sill alive

I faced death today, and lived

     Ok, I actually ate one of the burgers that thawed, was cooked, and refrozen.
I think I was off a little on the freezer incident.  I came home from rehearsal Tuesday night and grabbed a small cup of frozen custard out of the freezer.  That would have been about 9:30 or so.  That means the freezer door was only open about 15 hours.
     The freezer is fine.  It works.  Everything in it is frozen.  Again.
     None of the meat smelled or looked bad.  And all of it was cool, but I don't know how cool.
     I nuked a burger today and it tasted fine.  I did not get the shits, so I assume all is ok.
     My friends in the medical fields will tell me if I am  a wishful muncher, lucky eater,   or a culinary dare devil.
     We had 5 trick or treaters this year!  I thought we had 7, but Jackie said I was counting two twice. 
     Figures, I have reached the age where I can not count to 10. 
     We also had taco pizza, some wine, and a great visit with SK.  All in all, a snowy day and a good night.
Peace and Love

awwww.....crap

Today was a disaster

     I went downstairs for something and heard a high pitched whine.  Now, I had my   hearing aids in.  I have been downstairs several times without my hearing aids.  I don't hear high pitched noises without them.
     Today I heard the noise.  I kept going around the basement until I found the source.
     The freezer door was open.  I was down Sunday or Monday for some beef stew meat and must not have shut it all the way.
    Every piece of meat was thawed.  It was cool, but thawed.
     So I called Headon's and asked their professional opinion, which was if it smells ok, it is ok to cook.
     I cooked 3 seasoned butterfly pork chops, 2 unseasoned chops, 8 hamburgers, 2 cube steaks, 2 pork cutlets, and seven steaks.  MK and S came out to help and they took 7 one pound packs of ground beef home and cooked them for us.
After we cooked the meat, we wrapped it up and put it in the freezer.
     But.....after 4 hours, the freezer was only cool, not cold.  I am worried about  that.
     I ended up tossing out 2 Butter Braid coffee cakes, a bag of spatzel, or however you spell it, some raclette cheese and some fondue cheese, and some spaghetti sauce.
     We had three frozen apple pies, which thawed, so we cooked them, along with 2 dozen cookies.
     The vegetables we put up thawed, but I did not toss them because we thought they would ok.......will they be?
     And what happens tomorrow if the freezer is still not freezing?  Do I toss all the food I cooked, or if it is cool will that be ok.
     Any advice you have would be appreciated.
     By the way...we do have a roast in the crock pot.
      If I had my hearing aids in Monday when I was down watching the football game after supper, or Tuesday when I went to ride the bike, I would have heard it.
      But I didn't.....and it cost me.
      I just don't know how much.  Yet.
     Hope the freezer freezes tonight.
Peace and Love

two minute drill

I have little time left to......

Mow the grass one last time
Pull carrots from garden
Burn pile
Store golf cart
Clean out garage
Ride 5 more miles on my bike

     It sure would be nice if we did not get the 3-6 inches of snow some sources are predicting for tomorrow into Thursday.  At least it should not stick.  I hope.
Once it melts, I can still do the items on my list, but it needs to be a little warmer for some of them.
     Why 5 miles on my bike?  Because I am at 295 for the year.  I keep track using a Map my Ride app on the phone....tells me the date, route, distance, and then I record them in my old fashioned paper calendar, adding up weekly totals.
     I never ride enough, and then get mad at the end of summer.
     So New Year's Resolution One:  Ride some bike trails and get over the 600 mile mark in 2020.  Sure I may be 72, but that means I ride slower.  But I need to get a group organized to ride with, because that will keep me riding.
     But I digress.
     Tomorrow I will try to gas up the snowblower.....just in case I can't reach the guy who plowed my drive last year.
     It was a short fall....and I missed Native American Summer.  That just does not sound right to me, so I will never say that again.
Peace and Love

oddities in life

I have noticed some odd things lately

      In the World Series, the home team has yet to win a game.  Weird.
      Two women flashed the Houston pitcher and I missed it!  At my age, that would certainly be a thrill.
     I've never heard a president booed at a baseball game so lustily. 
      I don't know whether I will mow the grass or blow the driveway next.  It will have to be one or the other.
     Why are Impossible Burgers more expensive than beef burgers?
     Why do flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
     Do they make Halloween Peeps?  I have not seen them in the store.
     How do you pronounce cacao?
      How do you break a pattern of eating because you are angry, anxious, or bored.  Asking for a friend.
     I have not seen Ghost Dog for several months......maybe Curt has, but I have not.  That worries me.  Maybe Halloween?
     My morning hair always looks odd.
     I will probably dream about these all night.
Peace and Love

did ya miss me?

I took the night out...I mean off

     Actually both.
     Went camping with friends John and Dave, guys I have known since elementary school.
     Date was picked months ago...for retired guys, we seem to be pretty busy.
     I love the day....lunch at the Rafters in Lena with it's haystack burger and a local brew was great.
     Apple River  Canyon is a small state park, but it is a  pretty state park.  We were surprised there were so many campers there!  It was the first weekend of trout season, and maybe some of them were fishing and camping.
     The rain held off until 5, then it just misted for a while.  Then it stopped.  Then it misted.  By 7 our tents were up, it was raining; the fire was still burning so it was not a heavy rain.
     I went to tent about 8.  I was cold and tired.  I slept a long time, but when  nature called sometime in the middle of the night, I stepped out in a cold but star filled night.
     This morning was cold...had to scrape my windshield.
    And then we had an unexpected surprise.
     Normally we go to a restaurant in Lena, but the place was closed last year.  Dave found a place in Stockton called Stella's Cafe....and it was amazing.
     They had a breakfast bar with a made to order omelette station, and offerings of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, broasted potatoes, pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage and a bunch of desserts and fruits.
     And the building?  An 1887 brick with a beautiful tin ceiling, shelves for books, and a lot of seating.  We walked in and there were not a lot of people, but soon it was packed.
     It was all pretty darn good....highly recommend stopping there on your way back from Galena
     And Stella?  Evidently that is the 10 year old daughter of the owner.
     Thanks Dave for finding Stella's and thanks both of you for going.
     Some pictures from the days.
Love and Peace

Coming back up was the hard part

canopy proved to be a great idea

That's a leaf!  Sycamore, I believe

Frosty morning

Stella's

I think the saddest part of this picture is the sign in the lower left.....no town is left untouched

louch

It hurt, but I smelled good

     I ran out of deodorant this morning.
     Luckily, I had a spare in the closet.
     I was confused, because it was a scent I would not buy....actually it was called Whitewater.  And no, I don't think it was connected to the Clintons.
     Ok, maybe that is a stretch of a joke.
Anyway, I put it on and within minutes my pits felt like they were on fire!        Burning, itching, burning, stinging......I thought it would pass, but it only got worse.
     I eventually washed my armpits...twice....and they stopped burning.  But the skin was really red.
     I picked up the deodorant to look at the ingredients and none were listed.  It was made in Poland for Old Spice, and that's when I remembered how I got it.
     Last year I went biking.  I discovered I forgot deodorant, and went and bought this one at a drugstore in Amsterdam.
     I must have used it, but I don't recall any burning sensation.
     Go figure.
     I tossed it out.  And bought new.  I don't want to be THAT person stepping up to a counter for customer service.
Peace and love and good scents

finally

Took a short road trip today

     I have never been to Morton Arboretum.  It is just a little over an hour from us, but I have never gone.
     Never seen the Christmas lights.
     Never seen the fall colors.
     Never seen the trolls.
      Until now.
     Christmas lights were being hung, so I am counting them.
     Somehow I missed the huge troll towering over I 88.......which means I have to go back.
     That will be easier, because I joined.  So ..... gotta go to make it pay.
     Next spring I will take my bike and cruise through the grounds....I think that would be pretty.  Maybe even next fall, if it is not too cold.
     Some pictures from the day.