About Needed an Arc

We had some awful flooding.  My town and the whole region.  I however was safe from the house being flooded as I am on the highest point of town.  Here there was 9.93" of rain.  Where other favorite brother of Katie is about 15 mi. away they had 10.37". I couldn't get Katie's favorite brother home Saturday as it was flooded so badly all around his area, it was impassable.  Two people didn't follow the "Turn Around Don't Drown" and they died.  People screamed to both not to drive into the water but they slowed down, and plowed right on in.  Their cars were submerged.

A fire truck turned over on its side trying to get to a fire.  The papers and news casts were nothing but homes flooded and accidents happening; and just over a hundred roads were closed in Knoxville.  That's about 15 miles from me.  Only three were closed here.

My boy sent videos of the raging river the dry bedded creek  had turned into in the back of his yard.  I thought for certain water would get in.  But the water had to go upslope a bit and it stopped 2/3's of the way there to the doors.

Told ya it would just not quit raining around here.  We had sun yesterday and today..supposed to start raining again Wednesday.  That's the way it is here.  I finally wish I lived elsewhere. Over had the year is like this.

The dams spilled...every one of them.  Whew wheee.

I Can't Believe the Whole Thing Went Kerplooi

Guys, I cannot say it wasn't my day because my day was fab.  I got a cold cold freezing walk with wind chill in before the rain.  Then, I got a luncheon invitation from a former colleague whom I love. That was riches for me too.  Haven't seen him in about a year because of all that is going on here with me.  But we made time today and had a good natter.

I ate like I hadn't had food in weeks, too.  DEELISHUS! I had breakfast at 12.  Scrambled eggs, and a bunch of 'em.  I had 4 strips of deliciously greasy and savory bacon.  I had a huge serving spoon of hash browns, and a big spoonful of sausage gravy laid on the side.  I wanted one of the biscuits- but adding that many calories to the ones I already had on my plate.  Just couldn't do it.

Then, I came home...finally got the  dishes done as I was gone for about 5 hours, put the bedspread on the bed.  Went out with a grocery list and came home $100.00 lighter.  Put it all away and then....and then..... *cue dramatic drum roll* I trucked a big bottle of spaghetti sauce in the crook of one arm and some boxes of tissues in the other.  Headed toward the storage closet and then it happened.  The bottle of spaghetti sauce crashed out from my arm and slammed very hard onto the wooden kitchen floor.  It shattered thoroughly.  There was glass and sauce on the floor, on the fridge, under the fridge, on the carpet in the entry way across from the kitchen threshold.  It was on the woolen scatter rug, it was on the carpet. It was between the fridge and wall.

At least Katie didn't hear it  crash or investigate.  Something made me go open that closet and take the dust pan from the broom's handle where it was attached.  No idea why I thought of it.  But I took my spatula and the roll of paper towels  down to the floor with me and scooped as much of the sauce as I could into the dust pan with the spatula.  Kept dumping it  into the trash can.  Over and over.   Otherwise I'd still be wiping with towels if I hadn't thought of that.

After all that, I had to wipe the floor with clean water. Then, with wood cleaner and with polisher.  Then I had to skate with two thick towels under my feet to buff it back.  Never made me mad...wasn't impatient.  Mood was still excellent.  Didn't feel sorry for myself.  I felt so happy from getting a good walk in with "bracing" icy flavored wind blowing on me, that nothing took away my gratitude for being able to do it.  (yes, it was miserably cold).

Didja notice me on the photofunia last bloggie I did?  Gotcha.

Another Good Grief One! ☺️

Good Grief.  There was an almost week of rain...it lacked two days without rain, and now it has started again right after I got a walk in yesterday morning.  The forecast says it will rain Saturday through Saturday next.  There is flooding in the immediate and wider spread areas.  I am up on the highest point so that particular thing is not affecting me personally.  And three of my 90' tall  trees are gone from my yard...so I don't have to worry about them uprooting and falling on my house any longer.  However, all of the trees in this part of town are equally tall, so looking at my header, if those should fall toward the house, the house will get hit but only by the tops of the trees.

The woods behind my home is called a privately owned greenbelt.  Those of us living along the street each own our woods down to the city and County line. When the town was built in the 40's, most of the trees that were on the mountain and hills were left standing.  They are very very tall.  It's an arborist's dream here in the town.

But this rain...whew.  Our weather system usually has and does come streaming up from the Gulf.  Hence it was always 47 or so inches of rain annually.  But now it is creeping toward 70 inches.  A record was set last year and I believe the year before.  If you choose to live in an extremely rainy area, then that's what you get.  But when you are used to moderate rainfall with plenty of alternate sunny days, it is hard to deal with constant nowadays gloom and rain.  One can hold an umbrella and walk but I find that takes a lot of the joy out of being out doors walking.  There's the gym, but outside of physical movement, not my fave place to be.   Most of all, I would love to see the sun more than a day, two at the most every 14 days.  The lights in my house are on all day except the rare days when there is sunlight.  It's gets wearing on the mood, guys.

Photofunia

Valentine's Day is Coming

Good grief!  There is sun today after torrential rains that brought flooding.  Not to me as I am on the highest point in town, over a thousand feet up.  Here we just got torrential never ending rain and heavier downpours interspersed along with some wind that made it hard to see to drive some of the time. Had to head off to The Big City to the Apple Store to get my iWatch paired again with my new phone.  Didn't take last time and I lost ally awards for physical achievements that I had accumulated with the old phone and iWatch.  They, the awards, do tend to give me incentive so I was sorry to see them all up in smoke.

I have had the best V -Day cards from my boys, from Katie, from dear dear friends.  The day is sunny here on the 13th  and makes the day even more wonderful to be alive in.  Tomorrow, while a commercially generated "thing" still it gives us the chance to commemorate family, friends, and others we admire or love.  I'll take it.  Happy Day to you tomorrow and each day from this moment forward.

I have a small pot of all veggies cooking in stock on the stove.  It smells heavenly.  I will founder by eating too much of it this evening because I love love love veggies. Matter of fact, I just got up and stuck several of the veggies with my fork and it's all finished.  Let's eat!

My Back Woods.

I love seeing the bars of sunbeams filtering through the trees.  I take too many pictures of these but I cannot help myself when I see them.  That is my header picture I am referring to.

I have spent as lot of time talking about food as I grew up  recently. I blog about those times every once in a while.  Something will set me off.  Perhaps wishing I had some of that beef I wrote of last.  Or making that meatloaf a few weeks ago.  It was half polished off by my oldest son that very evening, and the rest  of the meatloaf went home with him when he left for his place again.

I'm fixing to make my pineapple muffins here in a few weeks.  They are a little bit lengthy to make..like 15 or so minutes to get them together...then additional time to bake of course as no mix is involved.  But oh my gosh, do they taste good or what.  Once in a while I made them and took them to work, and I'd make quadruple batches.  They would be gone within minutes and if word spread, people from other departments came to get one.  I made a cobbler with sour cherries (sweetened of course) that just about made me Empress for the Day.  I would do these things on off days when I could get one, and stack them up to haul in when I reported.

My mother back when I was very little, 4 thru 5  years olds, made chocolate eclairs to die for.  The eclairs were flaky and buttery...the custard inside was home made and the chocolate on top...oh, help!  We each got one apiece  She and Dad..my two brothers and then me of course. I never got anything like that again after that age.  She made cream puffs just as amazing too.  I have looked at old cookbooks to see how those both were made.  Whoa!  Then, there were no short cuts, no convenience things to use...or ready made whatever to use.  You made it yourself and that is why they were so good.  And nothing but good ingredients with no chemicals and preservatives.

OK.  I'll quit.  😱

Reminiscing

PS for the meatloaf.  bake 60 minutes center of the rack at 350 degrees, or until a meat thermometer in the center reads 160 degrees.


My Dad used to make something with chuck roast.  Back then it wasn't so full of fat but nonetheless...

He'd buy maybe two pounds worth or so, wash it...peel a large onion, the size of an orange say,  quarter it and  then boil the beef and the onion in water (only) with salt and pepper too, as it cooked.  Once it was cooked through in probably an hour and a half...,he would remove the meat from the kettle and shred it with his ever present fork he always used when cooking.  He would put that shredded meat back into the broth it had boiled in, add a tad more  of salt after tasting the broth if needed.  He brought it back to a low boil on medium to lower heat, He added some thickener to the broth.  Here is how HE made the thickener.     He had a favorite tin measuring cup with a lid into which he would scoop some flour, maybe a scant half a cup and add water to within an inch of the top...put on the lid and shake it will mixed well.  If it was too thick, he'd take a dab out and add more water and re-shake.  He wanted it the consistency of a thick syrup, say.

He poured it slowly into the kettle with the gently boiling broth, beef and onion.  Stirring continually. He let it cook gently until the broth was the right consistency.  Slightly thickened and just right for the pan of biscuits he had made and had ready.

It was chuck roast, tender and flavored with onion and salt and pepper, slightly thickened to a  perfect consistency for biscuits.  Very plain.  He was not a "fancy" cook.  Country cooking was it and I learned anything I know from him.

My brothers and me as well, were at the table in an instant- as soon as it was ready.  He would make it for Sunday lunch sometimes when we didn't have fried chicken, gravy made with pan scrapings and slightly browned, thickly sliced tomatoes on a plate that were fragrant-- they were so good.  Sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced onion rings that he'd drizzled oil and cider vinegar onto and sprinkled black pepper.  Scallions in a saucer, green beans with  a hunk of salt pork that had been cooking for several hours (we are Southern) and a big bowl of very buttered quartered potatoes.  And a layer cake.

Here is a Recipe for my family Meatloaf

Here is the recipe.  I put this in  this blog years ago and only a few thought they might like it.  I expect the same today but...we like it.  It you have ever eaten S-tau-ff*ers meatloaf, this is very like it.


Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Approx. 1 1/2 to 1 3/4th lb. of at least 85% lean..preferably 90% lean ground beef.  Not the 73% fat.  The loaf would be swimming in grease.

1 small  8 oz. can of tomato sauce..not paste.

1 medium chopped onion.  (I use a fairly large one.  Personal preference.)

1 tea. black pepper

 1/2 tea onion salt, if desired

1 tea. regular salt, or to taste.

1 tea. oregano

1 Tbls. parsley

1 tea. garlic powder

2/3's cup bread plain crumbs...not flavored.

1 as a minimum egg or 2 eggs  if desired broken into the meat mixture.  1 is great if that's all you have.  I use one.

Maybe 1/3 of a green pepper chopped if desired.

A piece of bay leaf  maybe an inch or so long if desired.  Leave unbroken, so you can pull it out later.

Meanwhile have  a good brand of ketchup set aside:
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Mix all ingredients together.  I put on latex gloves and mix with my hands.

Place mixed ingredients in a loaf pan or in a glass casserole dish.

Smooth top of meat mixture and add ketchup to the top of loaf in a ribbon -look across the top of the entire loaf.  Smooth with a wooden spoon. Add more if desired.  Ours is usually covered well. Bake 60 minutes or until a meat thermometer  inserted into the center of the loaf shows 160 degrees on the thermometer.


It's our fave, but my lower lip won't be stuck out if it's not to your liking.