Today's list of things that truly burn my butt--

1.  Money spent on political campaigns.
2.  Length of political campaigns.
3.  Political campaigns.
4.  Adherence to political party ideology.
5.  Political party ideology.
6.  Salaries/perks of politicians who have been successful in their bid to be elected.
7.  Politicians rather than servants of the people who elect them.
8.  The concept that race or gender should matter as to whom we elect.
9.  News that isn't news but a ratings race to see who can best serialize the drama of events.
10. Cooperation and compromise as negative concepts.
11. That Indian guy who says his name is Rich Smith and tells me my computer has problems.
12. The lady who says there's nothing wrong with my credit card but she wants my money anyway.
13. The IRS who isn't really the IRS.
14. Waiting for my tickets for my free Caribbean cruise.
15. Eating what is good and gaining weight.
16. People who seem to complain about everything.
17. Choosing a place to eat in a small town.
18. Not knowing a dik dik is an African antelope.
19. Coming up with the "right" number of entries in a list diof things that burn my butt.
20. A flame about 2 1/2 feet high.

And how is your day?  Better, I hope when you remember you are loved! 

The sins of Autumn

It's Halloween week.  My beautiful bride is hosting a foursome for bridge and of course, needs a little something on which to nibble following the slam bidding.  I figure what could be more appropriate this week than pumpkin pie?  Then I figure, what could be more appropriate this season than pecan pie?  Then I figure, what the hey, why not both?  A bit extravagant for four, you say?  Then, why not both in one pie?  That's what it shall be.  In fact, it's baking in the oven right now.
The pie did not promulgate the title of this post, however.  There can be NOTHING sinful about celebrating the harvest.  HOWEVER, to make a pie, one must make a crust.  To make a crust, one must use a shortening of some kind. I'm NOT a lard lover, so my shortening of choice is Butter Flavored Crisco.  GREAT texture.  GREAT taste.  But I'm quite sure, it has its drawbacks.  As I'm cleaning up following the preparation (!), I am reminded of the tenacity of Crisco.  I run hot water over it.  It doesn't melt.  I put it in the soapy water.  It doesn't melt.  Finally, following a determined effort to scrub, rinse, soak, rinse, scrub, soap, and rinse yet again, the measuring cup and spatula are visually clean.  I run my finger around the inside of the cup.  Once more to the soap, scrub, rinse.  Finally, it goes back up on the rack to be used again.  That, to me, is just plain sinful.  If it sticks to the utensils, how long must it stay in the body?  The joy?  Why, the pie, of course!  The recipe follows.  Sin to your heart's content--repent in leisure--and know you are loved!

Pumpkin Pecan Pie(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)
Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
3 Tbs. cold vodka
In a food processor, combine the first six ingredients. Add the cold butter and the crisco and pulse until well blended. Transfer into another bowl. Add the vodka and stir until you can form a ball. Roll out on a floured surface and transfer to a 9" pie plate. Arrange so it looks the way it should look, trim where necessary, and flute the edges.
Filling:
Pumpkin layer
one egg
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
dash of salt
Mix together and pour into prepared crust.
Pecan layer2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
2 Tbs. melted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Mix together and carefully pour over pumpkin layer. Place on a baking sheet to catch the spills and bake 50 - 60 minutes until filling is set around edge. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

For those of you old enough to remember Rocky Horror, this was one of the hauntingly beautiful ballads...not!  But it's a fun song!  I went out just now to take a picture of the time-warp happening as we speak--

snow on mums in bright sunlight--warped is the only description--and in the process, discovered obvious remnants of Monday's choreography for Dancing With the Stars. 

Obviously, Derrick found the exact dance for someone with two left feet!  Maybe, on consideration after re-reading, time is not the only thing warped!

Happy birthday, Miss Lucy

Your impact?  Obvious.  One need only speak to your friends.  Your family.  You made people feel special.  You were real.  You were human.  You were flawed.  You live on in your friends, your family.  Literally thousands have heard of Miss Loosewheel, Miss Lucy, Grandma, Mom...and they know how you  loved us.  90 years.  Too short.  But enough to have made a significant difference.   Tonight, a glass of wine and amazing memories. 

good for another 50,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

Yearly, I question what the results will be.  Will the weight I have gained make a difference.  Will the extra birthday significantly increase the negative?  Will the good age gene pool from which I come find its exception in me.  You know.  All those things you can find to worry about if you so choose.  For 364 days a year, I simply don't worry.  Today, however, was that day.  And the results are in.  One ear is plugged with wax.  I have old age "marks" on my body.  Everything else passed muster.  Now it's down to worrying about the important stuff.  Where will we stay when we go hiking in Hawaii?  How will we pay for where we will stay when we go hiking in Hawaii.  But happiness is...it's okay if we hiking in Hawaii.  By then, the arm in which I got the flu shot and the arm in which I got the pneumonia shot should quit hurting!

The itch

It seems only appropriate to skip a day of blogging and then go to a Friends of the Library annual meeting where local authors express how easy it is to self-publish.  The temptation is palpable.  To see my writing in print.  To be able to say there's a book out there that has my name on it.  To Dream the Impossible Dream.  Oh wait, that's not I.  And...oh wait, that would take a great deal of discipline.  And...oh wait, that would mean harnessing the inner creative juices and focusing them in one direction.  It's not nice to tease me.  Well...maybe just a little.  I shall mull.  We'll see if I shall scratch!

And the greatest.of these is...

We've all attended enough wedding ceremonies to complete the Corinhians quotation.  And on any given day, I would happily fill in the blank.  But the fact is, love is simply not possible without the gift of time!  The time to verbally express the feeling.  The time to hold a hand.  The time to listen.  The time to cry together, laugh together, sing together, grieve together, celebrate together.  The time to work together, play together, talk together.  The time to be apart, which makes the time together so meaningful.  Time, you'll pardon the homonymic pun, is the spice of love!  Today, may you realize I gladly give you my time!