Potato Omen

Are potatoes a bad omen?

Saturday afternoon, a mysterious bag of potatoes was found in the vestibule. There was no note and no other mail.  Just a bag five pound red mesh bag full for fingerling potatoes.  Immediately I checked my phone to see if I had missed messages.  Nothing.

The question remains, what does a bag of potatoes mean?  I don’t think it is quite like horse heads on doorsteps, but somehow I don’t think it is like a cat leaving you dead animals as presents. 

My husband is convinced that when life gives you potatoes, you make soup out of them.  He is also convinced that this sounds like something my family would do.  I have no proof that this potato gifter was from the family, or a random hit.

Then it had me wondering, that if a Vegan were to send a death threat, would they use a potato?  After all potatoes are poisonous if consumed uncooked.  This might be an attempt at poisoning prevented by potato soup. 

A Walk In the Cemetery

My husband says I am spooky. He isn’t referencing XFiles, where Mulder’s nickname is Spooky.  It has more to do with touring cemeteries is part of my idea for an relaxing vacation. If anything, I probably see myself as more of a Marilyn Munster than a Fox Mulder. 

I like cemeteries.  They are quiet, peaceful and most of the time well maintained.  You would be surprised about the interesting sculptures and architecture you could find. 

Jon and I recently took walk in the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, and I would love to go back.   Below are several of the highlights from the trip. 

 

 

There are so many beautiful sculptures in the cemetery and it was much more vast and varied than I had anticipated.  If you are ever looking for a peaceful way to spend a day, I would highly suggest taking a walk in this gem. 

Genuine Emotions

As it creeps closer and closer to the gift giving holidays, I am reminded that gifts should be given with thought and care.  I realized that while I could easily find a gift on Etsy or Amazon for my brother, it would mean more if  I took the time to find something truly unique. Gifts with thought behind them make a bigger impact.

I want to find the perfect gift that make my brother’s brain scream.  I think I found the perfect venue to find the perfect bit of nightmare fuel, I mean gift for my brother.  That venue would be my local antique market.  I think that if he opened a box with any of the items below, that he is going to show a genuine emotion and the holidays are all about genuine emotions.

Option 1:  Everyone needs a little bit of seasoning in their life. I think this classic salt and pepper shaker bring about certain feelings.  At the moment the feeling of shaking my head in wonder, but if that is what I feel about them, I can only imagine the WTF feeling my brother would have if he unwrapped them.

Option 2: A doll that may or may not try to suck your soul out in the middle of the night.  Every house needs a creepy doll or two.  Also, I think I can guarantee that my brother would never expect this in a million years. So, that is another win. 

Option 3:  Giving my brother the bird for Christmas.  Okay, I think that I would be able to impress him if I were able to find a box to fit the ostrich in. It isn't the size of the bird that counts, but the thought behind it.  

Option 4: The Salt Water Taffy Barrel.  I am sure that this little bitty clown would be a welcome addition to the home and bring cheer for years to come. Right?  I am sure that my sister in law would surely forgive me for one small clown instead of getting a much larger and imposing clown to bring joy and laughter to her home, right? 

All of a sudden I am feeling much more optimistic about the holidays.  I sometimes wish there were duplicates of these wonderful gifts, because I think the look of shock and possibly awe could apply to more than one special individual in my life. 

Murder She Says

I have tried to write an opening to this section five times now.  Each one is worst than the last. I am have decided to jump in and then clean it up in a year when I relook at this post and edit it to a better place. 

Somedays I have issues concentrating. My brain gets distracted on minor details and I end up following squirrels looking for nuts. One of the things that have really been helping me find my focus is listening to music and podcasts.  This weeks music and podcast choices revolve around murder and crime. 

Criminal Discourse is a podcast that revolves around true crime. Most of the crime is murder but not always.  I find it to be interesting and the episodes are a decent length.  I would recommend you to check it out if you are into true crime and podcasts. My favorite episodes so far are The Watcher and Sheila Keen Warren. 

When I am not listening to podcasts, I am listening to music.  Somehow my music and my podcasts intertwined and now they both talk about murder or could possibly be part of sound track to a murder.  Here are several songs that popped up that work with a theme.

Play List

1. Dance Upon Your Grave  by The Brothers Comatose

2. The Plank by The Devil Makes Three

3. Bad Things by Jace Everett

4. Bourbon in Your Eyes by Devil Doll

5. Murder He Says by Duke Heitger and His Swing Band

6. The Shadowman by Lee Presson and the Nails

7. If I'm Crazy by Amigo the Devil

Do you have any pods cast that you listen to to help you concentrate or music recommend?  It is always fun to discover new things. 

Overnight Oats

I like to prepare meals for several days at a time. It makes life a little easier knowing what is one the menu. Breakfast is tricky to make in advance, but one of the recipes I make is overnight oats.

Recipe

1 cup Oats

3 tablespoons Chia seeds

3 tablespoons Flax seeds

1 cup Yogurt (any flavor)

1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts

1/4 dried fruit (cherries, blueberries etc.)

1/3 cup milk (almond, cow, soy etc.)

1 tablespoon honey

Mix everything together, put in containers and place in the fridge over night.  Pull it out of the fridge and it is ready to eat. Filling and easy to prep ahead breakfast.   

Carving Pumpkins

Happy Anniversary

Every year my husband and I re-enact our official first date of carving pumpkins.  It has been 15 years about carving pumpkins.  This year might be the best pumpkin year yet. 

This is one of those traditions that makes me smile every year. I love picking out pumpkins, and the time Jon and I take to sit down and chat as we scoop out pumpkin guts.  The hardest part of carving pumpkins is trying to figure out what sort of face the pumpkin should sport.  To pick a face for a pumpkin, you have to review the shape of the pumpkin taking note of the natural dents and grooves.  This can make or break a design.  If all else fails, Pinterest is a great place to gather ideas and stencils normally come with any carving kit.   

Do you have any traditions that you forward to all year long?

A Little Bigfoot in My Life

I grew up watching X Files with my dad. I feel like this should explain a lot about my life and things I have done.   Lately I have been listening to a podcast called Strange Familiars. It is amazing.

The host of Strange Familiars is often referred to as "The Big Foot Guy" by those in the field. To me, he is the Bob Ross of the Paranormal world.  The way that he interviews guests is very soothing and sounds very logical.  With this in mind, I was completely inspired to spend part of my anniversary trip driving to Portland, Maine to visit the International Cryptozoology Museum based off recommends from some dear friends.  

The International Cryptozoology Museum is a quaint museum in Portland that has a major appreciation of the hairy hominid.  They touch on several other hidden/unconfirmed legendary animals, but you can tell the love of this museum is the Sasquatch.   I feel like the perfect day is to listen to Strange Familiars discuss the various species of hairy hominids and taking a tour of the museum.  I was not disappointed. 

The Albatwitch is Pennsylvania's little Bigfoot and seems to have a home in York County.  I spent majority of my teenage years and early twenties in York County.  The International Cryptozoology Museum has several foot print casts of the different Bigfoot species and hair samples.  The case of scat raised eyebrows, but not really surprising. The overall love for the subject can be felt with the care that the displays are put together.  I would highly recommend stopping by and taking a tour of the museum and if you are inclined to listen to podcasts, check out  Strange Familiars. You won't be disappointed. 

Goretacular 2019

One of my husbands favorite things to do this time of the year is to host the annual Goretacular horror movie marathon.  While I am not a huge fan on horror movies, it is always a fun time to have people over. The list of movies changes from year to year and as an added bonus there was a theme. There  theme was Double Feature!

Pairing movies together is a subtle art form. You have to figure out what would work well together and playoff of each other.  Below is the double line up.

Double Feature-Athon

• The Stuff   -   The Blob  (Remake)
• Motel Hell  -  Tourist Trap
• Dead Heat   -   Maniac Cop 2
• FinalGirls   -   Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
• Deep Red   -   The Editor
• Rocktober Blood  -  Black Roses
• Return of the Living Dead  -  Night of the Comet
• Night of the Demons    -   Demons

If you were to create a double feature marathon, what would you pick?

Nightmare Fuel

When I was a kid, I loved to go with my mother to garage sales. It is fascinating to see items that depart from peoples homes. Now that I am older, my love for weird finds at garage sales has transferred over to antique markets.  The wonderful thing about antique markets is the plethora of nightmare fuel a person can find. So much nightmare fuel that I have started to break it down into two categories of which is more terrifying.  Night now it is a toss up on which is more terrifying: Mannequin heads or old portraits. 

Which is the better nightmare fuel?  

                                                               

I think it all comes down to the eyes.  Do they follow you? Do they want to consume your soul? It is a toss up. 

Those Millennials

About a month ago I was having a conversation with a friend and she posed the question, “What do I think about working with Millennials?” 

There are not too many questions that throw me for a loop, but that one did, and here is why. I am a millennial. Or at least by the broad ranges the Internet has on the different generations, I am mostly a millennial.   

Somehow, I don’t think her question was about what my thoughts were with working with my own generation.  That would be silly.  I think the core of her question was, “What do you think about working with a younger generation, whatever it is called?”

My diplomatic answer is that there are pros and cons with working with every generation. 

As with any generation, I think that the key to working with them is to be adaptable to the human factor.  I find that the older I get, there are a few things that hold true no matter the generation.

1. Respect - If you don’t respect others abilities, idea’s and time, you can’t expect them to do the same.
2. Motivation- People are motivated by different things, based off where they are in life. An age group does not define motivation. It defines likely common goals. Getting to know people will help you understand their motivation behind actions.  
3. Age is not a definition -An age group does not define a person. Grouping people into age groups and defining character traits is much like saying that everyone that is born under the Gemini zodiac has the same characteristics. While some of the aspects may be true, it does not hold true for all. 
4. Education- Successful people never quit learning.  There is always something to learn, that sparks interest. The method of learning may change with each generation, but the thirst to do better or learn something doesn’t change. 

What do you think?

The Chuck

A while back my dad asked me for ideas and what to make with cornmeal that was not cornbread.   I immediately suggested polenta, but somehow that failed to satisfy the hunger growling in his stomach.  Chatting with Gat, I was inspired to experiment with dinner.  I haven’t quite come up with a name for it, but it is basically an inside out enchilada or deconstructed enchilada.  I am still working on the name. Or perhaps I’ll just name it after my father.  

The Chuck

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken chopped 

1 can of  red enchilada sauce

1 tablespoon minced Garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin power

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 can of corn nuggets drained or 1 cup of frozen corn

1 box jiffy Corn bread mix

1/2 cup diced fresh chilies or 1 small can of diced green chilies

1/2 cup diced onions

1 can of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with habaneros mixed in, but you can really use any of them.)

1 can of beans  drained and rinsed (I use black or small white, but others will work.  Dealers choice)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg

1 cup milk

Olive Oil

Tools

Large Skillet

Medium Bowl

Small bowl

9 x 13 baking dish (deep dish if possible)

Spoons

Spatula 

Tequila (just kidding, you don’t need this)

Instructions

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees

In a bowl mix chopped chicken, garlic, chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and oregano until chicken is evenly seasoned. Set aside.

In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil and heat. Once warm, add diced peppers and onions.  Cook until onions are translucent. Add  seasoned chicken mix and cook chicken until cooked all the way through.  Add diced tomatoes, corn and beans, enchilada sauce.  Cook until corn and beans are heated through.  Transfer contents of skillet mix into a 9x13 baking dish and set to the side. 

In a bowl open Jiffy corn bread mix, and mix according to the box. (This is where the egg and the milk come in from the ingredient list.) Once the mix is as smooth as corn bread mix can be, with a large spoon, ladle large dollops of  mix into the chicken mix. Think corn bread dumplings. Once all of the corn bread mix has joined the chicken mix, sprinkle the entire dish with the shredded cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. The cheese should be nice and melty and the cornbread should be cooked all the way through. If the corn bread looks runny, put it in for another 10 minutes. 

The end product is a dish that makes me think of tamales, enchiladas and comfort food all wrapped into one.  Excellent for next day lunches.   While I haven’t tried it, I am sure the concept would work well with shredded beef, pork, or chorizo if you were looking for variety. 

Cat Career

Every now and then I make the cats do a photo session with me.  The have to sit pretty and I take pictures of their beautiful furry face.  In a recent photo session with Iggins (who really hates having his picture taken), the pictures reminded me of almost every mystery authors biography in book jacket. 

This line of thinking lead me to wondering about what sort of career my cat would hold if my cat could hold a career.  The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes is that Iggins would by a Mystery Writer.  He is reclusive, has a hunger in his soul, and hold murder in his eyes. Definitely a mystery writer.

The harder question, is what sort of career would Dib have? 

Metro Friendly

My friend Gat and I were on the Metro to DC for a quick girls museum trip.  Any one that rides the Metro knows that it starts out empty and then quickly fills up.  So, Gat and I decided to make a little bet to see who was more approachable.   We sat near each other, but with open seats to the side of both of us.

Gat sat there with a scowl and with an aura of “Don’t even think of touching me” and I sat there grinning like a loon. At first it seemed like no one was going to sit next to either one of us and then five stops later, it happened. 

A very normal looking young lady sat next to Gat and I about fell out of my seat laughing as Gat pouted.  I then promptly congratulated the the young lady that she helped me win a bet.  If that doesn’t break the ice then, nothing does, because we chatted good heartedly until our stop.   

I am sure I could wrap this up with a bunch of theories that people want to sit next to scowling people, because they don’t want to talk. (This is Gat’s theory, since she lost and had to buy me a cup of tea.) Or that my open seat was hidden by a glass pane and the only seat that was visible was the one next to Gat, and you should never make bets your aren’t 90% sure you will win. 

Waffle House

When some one marries into a family, sometimes it is hard to acclimate and develop a real bond with the person. Other times it grows naturally and then you realize you can drop the “in-law” from the “sister in-law”.  This is my story on how I knew I had a sibling bond with my sister in law. 

A couple of months ago I drove down to visit my brother and his family.  They live a good  eight hours away by vehicle.  The drive itself is scenic and you realize that Virginia highways never end. They just loop back into themselves.  To pass the time on the drive, I started counting Waffle Houses.  There is a sign for a Waffle House every three to four exits like clock work and for whatever reason I wanted to know how many where from my house to their house. 

Unfortunately I lost count, due to a phone call, because while I can talk hand free in the car, pay attention to the road, I can not do a third thing of keep track of exit signs that have Waffle Houses on them.  When I do finally arrive their domicile, it is nearly midnight and I am way to awake to even think about crashing, so of course we stay up and chat.  

Before you know it is is close to one in the morning and I am lamenting about losing track when counting Waffle Houses and talking about my first time at a Waffle House, when it is revealed that there is a Waffle House not too far from them.  In short order we completely sober adults pile into a vehicle and transport ourselves to said Waffle House and order breakfast.  I get a sensible waffle with pecans on it, while Lisa gets a breakfast feast and Mike avoids waffles. Please remember it is one in the morning, and we are all a little punch drunk from laughter.  I have finished my waffle and I am making hungry eyes at Lisa’s waffle.  Before I can even say the words, she picks up the waffle and licks it right down the center. Staking claim that the waffle is hers, that she has her germs on it.   I am still shuddering at the memory. Waffle Licker.   

Instead of giving the waffle a good home in my belly, she had to traumatize it and me at the same time.  Licking an item to stake claim on it is a childish behavior that one does with their siblings.  I can officially remove the “in law” from my relationship description now.  Now I can’t even look at a Waffle House, without thinking about Lisa the Waffle Licker. 

Mother and Royal Tea

I wanted to write a mothers day post, and then time got away from me.  So this is sort of a Mother's day post, or at least a post involving my mom.  That counts, right?

My mother and I don't agree on things. Not all things, obviously. Just the important things, such as whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza or if pears are really just a bland wet fruit rolled in sand. The fruit paired with meat argument has been going on for at least twenty years, and I don't see an end in sight.

However, there are some things that we do agree one.  One of those things is the Kate Pearl Tea Room. We can agree that we enjoyed our Royal Tea to a high degree. (Okay, that rhymed in my head and I couldn't quit giggling as I typed it.)  My mother and I met up with GAT and her mother for tea and socializing.  I absolutely loved that we were encouraged to dress for the part.  It isn't too often that I can play adult dress up, and seeing ladies in dresses and hats certainly sets the atmosphere.

Kate Pearl Tea Room is not my first foray into tea rooms.  I have been to several and the results have always varied.  The Royal Tea boasts of Appetizer, Scones with Clotted Cream and Spreads, Soup, Salad, Fluted Fruit Beverage, Tea Sandwich, Savories, Assorted Sweets and Sorbet on the website, and in person there is no way that a person could even be close to hungry by the end of tea.  The unlimited tea, excellent company, good eats and wonderful atmosphere has the Royal Tea on the list of things that I would want to do again.

The gift shop was stocked with a wide variety of tea, and several that made their way home with me.  I love the look of tea in jars. I reminds me of an apothecary and that tea heals the soul. In addition to Tea, they had a variety of tea companions, such as spoons, books, and stationary.  All things that I need when relaxing with a cup of tea.  If you every get the opportunity, I would highly recommend to check out Kate Pearl Tea Room.

Letter Extras

 It is the end of April, and this is a post I wanted to write at the beginning.  April is National Letter Writing Month. Obviously in National Letter Writing month, you are to write letters.  The is a 30 letters in 30 day challenge that helps celebrate and bring awareness to the event. 

I think that it is a nice surprise to send something a little bit extra in a card every now and then.  It is fun little gift that lets the receiver know you were thinking of them.  Below are 10 items that fit nicely into cards that can brighten someone’s day. 

Letter Extra’s

1. Print Pictures
2. Stickers
3. Flower Seeds
4. Patches
5. Tea
6. House Ghost
7. Lotto /Scratch Cards
8. Face Masks
9. Temporary Tattoos 
10. Bookmarks

The key to picking something that is as a letter extra is if it is thin and flexible.  If it fits that criteria, the possibilities are endless.   What is the most unique you have ever received in a letter?

Tastes Like Poor Decisions

Have you ever done something that sounds like a good idea, but in reality, it is nothing but regret.   I have made such a decision, when I decided to partake in the Soda Challenge.

What is the soda challenge?

The soda challenge was contrived by GAT and myself as a form of torture to my beloved nephew and nieces. The idea behind it is simple.  We gather weird flavored/named sodas and make the kids try them.  It seemed like an easy plan. Children love soda's.  Children are honest.  Children would give the honest opinion on the soda.  As I said, it was a simple plan. 

I just didn't count on having to taste the sodas with them.

Here is a run down on the the sodas and what they taste like.

 

 

Here is a run down of what we tried and my thoughts.  The kids had mixed reactions.

• San Fransisco Fog
• This soda truly made me feel old. I felt cranky when trying it, because it tastes like liquid cotton candy.  I was super sweet and made me want to brush my teeth immediately. 
• Unicorn Yack
• I am convinced that unicorn yack taste like someone took all the cream soda flavors and mixed them together.  So, yeah.  Yack is an accurate description. 
• Bacon
• If you are a person that likes the artificial bacon bits on your salad, then you might like this soda. It tastes exactly like that, except in liquid form and carbonated. If you don't like artificial bacon bits, then, you know that this is pretty disgusting soda. 
• 4. Cinnamon Red Hots
• Out of all the soda's this one isn't terrible.  This one does taste like Cinnamon Red Hots in liquid form. I think it would be better as a candle then a drink. 

The children may have disagreed with me on several of these assessments.  I think that the lesson here is that these taste like some poor decisions and family bonding.