USMB Coffee Shop IV

[gallantwarrior]

Okay, I'm freshly back from the laundry room, and all I have to say about that is:

Also I have some decisions to make and would appreciate some thoughtful insight.

In reorganizing and culling the stuff in my kitchen, I realize that decades of baking, broiling, toasting etc. have left a lot of my baking pans and sheets looking pretty crappy.

So the decision is:

1. Leave them looking crappy--they still do function.
2. Expend the considerable elbow grease necessary with stainless steel cleaner and Brillo or S.O.S. pads to clean them up.
3. Throw them away and get new ones.

What do you think?

How about a decisive n tree?

Here we go: do you serve the baked goods in the same dish or pan they were baked in?.yes, throw the pan away and buy a new one.

Did you decide to throw away the dish? How about PMing Nosmo about a new Fiestaware dish?

If no, you do not serve in that dish, keep it.

Is that pan beyond the point of a thorough cleaning?

If yes, throw it away for hygienic reasons.

If you throw it away, why not PM Nosmo about getting a new Fiestaware dish?

See how some simple it is?

I sense a trend, not much is getting clean...

I posed the same question on Facebook and got about 40 responses. The overwhelming vote was to have one or two pretty oven to table dishes or pans and keep those old crusted seasoned pans because they cook like no other. For sure a well seasoned cornbread pan is going to cook that wonderful cornbread like a shiny new pan cannot. One old classmate said she used all that elbow grease and shined up her mom's cornbread pan so that it looked like new. It never cooked that wonderful crusted just right cornbread again.

So thanks for your input everybody. Just keeping them is certainly the cheapest and most pain free option.

I usually "clean" my well-seasoned cast iron by scraping it vigorously, if needed, and applying a new coat of oil. It doesn't even always need the oil, either. Can't be the taste, it's practically non-stick, and no amount of copper cladding can beat cast iron on a cast-iron wood-burning cookstove (or propane, for that matter)! Extra tough, burnt on stuff can be removed by applying a coat of salt with a half a potato, rinse in water and apply a light coat of oil, bake the oiled pan.

 

[Nosmo King]

I'm seeing banners in front of churches announcing Vacation Bible School. They all seem to have a theme. Marketed and packaged like soda pop or or packaged vacation cruise with the local football team.

Back in the early 1960s when I was a pup, I attended V.B.S. There was no theme. Only colored construction paper, round tipped scissors and jars of paste.

Refreshments were purchased by adults who had either never had children of their own or had never actually been children themselves. Ginger snaps that were as hard as manhole covers, orange drink that bore no resemblance at all to the fruit from which it drew it's name other than the color of the stuff, and last season's apples which were neither red nor delicious.

The lesson plan, as I recall, covered Noah's ark, Daniel in the lion's den and Jonah and the whale. Some of the most sensational Bible stories this side of Samson and Delilah, too salacious to be taught to we bairn like me.

I do recall one of the 'teachers' had been to the World's Fair in Queens, New York earlier in the late Spring of 1964. She brought in some swag she bought there. That was interesting, but not as much fun if she had just turned us out in the sunshine for the release of the kinetic energy that consumes seven year old kids.

I wonder if it would have been more fun if we had a theme?

 

[Ringel05]

I'm seeing banners in front of churches announcing Vacation Bible School. They all seem to have a theme. Marketed and packaged like soda pop or or packaged vacation cruise with the local football team.

Back in the early 1960s when I was a pup, I attended V.B.S. There was no theme. Only colored construction paper, round tipped scissors and jars of paste.

Refreshments were purchased by adults who had either never had children of their own or had never actually been children themselves. Ginger snaps that were as hard as manhole covers, orange drink that bore no resemblance at all to the fruit from which it drew it's name other than the color of the stuff, and last season's apples which were neither red nor delicious.

The lesson plan, as I recall, covered Noah's ark, Daniel in the lion's den and Jonah and the whale. Some of the most sensational Bible stories this side of Samson and Delilah, too salacious to be taught to we bairn like me.

I do recall one of the 'teachers' had been to the World's Fair in Queens, New York earlier in the late Spring of 1964. She brought in some swag she bought there. That was interesting, but not as much fun if she had just turned us out in the sunshine for the release of the kinetic energy that consumes seven year old kids.

I wonder if it would have been more fun if we had a theme?

I have a perfect theme, The Spanish Inquisition!! Take a cue from Mel Brooks.......

 

[saveliberty]

We closed at two as normal, then I went home to change, mow two yards and edging along the street at one. Once that was done it was off to spread some mulch and sweat a pipe on an irrigation line break. Hurried home to eat, shower and head off to a three hour dance recital. Dancing then complete dark while they set up for the next number. I was kind of sleepy. Then intermission came and I had a wonder opportunity to try and loosen up the legs that thought working hard then sitting completely still was retarded.

 

[saveliberty]

I'll say one thing for Fiestaware, it stores in small spaces well.

 

[saveliberty]

Hey look! Colors for retired people!

 

[gallantwarrior]

View attachment 75584

Hey look! Colors for retired people!

More like colors for the pc...(was that too PC?)

 

[saveliberty]

I really like the colors Nosmo King, thanks for sharing and putting up with my humor.

 

[Nosmo King]

View attachment 75584

Hey look! Colors for retired people!

Some of those colors are still available at the factory outlet store. Some of them can be found in the warehouse adjacent to the outlet store. Seconds, ware that has some flaw, are stored in bins. It's best to take a sock with you to wipe the dust from that stored ware to inspect the, better.

Twice a year, next month and again in October, Homer Laughlin China holds a sale where collectors come from around the country to raid the warehouse and stock up. You are allowed to take two milk crates in and, sock over your hand, wipe, clean and check out the seconds at rock bottom prices.

Of course you can peruse the warehouse any time, but pay $1.00 per platter rather than the sale price $.75!

I'm lucky enough to live within ten minutes of the pottery and can get both seconds and first quality Fiestaware any day but Sunday at factory prices.

 

[Foxfyre]

My pottery is probably 40 years old now--we bought it piece by piece at the grocery store--you buy so much groceries and you can buy a plate or whatever for a substantial discount. I got 10 of everything and the stuff has worn like iron. Still looks new and has been practically destructible. And we use it pretty much every day except for more fancy occasions I might get out the expensive stuff we bought at American Furniture.

But Fiesta Ware does bring back pleasant memories.

And with that, I'm off to bed. Everybody have lovely dreams tonight. No changes to the vigil list.

 

[Gracie]

It's a geological thing. That, and Anchorage is on the water, which tends to moderate the climate. Fairbanks also features daily rain showers (normally) that you can set your watch by. Usually around six in the evening to 10 or 11. They also get thunder and lightening, which is relatively rare in Anchorage.

It seems that every other night I'm awakened by rain pelting the roof. A steady, soaking rain falling at night. I think it's the remnants of the severe thunderstorms plaguing the Midwest.

By the time they march east to the Crotch of the Tri-State area, the danger has been wrung out of them but the rain remains. Such is our little geographic advantage.

I'm quite sure that denizens of our valley would be clueless about how to handle a true drought. High Summers here always feature a 'dry spell' when the lawns turn brown, but a drought of Biblical proportions is unknown in these parts. Mist rises each warm morning from the river and the valleys where creeks and springs flow. The hardwood forests are verdant, except when plagued by an infestation of insects like the notorious gypsy moth or a 17 year locust. There are some underground springs that pour out of the steep ravine sides and I've seen folks armed with gallon jugs gathering unchlorinated drinking water.

Winters can be harsh, as we saw in 2014-15. But this winter passed was amazingly mild and relatively snow free (at least the occurrences of the Big Snows totaling 14, 16, 18 inches at one time). Instead last winter we got six inches at a time every other day for weeks. There are hard facts that must be faced every Winter.

But this Spring has been a head scratcher. It started out warm and pleasant only to devolve into a damp and cool spell that has gone on since late April, or just about the time greenhouses opened up offering annuals and perennials. The only safe purchase at most of the farmstead stores has been asparagus. Buying flowers, especially at the rate I buy flowers, id a fool's game.

Meanwhile Daisy the Mutt will vacuum out my wallet this Saturday as it's time again to have her vaccinated against rabies, distemper and Lyme disease. The vet, who must have a boat payment due this month, also recommends that she have blood drawn to assure the heartworm medicine prescribed is doing its thing.
there is no Obamacare for dogs.

mom is still quarantining us from the Big House as the cat she stole from someone else was spade last week. Mom insists that the cat rest easy for at least another week. Anyway, the cat is doing what a cat supposedly does; sleep 18 hours a day and lounge around in feline luxury.

but the vet is still a lot less expensive than people care, mostly. I only vaccinate my "outside" animals. The cats stay inside and the vet did assure me that as long as they did not mingle with the local ferals, they were probably OK. With the five cats remaining, vet bills cat get pretty pricey. The dogs are kept up because they do go outside and have contact with other dogs. I vaccinate the goats myself. Heartworm and fleas are not a problem around here, thank goodness. I haven't had problems with lice, either. I suppose that's an upside to living in these climes. I sure hope that doesn't change.

Vets must be cheaper where you are. Around here having a cat or dog is equivalent to having a child so far as medical costs go. Those of limited means simply cannot afford it in many cases.

For an extraordinarily pampered pet like Daisy the Mutt veterinarian's bills are just part of the quotient. Factor in groomers, prescription flea and tick and heartworm medications, and packages of chicken jerky treats exclusively for our walks, Marrowbone dog treats for 'cookies in the cookie blanket', dog shampoo (that costs 13 times what I pay for my shampoo), and the occasional Rachel Ray's Soup Bones dog treats (her favorite) and maybe I should be paying tuition at my alma mater for a daughter instead.

But I think, and everyone she meets agrees, she's worth it.

For farm-folk, vet bills are a necessary evil. Most of my livestock, I handle. Only really bad emergencies can go to the vet, and my vet really hates dealing with livestock other than horses. The LGT, Roxie, lives out with the goats but I am bringing a groomer out later this summer when she starts to molt. Since she hates the truck/car, I had to find someone mobile. Because I've been with this vet since 1988 and have so many critters, they do give me a discount "litter rate". That helps.
I know loads of spoiled dogs like Daisy. She sounds absolutely adorable. Generally well-behaved dogs are OK in my book. I prefer not to be licked, though. None of my dogs like or jump up on people. Roxy is a leaner, though.

I don't like being licked either. I LOVE to cuddle and kiss HER, but not have her lick me back. She knows this just by my body language cuz I have never said "no" to her, so once in awhile she will do a quick tongue touch on my hand, lol. Which means she gets bombarded with face kisses from me and a really good butt scratch.

Having just 2 dogs is a first for me, but I just can't afford to do it any more. My vet lets me make payments when the bill is over 500 bucks, but damn..if I had another dog or two....we would be in deep trouble finance wise.

We also cut back on their dog food (58 bucks for California Natural...good stuff, specialty dog food store, but DAYUM!) and now just mix a bit of that with their chicken stew. We buy huge packages of chicken thighs when they are on sale...add white rice, canned carrots, canned green beans, chop it all up and freeze the packets. Karma has to be on low fat diet due to pancreatis flareups. Thankfully, Moki is doing well and no major probs except his cancer, which seems to be taking its sweet time in claiming his life. He is just as spunky as ever although his back legs are getting weaker. He's a trooper, that's for sure. Karma's hip dysplasia is slowly rearing its ugly head, but not really bad yet...thankfully.

I wouldn't be able to take on any more pets..nor will. I can't handle telling them goodbye when the time comes.

 

[Gracie]

I'm spending the weekend in Mobile, AL for the regional APA 9-ball pool tournament. The event is called "City Cup" If my team, Doc Holliday's own "Sure Shots" win, we will be going to Las Vegas this fall for the National Championship. Yes, it's 4:30 AM. I can't sleep and I have to be at the event at 8:00. Wake up call in 2 hours, dammit.

On a whim I bought a bottle of 300 mcg Melatonin at Walgreens awhile back. Took a couple of those a bit before retiring and every night I dropped off to sleep much more quickly than normal and woke during the night far less. The stuff really did work for me. And it is a natural substance, not a drug. Might try it.

Stop after awhile, for a couple of days. Then start in again. Your body will get used to it and you will wind up having to take more. Trust me on this..I know from experience, lol. I went from 3mg to 10mgs. Now I am back on 5mgs but have not taken any for almost a week. I will start off with 3mg again. And yes..the stuff works great but some folks get vivid dreams so be aware of that possibilty.

 

[Gracie]

Okay, I'm freshly back from the laundry room, and all I have to say about that is:

Also I have some decisions to make and would appreciate some thoughtful insight.

In reorganizing and culling the stuff in my kitchen, I realize that decades of baking, broiling, toasting etc. have left a lot of my baking pans and sheets looking pretty crappy.

So the decision is:

1. Leave them looking crappy--they still do function.
2. Expend the considerable elbow grease necessary with stainless steel cleaner and Brillo or S.O.S. pads to clean them up.
3. Throw them away and get new ones.

What do you think?

How about a decisive n tree?

Here we go: do you serve the baked goods in the same dish or pan they were baked in?.yes, throw the pan away and buy a new one.

Did you decide to throw away the dish? How about PMing Nosmo about a new Fiestaware dish?

If no, you do not serve in that dish, keep it.

Is that pan beyond the point of a thorough cleaning?

If yes, throw it away for hygienic reasons.

If you throw it away, why not PM Nosmo about getting a new Fiestaware dish?

See how some simple it is?

I sense a trend, not much is getting clean...

I posed the same question on Facebook and got about 40 responses. The overwhelming vote was to have one or two pretty oven to table dishes or pans and keep those old crusted seasoned pans because they cook like no other. For sure a well seasoned cornbread pan is going to cook that wonderful cornbread like a shiny new pan cannot. One old classmate said she used all that elbow grease and shined up her mom's cornbread pan so that it looked like new. It never cooked that wonderful crusted just right cornbread again.

So thanks for your input everybody. Just keeping them is certainly the cheapest and most pain free option.

I usually "clean" my well-seasoned cast iron by scraping it vigorously, if needed, and applying a new coat of oil. It doesn't even always need the oil, either. Can't be the taste, it's practically non-stick, and no amount of copper cladding can beat cast iron on a cast-iron wood-burning cookstove (or propane, for that matter)! Extra tough, burnt on stuff can be removed by applying a coat of salt with a half a potato, rinse in water and apply a light coat of oil, bake the oiled pan.

I miss using cast iron, but I can't use it any more. Just flat out can't lift it. My wrists would break in half.

 

[Dajjal]

Anyone have windows 10? I keep getting an offer from microsoft for an upgrade to it wondering who has and what they think about it.

I was pissed off at Microsoft for making it impossible to avoid upgrading windows 7 to ten. But now I have discovered the photographic editing feature I am impressed. I do not know if windows 7 had the same because I never downloaded any photos to it. But windows ten editing feature makes it unnecessary to purchase photo shop.

 

[Dajjal]

Closest thing yet to the picture I want, I was up at 7am looking out of the window and had to wait to 10.30 for the foxes to show. But I can't give up because I still have not got the perfect shot. This picture was on my new digital camera which I purchased specially for the job and it cost £100 and I have invested many hours of fox spotting in getting it.

 

[Dajjal]

Another shoot, an hour after the previous pic. The Foxes are coming out in daylight now.

 

[Ringel05]

I'm spending the weekend in Mobile, AL for the regional APA 9-ball pool tournament. The event is called "City Cup" If my team, Doc Holliday's own "Sure Shots" win, we will be going to Las Vegas this fall for the National Championship. Yes, it's 4:30 AM. I can't sleep and I have to be at the event at 8:00. Wake up call in 2 hours, dammit.

On a whim I bought a bottle of 300 mcg Melatonin at Walgreens awhile back. Took a couple of those a bit before retiring and every night I dropped off to sleep much more quickly than normal and woke during the night far less. The stuff really did work for me. And it is a natural substance, not a drug. Might try it.

Stop after awhile, for a couple of days. Then start in again. Your body will get used to it and you will wind up having to take more. Trust me on this..I know from experience, lol. I went from 3mg to 10mgs. Now I am back on 5mgs but have not taken any for almost a week. I will start off with 3mg again. And yes..the stuff works great but some folks get vivid dreams so be aware of that possibilty.

Melatonin - Side Effects, Dosage, Interactions | Everyday Health

 

[OldLady]

View attachment 75597

Closest thing yet to the picture I want, I was up at 7am looking out of the window and had to wait to 10.30 for the foxes to show. But I can't give up because I still have not got the perfect shot. This picture was on my new digital camera which I purchased specially for the job and it cost £100 and I have invested many hours of fox spotting in getting it.

Best shot yet. I am so surprised she nurses in the open like that. And those kits are getting pretty big to be suckling on mom...I wonder if they will stick around once she weans them.
Keep us informed.

 

[OldLady]

View attachment 75584

Hey look! Colors for retired people!

I have the same problem with Fiesta ware that I used to have when I got my new box of 64 Crayolas--so many pretty colors I couldn't decide ..

 

[Nosmo King]

Daisy the Mutt had a tough day yesterday. As did my credit card. We went to the vet in the morning. She LOVES going to the vet. There are other dogs there in the waiting room. Dogs to be sniffed and played with, dog owners to charm and amuse, scents of dogs and cats to explore.

But she had to have some of her blood extracted to test the efficacy of her monthly heart worm medication. That's where the trouble started. It seemed the veterinary tech mistook Daisy for a pin cushion. She applied a torniquet to Daisy's right front leg and jabbed a syringe into that leg trying to draw a blood sample. Again and again and again all with no success. I held Daisy steady until the tech said she would have to take Daisy in the back to try to get that sample from her jugular vein! As the tech took Daisy from me, I saw the spot on her leg running with poodle blood.

After three or four minutes, Daisy was returned to my arms wet with rubbing alcohol. Then the vet herself came into the exam room with four more syringes. Rabies, distemper and Lyme disease vaccine were then jabbed into Daisy's trembling flesh.

Daisy, a miniature poodle, is susceptible to 'hot spots', little areas of inflammation on her skin. So, another syringe filled with cortisone was jabbed in. A prescription for an antibiotic was given to me along with the $187.00 bill for services. It rained all day yesterday. Daisy and I went to the grocery store for bread and milk and promptly retired to the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estae for a nap.

It's now after 11:00 Sunday morning and Daisy has yet to come out of the bedroom. It was a tough day for poodles.