Morning Christy,

I’ve heard nothing but great reviews for “Up.” Everyone I know who saw it, loved it

Bon Voyage to you and the Peanut.

I brought my 11 year old to “Drag Me to Hell” and I’m not telling you where I live so you can’t call Child Protection Services. He loved it. It was very entertaining.

Good morning Christy.

No new movies or songs or recipes, but did listen to a heart-warming book.

I’ll take in Up this coming week. Thanks for the recommendation.

ooo that sounds like a really good one. Will keep my eye out for it.

A friend just gave me The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher -or- Murder at Road Hill House” Supposed to be a classic whodunnit and “unputdownable.” I’m excited to read it.

OK, coffee’s gone, so I’m off.

I’ve been doing a tree planting project for the last 3 or 4 springs, but the size of trees I buy makes it expensive. I spent a couple of hours on the Arbor Day website last night. Their trees are much less expensive, but of course, much smaller, and will take longer to look good. If I go that route, I’ll have to fence them in against the deer and other critters. But it might be worthwhile for my remaining sites. I’m gonna go out & do a walk around & assess my options.

G’Morning Christy & Other Dogs
I haven’t gone to the movies for ages. Maybe I’ll go see UP.
Steven Colbert had Yusef (Cat Stevens) on last week and he sang I song I fell for…

Roadsinger came to town, long cape and hat,
People stood and stared then closed their doors, as he passed,
He strolled the empty street, kids banged on tin cans,
Then the panting dogs began to bark, as the Roadsinger sang

Where do you go, where do you go,
When hearts are closed,
When a friend becomes a stranger,
Nobody wants to know

Where do you go, where do you go,
When the world turns dark,
And the light of truth is blown out,
And the roads are blocked

He stopped by a stall, between the barrels and sacks,
A child’s face peeped out and gave a smile, and ran back,
Behind a misty glass, on a windowpane,
A little finger drew a perfect heart, and a name

Yes, my wife and I took three of our granddaughters to see “Up” this week. You’re right about the movie, those Pixar folks are really, really bright. I’ll always retain memoiries of the dark theater, my little platinum-haired four-year- old, wearing 3-D glasses, gazing up speechless throughout the movie.

Also, it brought back my own memory of the beautiful colors and artwork of Disney movies back in the dark ages whien I was a child.

Top ‘o the morning to you Christy and Pups.

It’s beautiful, but cool here the last few days. I suspect the home gardeners are having a challenging time trying to get their warm-weather plants up and going. If we had to pick a year not to plant, this was a good one. But I feel sorry for all the newbies trying to grow their own veggies for the 1st time. It’s just not going to be a peppers and eggplant year.

We are delighted to hear of your upsoming “just us” vacation with Peanut. Have a wonderful time! ;->

The book was written in 03, and he stopped dancing several years before that. However, I have a good friend in Houston who saw him dance in his prime, and she said he really was spectacular. I picked up the book at the library, as I do most of my audio books, as I wouldn’t have thought to choose it. As with many of those books, serendipity is a good thing. I also am a great ballet fan, so I knew whereof he spoke. It’s an amazing story.

Good morning folks. I hope you and the Peanut have a great time. Nothing but misery in my life of late.

oh, how much property are you talking about?

I’m going to have to take an excursion up north, you sound like you live in a dream place. :)

Do not tease? You’ve GOT to be kidding!

What if a concern-troll shows up? Please oh please momma. Just a little? After all, they’re not “each other” to us. Huh? huh?

Morning all — had a bit of a sleep-in this morning. It’s been a little crazy at Chez Smith this week, and it was my turn for some extra sleep…and, believe me, I’ve earned it. *G*

Hatdude! I thought you had that bad tooth taken out, so that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
I made some pretty swell gumbo last night that would probably make you smile, just a little. Want some?

Have a great momma and daughter trip. Maybe I’m being exposed to a biased sample, but the happiness of children going around with their here in Paris has got to be seen to be believed. Happy kids. It makes my day every time I see one.

So sorry — if I were there, I’d make you tea and let you vent awhile. Hugs.

Come sit by me and let’s have a cry. I broke a tooth and my new crown puts my trip to Colorado in jeopardy.

Hi demi and MM!

Funny thing. I found some long-lost gumbo as my honey and I were frantically transferring frozen stuff so we only use one freezer. Um. I don’t remember making the stuff. That tells you how old it is. Lucky our freezers are stolid troopers so we can trust it. All I know is, it’s got to have had tomatoes, okra, peppers & onions in it. But I’ll bet it’s rather free-form, sigh.
I need a good gumbo recipe. demi?? *g*

Good morning, Christy. I’m still trying to see the new Star Trek.

We’ve got a day planned in the garden today. We’ll be weed-eating, pruning and doing some digging, and I need to get going. I hope you and all pups have a good day!

Hi, hi.
I started with chicken broth, chicken breast cut up, sausages, then added (yep, you got it) peppers, okra, stewed tomatoes, green onions and then rice at the end.
I never use recipes though, I just fake it.
PS, sonny and I always call the frozen green stuff Okra Winfrey.

Hey Ellie. Any chance you can just go with a temp., and have the permanent one put in when you get back from your trip?

Who’s mistress of your universe? Your dentist or you?! There must be a way to wangle that trip into the schedule.

I envy you, and love to hear your reports from Old Europe as you dwell amonsgst the cursed Frenchmen. How long do you get to stay lucky over there?

Sounds yummy! Yeah. A good hearty broth is mandatory with all our good dishes also.

I never use recipes though, I just fake it.

heh heh. Isn’t that the very essence of gumbo? It is here.

Morning, everyone. That book does look good. I’ll keep it in mind. I read “The Girl with the Dragon Tatto” last month. Pretty good book with an excellent main character . I liked it enough that I hurried and bought the sequel “The Girl Who Played With Fire”. Even better. It’s so good that I sped through the first 300pages and had to put it down to save it for this weekend. Will read it as I lie in the sun this afternoon.

Ah, the French! We’re watching cspan’s coverage of the 65th anniversary of D-Day. History and memories of brave soldiers.
Today is also my parent’s wedding anniversary and later we’re taking my mom to the cemetary to put flowers on pop’s grave. He wasn’t in Europe, but the Philippines, but D-Day was always important to him.

We’re having the dreariest weather here, too — cool, rainy, perfect for my cool weather veggies, but not so fab for the peppers. But we have two little cherry tomatoes that have set on, and The Peanut is in heaven checking on them every day. *g*

Yeah — she really needs some momma time that doesn’t include me on the computer. It’s been a really busy year, and I want to give her some “just us” time this summer while she’s still small enough to want to spend time with me.

For the pre-teen years approacheth. *g*

Sitting here with a cup of coffee, The French Open on my tv, PUAC on my laptop. Heaven.

Ms C….enjoy the kid. That’s a great opportunity for that fun conversation. Where are you likely to be going?

It’s rained the last two days here. Wacky weather. I’ve got 5 cherry tomatoes growing and a few tommy boys, but the grapes are growing like gang busters. They are so gorgeous. Like bunches of green pearls.

Have a lovely fun relaxing rambunctous time away!

sounds diVine, grow enough grapes to stomp?

No wonder Bigtime’s getting cranky and whining of late. Our REAL prez visited Deadeye’s fave undisclosed location without 1st getting his permission.

Where in the world is Mr. C’s quail?

http://img241.imageshack.us/im…..eanth9.jpg

DiVine…oh, you’re good. The vine in the side yard probably does have enough to stomp. It’s about 15 feet wide and loaded, but those are the table grapes. The red ones in the front, I believe, are the merlots, but there are not so many of those.

shhhhh. Dubai’s man-made islands.

Remember to tell us where you went and what you did with the Peanut. She’s a lucky kid.

Yes. Thank heaven for tomatoes! They thrive in cool weather, especially when just set out. the peppers not so much. They have our OH clay.

That’s eerie. My wife had a piece of crown break off yesterday, but still left this morning for a trip to Colorado. She’ll deal with it when she gets back.

Christy,

Enjoy the trip with the Peanut; this will be very important time for both of you. Lots of small “extravagences” like a dinner that consists only of dessert should be a lot of fun.

Morning, Folks.

Here’s hoping that Christy and The Peanut have a great and well-deserved time together!

Multi-tasking Christy with coffee and the Fr. Open a.m., novel and sun-bathing in the afternoon!

May I please trade days with you?! I’m slated for my 4th attempt to try to get around to stripping and waxing floors so our realtor will speak to us again. *groan*

Adie, How are you going to rest and celebrate?

The “how” is not a problem for us. It’s the “when” that’s elusive these days. No rest until we pull up stakes in July. Then MUCH less work. *G*

How are you doing these days?

Well, I didn’t say my house doesn’t need attention but I’m closing my eyes to it.

Reminds me of a story when I was a stay-at-home Mom. Mr. Solai popped in during a work day with a friend. The kids and I were in the pool having a grand time. The hubby quiped to his friend “My poor wife, has to do this again tomorrow.”*g*

Regarding the anniversary of D-Day:

After my mother passed away, in 1998, as I was going through her things, I came across a letter to her, which my dad had written while in boot camp in San Diego. The letter was pretty negative about boot camp, the military, etc., etc.. I understood the tone, because boot camp is not an fun time and I wrote such letters myself about 20 years later, and read them from my two sons about twenty years after that. At any rate, one sentence said, “I wish they would go ahead and land in Europe, so that all these poor guys can go home!” The letter was dated June 2, 1944, four days before D-Day.

On the back of the envelope was a postscript. It said, “P.S., Did Mickey (my older brother) make any O’s?” O’s were for “outsstanding” on elementary school report cards. He was in the 1st grade. Those were truly remarkable times.

G’morning, everyone. Raining in my new neck of the woods. First time in more than a month. Loving it!!

Great story and thanks for sharing. Today sure is full of memories.

Thanks. Doing mostly well. Had bug, I guess, that persisted. After some tests, at least nothing to really be worrisome….so that’s the good news. July is Soooo far off, really. I bet it seems to be, huh. Find some down time.;))

Good Morning from NE Iowa. My 9 year old had five friends over to do a campout in the front yard complete with fire for smores, scary stories, video games, and flashlight tag. My SO and I take camping pretty seriously. The boys all want to do a fishing campout next year. Unfortunately, they were up at 5 AM this morning and this old man will be fading fast tonight.
Great times. I appreciate our Saturday converstions and hope you and the Peanut have a great few days together.

Are you all settled in and loving it? I’ve been missing you.

Ooooh, good one.

Will do. Hope you’re feeling better soon.

Settling in and yes, loving it. Such hard work, the moving thingie. Bittersweet, but trending good, better, best.

Greetings to you Barbara. I too hope you are settling into your new digs. Raining here too but not enough to ruin the camping.*g*

Hey Barbara! Happy for you! albeit jealous. heh. Nice to see you back.

Mornin’, Christy, pups

It rained before dawn so it’s cool and everything’s green, wet and beautiful. Did a couple errands early just to get out of the tiger enclosure.

The only movie screens left in St Pete are at BayWalk’s multiplex. I can remember when we had a 70mm screen close to home. Isn’t Up the last film Pixar is doing as a partner with Dizzy?

Only have a chapter and a half left in Secrets of the Temple but I’m gonna take a break and read the 4th and final book in the Age of Fire series by E E Knight.

Re-read Joseph Conrad’s The Duel the other night. I remembered the ending of the film with Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel but couldn’t remember if it matched Conrad’s tale. This was all prompted by the continuing appearances by Cheney and his minions in the media. You’ll just have to read it to understand the connection.

Great story. Thanks.

Mr. Sunshine has often said at the end of a long work day that in meetings he’s been known to wander his attention and think of “squirrels.”

Hope you and your daughter enjoy making wonderful memories together, Christy.

Thanks. Ah, camping in the rain. In the yard. Brilliant combination!

MM, sorry for your troubles! Tooth or consequences. Ouch.

Adie. Moving way hard, especially for people of a certain age! :-)

Christy. I am an orphan now. Will you adopt me and be my mom? :-)

My son and I are going to Terminator Salvation tonight, while my wife and daughter got to see Up. If I try to change it he will be pissed.

Blabber-mouth here. So much catching up to do. How is Katymine?

Speaking of squirrels I noticed Mama has injured her left front leg somehow. I can touch her but not well enough to see what’s going on. No visible wounds. Holds a nut well enough, seems to be higher up on the leg. One of the young males has a couple small wounds around a shoulder. Must be a female in heat somewhere. Love having squirrels that come when called.

Christy – you and The Peanut have a great time – do something way fun! Today Chez Siberia consists of the DH painting, me in the garden, some basic cooking and what passes for hoity-toity dress up dinner hereabouts.

Thanks for that. My sister was in 3rd grade. It’s like those years/memory are in my bones, but not quite in my head. The WWII museum in NO is amazing and being enlarged….a big celebration to be in Nov, I think.

Ive heard several remarks about our country not being united as in that period. Where is the footnote that mentions, well, that was not an empirial, illegal war….just to recall.

Barbara, I am too. Will you be my sister?

I’ve been meaning to ask for some time. What does DH stand for? Dear husband? Dear Honey? Damned husband?

Yes I will!!! I have always wished I had a sister. Truth.

Whoa, Safina loses the first set. Anyone watching this?

Hey, Barbara — send some rain northward to the tall timber. High fire danger hereabouts, and cool temps demand either the fireplace or the radiant floor. And definitely wearing a beret and jacket to the lake association meet’n’greet in a bit.

Watching the DDay coverage on MSNBC this morn. FIL died on this day of cancer when were were young. He captained supply ships in both the Atlantic and Pacific during WW2.

The toll of any war is horrific. Better to strive to bridge our differences. And stop the tyrants early.

Well, that is fantastic…..Shall we have a ceremony? Something along the lines of truth, humor, and I’ve got your back ;) Congratulations on your move and new start.

I worry about the north country even when I’m not there. Wishing you long, soaky rain.

Our moms would be grateful for the ease of producing another girl child, wouldn’t they?! Shall we gather by the sistern? (Too. Much. Coffee.)

Elmore and I drove by this last summer but we just could not go and visit. Elmore’s family was part of the European theater and mine was part of the Pacific…….

It was too dear, after seeing the beach memorial graves on the north coast of Crete where so many New Zealand and Oz died…… And Elmore’s family is burried in Arlington including his grandmother who was a wife of a Admiral

Thanks for the movie recommendation…. will go this week… want to see it alone….. need that right now…… I’m a cross between weepy and so happy to be alive.

{{{katymine}}}

(((katymine)))

heh. I do believe it’s a bit of home-spun self mockery: “dirty hippy”. I’ll leave it for you to figure out what dfh stands for. ahem.

Hi Katymine. Healing is hard work. We luv you grrrl.

Big love, ma’am!

yer crackin’ me up dear. LOL

Got it. Thanks. Then it especially applies to my husband. There’s a photo of him in his early years that resembles Norm Coleman’s.

So….I’ll just say “I do”. My sister memories are so complicated; this is a fresh start for me as well. I’m beginning to feel like Dorothy on the yellow brick road; I guess we’ve been at the same coffee joints. B

oo spooky!

I hope they enjoy themselves. (Gosh you got me imagining what it must have been like getting there on horseback.)

*sigh*
I don’t envy you but glad things are moving along…

(((hi katymine)))

I really think that I would never have made it this far without all of you supporting me……Hey I can feel stubble growing on the back of my head……still pretty smooth in front…… going back to baby days :)

Christy I used to take a week type of trip down to my parents house at the Oregon Coast, take my son out the beach, look for seashells, and interesting other things on the beach…… then I could a little time for myself as grandma did a little babysitting while I rummaged through antique stores and lunch… This was the most refreshing to my psych……

We would drive up the coast and tour the light houses and coast guard stations….

So good to be back here. Missed y’all! Now to recommence unpacking. Smoochies!

His latest work is on my “soon to buy” list along with a new Nancy Griffith album that’s supposed to be out this week. Song is good for the soul.

What good memories….the beach and water are the best for one’s soul. What beauty.

I have a neighbor who is also in the hair grow out stage. So I have been near what she is going thru. She really struggled initially with the bald stage…and it is quite a shock, of course. But both for her and us on the sidelines, the stages are like statement of courage, I think. After the shock, we’ve all been quite comfortable, mostly, and she now seems almost oblivious to the lack of hair. Just seeing courage and moving on. Good luck. Thanks for including us in your journey.

Late but hopefully not stupid…

Another absolute thumbs-up for Up. The opening coda, showing the start and evolution of Carl and Ellie’s life-long marriage, stands apart from the rest of the movie; by itself it would be one of the finest short films ever made, in any medium.

And it sets the stage perfectly for the rest of the movie, a romp straight out of Hayao Miyazaki’s best efforts. Kevin (the “Snipe”, a huge, colorful, flightless bird straight out of Doyle’s Lost World) has to be one of the best modern movie MacGuffins around, as good as Rosebud from Citizen Kane, or the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders. And the byplay between Carl and Russell, the Boy Scout that inadvertently tags along for the ride, would not be half as poignant if you didn’t know just how broken-hearted a curmudgeon Carl is — and why.

the thing that makes it harder is that I cannot stand anything on my head…. it feels like it is squeezing my brains…… have a stack of hats, fleece to light cotton….. it is hard to imagine how much heat your own hair holds in…..

Have two wigs too, one has to have the bangs trimmed and is really cute but not sure how long I can stand it on my head….

I go out without a hat around the yard and it is the neighbors who have to get used to it….

My older sister’s hair is now about three inches long. She did have a hard time when she lost her long straight blonde hair. It’s strubly and curly now, and doesn’t seem so blonde anymore. But considering she started out with a death sentence, she now celebrates her reprieve with style. I so admire her courage, she’s Boudica to me.

Thanks to both you and Elliot…like us, the neighbors are seeing your courage. Cheers all around

We call ourselves Cancer Warriors…. those who fight the battle everyday….. Elmore is my White Knight who uses his powers to make my life easier…..

A toast to all those Warriors and Knights out there doing the good fight…

My wife did an awesome and clever thing for dinner a while back. For baking a halibut fillet (just a pound or so), she marinated it in a little leftover Caesar salad dressing (no more than 2 Tbsp). She uses the recipe out the Moosewood Cookbook, but without the egg yolk so it stores (and tries to leave out the anchovies, if she can). Then dump it all into a glass baking disk and bake at 375F or so as usual. The amount of liquid remaining is just enough and delicious as a sauce. Really wonderful for the amount of effort.

Went to see Sin Nombre recently
Trailer……Now this is not a picnic in the park, balloons and squirrels. It is a piece of reality that many do not want to know about let alone see a film about.
Moving film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTSi0pKjC5g

Also Lymelife….also a great film a real slice of life…but not a dance in the park film

My newest favorite from the garden.
Cut fresh beets into quarters, steam for a few minutes, drain. Spread the beets on cookie sheet cover with small amount of olive oil… lightly roast in oven l. Place roasted beets on top of fresh green salad sprinkle with feta, and toasted walnuts.

My favorite dressing of all time.

Half bulb of garlic chop individual cloves of garlic into small pieces add juice from two lemons, 1cup olive oil, teaspoon cumin, coriander, and one half tsp cayenne..1/5 cup soy sauce or braggs (like soy sauce) . Shake Shake shake.

Of course all of the ingredients above are added for your taste. This is my favorite summer time dressing

Thank you for sharing what you are going through. It touches the heart. I have been part of support teams for friends going through this challenge. Being willing to let folks know what one needs is not easy and I sure hope you are doing that in your immediate circle.

One of our dear friends here in Athens (Peggy Gish who has been in Iraq close to five years found out that she had uterine cancer after her latest return from Iraq. (we are allowed to share her story now) She just had a hysterectomy and things are looking hopeful. Peggy has been an inspiration to many of us here in Athens and for folks around the world who are aware of her devotion to social justice work. As a community we have helped keep them in meals, farm work etc. People want to help…it often takes a gatekeeper to put that support for the person struggling together

For me there is no rhyme or reason as to the why of cancer. Environmental, genetics and stress do seem to play parts but sometimes it seems like it is a roll of the dice. One thing that I have become very clear of it takes a village to raise a child, support those when they are struggling with health issues and take care of our elders.

Creating a support team is key to making sure the hardship does not fall on just a few peoples shoulders. And I have learned people really want to help.

Katymine you are in my prayers, meditations and so appreciate you being willing to share.

cold as can be here, and wet besides. sure do wish your trip were taking you this direction. would love to see you and little pumpkin.

have a recipe fit for my day here:

Ground Turkey Chili for People who Hate Ground Turkey

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans (i use homemade pinto)
1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 T chili powder
1/2 t each: black pepper, salt, garlic powder, oregano, cumin and paprika
1 1/2 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/2 t. cayenne (or to taste)
1 1/2 c. water

1. Saute ground turkey, green pepper and onion until lightly browned and onion and green pepper are soft (dutch oven).

2. Add remaining ingredients plus the water and stir well.

3. Simmer for 30 minutes.

This turns out wonderfully and everyone asks for the recipe so have it on hand.

Next week maybe the recipes i found for turkey breakfast or Italian sausage?

Grace

I want to give her some “just us” time this summer while she’s still small enough to want to spend time with me.

For the pre-teen years approacheth. *g*

Trips — however small — are great for “just us” time!!! Mine with my daughter were just great until those “let’s go visit colleges” nightmares.

Yep, mothering a pre-teen and/or teenage girl can be ROUGH, but @ 23, my daughter is now slowly realizing the value of a mom.

Having not had a good relationship with my own mom, and being a “guy” kind of girl [I like sports, math, woodworking; hate clothes & make-up], I really didn’t know how to parent a girl, and indeed, she’s much closer to my “sensitive” husband than she is to me.

But I think she at last appreciates the value of the “practical” parent, and those early trips — with ice cream, walking on the beach, or whatever — have to have helped. If not her, me.

Seafood Gumbo
makes 4 quarts

Roux Mixture

1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/2 C. all purpose flour
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C. fresh parsley
1/2 pound fresh okra, sliced or 1 10 oz. pkg frozen sliced okra
2 T. butter

Gumbo

1 qt. chicken broth
1 qt. water
1/4 C. Worcestershire
18 dashes Tobasco
1/4 C. ketchup
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 pound Andouille sausage, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/8 t. dried thyme
1/8 t. dried rosemary
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 C. diced cooked chicken
1 pound crabmeat
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 t. molasses

3/4 – 1 cup cooked white rice per serving

In stockpot, combine oil and flour and cook over low heat stirring constantly until roux is the color of a copper penny. This could take 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Do not let roux burn. Stir in celery, onion, green pepper, garlic and parsley. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. In skillet, cook okra in butter until browned. Add to roux mixture and stir over low heat for 5 minutes. (At this point, mixture may be cooled, packed and refrigerated or frozen for later use.)

Add chicken broth, water, Worcestershire, Tobasco, ketchup, tomato, salt, sausage, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and red pepper to roux mixure. Simmer covered for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in chicken, crabmeat, shrimp and molasses. Pack cooked rice into a measuring cup and turn cup over in individual soup plates to form an island of rice. Ladle soup around rice mound.

I’ll look for “Up”, though I find political sophistication of the Christy variety is no guarantee of equivalent sophistication in the arts. Am still reeling from “The Brothers Bloom”, literally the most awful thing I have ever seen.