Post Thanksgiving "Chili'

Yes, we still have leftover turkey.  I doubt I will eat anymore.  I usually eat it until it's gone.  Turkey sandwiches are a favorite.  This time for some reason I didn't eat as much and it is not as appealing.  I may make some chili today or tomorrow.  Have to check with 'K' to see what she has in her plans.  Once she hears I want to cook her plans are put aside with no argument lol.  Just checked with her, she is good with chili.  I will try a new recipe mix I got at the store.  While I really like my own mix, I haven't been able to make it taste exactly like I want it, and 'K' thinks it's too hot, even my dumbed down 'yankee' version.  So I bought a mix I had seen advertised.  My recipe is for 6lbs of beef, this one makes it easy for just 2lbs.  I always have to adjust mine to a smaller batch since there is just the two of us.  This should be much easier.  And NO, there are never beans in my chili, or tomatoes for that matter.  I'm a traditionalist.  Once beans are added, it is no longer chili.  It is then chili AND beans.  Pretty simple but it seems hard for those that like beans in their's to understand that and they will argue endlessly that it is chili.  Call it whatever you want, it's NOT chili when you add beans, it just became a casserole.  There are entire books written about chili that attest to this.  *grin*

I started my Christmas shopping Friday.  I finished in about 2 minutes.  I shop entirely online.  If I can't find it online they won't get it.  I don't actually 'shop.'  I always have a list and I just buy items from it.  I never browse items.  That is when you get in trouble spending too much.  Now when I add an item to the list I do compare and research reviews.  Not sure that is shopping.  If it is, I can live with that.  I have shopped like this for the last 15 years or more.  The thought of going to a brick and mortar store and looking for the item I need and 'fighting' the craziness of crowds has never been an attraction for me.  Even when I did that in the past, I always knew what I was going for, get it and get out.  I suppose most men are that way.  

'K' in decorating mode for the holidays.  'We' are in our third day of decorating. Not all day but parts of 3.  Oh she does a great job and I really like what she does.  But there is sooo much stuff for decorating.  We have multiple plastic totes full of Christmas decorations, not to mention the totes for Fall.  (there are only two of those I think).  They take up so much room.  I have a small storage shed that at least a third of it is totes of decorations stacked to the roof.  There are at least 8 totes of Christmas decorations.  She doesn't use them all.  It is stuff collected over the years and inherited.  I put her on notice that we need to get rid of most of it this year.  While it's up, she can see what she uses and look over the rest and discard the unused.  Who do you think will win that battle.  I hold out hope of at least getting rid of some.  Wish me luck.

Happy Trails

Turkey Day Preps

We are prepping for Turkey Day.  I have a 14lb turkey smoking right now.  So I am tied up with that for about the next 6 hours.  I am having to the nurse the fire more since I am low on charcoal and will need to use oak.  This makes it a little harder to regulate the temps.  I will also try to do some touch up painting in between tending the fire.  

Our get together will be a smaller than the usual get together this year.  Son #1 and his family are enjoying a vacation in my happy place in Colorado.  I think it's wrong that he didn't invite me.  So his Christmas is going to stink this year.  My Mom has opted to stay in.  Not sure why other than she looks for reasons not to go anywhere much anymore and the china flu just adds to that.  

Christmas will also be messed up as Son #2 and his family will head to the In-laws in Arizona.  I can't complain about this, as his in-laws have come here many more times than they have been there.  There are Great Grandparents there also that won't ever see them unless they come out there.  They have only been back once since he stole his wife from them.  That was so they could see the new baby.  She is the only Great Grandchild for all of the Great Grands on that side of the family.  Consequently we will delay our main Christmas get together until they return.  We will go over to Son #1's on Christmas day to watch the kids do their thing.  I assume they will feed me at some point.

No progress on any new dog yet.  The one I had my eye on, another Australian Shepherd, isn't going to work out.  He has some major health problems that may not allow him to be adopted out.  We will keep our options open but I have reduced my active searching.  At our age, an Aussie may just be too active for us.  

We have also been talking about looking into a camper RV.  This probably would require us to trade in our newer SUV.  It really isn't made to pull anything.  A truck and trailer seems to be closer in budget too compared to a self contained RV.  Even camper vans are surprisingly expensive.  But we are just talking and realistically it will stay that way.

Y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving a happy trails.

Uplifting

 I find this very encouraging and up lifting.  I hope you do too.

1 Peter 1: 3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Happy Trails

Encouraging

 This!

Late Monday Post...Again

Yes, I'm late posting again.  I just crawled down from the roof.  I was painting the chimney finally.  I will have to go back up again tomorrow to finish it off, the trim.  I had planned on doing that earlier in the week.  But things got tangled up with a can of paint that was the wrong color.  When they show you the color they have come up with to match what you brought them, look in the can to see how it compares and not just the little dab they place next to your sample.  It looked great on the small sample.  Got it home and opened it, no way.  Not even close.  We have a dark rustic red trim, what they mixed for me was decidedly purple tint.  Got that straightened out Monday after them trying multiple times.  

Tuesday was my regular 6 month checkup for my diabetes.  My numbers were much better than I expected.  So I immediately went out and bought me some of those flaming hot Cheetos.  I crave those things but they jack up my blood sugars.  It was a smallish bag and I only eat a handful at a time.  It was a one time treat.  It was either those of the flaming hot Fritos.  I love those things.

I get on Twitter and follow a lot of conservative folks.  I get a lot of information there in short bits.  However I am getting a little aggravated with some of those people and their constant tweets about the election fraud and how some new information they have is a bombshell or what one of The Presidents lawyers says, 'they are going to release the Kracken.'  Everything assures the reader that there is enough fraud to overturn the election.  This has been going on ever since the election.  Nothing has come of it yet.  Not even a hint.  They need to PUT UP OR SHUT UP!  They aren't any better than the democrats doing that crap.

Put in a generic application with an Aussie rescue.  Saw one they took in we are interested in.  It may be several months before he is ready to go to his furever home, but I want it in ahead of time so we don't miss out again as we have on 3 others.  

OK, I need lunch.

Happy Trails

Spectacular Weather Again

The weather here is just near perfect if there is such a thing.  It is cool and dry and sunny.  It was supposed to be in the upper 30's this morning.  Fortunately they were wrong again and we had a low of 48* and it is warming up nicely.  I will head out shortly for our morning walk.  If I don't get this posted now I won't get it in at all most likely.  

With the weather so good I am obliged to work on the paint job some more.  I want to get the trim finished on the side where we have been painting.  I am not sure I can get it all done today.  I have to be much more careful with the trim as it is an entirely different color, and any slip ups will show really bad and require touch ups.  I hate having to do touch ups.  One touch up always leads to more touch ups it seems.  Yes, I am pretty sloppy with paint, especially on a ladder.  Even more so now that my body isn't working as well as it used to.  

Good news it that the daughter-in-law that was exposed to the china flu at school tested negative.  But she still has to stay home quarantined before letting her back to work.  That just tells me those tests aren't reliable.  So we are also on a self imposed quarantine due to having the baby last week.  Oh well, nothing really changes for us.  

I am still holding out hope, but real news and updates are few and anything I do see/hear I don't know that I can trust for the most part.  However, I am at peace within myself.  Faith is a powerful thing.

Happy Trails

Paint and Idiot Parents

I have only been able to paint on part of one day this week so far.  But in that time I managed to get the section I started mostly finished.  Still need to caulk some bad spots on the trim and then paint the trim.  Then I will move on to the other sections.  Namely the chimney first.  It looks the worst since it is discolored by something I will try to scrub off.  The rest of this week has been very humid and misty for the first part of the day.  Everything is wet.  Once the weather gets back to drier conditions I will start again.  Plus having the Granddaughter here slowed things anyway.  

As for the Granddaughter being here, it was not on the radar.  Her Mom is a teacher at a charter school.  She found out one of her students was sick, fever etc.  His older brother told his teacher that he was sick and his parents told him to go to school and don't tell anyone.  I know this happens all the time, but right now with this china flu that is just wrong.  We went and got the baby so she could avoid possibly being exposed.  As it turns out the kid tested negative.  I don't know if my daughter-in-law was tested but we took the baby home last night.  She was a great distraction for us with all this craziness going on.  The mother of the child called my daughter-in-law and was very apologetic.  What a d*&%$!  

As I was typing this I found out that my daughter-in-law has been exposed to a coworker with the kung flu and is being sent home.  She is on her way to get tested.  I don't know if we get the baby back yet or not.  Just trying to keep her safe as possible.

Happy Trails

When Do We Start?

I'm new to this so please forgive me.  I have been waiting since last Wednesday on word of when we do what the left does when they don't get their way in elections or most anything these days?  But alas I have not had any contact with those that organize these things or gotten a list of places.  Target seems a natural.  See what I did there?  Walmart?  Best Buy?  The loser of the last election encouraged her followers telling them to 'resist.'  They did just that and it has gotten worse every year since then.  Even now they are still upset that President Trump has not conceded.  There is nothing anywhere that says this is something that must be done.  It has been done out of courtesy.  How can 'those' people not see how evil they are in comparison? 

The media has gotten even worse with their hatred of the President.  Instead of looking into all the many accusations and video evidence all over the www they say that the President's claim of voter irregularities are false and there is no evidence.  In the past, the media would take on the investigation of any claims of wrong doing and bring it to light, with the slightest of evidence.  Not any more if it implicates the left.  

I fear what may be coming.  11 million people will get amnesty.  How do you think they will vote?  The borders will become more porous.  Oh, you say they won't have the right to vote since they aren't citizens, I laugh in your face.  

I have resolved to go on as best I can and only worry about what I can control in my on little world.  I am getting to old to get too worked up at this point in my life and keep my sanity.  I do worry about the world my children and grandchildren will have to live in after I am gone if not before.  

Does it sound like I have given up?  I don't mean it to, I hold out hope.  I am doing what I can to support efforts to make sure the results are right.  

I pray often, Lord come quickly. 

Are You Surprised?

I didn't get much sleep last night.  Went to bed at midnight thinking the President would be reelected only to find the lefties were hard at work.   Got up at 4 and everything had turned.  But, seriously, I never imagined this election would go any other way.  I knew it would be controversial one way or another.  I knew there would be accusations of vote tampering.  What I did not expect was for it to be so obvious and blatant.  I thought the lefties were more sneaky than that.  They obviously have lost all pretense of being above board and have no respect for our election process or the American people.  They don't give damn(sorry but I can't think of a better word) at all what anyone thinks.  They have the media behind them to influence and spin it.  They knew this all along.  Specifically in regard to the states that suspended counting votes when it appeared Trump was running away with the vote in those states.  The media never went with that.  Now that the count has resumed, they suddenly find 200K votes, all for Biden.  How does that work?  It doesn't.  There is no way I will ever believe that is remotely possible.  It's a blatant lie and theft of the election.  We have become a Banana Republic.  

Update on the rescue dog.  We called the Humane society to check if we could come visit him again.  They informed us that his family came forward and claimed him.  That is just great.  We are certainly happy for him and his family.  We could tell he was a special pup.  We are a little bit disappointed, but that disappointment is tempered by the fact he is where he belongs.  

The painting is ongoing.  We only last about 3 hours straight before we call it.  The job is requiring more paint than previous times.  The siding was in much worse shape than I realized.  It is soaking up the paint like crazy.  I obviously put it off too long.  Maybe 3-4 years.  But surgeries etc prevented anything like painting outside.  Consequently we haven't made as much progress as I had expected.  Plus we will need much more paint than we anticipated.  One good thing is that we have hit the worst places and the rest isn't in as bad a shape.  The other is that I still have the most difficult spots to hit to finish the side of the house we started.  Up high near the peak of the roof.  I would guess about 18'.  So I have to use a single tall ladder to reach those spots while holding a bucket of paint.  

I think today will be a day off from painting.  I was anxious to take advantage of the great weather and get as much done as possible.  But my back gets stove up and I have to stop.  And the Granddaughter is coming to stay a day or two.  That is the perfect reason to stay off a ladder.

Tell me your thoughts on the election. 

Happy Trails

Interesting Week Ahead

A very interesting and exciting week coming up.  What happens tomorrow will determine just exactly what type of excitement.  I saw one poll that 85% of Americans expect violence the night of the election.  That is very sad.  Unfortunately that is how far our great country has fallen.  I have to go out today and make sure our vehicles are full of gas in case we need to hunker down.  Prayers are constant for our country.

On the other hand, we hope to start painting today.  'K' will help so that should make it go a lot quicker than just me as all the previous times.  We hope the weather holds.

We also headed over to New Braunfels last week.  We took a look at a dog we may rescue.  Yes, I know.  I am conflicted.  But I look on the internet pretty regular for Aussies that may need rescuing or any other dog that may impress me.  The Humane Society there has taken in a Mini/Toy Aussie.  So we went over to see if we would click.  Due to him being a stray hold we couldn't interact but could visit through the gate.  The moment I saw his reaction to us I was all in and then I looked at 'K.'  The tears in her eyes told me everything I needed to know.  He seemed very glad to see us and his wiggle butt was working overtime and he had  a lot to say.  They take him to the vet Thursday for neutering, microchip and shots.  He will then be taken off the stray hold if no one claims him.  Our application is in, but they tell us there is a lot of interest in him.  So we don't know if we would get him until some faceless person approves our application.  'K' is already picking out names.  I hope she is not disappointed.  

Stay Safe and Vote if you haven't already.

Happy Trails