The 50 Plus Cafe, Pub, All-Nite Greasy Spoon and Dive Bar

I guess I should just start this yarn with the jars of Pickled Pigs Feet in every Juke Joint in the South…

A longneck bud and PPF…😉. Oh-Yeah!

Escargot in France and Germany. I’m an oyster fan, so the same consistency if I remember. Again, I might have been primed with French wine and German beer…which we all know makes things taste better. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Alligator in Naw’Lins…good but not really a must have IMO…was with SWMBO on this jaunt so the drinking was limited…

I’ve posted the recipe out of Momma’s turn of the century cookbook of Sea Turtle Soup…never had it…but If’n I should get stranded on a deserted Isle…I’ll have the recipe to cook one up. They’re protected/endangered now so just can’t go conch one on the head…🤣

Speaking of Conch…Fritters in the Bahamas…not a fan. Too chewy. It’s possible they just weren’t prepared right.

Squid in many forms. Favorite was in Korea. The object of my affection worked behind the bar at this place I wasn’t supposed to be (story for another day) and they would have these pancake sized cuts of dried squid. She’d light an open flame burner, roast it on there like a tortilla, and then serve it on a plate with mayo and peanuts. You’d peel strips and dab the mayo, then roll a peanut up in. Mmmmm-mmmm…wash it down with an OB beer…Yeah…

Speaking of Korea…Kagogi…IYKYK…all I’ll say is…I was really drunk at the time…🙄

Many different Jerky types. Can’t think of anything else to report. Pork Rinds maybe? 🤣

Oh yeah…SWMBO, gets cuts of Bison. Not a fan of the burgers but her little medallions she makes are fantastic!

Spitting rain today, but the 60+ d wx is still holding. Gonna make some raised beds today for the garden. Total redo of where it’s at now. Trying to decide if the wood I have on hand will do or just throw in the towel and go to Tractor Supply and buy a prefab deal…If the price is right?

——Your Morning Icelandic Z——

View attachment 2597717
We decided this year we’re gonna totally redo our garden. I’m literally gonna level it and build standing beds which will be better for my back. Our got so weedy and it was really hard to keep on top of it…. Plus I wanna expand my punkin patch.

Let me know what you decided - reuse, rebuild or buy new.
 
Well…I’ve thought many a long thought on this. 🤣

We’re so overrun with Canada Goose, that I can literally walk out in my yard, and if I’m quick enough, wring ones neck. 😁

I’m thinking it’d be more sporting to actually call one in on the river and at least heat a barrel in the endeavor!
With all of the deer and Canada geese here in Jersey we could probably put a big dent in world hunger!
 
Back dafe and sound after an enjoyable hunting trip. Normal service will be resumed when I have a little time to tell you about it. Thought I should just show my face so you don’t think I was bored or worse. I won’t be trying to catch up either knowing how prolific you all are!
Glad you had a good time!

Welcome back.

Can’t wait to hear about it.
 
Naaah, that's 80's and 90's. Flat panel monitors didn't hit big time until late 90's.

In the 70's it was TV screens for monitors. I still remember using a black and white TV from Kmart on a TRS-80.
Wow. I have t heard TRS-80 in a long time.

We used to call them trash 80s. I took a programming class in high school in the 80s. No idea how I passed it!
 
Just not possible here. 6 months of snow means you simply can't eat that way. It's such a short growing season, preservation is needed.
But we eat a lot of things year around without chemicals. A lot Most of our own food goes in a freezer which lasts the year. It's nice to have things like fruit and veggies and chickens all year. A few canned items, like pickles and this year some applesauce (abundance of apples).

The ingredients for chicken pot pie the other night was all from here. (Neighbor does the chickens, we buy from them.) But everything else was grown on the property (Beans, corn, peas, carrots). We tried freezing zucchini and yellow squash this year. It's working out well too. Might try potatoes again. They just taste better fresh.

We're going to start being overrun with fruit soon. Apples and cherries are really starting to kick in. Blackberries, has too much for a decade now. Put 9 gallons in the freezer last fall, about the same the year before.
There’s nothing like eating and preparing your own food!! Even freezing them does not sap too much of the flavor. We do the same with tomato sauce and freezing our blueberries. We still have some!

It’ll be time to start pruning and cutting back the blueberry bushes in a few weeks.

Except now that all of the snow has just melted we’re supposed to get 1-2 feet tomrrow… 🫤
 
Yesterday was interesting. Wife and I and a few friends attended a change of command and retirement ceremony. One of our company E7s from when I was in the reserves the first time coming off active duty, was retiring. Except he went to college and became an officer.

We ended up in the same guard unit too but he was in way higher circles than me. So now he’s retiring as an O6, full bird colonel.

One of the most motivated people I’ve ever met. Determined. Thorough. Made me a better E4 and then an NCO. Was an outstanding NCO and then officer.

Great to see him and congratulate him. Got his contact info. Went with a few friends and ended up seeing a whole shit ton of people i hadn’t seen in years.

Totally made my day.

Then it was back to reality. Keeping the farm stand stocked before a big snowfall. Got up early and fully replenished it before the change of command ceremony.

Then filled it again when I got back.

Delivered two half cords to two different people and when I got back as the sun was setting, I was bought out again and filled it all up a third time. Each time I fill up the farm stand, is about 1/3 of a cord. I’m almost out. Only abt four cords left. Stated out with 22.

Then to a party w our fun neighbors. Not surprisingly, I didn’t last too long and was home by 9.
 
Molasses Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda

Directions
Pre heat oven to 325-350 depending on whether your oven is accurate.
Grease with cold butter an 8x 8 baking dish
Best or whisk wet ingredients
In separate bowl mix well all dry ingredients
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with spatula gently until well mixed.
Spread evenly over the baking dish. I find wetting a flat spatula helps to spread it.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven ( more time for a cooler oven).

Cool to the touch. Cut into squares of your choice.
 
Whats AFCI? And whats the difference between AFCI and GFCI?
Afci is arc fault plus the Ground Fault protection of gfi. Here, on new construction, afci is required where gfi was required before. The rules used to be anything within 6 feet of water. Now it is anything kitchen bath basement garage and 15 amp circuits are pretty much not used. Several outlets are required to be home runs now too. Which is why the afci is not on the outlet but the breaker in the panel. My girls condo is new and has the gfi and afci all in the panel. The only time I tripped one was correcting the smoke detector install. The one in the master bedroom was chirping. When I went to replace it I noticed it was not connected to the chain. Its connection to the chain was crossed and when I connected the new smoke detector the lights went out. Took a while to figure out. But after sleeping on it I figured it must not have been connected for a reason. Unplugged it from the chain and the afci didn’t trip. Comparing it to others that were part of the chain and working,I found one powered from a nearby outlet circuit like that one was and took a picture.
I used gfi on mine as the afci were more costly and not required because it is existing wiring. The gfi that does the bathrooms is in the powder room so I put one with a built in night light. I like that upgrade.
The circuit with the fridge on it I did not add gfi because the first outlet in the chain is the one behind the fridge. Like Dk said, an outlet tripping behind the fridge would be a nuisance. Since there are other outlets on that circuit I left it off later in the chain in case of the spurious faults from unclean power or a storm. I want the fridge to stay running while I am away.
Plus this is fairfax county. We haven’t had problems yet but on this side of town there are several new data centers operational. Even more of you head north west either side of IAD. Amazing the number of new power stations that have popped up.
 
Back
Top