There are still some snow drifts in Wyoming, resting comfortably against snow fences, resisting the warmth of spring. But the bright green grasses of the open land haven't shown their colors yet.
What we have right now are ochre and wheat colored grasses, blanketing the hills beneath the wide open sky.
This is what I made for dinner tonight, seared scallops.
There's really no recipe, as it's easy as 1, 2, 3.
1. Blot scallops with a paper towel to dry them. Salt and pepper each side. Heat a frying pan until it's very hot, then add butter and a little olive oil.
2. Once the butter begins to smoke a little, add the scallops making sure they don't touch each other. Cook one and a half to two minutes on each side until you get a nice golden crust - the centers of the scallops should be translucent.
3. Serve immediately.
I served mine over roasted garlic rice with sauteed fresh green beans on the side. Deeeelicious!
Although I seared these, this is really my all-time favorite scallop recipe. That's how I'll be making them next time.
I love fresh pineapple, and just bought one today to enjoy this week. When I lived in Old Town Alexandria, in Virginia, the pineapple was everywhere - on clothing, in home decor, printed on stationery - supposedly a symbol of hospitality harkening back to Colonial times.
I came across this explanation online:
"The pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality since the days of the early American colonies. The legend began with the sea captains of New England, who sailed among the Caribbean Islands and returned to the colonies bearing their cargo of fruits, spices and rum.
According to the legend, the captain would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside his home to let his friends know of his safe return from sea. The pineapple was an invitation for them to visit, share his food and drink, and listen to tales of his voyage.
As the tradition grew, colonial innkeepers added the pineapple to their signs and advertisements, and bedposts carved in the shape of a pineapple were a common sight at inns across New England.
The legend has continued to the present, and frequently one sees the pineapple symbol in hotels and restaurants to signal the presence of hospitality."
This is what my last two days have been like...staring out the window, passing time. We delivered our load on Monday and don't have our next one until tomorrow, so I've just been loafing around enjoying the gorgeous weather on the east coast. It's perfect for me - semi-sunny and cool. The only thing that would make things better, is if I really had the life of a cat.
I got some reading done, fixed a few glitches on my blog, organized folders on my computer, made a gift for my friend Vicki (which I will do a post about once she receives it), and caught up on last week's Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family episodes on my iPad.
I'm now rejuvinated and ready to cross the country. I even have new audiobooks!
This is Arizona...flat expanses of dirt, short brown shrubs, tall brown shrubs (which some people think are trees), miles and miles of nothing. It makes me very unhappy. This is Tennessee...rolling hills, green trees, blue sky. Streams, buds in spring, a medley of color in the fall, very little but some snow in the winter. It makes me very happy. For me, there's no contest between the two. The minute I leave the desert behind and join the lush green world of the eastern part of the country, I'm in twelve kinds of heaven. Although the northeast has my heart, Tennessee is a close second. My best friend is there and being with her brings back the best memories of my life.
We are going on twenty-six years as friends...or is it twenty-seven? Someday, we'll be going on thirty years, then forty and hopefully even fifty. And we'll be neighbors. And I can die with a smile on my face.
Tonight was our last night at my friend Vicki's house. As usual, it was an amazing day and the meal was spectacular.
We started with my recipe for Eggplant Caponata - for once, I actually showed Vicki how to make something. And it was a HUGE hit! We had it with toasted Pane Toscana, spread with herbed goat cheeese. What a great idea for an appetizer! For dinner we had grilled steaks (filet mignon, ribeye and sirloins), creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes, which Vicki made with a beautifully roasted head of garlic. We had a great dinner, with lots of laughs, which was a wonderful way to end our visit. Can't wait to get back!
You can get a copy of the recipe for Eggplant Caponata HERE.
While I was in Tennessee this weekend, Vicki and I drove around looking at houses and property for sale. Ultimately, I want to move there, so I'm always looking online for place to buy.
We found two great places that I've had my eye on for a while and at one of the locations, we were greeted by some very large deer frolicking in the grass. I'm guessing they're included in the price of the house!
This picture of Ed reminds me of my maternal grandfather, when he would sit at the kitchen table and work on his trains. He had the same type of light, and his workspace was similarly cluttered.
My friend Vicki in her herb garden, picking what's needed for our evening meal.
She has a plethora of fresh, fragrant herbs to choose from; basil, cinnamon basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, cilantro, sage, tarragon, dill, thyme, rosemary and oregano.
I say this is the color of happy - red and white radicchio and bright green asparagus (the colors of the Italian flag!) - because these veggies were cut and prepped for grilling in the kitchen of my best friend. My favorite place in the world to be.
I was not in love with the grilled radicchio, it was a little too bitter for me, but the aspargus was deeeeeeelicious. These were the veggies that accompanied the dinner she made - Pollo con Erbe Fresche (Chicken with fresh herbs) from David Rocco's Made In Italy cookbook.
Today I came across this old camera that belonged to my grandfather. The Rolleicord was made in Germany after World War II and was just one of the many he used in the height of his picture taking days.
I'm having a little love affair with David Rocco. I'm hooked on his cooking show, which I watch every chance I get. He's down to earth, makes simple Italian cooking look five star, and he's easy on the eyes.
I recently bought his two cookbooks, David Rocco’s Dolce Vita and Made In Italy by David Rocco. I love them both equally. They have his personality, a few stories, and color photos with every recipe. That is my kind of cookbook.
I've already made a few things from it and they were simple, easy and delicous. These are the only two hardcover books I carry in the truck. Anything else isn't worth the space.
Ed and I have been watching a lot of "King Of Queens" lately and it never fails to crack us up. This episode, Driving Reign, had to do with Doug's cousin being hired at his company, IPS (a play on UPS). Doug was sulking because his cousin did Doug's regular route faster than he did, so after work, Doug went home and flopped on the bed to wallow in his misery. A commercial came on TV and the announcer said the following (see it at 13:06 in the video):
"Unemployed? Need a job quick? Well, become a truck driver. No education? No problem. No experience? No problem. If you can sit down, YOU can become a driver."
You'd think the opinion of truck drivers would have come further than that over the years, no? This episode was from 2003 - less than ten years ago - we haven't come quite far enough.
Good thing I'm an expert at sitting on my ass, because I'm pretty sure it was the number one reason I got this job.
I was contacted by a woman regarding this graphic that was created by her and her team - she found me by searching for blogs and posts about traffic. She wanted to know my opinion. Well, I suppose some of these items apply to truck drivers, although it seems most of the information is regarding the general motoring public. I personally don't mind traffic, I find the people-watching from my vantage point pretty interesting. What I do like that I found among all this information, is the 135-degree reclining seat. Now I might just be into one of those! Check out all the stats here.
This is one of my favorite songs on Whitney Houston's I Look To You album. I'm posting it for a few of my friends who've been struggling and who've had some difficult changes in their lives. This is for you Kim, Melissa and Marie!
I Didn't Know My Own Strength
Lost touch with my soul I had nowhere to turn I had nowhere to go Lost sight of my dream Thought it would be the end of me
I thought I'd never make it through I had no hope to hold on to I, I thought I would break
I didn't know my own strength And I crashed down And I tumbled But I did not crumble I got through all the pain I didn't know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour My faith kept me alive I picked myself back up Hold my head up high I was not built to break I didn't know my own strength
Found hope in my heart I found the light to life my way out of the dark Found all that I need here inside of me
I thought I'd never find my way I thought I'd never lift that weight I thought I would break
I didn't know my own strength And I crashed down And I tumbled But I did not crumble I got through all the pain I didn't know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour My faith kept me alive I picked myself back up Hold my head up high I was not built to break I didn't know my own strength
There were so many times I wondered How I'd get through the night I thought I took all that I could take
I didn't know my own strength And I crashed down And I tumbled But I did not crumble I got through all the pain I didn't know my own strength
My faith kept me alive I picked myself back up I hold my head up high I was not built to break I didn't know my own strength
I was not built to break, no, no I got to know my own strength
"Yeah, the one with the girl that was murdered at the beginning." I said. "Mystic River."
"And Kevin Bacon..." she said.
"Right, and the boys were molested or something when they were young." I said. "By a priest, I think."
"No, it was a cop." she said.
"Well, whatever. It was Mystic River." I said.
"No, that's not it." my mother said, convinced I was wrong.
"Yes, there was that one scene where the boy was looking back, out of the car window as it drove away. Remember? I'm telling you, it's Mystic River." I said.
"No. Sean Penn was in it." she said.
"I think you guys are talking about two different movies." my brother said.
"No, we're talking about the same one." I said.
"I don't think so." my brother said, unconvinced.
After a few minutes of silence, my mother blurted out, "Mystic River! That's the name of it."
"I just said that!" I said.
"When?" she said.
"Ma. Seriously?? I just said it THREE times." I said.
"I thought you said Mr. Criver." she said.
My brother and I looked at her like she was crazy.
"You thought I said Mr. Criver?" I said.
"Yeah." she said.
"Really?"
"Yes." she said.
"OK, so when you heard "Mr. Criver" three times, didn't you search your brain and know that there's not a movie called Mr. Criver and maybe I was saying MISS-TIC River?" I said.
"Well, no." she said. "I was too busy trying to figure out who Mr. Criver was."
And that is pretty much how most holiday gatherings go with my family.
That's right, I'm a truck driver but I'm not very good at backing up the rig. Before you judge me, let me explain.
We hardly do any backing up. Really.
We pull a platform trailer - a 48' aluminum flatbed with a spread axle. At most of the shippers and receivers we go to, all that is required of us is to show up in the yard or facility and typically, they come to us. When we get to a shipper, we position ourselves where they request, and then a forklift or crane will load the freight. Then we strap, or chain, or tarp, and go on our way. The process is reversed at the other end.
In my defense, when I was practicing in trucking school way back in 2006, I did have to park a van trailer in a "hole" - an imaginary dock set up on the school grounds - as part of my training in order to pass my test. They taught us how to park the trailer from a 45 degree angle - the trick was making sure the tandem axles on the trailer pivoted at just the right point. After a while I got the hang of it and it felt kind of easy.
Then I got into our truck and tried to back up our trailer, which has a spread axle. First, there is no pivoting on a spread. When backing up, the spread axle actually pushes the back end of the trailer where you don't want it to go, making it difficult to swoop it right into the spot the way you want it to go. And it's difficult to start at a 45 degree angle. Ed has this little trick, where he pulls up at slight angle to the spot he wants to get into and then just gently guides the trailer in. Unless it's a tight or oddball spot, he doesn't even need any pullups. I've tried doing it his way, but just can't. And if I were to try to pivot on the tires, Ed would have my head on a platter. Damaging tires is not on the list of things he tolerates.
When I do park, I try to find a pull-thru or a big open parallel parking spot. That, I can handle. Even a slightly snug parallel spot in a rest area is easier for me to tackle than backing into a tight spot in a truckstop. In the truckstop, there's so much to look at - the trucks on either side (especially your blind side), the trucks parked in the row in front of you, and the assholes that insist on driving behind you when you're trying to back up. Oh, and cars. Sometimes there are cars. I'd rather drive to the next truckstop or rest area than deal with all of that.
Thing is, in addition to not backing regularly in the course of a normal work week, I also don't practice in our off time. I don't need any help finding things to do other than practicing my backing. I am always envious though, when I see other people doing it. Oh, there are lots of guys who will drive around looking for a spot to pull straight into, or try to back into a spot and just can't make it. I've seen people just give up and leave the truckstop altogether. In that case, I know we have a spot for the night if we need one, because if there's a spot that no one else has been able to utilize, Ed can get us into it. I'll even wake him up if I have to, as I've yet to see a spot he can't get squeezed into.
I feel being able to back up masterfully, and not just into the easy spots, will make me an even more awesome driver. Especially as a woman driver. In a car, I can get in anywhere, I've even parallel parked for boyfriends or other people I've been with when they couldn't get into a spot. I am the queen of the tight New York City parking spot. But in a big rig? I don't have it down yet. And when I hear about some of the jams my driver friends get themselves into, especially GiGi, I'm totally amazed. She pulls into a lot of docks and driveways that I wouldn't even attempt. I'm in awe.
If there's anything that would make me feel like a completely accomplished driver, backing up flawlessly would be it. I don't want to just be able to back into a spot when the parking lot is wide open, I want to do it when it's packed and there are only a few spots left. I want to know I can tackle those spots without a hitch.
What's funny about this is a story my mother always told about my grandfather. My mother has three sisters, and when they learned to drive my grandfather taught them how to drive in reverse first. He said if they could do that, they could do anything. And they did.
I took this from the passenger side of the truck while it was moving. I am using the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. Within that app, you can choose which "film", "lens" and "flash" style you want. The same shot using different options comes out completely different. Very cool.
This was taken in Ranger, Texas which is located approximately 125 miles west of Dallas, on Interstate 20.
This video was sent to me by my mother. Her friend's niece is the mother of quads (and a five year old) and this is her singing on the video, getting the children to follow her voice into the bedroom for their nap. I'd never heard this song before and have been humming it ever since I watched the video. Then I started to look around for the lyrics to the song and other versions of it. I found a version I liked by Paul Potts (which I bought from iTunes), and then this video where the song is sung by Andrea Bocelli.
Just beautiful.
I'd follow the singer of that song anywhere if there's a nap waiting at the other end of it.
Today while sitting around the company terminal in Grand Prairie, Texas, Ed and I decided we might as well go get our DOT physicals done. By law, we have to get them done every two years. I had been a little hesitant because my normally perfect blood pressure of 120/80 had been a little high.
In order to get a two-year medical card, you can't be over 140 on the top number or 90 on the bottom number. I had been monitoring my own blood pressure in the truck for over a month, with a blood pressure machine my mother lent me. I even have an Excel spreadsheet, averaging the readings over time. Needless to say, it was the only thing on my mind that morning.
For a fat chick, I'm pretty damn healthy. I don't take any medications, my blood sugar is always good (my mother is diabetic and has pricked my finger many times to take my blood sugar), I rarely get sick, I don't have any physical limitations or issues (save recent intermittent joint pain in my left ring finger), don't have high cholestrol, rarely get sick and have never had high blood pressure. That's more than I can say for some of my thinner, younger and exercising friends and family members.
Anyway, got a little sidetracked there, but it'll tie back in later, I promise. So Ed and I went to the clinic a few miles from the terminal, signed in, and sat in the very full waiting room with the rest of the crowd. Everyone in there was waiting on the same thing - a DOT physical. It looked like we'd be there all day. Ed was called in, but was back out within minutes - they had taken his blood pressure, did his eye exam, height and weight, etc. They sent him back out until an exam room was ready.
Then the sky started to get dark. A storm was coming in for sure. But it wasn't just a storm, which we found out when someone changed the channel from ESPN to the Weather Channel. It was a tornado. Actually, several tornadoes. So as we sat there, we were watching this on the local news:
About twenty minutes into watching this, the manager of the facility came out into the waiting room and asked everyone to please come back into the interior of the building. So the group got up and filed into the hallway inside the clinic. The waiting room was all glass and it was clear they wanted everyone to get to a safer location.
The tornado sirens were going off and the manager had a weather radio pressed up against his ear. I guess this is a normal April in Dallas, as most of the people seemed more irritated that they were just standing there, rather than worrying about the four tornadoes that were touching down all around us. Just then, the nurse called my name. Great.
As she ushered me to the back, I joked about it being a bad time to get a blood pressure reading, that since I wasn't from this area, the whole tornado thing was a little unsettling. She took my height and weight, asked me to read the eye chart, and handed me a cup for the pee test. After I got the all clear on that, she sat me down to take my blood pressure. Uncharacteristically, I was a little freaked out at what the results might be. And with good reason.
When the cuff expelled all its air, I turned my head to the nurse and she blurted out my blood pressure.
"What??" I said. "That's got to be wrong."
"Yeah, it is a little high," she laughed. "Don't worry, we'll take it again later." Damn right we take it again later. Thankfully, the second reading was much better. Down around my regular neck of the blood pressure woods. The doctor loved me - he said I was sufficiently flexible, he discovered I actually did have a heart, and my hearing was spot on - he passed me with flying colors.
After the physicals were over, we naturally went to for a bite to eat. On our way to the nearby restaurants, we passed a lot of debris from the storm. Fences were down, roofs were torn off, trees were uprooted, car windows were broken, even WalMart was temporarily closed due to damage. The restaurant we ate at lost a good amount of their roof tiles and the scaffolding from an area of the mall where they were doing renovation was strewn across the parking lot. It looked like a tornado went through!
After everything died down, we got online and saw a few pictures. One of the most amazing was this one, of the local Schneider trucking yard:
A a trucker friend of ours drives for this company and said that as far as she knew, there were no fatalities but she wasn't sure if anyone was hurt. The carnage is really unbelievable. Loaded trailers on the road aren't very stable in the wind, these empty ones were just thrown around like toothpicks. You can see more here:
Ed and I were so fortunate to have not been in the path of these tornadoes. I always kid about how we seem to always escape the natural disasters of the country - mudslides, earthquakes, Nor'easters, tornadoes - and how I always wish we could see just one. Well today I was glad that we (narrowly) escaped the path of destruction. I don't know what I would have done if we were on the interstate and I saw that funnel cloud coming toward us. It's not like trucks move fast to begin with, and unlike cars, we can't just pull a u-ey and head in the opposite direction.
And had not been at the clinic, we would have been sitting in our truck not watching the Weather Channel, that's for sure. We wouldn't have even known it was coming. I'm sure one of us just would have commented on the darkening sky, the wind and the suddenly pounding rain, but not even considering where it came from.
There was definitely more than luck on our side today.
This bridge on Highway 60 takes you from Ashland, Kentucky to Highway 52 in Ironton, Ohio. There are two bridges here, crossing the Ohio River - the one heading east (this one) is blue and the one crossing the river in the other direction is green.
Certainly makes giving directions easier, "If you're on the green bridge, you're going the wrong way..."
Travis Air Force Base, California.
I love fresh pineapple, and just bought one today to enjoy this week. When I lived in Old Town Alexandria, in Virginia, the pineapple was everywhere - on clothing, in home decor, printed on stationery - supposedly a symbol of hospitality harkening back to Colonial times.
This is what my last two days have been like...staring out the window, passing time. We delivered our load on Monday and don't have our next one until tomorrow, so I've just been loafing around enjoying the gorgeous weather on the east coast. It's perfect for me - semi-sunny and cool. The only thing that would make things better, is if I really had the life of a cat.
A Grackle squawks from atop a sign in Irvine, Texas. Their sound is very annoying. Listen to it here.
This is Tennessee...rolling hills, green trees, blue sky. Streams, buds in spring, a medley of color in the fall, very little but some snow in the winter. It makes me very happy.
For me, there's no contest between the two. The minute I leave the desert behind and join the lush green world of the eastern part of the country, I'm in twelve kinds of heaven. Although the northeast has my heart, Tennessee is a close second. My best friend is there and being with her brings back the best memories of my life. 
For dinner we had grilled steaks (filet mignon, ribeye and sirloins), creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes, which Vicki made with a beautifully roasted head of garlic. We had a great dinner, with lots of laughs, which was a wonderful way to end our visit. Can't wait to get back!
While I was in Tennessee this weekend, Vicki and I drove around looking at houses and property for sale. Ultimately, I want to move there, so I'm always looking online for place to buy. 
This picture of Ed reminds me of my maternal grandfather, when he would sit at the kitchen table and work on his trains. He had the same type of light, and his workspace was similarly cluttered. 
My friend Vicki in her herb garden, picking what's needed for our evening meal.
I say this is the color of happy - red and white radicchio and bright green asparagus (the colors of the Italian flag!) - because these veggies were cut and prepped for grilling in the kitchen of my best friend. My favorite place in the world to be.
Is it any wonder this is my very favorite place to be?
He was such a "handy" man this past weekend, we were able to cross almost everything off the To Do list.
Today I came across this old camera that belonged to my grandfather. The Rolleicord was made in Germany after World War II and was just one of the many he used in the height of his picture taking days.
I'm having a little love affair with David Rocco. I'm hooked on his cooking show, which I watch every chance I get. He's down to earth, makes simple Italian cooking look five star, and he's easy on the eyes.
The view from the bleachers at my nephew's baseball game.
I personally don't mind traffic, I find the people-watching from my vantage point pretty interesting. What I do like that I found among all this information, is the 135-degree reclining seat. Now I might just be into one of those! Check out all the stats here.
Found this online, posted it on Facebook, and decided to also share here since I don't have an Easter post prepared.
I took this from the passenger side of the truck while it was moving. I am using the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. Within that app, you can choose which "film", "lens" and "flash" style you want. The same shot using different options comes out completely different. Very cool.
This bridge on Highway 60 takes you from Ashland, Kentucky to Highway 52 in Ironton, Ohio. There are two bridges here, crossing the Ohio River - the one heading east (this one) is blue and the one crossing the river in the other direction is green. 
