I generally don't buy it seeing as I almost always have curry powder in the fridge.)

As for making a big portion of mash, if it's big enough, I can keep the excess in the fridge and fry up some sort of potato... What would you call them? Fritters? And have them with... Just about anything from sausage and eggs back to a chicken breast dry-rubbed and fried.

Now speaking of dry-rubbing chicken, I usually make my own dry rub with a variety of ingredients. Flour, corn starch, garlic powder, cayenne and dried basil are my basic ingredients but I will add extra doo-dahs if it occurs to me. Do you remember an orange flavoured powdered stuff called Tang that went to the moon? I used to drink it as a kid. Don't recall seeing that actual brand in a while, but there are plenty of alternatives available, and a host of flavours to choose from as well. Grapefruit, pineapple, cranberry, mango, the list goes on.

So here is my question: If I added a dose of 'tang' to my dry rub, would it add an orange (grapefruit/mango/etc) flavour to the chicken? Would it burn, melt, go blue, turn into rocket fuel and explode, or otherwise go horrible in the pan? Or would I end up with chicken that had a hint of the orange flavour? People do make orange chicken (or lemon, etc). I'm just wondering if you could use that 'tang' stuff to influence the flavour of a dry rub without it going horribly wrong!

Thoughts and opinions please, before I decide to experiment and end up in orbit for my trouble!

Baby Mo has been a sweet boy all afternoon. Prolly trying to make up for this morning. He kept me company while I was in the kitchen, and like Budweiser before him, he loves to stick his head in the fridge when ever it's opened. Unlike Bud, he hasn't learned how to keep out of the way. With Mo, every step you risk standing on him or tripping over him. So I have to be very careful not to fall over him, and when I'm going from stove to sink or fridge to stove and find him blocking, I gently push him out of the way with my shins. Hopefully, he will soon get the hang of it. 

The Dolphins of Pern!

Edited May 20, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Please let me introduce you to my young son. His name is Molasses, but we call him Mo. He is famously cute.

He is 9 months old today.

I went outside to get this photo and discovered a little pile of stuff laying on the floor, right next to the car. Have a look:

Yes, it is my newly rebuilt cellphone stand, newly disassembled. Note that one screw is missing (again). I just hope it doesn't end up stuck in another tire because when I bought these tires a couple years ago, they were over $300 each.

The white thing with the buttons on sits next to the cellphone stand, on the bedside table. It is a remote. I have two identical ones. One next to the bed and one on my desk. I can use them to turn off/on the light over my desk, the fan that sits beside the desk, the light that hangs over the bed, the bedroom fan, and the light in the passage to the bedroom. So, if I go to bed and realize I've left the light on in the living room or the passage, I can turn them off without getting out of bed. And when going to bed, I can have the light and fan already going when I get there, and light the passage as well.

Mo would have had to make two trips to get all this outside. 

Do So, in future, where should I keep gd my cellphone at night (where is it serves as a night clock), and what about the remote?

I took the soup in hand today before lunch. First, I found half a bag of brussel sprouts in the fridge. They were bordering on antique, but since the latest bag cost a buck a sprout, I decided to resurrect these. I put a small pan on the stove and boiled some salty water, and set the old sprouts a cooking. Meanwhile turned the heat in under the soup very low to bring the temperature up without excessively cooking the soup. I added a tin of diced tomatoes, then started on the dumplings.

I mixed equal amounts of all-purpose flour and casava flour, added salt and garlic powder and began trickling in hot water and mixing it all together. Finally got to that point where the dough was dry enough to roll out into snakes without getting stuck all over me, the work surface, etc. Got the sprouts out if of their small pan and into the main soup pot, refreshed the salty boiling water and began rolling snakes between my hands. Each snake got cut into 10 dumplings approximately. Maybe a nine here and an eleven there, but after the 4th snake there must have been 40 dumplings cooking in the small saucepan. And with the remaining dough I made exactly 24 more. So, I estimate 65 dumplings, pretty damned close!

Here they are in a heap, before I stirred them thoroughly into every corner of the soup pot. Then I allowed the soup to simmer for another 10 minutes before another careful stir, and lunch. 

Yum!

 

ETA: Nobody got any thoughts on my Tang-based, orange-flavoured chicken dry rub?

Edited May 20, 2022 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

I remember drinking Tang once in a while when I was a wee lass but I didn’t like it then and now it makes me shudder. Should have left it on the moon. Also, too many chemicals/preservatives in it. If you want a citrus or orangey hint, go natural! Grated peel or a few drops in a slurry?? 

I wasn’t a fan of Kool Aid either.

Edited May 20, 2022 by Spunkygal

[Netfoot]

35 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Also, too many chemicals/preservatives in it. If you want a citrus or orangey hint, go natural!

Yes, I was worried that the chemicals that were meant to be dissolved in water might turn nasty if subjected to hot oil. I'll look for a more natural way t add a change in flavour to my dry rubs.

Thanks!

[Netfoot]

So, the stew (it becomes less soup & more stew the more I eat of it) has been much reduced now, after I had another bowl for dinner. I have two choices tomorrow.

I could replenish the pot with more stock, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, etc, and also add pak choy, onion, plantain, and other ingredients that weren't included so far.

Or, I could finish up what's there tomorrow, and on Sunday, switch to pasta! I have spaghetti, macaroni (Bucatini) and penne. I had some fettuccine which I love, but I don't think there is enough left, so it might just get added to the next pot of spag.

Or, do small portions of rice on demand and serve alongside something else, like sausages, fried chicken or corned beef cakes. I've even got some pigeon peas to add, if I want that Bajan staple, "peas & rice'. (Or "rice & peas" as some call it, but they are wrong!)

Bajan peas & rice is made with pigeon peas or less commonly, field peas. Any other peas used and you are obliged to specify. So "black-eyed peas & rice" or "split-peas & rice". But never "pigeon peas & rice" because pigeon peas are assumed.

Just had a good shower with my little friend popping in to observe. Two front paws over the low wall so he can paddle in the warm water flowing across the floor of the shower. Wet doggie footprints in the bed later, when I got out.

He has adopted an unusual position to sleep, with his nose pressed against the bars of his crate. The door to the crate is wide open and he will come out as soon as the lights go down, and will snuggle next to me, and make himself comfortable where ever he wants. He will move several times during the night. Sometimes he goes and sleeps on the tiles, but I think that's when the night is warm and the tiles are cool. It has been a bit of a swelterer today.

He's watching me. I will now get him all riled up. I am going to take a Nexium and he will want the water bottle. But we will see about that!

I hope we can go to the club on Sunday, because he is going a little stir-crazy. Me too!

[Netfoot]

That didn't take him long...

[Netfoot]

Puppy fails to recognize the significance of an empty puppy-chow bag.

Better than the hardback text-book I caught him trying to steal earlier...

[Netfoot]

I finished the stew today, for lunch. It was really a bit more than a serving, but the remainder wouldn't have made a second meal without adding more ingredients anyway, do I ate an extra large lunch, and Mo insisted in helping with the dumplings.

So after the heavy lunch I had crackers and cheese for dinner, with a little tomato and cucumber. I have a cheese slicer with a wire and roller and it works fine, but I can also report the mandolin slices the cheese (New Zealand cheddar) beautifully, as it does the cucumber. I didn't try the tomato, because I only had the one left, and didn't want to destroy it and have none for the crackers.

Mo helped with the cheese and crackers, as well!

Later, around 10 o'clock I felt for something to drink so I rummaged around and found a supply of some fruity drink, so I drank two large glasses of it. Only afterwards did I discovered it wasn't sweetened with Stevia but with good old refined sugar! I've been using Stevia so long (or Splenda if I absolutely have to) it never occurred to me to check the label on this stuff until afterwards.

Well, tomorrow's blood sugar test is going to be interesting after a day of dumplings, crackers and cane sugar! Oh well. I've had a couple quite low readings in the past few days, so I suppose it's time for one in the stratosphere.. 

Little Mo has been very playful all day, running in and grabbing things and running off, with the item earmarked for destruction. This PM right after I'd laid out my meds for the next three days, he grabbed something in his mouth and made a run for it. As he went through the door I glimpsed what looked like one of those orange pill bottles with the white snap-on lids the local pharmacy likes to dispense meds in. I feared he'd grabbed one of my meds and wasn't sure whether he'd be worse off for eating them or whether I'd be worse off for not having them to eat! After all, if it was the warfarin, it literally is rat poison, and the whole bottle might easily have poisoned him. Anyway, I charged out of the house to try and recover the bottle or what ever he'd stolen. In so doing, slammed my hip into the table, and my coffee/tea mug ended up on the floor with a few chunks broken out of it.

It turned out he'd grabbed an empty pill bottle. So not dangerous and I destroyed the mug needlessly. Now I have to find a mug. I have several to choose from, but they go in and out if favour. The ones I'm not using generally end up with pencils or nuts & bolts in them. So I gave to go around the house and decide which one I am coming to use now, then find a home for the contents (what ever they may be).

Thinking that I have a handleless mug somewhere. With no handle, you can't burn your mouth. If the liquid is too hot to drink, the mug is too hot to pick up. Drawback to this scheme: if I've just boiled the kettle, it will be too hot to drink, but also too hot to take with me back to my desk!

Will have to take inventory in the morning and just choose one.

Hoping for good weather tomorrow so we can go to the club. Mo is dreaming right now, and making whiney noises!

[Netfoot]

Despite drinking a liter of sweet drink last night, the blood sugar this morning was only 5.2 mmol/L (93.6 furlongs per fortnight, if you speak American).

Took Mo up to the club today, and he was very glad to get out of the house.

Raf and Aussie showed up. Aussie brought that monster Extra (nothing else can fit in the Landy when the Extra is along for the ride) and Raf bought a guest. So there wasn't much flying if planes, but Raf's guest was/is a budding drone photographer, so both he and Raf were making drone flights to illustrate their discussion.

But less flying meant more time for Mo to make a nuisance of himself by going from one person to another, demanding cuddles. Then four lads on bicycles arrived (all the way from Foul Bay) so we invited them in and introduced them to the hobby a bit by answering their 1,001 questions. Pity Austin didn't have his trainer or they might have had a chance to try it (on a "buddy cord", of course).

Pasta for dinner, mostly spaghetti but with a small amount of fettuccine thrown in as well. I didn't make a sauce as such, but fried up some tuna fish with onions, pak choy and red pepper flakes in olive oil with some red butter added. The pasta was then tossed in with this mixture.

It tasted fine, and the little bit that remains will be my breakfast tomorrow. 

But it's very late, so I will douse these lights and see how soon I can be sawing wood!

 

[Netfoot]

Today has been highly unusual. 

I was trying to get something done on the computer and the world would not leave me alone. The phone has been beeping all damned day between email, WhatsApp messages, I have received more calls today than in the entire last six months. Cell and landline. It was horrible.

I didn't get to eat my breakfast until almost 3 in the afternoon, and the last call ended at around 10 PM. 

Nobody was sick, nobody died, there wasn't any amazing news. Just about everyone in the world simply decided to touch base today. I even had strangers come to the gate to ask stupid questions (like "Is this house that you are very obviously living in, what with the car in the garage, the clothes on the line and the dog wandering the yard, vacant and for rent?")

The only satisfying moment was when I went into the kitchen to get a class of iced water.  A mouse scurried across the counter so like last time, I threw the toaster at him.

Toaster: 2, Mice: 0.

Mind you, that toaster is the one that I had to fix a few months ago, and I have not tried it since today's incident. Maybe the mouse won after all.

Lunch (at 3:00-ish) was the leftover spaghetti from last night that I was going to have for breakfast this morning. Dinner (after 10:00) was chopped up sausage cooked with beans, and shovelled into my gob with bits of bread torn from a whole wheat loaf. I don't know why I buy the whole wheat because I really do like the taste of white better. Actually, I do know why: Dr. Kristi told me to, and I try to follow her instructions WRT health issues.

Speaking of Dr. K., I haven't heard from her for 10 days! I send her Motographs every couple of days and she usually has some remark to make. And the other day when I drove past her clinic, her car wasn't there. I hope she is having a wonderful time on holiday, somewhere, and has great stories to tell next time I see her!

I have to go out tomorrow and buy some basic supplies, but I have to try to fix the car first. The plastic under-shield for the engine (which broke before and had to be fixed with cable ties) broke again on Sunday. So I will be under the car tomorrow morning with more cable ties trying to make it work again. Getting smeared with oily dirt (or is it dirty oil?) and wondering why my tools keep disappearing.

Anyway finally in bed.

[Netfoot]

Splash guard damaged.

Rock found lodged next to steering rack!

Rock removed. Mo wanted it!

Apprentice Motor Mechanic.

[Netfoot]

Snip!  Snip!

All done!

Entire part will be replaced when the money-tree in the back yard bears fruit.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

And as a byproduct of the exercise...

Missing screw from most recent phone stand disassembly now found. Stand reassembled and punctured tire avoided.

[Netfoot]

Spent most of the day working on the computer, but there were some different moments. 

As previous posts show, the splash-guard previously broken and collyfoxed with cable ties broke again. I thought I'd be able to repair it again, but I was wrong. The entire center section had been torn off and was missing, and the small rear section was dangling low, waiting to scrape on the road. So I simply used a pair if yellow/straight snips to cut away the dangling rear piece. This leaves the front and two sides still in place. Technically, the car can be used without any splash-guard at all. It simply keeps water from splashing up on the engine when you drive through puddles in the rain. (Water in the electrical system can shut down the ignition and stop the engine.) Fortunately, the bits that remain are the most useful. 

Today was also maddening for disturbances - but nothing like yesterday. I never had any breakfast, skipped lunch and for dinner I had corned beef mashed together with mayo and some spices and eaten with a spoon. Of course, as soon as I sat to eat, the phone rang and I was only able to get away after 40 minutes by telling the guy my dinner was getting cold. It was after 10 pm by time I put that phone down and started to eat my first meal for the day.

I've taken a chicken breast and a pack of sausages out if the freezer to defrost in the fridge overnight. I'm thinking two chicken sandwiches for lunch and a sausage and veggie medley for dinner. Or vice versa.

Sent Dr. Kristi a copy of the Motor Mechanic photo and got a laugh back. So I know she is alive. I'm sure she is on (or just returned from) a holiday abroad. Hope they enjoyed themselves. She will spill the details when I see her next.

Will try for an early night. It's only just gone past midnight...

Edited May 25, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Toaster: 3, Mice: 0.

Honestly, I dunno how it is that the toaster is always closest to hand, but...

I showed the little rodent to Mo who immediately indicated that he wanted it. I said no, and threw it into the wheelie-bin. Unfortunately, i hit the rim and the mouse fell outside. Mo pounced on it and vanished in the direction of the lawn. I hope he doesn't actually eat it. Bud used to catch mice all the time, but he didn't eat them. And although he didn't do it very often, when Dotty occasionally caught a mouse, he didn't eat it either. Mo? Can't be sure what he will do, ever. And when it comes to eating, I think he'd pretty much eat anything! I know he eats cucumber, carrots raw and cooked...

I had two chicken sandwiches for lunch, half a breast in each. Mayo, cucumber slices and red pepper flakes. The chicken was tough and stringy and I had to take a bite then shake my head from side to side to get the chicken in my bite to separate from the remainder of the sandwich.  Thank goodness, it actually tasted great!

[Spunkygal]

When I’m going to cook a chicken breast, I put it in a baggie, take out my rolling pin and tenderize the chicken with some gentle bashing. I’ll usually throw some spices in the baggie too so I can bash those into the breast. You could use any implement that has a little weight if you don’t have a rolling pin. I often sauté panko breaded chicken cutlets and the rolling pin method makes them so tender and flattens it down a bit. 

[Netfoot]

Pounding the chicken thin and spreading it out might be a good idea when making cutters. No chicken-free bites!

Sometimes I make a complete rub, but today I just sprinkled wioth black pepper & salt.

The chicken usually comes out tender. I am not sure why it was tough and stringy today. Maybe I cooked it a little too fast.

[Netfoot]

Located that handleless mug. It was filthy (of course) and had to be given a thorough scrub. Then I made tea...

Pictured on my desk, accompanied by the grubby kitchen towel I had to grab to carry it out if the kitchen... because it was full of boiling water!

I'm not sure where I got this. Did I buy it myself? Or was it a gift? I don't remember. But it sure looks like it came from Earthworks Pottery. I have met the potter and watched her work and this is definitely her style.

Just soze ya know: that brownish colouration inside the mug? It ain't dirt. That's the colour of the internal glaze.

Little Mo was just here licking my shins (a sure sign that I'm sweaty enough to need a bath). Where did he go?

Almost toasted a few slices of stale Privilege Loaf to go with me tea, but decided to do veggie stew tonight instead. I'm not sure that the toaster even works any more, anyhow!

Oh, here he is. He's decided to take a nap on my feet...

[Browncoat]

That's a very pretty mug.

[Netfoot]

My stew was not terribly different from past instantiations. I started with beef stock, and when that was boiling, I added carrots and sweet potato. I also found $6 worth of brussel sprouts which I chucked in at this stage, but I cut them into 25¢ pieces first.

Next to go in was a tin of diced tomatoes, a tin of corned beef for meaty flavour, and a large, chopped onion. Since corned beef can be very salty, I waited until this stage to taste-test, and had to add only a little salt.

After giving that a while to do its thing, I seasoned with minced garlic, and added cucumber, pumpkin and pak choy. Ten minutes later, I was enjoying a bowlful, while ignoring the hot breath blowing against my hip.

I decided not to make and add a roux.

Tomorrow, I will make a batch of dumplings and look for a tin of black beans or channa. If the pot isn't filled back up by that I will add a Jamaican Red Dragon stout. Also, if it needs more thick than thin, I can add more carrots, pumpkin, cucumber, etc. But I don't think it will come to that. The dumplings will add lots of "thick" and the other things can be reserved for later, or kept until the next soup!

Mo and I are in bed now, or at least he is in his crate immediately adjacent to me in the bed. The lights will be off very soon.

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

That's a very pretty mug

Not too bad. While it is impossible to pick up with your bare hands right after you pour the boiling water, by the time the tea has had a chance to draw, you can pick it up without too much difficulty. The only thing I don't like about it is the colour of the inside. I think some uniform colour would have been better than something mottled with brown! I have not actually measured it's volume. I'm still trying to figure out if I have a measuring cup somewhere that hasn't been used for engine oil or automatic transmission fluid!

Edited May 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Woke at the usual time this morning, but was so tired I went back to bed about 30 minutes later and caught another hour's sleep.

Later, I added black beans to the soup, along with 61 dumplings. It would have been 62 but a piece of dough fell on the floor, and there is no 5-second rule around here. (I have a sorta similar rule but it's much more complex.) Anyway, Mo ate there the raw dumpling, so only 61 in the pot. I cook them partially, in  small pot of salted water before adding them to the soup.

Very nice, despite the hot breath on my hip. And a small tiny bowl for Mo was much appreciated.

A grateful boy says thanks for the soup and dumplings.

Still tired. May nap this afternoon.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I know everybody thinks he's cute, and his hijinks are funny. But every time he destroys something, I have to either find the money to replace it, or do without. The current recession is hurting everyone, and even here, gas went up, electricity is going up, food is going up, and even the price of services are going up, because the service provider wants to pay for food, gas and electricity too.

When I was a nipper, all the children's books came from England (Enid Blyton, etc) and I learned from these books that a favourite way for English parents to punish their kids for an infraction of some sort, was to "send them to bed without their supper!" (Or dinner. Or tea. Depending.) This always seemed wrong to me. Why not deny them water and punish them with poor hydration? (Not that I knew the word "hydration" back then, but the point was clear to me - denying children nutrition couldn't be a good form of punishment.)

I feel there is an exception, of course. If the child is being punished for gross destruction or wasting of good food, then missing a meal might be acceptable to show that good food should not to be wasted lest we want for it later.

I went to feed puppy this evening, and the bag containing his chow was missing. The whole bag. It was far from full, but there was enough to last until Monday, when I plan to go to PriceSmart and pick up a new 20 lbs. bag.

So I went searching for the bag, hoping he hadn't managed to get it open (it has a strong clip on the top). Instead of a bag, I found a tee-shirt. Dragged from the bedroom through the yard and left by the gate. Then I found the measuring scoop for the dog food, which lives inside the bag, so he'd obviously got it open. Then I found the stainless scouring pad out if the kitchen. Then I found the bag with the clip still in place, but the bottom ripped open. It contained just enough for one meal... which I gave him for his dinner.

I don't know how much of the lost chow he ate, how much got lost away in the long grass of the garden (yes, it needs cutting) and how much the Ramia pigeons & wood doves & black birds & sparrows ate.

If ever a puppy deserved to have no dinner more, I can't think how. But I have my reservations and even though this is a case of food waste, the lesson would be lost on someone to whom you couldn't explain the why of it.

And now, I have to find the money to buy extra food for him before Monday, or feed him something else. I have several tins of puppy food, but they are dished out only a couple of spoonfuls at a time to "gravy" up the chow, and not at every meal either. (I don't want him to assume that chow always comes with meaty extras.) So if I feed him the tinned puppy food, two weeks worth of gravy will vanish in a weekend. 

Or I can go to PriceSmart tomorrow instead of Monday, and not have gas to go to the club on Sunday. Or buy a tank of gas as well as replacement dog chow. But I didn't want to spend any money until next week, because I want to see whether the electric bill is going up from this month or not until next.

It was at this point I missed my torchlight. It is small, has three brightness levels (candle, normal & supernova) plus strobe, is made of aircraft grade stainless steel, CNC machined with square threads and sealed with O-rings. It is completely waterproof, completely indestructible, came with a lifetime guarantee and cost me US$75 plus shipping and duty. (When you live in hurricane country, you need a good torch.) The immediate suspect was the monster. So I grabbed up a cricket bat and another torch and searched the garden inch by meticulous, back-breaking inch, because you can't hit a puppy for six runs on suspicion alone! Couldn't find it, so I came inside and made a glass of lime squash to wash down two Panadol for the back, when I remember that earlier in the kitchen, Mo had been trying to jump up and grab the torch, so I put it somewhere safe... There it was: highest shelf, on top of a tin of channa in brine! So, I put away the cricket bat.

During all this, Mo hasn't had so much as a harsh word or angry look from me. But at a quarter to two in the morning when I'm calling him to come to bed, and he's just standing there, well aware of what I want but choosing to ignore my pleas... I locked him out and came to bed alone. And typed this sad message on this shitty South American Samsung.

And now, I'm going to get out of bed and walk through the house and open the door and see if he would be so kind as to grace me with his presence. And if he doesn't, there is always the cricket bat...

[Netfoot]

Sometimes you work hard at some project and after the hours have rolled by, you have to admit you have not achieved the result you'd hoped for. Your labours were in vain.

It's been one of those days for me. When I finally stopped, I was no further forward than when I started. In fact, you might say I've gone backwards, because tomorrow I have to go and reverse all the work I've done today.

The day didn't start well. Last night, Mo was an absolute beast. Whining and pawing at me as I lay in the dark trying to get to sleep. I had to open the door several times and let him out, then wait until he felt like coming back in. This went on until 4 AM and I was so tired I could hardly see! As a result the alarm didn't wake me, and I didn't get out of bed until 11 AM!

I made a simple lunch: some sausage fried up with a little pak choy and onion. In this, I tossed some fettuccine noodles. No spices at all, unless you count salt.

I made enough so I could have half for lunch and the rest for dinner. When my tummy finally suggested I check the clock to see if it was dinner time, it was actually one in the morning! So, a very late dinner, then.

Quickly reheated the fettuccine and added some garlic powder and just a few red pepper flakes. And as I ate, I started watching s movie I've had here for a few days, to watch:

2000 Mules.

I've heard all the controversy and the arguments back and forth, and decided I'd better watch the movie rather than just hear about it 2nd hand. I believe it's about 1½ hours long, and it didn't take anything like that long to eat the fettuccine, so I've not watched much of it yet. Therefore, I'm not in a position to express any opinion, other than to say that as an Engineering Technologist and a Software Engineer, I've not seen any magic technological bullshit being done nor heard any technological gobbledygook being spoken. Not yet, anyhow.

And after I've watched to it's conclusion, I very much doubt I'll be ready to discuss the movie or make any comments. Not in here, anyway. Because if ever I was in a forum that struck me as willing to throw me out for Wrong-Think, this forum would be it.

Tomorrow (today, really), looks like it will be sunny with patches of cloud with a tiny chance of a shower or two of rain. I have not actually checked, but I believe there is sufficient gas in the van that Mo and I can take a run up to the club unless the forecast is wrong and it sluices down. It'll be nice to go up and Mo can run about like a mad thing, so let's hope it turns out well.

Now, since I don't want to sleep until 11 AM tomorrow, I'd better get my head down!

[Netfoot]

Woke up shortly after 5:00 this morning to let Mo out to pee. Went back to bed, but around 7:00 he came and insisted I get up. Dunno why, he didn't seem to want anything, but he yipped and yapped and whined and pulled on my arms with his paws until I got up. 

So Raf came around mid morning and we assessed a model I've had here for around 10 years, collecting dust and getting beat up. The conclusion we came to is i) the engine ignition system and fuel tank are missing and would have to be replaced. ii) The MonoKote covering is torn here and there and would need to be patched. I don't require a perfect colour match, so any shade would do. iii)There is a servo hatch missing, which would have to be remade, but it it is a simple rectangle of ply that would have to be cut to size, and covered with a small piece of MonoKote.  So in fact, that aircraft can fairly easily be made serviceable again and put in the air.

How I got it in the first place is a long, complicated story that neither of us have time for, but sufficient to say that it didn't start off as mine, it's around 10 years old and has never flown!

Mo and I enjoyed a trip to the field today. Mo ate something smelly and earned the nickname "Stink-Mout'" but he had a grand time and so did all the rest of us. Raf crashed his big red Ugly Stik but all he broke was the propeller, which he said he had a replacement for at home. 

Austin's Cub developed elevator problems which he tracked down to a worn set of splines in the servo control arm. Assuming he was done for the day, he was very pleased when I asked if it was a Futaba or HiTec servo, went to the car and handed him a replacement control arm on the spot! He was able to enjoy several more flights!

No photos of Mo because I was taking photos that we need and the crappy Samsung started behaving wonky. By time I got that sorted there was barely time to take the essential photos before the light was too poor. So no photos of Stink-Mout' I'm afraid!

I can't recall what I had for lunch, and I'm beginning to think I didn't have lunch. (Mo just came out of his crate, lay down right next to me, rolled onto his back with all four feet in the air like a dead bug, and is demanding tummy rubs. I can only type two words at a time before I have to pause and give the tummy a rub.) So, no lunch, and dinner was two chicken cutters. One breast sliced in two thin and fried in the pan with salt and black pepper. Whole wheat buns (locally known as a salt bread) with garlic mayonnaise, sliced cucumber, and the chicken, topped with paper thin slices of raw onion. I had one with a little squirt of Sriracha and one without. Both tasted great. And there was none of the difficulties I had last time with biting through the chicken. I think the pan was too hot last time.

The light bill just came in and was a little higher than usual, despite my trying to economize over recent weeks. Anyway, I paid it via internet banking, leaving just enough in the account to pay rent Tuesday. There will be $1.62 balance remaining. Good thing I didn't go down to PriceSmart to buy dog chow on Friday! Anyway now I know exactly what I have to work with, I can go tomorrow or Tuesday. I have $720 to spend on grub for Mo and myself, some gasoline for the van, a cylinder of gas for the stove, and in a few days time the next pension payment should drop. 

Just to be a pain in everyone's ass, the pension doesn't come monthly like would be convenient. It comes every four weeks. So I get 13 payments a year, but the date creeps. So you should get two payments at least one month each year. And it never arrives on the specified, scheduled date. Ever. But it's usually 4 days early! However, it would be unwise to assume that the next payment will be 4 days early as usual and count on that, because surely if you're counting on it, you can be sure that's the very month it'll be 4 days late instead.

I just checked. Stink-Mout's mout' en stink at all! Here he is laying against my tummy with his head almost on my arm.

He's dead to the world. He had a good off-leash walk with me, and spent the rest of the afternoon rocketing around like a mad boy. Came home, had a solid dinner, went out and had a good pee and is now we'll into the land of nod. Four feet still in the air, tummy still expecting rubs.

For some reason Mo has developed a bald spot in the inside of his left front leg, just below the elbow:

I can't imagine what caused this. There is no sign of a wound or a scar from a wound. No way he got burnt. So what do you suppose it is?

There is a whistling frog just outside the window and he's cranking up the decibels. Some rain sprinkled when we went out so Mo could have that pee and they like the damp. My mom used to call them "Pretty Dicks" because (according to her) they said "Meee pretty dick!" When they came into the house on rainy nights mom would make me catch them (no easy task!) and put them out again. Because if you didn't, the dry environment would dessicate their little bodies, and a few hours later you would find them dead and "crisp". (Her choice of words again.)

Finished 2000 Mules. As previously stated,I won't comment. I would just suggest you ignore what ever you've been told about it and watch it yourself. Then you won't be enjoying someone else's opinion. You will be enjoying your own!

Going to kill the lights now...

Edited May 30, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I planned to go to PriceSmart tomorrow, and buy a 20 lbs. bag of Mo's preferred puppy chow, and to buy myself some corned beef. And since I was going that way, I scheduled a meeting just down the hill from there. 

Just now, I surfed a bit, only to find i) the puppy chow is out of stock. They have another brand, but it is 300% the price, fir only 50% more chow. And ii) can for can, their corned beef is more expensive bought in bulk, than what I pay in the supermarket! So now, I have no reason to go to PriceSmart, but I will still have to drive past it to attend the meeting I set up only because I thought I had a reason to be in that area!

Had cheddar cheese and tuna with shredded cucumber & mayo on crackers for lunch. The crackers come in twos, in a cellophane wrapper. Two crackers together is called a "card". There are about 10 cards to a pack. I recall years ago, when these crackers were sold in cards of four. Or you could buy a tin box with two dozen packs in it.  Dunno why I'm telling you this. Anyway, I had to take a card and break it into little pieces because Mo (who had just had his lunch) insisted I feed him tuna on crackers too.

Anyway, simple lunch and I skipped dinner because I was working on the computer and dealing with a problem that wouldn't go away. I was working on a program that would display an image selected at random from about 1100 available. The program would work perfectly over and over, then mysteriously fail to display an image. I kept adjusting the code to try to make it run consistently. But no matter how I coded that program, sometimes I'd get an image and sometimes I wouldn't.

It drove me nuts all evening until I thought that maybe it wasn't the program at fault at all! And when I checked, so true. It was the images! Some had read permission turned off (for what reason I don't know) and when the randomly selected image was one of those, the program would be unable to display it.

By the time I got that sorted it was too late to eat a meal, and I didn't feel like cooking one anyway. So when Mo came and begged for a treat, I got a salt bread, pinched off pieces, dunked them into a peanut butter jar and fed them to him. And I ate 4-5 pinches of dunked bread myself, but it was hardly a meal. 

Going to get some sleep now. Tomorrow I have to drive needlessly across half the island and burn up half the gas in my van to not buy puppy chow for my baby. 

Grrrrrr!

[Netfoot]

So, I got up at five thirty this morning to open the door for Mo to be able to go out. Then I went back to bed, obviously, because five thirty is the middle of the night, after all!

At about a quarter to six Mo came in and began insisting I get out of bed. He was yowling and howling and hooking my arm with his claws and pulling me to get up. I told him to shoo, to scram, to skedaddle, to F-off, to beat it... but nothing would stop him. This went on for another hour and maybe even a bit more. Nothing worked, and he kept up his persistent attempts to get me out of bed.

Finally, I gave up. I crawled out of bed, put some clothes on, and wandered out of the bedroom. The front door was closed! It seems an errant gust of wind blew it shut and for over an hour, Mo had been demanding I come and re-open it for him! I have to pay more attention when my puppy speaks.

As I was passing PriceSmart anyway, I popped in to check that they really didn't have the puppy chow in stock, which they didn't. I asked a supervisor when it might be back in stock, and she said "Two weeks?" like if she was asking me! So who knows. 

Next stop ServeAll, who sold me my chainsaw. It's a good one, and we started it up on Sunday, but when I tried to check that the chain was oiling, I couldn't see any sign of oil. So down to ServeAll we went, with me hoping I'd done something stupid or stupidly not done something to explain the lack of oil. Rather the guy take one look and say "You fool! You're supposed to..." than to hear him say "It will need $300 in parts and labour, come back to collect it in a month!"

Well, the guy pulled it twice and off she went. He pointed the blade at the light grey concrete pad we were standing on, revved the motor and there, clear as day, was the line made by the oil thrown off the chain. He repeated the process four more times, just to convince me! Apparently, I was using too dark a surface (one of the logs at the club), and because this particular brand is economical on chain use, the line was difficult to see. My mistake.

At least the saw is confirmed good by the agent, and it didn't cost me a cent. Which is good, because there are companies out there would have charged me for a complete engine rebuild I didn't need.

Back down to the supermarket to buy some groceries, a 5 Kg. bag of puppy chow and some other groceries. Spent $4.13 on a small breadfruit! Not a long, yellow-meat breadfruit, but any breadfruit is better than no breadfruit at all! It's still a bit hard, but I'll put it in the microwave for a couple days and as soon as it's ready to eat, I might make me a soup/stew where breadfruit is a main ingredient!

Quite often around here, a breadfruit is just called "a fruit". I will send you a photo shortly (I have to go and take it). It isn't a large one -- it is the smallest one they had.

[Netfoot]

Here it is:

Mo doesn't like it and he told it so! But he will change his mind once it's cooked...

[Netfoot]

<sigh>

Found it out on the driveway right by the gate.

Last night, it was the scouring pad from the kitchen. Again.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo has decided to change colour.

His ridge has developed distinctly red areas, and there is a sprinkle of white coming between his ridge and his tail.

This strikes me as a little strange. I remember when he was inky black all over (except the toesies on the rear feet) I didn't realize puppets puppers could just change colour like that, apart from the graying of age.

We showered together, and then he went off and dried himself. Buddy used to love getting a rub-down with a towel. So much do he'd keep going back out into the rain until he was just wet enough to get another rub-down. Mo heads for the bed. He lies on his back, and rolls from side to side, while bending himself sideways one way and then the other. When he's satisfied he's dry enough, he departs int his crate, leaving the wet bed for me!

Got back from the grocery a little late to cook so I had cheese and tomato sandwiches with sliced cucumber, and since the garlic mayo had run out, I made some cayenne mayo with a touch of balsamic. I should have used more cayenne though - there was very little heat.

Dinner was penne pasta with a simple sauce made from onions, corned beef, diced tomato and red kidney beans. I added some red pepper flakes and when the penne was cooked, that went in and was allowed to allowed to soak up the flavours a little bit before serving. I added some of the cayenne mayo on top, and the cayenne and the red pepper flakes combined to give the dish a good bit of zing! There is easily enough there to make lunch tomorrow and I will be checking on the breadfruit as well, to see when it might be ready.

One traditional way of preparing breadfruit is to cut the top off, scoop out the heart (too woody to eat) and pack the cavity with salted meat or corned beef or pork or even fish. The top is put back on, and the whole thing is baked in the oven. Unfortunately, I have no idea how long to bake a breadfruit for, nor at what temperature. And I don't want a whole breadfruit cooked in that way. So I guess I will segment it, peel off the skin, discard the heart, and boil in an oiled pot. I could cut some thin slices and shallow fry them. Breadfruit makes delicious chips, in both the English and American sense of the word! I could mash it I to breadfruit cou-cou but to do that right you need to be able to grate cheese on the top and bake in the oven to give it a nice crust. And I'm still having issues with the oven due to lack of ovenware.

I don't suppose you guys get breadfruit very often. I love the stuff but I avoid buying it because carbs. But I have been told Austin has a tree that bears long, yellow-fleshed variety of fruit, and I have put my name down for one when next (ever) the tree bears. Heidi used to have such a tree in her back yard at Morningside (before she moved to Tamarind Hill) but she cut it down because the leaves and fruit falling from the tree made too much of a mess. Well, I hope she knows that after committing a sin like that, she ain't never going to heaven!

Little Monster wants to play a game which consists mostly of him batting at the phone to knock it out of my left hand or batting & tugging on my right hand so I can't use the phone.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Have you noticed that in some of the photos of Mo in the bedroom, there is a pile of junk which includes this

white, yellow and red item? It's called a Delta Vortex. Have you noticed it?

[andidante]

I have not noticed it, but I am not very observant most of the time, LOL.

[Netfoot]

Watch this video!

Edited June 2, 2022 by Netfoot