Tweet
The vintage YouTube finds where you unearth a gem are the best, aren’t they?
What I love most about this Maria Callas performance from Tosca is that mid-way through her aria, her pitch falters on two successive notes. You can see her look as she hears it, and immediately begins a correction in the piece to overcome the evening’s strain or to minimize the pitch issue by cutting off one of the notes a bit abruptly.
Would that every bump in the road, public or private, were managed so swiftly, eh?
It seems like life is coming at all of us like a runaway freight train. And sometimes, it’s good to take a moment to stop and savor the good, even where it’s tainted with a little off-key notes along the way. My husband is fond of quoting "Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.", something of which I am guilty more often than I ought to be. And I thought this video was a good example of how even the loftiest diva has a tough day now and then…and still manages to keep her tiara on straight.
Thought we could do with a little gratitude, some compassion, and a heap of conversation this morning.
So, no topic other than let’s keep it light and friendly today so we can all enjoy the morning and each other’s company for a little while and take a breather. I get the feeling that a whole lot of us could use it. And if you have any other music or reading or recipe or…whatever makes you happy at the moment…recommendations to share, do let us know.
Especially if it’s something that’s made you laugh. We could do with a lot more of that, couldn’t we? Pour another cuppa. Pull up a chair…
184 Comments
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
yes, laughs please!
Good morning Christy et al
g’mornin m’dear, and to all firedogs!
would that we could
I particularly enjoyed the masterful way that Stephen Colbert took on Tony Perkins last week.
The man has a gift.
coffee’s ready – hold out your cups!
“Whatever makes [me] happy at the moment” is that we will be leaving shortly for a long trip to Estes Park CO and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Yay!!!
See you all in about a week or so . . .
I’ll have mine with light & friendly, thanks!
…and hold out your plates too.
I am grateful for Scotty for telling the truth…
ooh, ooh, what a good thing to look forward to! Envy.
Morning all — coffee’s hot here, and The Peanut and I are building a model of a fish — with plastic guts and everything! (Oooooh, science is cool, and we’re starting early. I think we may be lucky and got ourselves a nerdy girlie. Boo yah!)
Morning Christy -and all,
here’s my kitteh making fun of me this morning:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/…..da-mornin/
Yes, but is he willing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? There’s a question worth asking under oath….
[holds out plate]
Good morning Christy, pups!
I’m happy that my first year at the new job is winding down. It’s been great—not much to complain about—but also exhausting. I’m looking forward to some down time and trying to figure out how to get the firedogs together in person.
She wouldn’t be a diva if she couldn’t improvise even on those little mistakes. *grin* Still a joy to hear, even this early in the morning before i take off for work.
Origa–Diva
She is a diva of a different sort. *grin* Lives and records in japan, grew up in russia. Sings in several languages including her native one, english, japanese, italian, etc. the way most formally trained singers are. This is one thing that does make me happy, and revel in these kinds of voices.
Here’s some solo acoustic Duane.
Easy Apple Bread is coming out of the oven to go with that coffee:
Combine: I pkg. yellow cake mix, 3 beaten eggs and 1 can apple pie filling. Mix well.
In a separate bowl combine: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 cup margarine until crumbly.
Spoon cake mixture into 2 greased bread pans. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Makes 2 9×5 loaves.
What you pups don’t eat, I will take to our new member class at church this a.m.
Good morning CHS. And may you have a wonderful day.
Jeeze thanks for the Tosca tears this morning!!!
Just a beautiful day here. The tide is in the birds are in full voice. The Celtics won.
Making pumpernickel bread today, the absolute favourite (for the moment) of my lovely wife. I seem to have adapted a recipe from the The Bread Makers Apprentice so that I can produce very passable imitation of Westphalian in just four days!!!! Of course one needs the sourdough starter already going strong. If anyone wants it I will put it up a little later as I have to go and water the garden now.
chocolate?
Old Coastie, aren’t you up kinda early? Nice to see you.
A cracking sermon would do it no doubt.
well, eg – you are up early too! ;-)
how’s things?
I’m thinking of 4th of July weekend. And chocolate can/will certainly be included. Longwood Gardens has a fountains/fireworks and music program planned for the occasion.
Will be on vacation. No preaching zone.
I think I’ve finally replicated the Sass Sesame Garlic dressing. Makes a good marinade, too.
1/2 C Olive, Veg or Grapeseed Oil
2 TB Sesame Oil
1/3 C Vinegar
2 TB Tamari
2 TB Tahini
2 Lg Toes Garlic
Throw it all in the food processor and whirl. A blender would probably work, too. Or mince the garlic and just shake in a jar.
All quiet on the newsfront so far today. RSS feed seems to be in remission.
The quiet before the storm at the DNC meeting.
For those on macs looking for a good RSS reader, Newsfire is now free. I love it.
Oh RevDeb, the fountain shows are lots of fun — the music, the colors, the summer evening with friends and Longwood!
And Fourth of July? premium!
love the lily pads!
Ooooh — that sounds yummy. I sense a salad in my future this afternoon…
Cheney said that McCain is going to win. That Obama is in his last throes.
Glad you enjoyed the Tosca…
want to come down and stay over? We’re only 15 minutes from there.
Yes, and he’s always so honest that we should just go with anything that comes out of his mouth, eh? hehehehehehe
we’ll email, ok?
Good morning everyone.
I was at my niece’s high school graduation last night, was very inspired by the words that were said both by the priest during the sermon, and the valedictorian in her address. She challenged to her fellow graduates about doing things differently politically, that the human cost should the deciding factor,not economic profit challenged them to take action about genocide, wars in the name of religion and women’s rights.
Very inspiring words.
and his track record for prognostication is excellent.
admonished to talk nice and about pleasant things, the past few weeks I have learned to knit. I figure I will need something to keep me calm during the fall election season and for goodness sake on Election night.
This has led to the discovery of lots of knitting blogs which are mostly humorous and informative. about to finish very first project and then start on something with a “real” pattern.
Good for her. Hopeful words and liberal thought. Great combo.
yup. Maybe we can gather a bunch of folk. I think it would be a fun fun night.
MM?
Nice thought Christy.
Helps me stay off=line today….heh….
There’s also a “Knitting Liberally” group that meets in a lot of places. I did a PUAC on them in the not too distant past…
there will be fireworks.
indeed. Maybe a few others too. Lets take it off line.
You must have been so proud.
Congratulations to your niece!
Things are good. Have been trying to take care of myself a little better without feeling guilty about it. As big sister, mother, and someone working in charity, my whole life has been focused on the needs of others. It is surprisingly hard to pull back a little from that.
You know Christy, I went back and looked at that, and I think that maybe that is where I got this idea from, cause I certainly read that. So THANKS!!
I hope people enjoy this.
Enjoy the day folks. Off to volunteer and then a trip to an iris garden in the forcasted thunder storms.
Good morning, pups. It’s Collins, Blow and Herbert in the NYT. La Collins writes about “What George Forgot,” and says that even now, Scott McClellan still appears to have trouble with the critical concept that deeds matter more than words. Mr. Blow says “Farewell, Fair Weather,” and that with a surge in weather-related disasters and attendant costs, we need to declare a coordinated war on climate change. Mr. Herbert writes about “Coming Late to the Table.” He says the war in Iraq is a scandal and a crime, and that Scott McClellan is a little late to be blowing the whistle on this outrage.
http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/
The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready for the other late risers, and I’ve got lemon poppyseed muffins this morning. I was counting on Hoover, the new gray kitteh, to be my alarm clock this morning but he slept in too, instead of nagging me to let him out to play in the garden. I guess even kittens need extra sleep some days! Have a great Saturday.
yes, the “taking care of myself” is something I’m trying to learn these days… VeryOldMother has been needing quite a bit more these last 6 months. With working full time, “yes” often seems easier than “no” most of the time… but it’s wearing me down…
otoh, 9 more days of school – summer will certainly be easier.
do you give lessons?
The Guardian has a good piece on Colbert. Nice to see him getting attention across the “pond.”
Good morning, Pups. Beautiful music, Christy!
Thanks, Beth — Tosca has always been one of my faves, and it unfortunately seems to get overlooked. But the emotional anguish in it is really wrenching, and worth a listen…especially on a broody day. *g*
Herewith Pumpernickel bread recipe:
Adapted from The Bakers Apprentice Page 246
Day one:
Take 7oz of sourdough starter out of fridge, let sit for an hour or so add 1C whole Rye (Pumpernickel grind) and 3/4C water (room temp, NOT TAP WATER) and 1 tblsp (or less) fresh lemon juice
Mix until flour hydrated, leave for 4 hours or so until bubbles, put in fridge ovrnight.
Day 2. Take out of fridge let rise for about 4 hours until bubbles (should smell like staleish beer at this point) put in fridge over night.
(**Day 3 can be a repeat of day 2 which will make the bread more sour)
Day 3 or Day4 (the fun starts) Take out of fridge about an hour or so (not less) then add 9 oz (2C) bread flour, 2 TBL dark brown sugar, 1 Tblsp good cocoa powdr, 2 tsp salt, 1&3/4 tsp instant yeast, 1C wheat or pumpernickel bread crumbs, 2Tbls Cannola oil, 1Tblsp molasses, 1/4 left over coffee (Not water). You may have to adjust flour/coffee depending on humidity.
Sift dry ingedients into mixer bowl add starter and the rest of the ingredients. Adjust flour and coffee to get dough into a ball (not tacky) Knead for about six mins or so but not too long as Rye flour does not like it.
Put in oiled bowl, rise for 2 to 4 hours until doubled. Take out very carefully so as not to deflate dough. Cut into two pieces. Make two boules (balls) without deflating too much and let rise on sheet pan for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 with steam pan in it. Put in bread on the sheet pan, put 1c boiling water into steam pan, after 30 sec spray walls of oven with water, repeat twice more. Reduce heat to 400 put timer to 25 mins. Test for doneness (hollow sound or 205 degrees in centre) Let rest for about an hour on grying rack. Is best served with honey maple ham on cream cheese or whatever.
The Bread Maker’s Apprentice was a present from my wonderful wife who enjoys the fruits of the gift as much as I.
Definitely the best bread book I have. His other book is great too.
I’m late to the FDL and whole ‘liberal’ party. (Not that I was a conservative . . . I’ve been pretty much oblivious most of my life.) Thought I’d share one of my attempts at “green” . . . use of fabric totes to bypass plastic bags that are engorging our landfills and roadways.
It took three attempts before I actually remembered to take my new, reusable totes with me into the grocery store. (They say a habit is a hard thing to learn!) On the day I successfully entered the store, along with my pride at this ‘green’ activity, I found that MY habit was not the only one to be changed. Before I emptied my cart of groceries, I proudly placed my bags on the platform. When my cart was emptied, I looked down to the bagging area and found it contained numbers of white plastic bags . . . and my reusable bags? They had been neatly BAGGED and placed in my cart!
Second attempt . . . clerk asked me, on my way out the door, if the ‘bag’ was mine. (I was in a drug store, and using a recyclable grocery-store labeled bag! DUH!)
G’morning, everyone. The sun is finally shining here and the wind has abated. Just noticed that the goldfinches have emptied my office window feeder. Again. I swear those little darlins need an avian Overeaters Anonymous group! *g* David is in the depths of chemo week so we will be sticking close to home. Which means spending more time on the porch rocking chairs, surveying the gardens. And listening to classical music, which is our ear candy. Anyone see “Master Class,” a one-woman show about Maria Callas? Powerful!
Good Morning everyone. I’m barely here anymore. Family difficulties (nothing serious) are taking up all my free time. Not only am I missing FDL but my house is a mess, I am in serious need of a visit to my hairdresser, and Mr.Solai thinks I left him.
Mostly, I miss FDL (sshhh).
Absolutely. I have made all the breads in the book and have changed a number to our liking. The rich man’s brioche is purely decadent and made into french toast is beyond belief.
Sorry it’s a chemo week — those can really suck in terms of sapping the energy right out of you. Poor David. Do they have him on a good anti-nausea something? That can make a world of difference if they can find one that is a good fit and doesn’t make you either so drowsy or so loopy that you become non-functional.
So sorry you all are going through this — but it does have the effect of sharpening your awareness of every tiny, good thing around you. And that can be a blessing in gardening season especially. Enjoy those goldfinches (they are pigs here, too…).
Good to see you. Hugs on the family troubles…here’s hoping the sort themselves out soon. Get someone to come in and do a one-time housecleaning for you, have your hubby supervise while you are at the hairdressers. *G* (Why yes, that would be a lovely miracle, wouldn’t it?)
I guess it depends where you live. When I was living in Kentucky for a year in 2000-2001 the local Kroger store would take 10 cents off your bill if you brought your own bag(s). They don’t reduce your bill here, but at least they know what to do with the reusable bags!
Sure, if by lessons you mean make egregious mistakes, look up in bewilderment, and try to learn from them.
One thing that is working so far is to imagine I am my own sister or mother or child. Am I taking care of this person [me]? Not so easy to justify neglecting the needs of another person. Hey whatever works.
Living in a new place has been a useful focus for getting my act together on health and nutrition. And am trying to look better as a new entrant to the singles market — skin, hair, shape — and getting some good feedback :)
I miss my Upstate NY partner, too.;)
Best bread cookbook I own is Mel London’s “Bread Winner’s Cookbook.” It’s a paperback that’s out of print from the 1980s, but you can still find used copies in decent shape. I picked mine up in a hole-in-the-wall antique store near Blackwater Falls, WV, and I love it.
This one’s a little strange, but – I’m grateful that my son is gonna ship out for the army next week.
I’ve never mentioned it here before, but he got caught in a pretty serious drug possession arrest. Luckily, his dad was able to catch it fast and get to the prosecutor with a proposed deal before any charges were even officially filed. So technically he *has* to go the army, but it’s something he’s wanted to do since he was about 12, so it all works out well.
He blew the intelligence tests away, and has a real sweetheart of a deal waiting for him which should lay a wonderful groundwork for the rest of his future. He’ll have to do ten full months of training, after basic, because the area he’s going into is pretty specialized.
And he won’t be getting shot at. Dad’s happy.
Cinnamon Rolls are great too. But the basic breads are the best, and his way of sticking it in the fridge to delay the yeast works great.
Good morning everyone. It’s warm and humid in my part of Upstate New York; we had some rain last night and it continues to spot on and off. Supposedly we will have thunder storms later. I just got back from the county landfill where I met up with my daughter and SIL(I should have brought coffee and muffins just in case).
Good to have a Dad that’s well-versed in how to navigate things, isn’t it? So glad things have turned around for him. Here’s hoping he stays safe and happy.
Something to definitely smile about. Good that you were close enough by that you could actually help him out.
What I’m seeing out my window this morning:
[earlier] the mist rising off the water as the sun came up over the pines across the lake. A pair of loons swimming by, then coming back and making a sharp left turn to paddle to the middle where a third loon adult joined them. Swimming in a tight circle for a while, with occasional head dunkings to feed.
Now back to savor your comments — g’morning’, pups.
Now that that’s out of the way, on to – music!!
Ray Charles’ Night Time is The Right Time, as performed by….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvGdfOfLFw
I love this clip.
Funny story! Thanks. I have the same problem (remembering my cloth bags).
Did y’all get the net story making the rounds? Supposedly true. Seems the teller of the story is in the grocery checkout line is purchasing a 50-pound bag of dog food.
Woman in line behind her said, “Oh, do you have a dog?” Nearby shoppers chuckled.
Story teller who is buying food for her dog says she doesn’t know what came over her, but she said, “No, no. I’ve decided to get back on the South Beach dog food diet.”
“No kidding? How does that work?”
“Well, I just carry dog food in my pockets every where I go and each time I feel hungry, I just munch on it.” More chuckles.
“Wow. Did it work?”
“Yes, I lost 50 pounds.”
“Holy cow! That’s amazing! But you said you’re getting back on the diet. Did you have to quit? Did it make you sick?”
“No, nothing like that. One day I was chasing a beautiful golden retriever into the street and I was hit by a car. Well, have a good day.”
Yummy, a perfect lake potluck offering. Thank you!
So glad things have turned around for him.
Thank you. They really have. After a real bad couple of years, he’s himself again, happy and fun to be with. I got my son back. Now I just gotta practice keeping my stuff together before I actually send him out the door….
Yeah, I had to re-train myself to remember the reusable grocery bags, too. Now, the first thing I do after putting the groceries away is to start the new list with BAGS! in large letters at the top of the page. It’s worked so far.
Anyone here have any luck making spaghetti squash? I have not had any luck in the past, but I got one last night and was wondering..
I grabbed this from the comments at Gothamist about Cheney’s visit to NYC. Cheney said that McCain would win and that it was not accident that there have been no attacks since 9/11.
McCain can’t lose with Bush and Cheney campaigning for him. A few more Repugs from Congress on his side and he’s totally going to win.
A grandkid story:
Last week, I had my six year old grandson and 4 year old granddaughter in the backseat of the car. They are cousins, and love to play together, but fight. I was trying to explain the importance of sharing to the four year old and had talked quite a while, when my grandson took over. He went into a somewhat sanctimonious lecture, a kind of studious and advanced vocabulary, about how she would have no friends when she went to school, if she didn’t learn to share, etc. After a bit of his talking, I noticed that she was whispering what sounded like nonsensinsical phrases. He stopped talking to listen. After a couple of seconds, he said, angrily, “She’s not listening to a damned thing I’m saying.”
I’m going to watch one of his T-ball games. They’re funny with these little bitty kids. Have a nice weekend, all.
The only way the whole cloth bag works for us is that we keep them in the car. We have a ‘keep ‘em cold’ bag too – so once we bring in the groceries and put them away, someone runs back out to throw them in the car.
Christy and nomolos and GeorgeSimian,
Don’t know if that bread cookbook has a recipe for this but if it does (and some folks might check bakerys in their areas for this – I’ve found it in some rather unusual locales) try Salt Rising Bread. It has a sourdough consistency but a very unique and sharp taste. Makes a wonderful toast. I grew up on it in Kentucky but have found it in Alabama and far western NY (Jamestown area).
For the geeky Dr. Who watchers in the audience, Atrios unearthed a gem…
Yeah, but since I don’t always take the same vehicle I had to come up with another plan. If my wife or teenager are home, I borrow a car so I don’t have to fire up my big truck. It’s a diesel so it gets better mileage than a gas engine, but I still minimize trips in it when I can.
Thanks, Christy. Lots of good anti-nausea meds (Emend is a comparatively new kid on the block), though insurance won’t pay for some of them. Grrrr. Worst part for David is the total, bottom-scraping fatigue. He was a marathoner, and says that during this phase, he feels for days at a time as though he has just crossed the finish line after running 26 miles.
All that said, life is basically good. We are way more focused on the small, lovely details. And guess what? There are lots of those! And we’ve discovered the essential goodness (especially when we let go of the perfect thing — thanks for that, Christy!!!) of people. And I gotta tell you that FDL is a real haven. What an amazing community you’ve started! D’ya think the Repugs get together on Saturday mornings to reflect on bread and birds and such (crap! a perfect alliteration bit the dust!)?
(((FDLers)))
I know a little girl (9yrs) who’s having a bad time right now. Wanted to get her a little gift so I bought her a WebKinz. Anyone familiar with them? I gather they’re all the rage right now.
fwiw, MSNBC has started its coverage of the DNC meeting in D.C.
I’m focusing on my irises this morning. For some reason, my peonies are sort of poopy this spring, but the irises are just coming out in bunches this week.
I tried to make my own yeast a few weeks ago. It didn’t work out. I might try again some day because I like the idea of it, but it takes a few days and then to find out it didn’t work, that sucks.
(((Barbara and David)))
(((jayt and son)))
(((Quaker Girl)))
(((everyone)))
DNC, DNC . . . Do Not Cave?
And just for the hell of it, here’s a little Doug Kershaw
Our peonies are pretty pathetic, too. What’s up with that?
My eleven year old has six, and she’s way behind her friends. Cute animals and it gives the kids a safe web site to play around on.
Church new member class? Good for you. New things and especially new group activities can be a good way of “re-inventing” yourself. Leastways, that’s what I found.
My family has just started going to a new church…a month now. We joined the choir and I’m really enjoying it. The greatest thing is that there is a youth group that my son is enjoying.
Last night we went down to the church because they are putting together a new directory – ah, timing and all that. We had our family portrait taken and although we had vowed ahead of time to each other that we were Not going to order anything – the individual shot of sonnyboy turned out So Well, we did order one. It’ll be perfect for me to use in making a James’ Culmination from Middle School notice — in 3 weeks — for family and friends. I love it when things work out well.
Yay!!!!
My understanding of Salt Rising is that it doesn’t use yeast so you might check it out.
Amen.
I did look at it. It doesn’t use commecial yeast. What you are doing is, essentially, capturing natural yeast (which is bacteria) in the air and breeding it in a flour mixture until there’s enough to make some bread with.
hey, Demi – nice when things work out – yea!
are the ants missing?
hell yeah!
That’s what I hear. Hopefully it will brighten her day. Her mothers ill right now and my little friend seems lost w/o mommy. She follows her 10yr old brother around like he might give her that sense of security and normalcy that she’s missing.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t inherit the baking gene so I’m not real strong on the ins and outs of the process (only the frying and roasting gene came down and embedded themselves for me).
I am so ridiculously glad to hear that I am not the only person who forgets her cloth grocery bags. I have them, I believe in them, I want to use them, and 25% of the time, I forget them.
Also for the geeks among us, Shadow Unit. It’s a rather amazing collaborative web-only fiction project, by some excellent sf writers. Structured as if it’s a TV show (or, as the writers say, fanfic for a show that doesn’t exist), it’s kind of a cross between X-files and Criminal Minds. All of “Season One” is available, except for the last installment of the novel-length “season finale”, which comes online tonight.
Hey there OC!!! How ya doin’ g’friend? May I call you that?
Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,
let’s see, Callas and Skydog ? oh yeah, I’m definitely home
(((barbara and david))) (((Quakergirl))) ((jayt and son))
and oh my gawd dakine01 – the original Ragin’ Cajun – yeah momma, that’s what I’m talking a-bout !
Best solution so far, and I have NO affiliation with this company is http://www.chicobag.com –they fold into themselves and look like a tiny balloon and come in great colors and they have a carabiner type hook for hanging on purses or belts. When I whip them out I get lots of WOWs at the stores and craft fair places. PLUS very washable. I gave lots away as Christmas gifts.
is there a microwave gene? Maybe I’m just a natural…
here’s a break from the battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..re=related
Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong do My Funny Valentine. I was trying to find the Kim Novak version from the movie Pal Joey. Instead I found all sorts of other versions.
Apple Cranberry Muffins
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large granny smith apple cut into cubes. Leave peel on apple.
1 cup fresh or frozed cranberries (clue don’t use sweet dried like crasins, not good)
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon in bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk eggs, then pour in sugar and whisk until eggs pale in color. Whisk in the oil and vanilla.
Gradually add dry ingredients until just a little flour is visible.
Add apple and cranberries.
Put in buttered large muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes until nice and brown. Makes 6 large muffins.
I freeze extra cranberries when they are fresh in season in the fall so I have cranberries year around. Frozen is just as good as fresh.
I’m eating one right now. Yummmm!
I wanted to share, about a couple of weeks ago, I went outside to get the newspaper and there were about 6 White Ibis in the front yard, very pretty and as long as I gave them about 30 feet of space they did not fly away.
Pssst. You folks are terrific. Thought someone should tell you that!
lol. We must share some of the same DNA.
Christy,
Just want to thank you for the Christmas Cinnamon Bun recipe! It has become a family favorite. My granddaughters especially love it for the next morning when they sleep over.
Okay. Time to go eat some of that yummy dog food. rrrrrrrufffff! (wags ample tail) Toodles!
g’friend? of course!
things are going… hanging on until the last day of school and ready to sing (real loud), “SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMA!”
See….this is what I’m talking about. When anyone in my family asks me to make oven-baked cinnamon buns they mean the kind in the can that you seperate and pop in the oven.
Any magic fans? Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IwcBADkz3w
And no, I don’t want to know how he did it.
Good morning to the Lake.
(((everyone)))
My favorite recipe is a beer and whiskey “caramel” baked ham, called Colorado Coors Baked Ham, but if you live in Colorado, you don’t really DRINK Coors, nor do you cook with it. Here, it’s referred to as “Rocky Mountain Elk P**s”.
Morning! I was looking over at the LA Times and saw this editorial from yesterday:
I will be interested in seeing photos of our Teddy’s nuptials sometime soon.
It’s the best for Christmas morning — we can pop it in the oven while coffee is brewing and get right to the presents. *g* I bet it’s good for sleepovers, too…
They’re sub par, are they? Then you have subpeonas.
[Note to the moderator, yes it’s spelled subpoena]
I always thought it was deer piss.
Warm thoughts to you and your husband, Barbara.
ahem. I’ve been waiting for someone to make a play on that word.
lol
no,
it’s elk.
Stronger, and more of it and all. Deer are such gentle animals. That just doesn’t follow. it’s elk.
:)
I’ll type out the recipe if anyone wants it.
too damn hot, how about some fruit tacos ?
chop up your favorite fruits, chill in fridge
use a simple macaroon recipe
but instead of “dropping or spooning” on to baking sheet, ya smash ‘em in to flat rounds (trim if you so desire)
once out of the oven let them cool to where they are still warm (careful)and still soft, you fold them up in to the taco shape
fill with chilled fruits (optional drizzle of fave yogurt – mine is Key Lime) and top with some toasted coconut
-
btw, if anyone has any good housebreaking tips for large, rambunctious puppies who cannot seem to fix in their minds that “inside” the house is not where you go, but “outside” is, let me know. We are doing crate training at the moment with Lucky the lucky stray, and he’s just not getting it very quickly. He’s great about not going in his crate — which is a good first step — but that does not extend to any other area of the house, and I’m having dog mom guilt about keeping him crated so much, even though I know that’s how you do the training. SIGH He’s sleeping away at the moment, after going out for a romp in the yard.
How long does it usually take them to catch on at 4-5 months (give or take, since we don’t know his exact age)? It’s been so long since we’ve had a puppy in the house, I don’t remember…
here is secret blue cheese dressing recipe, you didn’t get it from me:
1 C mayonnaise
2 C finely chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 C finely chopped parsley
1/2 C sour cream
1 T lemon juice
1 T white vinegar
1/4 C crumbled blue cheese
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
directions call for chicken wings and celery.
AmericaBlog is reporting from the DNC meeting. Notes that Jane and Marcy are there. Is FDL still fundraising for the Convention? Off to donate. (I still am hoping someone goes to the Repub convention too).
BTW, I’ll apologize in advance to the hosts for the tiny donation. Checking account having a mini-crisis.
I got into the habit by making myself put down the groceries or park the cart, and go back to the car to get the tote bags.
Then I started putting bread bags and the plastic vegetable bags into the tote, so I can reuse them several times. Every little bit helps.
Ah, a new generation of DFH’s. Good thing. I need a break.
Good luck with that Christy, hope you have better success than I did. We have 2, a boy and a girl. The girl is about 13 and anytime she goes, Sprinkle brigade is right behind her. It’s especially annoying in the middle of the night. The best advice I could give is don’t leave the water down. Give them set times when they need to drink followed by a going out. They’ll figure it out.
when he’s out of the crate, are you keeping him confined to a small area? Try gating off the kitchen and just giving him a little space at a time.
Thanks much — we got credentialed for the convention officially this week, and will be getting details to everyone as we get them from the DNC. Donations are, as always, very much appreciated — it’s going to cost us an arm and a leg to go, as I’m sure you can imagine, but we think it’s worth it to get on the spot coverage rather than relying on sketchy media reports. And there are a lot of folks we are hoping to corner for an interview. (If there are folks you’d like to hear from, let us know…we’re always willing to consider add-ons to the ever-growing “wish list.”)
THANK YOU thank you thank you. I have them, I bought them, some were given to me, and I CANNOT remember to bring them in the store!
I’ll bet this works!
sheeeesh.
I’m so old to be making all these new changes.
hehe
Howard Dean makes a great speech – blasts the media – editorial crucifixions expected sometime tomorrow I would think…
he used the word “Restore” referring to taking our country back!
THANK GOD!
gotta watch him like a hawk, Redd – figure out his “pattern” (waking up from a nap, after excited playtime, after eating, etc.)… and try to not allow “mistakes”… figure he can hold it about 1 hour for each month of age.
how long does it take? depends on the dog… my boy picked up on it amazingly fast (3/4 months), the girl was a little slower… ok at 4.5 months but not rock solid until about 7 months…
also, the “enzyme” cleaner, “Nature’s Miracle” removes all remnants of any smell so they don’t keep going back to the same spot…
crate training is a very good gift – don’t feel bad – if they are getting plenty of interaction and plenty of exercise, it’s OK.
Hey those chicobags look pretty cool. Maybe I’ll try one. Need to cut way down on the plastic everything.
You know, I’ve been giving him the run of the house and I bet that’s part of the problem because it’s so much bigger than his little crate space. Will try the kitchen idea — that’s a really good one.
We’ve moved his crate into my office/sunroom because he was having separation anxiety any time he was away from my sight — but so long as he can see me, he’s mostly content to hang out in his crate for a bit until we go outside again. We’ve been playing a lot of fetch to try and burn off a bit of energy today — it’s been raining, and going for a long walk just isn’t in the cards, I’m afraid. But the kitchen would be a good intermediate area that’s small enough to feel cozy. Thanks for the idea!
I have to keep mine in the truck. Richard’s Whole Foods gives them away. Big ones. They’re made from tires. Musta used a lotta bleach on them tires. Used to hang them on the back door and would get to the store and they’d still be hangin’ on the door. If they’d been a snake…
Brunch breakfast – don’t panic when you see all the ingredients because it makes a BIG 9×13 cake pan full of yummy dish so when you divide it up, mostly you are getting 1/12 of the ingredients…
Eggs Bravado
1 Dozen eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pint cottage cheese
1 pound cheddar cheese – shredded
1/2 cup oil or butter
2 – 4 oz cans chopped green chilies
In my kitchenaide mixer, I add all the ingredients. Use my salad shooter to shred the cheese. Mix together and pour into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
Bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes – make sure it is set like a pumpkin pie and golden on top….. Serve with your favorite salsa and English muffins.
Yummmm
For a smaller batch, just cut in half.
Breakfast in my house:
Bread
Toaster
Butter
Knock yourself out.
I love puppies, but I hope I never have another one. They’re only slightly less trouble than babies. (I don’t want any more of those either!)
yep – you were right – we must share the same DNA. Just substitute “bagel”, and I’m right there with ya.
lol!
I REALLY LIKE THAT!
and doing it that way, guests get to fully partake of the host/hostess’s bubbly personality in the mornings cause they’re not slaving in the kitchen!
i bet your house is so fun in the am!
lol!
today….. bagel… butter and coffee…. and my favorite beagle buddy sitting right next to me…..
We go out every 45 minutes to an hour or so — immediately after he gets out of his crate — and he’s great about going while outside. And if he goes, he gets a treat and we play some fetch with his fave squeaky toy or a tennis ball, which he loves. So I’m trying to do lots of positive reinforcement. I guess I’m just feeling mean about the crate time…I’m such a frigging softie when it comes to animals. We need to think about some obedience training for him as the next step, he’s too big not to learn good manners. But I think it may be a little early yet for that…should check around here and see what our local Humane Society recommends. Normally, I’d have researched on this quite a bit before we ever got a dog — but this one dropped into our driveway out of the blue and I’ve been scrambling to relearn on puppies since our other dog is 11 and a half, and it’s been a long time since we dealt with this stage. *G*
Another thing you might try on the outdoors side, Christy: lead him to his personal zone right after letting him out of crate/out of doors… praise lavishly, keep leading him to his outdoor zone. Praise for positive.
Here is Mark Fiore hitting it out of the park with another great animated cartoon on Bush and McBush:
Pretty Good Generation
‘morning all….. normally not here this early…. i think it’d be nice to hear from just regular folk at the convention… we alwways get the bigshots view….
breakfast you say…. whats that? lol
Okay, we’re watching the MSNBC live feed of the DNC Rules & Bylaws Debate and the Mister is already grumbling and swearing and I just said Honey, it’s going to be a Looooong day, please don’t get upset this early. Knock it off or I’m going to change the channel to cartoons! Ha! (See how mean I can be?)
I’m going focus on the recipes and dog tips here.
I will not get upset on Saturday morning.
Stomping foot, I won’t, I won’t. :)
I think we’ll be having leftover pizza from last night for breakfast.
Guaranteed to please, easy to make, will wow your friends:
Southwest Corn Fritatta
Christy: my addition to the wish list is an interview with Bob Graham. He was one of the very few, consistent voices against the war, and as Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee was in a position to see the real stuff. I’m still puzzled by his rapid change, in that time frame, from Presidential Candidate to retiring from the Senate completely. He needs to be asked about just what kind of pressure was put on him in the private briefings on pre-war intelligence and on the warrantless wiretapping program. Something tells me he was “convinced” to quietly exit the picture and I wonder if he’s ready to provide some context for us.
lol
hi demi.
that’s some funny stuff!
mr cbl sends mad props to mr reddhedd –
I can’t imagine why *g*
EW’s got a great liveblog starting up for the rools… s for me, I’m headin’ to the garden shop and a day of plantin’ with my kinda tools….
Christy, what dog breed[s] are you dealing with? That can make a real diff. Some are much easier trained than others, and your Humane Society or teh google can likely advise you.
I talked to someone who will be a WV delegate at the convention when I went down to see the Bill Clinton front porch rally during our primary. And I’m hoping to spend a bit of time with our delegation and talk with them about how they got there and such. We don’t have a lot of the logistical info yet on how our access will be handled from the convention folks, so it’s tough to make any real plans until we know what restrictions may or may not be in place on what we can or cannot do. But we are trying to think ahead where we can — and will adjust as we need to do.
Agree that the regular folks are often the most interesting — and don’t get nearly the discussion that they ought to get. I do think the state blog access may help with that quite a bit this year, but we’ll have to see how that works. There’s been such a kerfuffle on how those were selected (picking a Politico blogger, for instance, as one of the NY blogs — wtf?!? — and several other issues that Pam Spaulding and Matt Stoller, among others, have done great coverage on the last few weeks. A lot of that happened while I was on vacation, so I’ve been catching up on it since I’ve been back…but I still think folks having more access may turn out to be a good thing. I just hope we actually get the access we hope for in the end. If not, we’ll find some way to report on what needs to be said in some other way, I suppose. *g*
Best dog training advice books:
“How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend” and
“The Art of Raising a Puppy”
both by The Monks of New Skete
(and if you’re ever in upstate New York, you can visit their monastery. It’s in a beautiful spot near the VT border.
I crate trained my beagle (today is her birthday and she is 14 today) when a pup and am glad over the years that I did.
When I needed to “lock her up” for various reasons such as work being done on the house such as new carpet installed and all doors open….. she uses it as her refuge and sleeps there every night….. when we did our road trips, the “house” went with us. She would settle right down in a new place either in the car or visiting in her house. I got her a big crate, probably sized for a lot larger dog and now rarely put the door on it.
And she is very clingy when I travel….. I have a couple of those foam round beds around the house….. one in the family room and one in my home office so that she can hang out with me……but in her own place
We think he’s a mix of yellow lab and husky, but we don’t know for certain — just based on how he looks. He was dumped off, as far as we can tell, and just sort of showed up in our driveway wet and starving and pitiful. And now, he’s huge and a real cutie…but he’s a ball of energy and still fairly young, around 4 months, we think, just based on teeth and size when we found him and such.
Christy – You wanted funny this am?
How bout you threaten the dog with for every ooops puddle you find, it’s a half hour of the crate in front of the tv with Barney on.! That should do it.
btw, Marcy and Jane are liveblogging a bit from the DNC meeting — Marcy’s been involved a bit in the MI dust-up this morning. Thought folks might want to take a peek…
puppy kindergarten is a fun, easy way to get off on the right foot – not too obediencey… good support for all the puppy problems… limiting area is the best suggestion yet – keeping the pup out of trouble in the first place makes for a much better puppy… (crate in the office is lovely).
sounds like you are doing fine – Little Mr. Puppy will adapt nicely to whatever limits you impose…. remember, a tired dog is a good dog.
;-)
The Raw Story
Funny things? This guy (all 15 pounds) just jumped up onto the dining room table and cleared it. Right out of a movie. Up on one end, off on the other. Voila! Clean table. Maybe I’ll pick it all up sometime today.
Awwwwww, what a cutie. He has that “climb up the center of the Christmas tree” ornery look about him… *g*
Christy -
too friggin’ soft on animals
years ago I almost flunked obedience school because I wouldn’t use the choke chain on our border collie pup -
but. . .but, it’ll choke him !
reproving looks from instructor and entire class – long about my sixth skinned knee I finally gave it a little yank – man oh man what a difference in my darling boy
yup – crate training is the same way except that it gives a dog a secure “home” everywhere s/he goes… makes for a confident dog…
Just back from watering the garden, finished just in time before it started to rain.
Thanks for the book tips GS and CHS will try and find them. Salt rising bread will be started within the hour!!!!
And now to check out
Custer’sClinton’s last stand.Ptah is a devil. Way too big to climb Xmas trees. Not an ounce of fat on him. Lean meowing machine. When he walks by the recliner the top 6-8 inches of his tail are above the armrest. And just a lover and cuddler.
Now that is one tough (but cuddly) looking cat
I had a pup for a time that was a sheltie or collie mix (about knee high with the markings but clearly not full blood). Somewhere I found a double strand choke collar for her and it worked great. It spread the pressure so that she got the effect without my feeling like the collar was going to embed itself
that is one gorgeous tiger !
looks like the young stray tom we have begun to feed. this is the little guy both mr cbl and I were secretly feeding without telling the other
and if any of you firedogs know how to speak cat, kindly translate this so I can post it at both doors
I too said I did not want another dog. What did I know. The kids gave their Dad a black lab puppy for Christmas. What was I to do? Throw him out? But I got payback, hubby had to set clock every night and take puppy out to do his business, for several months.
There is life after puppy rearing. Our 2/1/2 year old lab was crate trained, but after a point in time I just got tired of having a big old crate in the house, so I bought a big thick dog pad bed and put it where the crate used to be. He now looks at this as his home and will immediately go to bed there when commanded to do so.
It works especially good at night when hubby gets out a small dog biscuit and puts a dab of peanut butter on it. No command is needed at this time. As a matter of fact you better clear the way. He will run over you getting to the bed, where he stays until the next morning.
I think there are signs like that in my neighborhood. There are three fairly new kittens a queen has hidden on the other side of the fence on a vacant property. We’re trying to figure out how to catch them in a few weeks. Cutest little fur balls. We’ve got two queens we’ve not been able to catch and spay. Human and trap wise, they are. I love a challenge. The lady next door feeds them all. Loves each and every one. Fun watching them stalk the great blue heron who visits.
Looks like a leaner, shorter haired version of my DerBoof. Who has already mananged this morning to knock over the large tumber of sprouting spearmint in the kitchen windowsill and pull the curtains down in the foyer.
Little pleasure reading time lately, but do manage a canto or two and commentaries from Commedia (Divine Comedy) most days.
I think a lot of people stop with the very entertaining Inferno. Better to keep going, as Purgatorio has many wonderful insights and some passages of truly glorious poetry. Dante on the distinction between the pride that is necessary to strive toward excellence, versus the pride that cuts us off from our fellows, and on the precise nature of the problem with envy (invidia) have set me thinking.
Canto X(46–52), the climbers up Mount Purgatory reach a ledge whose wall is brilliant white marble carved with exquisite bas-relief. As Dante contemplates one beautiful but (admittedly) rather conventional image in adoration, Virgil tells him:
I can tell when the train is about to make a run through the place. There’s a certain pitch and length of meow he makes just before the eyes become the size of saucers aaaaannnnnd he’s off. I heard the meow and then the sound of stuff hitting the floor in the other room. Oh, well…
Christy, for me, these “Pull up a Chair” threads add something to the Web that you can’t get anywhere else. Thanks so much. And thanks to the Firepups.
I don’t see or hear the pitch/expression issue you speak of; it is a great performance. I hear a lot of portamento, which is normal for this time. Occasionally, two thirds of the way through, some of her long notes drift slightly from the pitch of the orchestra during the messe di voce, but nothing unusual, and she typically sings through these lines, which is what yo should do, rather than making an obvious change. You can also hear some enharmonicity in the treble orchestra parts and the loud notes of the voice, when the sound tests the limits of the microphones, but that is just the microphones being slightly overloaded.
Good Morning folks (in Saturday world, where morning is a state of mind); Christy thank you for that Callas clip, beautiful. And for this weekly Saturday morning space, which I rarely get to on Saturday actual morning, but catch later, and read to hear everyone’s voices and interests and stories.
Funny that your husband speaks so much of the perfect being the enemy of the good, as that has been my mantra of late. Particularly out in my vegetable garden, where I’ve been working a great deal lately, getting everything in – digging beds one by one and wrestling with mighty rocks. Where do they come from? Every year this garden is rototilled, every year I go through this exercise, and every year, the great ones return. When I pit myself againt the rock with gritted teeth then I know I’ve got the wrong approach. Some rocks come and some prefer to stay. I now more readily recognize which is which and understand that a garden with some big rocks is still a good garden.
One season of gardening in Vermont teaches you why there are so many stone walls here. Also gives huge respect for the labor of early inhabitants of this region – who did everything by hand.
It’s been so hot and dry here in TX…Last evening, I stuck a sprinkler up in the branches of an oak tree, and the cardinals came flocking, because it sounds like rain on the leaves…taking showers and rubbing themselves on the leaves..also, a cute little hummingbird hovered under the shower and then went and sat on the fence and pruned its tiny feathers…so cute.