Vyxxan's Virtual Venture

I saw one standing in a field just between the holidays. Hey, that’s an eagle! They like to winter here in Arkansas, but I don’t always see them. The local census of them isn’t as high as it’s been, but that’s because of the mild winter weather everyone seems to be having this year, not because there are really less eagles… just less of them being spotted here.

Then there was last year. Our (now ex) neighbor the chicken farmer was throwing culls out the back doors of his chicken houses. He’s not supposed to do that… they have an incinerator for disposing of culls. But the local wildlife loved it… including the eagles. We had an adult pair along with 2 youngsters hanging around for a couple weeks. It was super, except that I never did get a good photograph. Dang camera. Some day I’m going to have to save up and buy a DSLR.

The eagles are back again this year… I haven’t tried to take any photos as I haven’t seen them like I did last year. But it’s pretty awesome when you are standing on your front porch and a pair just fly on by low over your yard… on their way towards the lake and/or that little valley right next to us. Ron was standing right there, so I got to say Hey look! We have eagles!

Then we see on the news how some excursion company is selling boat rides for eagle watching. No need for us to do that, we just have to go out in our yard. :) It helps that we live fairly close to a lake, eagles like to hang out near water like that.

In other wildlife news here… we startled a great big blue heron at our pond. They are awkward fliers, and being startled I’m sure didn’t help any. I wasn’t sure it was going to clear the trees! We get ducks once in a while, and they are much better fliers. The heron is an infrequent visitor, there are easier ponds to get to than ours! Geese fly over while migrating, but never want to hang out in our pond, just too hard for larger birds to land in it being surrounded by trees. I wouldn’t mind having some tame ducks or geese around, but I wouldn’t know how to care for them. Probably wouldn’t be so great for the frogs and fish in the pond anyhow. :) And I can just imagine how it would go when we walk the dogs… pretty soon I wouldn’t have any ducks or geese because they would have left in disgust, tired of being chased. :)

Also this week I saw a critter every morning on my commute to work. Monday was a raccoon, Tuesday a skunk, Wednesday a possum in the pouring rain and finally Thursday a rabbit. I can go a long time without seeing anything, so it was interesting I saw a critter every day. In the past I’ve seen a bear, a wild pig, and of course plenty of deer. Raccoons, skunks, possums, armadillos and rabbits are more normal. Both the bear and wild pig were within about a mile of the house! Whenever I see something unusual like the bear at first I think, wow, that is a big dog and how is it climbing that fence like that? Then it shambles into the road and I have to slam on the brakes to not hit it and realize that it’s a big huge bear! I’d never seen a bear in the wild before. Same with the pig, I thought, that’s a funny looking dog… and then I realize it’s a hog not a dog. Heh, a neighbor at my old house had some Barbados sheep, and the first time I saw those I thought they were funny looking dogs. My brain is flipping through all the animals I know… and I realize they aren’t dogs, nor are they deer. Sort of look like goats, but not. I asked when I got home later and found out that they were Barbados sheep. :)

Funny how the brain tries to make an unusual animal fit into something more normal, like a dog. Or at least MY brain does. :)

In unrelated news: my son has decided he wants websites and/or blogs. I told him I’d help him blog, we can do a Son and Mom blog or something. Collaborate. I’ll also help him set up his forum, since I have experience with that. His goal with all this is for experience… it will look good on his resume when he graduates next year to have some stuff he’s done. Plus it might turn out he’s talented and can earn money doing it. I blog because I’ve had a website of some kind for a long time. I like to share pictures of stuff and having a blog is a much easier way of doing it than a straight up html site. Seriously, the last plain website I had, I was going in, and moving the previous post down, and writing something new. Just like a blog. Duh! WordPress makes it sooo much easier!
Anyhow… look for links here when we go live with stuff. I will of course let y’all know. :)

Hugs,
Vyx

What can I say? I have no excuse, really, except that I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas (from my lovely daughter Sarah) and that has really kept me busy.

Well, occupied, at any rate. I do like to read, and with the Kindle I’ve gotten quite good at ignoring anything else that needs my attention! Along with books it has apps.. things like Words With Friends and Solitaire. So, if I’m not reading, I’m checking on my ongoing scrabble games or having a hand of klondike. :)

We’ve had some lovely weather here in NWA: it’s been quite mild this winter. A wee bit of cold here and there, and a light dusting of snow this week. We got some much needed rain before the cold and snow came this week… and all the forecasts show just more mild weather coming up! They even said that we might not HAVE a winter this year… but I’m not going to believe that as we don’t usually get all the snow and such until later this month and into next.

The other news since I last posted anything is that I had surgery. Got one of my bad stomach aches at work again and went right to the doctor. He sent me to have a camera down my throat the next day, but the surgeon I saw said “never mind that, looks to me like your gallbladder, lets just take it out”. I was right on board with that and scheduled my surgery for Jan 6. So, last week I went in and they did the laparoscopic thing, where you only get a few holes. I ended up with 5 rather than 3, but that’s perfectly fine… never cared about scars anyhow. Four incision spots and one that looks like they stuck me with a turkey baster: more of a giant needle hole. :) I always have strange things in my head when I wake up from anesthesia and this time was no different as I woke thinking about my Kindle and how it does magic. :)

I’m pretty recovered as of today, don’t really need the pain pills any longer. Those first few days were pretty tough, though. I’m still afraid to sneeze, and my body is, too. I got a sneezing fit two days ago and I =couldn’t= sneeze properly. I was trying, but all I was doing was snargling. No “ah choo!” just sort of “ah flerbt”. It was sort of annoying- I needed to sneeze so the whole sneezing fit would go away. Instead I spent about 5 min doing the AH flerbt thing. Heh.

As usual this year I didn’t make any resolutions. I never do. It’s not that I don’t think I can improve myself, it’s that I don’t think New Years is the time to do it. Ron and I already did a major change when we quit smoking back in September. He is actually still smoking… more on how I found that out later… but he smokes 5 cigs a day at the most. I can’t believe that I can’t smell it on him, but I can’t. Weaning him off those few cigs a day that he’s still smoking… I don’t know how. He’ll have to find some better substitute than the things we’ve tried.

As to how I found out… my daughter told me. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she has smelled cig smoke. So I had to ask Ron, and he didn’t lie to me. Wanted to slap him upside the head… still do… but cutting way back like he’s done is more than I could do. I either smoke or I don’t, there isn’t any halfway thing like only smoke 2 cigs a day or something. Maybe those electronic cigs would work for Ron. I know they wouldn’t work for me, that whole smoking motion is part of what has to be quit.

Anyhow. I hear a cat roaming around the house wanting my attention… evidently Ron let Stubby in for some petting business. :) Gotta go pet the cat for a bit…

hugs,
Vyx

Bought myself an amaryllis at Walmart back in October.  It was a special Pink Ribbon package.  The pot that came with it was as usual too small  but I had another one so that was okay.

Anyhow… it decided to bloom just in time for Thanksgiving.  Two GIANT blooms opened up:  they were larger than my face!

Everyone that came over did double-takes at the thing… is that a REAL plant?  Yep…  and pretty awesome.

Those blossoms have now wilted and been cut off, but it had 2 more buds…  So I’ll have flowers for at least another week.

Pies I made last week.  Yep, the blackberry pie on the left overflowed.  Made a big mess in my oven before I stuck a cookie sheet under it.  I forgot to take photos of the apple and pumpkin pies…. oh well!

This is all for now…  It’s daylight out now and commuter traffic should be easing up… I have shopping and errands to do.

hugs,

Vyx

Thanksgiving this year is going to be all about pie.  Some years I do a big dinner and then try to schedule all the family to come to eat it.  This year I decided that I won’t bother trying to get everyone here for dinner… just dessert!

I make a pretty darn good pie.  Heck, even when I use store bought pie crust I make a good pie.

Pie is my favorite.  Favorite dessert to eat, and make.  Fresh fruit is the best, but custard pies are also good.   Even stuff out of a jar, like mincemeat…  pie is good.  Savory pies, too…  I have a recipe for a tomato pie that is just lovely!

It’s time to share my pie crust recipe.  This was handed down to me from my mother… and my mother got it from a neighbor when I was a child.  I’ve known this recipe by heart since I was a child!  I’ve had to write it down a few times for friends… but I never have to look it up for myself.

I don’t remember what the original recipe was named…  I think it was just Diane’s Pie Crust.  I call it Never Fail Pie Crust.  It’s never failed me, not even when I made it with Crisco and Self rising flour!  LOL, that’s a story I’ll have to tell…

The BEST Pie Crust Recipe Ever.

5 1/2 cups flour

1 lb. lard

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons vinegar

water

Using a pastry blender, cut the lard into the flour until finely crumbled.

In a one cup measuring cup beat the egg, vinegar and salt.  Add water to make one cup.

Make a well in the flour and lard mixture and pour in the egg and water mixture.

Mix gently until it all holds together.  Turn out onto a floured pastry cloth and give it a couple good turns with kneading and adding a bit more flour until it quits sticking to your hands.  You can over mix this, but you’d have to knead it like bread for 10 min before it would get tough.

This recipe will make at least 5 single crust pies, and maybe more, depending on how thin you roll it.  I’ve gotten 3 single crust and 2 doubles from it.  You can roll out and freeze the crust for later use, which is best… or just smash the extra into a baggie and freeze that.  It thaws pretty quick, but will be sticky… so if you have extra pie pans it’s really just better to go that route.

Now, I know using lard is supposedly not healthy…  but a bit of fat in your diet is actually good for you.  How often do you eat pie anyhow?  Do you want yucky pie crust that everyone scrapes the filling off of and throws away?  Or do you want pie crust that everyone eats every bite of because it’s that good?  Even for a sweet pie, the crust should be crispy, flakey and slightly salty…  and for a savory pie, it’s even more important.   You can substitute vegetable shortening for the lard, but I don’t recommend it… flavor is why we use the lard.

My sister Val, who reads here and comments… she loves pie like I do.  Well, I think she does…. because I remember she wrote a poem about pie when she was age 5 or so.  ”I like pumpkin pie.  1,2,3,4, popeye”.

My daughter Sarah loves pie, too.  Her birthday this year is right on Thanksgiving… and pumpkin pie is her favorite.  I have actually made her a giant 10 inch pumpkin pie and told her it was all for her… lol!  We even put candles in it.  Birthday pie.

I can take or leave pumpkin pie.  Some years I try something different…  but mostly I stick to basic recipes.  Easier and no worries about oh… someone  can’t eat that.  I made a pumpkin cheesecake type pie one year and another year it was a combination pumpkin and pecan pie… with layers that magically worked out… you got pumpkin pie and pecan pie all in one bite…  but hey, simple pie is best.

Make your favorite pie with this crust… and then tell me about it.  Oh, and if you make this crust using lard and everyone hates it… let me know and well, I won’t pay you, but I’ll put your family on the DNPC list.  ”Do Not Pie Crust”  :)  Some people hate pie crust no matter how nice it is, and they won’t eat it just out of habit of avoiding bad pie crust.

As for me… well, I like apple pie, and pumpkin pie…  and I found out when I was 20 something that I LOVE pecan pie… who knew?  I hate walnuts and I thought pecans were the same as walnuts…  and I love cherry pie and tomato pie and blackberry pie if someone takes all the seeds out, lol….  Oh, and I love chocolate pie and banana cream pie and lemon meringue pie.  ANY fruit pie is good….. and those are my favorite even if I have to use canned stuff to make em.  Custard pies… very yummy…  well, I like pie!

hugs,

Vyx

 

 

 

 

This is our grandbaby Aiden in his Halloween costume.  He’s a gnome, like a garden gnome, although without a beard.  :)

On his feet are little pointy toed red felt gnome shoes that I made from the felt we didn’t need for the hat.  I just sort of cobbled those together, but they didn’t need to be walked in anyhow.  :)

I meant to post this photo in the last blog entry and forgot.  Oh well!

:)

hugs,

Vyx