Hey Lookee at this. I did a Fancy!

After correcting the under-rising cornmeal yeast rolls that I made the night before by making and baking a second batch on Thanksgiving morning, I was casting around for something to do.

I pulled the how-to book on folding fancy napkins from the shelf.  I thumbed through instructions for folding cloth napkins into shapes such as sailboats, octopi, roses and lillies.  I thought a palm would pair well with the green napkins I had laid out.

Hey! Look what I did!!!!!!!  Aint it fancy?

That colorful corn you see in the background; that's "Pirate Corn" -
because it costs a "buck an ear".

The GoldilocksTurkey, Kith and Kin

Goldilocks went shopping for Thanksgiving.

The first turkey she came upon was 8 lbs.  "Oh my! This bird will not do, it is too small."  So she left it in the freezer case.

The next turkey she found was 18 lbs.  "Oh my! This bird will not do, it is way, way too big."  So Goldilocks left that turkey in the freezer case also.

Then Goldilocks found a 12 lb turkey.  "Oh joy!  This bird is just right."  So she (and all her sisters) lifted the 12 lb turkey out of frozen display case and took it to the cashier to buy it - thus emptying the entire selection of middle of the road turkeys.  [Yes.  These 'middle-of-the-road' sized turkeys never did make it across to the other side of the proverbial road]

We went shopping after Goldilocks.  We found plenty of turkeys that were too small, or way, way too big.  But the case where a 12 pound bird would be "just right", was empty.  "Ha!  Somebody has been shopping for my turkey and she bought all the 10-12 pounders, leaving nothing for me, cried the baby bear."

A recheck of the store a day later showed that birds had been restocked.  With the selection of a 12 pound bird, we were set to host son Grant (home from college for a few days), nephew Brian (2 weeks away from finishing post-grad college here in Dallas at UT Southwestern Medical School), and friend Jeff.  That makes a table of five.

I was in charge of the cornmeal yeast rolls.  I did not use enough yeast in the batch made the night before.  So I had a do-over on Thursday morning.  Otherwise, the turkey roasted nicely and on schedule, the citrus cranberry relish, the bread stuffing, the mash potatoes, the green beans and the sweet potatoes all turned out "just right".

The pecan and pumpkin pies turn out more than just right.

12 lb Turkey makes it into the oven on time

My little sweet potato

Grant was back on the road to Columbia, MO (635 miles) by mid-afternoon in order to be able to attend his final Mizzou football game the following day [Univ of Missouri was victorious over the Arkansas Razorbacks, 21-14]

Grant gets a pecan pie for the road back to Missouri

Sue's brother Bill and his wife Susan, opted for family Thanksgiving feast in Wichita Falls; but would join us the following day to tour Dallas.

Any meat scraps for the dog?
Strider looks for some counter-top goodies - but please, NO gibblets

Blowing Birthday Bubbles in the Mud

Ah yes, another birthday.  Where has that charm of "my very own special day" gone now?  After some decades the big birthday day now often seems like any other day.  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for each day, a day I can raise myself up out of bed and do the things a guy has got to do.  But, doing all the things, just isn't as charming as having that one special day.

With the nationwide cold snap now moved back to its rightful place up in Minnesota and points north, the morning sun was out, the breeze was mild and for my birthday day to begin I pick a shovel from the shed and head for the soggy spot around the valve in Line #1 of the lawn irrigation system; here lies one of those things to do that a guy has got to do - birthday or not.  The spade makes a gurgling sucking sound as I pry up a sodden lump of sticky black clay and dump it a few feet away.  Muddy water seeps into the hole and I pry up another lump of wet clay and laboriously scrape it from my shovel blade.  I dig carefully until I reach the white PVC pipe buried about 1 foot deep at the edge of the garden space.  I enlarge the hole and pull a used dog food can from the recycle bin and use it to bail out the muddy water which I toss over my wife's pea plants.  I have been here before.  This is a repeat repair job from a few months back, where I cut out the old valve and spliced in a new valve and couplings.  Apparently, my first go at repairs did not last long.

Once I have bailed the muddy water sourced from an earlier rain and a leak in the connection between the main line and the valve to Line #1, I discover that my pipe dope cemented splice connection is leaking.  I swab the male and female connection once again with liberal amounts of PVC cement and recouple them and hold them together for a few minutes for good measure.  

I return to the water main in the front of the house and open the valve to turn the water back on.  The leaking connection now seem to be sealed, but then I see another leak.  There is a small spray is coming from the threaded connection at the up-stream end of the valve.  What the H-E-Double tooth-picks; let me get a wrench and see if I can tighten the threaded connection a quarter turn tighter.  I give it a twist.  Then I go sprinting for the main valve shut-off at the front of the house.  Everything has just gotten worse.  I'll just blow bubbles in this mud puddle.

What do I want for my birthday?  I desperately want a 1" PVC end-cap.  A short jaunt to the Home Despot and I find what I need of $0.78.  Happy Birthday to me!

I move up the line about 4 feet from the vexing valve dig a new hole and cut out a 5-inch section of the main PVC line.  The hole naturally fills with water that drains out of the pipe and I lie on my belly to bail.  I think to myself, now I'll really blow bubbles in the mud puddle at the tip of my nose - that will be my birthday celebration [poor me].  Instead, I bail and then tap the cap over the 1" PVC line with my rubber mallet and seal off the problem (temporarily).  I will get to back to this seemingly simple repair some other day.  For now, my pipe dreams have become pipe nightmares, it looks like I have "mud on my hands". 

But the indoor plumbing is restored to the house and I have staunched the leak. And that allows my wife to bake a dazzling rum cake for my birthday.

Light the candles! I guess this birthday is not so bad after all.  

Rum Birthday Cake
For the "muddied, but not beaten" plumber

Grant, home for the Thanksgiving Holiday that coincides with
his Dad's birthday.  Grant brings a gift wrapped in a 'playful kittens'
bag - A History of the Civil War in Missour.

Returning 2 by 2

Saturday, November 22 the hope and expectation that after a prolonged dry spell, the heavens would open and 1 to 2 inches of rain would fall upon the heads and windshields of those in North Texas.  Coincidentally, we received a text from Grant that he would leave Columbia, Missouri on Saturday and drive to Dallas with his girlfriend, Kailene.  Where she would rendezvous with her family, driving up from Houston area.  This would save Kailene airfare and (though unsaid) make the 9 hour drive for Grant more pleasant than usual.

We arranged to all meet at Cantina Laredo.  Grant suggested a reservation time of 6:30.  Then, later in the afternoon a text arrived saying that the reservation should be moved to 7 PM.  The dinner participants were to arrive two by two through the down pouring rain.  Elder Sunesons were first to arrive - as it should be.  We skipped through parking lot puddles and falling drops and were seated at the reserved table.  A few minutes later, Greg and Glenda arrived with son Connor (High School Junior), thus throwing off my two-by-two theme.  But, we welcomed Connor in with the rest.  We exchanged pleasantries and basic information as the Mom's checked their phones for updated texts on the ETA for the final pair.  Around 7:30, Grant and Kailene walked in and exchanged hugs all around and we sat for dinner.  Most ordered tacos and enchiladas, but I opted for the superior carne asada.  None better than Cantina Laredo's.

It was a good time.  Fine folks all.  We parted ways after Kailene unloaded her laptop, clothing and voluminous homework.  It is a 4 hour return trip to Houston home base for Kailene's family. 

The next day we all began to settle into the Thanksgiving Break routine.  Grant had some work for an online class to complete as well as some dialog adjustments to make as part of his screen writing class.  Grant says we could read his screen play if we want, but did not seem over eager to share his work.  I understand.  He did warn his mom, the plot is "R rated".  I understand.

Meanwhile, back at home for 5 days, he catches up on free laundry (!), homework, and spends a day with a friend.  He plans to have Thanksgiving meal with us (requested it to be served early, ~1 PM) and then drive back to Columbia Thursday night to be able to watch the final Missouri Tigers home game vs Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday afternoon.  A Mizzou win means the Tigers win the SEC Conference East Division, and will play Alabama for the Conference championship in Atlanta the following week.  Missouri comes from behind and outscores Arkansas 21 to 14.  Gridiron joy for Grant's senior year.

All arrived two-by-two, but Grant left solo.  He will pick up Kailene at the Kansas City airport when she flies in from Houston on Sunday.  We have given thanks, and everyone goes back to their appointed places and waits for Christmas.

Grant works on his ever-present lap top
while home for Thanksgiving 

A Dead Night of the Dead

Halloween.  As I have documented hear in years past, a favorite of mine.

For 2014, Halloween, the Night of the Dead, All Hallows Eve.  A night when the ancients believed that the world of the living drew so very close to the mystery that is the world of the dead.  In fact, so close that it was possible that spirits from the "other world" could cross over into the world of the living.  A night to seek shelter and to watch your soul.

I never know what to expect; but this year Halloween was on a Friday.  Also the weather was clear and very pleasant.  Should be a good turn out, right?

At my house, I put on a pretty good show.  I make those trick-or-treaters earn their candy.  I put up the usual large spider and web in front of the porch light.

My Halloween spider is ready to crawl down and
pounce on visitors who turn their back to
the danger on my porch.

I was late in getting the rest of the set ready, but I left work early in the afternoon to enclose the entry hall in white sheets hanging from rope lines.  I set up a small table with a 5 burning candles on a silver candelabra, plus a grinning skull also lit with a candle in the cranium.  I had an ax in a chopping block surrounded by bloody rags.  The night before I had poured pink Jello into a brain mold and put the brain on a plate that covered the bowl of candy beneath it.

This year I donned a white gauzy skull mask and cloaked myself in a black robe and a black cape.  My plan was to stick my skull masked head between the white sheets, almost unnoticeable in the back of the hall and hide my dark body behind the sheets.  Once a victim wandered up to the porch and rang the bell, I would gargle gutterally and violently throw apart the sheets and appear before them to quiz them as to why they disturbed the dead.

I was just getting set up at 6:40 (still light outside) when the Mario Brothers came calling.  Did not really have a chance to put on the full theatrical production.  Then I waited and waited and waited.  Finally Jayden, the neighbor kid behind us, came by with his whole family.  He knew what to expect from previous years, so he was bit jaded.  Grandma took a couple of photos on her iPhone before they moved on.  Next was a couple of kids that paused in front of the house and stared in to the spooky candle-lit hall scene.  They said, "Oh, this is the house!".  Dad then said, "We're not going to stop and debate this time.  OK, just keep going."  Mom, suggested that maybe they should go up to see what happens.  Instead (nobody listens to Mom), they quickly walked past.  Mom shouted into the open door, "I love your house every year, but my kids are always chicken.  Sorry."
After a long wait, the little girl from next door was carried by her father up the front walk.  "See, it is only Mr. Mark, he won't scare you.  Here we come Mr. Mark.  Now, he won't scare you."  Drat.  That was it.  I had 5 bags of good candy and only 4 customers.  This Halloween Night is DEAD.  

I had a good show ready.  I was going to offer everyone "a piece of my mind" as I held out the Jello brain.  After they turned me down, I would then offer then a nice "e-bowl-a  [Ebola] candy".  I even thought I might make the gold standard this year, a pants-wetting event.

Finally at 8:20, Sue, who placed the Papa Singh Take-n-Bake pizza in the oven.  I disrobed down to basic dark sweats and a T-shirt, blew out the candles in the jack-o-lanterns and took down the sheets, extinguished the candelabra and turned off the porch light.  Three bites into the pizza, the bell rings at 8:40.  I get up from the well lit dinning room, flip on the porch light and hand out a piece of candy to a Raggedy Anne high school girl.  I turn off the light and go back to dinner.  One or two bites later, there is some Seuss character at my door.  He gets a piece of candy.  I douse the porch light again.  Almost immediately, 9 Asian girls come to say "Happy Halloween".  I scowl, then one of the more acculturated ones tries out, "Trick or Treat".  That brings out the candy bowl and I ask them if they want to touch my e-bowl-a candy?  One girl laughs at the pun, and I giver two packets of M&M's.  But no one got to see the full scale production and no one wet their pants.

This Night of the Dead was really D-E-A-D.

I went pumpkin shopping at the last minute, the evening of October 30.  But I found pumpkins for 99 cents each.  I wanted to buy all they had at these prices.  But I decided on just four.  They were carved late in the afternoon of October 31.

Gruesome Grouper
Hiding in the corner of the porch

Lantern Jaw
A toothsome watcher from the bushes

The Madisons, Jack and Dolly
Host family along the front walk