Nice and Cozy

My dog and cat shared a warm, cozy spot for their nap. There was still a little room for me! The trick is drinking coffee and trying to use the computer at the same time. They were so calm and peaceful, I didn't want to disturb the moment. The cat is actually a little bigger than Amos now. The two of them are more likely to be wrestling than resting together. It was great while it lasted.

Pre Thanksgiving exercise-or-I can still bat!

I knew my nephew and my son could do it...

 

I knew my niece could do it...

 

And I was happy to find out that I could still do it, too!

I rarely missed a pitch. Of course, the pitches were thrown by my son and another one of my nieces (why does it look like she is laughing here?).  In other words, the pitches were delivered very gently. Then I briefly played first base and was I ever thankful that no one had to throw me the ball. I guess I'll have to find out if I can still catch during the next game.

Holiday in the Country

We are having a very nontraditional meal today with just 3 of us. We currently have 80 degree weather but by 3 pm, a strong cold front is supposed to blow in. We have moved in some wood and cleaned out the fireplace in anticipation of our first indoor fire this fall. Tomorrow night, the forecast is 29 degrees. Mike's side of the family comes on Saturday for our "real Thanksgiving". We have a niece and a nephew who have never been here and we are going to show them a COUNTRY, good time. That means a visit to the shooting range and a fire in the outdoor firepit, and maybe a hayride to the cemetery way up on the hill. We will have meat to grill and a whole bunch of dogs running around. Sounds like Thanksgiving to me!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Preview: Thanksgiving menu!

 Cream biscuits

 Pumpkin cake roll

cornbread dressing

Just a few contributions to family meals that I've cooked this week. All of it was extremely rich. All of it was very tasty. I'm likely to make these dishes again. What are you cooking this week?

Outcome of the game

The Texas Aggies beat Nebraska last night!

         Gig 'em Aggies!

The 12th Man

I'm proud of my Alma Mater . And now, my daughter is attending Texas A&M, and she loves it. I couldn't resist posting this "advertisement". Gig 'em Aggies!

The Legend of the 12th Man:
In January of 1922, Texas A&M took the field against mighty Centre College, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, in the Dixie Classic (now known as the Cotton Bowl). The Aggies fought hard and kept the game close, but as the game wore on, the strength and power of Centre was literally taking its toll. Before long, Aggies coach Dana X. Bible realized he was running short on players. Desperate for bodies, the coach recalled that a deep reserve by the name of E. King Gill had been sent to the press box before the game to help reporters identify players. Bible sent word to the press box that Gill was needed.
Gill responded. In dramatic fashion, he descended the grandstand, reported to the sideline and even suited up--just in case he was needed. Gill never actually took the field that day, and the Aggies pulled off a stunning 22-14 upset. But the great symbolism of Gill coming out of the stands to stand alongside his Aggies struck a chord with the Texas A&M faithful. Just like that, the 12th Man legend was born. "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not,” Gill said afterward. “I simply stood by in case my team needed me."
When coach Jackie Sherrill arrived at Texas A&M in the mid 1980s, he seized on the 12th Man legend by creating the 12th Man Kick-Off Team, a special teams unit made up completely of student walk-ons. Besides being ridiculously popular with Aggies fans, the idea actually produced on-field results: Sherrill’s 12th Man unit held opponents to one of the lowest kick-return averages in the old Southwest Conference. After Sherrill’s departure, coach R.C. Slocum changed the tradition by allowing just one 12th Man on the kickoff unit. Later, Dennis Franchione revived the 12th Man unit, but only used it on rare occasions.
It’s unclear what new Aggies coach Mike Sherman will do with the 12th Man tradition. But this much is certain: Aggies fans will continue to take it very, very seriously. A large sign running along the upper deck of A&M’s massive Kyle Field proclaims the stadium as “Home of the 12th Man,” and visiting teams aren’t likely to take issue with that. Aggies fans take pride in standing throughout the entirety of their home games and making as much noise as humanly possible. As a result, Kyle Field is recognized as one of the loudest stadiums in college football and one of the toughest venues for visiting teams to play.

Anderson Ambush

My cat, Anderson, has such a hard life!

Cats Sleep Anywhere

Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.

Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.

Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.

Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.

Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere.

Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965)

Aunt Pam's Delicious Pie

Pam is Mike's sister. On our last visit, she had made this apple pie in a cast iron skillet. It was so delicious. That is her pie in the pictures. I didn't get the recipe from her then but I believe that this recipe is the one she used.

Grandma's Iron Skillet Apple Pie

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Servings: 8





"A modern version of an old-time favorite uses premade pie crusts to make this three-layer apple pie, baked in a cast iron skillet."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

5 Granny Smith apples -- peeled, cored,

quartered, and thinly sliced

3 (9 inch) refrigerated prerolled pie crusts

1 cup white sugar, divided

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small chunks



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place 1/2 cup butter into a heavy cast iron skillet, and melt butter in the oven. Remove skillet and sprinkle with brown sugar; return to oven to heat while you prepare the apples.

3. Remove skillet, and place 1 refrigerated pie crust on top of the brown sugar. Top the pie crust with half the sliced apples. Sprinkle apples with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon; place a second pie crust over the apples; top the second crust with the remaining apples, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Top with the third crust; sprinkle the top crust with 1/4 cup sugar, and dot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cut 4 slits into the top crust for steam.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 11/13/2010

Traveling buddies

Our little dog Amos is our most loyal friend.Wherever we go, he goes most of the time. If he can't go, it hurts him. He doesn't understand why he can't go with his group. When he does get to go, his behavior is excellent, especially in the car. I took some pictures of him while we were traveling. Here, he already has figured out that we are on our way to see "Aunt Pam".

We put a large, black cushion on the seat so that he can see out of the window. Occasionally, he stands on the cushion and rests his head on Mike's shoulder. That way they can both watch the  road.

He is patient at this point but as soon as we arrive in Pam's town, he gets very excited and starts looking out of the windows and groaning occasionally as if to say "aren't we there yet?" And when we arrive, he is the first one out of the car.He is our little traveling buddy (and Mike isn't bad either).

A Song for Veteran's Day, Poignant

I was very affected by this song by my friend, Dean Ferrell. The video and lyrics will touch you.
One more chance to think about the Veterans today.

Veteran's day

A small man, quietly smiling stood outside of Walmart. He wore a hat and a vest with some type of insignia. I exchanged a few dollars for this Memorial Poppy. I thought of my Grandpa for some reason, and of Mr. Cox who was on the beach at Normandy on D Day. They were veterans of the same war. My Dad and Uncles, Mike's Dad and Uncles, friends at church and two of my nephews are also veterans. Several members of my family never came back from WWII. They all hold a place of honor in my heart.

Remember Veteran's Day. November 11.

.

Reader's Haven pick for November

        

Join me at my book discussion site  http://readers-haven.webs.com/  for my November discussion. The Pillars of the Earth sweeps through 12th-century England in an era of raging civil war, telling of a group of men and women whose fates are linked to the building of a great cathedral, a site of bloodshed and treachery. A masterpiece of raw courage and passion from the author of Eye of the Needle (from Google books).

Excerpt:
They sat down by a stream at midday. They drank the pure water and ate cold bacon and crab-apples which they picked up from the forest floor.

In the afternoon Martha was tired. At one point she was a hundred yards behind them. Standing waiting for her to catch up, Tom remembered Alfred at that age. He had been a beautiful, golden-haired boy, sturdy and bold. Fondness mingled with irritation in Tom as he watched Martha scolding the pig for being so slow. Then a figure stepped out of the undergrowth just ahead of her. What happened next was so quick that Tom could hardly believe it. The man who had appeared so suddenly on the road raised a club over his shoulder. A horrified shout rose in Tom's throat, but before he could utter it the man swung the club at Martha. It struck her full on the side of the head, and Tom heard the sickening sound of the blow connecting. She fell to the ground like a dropped doll.
Tom found himself running back along the road toward them, his feet pounding the hard earth like the hoofs of William's warhorse, willing his legs to carry him faster. As he ran, he watched what was happening, and it was like looking at a picture painted high on a church wall, for he could see it but there was nothing he could do to change it. The attacker was undoubtedly an outlaw. He was a short, thick-set man in a brown tunic with bare feet. For an instant he looked straight at Tom, and Tom could see that the man's face was hideously mutilated: his lips had been cut off, presumably as a punishment for a crime involving lying, and his mouth was now a repulsive permanent grin surrounded by twisted scar tissue. The horrid sight would have stopped Tom in his tracks, had it not been for the prone body of Martha lying on the ground.
The outlaw looked away from Tom and fixed his gaze on the pig. In a flash he bent down, picked it up, tucked the squirming animal under his arm and darted back into the tangled undergrowth, taking with him Tom's family's only valuable possession.