Random Thoughts

I've got a jumbled mind today. Not that it's an uncommon thing but today I've got Thanksgiving dinner to think about. Half the family want the traditional turkey and stuffing (a Yankee tradition) with extra stuffing cooked on the side, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, green bean casserole (yuck), creamed onions and all the trimmings of a very bland dinner. This year I want something different and since I'm doing the main meal, I think I'm going to make the decision. How about turkey with Adobo sauce, a Mexican spin on that plain old turkey? It sounds wonderful and the picture in 'Gourmet' magazine is amazing. The adobo is made with two different kinds of chiles, cumin, allspice, garlic and some other spices and mixed with turkey broth. OR, I can buy it in a jar! I'll marinate the turkey in the sauce for about 24 hours and then roast it (unstuffed) and make the gravy from the adobo. The dressing they chose to go with it is cornbread and chorizo with onions and garlic. Of course I'm going to make our tradition Yankee stuffing and regular turkey gravy for those who don't have an adventurous palate. Of the 23 or 24 people that will be here for dinner only a few won't even try it. Oh and I'm hoping I'm not ripping off pictures from Gourmet magazine but consider this as advertising!

While I'm salivating for Thanksgiving dinner, I'm also reading a book that I just can't put down. I stayed awake until 4:00 am this morning reading and slept late today to make up for it. Couldn't help it, I'm finding this book engrossing and it's thick which makes it all the better.

It's about a boy who was born mute into a family that bred dogs. I'm not giving anything away here, but if it's about dogs I'm going to read it. I'm thinking about it right now and wondering what Edgar is going to do about his suspicions of Claude. I'll have to wait until my housecleaning is done to treat myself to more chapters. I'm on page 300 right now and I'll think about it while I'm vacuuming and dusting. The book? A bestseller called "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski. It's even on Oprah's Book Club list.

An Ancient

When this was first described to me I thought it was an ammonite. After this phone pic was sent to me I'm not so sure. It is a complete specimen but doesn't join like an ammonite and looks a little like it has a head and tail. My son said he can see little scales when he looks closely. Some kind of fish without fins? A sea slug? I'm going to have to do some investigating on the Internet and see if I can find out what it might be or might have been. Texas has so much limestone and lots of these sea creatures everywhere you look. I have a few ammonites found when digging the foundation of my house and the kids have found trilobyte looking things and a piece that looks very much like a razor clam near here. This piece is a mystery to me. It is approximately 16" in diameter and about 4 to 5 inches thick. I haven't seen the bottom, I wonder if it had legs? Well, anyway it will be at my house sometime this week and I'll get a good look.

Two new friends visited my yard this week. One gives me an idea of what very large prehistoric creatures must have looked like and the other a colorful, almost unreal looking lizard that I have never seen before.

China Exposed

Now that the Olympics are being played in Beijing, I fondly recall my trip to China. It was in 2000 and the Chinese were already beginning the long process of making the city presentable
for large crowds of foreigners. Men in white shirts, ties, dark trousers and dress shoes were digging in the heat to open ditches for footings for new bridges and highways. Everyone worked for the government and only a handful of people were allowed to own their own businesses.


The Forbidden City is right across the street from Tiananmen Square where some of the reporters have been broadcassting to the U. S. You can't see it in this picture but to the right and down about 3/4 of the way is a Starbucks.


This is is one of our group marching in the opposite
direction from the patroling soldiers in Tianamen
Square. We were not allowed to look at or approach the soldiers.















The marble boat you see on the left was built by the "Dragon Lady" who was Empress for a short time. The story goes that she spent all the money allotted to the army on frivolous things and when her advisors asked for ships she built this marble boat. This boat is permanently located in the lake adjacent to the Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing (then known as Peking).














This is what we called a Chinese Harley with
trailer and the one on the right is a two seater
Chinese Harley.


We visited Beijing first, then Xian, took the
Yangtze River Cruise down the river just before
they finished the dam which flooded many, many old villages causing those people to find other places to live. We went down the Li River and ate lunch on the boat after which 95% of the people got deathly ill. I took peanut butter and crackers having been warned ahead of time that the dishes that were 'sterlized' in the unplugged dish sterlizer had been washed first in the Li River. We finished the trip in Shanghai where we saw lovely gardens and rockeries.

All Living Things

As I was on my way to the pharmacy I happened to glance to the side of my car and there was a rabbit, listening, but not a moving millimeter. I decided to sit and see how long he stayed there. He and I both sat for about 15 minutes without moving although the sun worked it's way around the tree beside him. I don't know if the grass in his mouth was for dinner or to soften the sides of his/or maybe her hutch. Just beyond him/ her is a garden just filled with lettuce that it has never touched.

I drove into the parking lot of the pharmacy and happened to look up and saw the "Sparrow Apartments" complete with playground. I was so glad to see sparrows instead of the usual "gang" of grackles that I had to take a photo. Who knows how long we will have these little birds with all the construction going on, new malls and houses being built and highways cutting through the countryside. Almost all of the song birds that I had in my yard within the last seven years have disappeared and been overtaken by huge crows, starlings and an occasional blue jay.

These little sparrows looked so happy just to be gazing out looking things over instead of shouting and arguing with each other like the grackles.

Memorium

As our American Memorial Day weekend comes to a close, I remember all the members of my extended family who fought in wars, both overseas and within our own country.

My Dad emmigrated from Ireland in 1908 when he was 17 years old. His sister had already immigrated to the U. S. earlier and she became his sponsor. She lived in Springfield, MA and therefore, he settled in Springfield. In those days, the government offered citizenship to anyone who joined the Army and fought in a war. He joined the Army just before World War I started and served in France. He survived without physical injury, came home and was sworn in as a citizen in 1918. He did suffer from Post Traumatic Syndrome, a mild case, which made him retreat to his home suffering with anxiety. It was rare during my childhood to be taken anywhere except to visit relatives in Springfield or his cousins in Hartford. This picture was taken around 1919.

Long before the World War I, my mother's great grandfather served in the Civil War, was wounded and got a pension from the government. His family had been here since the early 1700's and he felt it his duty to fight for his country. He died in his 40's and his wife remarried and had twelve children by her second husband. I remember going to visit the descendents of this second family, my distant cousins in Waterbury, CT where my great great grandmother eventually settled. My mother was descended from his first family.

My brother served in the Army during the Korean conflict but was stationed near home at a Nike installaton because my father had had a heart attack and my brother got a dispensation to stay near. My brother's picture shown here was taken in 1983.

My late husband also served in the Korean Conflict from 1950 to 1954 but chose to join the Marines. He came home unharmed long before we eventually met in 1957. His family was Czech and had years before become citizens when his grandmother and grandfather immigrated to the U. S. Here we are on our wedding day on October 26, 1957.

In consideration of these loyal citizens,my family, I would like to ask a question of our government. What is wrong with giving the illegal aliens a chance to become legitimate citizens by requiring them to serve in our armed forces for a period of time? I believe this was done in World War II as well, before the draft was put into place. Doesn't Israel required that both men and women serve in the armed forces? What a great opportunity to increase our armed forces as well as give the people who want to come to the U. S. and take advantage of our way of life, to give back to the country that has given them so much. Our country deserves their loyalty and in exchange they get to have the honor of becoming citizens who revere our American flag.

My family is gone now but I will never forget their part in making our county free.

The King

Several weeks ago I posted pictures of the turkey harem that runs through my yard daily. We haven't seen the King for a long time but today he came by all by himself. No harem around. Maybe he was looking for the 'lost' girls.