Living In The Ice Age

I don't know quite how it has happened, but we have an abundance of ice covering all surfaces in yards, walkways, and side roads. The main road in our area (yes, we have only one) is dry and free of ice (thankfully) but the second you turn off onto a side road whether it be in town or out, you find yourself on an ice-covered surface.

Our own quarter-mile long driveway is downright treacherous. Sometimes we have to put the truck into 4-wheel drive to navigate it.

This morning when we walked out to get the mail, Roy took the ash bucket and a shovel to spread ashes on the worst areas.

When tires are trying to move on this stuff, you don't have much control.

On the walk out to the mailbox and back, we keep Zoey on a lead only when we get near the road. So when she's free she typically runs back and forth, forth and back taking in all the good smells where the deer regularly cross the driveway. These days she often falls down - splat! - because she can't get any traction on the ice either. (But don't be worried. It doesn't seem to phase her one bit. She's up in a flash and on with her investigations happy as a dog in the woods could be.)

The worst part of the driveway is right before you get to the main road . . . from the point in the picture above until you have to stop to check both ways before pulling out. Stopping at that point has been very exciting.

Roy started by spreading the bulk of the ashes on the spot where the driveway joins the main road which should now make for much safer pulling out and, of course, turning back in again.

What we really need is several inches of snow to pack down, cover the ice and give us all around safer surfaces to drive on. (And walk on!) It's unlikely that we'll see temperatures anywhere near melting until spring so this ice covering is gonna get real old if we don't get more snow soon!

All of you out there with an excess, we wouldn't mind if you sent some our way.

We Be A-Makin' Da Meat-A Balls Today

When we had the restaurant, we made our meat balls for the spaghetti sauce from scratch. During the summer when it was so busy we had a hard time keeping ahead on the food, we had a gal who came in for two hours every morning (before her regular job, bless her heart) to help us prep for the day. Most days she found "Make Meat Balls" on the list waiting for her. She quickly dubbed herself "The Meat Ball Queen" and actually became quite proud of her nicely shaped, uniformly sized meat balls.

Every now and then I make a batch of those same meat balls and squirrel them away in the freezer. Then I can easily take out how ever many I need for Barbequed Meat Balls, Meat Balls in Gravy, Spaghetti Sauce, etc.

They smell wonderful when cooking and the aroma stayed in my kitchen all day today. Wish I had a gourmet-ish name for them. But they're just:

MEAT BALLS

Soak four slices of dry bread in water for about 2-3 minutes.

With your hands, squeeze out all the water you can from the bread, drop into a mixing bowl and break apart the clumps of wet bread with your fingers.

Then add all the rest of the ingredients into the bowl with the bread.

1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all of the ingredients until well blended.
Form balls of approximately 1-1/2 ounces each by rolling a small amount of mixture between your hands.

Place the balls on racks that have been placed on a cookie sheet with a lip.

Bake meat balls in a 500° oven for 20 minutes.

When meat balls finish baking, remove from oven and cool or use immediately.

After they have cooled, freeze any remainders for future use.

Notes: When removing the meat balls from the oven, I take a spatula and loosen the hot meat balls from the racks. Sometimes they tend to settle down into the racks but if you loosen them when they're hot, they come right off.

These meat balls aren't highly seasoned or spicy but you certainly could add whatever "zing" you wanted to them.

I usually do twice this amount at a time (just double everything in the above recipe) but I had a pound of ground beef defrosted that I had planned on using tonight (then had a change of plans) so I made only a one-pound batch this time around.

Getting these meat balls made today was about the only planned project I got accomplished.

I shan't repeat it here, but if you wish to read more of how things have been going lately, go over to my quilting blog where I'm afraid I went on and on about the little struggles and diffooculties we've been battling lately.

One other thing I did do was to make it to the library today so now I'm going to go take a hot shower, throw an extra quilt on the bed, and snuggle down with a new book.

"I'm Back," She Says With Her Fingers Crossed

I now know for sure that I love my blogging. I now know for sure that I feel absolutely discomboobulated without my computer . . . and my blogging . . . and many other computer related things.

Being fairly organized and having my own little routine has always been important to me. And like it or lump it, being organized these days relates directly to having the use of one's own computer . . . for more things than I truly realized until this past week when I've been computer-deprived. I've sort of felt like I was going through my days with one arm tied behind my back, navigating by hopping on one leg, and not being able to adequately communicate.

Now that I'm back up and running on all four computer cylinders again (with a heavily medicated hard drive), I'm facing a mountain of catch-up. Where should I start? Getting the "personal" stuff done that keeps the household running or the "fun" stuff like this personal blog or buckling down to the "work" that I had scheduled for the first of the year for my baby quilt Internet business?

This week has also shown me how very much I use word processing. I sure didn't remember that it took so long to write anything out by hand compared to typing it on my computer. I'm sure I can compose, rewrite and print out a whole typewritten page in about one-tenth of the time it takes with paper and pencil! Matter of fact, I found the task so laboriously slow that I quickly gave up and started plastering sticky notes all over my desk area pertaining to thoughts, ideas, recipes, people to contact, research to do, etc., etc. when I had word processing once again at my fingertips.

Because we thought the first trip to the PC doctor's office and back had fixed the entire problem, and then I quickly crashed and burned again, I have to admit I'm still feeling a l-i-t-t-l-e shaky every time I turn on the computer or go to a different function. My dear husband has been subtly (ahem) suggesting to me for ever-so-long that because of all I use my computer for these days I really should have a back-up sitting at the ready. Some of us are slower learners than others, but I think this may have taught me a lesson.

My computer is old, my hard drive is tired, and although it's been propped up for the moment, a new computer for me is looming on the horizon along with, yes, a back-up of some sort also.

I think I'll just blithely block this last week out of my mind now and jump back into the fray. I may even manage to get an interesting post up tomorrow.

So good to be back!

P.S. Thanks to that sneaky, little daughter of mine for letting you all know what's been going on . . . and for posting that "blast from the past" picture with us both looking a wee bit younger than we do today!

When Technology Goes Belly-Up

Mama Pea's daughter / web administrator here.

Mom's computer went belly-up last week, and I soon discovered that the required repair was far beyond my capabilities. So, off it went to the PC doctor.

The old beast came home late yesterday (the computer, that is, not Mama Pea!), and she tried to catch up for a couple of hours last night . . . planning to return to posting today.

Unfortunately, with the cold dawn this morning came the same problems, and so your favorite blogger is out of commission yet again.

She's tearing her hair out in frustration, so I KNOW she'll be back here just as soon as humanly (technologically!) possible.

Until then, since The Power is in MY hands (insert slightly maniacal laughter), I'll leave you with this:

Chicken Mama & Mama Pea, circa 1972

It's A Wrap

Not only is it a wrap, but it is wrapped!

I've decided to give this little cardigan sweater to the Bundle of Joy at the shower tomorrow. I know there's nothing wrong with it other than the fact that I had it stuck in my mind that it would be . . . well, smaller.

But as others have commented, the larger it turned out, the longer she'll be able to wear it.

This is the back view. A super-simple little sweater to knit. Knit from the top down so there were no seams to sew to complete. Love that about it! Putting the pieces of a knitted garment together is not my favorite part. I've got this irrational fear of the whole thing falling apart the first time it's washed. When I have ends to weave in, I do so with about four feet of yarn so they're sure not to come undone. (Hmmm, Dr. Freud, vat do you tink about dis insecurity issue?)

The end.

You Have The Choice

Last week I had the pleasure of being in the company of an elderly lady whom I can't help but admire.

Her soul mate, her life-long partner, her husband died about two years ago. Immediately thereafter she started having some serious health problems. (An incoincidental happening, in my mind.) She went through a rough period. Withdrawing. And curtailing the full life she had always enjoyed.

Long story short, there ensued a less than pleasant period in her life for her to work through.

It was evident during our recent visit that her strong spirit has rallied and her delightful personality has reappeared. Her beautiful snow-white hair was coiffed, her facial make-up was very attractive, her elegant red cardigan sweater matched her skillfully applied bright red lipstick. She was sharp as the proverbial tack and a cheery addition to the gathering. Her zest for life was back.

During our conversation she said, "Every morning when I wake up, I sit on the edge of the bed and ask myself if I would rather be happy or sad today. Do you know," she said, "that's a choice I have every day. And I choose to be happy."

Bless you, K! In making the choice you do, you broadcast joy and happiness into so many other lives.

Lesson learned: Keep wearin' that bright red lipstick!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone. I have a feeling 2010 is going to be a good one!