2604 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

”Just sayin”

Read on and fall sound asleep

This is my award for indexing 1000 batches of records as part of the LDS attempt to compile genealogical/family records of every human that ever lived. Each batch contains 16 to 40 names and dates and other info. Recently I have been doing Texas County Marriage records. I am astonished at how many marriages there are between people with the same surnames. Especially, for example when Ygnacio Ramirez marries a Mrs Mary Ramirez and her maiden name was Ramirez. It is not just the Latino. I see the same in the names that sound Irish or Slavak or English or German. What I find with just a little research is that the bride and grooms live in small same ethnicity clusters. You marry who you know. According to a now unremembered source “most of us marry our childhood schoolmates”. I have enjoyed every minute of the indexing and recommend it highly. The stories hiding in our public documents is better than anything on TV.

As I predicted the installation of the dishwasher went well until Sir Doit from the lower stories discovered that an adapter to convert from quarter inch flared fitting to half inch NPT was missing. Ms Catania at Lowes promptly gave me a replacement. But as I was leaving I saw her put the incomplete packet back on the display rack. The trip wasn’t a complete waste as I needed a roll of Teflon tape. I’ll bet I have 693 mostly full rolls in my shed. Can never find one when I need it but when I go to put away the new roll I see 3 or more lurking around the shelf stanchions.

All manner of amazing things occurred when I quit smoking. Beer began to taste like what I imagined horse piss would taste like. Rum developed an amazing rich flavor. Bananas gave me heartburn. Now that I have almost quit drinking Rum and Coke bananas have become awesomely good and do not cause heartburn. I am trying to find the happy spot between R&C and bananas. As they say in the sports talk world “bananas be on da bubble”. A dear friend from Arkansas wrote and gave me the correct spelling (cyctocele) of the condition I cited last night. She did give just enough information that I kinds understood the problem. Once again I am glad I am a guy!

My wife was scheduled for an ultrasound this morning g at 8 am. We both slept through the appointed time. I do not know why anyone would schedule anything at 8 am. Do it earlier or later but not at 8 am.

Below is a very complicated recipe that, if I could find a source, might just tempt me to try tofu. Even the name sounds ugly like “look at the tofu that just fell out of that kangaroo’s pouch”.

TASKS LIST

Chop down dead vine on front sidewalk fence.
Use Sawsall to cut down fallen Oak limb from neighbors tree and cut into sizes to make 4 inch bowls.
Use roofing tar and aluminum flashing to cover several small holes in roof of “rubber shed”.
Haul big dead flatscreen tv to recycle center at north end of Wirt.
clean KOI pond filter.
Clear weeds from around lily pond.
Remove motor from old ac and install in pen making homemade lathe assembly.
Search for cheap drip irrigation system useable at SManor.

8/17: Dear God, guide us when we encounter those seeking the bread of life. Make us faithful, loving witnesses. Amen. The prayers are from the Upper Room. For your own free E-Mail Devotional visit : http://upperroom.org/devotional/email/ and click on the link “Other Ways to Receive the Daily Devotional”

Gaeng Khae (Spicy Thai Vegetable Soup)

Serves 4 This medicinal soup from the north of Thailand is believed to prevent and reduce colds and fever. The flavorful base is a hand-ground paste of chiles, garlic, lemongrass, and shallots. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, blend all the ingredients in a food processor. Serve with brown or red rice.

Chile Paste
15 dried chiles de arbol or Japones chiles
8 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp. salt
2 stalks lemongrass, minced
2 shallots, minced (half cup)
1 tsp. red miso

Soup
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 and a half cups sliced beet greens, Swiss chard, escarole, turnip greens, or kale
1 cup turnip or fennel chunks
half cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup firm tofu chunks
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
half cup fresh mint leaves
quarter cup coarsely chopped parsley

To make Chile Paste:
1. Soak chiles in bowl of boiling water 30 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and finely chop.
2. Combine garlic and salt in mortar, and pound with pestle. Add lemongrass, shallots, miso, and chiles, pounding and crushing after each addition to make thick paste.

To make Soup:
Bring broth to a boil in saucepan over high heat. Stir in soy sauce and Chile Paste. Add beet greens, turnip, and mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in arugula, mint, and parsley, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, or until herbs wilt.

”The amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.”
John Stuart Mill

SGGP