~ TIME MARCHES ON!... ~

~ My BLOG Page ~ Number Thirteen ~
~To Add a Comment Click Here~
~ To My Parkville Home Page ~

~ Wednesday October 28, 2009 ~
~ Another Really Nice EMAIL ~

~ From Parkville City Hall ~
Don, GREAT WEB SITE! I discovered your website a few years back, and I liked your pictures of English Landing Park and the Missouri River so much that I created a shortcut to your site on my desktop. I check in now and then to see what's new and interesting. Thanks for the positive things you are doing for Parkville through your website!

Jim Brooks, Ward 1 Alderman, City of Parkville, Missouri
~ This has been Added to my Famous Guest Page ~
~ Oh Lord it's Hard to be Humble! ~


~ Tuesday October 27, 2009 ~

~ Time Marches On! ~ Year 2000 ~
Remember the old Time Magazine "TIME MARCHES ON!" Newsreels at the movies. well, maybe you don't, that was way back and they don't do that anymore... Anyway Time does March On.. and On!

Well, here was Year 2000 when I first moved back to Parkville... And I was driving my 1988 Astro Van then.. But this shows my apartment with my old spare Mercedes in front... And NO Trees!~

~ Year 2001 and we have Trees...
Boss Bob did a little landscaping about 2001 I think... This was a pic from a video taken about then... And I still had my 1988 Astro van...

~ Year 2005 and we have Bigger Trees...
Then the trees grew some... And I had my little 2005 Dodge Caravan... Looks like I didn't get a photo when I had my 2001 Blazer parked out in front...

So here the trees are maybe 4 years old...

~ Year 2006 and My 2006 Grand Caravan...
Was this Fall of 2006? I think so... I should have dated these pics...


~ Spring of 2007 and the Trees are in Full Bloom...
Well the trees are sure pretty for maybe a week or two in the spring.. But those blooms make a stink and good they don't last long... Then come the tiny fruits that the birds eat all winter...


~ October 2009 ~ My latest Blazer and the Trees beginning to turn Color...
The latest photo showing the trees ever taller each year... How tall do Bradford Pears grow anyway?

~ But then like They Say... There is Always Next Year... Time Marches On! ~


~ Friday October 23, 2009 ~

~ Chili con Carne de Vaca! ~
Cold windy day... What better to do than cook up a big pot of Chili con carne? OLE! Hit the Price Chopper for a few pounds of beef burger, some crushed tomatoes, a green pepper , a few onions, a new jar of cumin and a few odds and ends... Any excuse to go the the store.. I love that...

Recipe? What recipe? Is there a recipe for chilli?, well yeah, maybe about 35,689 of them... Mine is never quite the same but most always GOOD! Like eveyone thinks their own is... But mine is REALY Good! You should smell that aroma that I am right now! OLE!

So, got out my hot pot, haven't used that in quite a while... Chopped up a big sweet onion, half a huge green pepper, couple cloves of garlic, several of my pickled jalapenos... What else? Sauteed that in some Olive oil and then took it out of the pot and in with all that burger. several pounds... Browned that up nicely, added the onions and peppers back, then two cans of crushed tomatoes... Then the herbs and spices... Some oregano... sweet basil... (both home grown) Then chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper of course, then what else? That should do it...

Then let that simmer a good while, like it's doing now.. and OLE.. CHILI SUPREMO!

~ Oh Yeah.. How Picante it Is! ~


~ Tuesday... October 20, 2009 ~
~ Vehicle Number 35? ~

~ Or did I lose Count? ~
Well now... The payments on that Dodge Caravan were just too high.. and Chrysler Finance didn't want to lower them... So.. I'll just give it back to them... They can eat the loss...

And this morning, I stopped by Northland Auto Service where my friend Bob works... He has connections... Asked where I could get me a decent car... For lower payments... Just happens he does the Warranty Service for a local car dealer... He called the owner, told him my problem and the man said send him over.. We can do it...

Buzzed over the bridge and was there in about 15 minutes.. Told the guy I like GM Products... And wanted something like a Blazer or Van... Well there was this cool Blazer sitting out front that I saw coming in.. Just perfect! How much? $450 down $300 a month.. HAH! Great... He took my name, ran me into the computer.. said OK, nothing down.. $300 a month... Good, so how am I going to get it home... Told him I would be back.. But BJ (neighbor) wasn't home to drive me back...

But Boss Bob , the apartment manager was next door when I pulled in... Told him I needed BJ to give me a ride.. and he says... I'll take you. Let's go.. so away we went... I drove us over in my van, we did the paper work, Boss Bob drove my Blazer back, followed me in the van... Swapped license plates... Got my stuff out of the van... Now the van is across the street and my Blazer occupies the choice position in front of my place...

~ Now Was this a Nice Day or What? ~


~ Sunday October 18, 2009 ~

~ First Freeze! ~

~ Got a Few on the Table turning Color Now ~
Well now... I picked these on October 10th... when they announced that freeze that didn't happen... Could have waited a week or so... But these will ripen up soon now... And there are still a few small ones on the vine, I checked yesterday, see if any of those survive... As we will get a warm up tomorrow again, they say... I'll go out when the sun comes up to see if there is frost on the vines, I can see it on the car windows now...

~ But With all that Green Tomato Relish in the Fridge.. All is Not Lost! ~


~ Sunday... October 11, 2009 ~
~ Chow Chow? or Green Tomato Relish? ~
~ Lemmy said to make some Chow Chow ~
Well, I called it Green Tomato Relish.. Mentioned that yesterday... But it's about the same thing... I think my Grandma called it Chow Chow... But Chow Chow is a little more variable in what ingredients you can use.. Like cucumbers and even corn... Several flavors of Chow Chow... But both are just a mixture of surplus veggies... ground up and pickled into a relish...

So... After I got the day started good, I headed for the kitchen... I did check a relish recipe online to start, to get an idea of the proportions of salt, sugar and vinegar... First I ground up a half head of cabbage in the food processor, then I hit it with a nice BIG sweet onion... Next a few celery stalks I had left over... Then about 20 of those smaller green tomatoes... And finally a HUGE red sweet pepper I picked up at the Price Chopper that morning... Lookin good... Then in with a couple heaping tablespoons of Kosher salt... stirred that all up in my big stainless steel bowl... Then into the fridge... They say overnight but I thought 6 hours or so would do...

Then I prepared the pickling liquid to be ready later... Cup and a half sugar, cup and a half cider vinegar, a TBs or so of mixed pickling spice... and for an experiment, about a couple TBs of ground mustard powder I had on hand... Then set that on the stove for later...

Then after a manhattan and a slow day with TV.. Back to the task at hand... Set the pan to heating... Drained the ground veggies... then when the liquid was simmering added them to the largest pot I had to cook a bit... Tried a taste, thought it needed a bit of a kick.. and ground up a few sweet pickles and a four of the mild jalapenos I had pickled earlier... After what I thought was adequate simmering, let the mixture cool.. then drain again before adding to plastic storage boxes... Got a yield of about two quarts... (that's two liters Sigi, less two ounces...) Then most into the freezer, one container in the fridge for some immediate use...

And.. Oh yeah... Earlier I snipped the oregano plant again, dried the leaves in the oven and got about ONE heaping Tbs of crumbled oregano to store... with the earlier snippings... Now see if that plant can grow some more, sitting in the front window...
~ I tried a Taste of that Relish this Morning... And it's BETTER than Last Years.. Yeah! ~


~ Saturday... October 10, 2009 ~
~ Last Crop of the Season? ~
~ Well... a Few Small Ones still out There.... if they Don't Freeze ~
So, they were still saying it might freeze tomorrow night and be rainy all day too, so I thought I might as well pick the last ones... Some of these will ripen, the slower and smaller ones I can make into some more relish... I am all out of that anyway...
Now.. All that is left is the Oregano in the Pot inside.. And I am thinking of snipping all that and drying it for storage... It will bloom before I can use it all for fresh... And they say, if it blooms the taste isn't as good... Maybe it will come back again as it did the last two snippings...
~ As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap ~


~ Friday October 09, 2009 ~
~ It's a Sin to Tell a Lie! ~
~ and so ~

Be sure it's true
when you say... I love you
It's a sin to tell a lie
Millions of hearts have been broken
Just because those words were spoken
I love you... yes I do... I love you
If you'll break my heart I'll die
So be sure it's true... when you say I love you
It's a sin to tell a lie


~ The Truth Shall Out! ~


~ Thursday October 08, 2009 ~
~ Dark Rainy Day so What Do We Do? ~
~ We Look for the Silver Lining ~

Look for the silver lining
When e'er a cloud appears in the blue
Remember somewhere, the sun is shining
And so the right thing to do is make it shine for you

A heart, full of joy and gladness
Will always banish sadness and strife
So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life

. So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life

. ~ And Maybe the Sun Will Shine Tomorrow! ~


~ Wednesday October 07, 2009 ~
~ Indoor Gardening Now ~
~ Mike Thompson says... Maybe a Freeze this Weekend! ~
That would be an early freeze, usually not til the end of October... But it -is- a maybe... They did have a freeze just 60 miles North a day or so ago... Anyway... The tomatoes in the pot are long gone... The peppers quit and were picked and made into salss... The Sweet Basil did not come back after the last cutting... That leaves just the tomatoes in the bed and this pot of Oregano which still is going strong... So I brought it inside to avoid the coming cold weather

Now I will watch the weather close and if there IS a freeze warning I will pick all the tomatoes green or ripe... Maybe some will ripen, some I might make into more green tomato relish... The stuff I made last year is all gone now... The last box of it going to neighbor BJ...

As for the Oregano... Either clip it all and dry it or I could use a little at a time... fresh... to add to sauces, chili or whatever... Not much foodwise is wasted around here
~ And then Next Spring... To Plant or Not to Plant?... That is the Question! ~


~ Tuesday October 06, 2009 ~
~ Rindfleisch und Nudeln! ~
~ Somebody Around Here... Sure Knows How to Cook! ~
My Chat Friend Herr Wulle in Germany says that's how you say 'Beef and Noodles' in Deutsch... So...I roasted up that chuck roast in the oven yesterday using my secret recipe that I tell everyone... And it sure turned out GOOD! I took the roast out to 'rest' and then put in chunks of potato, turnip, carrot and celery.. and even a couple chunked fresh tomatoes in over the cooked onions the beef roasted in.. and all that luscious beef juice in there too... Roasted the veggies maybe an hour and a half.. then dished up some roast beef and vegetables and had a FEAST! Oh YES!

Still most of the beef left so I put it in the fridge over night... Today dropped by the Price Chopper for some frozen egg noodles and a jar of Beef Mushroom gravy...

Then... Course chopped up some more green pepper, celery, onions and some minced garlic... sauteed that a bit in Olive oil... Then chopped up some of that roast beef and mixed that in... Next, dumped in that pack of frozen noodles,, working it in to soften up some... Then added that jar of gravy.. Now that looks like it's going to work... Left that covered on low heat for awhile... Then to cool and box up for the freezer... As... I still have some of that roast beef and vegetables for a re run-of that tonight...
~ Oh Yeah.. We do Eat Good around Here Now and Then! ~


~ Monday October 05, 2009 ~
~ What About Sunday in Parkville? ~
~ Well, Turned out to be a Pretty Fair Day~
What to do after Chat and Clean-up? Well, head up to the Price Chopper for one of those little 4 pound boneless hams... on sale... And a Bingo and Crossword scratcher for fun... Lost on the Bingo... won my $3 back on the Crossword

Now what? Boring day ahead... Let's go to the Casino.. hadn't been for about a month... So, I got two twenties out of the ATM, headed on over... Not too crowded for a Sunday... Went to my favorite quarter machine and stuck in two twenties for 160 credits... It seems if you just play with ONE twenty, you run out of credits before winning anything much... So I go for $40 and sometimes win something

So... up and down, mostly down, not winning much except 25 credits now and then... But I played a long time... Finally I was down to about 70 credits, a little less than $20... Then began climbing up again... Then Ding Ding Ding Ding... Two 7s and a Five Times.. Nice... 250 credit win... and with what credits I still had left... cashed out for $92.75... A $52.75 win.. Now that's a good day...

OK, drop by the Riverside RED-X to cash on my winner Crossword for another one and a Bingo to boot... And then, back to the ranch to fire up the smoker, prep the ham and then work my scratchers for a double loss... Then stuck the ham in the smoker and headed up to the Price Chopper to see what I could see... Decided on a beef roast... Got some onions and turnips and cabbage, picked up a nice chuck roast and headed for home...

Then my usual afternoon libation... Ham out of the smoker... Wrapped and in the fridge waiting to be sliced up this morning.. Had a nice Pastrami on pumpernickel... A movie and off to beddy bye...

Now.. Monday... later pop that roast in the oven and get set for another feast...
~ Now.. THAT... for me.. was a Good Day! ~


~ Friday October 02, 2009 ~
~ What's New in Parkville today? ~
~ Well, picked 5 more Tomatoes this Morning ~
Yesterday was Pay Day so I paid all my bills... Stopped by to pay Boss Bob the rent... Went to get my semi-annual haircut and took a quick trip to Platte City and back... Then got some chicken legs at the Price Chopper and back home to hibernate the rest of the day... except for dusting the chicken legs with BBQ rub and then roast in the oven,, Not in the mood to smoke out in the rain...


So.. what else... After picking the tomatoes... Boss Bob knocked on my door... Can ya move your van?.. Putting new gutters on my building today... And they plugged into my electricity to run their custom gutter making machine out front... And it's been bang bang ever since up there on the roof...

There's Tom, the Maintenance man (left) And Boss Bob (right) to make sure they were putting the gutters on right side up...
~ Such Excitement in Parkville Today! ~

~ September 30 to October 23, 2008 ~ Page Number One ~ ~ October 23 to October 31, 2008 ~ Page Number Two ~ ~ November 04 to December 19, 2008 ~ Page Number Three ~ ~ December 24 to March 23, 2009 ~ Page Number Four ~ ~ April 01 to May 26, 2009 ~ Page Number Five ~ ~ May 30, 2009 ~ Page Number Six - Click Here ~ ~ May 31 to July 02, 2009 ~ Page Number Seven ~ ~ July 02 to July 18, 2009 ~ Page Number Eight ~ ~ July 20 to August 16, 2009 ~ Page Number Nine ~ ~ August 16 to August 26, 2009 ~ Page Number Ten ~ ~ August 27 to September 11, 2009 ~ Page Number Eleven ~ ~ September 12 to September 30, 2009 ~ Page Number Twelve ~ ~ October 02 to October 28, 2009 ~ Page Number Thirteen ~ ~Email Me!~