25 Hours

This is the weekend that we change the clocks back, at least in western Europe. The light woke me up at 7.30 a.m. but don't think I got up. I only get up that early on Sunday when I have to. I suppose it's nice having an extra hour though I really wish they would just leave the clocks alone.

I have yet to turn on the TV or radio this weekend (that's normal for me), and so haven't heard if the 'frankenstorm' has hit the eastern US. Last night the wind was blowing hard and the temperature in my house went down. I think it must be time to put the continental quilt on the bed. If I lived in Siberia, I'd probably want some other type of heating at night. Since I don't, I prefer to sleep under a nice warm quilt. I've done quite a bit of cooking this weekend, and that's helped heat up my small flat. One of my friends gave me lots of apples and some pumpkin from her village. I've cooked the pumpkin for soup and maybe a pumpkin pie; the apples I've used to make crock pot apple butter. I've used the recipe I had posted on Multiply, and thought I'd post it here on my recipe page when I get the time. I know Kris likes crock pot recipes and uses her crock pot quite a bit. I know I love mine.

It's my friend Chris's birthday on Halloween. We'll be celebrating that in an Indian restaurant. That reminds me that I need to phone a couple of friends to ask if they're going. One of them, however, is long-winded and usually has me on the phone for an hour. There goes my extra hour! The next birthday is mine, and, although I'd like to celebrate it in my favourite Mexican, the restaurant is always booked for a Thanksgiving dinner by some women's club. I've changed venues with another friend, so mine will be in a Greek.

Hope everyone has a good week. Thursday is a holiday (All Saints' Day, hence Halloween). At least one of my students is taking off 4 days.

Almost forgot! I'm sharing the bread I made in a photo, of course. I found this 1933 recipe in one of my cookbooks. I'm thinking I want a new camera for my birthday as my old one no longer works so well. 

The Last Post (Multiply)

My reason for posting again on a site that is virtually a ghost town is quite simple. You see, today marks my 5^th anniversary on multiply, a sad one obviously. The title is from that of a novella used years ago at the intermediate level in the language school where I worked until it closed. It tells the depressing story of a postman who wins a lot of money on the lottery only to be knocked off his bike and killed on his last day of work. I hated that story, and I hate the fact that a place where I’ve been happy to come to, a place that’s come to feel like home, will soon be gone.

I suppose I’ll always have bittersweet memories of my multiply experience, as long as I have a memory anyway. I remember how we were made to feel welcome and a tool to import our posts from Y360 was provided by the multiply staff and not Yahoo. I even participated in a ‘Multiply Appreciation Week’. Although I chose not to export these particular posts to Blogger, I’ve decided Blogger will be my main blog site and have managed to save the bulk of my posts and recipes to there. So I’ll say it has been nice sharing lives and experiences, and I say this especially to those I may never meet again in my travels around the internet. Then again I may! I hope everyone finds a place they like. As we say in Spain, ‘Hasta siempre’ or until we meet again.

P.S. This was the post that I’d prepared for yesterday, the 22^nd. Since things sometimes disappear before I’m able to post them, I usually type them on the computer first. Yesterday, MP was down for me all day and until about 4.30 pm (my time) today. Anyway, although this will be my last post, I’ll continue stopping by for as long as the powers thar be permit.

Blank Screen

On Wednesday evening my kindle suddenly became unresponsive, and two thoughts went through my head immediately: now what am I going to read,  and I'll have to phone tech support. I try everything before I call tech support. In the end I was able to re-set it though I have no idea what I did to cause it to freeze. I was just going to write a review of a book that I'd just finished. Anyway, if you ever have this problem, maybe I can help.

Reading has been something that I've enjoyed since my first day of school in the first grade. My teacher used to let me help the second graders with their reading in the little country school I started out in. Being the eldest, I was supposed to look after my younger brothers and sister while our mother did the chores before supper. My brother James always loved to eat strange things like the burnt head of a match, and he had a piece of coal that he hid behind the fridge so no one would steal it (as if we would!) that he nibbled on. One afternoon while I was reading instead of paying attention to James, he went out into the 'smokehouse' where the hams were cured and came back to the house eating what I thought was poison! Dad had to put down poison for the mice, of course. My poor mother was so frightened as I was too. She tried to get him to vomit by feeding him raw egg, shortening anything she could think of and nothing. James was the only one of us who would take cod liver oil willingly. For James's sake and ours we discovered my mistake. He'd been eating ashes! I 'd like to say I never read again while looking after them, but that's just not true.

BTW, I've changed the title of my blog slightly. One of my multiply friends is very interested in the origin of English expressions and his post the other day was 'third time lucky'. Unfortunately, he avoids anything that has to do with google, so we won't see him here. And tomorrow I'll be writing my last post on multiply which I'll also post here.  

Sunny Sunday

I`ve just finished viewing the Post Secret postcards for this Sunday, which after several years is still something I enjoy doing on a Sunday. I remembered this particular one from a while back – one that I liked enough to save. At the moment I’m reading a Christopher Smith series called ‘Bullied’. I always hope and pray that the children in my family never have to suffer from bullying. I’m continually appalled by hurtful things people say to and about people they don’t even know on the internet. Then I read comments by those who claim to live in the land of the free and wonder why everyone doesn’t have an equal right to express their opinions. On Facebook I see a lot of political posts from some of my contacts and steer clear of those.


 Anyway, I best get a move on. Since now it’s cool enough to use the oven, I’m going to make a Shepherd’s Pie. I don’t follow a recipe. It’s just leftover meat, usually with carrots and peas, a bit of gravy and mashed potatoes on top. This will be dinner tonight and probably lunch tomorrow. A good way to begin the week, don’t you think?

Wordless Wednesday

Sophie, one of my sister's dogs, looking innocent. Who knows what she'd been digging for, but I love her facial!

Ten Thoughts Tuesday

Although I probably won't be able to participate every week, I've decided to dedicate this one to my holidays, which have unfortunately come to an end.

 One: I arrived in the US on the day Neil Armstrong died and this was the first bit of news that I saw on te airport TV screens. I'm posting a replica of the suit he wore on Apollo 11. Armstrong was a hero for many though he claimed no fame. May he rest in peace.

•  Two: My sister, brother-in-law and I found one another in the airport with no problems. A couple of summers ago, I was waiting upstairs and they were downstairs. After nearly an hour, we finally made a connection. 
• Three: I was lucky that my sister was able to get some time off so we could do things together. She works in the lab of one of the hospitals in Cincinnati. A new Jungle Jim's was to be opened this week on a route she has to take to get to work. I've been wondering about the traffic problems that must be causing. 
•  Four: They live outside a small town which when they first moved there didn't even have a grocer's of any kind. Now they have Kroger's, which for us here would be a hypermarket. 
•  Five: My BIL's banty roosters woke me up every day before it was light out. He has to have the poor things cooped up because a hawk or some other animal will get them. I feel bad for their living conditions, but I sure wouldn't miss the roosters. Besides, I could crow better! 
•  Six: Especially my BIL complains about the noise of traffic on their road (there are many times when there are no cars travelling at all). I think, with the exception of the roosters, they live in a very quiet area. 
• Seven: Terri has recently remarked what a TV addict she is. I spent more time reading than watching TV. I did watch Judge Judy (she makes me laugh) and Ellen sometimes. Oh, and have you seen the 'Turtle Man'? I'm not sure of the exact name of the programme. It's starring this guy from Kentucky who helps people with their critter problems. 
•  Eight: I tried out some recipes on the family while I was there which were hits. One of them is called Cheater's Lasagna (similiar to Baked Ziti); another was pork chops in a marinade, very good; finally, one from the southern lady cooks website - a cherry cheesecake, extra good. Of course, I had to make a Spanish omelette. For our family reunion in Kentucky I made my famous easy chocolate cake. 
•  Nine: We had dinner and great conversation with a 360 and multiply friend who uses the name Ed Train. It's the second time I've met Ed in or near Cincinnati. Loretta, if you're reading this, he sends you his regards. 
•  Ten(and I'm done): We visited the Museum of Natural History and Science at Union Terminal in Cincy again. I wanted some photos of the cave paintings from Spain. We also visited the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky where they also have a small petting zoo. There was a donkey that ignored us until I spoke to him in Spanish. LOL