Pretend Chat 2.14

Jacqui

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Hoo dogies, is it ever cold out there this a.m. I haven't made a fire in the wood stove for several days because we're having a spell of pretty nice weather. My house is well-insulated, so even though the nights outside are in the 30s, the house really doesn't cool down that much inside. But today it's raining and very windy. The ambient temp isn't all that cold, but it's a pretty cold wind a-blowin'. So I came in from my a.m. chores and built a fire. My fingers are too stiff to type properly. Even so, it's still only 65F in here. That's not too cold. Can't wait for the fire to get going so I can stand there and warm up my fingers!

Misty finally went outside with me, so her morning ablutions have been taken care of. It's interesting that all my fair weather cats have found a dry place to hide. I keep the door to the old, vacant house on the back of my property propped open so the cats can go in there out of the weather, but for some reason, they don't. Maybe there's a ghost in there.

@Jacqui - Did you cook your lamb yet? Here's a nice recipe for lamb steak:

  1. Season the lamb with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  2. Place a cast-iron, stainless steel, or other heavy-bottomed frying pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Add the oil and allow to become very hot (a drop of water should sizzle).
  3. Lay the seasoned lamb in the skillet and let sear or 2 minutes to develop a golden-brown exterior.
  4. Flip the lamb over and sear the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
  5. Reduce the heat to medium and return the steaks to the first side.
  6. Cook the lamb for 4-6 more minutes, occasionally spooning some of the pan juices over the top of the lamb to add more flavor and to expedite cooking.
  7. Flip the lamb steaks over again and continue to pan-fry until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees, about 4 minutes.
  8. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the middle of the thickest part to check the temperature.
  9. Transfer the lamb steaks from the pan and onto plates or a cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving so the internal juices settle.
  10. To serve, garnish with the fresh thyme.

I will have to try this. I put them in the freezer, as I walked by on my way into the house.

Today I got beef roast on sale, plus all needed things to put it in a crockpot.
 

Yvonne G

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I love coming in from working outside and smelling that food is cooking. I have a slow cooker, but hardly ever use it. Today I'm trying a recipe I found in one of those side bars on FB - Cabbage Roll Casserole. It doesn't take long to prepare. I try to cook a nice lunch daily because I only eat one meal a day. Your crock pot roast meal sound delish! Can I come?
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
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I love coming in from working outside and smelling that food is cooking. I have a slow cooker, but hardly ever use it. Today I'm trying a recipe I found in one of those side bars on FB - Cabbage Roll Casserole. It doesn't take long to prepare. I try to cook a nice lunch daily because I only eat one meal a day. Your crock pot roast meal sound delish! Can I come?

You always do in my dreams.
 

Yvonne G

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Took my trash over to my daughter's house to put into her garbage cans (today is garbage day), then made a quick trip up to the store. Last Friday when I did my shopping somehow my BIG package of paper towels didn't make it out of the store. First person I saw inside the store this a.m. was the guy who checked me out on Friday. I asked if he remembered anyone leaving a big package of paper towels on Friday and he remembered!! So I didn't have to buy them again!

We had a pretty nice rain event yesterday. I know it doesn't sound like much to you, but we had ALMOST a half inch of rain. Norcal and Socal got way more than that, and all the area where the fires were in Santa Barbara is mud slides and people killed. Terrible stuff.

We're going to have a pretty nice day today. Hopefully I can get going and get some work done outside. So much to do, so little urge to do it!
 

DE42

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Are actually going to hit 60°F today. It will feel like a heat wave after all the single digit weather.
Dont_Have-wallpaper-10102401.jpg
 

Jacqui

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Most stores keep a notebook of left behind items. Plus even without that, or anybody recalling it left behind, for good customer relations, they should let you have it.
 

Jacqui

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A few days back, I stopped at WalMart to stock up on my greens for the storm. As had been the case at this WalMart lately, at 7 am there were no greens out. So I asked them to bring some out from the back. I went and did my other shopping and came back to produce. Bagged up all the turnip and collard greens they had put out. Noticed the collards were still priced at .98. Checked out and looked at my receipt and sure enough they charged me 1.28. Went to customer service from where you could actually see the produces' posted price. The lady had to go over and have a chat with the produce guy and finally came back. She made it sound like as a favour to me, they would let me have it for the posted amount, rather then the new correct amount. I really wanted to call over a manager about the poor service from her, but I was in my store uniform. Took my two dollars and change and left.
 

Jacqui

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I really lucked out last week with catching good clearances and sales. I went to a Wal-Mart who had several of those large bags of precut kale for under $1.50 and the same of organic for around $2. They had bunches of turnip and collard for .98. A container of strawberries and blueberries for just over a dollar and one of cantelope for well under the cost of buying just one whole one.

Went to a local garden center and saw that metal cardinal. Since they remind me of my Mom, as I left, I went back and picked it up even though the price was a bit high. At checkout, they said it was for sale at 50% off. That made me really happy.

Then on to a SuperSaver store where the kale bunches were on clearance for .48 each.

As I left town, I went thru Long John Silver's for food for supper. The lady at the window remembered me, so I got a discount for being a regular custoner.

I figured fate was getting me all these small savings, in order so I wouldn't feel bad about the fact I would not be winning the lottery.
 

Jacqui

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It's 3:30 am here and I am wide awake. Tortoises and turtles are fed. Doesn't look like any snow outside yet, but I haven't gone outside to check. The wind has been blowing hard all day and night. Good thing Yvonne never made it for roast (which isn't going to started until a bit later any how), as we know she hates wind. Has the windchimes going crazy. I love windchimes.

For breakfast I tried one of those salad combination bowls. This had spring mix with spinach, dried cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, carrot thin slices, chicken, and Apple chucks with some kind of dressing. Was pretty good and yes it was a clearance find yesterday at 2.14. lol boy am I sounding cheap with all my clearance buyings.
 

Jacqui

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Are actually going to hit 60°F today. It will feel like a heat wave after all the single digit weather.

Us too, these last three days. Going back cold starting today. Expecting some negative temp nights this weekend.

How long are your temps going to stay warm? Doing anything to take advantage of the nice temps?
 

Jacqui

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We have a few inches of fine snow out there this morning, with a sprinkle more continuing. It's a dry snow, so not the clinging type to make for those winter wonderland photo ops.
 

Yvonne G

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Wooo hoo!! Jacqui posted. . . a LOT!!! Hi Jacqui. Lots of good bargains for you. We had a nice rain event for a couple days, now we have morning fog, but sun when the fog burns off. It's a bit cold this a.m., down in the 30s, but will warm up to the 60s later. The only thing I have planned for the day is to finish picking up the downed cactus and move it to the cutting up pile, then bring up a couple wheel barrow loads of firewood to the front porch. Once I get that downed cactus all picked up and moved, it clears a path for me to be able to wheel the sprayer up into the cactus garden area. I like to spray a pre-emergent around the cactus to keep the weeds in check. I may be too late though, because of the rain, but if that's the case I'll use Round-up instead of Treflan!
 

Jacqui

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So "downed" cactus can't be fed or it's heavy on the dang "injector needles"?
 

Yvonne G

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So "downed" cactus can't be fed or it's heavy on the dang "injector needles"?
I think I posted a picture of it a while back. I'll see if I still have it. . .

No, I can't find it. But it was this one:

Cactus 6-22-13.jpg

Three of the very big branches (???) trunks (???) broke off and were laying on the ground and fence to the left. William cut it all up for me and bit by bit I'm hauling it to my daughter's house to put in her greenwaste barrel. What's left is dry and brittle and I had the wonderful idea to haul it to my wood cutting pile and cut it up into wood stove size pieces.

As to feeding it, I did take a couple of the stems (???) and ran a sharp knife down the edges where the spines are, and tossed it into the tortoise yards. They tried to eat it, but it's too tough for them to bite.
 

Yvonne G

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Today I'm having a real special lunch - baloney sandwich!! Yea team! I don't feel like cooking. So I'll slather on some butter, add some mustard and a couple slices of Oscar Meyer baloney, cut the crusts off, open a bottle of tea/lemonade and eat hardy!
 

Jacqui

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Today I'm having a real special lunch - baloney sandwich!! Yea team! I don't feel like cooking. So I'll slather on some butter, add some mustard and a couple slices of Oscar Meyer baloney, cut the crusts off, open a bottle of tea/lemonade and eat hardy!

I'd have mayo on mine. The crusts always go to the four legged kids.
 

bouaboua

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Took my trash over to my daughter's house to put into her garbage cans (today is garbage day), then made a quick trip up to the store. Last Friday when I did my shopping somehow my BIG package of paper towels didn't make it out of the store. First person I saw inside the store this a.m. was the guy who checked me out on Friday. I asked if he remembered anyone leaving a big package of paper towels on Friday and he remembered!! So I didn't have to buy them again!

We had a pretty nice rain event yesterday. I know it doesn't sound like much to you, but we had ALMOST a half inch of rain. Norcal and Socal got way more than that, and all the area where the fires were in Santa Barbara is mud slides and people killed. Terrible stuff.

We're going to have a pretty nice day today. Hopefully I can get going and get some work done outside. So much to do, so little urge to do it!
My wife told me that we had a steady rain all day yesterday, and one of the outdoor enclosure show the sign of water leak. So the to do list started....
 

bouaboua

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Today I'm having a real special lunch - baloney sandwich!! Yea team! I don't feel like cooking. So I'll slather on some butter, add some mustard and a couple slices of Oscar Meyer baloney, cut the crusts off, open a bottle of tea/lemonade and eat hardy!
Now I'm hungry. I like to have three slices....That's "hardy".
 

bouaboua

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My wife will arrive China next Monday night because her niece are getting marry in Hebei province. That's the good thong, the bad thing is the weather, it is in 20's. She is soo not looking forward to that weeding. I'm glad I don't have to go because work.

My daughter and her boyfriend will also coming to China at the end of month for vacation. So I may goof off for few days to travel with them. Looking forward to the Chinese New Year holidays, because I can stay home for entire month of Feb.
 
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