life as an old guy

Thanksgiving this was! I couldn’t have asked for more.

I was really concerned last night when the storms rolled through. And some kind of storm it was! Lightning shows, thunder, rain and gale force winds. We were at church when it came through, dang near blew me away trying to make it to the truck.

See, I hate rain. I’m not sure why, although I suspect that when I was but a wee jolly, my parents (or, more likely, my older brother and sisters) left me out in the rain. Locked doors and everything. Can’t think of any other reason why I hate rain so. Besides, when it comes right down to it, isn’t everything the fault of your parents?

So I was pretty bummed out, even with SU trying to make it all better. Still, I continued on, put up the new chandelier that SU picked out (three times the cost but ten times prettier), put up a decorative plate holder in the kitchen, put up the last of the blinds that were taken down, started a big pot of beans, marinated a pork loin, etc.

Up this morning to a chill in the air. Started the pit in the dark at 5 am. Went with mostly pecan, with oak chunks for heat. Decided to use the little Weber Smokey Mountain instead of the big pit because it was just one bird and one loin. Much cheaper, and lots and lots and lots easier – no tending the fire. Around 6:30 ish, the sun starts coming up, peeking through the trees. The chill remained.

Hit my target of getting the bird and loin into the pit at 7 am. Sun all the way up and looking gorgeous. Started cleaning up the mess that the storm brought, leaves, pine needles, branches, etc. The pool was full of junk.

Around 9, I wrapped the loin in bacon to prevent it from drying out, pulled it off the pit at 10. The bird hit 180⁰ in the deep part of the thigh about 10:30, pulled it off and wrapped it to let it rest, threw a chicken on for the heck of it.

Fired up the pot of oil and brought the temp up to 375⁰ after I put the smoked bird to rest. Let it cook for about 55 minutes then pulled it out of the oil. By this time, people were arriving en masse. He rested for about 30 minutes before carving. In the meantime, I dropped a whole chicken in the oil, heck why not?

Ended up with 29 people. Our family has expanded and contracted through the years with births and deaths. All of my immediate family made it with the exception of one sister, she was busy tending to dying friend. Hero made and brought a friend, Action Jackson, another one of America’s finest. Being the patriarch of this odd clan, Pop said the prayer and we proceeded to enjoy the fruits of another year of God’s blessings.

I can cook, no question about it. Both birds were spot on. The brine gave them excellent flavor and they were both very moist. The fried turkey was my best effort ever and was the best fried turkey I’ve ever had. So there. The pork loin was good, a bit over cooked, the beans were good but I’ve done better.

So I can cook. I can also be humbled. Guess what, cooking well must run in the family! BD brought the moistest roasted turkey I’ve ever seen. In addition, he had both cornbread and rice dressing, two dishes I’ve never tried to master and he does every year. I don’t know who all brought what but the rest of the menu included candied yams covered with pecans (no idea what it is really called), green beans, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and I really don’t know what else. But more.

And desserts. Oh , my, did we have desserts. I don’t know the names for some of them but it was awesome! SSu even made a German Chocolate cake from scratch like my mom did many years ago.

I was talking with BD, hard to believe mom’s been gone 24 years now. That’s three years longer than 1’s total on earth. I never miss her until I talk about her and the memories come pouring back. I’m thankful that I had a mom that cared enough to try to show me the right way to live. I wonder, would she be proud of me? I hope that I have passed a little of that on.

It was pretty much a perfect day.

brine, the stock is reducing, the pork loin thawed, oil purchased, beans soaking, wood seasoned. Almost ready.

Took on another project last night, decided to hang a new light fixture over the new dining table. Total impulse buy, walking through Sam’s and saw a cheap Chinese model. Foiled again. This time I checked all the globes before hanging for cracks, none noted, proceeded on.

On this particular model, the base that holds the lights is held together by an all-thread nipple, screwed into a decorative middle piece. The middle piece was stripped – work stopped mid-stream. Now the hassle of returning it to Sam’s. When will I learn? SU is heading to Lowe’s to look for a better model but chances are it too will be a cheap import. Need to find a good lighting place but no time before the party. Me and my impulses.

Got a note from a Chron writer complaining about my complaining about his liberal bias leeching into a story. I think what reporters (and bloggers at times) fail to realize is that you cannot remove your bias from your thoughts, even if you try! In this particular case, it concerned illegal immigration and I objected to one of the images he portrayed. There was another one in the same article that I could’ve used.

We might have found a place to stay in Hawaii. Instead of a hotel, we’re looking at renting a house. It can be quite expensive but the plus side is that you are removed from clerks, maids and other guests. And that is a big plus in my book. We’re going to talk again tonight, maybe book it, maybe keep looking.

Gotta fess up so that I can remember this in years to come. Walked around the facility Monday and saw that a guy needed help, so I helped. Unfortunately for me, he was using a safety valve as a primary – when I went to release the hose, I was showered in acid. Scared the bejabbers out of me, I don’t see well anyways and this was an almost direct shot into the eyes. Good thing I was wearing safety glasses. Managed to shut the pump down before making my way to the eye wash, flushed my eyes for 15 minutes or so.

Man that burned. But mostly scared me. The thought of completely losing your vision is horrible. Still having a few problems today but not bad. My lips are burned, which is interesting. But no permanent damage, I think.

Now, about that guy using a safety as a primary…….Adios.

about Thanksgiving! Whoo hoo, it’s this week! Stopped off yesterday and picked up an 18 lb fresh turkey and a 14 lb frozen one.

Going to put the fresh bird in the brine tonight and let it go through its osmosis process until Wednesday evening. Then, I’ll take it out of the brine and wash it off pretty good and let it sit uncovered in the fridge for the night. Up early and build a fire, I’m thinking maybe pecan this year. Maybe half pecan, half oak. Maybe a quarter pecan, a quarter mesquite and a half oak. Decisions, decisions.

As for the frozen one, he’s thawing now. Gonna inject him with something, probably start with an Italian dressing base and work from there. Not sure if I’ll coat the skin with mustard but maybe. Need to stop by and pick up some oil. Probably drop a couple of chickens in there for the heck of it. Once the oil is hot, might as well use it.

Think I’ll make a big pot of beans too. Man, I’m getting worked up!

thus far. Friday night, SU and I ordered pizza and watched the rest of season one of Murder One on DVD. The only way to watch television. We watched 4 episodes, about 180 minutes worth. Much like a long movie, I guess.

It’s really strange to watch Hollywood’s moral values play out. Really strange. Their idea of love and marriage is ruling the day and I don’t think it is the other way around. I truly think that the public follows Hollywood vs. Hollywood following the public.

Slept in Saturday, that was sweet. Didn’t make it out of the rack until 7:30 or so. We decided to have some friends over from church, so spent most of the day preparing the house and food.

I really outdid myself. Really. I can cook. Bottom line. I can cook. Marinated a couple of pork tenderloins in a raspberry/garlic sauce. Also prepared a rack and a half of baby back ribs with a dry rub that I like. Used oak to fire the grill, let it heat for a couple of hours until it was just right, not too hot, just right.

While the loins and ribs were grilling, I combined the balance of the marinade with sherry, pepper, jalapeno sauce and more garlic in a shallow sauce pan. Kept it on medium heat, stirring very often, until it was reduced to a very thick, creamy sauce. Pulled the pork off the pit, let it rest a bit, then drizzled the sauce over it.

Heavenly. Just heavenly.

Which was what our class was about this morning, continuing our focus upon not building up treasure here on earth. As in, our true home is in heaven, we’re just ambassadors here. Excellent discussion. Really good.

After singing in worship, I took SU to the airport for the short hop over to NOLA. She’s attending a rollout of one of their new programs at a local hospital.

Now, I’m heading down to Katie’s to listen to a little live music. Probably have to burn my clothes but it’s been a while and it’s time to go.

Life is very, very good.

an interesting day when your sister-in-law tells you she found a snake in the bathroom. Of your trailer. Upstairs.

I’m not fond of snakes. I hate snakes. I think it’s the whole tricking Eve thing. I see ’em, I kill ’em. In this case, SIL had already determined that the snake was dead. But how did it get into the upstairs bath? Who killed it? It’s like a mystery or something. Very weird. He was just a little guy, about 18″ stretched completely out. Still……..

Had a fantastic evening yesterday. Met up with several guys from LST at Taste of Texas for dinner. Very relaxing and very enjoyable. It’s amazing to think how the internet has pulled people from completely different walks of life together, something that could never have happened before. It truly shrinks the world.

even though I about lost it putting in a shower door!

Have you ever put in a shower door? That’s a job, mostly because everything these days is made in China as cheaply as possible. The metal used in the screws was so bad that I stripped two out of eight of them! Should have known better and purchased better ones from the git-go. The top piece is a little bit warped so it makes it hard to open but I can deal with that.

Me and home projects don’t see eye to eye most times. I end up totally ticked off and out of control, don’t go near me for the duration of the project. But, it’s done and we are almost ready for Thanksgiving. But does it ever really end? Remodeling, I mean? I don’t think so.

But that was soon forgotten when Hero and 1 arrived home. After three tours of duty in Baghdad, he made it out and home. He’s exiting the military and will give the private sector a try.

So I fired up the grill with a pile of oak and mesquite, let the temperature get so hot you could barely stand to be within three feet, then tossed on a huge, thick sliced porterhouse for Hero and a T-Bone for 1, along with chicken breasts for SU and I. SU took care of all the fixin’s and we had a great dinner. God, thank you for bringing that boy home.

After dinner, Hero and 1 went down to Redbox and picked up Spiderman 3. We headed upstairs and watched it all together. Cool flick, the graphics were incredible. Unbelievably incredible. Fun night.

But mostly, it was just good to have Hero home.

an entire week has gone by without a post. Not that I haven’t had anything to say, just been saying it elsewhere. Plus I’ve been working on changing this site, which is one of the reasons it takes a few seconds longer to load. I’m redirecting it to sub-folder until I’m ready to go with a new installation.

So, what happened last week? Well, Sunday was very good, we’ve started a new four week study and it went well in discussion. Different opinions are always fun when you are sitting in a group of 12-14 men. Attendance has been pretty good but with different people. If they all came on the same day, we wouldn’t fit in the room, a good problem, I suppose. But I think I prefer 8 or so for the small groups.

RO was out all week tending to his mother and the funeral and such. The plantation was slow so I really didn’t notice his absence except for the camaraderie part.

SU went down to the Valley for 3 days to help them get back in the black. I saw something this week about collections, with illegals being more likely to pay than uninsured citizens. I had to smile because I know it is a fact but couldn’t chime in the conversation with proprietary numbers. Some day people will see the light.

RSa couldn’t make it to the Wednesday evening bible study, so I filled in there. Had fun, I like doing that once in a while because it brings me joy and that joy is contagious. Made for a nice mid-week break.

SU came in Thursday evening and we met at the remote for a nice dinner. I love that girl. After 26 years of marriage plus 2 courting, I still felt the need to spruce up and look nice for her. Cool.

Last night, we watched a great movie, Beyond the Gates (called Shooting Dogs in the rest of the world). Wow. What a movie. It is about the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994 and for me is about a thousand times better than Hotel Rwanda, which I liked. But this movie is too real and for me, took me much closer to the characters and the horror of what happened.

Where was I in 1994 that this was such a non-event for me? Climbing the ladder and partying while SU struggled with the kids. It’s a shame really and I prayed last night that I would never be that disconnected from the real world again.

This is a true story about a school compound that was protected by the UN until they were told to move out. The scene that stayed in my mind the longest last night was the exodus from the school compound. Only the Europeans were allowed to leave on the trucks.

As they pulled out, one of the main characters asked the head of the UN mission to please shoot everyone before they left so that they would not be macheted to death. When told no, he begged the guy to please execute just the children to spare them the pain. Again, no. One last time he asked him to please, spare the children the pain of dying by machete. Again, the answer was no.

As the last truck pulled out, the Hutu’s stormed the school and hacked 2,500 people to death. Men, women, children and babies.

While I was worried about my next bottle of Crown and a bump of Grand Marnier. Damn shame.

by as I get older! Wow, another week has come and gone. Overall, it was a good week, at least for me.

My pardner at work, RO, didn’t have such a good one. His dad had been in home hospice for the past three weeks and passed away yesterday morning. Death is hard to come to grips with, even when you know it’s coming and you know it’s for the best. A couple of weeks ago, I remember RO telling me that his whole world was turning upside down because his dad was about to go and his neighbor told him he was selling his house and moving away because of financial pressure.

Too beautiful of a day for deep thought, but we have to address taxes and health care in some meaningful way.

SU and I had a good week. Date night was great, even if the movie was kinda squirrelly. The Pilot’s Wife, I think was the title. Not an Oscar winner. Then yesterday, we both left the office early and hopped on the bike for a nice ride. Such beautiful weather. After that, we ordered a pizza and watched four episodes of Murder One. Watching TV shows from DVD’s is the only way to watch television.

Today is work around the trailer day. Gotta finish the remodeling stuff before Thanksgiving. SU is out shopping now, but before she left, she proudly told me that she had cleaned out several of the beds in the back yard. So I took a look.

Thanks, sweety pie.

for deep thought lately. Good thing too because stuff like this drives me nuts.

Some Christian congregations, particularly in lower income, urban areas, are turning to an unlikely source for help — the Church of Scientology.

Scientologists do not worship God, much less Jesus Christ. The church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult. So why are observant Christians embracing some its teachings?

Unbelievable. The faith is getting so intertwined with the world it’s hard to tell them apart at times. I especially like the reasoning behind these moves.

Two pastors who spoke recently with CNN explained that when it comes to religion, they still preach the core beliefs of Christianity. But when it comes to practicing what they preach in a modern world, borrowing from Scientology helps.

“I’m looking for solutions, and the people that I help, they don’t ask me who L. Ron Hubbard is,” said McLaughlin, who works with addicts. “You know what they say? ‘Thank God.’ “

Reminds me of the churches that are buying Halo 3 to reach out to teenage males, the ends justify the means types of arguments. Or that church that hosted the nasty Holy Hip Hop Awards earlier this year.

Kennedy admits other pastors have criticized him, but the disapproval is not enough to discourage him. He insists that he has witnessed the changes “The Way to Happiness” has inspired in people. He also maintains that the Scientologists, many of whom he calls friends, are successful at outreach and getting desired results.

So was Jim Jones. Successful. Results. Guyana.

overall. Saturday was a nice, relaxing day. Cleaned the pool, made a huge pot of chicken/sausage gumbo, rode the bike to see “The Moving Wall”, watched four episodes of season one of Murder One (the only way to watch TV!) and studied for class on Sunday. Very relaxing.

Yesterday’s class was great. Had a nice turnout and the guys seemed interested in the subject, which was How to Understand the Bible. I was glad to be fully back in the saddle after letting DB teach the last two weeks.

I thought it was interesting and telling that when I searched my library for the phrase “how to understand the bible”, I had two hits, neither of which was really about understanding the Word. That’s out of about 1,600 books on religion and philosophy. But for the phrase “how to study the bible”, I had 92 legitimate hits.

I think that is part of the problem. People constantly study the bible but never really understand it. I don’t have my outline with me at the moment but one of the things that stood out during our discussion was that you have to make it personal. You have to own it. You have to bring it into your life by doing it. Only then can you begin to understand it.

The morning service was interesting. I was really into the music, in my own zone, just worshipping on stage, oblivious to everything around me. That’s an awesome feeling and it’s much easier to bring others into worship with you.

We had a guest speaker, Rick Stanley. He is Elvis Presley’s step brother and grew up living at Graceland from the age of six. He briefly mentioned Elvis in the morning service, and then talked a little bit more about him in the evening service. I don’t care much for his style, the old southern tent revival type of theatrics. But I do like that he doesn’t focus on the negative side of Elvis, balancing the more sensational, negative aspects of his life.

This is the second or third time I’ve heard him and I’ve noticed a bit of a change in his overall philosophy. He still has the theatrics but seems to be gravitating to the side of the evangelical wing that is blossoming by focusing on doing what the Bible says to do, as well as just studying it.

On that note, I found an interesting article in the NY Times about the movement of conservative evangelicals away from the Republican Party. Very interesting reading, it outlines several of the things I’ve been saying about politics. And why I think that people are going to be very surprised when the votes are tallied. At least those people that think that a guy with baggage like Rudy is not going to get any support from conservative Christians. And I think it is a good thing that Christians are pulling back from organized politics and focusing on the message of Christ.

Reading this article should help people that are not tuned into evangelical circles to realize where the attacks from the religious right on Mike Huckabee stem from. The distortions and blatant lies about the guy from people that openly call themselves Christians floors me but I understand why they are doing this. It’s real simple – he doesn’t kowtow to them and he doesn’t need them to speak to other Christians. He goes around them. In other words, he threatens their flow of money and lessens their influence.

I pulled back from my support of him when he hosted a Green Day and seemed to embrace Al Gore’s global warming nonsense. After reading more about the event itself, the people involved in it and his thoughts on trading carbon credits, I’m much more comfortable with his position. Even I can be gullible to the distorters and liars.

After church last night, LB and I went to Denny’s and had coffee. You would’ve thought I was Chatty Cathy I talked so much!

Yep, overall, it was an interesting, relaxing, worshipping, fulfilling weekend.