Good morning guys,

Maggie got me up at 0600 wanting out and by the time I got her back in Monty wanted out. By the time I got them both back in bed with Dawn I was wide awake and just stayed up.

No big plans for this week. Dawn has a preventative imaging appointment tomorrow but all reports are that the major roads are already clear and dry so she shouldn't have an issue getting there.

Justin, Blaire, and Keegan are traveling to Dubuque, IA this coming weekend for a Hockey Tournament there for Keegan's team. Right now I'm not seeing any major new weather fronts that would threaten their plans. Gabe's team has 3 games this coming weekend and I will be staying at his house and getting him to his games. It's just easier for me to stay at their house with him because all his stuff is there, and their dogs (3) and Gabe's Bearded Dragon need to be taken care of.

Hope everyone has a great day! 😃

 

Yep, you're a transplant, just like me, and you're right, you don't forget. However, that doesn't mean you enjoy it, I sure as hell don't! The older I get, the more I hate the cold! I'm getting soft and "Grumpy" . . . well maybe I've always been grumpy! 🤣

 

no much to do about nothing

 

Very cold for here this morning - I think ~15°F. Windchill said 5°F.

I should have plugged in the diesel tractor block heater last night (doh) - I plugged it in this morning directly after the telephone call I received from my dentist office...."Uh, Hello Mr. Norm..." Yep, totally spaced on my dental cleaning appointment @ 8am. That sent me into a frizzy for several minutes. They squeezed me in for tomorrow morning @ 9am. I have three Post-It notes in the kitchen as a reminder for tomorrow morning.

Stayed up far too late & finished For Your Eyes Only. I'm not sure I've previously seen every single Bond film (26?) but I've viewed the greater majority at least once & several two or three times, at least all the high profile films. I enjoyed Roger Moore in The Saint, but he's my least favorite in the Bond films.

My Hyacinths were already popping out of the ground w/ flowers, tulip leaves were sprouting from their bulbs & my Hydrangeas were all beginning to set when this weather came upon us. It will be interesting to see if any of them survived these bitter temperatures. Camellias have been blooming about one week. You can't kill Camellias (it seems) - they love these cold winter days, at least the varieties I have planted.

Mike - Which role you want - Walter Matthau or Jack Lemmon?

 

I'm not 100% why I plugged in the block heater other than to save wear & tear during start cycle(s). After all, I did replace all eight glow plugs (both banks) last year which you'll recall took me a couple days. Anyways, I have plenty of food but I'd rather make a pot of soup today. I'm thinking something along the lines of a chicken wild rice soup recipe but using those big fat pasta noodles instead of the wild rice (which isn't a rice to begin with) - it's a marsh grass. Oh yeah, I need to walk down to my 93 yr. old widow neighbor's house & bring her trash bin onto her back porch. I just refilled both of my room humidifiers.

 

Norm - That's damn cold for your neck of the woods! Dohhhh, on the dental appointment, very nice of them to squeeze you back in so soon! You're a good man Charlie Brown to get the widow ladie's trash can in for her!

Our trash was supposed to be picked up yesterday and it wasn't. Dawn saw online they decided they aren't going to provide any service this week and it will not be picked up until next Monday! Lazy MF'ers! I guess I'll just have to deduct a week's service from my next trash bill!

 

I'm finally getting around to head down to my widow neighbor. The PT for sciatica takes me ~30 minutes each morning. Now, to face the day.

 

I have to chuckle when I read how 4 degrees is "brutal". We went below ZERO last Thursday and didn't get back above ZERO til Sunday afternoon. Overnight low temps Thursday and Friday night were -21. Saturday and Sunday night was -14 or -15.

I used to work some "outdoor" jobs during winter until about 4 years ago. One contractor had a standing policy of shutting down work if it would reach -10 during the shift. If the next day was going to be -10, work was cancelled. The work consisted of erecting machinery and working atop power plant cooling towers 40 feet above ground. Pulling and replacing 18 foot diameter, 8 blade fans and 3.000 pound gear boxes.

If you aren't dragging snow with the undercarriage of a 4 wheel drive, it isn't time you have to shovel or blow snow.
.......Just my two cents worth.

 

Ralph - You are 100% correct, 4°F is not brutal. My cousins in Wisconsin, and a nephew in St. Paul, MN all experienced same as you described between -20°F to -25°F (not windchill) since middle of last week for several days - that is brutal. That job you had reminds me of the several times I experienced true frostbite on my fingertips growing up - horrendously painful experience(s). I had an odd-job several times as I finished H.S. (1970) plowing snow w/ a K5 Blazer - got stuck a couple times from the undercarriage dragging through snow. Awfully thankful I don't reside in those conditions any longer & I can bear witness to what you describe.

 

Mom's parents (ten children) lost their farm during the Great Depression. Only source of heat were wood burning stoves. Mom & her youngest sister would put clay bricks & stones on the wood-burning stove(s) at night. Her brothers would climb into bed and they'd wrap those bricks & rocks in their blankets at their feet to remain warm enough to fall asleep. Likely nothing different than most upper Midwest families experienced I'm sure. Pretty sure I've told this story before & likely not dissimilar to many stories most on this thread have heard from their own families through the ages.

Rounded up ingredients for chicken w/ noodles soup at the grocery store. Normally, I'd boil/simmer down making my own broth, but the day has already gotten long & I'd like to move forward - not sure why, I have a ton of food in the house. Maybe because it seems like the thing to do when it's cold outdoors? So, I bought frozen chicken breasts & I'll use Wyler's chicken bouillon for the broth. Ventured into Walmart today to gather other sundry items e.g. paper towels, Kleenex, razor blades (stupid expensive), etc. Walmart has the strangest handicap parking areas. It's looks like a nightmare attempting to manage those parking spots.

Time to prep soup ingredients: yellow sweet onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, baby Bella mushrooms, fresh Rosemary (which I grow so that's a no brainer), baby spinach leaves, Bay leaves, yadda, yadda.

 

1/2 - Can of SPAM diced and browned, then cooked with 9 eggs scrambled. Blueberry Bagel smothered in butter. Ultra-Protein dinner! 👍 You might be amazed at how much more flavorful and tasty it is with SPAM instead of Ham!

 

Dang Chris - You're a growing boy!

 

I hope it turns out well Norm, it sure sounds good! 👍

 

Chris - Thanks, me too. This particular soup recipe is a new one for me. I've made enough to feed the Salvation Army. I intend to take a big container down to my 93 yr. old widow either tonight or tomorrow - depending on how it turns out (of course).

 

What's really amazing is I've still been able to keep all the weight off I lost when I had the stomach problem, and a few pounds more, 157lbs today. Really happy to be back into my workout regimen after the Rona.

 

That's nice, I'm sure you'll nail it! Let me clarify, I'm speaking of the soup, not the widow!

 

Over the years I've found the key ingredient to fresh homemade (from scratch) soup (of any type) is to grind fresh peppercorns. Nothing overwhelming, just enough to make it "pop" so as not to mask the amalgamation of core ingredients. Picture forthcoming.

 

 

Lookin good Norm! With those extra large noodles you've got me itchin to make some Chicken n Dumplings!

 

I like those style noodles in hearty soups. While I picked them out this morning I actually had the thought of chicken-n-dumplings.

 

Great minds!

 

Dug more snow. I will probably go to the plant on Thurs. We will see if my 2WD on a 4WD chassis Tacoma drags pumpkin down the drive to see if my situation meets Ralph's cutoff.

So far this event, I have made chicken manicotti (fair), chicken casserole (pretty good but I should not food processor the chicken), meatloaf (wonderful), and pot roast (good, but too much liquid). Pizza tomorrow, then the lasagna will have to be put on hold until I eat some leftovers. I typically cook entrees for 4-8 when I cook, so I am only cooking 25% or less of the time at home and thaw out and reheat a previously packaged portion. I have started to put two servings in a container for better volume and less use of containers, so I just eat it twice within a couple days.

The chicken in the manicotti needs the processor, but the chicken in the casserole does not.

 

Fully agree. Speaking of storage containers. Those are next on my list of items I need to replace/upgrade - many have met their useful life while some have vanished. I too make enough to portion out containers for freezing. It's seldom I care to eat the same food item(s) more than two days in a row.

 

I've made chicken & dumplings before & love it. Mom made it on occasions. Pretty simple to make dumplings - the hardest part is making a good soup or stew. Making a bouillon (bone) broth is more or less an art form. I've been known to slow (crock) cook bones for 16-24 hours until I can literally squeeze the bones into a mush. I don't use the mush, I strain it through a cloth but the liquid end result is an exquisite taste.

 

Looks like you guys are all great cooks! Great to have sumpin' stewin' in a pot on a cold winter day! Chris, I also love SPAM, in fact I will have some today with a couple eggs. I always have 2 eggs and a meat in the morning. I opened a can of spam yesterday, sliced 1/2 of it and fried up w/eggs- sometimes scrambled-sometimes fried. I found a cheaper store brand of "pork luncheon" meat at Walmart(or maybe Meijer) next to spam. Seems the same to me but a little more than 1/2 the price. For supposedly being a poverty meat it sure is pricey. Spam is like liver and onions- or braunswaiger, you either love it or hate it. Most people i talk to hate it.

 

Good morning everyone.

Light years warmer than yesterday, it was 30 when I left the house this morning, not 14. I think my computer here at work is having a stroke. It says it's 39 and sunny. I can tell you there's no sun out at 630 in the morning, and I doubt very seriously that it's 39 out. Maybe it's giving me the weather for Europe.

I will say that I don't like Spam, but the last time I had it I was a child. My dad loved Spam and Mom would make it for him once in a while. It smelled funny and of course we kids didn't want anything to do with it. Probably the name was most of it. If I had some today I probably wouldn't find it objectionable.

Things are a bit slow to start, but I don't mind. I was slow to start this morning as well. Tiger slept all night long so that was nice.

Okay have a great day everyone.

 

Call my widow neighbor shortly, drop off some soup for her then off to get my pearly whites cleaned.

 

[QUOTE=Koda;1667594]
So far this event, I have made chicken manicotti (fair), chicken casserole (pretty good but I should not food processor the chicken), meatloaf (wonderful), and pot roast (good, but too much liquid). Pizza tomorrow, then the lasagna will have to be put on hold until I eat some leftovers.
[QUOTE]


John - All your food sounds delicious! I'd love to be there for your homemade Pizza today! 👍

 

Greg - SPAM is a weird canned meat to me? I do not like the taste or texture of it straight out of the can, but I sure do like it fried! I also saw an off brand on the shelf next to the SPAM in the grocery store, but I didn't want to risk ruining my meal. I'll probably try the off brand some day.

 

Mike - My Dad was a decent cook and cooked dinner in our household most nights because he was usually home from work several hours before my Mom. Dad loved fried SPAM sandwiches on toasted bread, so we had it fairly regularly. I know both my brother and I liked it, I can't remember about my sister? I'd bet she didn't like it, she was a picky eater.

 

Good morning guys,

Warmer here this morning too, I think it may even get above freezing today, and the sun is out right now.

Dawn will be off to her imaging appointment here soon, she shouldn't be gone more than about an hour and a half.

I'll have some fun this afternoon going across the street to my neighbor friend John's house to show him some of the video footage of Gabe that I downloaded. John is a big hockey fan and his grandson Teagan is an Elite level player here locally playing for the St. Louis Jr. Blues. The St. Louis Jr. Blues are a Jr. (<21-yrs old) team directly associated with the NHL St. Louis Blues and they play in the highest league of Jr. Hockey, playing in games all across the United States. Teagan is 20 and in his last year of eligibility for that team, but has 3 or 4 collegiate scholarship offers to continue playing. I've been wanting to take Gabe and Keegan to go watch him play, but logistically we haven't been able to make it happen yet, usually because the boys have games on the same days (Fri - Sun) that John's grandson does.

Hope everyone has a great day! 😃

 

Too cold to do much but preparing for spring. John did dealer is s 50 minutes away
stocked up on gator tractor and mower filters and oil

 

Jim - Nice to be prepared before the time comes! I'm glad you posted this! I knew for sure I already had 5 Qts of new oil for my 4-4-2 in the Spring, but wasn't sure if I already had another WIX 51049 filter in my supplies? I don't, so I'll be getting online to order a couple soon.

 

I'm not a big fan of the food product Spam, perhaps because I blew chunks couple times during basic training along w/ those miserable cans of tuna. I've had it since then & while I can't say I'm out of favor w/ the stuff, it simply has limited appeal for me. I like a pork chop &/or sausage &/or bacon w/ breakfast. Eh, to each their own.

I just changed oil & filters on the JD ZTR last fall - I'm good there. I'll likely change oil in the F250 diesel tractor as soon as spring arrives. Hell, I might get around to changing out the starter in the Indian this spring - a job I haven't forgotten.

Ventured into Wally World this morning after having the pearly whites cleaned. Purchased 15-20 various sizes of Rubbermaid storage containers, several new spatulas, a new manual can opener, new pizza cutter & a new Hamilton Beach two-slice toaster. Looking forward to chowing down some soup this afternoon. Hard to build up an appetite when I'm doing nothing more than sitting on my **** as an arm-chair nerd.

 

Norm - Sounds like you had a productive morning. 👍 Always kind of fun to purchase some new household gadgets. 😃

 

Chris - I'm generally the type person who'd prefer to shop for these items at one of the larger department stores you can only find in the BIG CITIES. They'll suffice.

 

You mean BIG CITIES like Arnold or Festus right?

 

More like Crystal City...

 

Jim, my Ventrac dealer is on the way to the Toyota Kentucky plant, so I will go for fluids here in a few weeks on a business trip. I may order a bush hawg equivalent.

 

Yes. That's raising the level or your game.