It started innocently enough.
Linzi and I signed up for a class at the community college across the street in circuit weight training. She also through that it might be nice to get some free weight training in as well. One look at the football team training with the free weights outside sent her running back to set up the circut weight training class with me instead. We took the orientation class and learned to do the shuffle from one station to the next and it circulated in and out of a bank of treadmills and stationary bikes. Also on the ground for aerobic use was a rowing machine. It was a wind resistance model and it was pretty cool in getting the heartbeat up and not pounding joints and knees and other fragile bits of the body.
That was about 1999. I have have been doing do diligence and began looking for something like that that I could work out on either in a gym that had better operating hours without a big contract and a sales pitch or to get one for home use and use it to supplement my 2to 2.5 mile daily walking routine.
Everywhere I looked it said that this is the greatest exercise machine around. It won't do much for your lower body but it is great for the abs and the upper body. The action is generated by pulling the handle toward your chest as you push yourself backwards on a tiny sled seat that follows the track.
The gyms either don't want this on their floor or it may be too hard to maintain or who knows. These machines do not seem to be available at any of the commercial gyms.
The cheap ones would not handle my weight. So I was after one that could accommodate by 350+ weight and not break down. Linzi said that she has used them in a gym and they work well. She recommended that I get a commercial gym quality one. That means that I was looking at ones that were around 1200 to 1800 dollars minimum. After a lot of web spec shopping and no local outlets for shopping, I decided to buy one through Amazon. It is made of hardwood and carries for resistance water encased in polycarbonate ball with internal paddles that press against the sides.
Amazon would not require me to pay for shipping. No taxes and they would see to it that delivery was made. They would take my Amx card and Amx would even give me a 1 percent rebate for using it. If I ordered the length of time before delivery looked like about one week. When I actually made the sale,the delivery was set at 10 days. At the end of two weeks I contacted the company that Amazon uses for its equipment asking about when I could expect delivery.
I got an email back saying that each of these were hand made on an individual basis in Rhode Island and they were indeed very high quality and that I would be very happy at the results. But they had not received any indication that mine had been made or even started. They would let me know as they assured me that they made them for all clients and they were going to get to mine in the most expedient manner possible.
They understood my concern and were refunding me 20 dollars since they could not refund the shipping as Amazon had made it free for me. They also wanted an acknowledgement by email that I had received this and understood what was going on. I thanked them for their research and waited.
Two weeks later I got an email from them saying that they had received an invoice on mine and they would forward the shipping info as soon as they got it and I could expect this info my Monday. I got a note from Amazon asking me since I bought this thing on April 4th if I could return a survey on how it all went. I ignored this and sent an email on the next Friday to the company. They responded with, didn't Amazon send you the shipping info? I wrote them back saying they did but it was awfully general and thought that you might have something more specific. The Amazon shipping info had a Fed Ex ground number that I followed up on and it just indicated that shipping info had been sent from them to Rhode Island. No goods had been shipped.
The company sent me a shipping notice again. When I ran this one through it showed that the goods had made it from Rhode Island to Connecticut. It even gave me an arrival date of May 3. So I am in anticipation of 85 pounds of exercise equipment arriving at my doorstep next week.
Then comes the salient question, which room do I set it up in.
My guess right now is the Art room, with its small HD TV and a sound barrier if the sloshing gets too tough.
Wish me luck!
Love
Pat
A written expression of a 65year old plus retired Speech and Language Specialist in the Central Valley of California.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Results of the Cassoulet Crockpot Style
Out of every experience there are learning points
1)Overall the adventure was worth it
2) I think that a little smoked product would have helped the overall flavor. It was sort of on the bland side. Sue liked it.
3)It made a ton.. and it was meaty. I can see how it would fit into a restaurant scheme was this batch made almost a gallon and a half to freeze as well as the two bowls we ate.
4)It was a hearty approach to white bean soup.
5)Overall it wasn't on par with the french seafood stew or the Italian seafood soup. It was pretty much in there with the Tuscan white bean soup.. except the quantity of meat in their made it more stew oriented. (There are 2 pounds of chicken thighs, 2 pounds of pork country style ribs with bones and a 1/2 pound of sausage)
6) the next time I think I would chop up the sausage into smaller pieces and pick one that had a little more flavor included in it.. maybe a chorizo?
:) Pat
1)Overall the adventure was worth it
2) I think that a little smoked product would have helped the overall flavor. It was sort of on the bland side. Sue liked it.
3)It made a ton.. and it was meaty. I can see how it would fit into a restaurant scheme was this batch made almost a gallon and a half to freeze as well as the two bowls we ate.
4)It was a hearty approach to white bean soup.
5)Overall it wasn't on par with the french seafood stew or the Italian seafood soup. It was pretty much in there with the Tuscan white bean soup.. except the quantity of meat in their made it more stew oriented. (There are 2 pounds of chicken thighs, 2 pounds of pork country style ribs with bones and a 1/2 pound of sausage)
6) the next time I think I would chop up the sausage into smaller pieces and pick one that had a little more flavor included in it.. maybe a chorizo?
:) Pat
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Cassoulet- slow cooker style,no duck
The cooks illustrated on line service has four versions of this classic french dish. They missed the slow cooker version that I am making tonight.
First off the onions in the microwave were enough to freak our my dear wife. But.. after a few hours we all seemed to get used to them.
I am sure that anything pork can have a lamb equivalent (for the non pork eaters of the family. As point of fact in one cooks illustrated version the main ingredient was lamb. This one looks good.
The cook must remember to soak the beans overnight the night before. Cook's always soaks them with a ton of salt that gets rinsed off before use.
There is also an interesting practice in this recipe where the chicken thighs are wrapped in aluminum foil and imbedded on top so that the chicken doesn't fall apart in the long (6 to 8 hour) cooking process. We shall see if it does the trick.
2 onions, minced (I sliced them)
2 tablespoons of veg oil
6 garlic cloves (minced)
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme (this sent me to the grocery store)or one teaspoon of dried
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
3 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
(All of the above gets microwaved for 5 minutes and stirred in that amount of time a couple of times)
1 pound of dried great Northern beans (2 1/2 cups picked over soaked overnight and rinsed)
8 oz of kielbasa sausage (a little more than half of a hilshire farms selection) I picked the beef version, although there were other choices too,) cut in 1 inch sections)
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (14.5 oz)
1/2 cup of dry wine (I had a tiny bottle of sutter home pinot grigio that was added in total)
2 bay leaves
2 pounds of country style pork ribs bone in trimmed
2 pounds of bone in chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless) with the skin removed and packaged like a hobo dinner in a packet somewhat sealed.
This a group goes in in on top of the microwaved group and cooked in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low until the beans are cooked
The food processor is used to pulse the bread and butter (ingredients to follow)
about 5 pulses. transfer these ingredients to a skillet and toast over medium high heat until golden brown and dry (about 5 minutes) set aside
3 slices high quality white sandwich bread torn into pieces
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Transfer foil packet to plate, open it carefully (watch for steam) and transfer chicken to cutting board. Let chicken cool slightly, then shred into bite sized pieces, discarding bone and skin. let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, (off the heat) then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves stir in shredded chicken and parsley (2 tablespoons minced fresh) season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with bread crumbs.
So are you up for the challenge. It feeds 5 to 8 so you may need to get the left over contains ready..
Love
Pat
First off the onions in the microwave were enough to freak our my dear wife. But.. after a few hours we all seemed to get used to them.
I am sure that anything pork can have a lamb equivalent (for the non pork eaters of the family. As point of fact in one cooks illustrated version the main ingredient was lamb. This one looks good.
The cook must remember to soak the beans overnight the night before. Cook's always soaks them with a ton of salt that gets rinsed off before use.
There is also an interesting practice in this recipe where the chicken thighs are wrapped in aluminum foil and imbedded on top so that the chicken doesn't fall apart in the long (6 to 8 hour) cooking process. We shall see if it does the trick.
2 onions, minced (I sliced them)
2 tablespoons of veg oil
6 garlic cloves (minced)
1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme (this sent me to the grocery store)or one teaspoon of dried
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
3 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
(All of the above gets microwaved for 5 minutes and stirred in that amount of time a couple of times)
1 pound of dried great Northern beans (2 1/2 cups picked over soaked overnight and rinsed)
8 oz of kielbasa sausage (a little more than half of a hilshire farms selection) I picked the beef version, although there were other choices too,) cut in 1 inch sections)
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (14.5 oz)
1/2 cup of dry wine (I had a tiny bottle of sutter home pinot grigio that was added in total)
2 bay leaves
2 pounds of country style pork ribs bone in trimmed
2 pounds of bone in chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless) with the skin removed and packaged like a hobo dinner in a packet somewhat sealed.
This a group goes in in on top of the microwaved group and cooked in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low until the beans are cooked
The food processor is used to pulse the bread and butter (ingredients to follow)
about 5 pulses. transfer these ingredients to a skillet and toast over medium high heat until golden brown and dry (about 5 minutes) set aside
3 slices high quality white sandwich bread torn into pieces
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Transfer foil packet to plate, open it carefully (watch for steam) and transfer chicken to cutting board. Let chicken cool slightly, then shred into bite sized pieces, discarding bone and skin. let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, (off the heat) then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves stir in shredded chicken and parsley (2 tablespoons minced fresh) season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with bread crumbs.
So are you up for the challenge. It feeds 5 to 8 so you may need to get the left over contains ready..
Love
Pat
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
strawberry pie Easter Style
Strawberry pie only lasts for 2 days.
I made one too far in advance and gave it to the neighbors on good Friday because the strawberry pie was not going to make it to Easter.
So I learned that you had to add more strawberries for the glaze and don't forget the lemon juice. So here is the modified recipe from Cook's that I made for Easter picnic that ended up even better at Auntie's house in SJ.
Makes one 9-inch pie, serving 8 to 10
To account for any imperfect strawberries, the ingredient list calls for several more ounces of berries than will be used in the pie. If possible, seek out ripe, farmers’ market–quality berries. Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box); otherwise, the glaze will not set properly. The pie is at its best after two or three hours of chilling; as it continues to chill, the glaze becomes softer and wetter, though the pie will taste just as good.
Ingredients
Filling
4pints (about 3 pounds) fresh strawberries , gently rinsed and dried, hulled (see note)
3/4cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
2tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2teaspoons Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes (see note)
Generous pinch Table salt
1tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1 recipe Baked Pie Shell (see related recipe)
Whipped Cream
1cup cold heavy cream
1tablespoon sugar
Instructions
1. FOR THE FILLING: Select one basket of misshapen, underripe, or otherwise unattractive berries, halving those that are large; you should have about 2 cups. In food processor, process berries to smooth puree, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. You should have about ¾ cup puree.
2. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir in berry puree, making sure to scrape corners of pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to full boil. Boil, scraping bottom and sides of pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, pick over remaining berries and measure out 2 pounds of most attractive ones; halve only extra-large berries. Add berries to bowl with glaze and fold gently with rubber spatula until berries are evenly coated. Scoop berries into pie shell, piling into mound. If any cut sides face up on top, turn them face down. If necessary, rearrange berries so that holes are filled and mound looks attractive. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within 5 hours of chilling.?
Rdeally doesn't need the cream.. was going to go with canned stuff but left it on the counter at home in Merced!
4. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Just before serving, beat cream and sugar with electric mixer on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 additional seconds. Increase speed to high; continue beating until cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume and forms soft peaks, 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Cut pie into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.
Eat some fresh berries. We are lucky to have Hmong share crop strawberries from half of April to the the end of June.
: ) Pat
I made one too far in advance and gave it to the neighbors on good Friday because the strawberry pie was not going to make it to Easter.
So I learned that you had to add more strawberries for the glaze and don't forget the lemon juice. So here is the modified recipe from Cook's that I made for Easter picnic that ended up even better at Auntie's house in SJ.
Makes one 9-inch pie, serving 8 to 10
To account for any imperfect strawberries, the ingredient list calls for several more ounces of berries than will be used in the pie. If possible, seek out ripe, farmers’ market–quality berries. Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box); otherwise, the glaze will not set properly. The pie is at its best after two or three hours of chilling; as it continues to chill, the glaze becomes softer and wetter, though the pie will taste just as good.
Ingredients
Filling
4pints (about 3 pounds) fresh strawberries , gently rinsed and dried, hulled (see note)
3/4cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
2tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2teaspoons Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes (see note)
Generous pinch Table salt
1tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1 recipe Baked Pie Shell (see related recipe)
Whipped Cream
1cup cold heavy cream
1tablespoon sugar
Instructions
1. FOR THE FILLING: Select one basket of misshapen, underripe, or otherwise unattractive berries, halving those that are large; you should have about 2 cups. In food processor, process berries to smooth puree, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. You should have about ¾ cup puree.
2. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir in berry puree, making sure to scrape corners of pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to full boil. Boil, scraping bottom and sides of pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, pick over remaining berries and measure out 2 pounds of most attractive ones; halve only extra-large berries. Add berries to bowl with glaze and fold gently with rubber spatula until berries are evenly coated. Scoop berries into pie shell, piling into mound. If any cut sides face up on top, turn them face down. If necessary, rearrange berries so that holes are filled and mound looks attractive. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within 5 hours of chilling.?
Rdeally doesn't need the cream.. was going to go with canned stuff but left it on the counter at home in Merced!
4. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Just before serving, beat cream and sugar with electric mixer on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 additional seconds. Increase speed to high; continue beating until cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume and forms soft peaks, 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Cut pie into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.
Eat some fresh berries. We are lucky to have Hmong share crop strawberries from half of April to the the end of June.
: ) Pat
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Easter Weekend
Over the years Easter Weekend has been sort of a mixed bag.
When we were little we often were "farmed out" to other other families for Easter week as it became a short vacation without the kids. Mom and dad would head to Salvang and have a weekend while we were off to spend time with our previous neighbors that had kids roughly the age of my sisters. They lived in Walnut Creek. It was a interesting time as I can remember the library and most of the town was relatively new. The libray had a distinct smell of cedar shingles and it was cloistered in the wooded area near a stream. We played games and went through numerous imaginary scenarios together.
We reciprocated with a valentine weekend stayover for their parents.
Eventually the kids got older and so did we. The couple split up. He was into advertising and she had other ideas as to how the family should be raised. One of the girls I heard went on to be a sports producer for a local San Francisco T.V. station.
Easter for our girls many times meant a trip to Disneyland. We rented a cheap hotel room for a couple of days with a spa that was so choline infested that it made your eyes scream. One of these places sold us their last spot and then we could not get in with the key provided. The morning breakfast bar was guarded by an elderly Asian man that looked over the day old treats with an evil eye. They had converted one of the rooms to a breakfast bar area and the families trooped in to save the 12dollar a head breakfast that awaited them in a genuine restaurant.
We have has some interesting Easters with the crowd form Morgan Hill. We used to do a picnic at Kelly park in San Jose. Its a great place with lots to do for little kids. We got muscled around by some large groups and we lost our appetite for that kind of activity. We had one branch of the extended family that insisted on smoking at our gatherings. This did not work for our asthmatic kids so we stopped going.
We had fun their with craft contests and silly hats. We don't do that anymore since out youngest member is now in her 30s.
Easter is always a tough time for my wife. Since the turn of the century to 2005 we spent Easters going back to be with her parents that passed on in 2002 and 2004. That loss is one that is so tough to endure. As the quote from the recent movie the "Rabbit Hole" in reference to the death by car accident of their young child,"It is always with you. It changes but it sits in your pocket like a brick and at times when you reach into your pocket it comes out."
I know my dear brother-in-law Bob has faced this sort of thing for a number of years. He has lost both of his parents. It is still tough for him. I admire his courage.
So here we are in Easter 2011. We are planning to be at a picnic in Fremont. The girls are going to use BART to get there. They are happy about that. My sister and her daughter are headed to So Cal to help out the other daughter in SD. We are happy that mom and dad are planning to come with Bob to the picnic. Sean's dad is also thinking about coming and maybe Bob's sister and husband can make it too. Its going to be a potluck. I am making some pretty cool spring delights in the form of some slow cooked pulled pork, strawberry pie and and some crustini and cheese sampler. It could be a lot of fun.
Hope you are going to have a great Easter!
: ) Pat
When we were little we often were "farmed out" to other other families for Easter week as it became a short vacation without the kids. Mom and dad would head to Salvang and have a weekend while we were off to spend time with our previous neighbors that had kids roughly the age of my sisters. They lived in Walnut Creek. It was a interesting time as I can remember the library and most of the town was relatively new. The libray had a distinct smell of cedar shingles and it was cloistered in the wooded area near a stream. We played games and went through numerous imaginary scenarios together.
We reciprocated with a valentine weekend stayover for their parents.
Eventually the kids got older and so did we. The couple split up. He was into advertising and she had other ideas as to how the family should be raised. One of the girls I heard went on to be a sports producer for a local San Francisco T.V. station.
Easter for our girls many times meant a trip to Disneyland. We rented a cheap hotel room for a couple of days with a spa that was so choline infested that it made your eyes scream. One of these places sold us their last spot and then we could not get in with the key provided. The morning breakfast bar was guarded by an elderly Asian man that looked over the day old treats with an evil eye. They had converted one of the rooms to a breakfast bar area and the families trooped in to save the 12dollar a head breakfast that awaited them in a genuine restaurant.
We have has some interesting Easters with the crowd form Morgan Hill. We used to do a picnic at Kelly park in San Jose. Its a great place with lots to do for little kids. We got muscled around by some large groups and we lost our appetite for that kind of activity. We had one branch of the extended family that insisted on smoking at our gatherings. This did not work for our asthmatic kids so we stopped going.
We had fun their with craft contests and silly hats. We don't do that anymore since out youngest member is now in her 30s.
Easter is always a tough time for my wife. Since the turn of the century to 2005 we spent Easters going back to be with her parents that passed on in 2002 and 2004. That loss is one that is so tough to endure. As the quote from the recent movie the "Rabbit Hole" in reference to the death by car accident of their young child,"It is always with you. It changes but it sits in your pocket like a brick and at times when you reach into your pocket it comes out."
I know my dear brother-in-law Bob has faced this sort of thing for a number of years. He has lost both of his parents. It is still tough for him. I admire his courage.
So here we are in Easter 2011. We are planning to be at a picnic in Fremont. The girls are going to use BART to get there. They are happy about that. My sister and her daughter are headed to So Cal to help out the other daughter in SD. We are happy that mom and dad are planning to come with Bob to the picnic. Sean's dad is also thinking about coming and maybe Bob's sister and husband can make it too. Its going to be a potluck. I am making some pretty cool spring delights in the form of some slow cooked pulled pork, strawberry pie and and some crustini and cheese sampler. It could be a lot of fun.
Hope you are going to have a great Easter!
: ) Pat
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Its Still Spring, Elephant Book Review, Easter Plans
We awoke this morning to rain again.
Spring preparations have started.
Easter Plans
Sue and I are hoping the family will be interested in going to the Fremont Farm this Easter. We will be setting up picnic spots and hope that everyone can come and have a great time.
We all met their a few Easters ago and it was wonderful. The weather at the time was a bit windy but it didn't dampen our spirits.
We plan to bring all the fixins so if you are wanting to come and don't have a thing to bring.. come anyway. There is always things to do there and its got a great combination of sun and shade.
I hope that Dad, King Easter Bunny will be hiding eggs. Do you think Dom will get the one with the money it this time?
The Merced Farm
The rain has actually helped the garden. The pansies are hanging in there hoping against hope that we have a long cool Spring. At one point their sensibilities were damaged by the quick warm up we have had. Some days were reminiscent of Puerto Vallarta in February.. ha
The peaches on the front yard trees have set heavily. A goal this year is to get them thinned so that energy from the trees will go to the peaches that have the greatest chance of making it. I have already started to pinch off the peaches and nectarines that have set too close.
Congrats are Due!
Congrats go off to the BrownKorbel patriarch for passing his exams and also getting another year older. He is the first of our "born in 1950" crowd of three that get the next year older designation.
Book Review
I just finished water for the Elephants. Its a great book that Dad has read in the recent past. Its headed for a new movie opening this month. It stars the Reese Witherspoon and should be pretty exciting if it doesn't stray too far from the book.
The author presents the story in semi memoir form from the prospective of a nursing home resident in his 90's that retells the story of depression era veterinarian that kicks up on a circus train that acquires an elephant that the previous owner characterized as "dumber than a sack of hammers." It is very well written and a pretty easy read.
A major drawback to this book is the depiction of animal cruelty. While it is not condoned it contributes to the atmosphere of this story. It was a pretty cruel era with many people out of a job. This circus train does not move to a happy ending. In fact it describes a historic circus tragedy of the era.
There is a love story, which of course I enjoy. The characters and their roles are pretty realistic for the era. The author claims to have spent four years researching this content for this book. Much of the content had to come from people that owned permissions to photos and their underground connections. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) had put many of these people underground even for research purposes.
Its Thursday, and for Kelly its Friday.. so everyone looks forward to the weekend.
Love to All
Pat
Spring preparations have started.
Easter Plans
Sue and I are hoping the family will be interested in going to the Fremont Farm this Easter. We will be setting up picnic spots and hope that everyone can come and have a great time.
We all met their a few Easters ago and it was wonderful. The weather at the time was a bit windy but it didn't dampen our spirits.
We plan to bring all the fixins so if you are wanting to come and don't have a thing to bring.. come anyway. There is always things to do there and its got a great combination of sun and shade.
I hope that Dad, King Easter Bunny will be hiding eggs. Do you think Dom will get the one with the money it this time?
The Merced Farm
The rain has actually helped the garden. The pansies are hanging in there hoping against hope that we have a long cool Spring. At one point their sensibilities were damaged by the quick warm up we have had. Some days were reminiscent of Puerto Vallarta in February.. ha
The peaches on the front yard trees have set heavily. A goal this year is to get them thinned so that energy from the trees will go to the peaches that have the greatest chance of making it. I have already started to pinch off the peaches and nectarines that have set too close.
Congrats are Due!
Congrats go off to the BrownKorbel patriarch for passing his exams and also getting another year older. He is the first of our "born in 1950" crowd of three that get the next year older designation.
Book Review
I just finished water for the Elephants. Its a great book that Dad has read in the recent past. Its headed for a new movie opening this month. It stars the Reese Witherspoon and should be pretty exciting if it doesn't stray too far from the book.
The author presents the story in semi memoir form from the prospective of a nursing home resident in his 90's that retells the story of depression era veterinarian that kicks up on a circus train that acquires an elephant that the previous owner characterized as "dumber than a sack of hammers." It is very well written and a pretty easy read.
A major drawback to this book is the depiction of animal cruelty. While it is not condoned it contributes to the atmosphere of this story. It was a pretty cruel era with many people out of a job. This circus train does not move to a happy ending. In fact it describes a historic circus tragedy of the era.
There is a love story, which of course I enjoy. The characters and their roles are pretty realistic for the era. The author claims to have spent four years researching this content for this book. Much of the content had to come from people that owned permissions to photos and their underground connections. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) had put many of these people underground even for research purposes.
Its Thursday, and for Kelly its Friday.. so everyone looks forward to the weekend.
Love to All
Pat
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Kelly is Right, or Rather Wright
One of the best romantic movies out there is "Just Wright."
Queen Latifa is the runaway star in this movie. Its about a basketball star that falls for the wrong kind of girl then after a rehab understands there is more to life then the glamor girls he has been going out with.
The queen does a great acting job. The story, though pretty predictable, has some great cinematography. The pace of the movie is just right. The basketball scenes are pretty interesting. The post groupy thing with the entourage is pretty intense,(not forgive Tiger). The humor in this movie is in the actors not in the script.
This one is a good one and needs some consideration if you enjoy this kind of movie.
I also enjoyed, "Return to Me." with Minnie Driver and the actor from Californication, David Duchovny. Bonnie Hunt directs this movie and judging from the screen credit, had a few of her relatives also in on the set. Carol O'Connor plays her father, the owner of an Irish Italian restaurant.
Happy Saturday
Pat
Queen Latifa is the runaway star in this movie. Its about a basketball star that falls for the wrong kind of girl then after a rehab understands there is more to life then the glamor girls he has been going out with.
The queen does a great acting job. The story, though pretty predictable, has some great cinematography. The pace of the movie is just right. The basketball scenes are pretty interesting. The post groupy thing with the entourage is pretty intense,(not forgive Tiger). The humor in this movie is in the actors not in the script.
This one is a good one and needs some consideration if you enjoy this kind of movie.
I also enjoyed, "Return to Me." with Minnie Driver and the actor from Californication, David Duchovny. Bonnie Hunt directs this movie and judging from the screen credit, had a few of her relatives also in on the set. Carol O'Connor plays her father, the owner of an Irish Italian restaurant.
Happy Saturday
Pat
Sweet Seductive
Planted in the middle of last summer.
Its always so humble.
If you plant it from seeds, you can hardly see them.
In my container garden, they have lasted through two other plantings of annuals who have become too tender for the heat, too sensitive to the frost, to exuberant to sustain.
Now they fold over the lids of pots outside and send their sweet perfume to butterflies.
White in blossom, I always know when I am walking that I have passed a bed of them.
A homeowner on my route has given up the front lawn and replaced it with annuals. By perennials. This time of the year the daffodils are adding their scent to the air. But its primarily, the alyssum that command the scent of the spring air.
My sweet alyssum belongs to the mustard family. They have tiny white flowers.
: ) Pat
Its always so humble.
If you plant it from seeds, you can hardly see them.
In my container garden, they have lasted through two other plantings of annuals who have become too tender for the heat, too sensitive to the frost, to exuberant to sustain.
Now they fold over the lids of pots outside and send their sweet perfume to butterflies.
White in blossom, I always know when I am walking that I have passed a bed of them.
A homeowner on my route has given up the front lawn and replaced it with annuals. By perennials. This time of the year the daffodils are adding their scent to the air. But its primarily, the alyssum that command the scent of the spring air.
My sweet alyssum belongs to the mustard family. They have tiny white flowers.
: ) Pat