Tag: Food

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No Snow Could Mean Possible Early Drought Like Conditions Around Here

In many ways we have been extremely lucky this winter with the small amount of snow that we have had to deal with last week. Other than that one time we haven’t had squat, which has made this winter a much easier one to get a handle on since I haven’t had to be out and about getting about the business around here at the farm under control when we get snow. Other places haven’t been all that lucky and have had to deal with severe snowstorms all winter. It is only in my area that the snow removal companies aren’t making any money and the kids are still going to school, but who knows when this blessing will come to end.

The only good thing about getting snow is being able to enjoy it with a child for a few days and the fact that our grounds aren’t getting the soaking that they are used to getting each winter, so we may have drought conditions even earlier in the year this summer. That wouldn’t be a good thing for farmers such as myself and all kinds of other people that depend on the earth’s harvests that we rely on for food and other products. Well we still have another month or so to go before spring arrives, so if it is going to snow I just wish that it would get on with it and get her done. I have lots of animals that don’t appreciate the snow storms either, but I’m ready for it when the time comes, it could be very well a real dozy.

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TV and Sports Programs

A good friend of mine has cable and I subscribe to satellite, so we tend to bounce back and forth to each others living room in order to get the best of both worlds.  He gets the best in cable sports, while I get the Sunday ticket package, so between the two of us we get it all. It’s just too bad that we don’t live closer to each other but I can handle an hour drive in order to enjoy the companionship of a good friend and in order to enjoy a sporting event that I don’t get on my television. He has put to good use the Cloop – Your Handy Magnetic Cable Keeper that I brought over to his place a few weeks ago. His place is a total nightmare, even for being a confirmed bachelor (as I am myself) that I just couldn’t deal with all the cables that keep seeming to breed and cluster all under the entertainment center that he is currently using.

Say Hello to Cloop- Your Handy Magnetic Cable Tie.
Say goodbye to tangled headphones

We both try to keep the refrigerator full of beer and each is responsible for bringing over some munchies to enjoy during the games. It usually isn’t anything fancy, maybe some popcorn, nuts, chips and dip, something along that line. Once in a while we’ll call the local pizza joint to have a  pizza delivered, since neither one of us enjoys cooking and we both enjoy a thin crust pepperoni pizza.

I have found that Cox cable sports really does have the best selections available. And if I didn’t have the opportunity to go over to my buddies place to watch these sports with him I would most likely switch over to Cox cable. But I have had satellite for a good long time and have always had good customer service and I don’t pay a lot of money each month so for now I’ll just stay put. Since I do live alone it does me good to get out once in a while and I’ve known this guy for most of my life and it works out well for the both of us.

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Christmas Trees

Well today is the day I’ll be cutting my Christmas tree.  I’m one of the lucky folks who has the ability to just walk out to the “back forty” and cut down a tree off of my own property.  Just one of the benefits of having a farm, I guess!  You can plan your own Christmas tree needs and take care of that with very little trouble.  I was noticing that the live Christmas vendors are selling live trees for $60 and up this year!  I think that is a pretty steep price!  And a lot of the live Christmas trees that consumers buy off of tree lots (and some farms) are covered with chemicals used to control pests.

I don’t spray my trees, so I’m confident that whatever tree I bring into the house is chemical free.  And for every tree that I cut down, I plant three in its place so I don’t feel too bad about wreaking havoc on the environment by cutting down a tree on my own farm.  I think that if I didn’t have that option of cutting down my own tree on my own farm that I’d probably buy an artificial one – they don’t cost that much anymore and are easy to care for.  The only problem with them, as far as I’m concerned is where to store them in the “off season!”

fresh cut
Can’t Get Any Fresher Than This

 

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Halloween

I don’t get many trick-or-treaters out here to the farm.  Never have had many of them, we live so far out in the boonies, and our driveway is a very long distance from the road.  So I don’t bother laying in a stock of Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters.  I just lay in a stockpile of quarters and if anyone shows up I’ll give them a couple of quarters.  I figure that when I was a kid I would have much preferred money to candy anyway!  Parents don’t have to worry about kids getting too much of a sugar high from quarters, either!  I figure it’s the perfect “treat.”

sad
Your Money Or Your Life!
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Mom’s Chipped Beef on Toast

As a kid, we were required to eat breakfast every morning before leaving the house. Even if it meant being late for school. However, if we were tardy we did get in trouble. Mother would often rise early and cook a hearty breakfast for the entire family. One of my favorites was her creamed chipped beef on toast, with a side of scrambled or fried eggs. I can’t help but think of Mother every time I enjoy creamed chipped beef for my breakfast.

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Hamburger Helper, Today’s Kitchen Staple

Honest to God, I don’t know what I’d do if not for all of the varieties of Hamburger Helper, there most be over 20 different variations of this good, cheap and easy product. I’m grateful that they now offer them for use with Chicken and Tuna, and are all good tasting. Just recently I noticed they have an Asian variety on the shelve. I just haven’t decided if I want to try it or not.

I’ve never enjoyed cooking, on occasion I do feel the urge, but cooking for one has gotten old, years ago and I find myself just doing the bare minimum in an effort to fuel my body and keep my self alive. So Hamburger Helper has kept my belly full and happy and I really don’t know what I would do without it at this point. It’s not like I can just drive down the street to pick up fast food, which is the case for a good majority of bachelor’s, the closest fast food joint is over a 45 minute drive from home, too far a drive, a waste of perfectly good gasoline as far as I’m concerned, and with the gas prices once again on the rise every trip into town is costing more and more.

thank god for hamburger helper
So Many To Pick From

 

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It’s All About The Weather Gods

My sister and her family (hubby and two kids) are leaving tomorrow for their last fling of the summer. Most kids are all ready back in school, but she home schools her kids so they don’t have to worry about the kids missing the first part of school and can take advantage of the reduced rates that are offered for after the Labor Day week end is over and done with.

The whole family enjoys playing golf and hopefully the weather will be great for the beach as well as a few rounds of golf. There are wonderful Myrtle Beach golf courses that they will be checking out. Sis spent a good amount of time online looking for the best Myrtle Beach golf packages and her efforts paid off when she landed on http://www.myrtlebeachgolf.net. Their site made it nice and easy where she could arrange their tee times and their accommodations at the same time.

She picked the Stay & Play Golf package and I’m sure I’ll be hearing all the details along with plenty of pictures and videos that they will be taking. Hope they have a blast, may the weather gods be gentle with them. This time of the year you never know what to expect!

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Atomic Timepieces

I hate it when I walk in the room to a TV program that is just wrapping up an interesting topic of discussion that I would have enjoyed listening to and watching for the entire time period. I wish I had the Direct TV package that gives you the DVR that allows you to stop, rewind, pause, fast forward and even record your TV programs in record time.

I’m hoping next year that things will have let up some around the place and I can upgrade a few things that I would enjoy instead of just the things that are needed. Last night I just missed a discussion about Atomic Watches that I really would have liked to have seen, since Atomic Watches were the topic of discussion a few weeks ago at the dinner table at my sister’s house. She invites me over as often as possible in an effort to keep good food in me and to get me away from the farm, which is always something to look forward to.

We have always been close and since our parents passed away a few years back and I am now in charge of the old homestead she has been a tremendous help to me through out the whole ordeal.

Anyway, my sister and her husband were tossing around ideas for a birthday gift for her father-in-law, when it came up that a nice Atomic Watch would be a good gift idea for him this year. I didn’t know that the first atomic clock was built in 1949 and that they are the most accurate time know, as well as frequency standards. They are used to control the frequency of television broadcasts and in global navigation satellite systems like our GPSs that we are all relying on more and more these days.

Her father-in-law has certain standards and we all think that a nice looking quality Atomic Watch would most definitely fit the bill of his idea of a welcomed and appreciated gift. Most people are relying on their electronic devices to tell us the time, but a good amount of our senior citizens are still wearing and depending on quality time pieces and watches are still the main way to tell you the time in a quick glance, no matter where you are, right?

They shouldn’t have a problem finding the perfect watch by taking their time and searching the Internet. Sis is a whiz at finding deals online so I’m sure they will come out of this smelling like roses!

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Chili Dogs

It’s so hot and humid out there and I have been working up an appetite. I thought I had something in the kitchen to fix for lunch, but nothing looked good. I ended up driving out to Sonic and getting two chili dogs with tater tots. Their coffee is pretty good, too.

The thing about Sonic is that you get a foot long hot dog and a nice thick chili sauce on top. But if you want anything else, you have to be sure and ask for it when you place the order. I like cheese and chopped onions on mine, so that’s what I ask for. Every once in a while it’s nice to add some chopped jalapenos on there, too!