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They do walk among us! 1024 576 admin

They do walk among us!

(If you aren’t interested in hearing about Zion and hiking, please skip down to the third paragraph and start there…I promise you will be amused by the short story afterwards – well I hope you’ll be amused.

But really folks, hiking in Zion National Park is soooo beautiful!  My husband, daughter, her then almost 2-month-old baby, and I went hiking in Zion back in mid February.  Perfect, sunny weather for hiking…high 60s!  I’d be crazy to come here to  hike in the summer as I’d swelter and/or die of heat stroke.  Also, in this winter/spring time there are hardly any people here, so no crowding on the trails.  It’s got some green going on too, as opposed to the dry, tan plants due to summer drought.   We did have some gorgeous hikes though, Emerald Pools being one of them.  I got double points for carrying the baby (in a pack) on the way up!  We did encounter a man on our way down clinging to the side of the mountain whilst his wife was  urging him up.  The hike hadn’t even gotten bad yet.  I’m pretty sure she should have been urging him to go back down.   He surely wasn’t looking too good.  Luckily, the trail was wide enough at that point for us to pass.  This was the second leg of a three-location trip, and, unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to give us two days of hiking.  However, I will return…in the winter, unless we decide to do the narrows and for me to get wet it’s got to be hot.  In any event, this park is magnificent.  Here are a couple of videos I found for Angel’s Landing…so now I don’t know if I will go or not.   Just Look at This.  (If you aren’t interested in hearing more about the area, please skip down past the next paragraph…I promise you will be amused by the three short stories afterwards.)

So 2020…What a B!+c# 860 460 Mari Bickmore

So 2020…What a B!+c#

Hey there, so how’re ya’ll doing? I haven’t had anything to write about, because there is absolutely nothing going on in the world right now….uh, maybe that’s not entirely correct. So what’re your thoughts on 2020 so far? I read that there were asteroids heading toward earth but that they are going to miss us. I wonder if they’ve calculated 2020 into their equations yet? I refuse to say “well what else can happen.” Does it count that I wrote it?! I hope that in the future when they invent time travel, they purposely program it never to go to this year. Reminds me of a piece out of Ghostbusters:
This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
What do you mean, “biblical”?
What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Exactly.
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

But coming to the point – I do hope that we, as an entire nation, work most diligently toward equality and being color blind. Everyone should be free to live without fear or discrimination, to be able make the choices best for them in their lives without having to ever think of that. If they have to protest I’m here to stand with them; however, to riot…destroying or defacing public or private property or harming anyone does no one any good and actually harms the cause and should be stopped wherever it is happening. Those who are suffering the greatest losses right now had nothing whatsoever to do with the horrid death of George Floyd. I do wish I knew what would magically, overnight, change all of that! I think we all do.

However, no one is ever going to be economically equal. Not only are we all born into different families (we were barely middle class, though I didn’t realize it at the time), we are born with very different talents and aspirations. So those who study hard, work hard, and strive are going to be more successful than others, as it should be. So I’m not saying the government should make us all economically equal…far from it. But no matter what your race or gender, you should be able to make what you want of yourself here in this day and age, in this country. And you shouldn’t have to fear being out at night because of the police or anyone, any more than anyone else fears being out, ‘cause there are places I wouldn’t go at night…or in the day…I’m just saying. You get my meaning–Equality. I like this quote by Obama (not my favorite person but he can certainly give a speech), “This is a moment, and we have had moments like this before where people are paying attention. And that doesn’t mean that everything will get solved, so don’t get disheartened, because this is a marathon, not a sprint. But the fact that people are paying attention provides an opportunity to educate, activate, mobilize and act,” Obama said. “And I hope we are able to seize this moment.”

Again I didn’t talk about design, but right now, today, this seems to be the most important topic to discuss, and I didn’t do it justice. Love you all!

They do walk among us! 1024 576 Mari Bickmore

They do walk among us!

(If you aren’t interested in hearing about Zion and hiking, please skip down to the third paragraph and start there…I promise you will be amused by the short story afterwards – well I hope you’ll be amused.

But really folks, hiking in Zion National Park is soooo beautiful!  My husband, daughter, her then almost 2-month-old baby, and I went hiking in Zion back in mid February.  Perfect, sunny weather for hiking…high 60s!  I’d be crazy to come here to  hike in the summer as I’d swelter and/or die of heat stroke.  Also, in this winter/spring time there are hardly any people here, so no crowding on the trails.  It’s got some green going on too, as opposed to the dry, tan plants due to summer drought.   We did have some gorgeous hikes though, Emerald Pools being one of them.  I got double points for carrying the baby (in a pack) on the way up!  We did encounter a man on our way down clinging to the side of the mountain whilst his wife was  urging him up.  The hike hadn’t even gotten bad yet.  I’m pretty sure she should have been urging him to go back down.   He surely wasn’t looking too good.  Luckily, the trail was wide enough at that point for us to pass.  This was the second leg of a three-location trip, and, unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to give us two days of hiking.  However, I will return…in the winter, unless we decide to do the narrows and for me to get wet it’s got to be hot.  In any event, this park is magnificent.  Here are a couple of videos I found for Angel’s Landing…so now I don’t know if I will go or not.   Just Look at This.  (If you aren’t interested in hearing more about the area, please skip down past the next paragraph…I promise you will be amused by the three short stories afterwards.)

I will have to say that the little town  of Springdale, which is directly adjacent to the entrance of Zion isn’t completely open in the winter.  The first night we were there we left for dinner at 7:00 and the place was just closed.  We ended up at Blondie’s Diner, which is a retro-feeling diner in an old house and was just steps from where we were staying.  All I can say is don’t get the fish and chips.  Maybe that was just an error on my part.  There are several businesses that are only open in season, so that’s a bummer.  However, we did eat at two really good places.  Oscar’s Cafe (Mexican) for lunch was great and King’s Landing for dinner was outstanding.  The stickie toffee at King’s Landing was divine!

So here’s the oddball story.  On a post I read on Facebook recently, there was a  9/11 Truther spouting some fun things.  Believe or not, I didn’t realize that those planes were holograms!  Wow!  That technology must be better than I thought to fool people who were right there on the ground watching!  I did mention that to him.  I also asked him about the people on the third plane who were calling their families.  Did you know that those calls were preprogrammed?  Wow again!   That was way back in 2001.   Start talking to total strangers!  You never know what great stories you might end up with.

They Walk Among Us!

A Perfect Day in L.A. 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

A Perfect Day in L.A.

Well, actually another perfect 10 days in LA.  It’s like deja vu there!  Sunny in the 70s everyday.  I was in the South Bay Area visiting my son and his family…mostly to see my AMAZING granddaughters.  No really…they are amazing.  So sweet and cute.  My older one told me one day that I was always in her heart and in her brain everyday.  That just rips your  heart out when you only get to see them every 3 or 4 months.  I got to take them and pick them up from school almost everyday too.  What a change from when you have your own children and sometimes you aren’t savvy enough to know that you GET to take them and pick them up from school as opposed to having to do that.   That older child would wave to me for quite some time when I left her in the morning, until she turned the corner and could no longer see me.  I would have stood there all day long to see that wave and that smile!  Just getting to go to their swim lessons, ballet lessons and violin lessons was a treat.  I even lucked out and was there for my youngest granddaughter’s field day at school!   I did an art project with them everyday and didn’t care about the mess.  Grandchildren are the best and being relaxed as a grandparent is such a release.

We always eat out far to much when I visit, but getting to try new restaurants is a great thing too.  Just a couple of good places in the area that I haven’t tried before:  Brio Coastal Grill at Del Amo Mall (tied for the best Shrimp and Grits I have ever had) and Mama Terano in Rolling Hills Estates (OMG – I had the special:  Veal Sweetbreads Linguine.  I’m telling you, you should call them and have them put you on a contact list for when they have this special again.  Not kidding.).  Those two are my standout restaurants.   Oh wait!  Shrimp By You in Torrance was a winner too!  We shared a Big pot with a whole lobster, shrimp, snow crab, crawfish, and clams (we substituted the mussels for crawfish).  Choice of sauces.  Really, really good; we ate the whole pot.   Hermosa Beach Fish Shop is always good:  Great fish tacos, but their Fish Shop Shrimp is outstanding.

HOWEVER, we went to Smorgasbord LA, which is like a food festival but there every weekend, and had a great time.  There are around 50 booths/trucks, a mix of both, with so many selections.  The first one was Smogasbord New York and that guy opened on here.  A venue for up and coming chefs.  I think I walked around it twice before even attempting to make a choice.  I’m sure so much of it was really good, but the absolute best thing there has to be the Ugly Drum Pastrami Sandwich!!!  I know, if you had said that to me I wouldn’t have believed you either…but it’s undeniably true.  I was standing in the line for a pork belly taco from Goa Taco (truly yummy), and this man started talking to me.  Said this taco we were about to partake of was really good, but that I had to try the pastrami sandwich.  His son, right on cue, walked up with said pastrami sandwich and the dad made him give me a bite of it.  Heaven.  I didn’t even have the taco yet and my plan  was to immediately go stand in another line for that heaven on a slice of homemade rye with a little mustard.   There were seven of us, so I had little bites of a few things, but none any better than these.

We did go home and try to fly a really, really big kite..but after all the wind we had that week the wind gods left and it didn’t get off the ground.  That was the day before I left.  I am pining for another bite of the pastrami!  But truly, I miss the girls more than the sandwich.  They are living it up in London this week for Spring Break and aren’t giving me a second thought…as it should be.

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Our Sausalito Sojourn 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Our Sausalito Sojourn

SUBTITLE:  Things you should never do

Just last October, my Texas Travel Buddies and my Norwegian daughter took a little trip to Sausalito.  May I just say that I LOVE Sausalito.  Always have, always will.  I would retire there if funds were not an issue.  By the way, I identify as a wealthy woman.  Will the government supply the funds to ease my identity crisis now that we are dealing so positively with these crises?  Or perhaps making an undocumented withdrawal from the bank would be looked upon favorably?  I’ll have to make enquiries.

In any event, what a lovely trip.  We rented accommodation from an AirBNB owner that had a fabulous view.  It was actually in Mill Valley–Suki’s Mountain Retreat.  I’ve driven all over Europe,  more than a few places I shouldn’t have driven, but that driveway that night scared me.  I didn’t know if the car was going to make it up such a sharp incline without rolling backwards.  Okay, not as scary as Paris in the afternoon when the sun is truly blinding you and you don’t know where you’re going, but fairly scary.  Anyway, it was an interesting place.  Kind of like staying at your grandmother’s if your grandmother had a fantastic view and fruit trees that you were allowed to pick from and bougainvillea dripping off the house.  Those oranges weren’t perhaps the best oranges I have ever tasted. They WERE the best oranges I have ever tasted.  And it was quite near Muir Woods which is a magical and wondrous place to take a hike/walk.

My first story about the trip falls in the category of:  THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO.   It was my friend Beverly’s Birthday and we went to a lovely place to eat, Buckeye Roadhouse. As you can see, they have wonderful food.  Seated next to us was a nice-looking family…mom, dad, son, daughter.  Somewhere along the way my friend whispers “can you hear what they’re saying?”   The conversation was really unbelievable.  Mom and dad proceeded to tell their children, In A Restaurant, that they were splitting up but that things were going to be wonderful!   They tried to make it sound like they would live in a perfect world now.  The daughter, around 8-10 years old, was crying and the 14-year-old boy was trying to keep a stiff upper lip.  THEN…get ready for it…they pull out a birthday card for the little girl!  No really…it was her BIRTHDAY.  Those chose to impart this bitter message in PUBLIC on her BIRTHDAY.  I see a lot of therapy in her future.  So I’m just telling you, this is something that you should never do.  What ever possessed them to think this was a good idea is beyond me.  It has just occurred to me that it was the little girl’s birthday and Beverly’s birthday.  Maybe I thought about it at the time but that’s a little foggy.  I’m not too foggy about the food…it’s a definite return again visit and that was a return visit itself.  The empty plate was the dessert..enough said.

My second story is much better.  Next morning we drove down our steep driveway (much easier on the way down) to spend the day in Sausalito–art galleries, cute shops, and lovely food spots.  Looking for a place to park we saw a young woman go to her car so we put our blinker on to wait for the spot…and waited…and waited.  My brave friend Beverly decided to very nicely ask her if she was leaving or not, so out she jumped.  Then they started talking…and talking.  I saw another spot just up the road slightly and took it.  Turns out the poor girl had just been dumped–and had a baby.  She was looking for God and had went to a church the night before and sat in the back but no one had approached her.  My friend had kind words and counsel and had come along at just the perfect time to a perfect stranger to be a shoulder to cry on and some help along theis journey we call life.  I cried, she cried.  Maybe you  had to be there, but it was truly inspirational.

My last story is just a series of disjointed events really.  Next day we went to San Francisco and had great tacos, but I don’t remember the name of the cafe.  We shopped around awhile but had to leave in time to get my Norwegian girl to the airport.  We got to our car in plenty of time to have her there a few hours before her flight, or at least we thought we did.   In two hours we went maybe 4-5 blocks.  Needless to say, we never even got out of the city in that direction, gave up and went back to our little house in the sky.  She is fairly sure her boss never believed that story.  But I’m here to tell you its true.  It was a week before she went home.  So she got to go with us to St. Helena the next day.   Oh, Bev got that genuine fox coat at a Buddhist Temple Rummage Sale for $5!

This is a seriously cute little town.  There is even a castle there…Castello di Amorosa.  Well here’s another little story.  We had just gotten out of our car here at the castle and there was a couple there who looked pretty serious, so we walked really slow so we could eavesdrop (just being honest).  He was proposing to her with a ring and flowers  and everything.  Oops!  She said no.  At least he didn’t do it on the screen at a hockey game!  Yet they stayed and walked around the grounds, but they looked so sad after that.   He did take the flowers and everything and put back in the car, probably so we wouldn’t have to look at them and stare.

On a brighter note!  I would highly recommend that you all visit Farmstead in town, on a warm day so that you can eat outside.  The food was oustanding.   I wish I had filmed us eating so that I could post it like a travel show.  You would be salivating and wishing you were there, kind of like I do when I watch “I’ll have what Phil’s Having.”  Why was there only one season?!?!  I plan to visit next month with a friend who is coming in from Ohio.  Perhaps I will film it then.

RIght now I’m in the D.C. area for  my daughter-in-law’s baptism and feel so blessed!  Planning on some Maryland Crabcakes.  Tata and Happy Trails!

Texas Clam Chowder – The Best 1024 727 Mari Bickmore

Texas Clam Chowder – The Best

Well this beginning has nothing to do with Clam Chowder, Texas or otherwise (that comes later).  In the middle of the night, many times, I have thought about topics I wanted to write about and none of those times did I follow through; they’re now like the misty stuff of dreams.  Here’s one I remember though…A couple of weeks after the inauguration I had a great conversation with a friend on the wrong side (oops).  We disagreed on many things, agreed on some, and did so amicably.  One of her big problems was the theory that Trump had some connection with Russia, still unsure as to what.  I don’t buy into any of that, nor do I think Trump has a man crush on Putin.  Anyway, as it turns out everyone and their dog has had a meeting with the Russians…on both sides of the fence…except, it seems, Sarah Jessica Parker, if you follow that sort of thing.  I recall a statement by Obama before the last election when he thought the mic was off that goes like this:  “After My Election I Have More Flexibility.”  Did you see the MSM go after that?  None of them seemed to have a problem with that…but now it’s like they’ve all went CRAZIER.   Also, how can they say the Russians interfered with the election exactly?  Even if they did hack the DNC and reveal things that they had done…then the DNC did those things.  Somehow the real “criminals” are  made to be okay just because their crimes were revealed by the Russians (if that is even true).   I know, we’re living in the Twilight Zone.

And now we see the true (tolerant HAHAHAHA) Alt-Left…breaking private property, impeding regular people’s road right-of-way, beating people up, acting like idiots, and trying to stop the free speech of others with differing ideas…the list goes on and on.  I’m glad we didn’t act that way when the travesty that is Obama was elected.  Sure, I complained, and hopefully so did millions of other people, but that was mostly words on a screen and not looting and assault.

Finally, I’m moving on.   I’m still looking at those resolutions and my work on them is a bit stifled, so I went to the gym yesterday for the first time this year.  And today I was shamed again, so I went on a 2.5-mile walk.  Who knows, maybe it’s a trend!  However, I have been playing tennis a few times a week.  Does that count?  First time playing on a mixed doubles team and it’s fun!  I was always intimidated about playing with guys so I always turned down the invites to play on those teams.  We are in second place.  Bummer.  Maybe that will change.  In any event, I had to make food to take to a match the other day and remembered how yummy my recipe for TEXAS Clam Chowder was, so I made it.   Instant hit!  I’ve been perfecting this one for many years.

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Mari’s Texas Clam Chowder
TEXAS CLAM CHOWDER — ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVS
1/2 pound smoked peppered bacon, chopped into small pieces (I chop it small before I fry it, but you could just fry it and crumble later; it’s just easier to put it all in the pot to fry chopped small)
3  jars or cans baby clams and/or minced clams (I actually buy fresh clams if I can find them but that is unusual)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
4-6 medium red potatoes (peeled or unpeeled), diced
6 medium carrots peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp Tony Cachere’s Creole Seasoning (you can try jalapeno pepper too)
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
6-8 ounces large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, minced
Whipping/heavy cream about 1-3 cups depending on the consistency you want, I’m usually at about 2 cups.
In a large pot, fry chopped bacon until crispy browned; remove and drain on paper towels.  Drain off all but about a 1-2 Tbsp of the rendered fat.  Mix the cornstarch with a little water and mix until smooth.  Add clams w/juice and water to the pot along with the cornstarch mixture.  Add chopped potatoes and carrots, white pepper, parsley and seasoning to taste (I usually use about what is listed above).  Add chopped celery and mushrooms, then onion.  Crunch bacon into small pieces and add back to pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until carrots are done.  Add enough cream to achieve desired consistency.  I serve with oyster crackers.
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Try it and let me know you loved it!  If you do then click Sign Me Up! on this site.
Winter Wonderland 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

Winter Wonderland

Have I written more about renovations? Did I finish my Gram Camp saga?  Did I write about the outcome of the presidential election?  About those great new cookies.  About my last trip? About all the atrocities Islam continues to commit Every Single Day. Anything?  No, no, no, no, no and no.  (I did do a little victory dance on election night that the barely-human Clinton woman didn’t win and I think I’ll wear my Adorable Deplorable T-shirt for months to come.)  I would love to say that it’s a new year and I’m turning over a new leaf for blogging, but I just can’t commit because I don’t want to mark that in the failure column.  I will say that I have every intention of writing more.  Not just intention–I want to write more! and that is probably something I can succeed at since I’ve written so rarely; more could be not very much at all!  Truly, it doesn’t matter because hardly anyone reads this so it is really just like journaling and that’s just fine.

Well, Christmas is over for another year and now we can start counting down for next Christmas – 354 shopping days!

Backing up though, we spent Christmas in Salt Lake City in a really nice, newly and tastefully renovated townhouse we rented just about three blocks from Temple Square and another block to City Creek shopping mall.  (Great location and if you’re looking for a spot in downtown SLC it is VRBO #4053608.)   The owner had even put up Christmas lights outside…it’s the little things!

I LOVE spending Christmas with my grown children and their families, who doesn’t?  But I’d rather do it at home where all my cooking utensils and food are right where they should be and I have everything I need to prepare a huge holiday dinner and all the dinners in between.  If I could just let that go and eat out when I’m out of town I’d probably be better off.  Anyway, this year was different…my youngest child and my only daughter was expecting my third grandchild, so everyone had to be there to welcome our new grandson to the world!

Utah was so kind in delivering us a white Christmas wonderland.  It snowed most of Christmas Day, which made me feel like I was right in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting.

My fabulous granddaughters got to play in the snow and make snowmen, which they don’t get to do often in SoCal…well ever.  My oldest son got to go up to Brighton to snowboard a couple of days and the girls got to take their first ski lessons.  We all got to walk Temple Square at night, which is even more amazing at Christmas than any other time of the year. Christmas lights virtually covering everything, twinkling in everyone’s eyes as they walked the grounds that were more than magical.  Just being at Temple Square gives you that warm feeling that makes you remember what Christmas is all about. Makes me want to sing Christmas songs right now (trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear that!!! hahahaha).

Hot chocolate at Godiva afterwards just topped it off!   We had hot chocolate two or three times after that at other places…just a disappointment.  Godiva hot cocoa is maybe the best ever, but when I think back to the hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans I’m not sure.  We also saw a couple of movies, one for the girls (Sing) and Stars Wars: Rogue One for me.  That was my favorite Star Wars since the original ones.

When the fam all comes together, it is sometimes hard to entertain everyone over a several-day visit.  Don’t you hate it when everyone just sits around the house and you know they are bored, but you don’t know what to do?!?!   Or you plan to get up and out early but with that many people it just doesn’t happen?   I tried to find things to do.  The day after Christmas, the day my daughter went into the hospital to be induced, we went to Park City.  I mean we couldn’t just sit in the room and stare at her, right?  I love to walk around Park City and have lunch at one of the cute little cafes.  Well, we missed the cute cafe (hint: don’t eat at the Blue Iguana).  But we did get enjoy Park City and peruse the cute shops and galleries for a couple of hours afterwards, so it eased the pain of driving all the way out to Park City and having a barely mediocre lunch.

Time to go to the hospital and drop everyone else back at the house and let them figure out how to entertain themselves.

Without the gory details…We have a new, beautiful, fabulous grandson!  Mother and baby are doing fine and the baby LOVES his Mimi!  I get to stay on for a few weeks to take care of mother and child while everyone else returns home.  I know it’s going to rip my heart out when I have to leave…but that’s another day so let’s not dwell on it.

I already miss having all of my family all together at the same time.  I will miss them for a long time…forever until I see them again.  I hate it that everyone lives so far away from each other.  We did miss having one child with us at Christmas this year as he decided it would be more exciting to go to Thailand for Christmas then be with us, especially when he is working on Kwajalein and I never get to see him normally.  I mean who would choose Thailand…Bangkok, Chiang Mai, beaches…over Utah and me?

That is not going to play out well for him though!  I talk big, but when he comes home again I’ll be so happy to see him that my ire will probably go right out of the window.

It’s time to get ready for the day.  Lots of errands to do and a baby to spoil.  Cheers and Happy New Year!

Gram Camp Days 1-3 1024 704 Mari Bickmore

Gram Camp Days 1-3

Before I delve back into the joys (and pitfalls) of renovation, I am going to recount my successes and failures of Gram Camp (grandmother/father camp…mostly mother) for my only two, fabulous granddaughters (ages 3 and 6).  They are the apples of my eye, my joie de vivre, my angels.  I have spent several months planning the agenda for this, my first foray into a planned agenda for these little tykes.  Even with my experience raising four children, I went into this thinking my spreadsheet would be followed  meticulously to perfection.  Elaborate breakfast at 8:30.  Activity from 10-12.  Lunch 12-1.  Activity 1:30-3:30.  Snack 3:30.  Downtime.  Dinner at 6:30 with cooking lessons at each meal and snack. Followed perfectly every. single. day.  Bwahahahaha!

Some things did go on schedule–I picked them up from the airport on time!   This was on a Tuesday, and they had just gotten back from 6 weeks in Japan that previous Sunday, so there was some jet lag going on, but that didn’t stop them too much, but did take a couple of days to get back on a sleeping schedule.  With all the planning that I did, I still didn’t have lunch ready for them coming in from the airport, so we stopped at Burgerocity in Folsom, CA, on the way home because it had such high ratings. Just a head’s up, for the price just go to In-and-Out.  Not much difference.  Okay, okay, for those of you burger afficianados, Burgerocity does use 100% Hereford and has more choices, but still…

Another head’s up, on the first day of Gram Camp take it easy.  Pool time.

Making homemade popsicles and homemade gummy bears to be ready later.

Easy cooking lesson for dinner…prefab flatbread and pizza toppings.  Easy stuff.

 

Day Two:  This is really day one, but who’s counting.  Still thinking of perfection, I get up before everyone else and make strawberry and banana cars for breakfast (and add cereal to the menu because one of them doesn’t like bananas and it just isn’t enough).

banana-car

Already going off schedule on the first full day,  we decide to go to the water park.  Wanting to leave early so that we can be there when it opens at 10 a.m., I get everything together.  Sunscreen–check, towels–check, swim shoes–check.  However, my older granddaughter just sleeps and sleeps, and who can wake her since she is still on Japan time…but when it is edging past 10:30 we drag her out of bed.  Arriving to the park at just before noon, there is not a single parking place to be had anywhere and it is crowded, so we ditch the water park.  Since my nephew’s wife just had a baby yesterday (several weeks early), we decide to buy flowers and a treat and drop by the hospital.  This buying process takes a few hours, as those kinds of things can do, because we have to go to several places to find the right thing.  Ends up the places we finally buy at were in a couple of blocks from the water park where we started out…so is the hospital.   Go figure.  Nothing gets done off my list, except for breakfast and dinner–Nothing.   Girls get to spend time with their grandpa in the pool in the evening…so all is well.   They are still the best granddaughters in the entire universe.

Day Three:  Still maintaining that we are going to get back on track, I get up early and make grape caterpillars and an orange slice bird for breakfast.  Go me!

We are now going to make a tic-tac-toe board with painted rocks for the X’s and O’s!  My plan now is to find rocks in the upper back yard where there is a drainage bed for when it rains (which is only in the winter.  Ever.  Not a drop from May-November…now how weird is that).  Anyway, I am envisioning finding these nice, smooth, oval river rocks (maybe I should have taken a look back there prior to this plan).  What we find is far from that, as you will see in the photos.  My plan is to have them paint cute little lady bugs and tadpoles on these rocks to use for tic-tac-toe.  You know really pretty, crafty things.  What I didn’t remember was that a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old would be doing the painting, and that they would have their own vision.

My vision vs reality:

 

But the fun they had painting them and the fun they had playing the game they had personally made far outweighed the vision.

We break for lunch and popsicles.

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For the rest of the afternoon I had planned on playing a beanbag game with hula hoops that just doesn’t happen (hula hoops are still in the box these many weeks later, as are the beanbags).  Might in interject here that I had a very long list of items to order that I wanted to use.  At about two weeks out from “camp” day 1, I made a plan to go shopping for these items.  That really didn’t sound very appealing to me, running around hither and yon to procure those things in the heat (not to mention not knowing where to go), so I spent an  evening ordering everything from Amazon, from soap-making items to the hula hoops to molds for the gummi bears.  Now I know why people get hooked on the shopping channel, getting all those boxes delivered to my doorstep was so exciting!

Back to Day Three, no beanbag game, just a little more downtime for me and their mom, and a little TV babysitting for the girls, and a great dinner of pureed cauliflower, zucchini fritters and corn on the cob.  Girls loved it.  I LOVE the pureed cauliflower and most always make it instead of potatoes now.  It is just YUMMY!  Make sure to think of healthy dinners and lunches, because you are going to have some not so healthy ones too.  If you want recipes for those things, just send a note.  The pureed caulifower looks just like mashed potatoes and so the kids never know the difference and the fritters were just yummy.   Then I got to watch Ever After High (oh boy!) before bed…every night.   These girls are full of life and energy…a  lot more energy than I have.  I don’t know what I would have done without their Mom here to help!  Hint:  Get help for your camp!

 

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So we are now September 12, the day after 9/11.  As all people do, I remember that day very well.  Funny how major catastrophes indelibly print those days in your memory.   I won’t go into the day’s minutiae for you, but I will say that I thought we, as a country, would prepare itself for the Islamic crap that was to follow.  We didn’t.  We elected a (p)resident whose middle name is Hussain and who spent his early years in an Islamic country and who is the biggest Islamapologist there is.  Political correctness is now rampant, which leads to loss of freedom of speech, which is part of what America’s greatness comes from.  Heck, we have a bill introduced into Congress, H.Res 569, that would protect Islam from hateful rhetoric, among other things.  What a load of Malarkey!  Everyone who reads this should call or write their reps to kill this NOW.  All over the world.  Every. Single. Day. an atrocity is committed in the name of Islam, and the Western governments continue to let them invade our countries and commit those atrocities in our countries.  Our governments should be tried for treason.  Okay, that’s what I’m thinking about 9/11.  Instead of protecting us more, they are importing the terror in the form of “refugees.”  Refugees my !@*)!@.   Merkel, especially, should be hanged, drawn, and quartered, after a trial, of course.

On another noted, if you think that Hillary’s medical issues are something like “walking pneumonia,” then you’re part of the problem.  It is obviously much more serious than that.  And if you think her doctor tells you the truth, then you probably think Hillary tells the truth also !  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

El Dorado Quesadillas 1024 739 Mari Bickmore

El Dorado Quesadillas

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This 2016 election year is the election year from Hell.  As I have mentioned, we have a woman who is as corrupt and self-serving as the day is long.  She is no more a public servant than a man in the moon…there is no man in the moon…

Don’t think I wouldn’t like a woman president, but one who is strong, honorable, and worthy of the title, not one who cleans up her husband’s womanizing problems with her witch’s broom.  Back in 1992, when we lived in Memphis, we had some good friends who lived in Arkansas and were friends of the Clinton’s.  Even though they were friends, they had some pretty bad/wild stories about the Clinton’s, and many revolved around just those things…and they were their friends.   If you are not a liberal wearing blinders, then you have to have read soooo many terrible things about them over these many years, but they seem to be teflon and get away with it all.  Probably because the people who could throw them under the bus are either DEATHLY afraid of them or they have dirt on that person, i.e. blackmail.  But basically they just don’t want to die a early and mysterious death.  I’m sure Hillary has collected enough dirt on people to fill several books.  In any event, this new book by the ex-secret service guy on their staff, just backs up all the things I’ve known or thought I knew (Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate by Gary Byrne).  But do I think liberals will be able to process it???  HAHAHA!  Absolutely not.  They did elect ZerO a second time, and look how he has morally and fiscally bankrupted my country.  I still haven’t figured out how the American public thought electing someone who spent their formative years in Indonesia instead of being steeped in the American culture and learned to love America would be a good choice for President.  It never made sense and still doesn’t.  Anyhow, somehow being a statesman and having integrity is not important for getting elected to President in our current pop culture society.  I find that quite sad and disturbing.
The other day someone I know made a post stating that Christians shouldn’t post things that are judgmental about candidates and that instead they should only post positive things about their own choice for office.  I absolutely and unequivocally disagree with this posit.   Not only when someone is running for office are they laying their life bare for all to scrutinize, but as Christians we are supposed to do some investigation to find the best candidate to strengthen the values we want upheld in our localities and country to maintain for us and our children.  Exposing a bad apple is a good thing.  We are supposed to hate the sin but love the sinner, but when you “hate” a public figure you are hating what they stand for, since we don’t actually know them on a personal level.  We are actually supposed to judge a righteous judgment (that’s true, look it up).  I don’t condone maligning someone with untruths, but, especially in this case, you don’t have to look too far until you see the abyss.  Hillary is like black mold in the walls of a house that is spreading through the cracks and corners and the liberals are like the homeowners who are in denial and just keep painting over it.   We may all do things that are wrong (not as bad as Clinton by any stretch) and make bad choices, but we are not running for political office and then acting like we are in it to help people.  I find her scary and justified in noting it.  We won’t even go into how much she lied on her recent Email-gate investigation and how she somehow wiggled out of getting indicted, although who really thought they would do that to a Clinton…they live above the law and know it.  That’s why they do the things they do.  I will address this later.

On a lighter note, since I always have to end with food, fashion, or design, so food it is…again.  This is a fairly quick and easy dinner, and just yummy.

El DORADO QUESADILLAS

4 boneless chicken thighs

1 large boneless chicken breast

1/3 cup Kitchen Bouquet sauce

1 tsp Tony Cachere’s Creole Seasoning

Grated sharp cheddar OR Mexican cheese blend

Cotijo OR Queso Fresco

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Good quality flour tortillas

1 Granny Smith apple or other tart firm apple

Cinnamon

Butter

1 Haas avocado

Creamy chipotle sauce (recipe below)

Place all chicken in a glass bowl and stir with the Kitchen Bouquet and Tony’s; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.  Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Cut the apple into semi-thin slices and halve.  Sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon and saute in butter until al dente and set aside.

Saute the chicken on medium-high until golden on each side, just a couple of minutes, and then reduce heat to low-medium until done.  Cool just until able to handle, then shred.

In a nonstick skillet, either melt a small amount of butter (my choice) or use an oil of your choice and heat on medium.  Place a flour tortilla in the skillet and twirl to evenly disperse the oil.  Sprinkle all over with both of the cheeses (I don’t do it very heavy, but depends on how much cheese you like).  On one side place chicken pieces, apples, and sauce.  On the other side sprinkle onions, cilantro and some avocado.  Fold the quesadilla in half and cook until golden on each side.  I slice some tomatoes and use the extra avocado to garnish.  Really yummy!

Chipotle Sauce

Okay, this is just something easily made up.  The first time I made it I used ½ cup prepared Chipotle Mayo, about 3 Tbsp of cream, 1/4 tsp cayenne and 1/4 tsp salt.  Way good.

The second time I used ½ up mayo, 3 Tbsp prepared chipotle sauce, 3 Tbsp cream, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and ½ tsp salt.

They are both equally as good in the quesadilla.  The first one has an edge on just tasting out of the bowl.

EAT UP!

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What Are Excuses For? (and Fish Cakes) 1024 768 Mari Bickmore

What Are Excuses For? (and Fish Cakes)

I tell you what excuses are for…to make up reasons why you haven’t done something you need to do.   Well, it’s not that I need to write this, but I do like to do it.  You wouldn’t think so considering the paucity of posts I have written, now would you.  I have to make a confession though.  Something I don’t really like to talk about, yet here I am laying it out to the world…or actually the five people who might actually read this post.  I had been a little down, i.e. melancholy; depressed if you will.  Maybe I was just teary for awhlle.  Call it what you will.  Not a debilitating thing, but not fun either.  From early 2016 until sometime in April I would just cry too easily.  It’s like tears were just parked behind my eyes waiting to come out.  Do you ever feel that way.  I don’t think it’s fun for people you live with either.  If someone said something the least bit off-putting to me, I cried, and then I would start thinking about things I couldn’t control in my life, and that would make the crying last longer.  I have moved so many times now that I have all but forgotten how to make friends, and that would be my biggest trigger.  Somehow I came out of that…thank you God.  I don’t want to make light of depression by saying I came out of it just like that.  I have had this, whatever this is, on and off for many years and it is usually situationally-based in nature.  Stuff happens, right?  Sometimes I just don’t deal well with it.  Anyway, now I’m still trying to remember how to make friends, even though I’m not sure I have the energy for it.  I have concluded that it takes a lot to make new friends at my age.  I feel like everyone in a new place already has a life and friends and is quite busy and that they don’t need someone new in their lives…so I don’t barge in to upset their applecart, so to speak.  In any event, right now my son’s girlfriend from Norway is staying with us and I really like her…maybe she’ll be my friend.  Kind of sounds like I’m in junior high..right?  “Will you be my friend?”

Good new is that I’m able to play tennis again, the sun is shining everyday, the flowers are blooming, and life is good.   My husband is a love and takes good care of me.  I would promise that I won’t write anything morose for quite some time, but I might not be able to keep that promise.  Just depends what life brings my way.  There are lots of things happening in the world that I have a strong opinion on right now:  CRAZY election year here – a lying, corrupt, self-serving witch and a real estate mogul who can’t keep his mouth shut to save his campaign…or is that what he wants us to think?  More CRAAZZY Muslim murderers, Brexit, men using the little girls room, “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”…and the beat goes on.  Ready to put my two cents out there.

In the spirit of Norway (see above), I decided to make something with fish and that turned out to be a very good thing.  I promise you will love these fish cakes.  If you love crab cakes, you will definitely love these.  They are more Cajun than Norwegian, but those guys need to get some spice in their life, I mean spice in their food.

Cajun-Spiced Fish Cakes

Ingredients

2 pounds Alaskan halibut fillets, poached and flaked (about 4 cups loosely packed) I think you coud use most types of mild, white fish or even salmon AND you could sear it  also (I poached mine the day before, and it was actually leftovers and refrigerated overnight – it made it easy to handle)

Option: 2/3 cup of chopped shrimp or langostino

2/3 cup unseasoned fine bread crumbs

4 tsp BonTon Seafood Spice by Jazz  

1-1/2 tsp dried chives or 1/3 cup chopped chives

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1  cup Mayonnaise

1 large egg, beaten (or 2 small/medium)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or more if needed)

1 tbsp olive oil

Mache lettuce or mixed greens.

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the halibut, optional shrimp/langostino, bread crumbs, BonTon spice, salt, cayenne, chives, cilantro, mayonnaise, and egg.  Mix all together gently until crumbs are incorporated.  IMG_5690

Shape into about 3-inch patties about 3/4 inch thick.   Makes 9-10 patties. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

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In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat . Add the cakes and cook until golden, 3-5 minutes per side.  Place two cakes on top of lettuce and a dollop of tartar sauce and serve.  I promise you these are really yummy and pretty darn simple too!

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I had some jalapeno and horseradish tartar sauce that I didn’t love, so I used about half a cup of that and added about 2/3 cup mayo, a minced sweet pickle, a little lemon juice, a tsp or so of chopped cilantro, and a 1/4 tsp of salt.  Perfect for the fish cakes.  Your favorite tartar sauce should work just fine too, or a garlic aioli.

Well, that ought to be enough until next time!  I already need a vacation…where should we go?

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