Uphill Semi-Battle

Gaining on some of the slow trucks pulling hills in California.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2011: Happy Mother’s Day!
2010: Back On The Road And Sleeping Like A Baby
2009: Peeping Ed Friday
2008: It’s Obvious Where My Sense Of Style Comes From
2007: End Of Season Snow
2006: At Least She Isn’t In The Cubicle Next To YOU
2005: Mother Lode

Seven Years And Still Ranting

Today is the seventh anniversary of my blog, The Daily Rant - it's been quite journey from my very first post on May 7, 2005.

There's been some discussion about whether it's a birthday, or an anniversary. I have used both terms in the past, but today was calling it a "Blog Birthday". Then Ed passed that information on to his father (why his father would care how old my blog is, I don't know) and his dad laughed and said, "It's not a birthday. It's an anniversary."

I guess the conclusion they came to is that only humans, animals and things that are "born" have birthdays and something that gets celebrated or recognized at certain intervals is an anniversary. I always say my blog was "born" on the date I started it, and I suppose it was a birth of sorts, but it's also an annual celebration, like an anniversary - I guess Happy Blogiversary! will have to cover it.

I'm now going into my eighth year, and with my addiction to Instagram, will have plenty of really cool square pictures to illustrate my posts. Sometimes I like them even better than my regular photography, which seems so plain now, unless it's something like this. Between Instagram, Hipstamatic, and Pixlromatic, I might never take another normal picture.

I'm hoping I'll have some interesting travels this year to write about. There's another European vacation on the horizon, there's my "week in a cabin surrounded by snow" that has yet to take place (and which won't happen until there's snow again), there will be more house and property hunting in Tennessee, stories about my mother, and whatever else I happen to come across on the road and decide to share. I would also like to include more video, so I'll have to work on that. Any suggestions or things you'd like to see?

I'd like to thank those of you who keep coming back, for coming back, I'd like to welcome those of you who are new, and I'd like to encourage all of you to comment. I know you're there, but I'd really love to hear from you.

And to my regulars, like Gil, All Things Bradbury, Gi-Gi Roxx, June in Florida, Scott, Belledog, ELH, Project Girl, Evil Pixie, Marlaina and the ever-present Anonymous - thank you so much for taking the time to leave your words. All of them.

Looking forward to another great year. Here's to more ranting!!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2011: Don’t Worry, Daily Rant. I’m On Your Six.
2010: So This Is What A Niche Feels Like
2009: The Sum Of Its Parts
2008: Look At Me, I’m Three!!
2007: A Trucking Style Birthday Celebration
2006: A Perfectly Uninteresting Event
2005: The Day The Blog Began

Extra Virgin

I needed olive oil and thought I'd try something different. I bought this one because the olives were from California (some of the best produce I've ever had comes from Cali, and I hear they make some pretty good wines), and I loved the square green bottle.

It's got a beautiful deep yellowish green color and a hearty olive flavor. I think I might have found a new brand!

NOTE: After she read this blog post, my cousin sent me this link to Girl's Gone Child, which spoke about finding a good extra-virgin olive oil. I was happy to see that my new purchase is on the list of good ones!

I heard about the book she read, called Extra Virginity, on a podcast I listen to called The Splendid Table. I was very interested when I heard it, and now I'll have to check it out next time I'm in Barnes & Noble. Thanks, Shawna!


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1 YEAR AGO: Eddie Makes An Appearance Friday
2 YEARS AGO: Watt A Work Of Art – Part Three
3 YEARS AGO: The Clouds And Trees Line Up For Bed
4 YEARS AGO: The Shimmer Of The Sea
5 YEARS AGO: Indian Gallery
6 YEARS AGO: Geography Test

No, That's Not New Car You're Smelling

Yesterday I did something I've been wanting to do my entire life.

I bought my mother a car.

She is now the proud owner of a 2012 Toyota Corolla LE in Classic Silver Metallic.

The day started out like every other day - with a phone call from my mother. Except this time, I could hear the angst in her voice. Her 1993 Toyota Camry was in the shop, and she wanted to know what we decided to do about it. The day before I had asked the technician to send me the itemized list of what needed to be done, and Ed and I had been mulling it over, but I hadn't given her an answer yet.

The '93 Camry was in generally good condition. A few years ago it got a new paint job, last year the air conditioning system was re-done, and the year before it had some engine work. At nineteen years old, it had only 90,000 miles on it, 3,000 of them put on in the last year. Clearly, the car goes nowhere.

My step-father was always the one who made the decisions on the car repairs and although I didn't always agree with him regarding dumping money into the car (the a/c cost $4400 and the engine stuff the year before, around $4700), he would usually come back with "It has low miles. It runs fine. It doesn't need XYZ. And, it's a Toyota." Apparently, that meant it would last until the apocalypse with only a few fixes and tweaks.
Well, my step-father is now gone and this time the repairs were going to cost $6,052.87. SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. That may have been fine if they didn't already put over $9,000 into the car in the past year and a half. When Ed and I discussed the repairs and just couldn't come up with a way to do just enough to make the car driveable, knowing that eventually the other repairs would have to be done, Ed dubbed the car a money pit.

So for a day and a half, we discussed. We researched. We made phone calls. We threw our hands in the air. Then Ed said, "You should just buy your mother a new car." That's when the ball started rolling.

Prior to coming to this decision, I had enlisted my friend Kim to take my mother down to the dealership to pick up her car from the shop because Ed and I figured we'd send her home with nothing done to the car and we'd would go back home in the next week to handle everything in person. But now that we decided to buy a new car, Ed said I should call the dealership to find out how much her car would be worth on a trade-in. My mother had no idea this was going on behind the scenes.
I called the dealership and got a nice salesman on the phone who was willing to go over to the shop, look at the car, and tell me what I could get on a trade-in. I was thinking maybe I'd put her in a car that was a few years old that would have less problems, but in the back of my head were my grandfather's words of "buying someone else's headache" when purchasing a used car.

So while Kim and my mother were at lunch, Ed and I finalized the decision that I would just buy my mother a new car. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. It was Nike time - Just Do It.

I called Kim to ask her if she could just take my mother to the dealership - not to the service department but to the sales department - meet with the salesman and let my mother just sit in the new car. Then, call me when they were done doing that. When they called after she "test-sat" and then test-drove the car, I told my mother I was buying it. Naturally, she said "Absolutely not." but she didn't know I had a secret weapon - Kim.
Kim is amazing. I've known her for over eight years and every minute has been a joy. We met at a job where we both started as temps. She eventually quit by leaving a post-it note on a computer screen, but that's another (very funny!) story. We've been pretty inseperable since.

I don't throw the term "best friend" around too lightly because really, I only have one - Vicki. Vicki is as close to a soul-mate I've ever come, and she is truly my BEST FRIEND in the entire world - that title can only belong to her. But to call Kim just a friend is not quite enough. So I'll give her the title of being the best friend I have in Arizona, the closest friend I have there, and the person I would first choose to spend any time with outside of Ed and my immediate family.

We clicked from the minute we met and have been laughing ever since. She always texts to see when I'm coming home. She's generous with her time. She's a great listener. She's funny. She's confident. She's assertive. She's smart. And best of all, she loves me. I knew my mother would be in good hands with her.

I made sure Kim was okay with her "lunch date" turning into an afternoon at the dealership, and when she said OK, I let her essentially take my place in the guiding and hand-holding of my mother through this process I knew was going to have my mother's head in a spin.
You have to understand - my mother does NOTHING impulsively. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was a little anxious. She kept saying "I need my notes" referring to the notes she made regarding the repair of the old car. She didn't have them because she was only planning on lunch and a car pickup - and it was making her a little nervous that now she was going to have to talk to the car dealership people without them in front of her.

My mother is a PhD level note-taker. If it weren't for her excellent powers of observation, her meticulous documentation and her extensive knowledge of drug interaction, medical jargon and medical procedures based on her experience and research, my step-father would have been dead ten years ago. Doctors are impressed with her record-keeping and documentation.

They're a bit of a security blanket, a way to keep all her thoughts organized. They also come in pretty handy when somone says they didn't do or say something - she can easily revert back and say, "Actually, on June 3, 2010 at 2:10pm, I spoke with Oscar in the service department and he said you were sending both cylinder heads to a machine shop to repair the damaged cylinder and then you were going to perform a valve job and replace the valve seals and guides and retest everything." You don't fuck with my mother and her notes.

But I told her she didn't need her notes for this - we'd handle everything - and it was really Kim who kept her freak-out level to a minimum, telling her this purchase was a good thing, to look at it as a brand new start, that everything would be fine. Little does Kim know that my mother wouldn't buy a package of underwear at WalMart without looking at the sales flyers (of every other store in the city), holding the package in her hand twenty times, turning it over to check the price, the cotton content, the colors, and then likely put it back on the shelf saying, "Eh, I don't need underwear right now. I'll get them next week." Like I said, not an impulsive person at all.

Not only did Kim keep her calm, but she kept her laughing - I don't even want to get into the part about their bout of farting that apparently left the salesman's office filled with a noxious cloud. They didn't care, they just laughed to the point of not being able to breathe. Or maybe that was the fart odor?

By the end of the day, all the papers had been signed, Kim kept in touch with me throughout the whole process via text and phone calls, and then I got the final text that they were on their way home. My mother in her new car, Kim following her to make sure she didn't hit anything.I didn't start the day anticipating buying a new car but the thrill in my mother's voice made it well worth it. When she went to show my brother and nephews, she got even more of a boost at their jumping for joy. Her grandsons thought she was "cool", asking her to put the pedal to the metal when they went for the first ride with her last night. Little do they know that her version of pedal to the metal gets them up to about twenty-seven miles an hour.

I can't wait to see the car in person. My mother loves it and from what I've read in the brochure, I'm impressed too. The car even has Bluetooth; of course, my mother calls it Blue Chip, but she'll come around.
I wouldn't have been able to complete this transaction with the help of my friend Kim - for physically being there with my mother through the uncomfortable, impulsive, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants moments, alternately laughing and comforting, and even giving the dealership a little hell during the negotiation process. A million billion kajillion thanks to you! Love you, honey!

And finally, but most importanly, I have to thank my sweet, sweet Eddie. Without him, I would not have learned how to do this amazing job so well, and would not be in the position to be able to purchase a vehicle for my mother. His business acumen and financial smarts have allowed me to do something I have only dreamed about. He is truly the best and I love him too....a million, billion, kajillion times over.

Now I just have to get my mother to take the car on the open road...even if it requires a kidnapping, a brainwashing and professional, mental institution-level restraints.

There's exploring to be done!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: On A Triple D Roll
2 YEARS AGO: Watt A Work Of Art – Part Two
3 YEARS AGO: Stupid Should Be An Abomination
4 YEARS AGO: The Fine Line Between Compliments And Creepiness
5 YEARS AGO: The Antenna Ball Beneath My Wings
6 YEARS AGO: Mexico? Where In Tarnation Is That??

Oh, For The Love Of Food

My best friend Vicki is an awesome cook. So good, that pictures like this become my wallpaper - if I can't be there to eat it, I want to at least be able to look at it every day.

I bugged her to start a food blog, posting pictures of meals she cooks, in addition to the vegetables and herbs that come from her home garden and she finally caved.

You can see more big, juicy, mouthwatering photos on her blog, Oh, For The Love Of Food.

Bring a tissue to catch the drool.


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1 YEAR AGO: Blintzes On Broadway
2 YEARS AGO: Watt A Work Of Art – Part One
3 YEARS AGO: Salena Javier Barcelona
4 YEARS AGO: Road To Bangor
5 YEARS AGO: Horton Hatches A Plaza
6 YEARS AGO: Crack Whores For Everyone!

Passing Up A Little Afternoon Delight

Yesterday in California while Ed was sorting through some of his storage boxes, he was approached by a woman asking him if he wanted some "commercial company". In trucking, that's lot lizard code for "Do you want sex?"

Caught on our truck cam, the video unfortunately doesn't have any audio; because if it did, I'm sure I would have heard Ed say, "Oh God, no. One woman in a truck is more than enough."

Awww. Isn't it nice that my boyfriend is so loyal?

Heeyyyy....wait a minute...

** UPDATE **

Before we went to bed, we had another little visit. I had the pleasure of shooing her away. Shoo, now.

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1 YEAR AGO: Annnnnnd….It’s Back On!
2 YEARS AGO: Rise Early. Work Hard. Strike Oil.
3 YEARS AGO: It’s All Connected To The Pigskin
4 YEARS AGO: The Sorriest Team Drivers You’ve Ever Seen
5 YEARS AGO: Ooooooo, A Contest!
6 YEARS AGO: Modern Convenience

The Rest Of Us

It's my pleasure to bring you another post by Ed, something I like to call Ed’s View. He's done a few posts so far and they seem to be a hit with the five people who read my blog. Thanks, guys! So here we go...

Trucking Ain’t For Sissies.

That was the banner on display at Landstar Appreciation Days held in January of this year in Jacksonville, Florida.

It's completely accurate.

We roll around the clock; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And in all weather conditions; snow, ice, mud, rain, fog, on holidays, on weekends, in natural disasters, in manmade disasters, and even in war zones. Someone always needs something, and we're usually the ones delivering it.

In this profession, and it is a profession despite what the Department of Labor thinks, we have to keep our eyes on the road constantly. It doesn’t matter if you’ve driven a million miles without incident, it’s what you will do today that matters, not what you’ve done in the past, so every day counts.

This bit of information was imparted to me by my brother’s lifelong airline pilot father, who flew as a captain for domestic carriers without incident for over 30 years. He didn’t even have a high school degree and started flying before having a pilot’s license was even necessary, so it's clear formal education wasn't needed to be a safe, conscientious transportation employee. He finally earned his GED at 70 years old, while in retirement.

As a truck driver, you do accrue experiences that help you along the way, just as you do in any other job, but in this field, you are a sitting duck. You can get hit by anything, at any time, and it can end your career. It really is your job to just keep the truck on the road. You are always in the hot seat when operating an 18-wheeler; dealing with every weather condition imaginable, equipment failures, Department of Transportation rules and regulations, FMCSA edicts, etc.

It doesn’t matter where you worked before you came to the industry either; I have met doctors, lawyers, pilots, retired military, active military, NFL athletes, engineers, farmers, and all other sorts of people out here driving trucks. Once you start driving a big rig, you join the club - you become just like the rest of us.

No better, no worse. It doesn’t matter what kind of truck you drive, how big or shiny it is, how old or new it is, you are still a duck. It doesn’t matter if you once were a war hero, or a lottery winner, or a famous inventor, you are just another CDL-holding sitting duck.

When you come into the profession, you are the very obvious newbie; when you leave, you’re a "former trucker". Some people come into this business with high expectations and leave screaming - sometimes after their first time on the highway, which they nervously tried to navigate under dispatch (true story).

Other people are naturals, they take the wheel and enjoy the ride (like Salena!). It doesn't matter which type you are - the one who takes a while to get used to their new job, or the one who takes to it like a sitting duck to water - the bottom line is that you, and only you, are responsible for a huge rolling mass of steel, rubber, and glass when you're sitting behind the wheel. It is not a responsibility to be taken lightly and driving carelessly can not only easily destroy your life, but the lives of those around you. In a split second.

As ridiculous as this may sound, we save more lives by driving safely, than we lose to medical errors - I'm pretty sure I come across more people in a year (and vehicularly "interact" with them) than a doctor does. Yet every day we have more and more hoops to jump through just to do our job. The parking situation in this country is abysmal, and the mandatory breaks we’re required to take every day are increasing in number. Even as the pollution caused by our vehicles has gone down, and accident rates have dropped across the board, we are still being regulated to the nth degree. I guess the doctors have a better lobby in Washington.

The point I'm trying to make here is that trucking seems to be the great equalizer. We all do the same thing and for the most part, and I may just be speaking for myself here, we enjoy it.

~ Ed


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1 YEAR AGO: Change Of Plans. Another Lazy Day Is In Order.
2 YEARS AGO: First R2-D2 And C-3PO And Now, Ed’s Phone
3 YEARS AGO: Droppings Might Be Too Delicate A Word
4 YEARS AGO: Eddie’s Bedtime Snack Friday
5 YEARS AGO: Activities I Need To Participate In
6 YEARS AGO: Unwarranted Annoyance

Dykes On Bikes

This biker stopped in front of us at a light in California and I just had to snap a picture.

Love the name of their motorcycle club!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: April Showers Bring May Flowers
2 YEARS AGO: Can Leap Tall Buildings (And Pee On Cue) In A Single Bound!
3 YEARS AGO: Eddie Makes A Pie Friday
4 YEARS AGO: What A Doll!
5 YEARS AGO: Day Two In The Desert
6 YEARS AGO: April Showers Bring May…Fish??

He's Just As Handsome In Black And White

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1 YEAR AGO: Crab Cakes And The Chesapeake
2 YEARS AGO: Young, Poor, Footloose And Fancy-Free
3 YEARS AGO: Badass Badlands
4 YEARS AGO: Proof That God Exists
5 YEARS AGO: Spring In The Desert
6 YEARS AGO: Shadows Of The Setting Sun

They Really Don't Want You Coming Through This Gate

Travis Air Force Base, California.

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1 YEAR AGO: Deep Down, She Knows She’s A Princess
2 YEARS AGO: A Three Hundred And Fifty Foot Long Dream
3 YEARS AGO: Dillinger The Horror Hog
4 YEARS AGO: Supernatural Hair
5 YEARS AGO: They Must Have Been On Sale
6 YEARS AGO: Sorry, no post on this day.

Waiting For Summer

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.

Waiting.


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1 YEAR AGO: It Should Have Been Titled Boringpants
2 YEARS AGO: Ed Blows A 750
3 YEARS AGO: Another Reason I Love The Great Indoors
4 YEARS AGO: We Think The Only Thing Worth Stealing From The House Would Have Been The Fresh Baked Apple Pie
5 YEARS AGO: Not Nearly As Appealing As Gnocchi
6 YEARS AGO: Working The Yard

Bringing The Sea To The Sleeper Bunk

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.

Good eatin' for being in a truck, isn't it?

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1 YEAR AGO: The Lonely Road
2 YEARS AGO: Boys’ Town, Old Digs And A Non-Working Number
3 YEARS AGO: She Needs To Wear A Bell
4 YEARS AGO: Budding
5 YEARS AGO: I Hate When He Does That
6 YEARS AGO: The Toes Of Summer Are Peeking Out

The Princess Of Fruits Welcomes You

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."

Friendly and delicious.


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1 YEAR AGO: I Love This Lookout
2 YEARS AGO: There Ain’t No Rodeo On This Rodeo
3 YEARS AGO: Covering All The Bases
4 YEARS AGO: Ed Fantasizes Out Loud
5 YEARS AGO: Better Late Than Never
6 YEARS AGO: The Last Best Chance

A Cat's Life

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!


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1 YEAR AGO: Not So Lucky
2 YEARS AGO: A Capitol Idea
3 YEARS AGO: Blooming Where The Sun Don’t Shine
4 YEARS AGO: Eddie Wakes Up Smiling Friday
5 YEARS AGO: Gnocchi From The Gods
6 YEARS AGO: Blurry Super Hero

Stop Grackling!

A Grackle squawks from atop a sign in Irvine, Texas. Their sound is very annoying. Listen to it here.

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1 YEAR AGO: Chicks And Kids
2 YEARS AGO: Ultima Lavada 9:00 PM
3 YEARS AGO: Eddie Touches Up The Old Girl Friday
4 YEARS AGO: The Morning Sun Greets Guadalupe
5 YEARS AGO: Starting Soon. No, Really.
6 YEARS AGO: This Mary Doesn’t Go To Pre-School

Sixteen Hundred Miles Makes All The Difference

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.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: In Need Of Some Color
2 YEARS AGO: 122 Years And Counting
3 YEARS AGO: Sixteen Days Old
4 YEARS AGO: Racism Comes With A Convenient Handle
5 YEARS AGO: Evening Tide
6 YEARS AGO: Glittering Pasties And Swinging Tassles

The Last Supper

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.

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1 YEAR AGO: New York Always Stands Out
2 YEARS AGO: Visitor Number 933 To Room 525
3 YEARS AGO: Makes A Nice Desktop
4 YEARS AGO: Leaning Tower Of Texas
5 YEARS AGO: It Should Be Called “Thimble Shot”
6 YEARS AGO: Southern Hideaway

A Visit From Woodland Creatures

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!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: The Man I Am Spending My Nights With
2 YEARS AGO: Let’s Hope This Industrious City Can Get Our Truck Fixed
3 YEARS AGO: Free Range Horns And Humps
4 YEARS AGO: The Earth Is Sending The Paper To The Folder
5 YEARS AGO: Some People Are SAD; I Am Not One Of Them
6 YEARS AGO: An Eye For Fashion…And Other Things

The Tinkerer's Workshop

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.

Must be how the brain of a tinkerer works.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Turning Tables With Adele
2 YEARS AGO: A Different Kind Of Dumpster Diving
3 YEARS AGO: Federal Glow
4 YEARS AGO: My Mother Is An Oxymoron
5 YEARS AGO: The Restroom Shell Game
6 YEARS AGO: The Pressure

If This Worked, I'd Become A Cannibal

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1 YEAR AGO: How I While Away The Hours
2 YEARS AGO: Incredibly Average, Yet Heroic If Necessary
3 YEARS AGO: May I Take A Message?
4 YEARS AGO: Doing The Speed Limit In Your Sleep
5 YEARS AGO: Now I Can Go Back To Watching The Show
6 YEARS AGO: Ten Of Life’s Simplest Pleasures

The Herb Whisperer

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.


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1 YEAR AGO: The Switch Between Morning Glory And Country Strong
2 YEARS AGO: Name That Tree
3 YEARS AGO: Getting Plowed
4 YEARS AGO: Eddie Friday In Squares
5 YEARS AGO: The Color Of Elizabeth’s Eyes
6 YEARS AGO: The Result Of A Little Flax In Your Diet

The Color Of Happy

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.

And for dessert, we had Anne Burrell’s Apple Tarte Tatin:

Is it any wonder this is my very favorite place to be?


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1 YEAR AGO: Taking Possession Of The Sound
2 YEARS AGO: The Bridge People
3 YEARS AGO: Knocking Us Off One Candy Bar At A Time
4 YEARS AGO: How To Entertain Yourself When Hanging Out With Sight Impaired Adults
5 YEARS AGO: Is It REALLY Such A Mystery??
6 YEARS AGO: Heading South And Going Country

Where Ed Was Found Roaming The Aisles

He was such a "handy" man this past weekend, we were able to cross almost everything off the To Do list.

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1 YEAR AGO: If You Happen To Have A Few Hundred Million Lying Around, Have I Got A Deal For You
2 YEARS AGO: Another Day At The Port
3 YEARS AGO: Buggin’ Out
4 YEARS AGO: Hangin’ Out With Ray Stoker Jr.
5 YEARS AGO: Sunset On The Move
6 YEARS AGO: Happy Easter

Pre-Digital

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 guess making pictures is in my blood.

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1 YEAR AGO: The Sun Sets On The Roughrider State
2 YEARS AGO: Diamond Studded Proof
3 YEARS AGO: How A Book Defies Its Cover
4 YEARS AGO: How To Up Your Chances For A Sweet Monkey Lovin’ Romp
5 YEARS AGO: Activities Director
6 YEARS AGO: Ah, But Is Is SO Worth It

There's Always Room For La Dolce Vita

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.


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1 YEAR AGO: Drop It Like It’s Hot
2 YEARS AGO: The Art Of Being Tardy
3 YEARS AGO: Vantage Point
4 YEARS AGO: Cape Cahd Hahba
5 YEARS AGO: Waxing Brilliant
6 YEARS AGO: Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seveeeeennnn!

Evening Ball

The view from the bleachers at my nephew's baseball game.

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1 YEAR AGO: Taxes And Ta-Tas
2 YEARS AGO: Ah, The Subtle Contrasts Of New Jersey
3 YEARS AGO: A Fishy Pishy Is Never Dishy
4 YEARS AGO: A Dash Of Ignorance Makes For A Tasty Treat
5 YEARS AGO: Before The Luck Ran Out
6 YEARS AGO: Five Guys I’m In Love With This Week

Reigning Over Sitting 300 Days A Year

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.


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1 YEAR AGO: Raining In Baltimore
2 YEARS AGO: Back That Ass Up
3 YEARS AGO: Shaved, Slivered, Sliced, Grated, Chunked And Best Of All, In Meatballs
4 YEARS AGO: Too Small For America?
5 YEARS AGO: Waiting For A Beautiful Balsamic Splash
6 YEARS AGO: Other Weird Things In Utah