If I owned a dog...

Diane of Faith in Community has a cute pumpkin outfit for her dog, Scout. If I owned a dog, I think I'd dress her/him like this:

great moments in literature

Wow, another beautiful fall day and another nice bike ride -- this time around our local lake. About midway through my ride, I came across a tree with a large hollow. Curiosity got the best of me so I just had to stop and see if perchance Boo Radley had left me a present. Chewing gum? Broken pocket watch? Nope. But there were lots and lots of acorns -- which reminded me of another classic of American literature: Donald Duck's Toy Sailboat. You know the book. It's the one where Chip and Dale steal, er...borrow, Donald's model sailboat and take it out to an island to get acorns from a huge oak tree. Foreshadowing, symbolism, dramatic irony -- yep, it's all there.

Pumpkin/Apple Friday Five!

All Hallows Eve (Halloween) is near, and this week's Friday Five looks at the holiday with some food ideas thrown in for good measure.

1. How did you celebrate this time of year when you were a child?
We always went trick-or-treating. (Mrs. Steinhaus a few houses down the street made the best popcorn balls!) Here's a picture of my brother and me in our costumes one year.


2. Do you and/or your family “celebrate” Halloween? Why or why not? And if you do, has it changed from what you used to do?
Offsprings #1 and #2 always enjoyed trick-or-treating when they were growing up too. We live in a safe, "trick-or-treating friendly" neighborhood. Here's a picture of Offsprings #1 and #2 in their costumes one year.


2. Candy apples: Do you prefer red cinnamon or caramel covered? Or something else?
Caramel all the way!

3. Pumpkins: Do you make Jack O’ Lanterns? Any ideas of what else to do with them?
We carve jack o' lanterns, and Hubby roasts the seeds.

4. Do you decorate your home for fall or Halloween? If so, what do you do? Bonus points for pictures.
We usually decorate, but this is our first year of the "empty nest" so I got lazy.

5. Do you like pretending to be something different? Does a costume bring out an alternate personality?
Hmm... I enjoy wearing costumes (e.g. to a party), but I wouldn't go so far as to say it brings out any alternate personality -- I'm not that great of an actor!

Bonus: Share your favorite recipe for an autumn food, particularly apple or pumpkin ones.
In honor of Mrs. Steinhaus, here is a recipe for popcorn balls!
2/3 cup Karo Syrup
2/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
8-10 cups Popped Corn
Cook sugar, syrup, and salt for two minutes and mix with corn. Form into balls with buttered hands and individually wrap.

view from the (bike) road

I was lucky enough to have the afternoon off today, and I took my bike out for a little spin. It was a gorgeous fall day -- even the llamas were smiling.

another empty nest hike!

Made some minestrone in my beloved crock pot (the perfect lazy person's cooking apparatus), then went on a rainy day Saturday hike at a wetlands not too far from here. When we got home, the minestrone was waiting for us.

Here's the hike!

It's a "Mahna Mahna" day (whatever that means!)

Saw some muppets over at will smama which inspired me to look for more on youtube (partly because Offspring #1 loves the muppets). Anyway, I've always gotten a kick out of this song:

Friday Five: Homage to the Top Chef!

This week's Friday Five deals with food! Here we go:

If you were a food, what would you be?
I'll say Thanksgiving turkey because you can depend on it to be there, and it has something really good on the inside (the stuffing). Also, it can often be a little dry (not unlike my sense of humor). :)

What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where?
One of the most memorable meals took place several years ago at a cool Chinese restaurant called Miss Kitty's in Deadwood, South Dakota. My family was visiting relatives in the Black Hills and so many people who are 'near and dear' to me (including my grandmother who has since passed away) were able to be there.


What is your favorite comfort food from childhood?
I'd have to go with either my grandmother's chicken noodle soup or her roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yum yum yum.

When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit?
When going to a church potluck, NO recipe of mine is sure to be a hit. I'm not the world's best cook. However, I'd probably choose a recipe from the "Fix it and Forget It" crockpot cookbook and hope for the best. :)

What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate?
Chocolate covered grasshoppers which my brother bought from a delicatessen when we were kids for the shock value. They were weird and crunchy.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal?
I like a glass of Hefeweizen, a German wheat beer.

better late than never.... "four things"

I was tagged by by PS some time ago for "Four Things". At long last, here are my answers!

Four jobs I've held:
After graduating from college then optometry school, I've only had one job -- optometrist! So I'll list my college summer jobs to round out the list of four:
* Directory Assistance Operator -- wow, that job really dates me since it has been obsolete for years! After saying "Directory. What city?", we'd look up the phone numbers in big honkin' phone books.
* State of Montana Water Quality Lab technician -- I don't miss how the sulfuric acid ate holes through my jeans. It taught me to major in biology instead of chemistry.
* State of Montana "Hydrologic Engineer" -- This was a DREAM summer job. A co-worker and I got to travel around the Bozeman, MT area (in a state vehicle) measuring and calculating the water flow in streams and irrigation ditches. This meant wading in cool streams on warm summer days with our equipment and enjoying some incredibly beautiful 'off the beaten path' Montana scenery.

Four films I could watch over and over:
* The Trip to Bountiful
* A River Runs Through It
* The Philadelphia Story (1940)
* Field of Dreams

Four places I've lived:
* Germany (for the first 6 weeks of my life -- ah, vivid memories; good times!)
* a small town in North Dakota
* Helena, Montana
* Loveland, Colorado


Four favorite foods:
* Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
* Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
* Knepfla (German dish)
* Grilled Trout

Four websites I visit every day:
* USA Today (it's my homepage)
* Google (to look things up)
* Revgal blogs (this should count for more than one)

Four favorite colors:
* royal blue
* golden yellow
* sky blue
* buttercup yellow
(yeah, I sorta like blue and yellow)

Four places I would love to be right now: (Can I take family?)
* Austria/Germany
* The Big Apple: New York City (specifically Broadway Theatre District)
* The Mini Apple: Minneapolis (with side trip to the Dakotas)
* Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park


Four names I love but would/could not use for my children:
Dang, I can only think of two:
* Chauncy
* Snagglepuss

So there you go! I won't tag anybody else since I think this has made the rounds... But consider yourself tagged if you would like to do it!

update

Wow, things have been hectic lately!

* Last weekend I left a huge carbon footprint traveling hither and yon. I won't bore Bloggerville with all the details, but part of the travels involved attending a wedding in which Offspring #1 was a bridesmaid. Offspring #1 caught the bouquet... Does that mean something? I think it means the bride has good aim (even though her eyes were closed). :)

* I spent ALL Monday evening playing 'computer fix-it person' with our desktop computer which had become intolerably glitchy. Woo hoo -- it seems to be behaving again so we don't have to call Will the computer guy to come over to the tune of $100 an hour.

* Work has been craaaazy busy this week. And today somebody was really cranky about our magazine selection in the waiting room. Hmm...

* Tomorrow Hubby and I head to Portland for continuing education. Lots of classes through the weekend. My rear end is sore just thinking about it.

* I was tagged for a meme by PS and STILL haven't done that... Will anybody care by the time I get to it? (Don't answer that.)

* I'm sure it's just because I'm tired at the moment, but I find this picture (and website in general) riotously funny:

blog snooze

You've probably noticed I've been in the midst of a little "blog snooze". That's because lately my busy life has been getting in the way of blogging (which is better than busy blogging getting in the way of life)...

Anywhooo... stay tuned... the blogging will return soonish...


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(kitty pic from google image search)

test taking tip...

It's always good to think outside the box.



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(cartoon found by googling 'calvin and hobbes' images)

Want to BAFAB?

It's October 1st and the start of "Buy A Friend A Book" Week! Website is HERE. (First heard about the website over at Yolanda's.)

The concept is to buy a friend a book out of the blue (not because it's their birthday or other special occasion) and just spread some book cheer! I think it would be fun to be on either the giving or receiving end of things. (OK, I'll admit the receiving end might be a teensy bit more fun though.)

Anyway, cool idea... (And I think GAFAB'ing would work too. You wouldn't necessarily have to Buy a new book, just Give a book you had already finished.)