Showing posts with label anecdotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anecdotes. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Serious goals involving dead birds - sorry, vegans


A light moment I thought was worth sharing:

Husband just finished watching Jacques Pépin debone a chicken and he came into the kitchen, all excited.  

Husband:  "I watched Jacques Pépin debone an entire chicken! And, he had . . . he was left --" 

Me: "And, he was left with, what, an amoeba?"

Husband:  "Basically.  That's my new goal in life!  I'm going to debone a chicken!"

I'd put a chicken photo at the top of this post but I'm a little freaked out by the new Google policy allowing them to steal your photos for advertising.  Has anyone heard of that?  Do you know where to go to prevent it?

©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Friday, July 20, 2007

36 Cloudless Hours and the Cats Still Need Machetes


We had around 36 hours without rain. The sun was shining, the interior car temperature rocketed back up to the point that sunglasses left in a shady nook became untouchably hot, lawnmowers were humming throughout the neighborhood . . . and it didn't even occur to me that I should run to the grocery store while I had the chance to go without getting soaked or hit by lightning.

The image is from All Posters. Isn't it cool?

So, the husband came home after a long meeting . . . starving. We both knew the food situation was getting desperate around the house. When he walked in the door, the conversation went something like this:

H: Billy's?

Me: Yeah, I'm thinking white pizza.

Kid: Yuck. El Sombrero.

H & Me: Not hungry enough for Mexican.

Kid: Not Billy's.

H: What else is available that's not greasy?

Me: Nothing. Unless you want bad service.

H: Not in the mood for lousy service. Applebees sounds good.

Kid: Yeah, it does.

Me: Applebees is in Jackson.

H: Yes.

Me: I could handle that, but you won't make it home in time to mow.

H: I'll be home, tomorrow. Road trip?

Me: (shrug, nod) Road trip.

Kid: Yeah! Road trip!

We piled into the Toyota and drove east, but somewhere along the way we decided that the only decent Applebees is on the far side of Jackson and that was a bit far. We ended up going to Corky's, a barbeque place (or BBQ, as they call it) that was 20 miles closer than the 50-mile drive to Applebees. Corky's was packed and they were shy one waitress, but when we finally were seated in a booth and then served some whopping fine food, we were very happy campers.

It rained on the return trip. Deep sigh. The back yard grass comes up to the neighborhood cats' shoulders; they practically need machetes to get through our yard (which, by the way, at least six cats firmly believe is their territory and nobody else's). The front yard isn't quite as bad but it definitely needs a haircut. And, a storm is coming. Isn't life something? But, hey, I haven't had to water in a month!

Back to books. I've been struggling through the summer slump that several other bloggers have mentioned and am, therefore, concentrating on whatever appears to be short, light, and begging me to read it right now. That concept seems to work okay. Last week, I got a copy of Consider This, Senora (if anyone knows how to put a tilde over the n in the middle of a word, please let me know - I can't figure it out) for a quarter. I tossed it on top of a pile and it taunted me - seriously, just taunted me - for a week. I don't know what it was about that book. Last night, I was trying to decide what to read next. I'm waiting for a review book, but it hasn't arrived. I carried a significant pile of books into the bedroom and flipped through them - nothing was grabbing me. But, Consider This, Senora just kept on hollering until I gave in.

And, guess what? I'm loving it. Who'd have thought. Maybe I should listen to my books more often.

Note for cat owners: We received a sample of Temptations Tasty Chicken Flavor cat treats in the mail, today. Sunshine was completely disinterested. Spooky went nuts, seriously nuts. I gave her one, just to see if she'd like it and the cat freaked out. "Meeeooooore!!!" she shouted. That was one insistent pussycat. She actually wiped out the entire pouch. If you have a chicken freak, give them a try. Thanks to Malady for the sample link.

The noisy thunderboomers have arrived. Gotta go.

Bookfool, who is pretty sure she couldn't live in the Pacific Northwest without going off her rocker

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Bits and Pieces


I've finished a second book that I've yet to review and I'm falling behind, but this was just one of those days that I felt like the robin, above. I just wanted to say, "I'm outta here." So, with that in mind, we grabbed the camera, hopped in the car and took a long walk in Vicksburg's National Military Park.

I am so freakin' sore. I've been a bum, lately.

But, I just had to drop back in to describe the hopelessly romantic thing my husband did for Valentine's Day. Bear in mind that he is, in general, just about the most unromantic guy on the planet. Before we were married, my spouse just about never gave me flowers (maybe once) but he did once give me a cactus. So, the fact that he made Valentine's Day special is kind of . . . baffling.

Anyway, hubby sent me an email on Valentine's Day. "Happy Valentine's Day. Pay homage to Beethoven and there might be something worth finding." Probably most people wouldn't get that and, frankly, I forgot what it meant. Paying homage to Beethoven is a reference to a British mini-series my husband and I love, Oliver's Travels. Whenever the main character is near a piano, he plays middle C as his homage to Beethoven. But, like I said, I forgot. So, I went to the piano and looked inside and behind the Beethoven music book. Nothing. I thought about looking in the bench but I had a horrible night and I was sluggish. I took a nap.

Since I failed (and I whipped out an email to that effect), later on the hubby gave me another clue. "Okay, then look in the bench." Quite a clue, eh?

Inside the piano bench was a DVD of The Sting (an old favorite) with a note that said, "Behind the Tower Bridge might be something." That one was easy. We have a framed photograph I took of the Tower Bridge in London on top of one of our many bookshelves. I moved the frame and behind it was a a lovely package that contained all sorts of adorable little bath items with a royal theme, including a package of bath salts with instructions on how to use them ("First, summon a servant . . . "), champagne lip balm with a touch of strawberry, a notebook for royal decrees, etc. Fun.

Attached to the package was yet another note: "To Edinburgh you go to find something to go with your ginger beer." That was another easy one, but darned if he didn't send the short wife to all the hard-to-reach places. We have a stoneware ginger beer bottle that I purchased in a shop in Edinburgh - very common, I think, but unique to us. And, it's on top of another set of bookshelves so I had to climb, but behind the ginger beer bottle was a heart-shaped box of fudge. Whoa. Like my butt needed that - but, how sweet is he for thinking ahead and planting all those little gifts?

So, in spite of the fact that the hubby was gone from Sunday to Friday, I had a lovely Valentine's Day that I'll never forget.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.