Easy Come Easy Go

I am ambivalent in this post title in that it has unleashed an ear worm which is not even a style of music I enjoy but tolerate. I just knew it had to be Justin Bieber. To my surprise it was Bruno Mars song, Granade.

In my search numerous songs use the phrase. Bobby Sherman brings me back to my preteen years and the magazine Tiger Beat. I would fantasize about all these boy singers being my potential spouse and of course we live happily ever after. Then I grew up.

What glitters is not always gold. I always felt sad when I read about the difficult lives so many of these promising young people led. It's interesting that those that went on to live ordinary lives like Bobby Sherman seemed to fare better. Today Sherman is 76. He pursued careers as an EMT and police officer. He married two times and has two sons. There is not much info on his personal life.

I got other thoughts on the matter. Some of becoming a writer is observing people. Some observations come with age.  Life is mercurial and there certainly aren't simple outcomes. 

I've had a lot of dumb luck in my life. The fact that I am quiet, people have assumed that I was smarter than I was. One time when buying the house I live in now, the realtor gave me the terms of making a bid. I was looking over the document ready to consent. She mistook my quietness for waffling and reduced the earnest money amount considerably.

At the time I bought this house, I had hit the proverbial brick wall trying to find a home for us. I did not love the house but it had what we absolutely had to have to be comfortable. Plus, I loved the small amount of land.

One thing that is true when you sell or purchase a home, you wheel and deal like a few thousand dollars is not much. I've lived in this house for almost 17 years which is longer than I have lived in any home. My parent's purchased the house I spent the most years of my life growing up in 1958. I moved out in 1974. At the time I was ready to move on. I was chomping at the bit to move out. 

My mom sold it in 2005. She moved into my house in 2003. The neighborhood had gotten sketchy. I still drive through. A big part of my life still rambles through that neighborhood. I miss that house terribly. In a way, that house is my greatest easy come easy go experience.

Dog Days

It's dog days everyday at my house. I currently manage a pack of ten dogs and five cats. They all love to eat.

But dog days are the hottest part of the summer which occur right after the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is hot because the days are longer than the night. So the Earth gains more heat from the sun than loses during the night. Much like a bank account where you put more money in than you take out and spend. The opposite occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. They are tilted away from the sun and have longer nights than days. Winter occurs during the dog days in the Southern Hemisphere.

At one time, people thought it was because of the bright dog star, Sirius, adding it's heat to our sun. Dog days begins with Sirius rising in the dawn on July 22, 2020. It will end on August 22, 2020. Sirius is part of the Canis Major (Big Dog) constellation which dutifully follows Orion in the night sky.

Now where are the stars during the day. They are still above us in the heavens. We can't see them due to the brightness of our own star the Sun. There are no stars visible with the naked eye or with binoculars during the day. You can see the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, Sirius, at dawn and dusk if it is positioned in the night sky for that day of the year. The brightest star in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere is Canopus, the great star of the South. Canopus is never visible in the Northern Hemisphere.

The stars you see early in the morning or late in the evening at dusk are either Venus or Mercury and on a few days you can see both. Venus and Mercury are between the Earth and Sun. So you only see these planets late in the evening or early in the morning.

You cannot see Sirius or any other star during the day. You can see the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars if they are positioned just so and you go out to see them. The moon and Venus are relatively easy to see whereas the other three takes a bit of dedication. Early morning or late evening are best in that the sun is a bit dimmed. There are daytime meteors.

When I was a child, my mother did not like us to skin our knees or have any sort of sore during the dog days. They would not heal. Those of us that live in hot climates and especially before air conditioning know sores heal slowly when it is hot. Rabies which is caused by a virus can be a problem during the summer.

It is important to note that there is a bit of ethnocentrism in the story of Sirius to those of us of European or North African descent. There are a myriad of stories and folklore to religion of other cultures in the world. The official names of all stars are listed by the International Astronomical Union which includes names of stars from cultures around the world.

In checking my facts, I found the following picture which is of "Sun Dogs" which are halos around the sun. This picture was taken February 18, 2009 in Fargo North Dakota.

I wish all of you well.

Cheat Biscuits

How to make Cheat Biscuits. Biscuits made without all that rolling and doughing.

You can stir in some melted or softened butter into some flour. Say two tablespoons into a cup and half or 2 cups of self rising flour. This solves your salt issue. White Lily is the best flour. Then mix milk or water until it is a very thick soup. This is where you cheat. You cook it in muffin tins. They look like muffins and taste like biscuits that have a crispiness when hot. Cook at 425 degrees for 15 to 24 minutes. Mine are usually done around 20 minutes. Buttermilk makes the muffin very soft and doughy in my opinion.

I'd give measurements but I haven't used them for much in twenty years. If you want to make biscuits the hard way, don't add so much milk or water so that the dough will be somewhat stiff. You beat the dough until the dough becomes stretchy. Place dough on floured surface and put flour on dough before rolling the dough. Cut out biscuits. It is handy to have a child nearby who will eat the excess dough. Re-rolling dough creates a lousy biscuit. You can pile the scraps into a biscuit shape. It's not bad. It's not that good either. (My dog loves them.) But anyway bake in a hot 425 degree oven for ten to 16 minutes. Brown on top and bottom is good. Black is not good at all.

Below is a picture by Willie Bearden of a pan of actual biscuits. For all the Brits, this is a biscuit. In the states we call the British biscuit a cookie.

Photo by Willie Bearden - willybearden.com

I could share with everyone how to make the perfect biscuit. But unlike my Aunt Sylvia, my biscuits are hit or miss. My Aunt Sylvia purchased a ten pound bag of flour and made biscuits over and over until she got the technique right. And this is what I know is true of cooking, gardening, sewing, repairing autos. The most important step is patience.

Now you may ask about how much auto repair I have done. Quite a bit, well I had to pay someone to do it. But I've had my share done.

Which leads to the next important fact. What is the difference between a scone and a biscuit. They are both quick breads. The scone originated in Scotland. There is the Irish soda bread which is a quick bread. A quick bread is made with soft wheat flour and baking soda/powder as the leavening agent. The American biscuit does not have egg in it's batter and little to no sugar. It is eaten with savory foods like sausage gravy. A scone has more fat and an egg or two. Raisins and other fruits can be placed in the batter.

There is a fast food restaurant who makes cinnamon raisin biscuits with a bit of icing on them. But they do not have egg in them.

Ciao - I would say Bon Appetit but it is C day on the A to Z. That's why these are called Cheating Biscuits.

Homemade Bottled Water

Homemade Bottled Water

I purchase bottled water for a sister of mine who is handicapped. She has difficulty using her sink and likes her water cold from the refrigerator. Otherwise, I'm not too keen on bottled water unless you live somewhere like Flint. Michigan that had tainted water five years ago.

Today Flint Michigan has one of the more monitored water supplies. They do recommend you use water filters which is not a bad idea for anyone who uses any municipal water supply. Because, you really don't know how reliable your water supply is. Most bottled water comes from a tap. In the end you are dependent on other humans being able to do the right thing. More Info about Flint, Michigan water.

In my hometown, the water got a little funky in the 80's. They discovered a guy was drinking on the job and as a result, he was over treating the water with chlorine?. I can't remember the exact story but I do remember it was due to human fallibility. When I lived in East Point. GA, I remember the water was really good. They got their water from Sweetwater Creek which was in the next county over.

I have well water. It damages the water fixtures in the sinks, showers of my home. But it is good. I had a man pouring gas on fire ants near my septic tank which is frustrating. He wants to know "what?". And I am thinking, why do I have to explain to him that he is tainting my well water. Ignorance is expensive.

Admire my homemade bottled water. I don't know why this Covid crisis has me doing this. I keep water outside for the wild animals. It works well to flush toilets. I have some containers near my home for my pets. And of course we got water in the house. But my dogs like muddy water the best. But if we lose electricity, we got some drinking water. Every night I load the water in the coffee maker. Coffee is the most important meal of the day for me.

Be careful. Stay home and maybe this crisis will pass soon.

Aloe Vera

I took these pictures while my brother was at the Shands hospital in Gainesville Florida last year. I had never seen Aloe plants growing outside much less blooming. I'm afraid I am more of an outdoor plant person. Plants that make it outside sort of fend for themselves in my yard. I do water more than I did in the past and that does help immensely. I planted several Chinese Chestnuts which have finally started to grow taller than I and one was covered in catkins last year. No nuts were produced.

I had a friend to post pictures of her Aloe plant blooming that she had planted in her yard. I was surprised in that she lives in Cordele, GA which is about 100 miles due South of me. Hers did not look as robust as these plants. I understand that South Texas and Mexico grow most of the Aloe today. They are tropical and semi-tropical, dry climates. One problem with Aloe is too much water will make the plant rot. Aloe is native to the Arabian desert.

The Aloe you get in products is not edible. The additives are not edible. But people do eat the juice. I have no interest in that or recommending that anyone does so. I'm cautious about health nut kicks. So do your research. 

I do keep an Aloe plant. The juice prevents fire ant bites from becoming infected and causing a small sore. At the nail salon, the Epson salts they add to the water also minimize fire ant bites.

This month, I will be writing "About The House". When I got the idea, I thought, I'll write some funny things. Funny thing is, I should have written when the jokes were coming to mind. My father always cracked jokes when things were very serious to lighten the mood. So hopefully, I'll be more glib in future posts. We all need to work on our attitude and staying home during this Covid crisis. I hope you and your family and your friends stay well during this time. It's a storm for sure.

If you would like to join the A to Z fun, do so before April 5th when the master list closes.
A to Z info is found on http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

If you are interested in reading more like me, This is a list of participating blogs. Chau.
Blog Roll for A to Z

Theme Reveal - About the House.

Social Distancing is for the birds. Suddenly, my homebody lifestyle is ready to travel. Well actually, I always want to travel. It's just this little thing called money and responsibilities that ties me to my home. A house full of dogs and cats keep me busy too.

I currently have the widow dog at my feet. She mourned my brother, but she has adjusted to her new home. Her breath stinks when she barks at me to get up and do some mysterious chore for her. I've told her "heck no" we are not trampling through the weeds and briers of the woods.

She didn't eat her dog food this morning. I was cooking a roast beef. She was waiting for a better offer. I have to feed her around 5:30 PM. She barks at me and looks at the stove repeatedly. I know what my brother did at 5:30 most nights.

Anyway, I'll be making periodic posts on my Facebook page about good blogs that I enjoy reading and other flotsam. Naw, it is not like I got that much free time. I am behind as usual. When I die, I predict someone will light a match to settle my affairs.

I set up a Facebook page to build my platform as I wrote the great American novel. That novel has sprouted stories much like the snakes of Medusa's head. The story I chop off and finish is the real mystery. Platform is my comic relief. I'll go out and look for Perseus in the night sky for inspiration on how to handle this monster my writing has become.

Meanwhile, my theme for 2020 A to Z will be ABOUT THE HOUSE. It is blogging as normal for me. You'll wonder if I have more snakes in my head than Medusa had on hers. HeHeHe

Hopefully most will be tongue in cheek. Some people are possessed by Demons. Me, it is a squirt of a dog.

Cheers and I hope we all avoid this Corona virus. Real life and adulthood are close to the same thing. I still got my mom so I am still a bit sheltered from real life. I may take care of her but she still likes me to brag about myself to her.

Waking up from a long sleep.

It's been over a year since I last posted. The year has been hectic. I haven't had time to remind myself to slow down. There is always something to do. I hired a man to help me. With the heat of summer, we did not do what I would have liked to do which is work outside.

I like to piddle work inside the house.  Unfortunately, I worked entirely too hard before he came.

I learned a lot about hiring someone. For one thing, I am not good at making the rules.

He wanted to be paid under the table. I wanted to pay him and take out taxes and have worker's comp insurance. I needed help, I paid him under the table.

He came at 10:30 and had left at 3. He did not like my dogs. He was allergic to fire ant bites, He had a bad back. The work he did was mediocre and he did not naturally move from one project to another one I needed done. He did not put trash in the trashcan. He left it where he had been working. I had to leave one day while he was working, he worked quickly and went down to my mother's room to sit to get her to let him leave early. I paid him $75 for each day. My compromise with paying under the table was I could only afford two days a week.

The good news is he stopped coming. I did not have to ask him to quit. It saved me from taking that bull by the horns. All it took was telling him to wear clothes that he didn't mind getting paint on. We were going to paint the hallway that next Monday.

I do know you can pay someone up to $600 and not report it to the IRS. So I would pay the next person the first $300 under the table. If they are a keeper, I would pay the taxes.
I'm going to be lucky if I ever get anyone good.

This man was good person. The problem was what he thought the job would be versus what it was. Add to that, he is in my situation. My home life is too hectic to fit a job in. He has young adult children and a wife who still works but is sick. She goes to sleep as soon as she returned from work at 3 PM and slept until the next morning. This is why he needed to leave by 3 PM.

I'll continue to be nice to whoever I employ. Part of the relief of getting help is not getting the stress from negativity. The other part is I don't enjoy pulling that person out of my psyche that has to give someone hell to get the job done. As Blanche DuBois said in Tennessee William's play "A Streetcar Named Desire", "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."

The mother cat I have recently adopted and her brood is not helping with the housework.

Currently, I am feeding a dog that is immensely afraid of me and my car. It likes my food. I rolled down the window and called to it that it has a home when it is ready.

I've been hesitant to post a new blog post in that I do not have the time to visit everyone. Add to that is content. I've decided to post pictures of my part of the world. I'm not a professional photographer and the picture content is quite ordinary. But someone from a different part of the world may enjoy the novelty. I certainly enjoy the pictures of others.

This will be a brilliant Gold in about a week. 

Cassiopeia, the cat, standing in tall grass with a branch of poke salad in the foreground. The birds love the berries. The red in Poke salad makes it very poisonous. You have to know how to pick it and prepare it to prevent poisoning. At this point in the stalk's life cycle, it would be extremely poisonous.  I have eaten poke salad. It tastes about what you think grass clippings would taste boiled.

Muscadime grapes are finished for the year. They were delicious. Muscadimes are grapes native to North America. The thin skinned European varieties do not grow well here due to Pierce disease.

Beauty berries

I created a nice area for the kitty and her babies in which the dogs would not be a problem. BoDuke insists he could never be a problem.