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Great Mother’s Day, etc, here in Abilene

May 12th, 2008 at 12:58 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

First of all, for all of you who inquired about the gravy that went with the chicken fried steak the other day (and fried pork chops Saturday evening), it was, indeed, "white" gravy!  You know - the kind made with pan drippings, flour and milk!!  And, boy, was it ever good.  Good ol' southern cooking of the best kind.

Mother's Day weekend was a blast.  My older son David sent beautiful flowers - pink tulips with dark blue iris - for GRAND mother's day, as he said on the card, and son Mark sent a New Orleans style "king cake" from Picayune's famous Paul's Pastry.  Check out the link because it shows exactly what the king cake for Mother's Day looked like.  It was a doughnut style big dough ring in a box with a filling of cream cheese and pecan praline mixture and was out of this world.

 Daughter Rebecca was here and treated her mom (moi) to an hour long facial massage Saturday, while she got a pedicure, and then we went shopping for Grandma and got her a gift and cards.   

Yesterday, my sister Laura and husband came over to have lunch with me and Mom and Rebecca and we stuffed on homemade lasagna, fresh asparagus, broccoli salad, hot garlic bread, all topped off with "Lots o' Lemon" tart/sweet lemony pie for dessert that us "girls" - Mom, me and Rebecca - made Saturday afternoon.

We sat and laughed a lot as we visited before Rebecca left to go home to McKinney (so she could be treated to Mother's Day by her husband Garth and the boys) and Laura went home to take a nap.  Mom and I rested, too, and enjoyed the Sunday paper.

It seems really quiet here today after all of the activities, but is cool again and I'm enjoying the down time.  I'm "fixiin'" to take a nap when I finish here and then later go to Starbucks for an iced coffee with Laura.  We haven't had a chance to do that, yet, and that is one of the sisterly things we always do when I visit Abilene.

Hope you all had a good Mother's Day weekend, too.  Mom is 86 and in very good health and I try to cherish every moment I have with her.  She is a lively companion and life of the party when we all get together.  A true matriarch and Proverbs 31 blessed woman, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and now, as of a year ago, great-great-grandmother.

God is good and has greatly blessed our family.  I pray that He will bless y'all's familes, too.

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee 

Posted in Dee's Family | 12 Comments »

Another Beautiful Day in Abilene

May 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

Hi!  All is well here and the weather really is beautiful.  We have the house all opened up and even though it's nearly noon, the temperature is in the 70s and there is a cool breeze blowing through the house.  Wonderful! 

We're having chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch, along with fresh green beans.  Wanna come for lunch?  My sister, Laura, is coming over to eat with us and my daughter Rebecca will be here a little later.  She was supposed to have been here for lunch, but her blood sugar was low this morning and she couldn't get away from home.  She's diabetic, too, on insulin since she was 13.

When she became a Type 1 diabetic at 13, it was one of the worst days of my life.  I'd already been diabetic on insulin for about 10 years then and was doing "okay," but I was horrified that my child had become a diabetic, too.  She was just a little kid, after all, and had her whole life ahead of her.

She was in the 7th grade and it was winter time and so she wore clothes that covered her up so that I didn't see that she'd lost a lot of weight.  Having been around me being diabetic for so long, she figured out that she was becoming a diabetic, too, but hid if from me and tried to deny the truth to herself.

It wasn't until nearly Christmas - at her chorus concert at school - that I realized something was terribly wrong with her, but I didn't know what on earth it was.  She was up on the stage in the dark auditorium with the bright lights shining down just from above on the group and as I looked at her there in that setting I suddenly was chilled and felt as if I were looking at death.  Truly.  It was awful.

After, as we walked to the car, I saw how thin she'd gotten and how really bad she looked, but I still had no clue what was wrong with her.  I just knew it was something terrible that I needed to see about as soon as possible.

It was Friday night and we all went on to bed.  During the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up and instantly knew in my heart that she was diabetic.  I cannot possibly begin to describe how I felt. 

As soon as morning broke, I went into her room and woke her up and told her I wanted to check her blood sugar.  It was extremely high.  Then, she told me how she'd suspected she was diabetic, but was afraid to face it or to tell me.

I immediately called a close Christian friend who was a pharmicist at the local small hospital and told him what was going on.  He made arrangements with a good internal medicine doctor from a nearby larger town to meet with me and Rebecca at noon at the hospital emergency room.  I told Rebecca we would go at noon to get her good help and then I told her I had some things to do first in town, and left home.

I went to the office where I worked (for the newspaper as Community Editor) and sat at my desk and cried and cried and cried.  All morning.  I was beside myself.

Near noon, I composed myself because I was fiercely determined to be strong for Rebecca and then went home to pick her up.  As we pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked, Rebecca turned to me in her sweet 70 pound ravished body and said to me - "You know, Mama - I'm not scared any more at all."

"Why is that, Rebecca?" I asked her.

She replied, "I guess because you're so calm about it."

If only she knew my heart, I thought.

Her blood sugar, which should have been under 100, was nearly 500.  The doctor, who was my doctor for my diabetes, immediately gave her a shot of insulin and we talked about what kind and how often and all of that.  He wanted to hospitalize her for several days to get her regulated, which would have been the normal thing to do, but I told him that I would do whatever it took to help her get regulated and adjusted at home - bring her to the hospital four times a day for blood tests - anything - to keep her from being hospitalized.

He and the nurses were all amazed, too, at how calm I was.  He told me he'd never, ever had anyone take such news so well or be so assured about handling this difficult a problem.

I told him I was not hospitalized when I first became diabetic, but that the Endocrinologist in Northern Virginia I had was very matter-of-fact about it and just had me come to his office every other day for a while (fasting in the mornings for blood tests) to see started.

I told him I was determined to help her learn that this was not a crippling disease that would be totally debilitating for her, but that she would learn how to manage it and to go on with her life.  Because he could see how adamant I was and because he knew that I knew exactly how and what to do for her, he agreed that we could work from home.  I cannot tell you what a huge blessing that was for both me and Rebecca.

That has been nearly 29 years ago, now, for Rebecca and she manages her diabetes beautifully.  She barely has any complications from it and has two boys, too, who were both born healthy and well because she was so careful about her blood sugars during the high risk pregnancies.

She is very petite and still looks like a teenager.  She always dresses really cute and, of late, has taken to wearing cowboy boots with her jeans and pants.  She's a mess!

So, I'll be glad to see her in a bit and to have her here with us for three or four days.  She's lots of fun.

Oh . . . by the way.  I started this post before lunch, but had to stop to eat and am now finishing it about 1:30 p.m.  Sorry you missed it with us.  And, sorry, but we ate up nearly everything out and there are very few leftovers from anything, except a couple of bites.  The cream gravy slathered all over the chicken fried steak was "awesome," as they say.

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  And, especially to you mothers.  Much love, Dee

Posted in Dee's Family, Health, Our Kids, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

Greetings From Texas, Y’all!

May 7th, 2008 at 12:25 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

Hi, Y'all!

I made the trip from New Orleans to Abilene yesterday a little slowly, but successfully.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers and well wishes on my behalf.

I ddn't arrive here until about 7 p.m., so was tired, but glad to be here - even with the wind blowing a brisk 25 mph.  Typical west Texas wind.  No sand storms brewing, though, so that was good.

I did well going through Dallas airport and didn't even fall down!  I did take the elevators, though, up to the skylinks and back down, rather than the escalators, from terminal to terminal because I was carrying a heavy bag and didn't trust my footing. 

Things here are as usual.  Lots of western activities taking place this weekend out at the regional fairgrounds and convention center, so all of the hotels and motels are booked.  The universities are all letting out and graduations are taking place.  Then, there's Mother's Day this coming weekend.

I'm excited I'll be here with my mom for Mother's Day and my daughter will be here, too.  So, that's three generations together of the five generations of women back in our family on my mom's side that are college graduates!  My mom's mom (my grandma) graduated from Friends University in Kansas in 1910 and her mother - my great-grandmother (and my daughter, Rebecc's, great-great-grandmother) graduated from the University of Kansas in 1877 (in the "Normal" Department).  She was a teacher.

My mom graduated from Texas Tech in 1942, I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi (Brett Favre's alma mater, too) in 1986 and Rebecca graduated from Lubbock Christian in 1988.

We're a well educated bunch, if nothing else! 

We don't have any big plans this week.  Just hanging out and eating lots of salads (we all have to watch our girlish figures, you know!) and lots of Mom's great home cooking.

Y'all drop by for lunch one day this week, ya hear?  That's our big meal of the day and it's always a really good one.

We just had ours for the day and I feel a nap coming on, so I'll close for now.

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee  

Posted in Dee's Family, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

Headin’ to Texas

May 4th, 2008 at 5:37 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

I've been feeling pretty well the past week and a half, so am planning to fly out to Abilene Tuesday to visit my mom for a week.  Yea!  My sister lives there, so I'll see her, which will be much fun.  My daughter, Rebecca, is also planning on coming over from Dallas (McKinney, actually) while I'm there so that we "girls," Mom, me, Rebecca and my sister, Laura, can have some fun girl time together for two or three days.

I'll be there next weekend for Mother's Day, so that will be fun.  My brother in Lubbock is going to try to come down to visit with us, too, next weekend if he can get away.  My sister-in-law - Dr. Davidson - is a professor at Texas Tech and that weekend is graduation at Tech, so she may be heavily involved with that with some of her students.

You all know how flying has been the past couple of months with much higher prices, lots of planes being taken out of maintenance and horrendous delays everywhere, so please pray for me that I have a safe and uneventful trip.  I have to change planes in Dallas going and coming and that's always an ordeal, at best.

This is also the very first time I've tried to go anywhere on my own since my new low blood pressure problem, so I'm wary about that.  I'm going to have to carry my medication in my pants pocket to keep close by so that I can take it right on time because if I don't, my blood pressure will drop too low for me to function.  It still scares me all the time because of the bad falls I had before I went in the hospital in March.

Plus, I don't want to fall in the airport in Dallas!  That scares me more than anything.

The next time I write here will be from Abilene, Lord willing.  I'm going to be "on the road" all day Tuesday, but will try to write either Tuesday night from my mom's, or Wednesday morning.  

Y'all comment here for me when you read this so that I'll have your email addresses (and blog addresses, for those of you who blog), ya hear?  

Till next time - Cheers & Blessings to you!  Dee

Posted in Dee's Family, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

Typing Skills - How Good/Bad Are Yours?!

May 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

I've been thinking about this question since receiving a lovely first time email note from a long time, loyal reader from the Dallas area a couple of days ago.  She had taught keyboarding and computer skills for years, including teaching students to "write" on a computer keyboard and said that she admired my ability to be able to do so.

That was a first for me, I'll tell ya!  Actually, I thought it was pretty cool because Mrs. Forbes, my typing teacher in Abernathy High, would probably roll over in her grave at finding that out about me.  

You see - I signed up for typing class and just stayed in the class long enough to learn how to type using the - whatever - method they teach in typing.  In other words, I learned where to place my hands on the keys and how to type the correct way, where you learn to type without thinking about it.  I wasn't very good when I dropped out, but I knew enough and certainly didn't want to stay in there and learn all of the secretarial stuff like where to place the envelope when typing the to/from stuff and how to do business letters.

As fate would have it, I did tons of stuff like that much later in life as a law clerk and attorney, but by then it was all done on computers, which made it super easy once you got the hang of it.  I got to be a whiz on Word Perfect (which I still use, only rarely making the foray over into Microsoft Word). 

I used other word processing systems for writing over the years as well, in all of my different professions (see my resume above to check all of those out), including being a journalist and attorney.

My reader friend from Texas said that a lot of students of hers have trouble learning how to compose on a computer keyboard.  I found that interesting, because I don't know that I ever had any trouble trying to compose on either a typewriter or a computer keyboard.  How about you guys?  Any of you (ever) have trouble trying to compose on the keyboard sitting in front of your computer?

She also asked me how fast I type.  I really have no clue, but pretty fast.  But, I also make some mistakes in typing and have to go back regularly to correct them as I'm typing.  At least, the ones that spell check doesn't pick up in most word processing computer systems.

One word that I misspell nearly always, and which has really plagued me over the years is the word "the."  I nearly always am typing along really fast and hit "hte" automatically without thinking about it.  I then have to go back and correct it, unless in Word Perfect or Word, which corrects it for me as I type along, which is a great boon.

So - my typing questions for you today are:

1) Do you know the "correct" typing method or are you more of a hunt and peck kind of typer?

2) How fast do you type?  Have you ever had it timed?

3) Are there certain words that you misspell all the time because you are typing to fast you don't think about it?  

Comment and share your typing skills with me so I won't feel so bad about some of my own, okay?!?  You know . . . I really wonder, and maybe some of you "younger" readers can answer this, how kids these days learn how to type the "correct" method that I learned on manual typewriters on their computer keyboards?  I mean, kids start many times when they are really little and I'm wondering how they ever learn to type very well.

Then there is the new problem of texting.  Apparently, it is showing up in an adverse way in school in writing assignments in various classes, including, but not limited to, English.  Any thoughts on that?

Let's hear it from all you typists out there, and you all are, or else you wouldn't be blogging and commenting!  So, that includes all of you!

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee

Posted in Blogging, Uncategorized | 13 Comments »

Spamalot - What About You?

April 29th, 2008 at 4:06 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

I've been feeling well, over all, but today haven't felt so well.  As a result, I didn't even come in here to my office and computer until after 4 p.m.

The first thing I always do is to check my e-mail and, boy, today was I surprised.  My mailbox was absolutely filled with SPAM from my blogs (Finding Direction and Grace Notes)!  There were 20 something separate e-mails from WordPress asking me to moderate them.

I went to my WP dashboard and marked them all at once as SPAM and that took care of it, but while I've been sitting here a couple more have come in to be moderated.

How about any of you, either readers or other bloggers?  Have you had any trouble with a lot of spam lately?  WordPress blocks the vast majority of it out (unlike Blogger, when I was using it - Ugh!), so I don't know how this stuff got through today.

What say ye?  Spamalot or no?  Comment and share with me.  I promise not to spam you out, okay?!

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee

Posted in Blogging | 7 Comments »

Immutable Laws

April 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am by Dee O'Neil Andrews

It's Friday.  More fun today!

Read through these laws and comment as to which one(s) you have the most experience with, okay?!? 

Hope y'all have a great weekend.  Cheers & Blessings to each of you today!  Dee

& Law of Mechanical Repair 
After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee. 

& Law of Gravity 
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner. 

& Law of Probability 
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act. 

& Law of Random Numbers 
If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

& Law of the Alibi 
If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire. 

& Variation Law 
If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now (works every time). 

& Law of the Bath 
When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

& Law of Close Encounters 
The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. 

& Law of the Result 
When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

& Law of Biomechanics 
The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. 

& Law of the Theater 
At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

& The Starbucks Law 
As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold. 

& Murphy's Law of Lockers 
If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers. 

& Law of Physical Surfaces 
The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug. 

& Law of Logical Argument 
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. 

& Brown's Law of Physical Appearance 
If the shoe fits, it's ugly. 

& Oliver's Law of Public Speaking 
A closed mouth gathers no feet. 

&  Wilson 's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy     
As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it. 

& Doctors' Law 
If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.
 

Posted in Humor | 9 Comments »

Awesome Daily Reminders

April 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am by Dee O'Neil Andrews

Enough about popcorn.  Moving on . . . 

Just want to leave you today with some bright cheery reminders of some important things in life.  There are several that I could write a whole post about.  Maybe I will.

Why don't you read through them and then comment on which one (or more) are your favorites.  There's some good stuff in them - so leave a comment!

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!  Dee

**   Faith is the ability to not panic.  If you worry, you didn't pray;  If you prayed, don't worry!!!

**   As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

**   Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

**   When we get tangled up in our problems, be still;  God wants us to be still so HE can untangle the knot!!

**   Do the math;  count your blessings

**   God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts!!!

**   Dear God:  I have a problem - It's me.

**   Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

**   Laugh every day;  it is like inner jogging.

**   The most important things in your home are the people.

**   Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

**   There is no key to happiness,  the door is always open - come on in!!

**   A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

**   He who dies with the most toys is still dead!!!!

**   We do not remember days, but moments.  Life moves too fast so enjoy your precious moments.

**   Nothing is real to you until you experience it;  otherwise it is just hearsay.

**   It is alright to sit on your pity pot every now and again;  just be sure to flush when you are done!!!!

**   Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage;  the goals and dreams you are seeking require courage and risk taking.

**   Learn from the turtle;  it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

**   Be more concerned with your character than your reputation; your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

**   No matter the storm, when you are with God there is always a rainbow waiting.

**   Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read.

**   I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have lived just the length of it;  I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Posted in Inspirational, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Popped Perfection - Part Deux

April 21st, 2008 at 10:13 am by Dee O'Neil Andrews

 Apparently, last time I didn't pick up many popcorn lovers, alas.  However, that is not going to deter me one whit from posting my Part Deux to that delightful, ultimate gourmet food that Tom and I both savor.

Well - we don't eat nearly as much as we used to, but still enjoy the "gourmet" kind when we do.  So, here's my second and you'll be glad to know last post (at least for a while!) on popcorn.  So, pay attention and you might learn something, as well as having fun reading!

POPPED PERFECTION: PREPARATION & PRESENTATION

 Having totally "roasted" Starbucks last time, I must confess I've made a few furtive forays into that slendiferous establishment out in Abilene, Texas, some 750 miles away from home so as to try to completely avoid detection by anyone who could possibly know me.

However, it was total magnanimity on my part to keep in the good graces of my younger sister, Laura, who has been captured by its spell. We just went to engage in a little "sisterly"bonding.

By the way - I had a humongous, or whatever they call their biggest size, iced coffee with skim milk, thank you, and Equal, and it was very good. I have, thus far, resisted any temptations of that tenor closer to home, even with the advent of yet a second Starbucks in our fair city, though.

Back to popcorn.

Brief History:

Again, I go to "Fireworks Popcorn," the source of our more expeditious popcorn moments, for authority. I quote:

Many scientists believe that popcorn is the oldest of the five types of corn (sweet corn, field corn, Indian corn, pod cord, popcorn). Archeologists believe cultivation of popcorn dates back 5,000 years. Research indicates North and South American Indians were popping popcorn over 2,000 years ago! Columbus reported in 1492 seeing West Indies Natives wearing popcorn corsages. Native Americans first introduced popcorn to American colonists at the first Thanksgiving Feast when they brought deerskin gifts filled with popped popcorn. The first fully automated popcorn popper was publicly introduced in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago.

 Enough said on that!

Preparation: This is a crucial component in achieving the ultimate delight that popcorn has to offer and it took us several years of trial and error to finally arrive, but was well worth the wait. And, yes, we did eat most of the rejects along the way, wanting to be frugal as well as happy. Although, there were more than a few bowls full thrown away over time, I must admit, but that was mainly due to side issues, such as way too much salt or the slightest bit too much of a burn (although some singeing is always tasty). It's a fine line.

We came to the conclusion that you absolutely cannot find a decent edible pre-packaged microwave popcorn. (Sorry "JD" to be so rough here since you take comfort in your " ACT II 94% fat free kettle korn," Weight Watchers approved or not.)

Ranking close behind, these days, in popcorn's cellar is what used to be "good ol'"theater popcorn, which has gone the way of "good ol'" movies of a given genre to be displaced by machines off premises sending over stale bagged popcorn, popped who knows when, and teeny boppers who believe salt is the second main ingredient, not a condiment to be sprinkled lightly, emphasis on the "lightly." (Which will be discussed further below.)

Of course, the reason for the heavy salt is to get you to buy more of the horrid fountain mud that disguises itself as a potable soft drink. That, plus the price of all of the above, immediately elminate them from further consideration.

So, where does that leave us, she ponders rhetorically? Well, you can always go back to the original "version" of popped corn and pop the entire corn cob (with kernels still on it, of course) in a metal basket (with holes in the lid for escaping hot air) over an open fire.

That is actually an excellent method on occasion when a certain ambiance and nostalgia are required. But, certainly not practical at all. Especially here in hot, humid south Louisiana where the ambiance and nostalgia quickly evaporate upon reflection of what July's bill for AC and natural gas would be to run the AC simultaneously with the fireplace, all the while sweltering away just for a few mouthfuls of historical significance (we both have American Indian blood in our heritage, but figure that the ancestral memories aren't worth it).

Then, there is the heavy pan method, with lots of shaking and pondering (when the corn is popped just enough, without being overcooked or burned), over a hot stove, set on the highest temperature. That is still the primary method among diehards, but we moved past that method long ago in favor of a more reliable, easy method since we are now of more mature years in our popcorn odyssey.

Those alternatives do not exhaust the limit, however, and we stumbled upon the perfect popper and perfect method upon receiving the perfect popper gift one Christmas, the "formerly known as Orville Redenbacher, now known as Presto" Power Popper, which you use in the microwave oven. This invention has brought mankind and his popcorn forward in lightyears just when it seemed to be destined for destruction.

Well - let's put that more mildly and say on the verge of anarchy over less than perfect popcorn in every household, world wide. The above said invention is a thing to behold. So simple, yet so profound. Our first one lasted for quite a few years before darkening up with extended use without the luxury of repeated washings in the dishwasher (being advocates of the "old school").

You have to compare it to a well-seasoned, crusty, ancient cast iron skillet, which can never be replaced, should rarely be washed and is never to be thrown away, but handed down generation to generation (but, alas, that is another story, indeed).

We are now on our second one, which rarely sees the inside of a dishwasher so as to maintain it's integrity as a perfect popcorn maker. It is basically a plastic bowl, by the way, with a plastic lid into which you insert in the bottom "Presto Power Cups," (not to plug Presto here, but that can't be helped).

Each Power Cup (which has some sort of metal lining in it, by the way, similar to the bottom of the pre-packaged microwave variety), will last for three or four batches of delectible, delicious, alway perfect delight. The "Power Cups" come 10 to a package for $1.48 apiece (at Wal-Mart) and we try to always have at least 6 or 8 packages on hand, just for insurance and peace of mind. The only thing you must add, besides a heaping (mind you "heaping") 1/3 cup of your favorite corn, even El Cheap-O, is 3 tablespoons of (pay attention now) canola oil.

There is a caveat to that (which you will be happy to learn, JD). If you are dieting, you may add less oil or skip the oil entirely and the product is just as good (well, nearly). Do, by all means, use only canola oil, though. That is essential.

You will have to test your microwave for time, but we set ours at 4 minutes on high, watch the kernels fluff up slowly and turn the switch off just as the last of the kernels is popping, sometimes so high that they lift the lid. Voila! The makings of a masterpiece is born.

Presentation: By the time you've gotten this far, the main thing to remember is the "slight" salting of the popcorn once it is in the large bowl (or bowls, as the case may be, as with us), which is also a necessity. I mean, whoever heard of small, cereal sized bowls being used when it comes to popcorn. Heaven forbid!

If you can't make enough for everyone to have a nice sized, fairly large bowl, you are in trouble and no amount of coaching here will help. Just don't forget not to oversalt this precious commodity. That is a critical component, as well.

And, forget about the plethera of seasonings. I'm telling you, they're not only superflous, but downright heretical.

The only other thing to introduce near the popcorn at this juncture is a once or twice a year, maybe, treat of real butter, delicately drizzled over the corn to the point that it is all flavored, but not slathered, in butter. Which is really not good for you, it's understood, But, on certain occasions such as wedding anniversaries and birthdays it serves as a grand finale. (Of course, we are at a big disadvantage here as we married on my birthday several years ago, which eliminates one of the chances for such grand yearly occasions.)

In Conclusion: Now that you know everything there is to know about popcorn and way more than that - (except the complete history, which we all now know is long and storied, trailing back some 5,000 years) - you are ready to fully engage in the ultimate gourmet food. So, go pop some popcorn and enjoy!

And, P. S., If you have any criticisms of the above method of preparation and presentation or an arguably better ultimate gourmet food , please pass along your better ideas. We are always open to research on a deeper and more complex level (or simpler one, to be more exact) that will make our pursuit more meaningful and enjoyable.

At least, until we get the commercial popcorn popper Tom wants. Then, we may have to start all over again in hitting just the right note.

Posted in Humor, Popcorn, Reflections, Tom & Me | 6 Comments »

Since You Asked . . .

April 17th, 2008 at 12:02 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews

[Note: I'm sorry I've been out of pocket and haven't posted something new the past couple of days.  I've been feeling really bad with a couple of different things, including my blood pressure being precipitously low, despite the new medication.  About an hour ago (11:40 a.m.) it was so low standing up that my blood pressure machine couldn't read it.  Sitting down it was a horrible 67/50, at which time I cannot get around or function except either sitting down or lying down. 

Needless to say, I haven't done much at all around the house.  Tom has had to fend for himself and help take care of me, which he has been very good about.  He is here right now for lunch (he fixed it himself) and helped me get in here to our office so I could drink some coffee and write here to you.

  I see from my site meter that my readership is way down and it's no wonder!  I've not been here!  But, y'all have been great with your favorite food question!  It's been really interesting and has made my mouth water.  I could have named a whole lot of the different things that y'all have as far as my favorite food, I'm telling ya.

In fact, several of you have asked what my favorite food is.  Well . . . while I love several of the things that y'all have listed, I've always said (part for real and part in jest) that my favorite food of all time is popcorn!  I know - that's pretty weak up against one of Tom's 2" filets (from Sam's Club butcher shop) hickory grilled out on our deck or a fried seafood platter from  Li'l Ray's over in Long Beach, Mississippi on the coast. 

I may elaborate on some of my favorite foods later, but today and next time I want to offer you a humorous look at what I call "The Ultimate Gourmet Food."  (The link is the original post with comments, if you'd like to read them.)  Both articles are posts I wrote for Finding Direction three years ago this month and for which I've received more hits than any other except for people looking for wind vane information.

I hope you'll take the time to read them and to comment to let me know what you think of my thinking on the subject.  You'll be able to tell from what I write that I know a lot about it and what I'm talking about, for sure!

Here goes!  Cheers & Blessings to each of you today!  Dee

THE ULTIMATE GOURMET FOOD

 Being of humble origins, I find it difficult to get caught up in the current big craze surrounding various expensive gourmet coffees such as Starbucks and Gevalia. Although, I know there's a lot of you out there who are.

I was stupified when I typed in the words "gourmet coffee" at Yahoo and found there were 5,680,000 sites on it to look at. 5 1/2 million!!! I figured it would take me forever and a day to find anything of import there, so typed in Starbucks to take a look at its site. What I found there was astounding, as well.

To start off, it's so complicated that it takes several minutes of pondering to decide exactly which direction you need to go to even find the coffee "page" that describes specific coffees and their prices. You have to start by deciding between "caffeinated" or "decaffeinated." That was easy enough. If I'm going to drink coffee, its going to have caffeine in it, or what's the point. (Although, since my open heart surgery, I'm supposed to be strictly staying away from caffeine, so don't tell my doctors you're reading this.)

Then, you have to narrow your search by "Origin" - Latin America, Africa Arabia, Asia Pacific or Blends; "Bean Preferences" - ground, pod or whole bean; and finally by "Conservation & Certified" - Fair Trade or Organic. After that you can sort alphabetically, if you're so inclined.

I just wanted to know how much they all cost, but they didn't have an ascending or descending price list. I was looking for the bargain basement prices, but found none. Starbucks' coffee ranged from $9.99 (okay - $10) a pound to $15.99 ($16).

Gevalia's coffee was even more expensive. And, we're not even talking here about coffee or espresso or whatever your favorite gourmet hot drink is by the cup. Which is where all the action is (admit it). We know what those can run you. A small fortune if you've got the Starbucks habit.

Well, here in our household, we engage in a different sort of gourmet food, being of sound mind and limited means. Tom doesn't drink coffee at all, anyway, and I found out just the other night on ABC's 20/20 from a blind taste test they conducted using six brands of coffee from very expensive to cheap, including instant coffee, that Sam's Club's brand fared about the best, so that's great by me. Besides, I figure we can indulge in our chosen gourmet food for about a year for what one week's worth of Starbucks cravings for latte will cost you.

No - we happen to be addicted to the ultimate gourmet food there is (which I have previously alluded to). We both love great popcorn.

You already know Tom loves popcorn from growing up in movie theaters. (See "Living at the Movies" from April 2005.) I inherited my "popcorn gene" from my dad and through his lineage, because my mom sure doesn't have it. Unless, of course, it skipped a generation there or something, which is a noteworthy possibility.

When my dad was a kid he worked at the little movie theater in Abernathy, Texas where he became known as "The Popcorn Kid." His mother would make popcorn by the washtub full for he and his two brothers and all their friends, too. And we have a lot of the gourmet stuff in our house. I counted 17 different kinds last week in all colors, flavors, textures and sizes.

We have 12 kinds of "Fireworks Popcorn," including:

1. Autumn Blaze (it's fall multi-colors with "small, crunchy flakes")

2. Orchard Blossom (it's a gorgeous amethyst pink color with a "fluffy and sweet flavor")

3. High Mountain Midnight (deep purple with "robust, wild flavor")

4. Old Hickory (deep brown and "wild and nutty")

5. Starshell Red (red, of course, with "crunchy, rich flavor")

6. Blue Heron (blue with "crunchy, wild flavor")

7. Black Hills (which is deep reddish black)

8. Savannah Gold (one of Tom's favorites, which is "smooth" with a "sweet flavor")

9. Baby White (which is small, sort of rice like kernels)

10. Wisconsin White Birch ("light, crispy texture")

11. Red River Valley (a deeper red than "Starshell Red" with "uncommon smooth flavor") and, finally,

12. Flag Day Popcorn (yes - red,white & blue), which is the "Official Popcorn of Flag Day" with the history of Flag Day given on the back of the bottle.

Fireworks Popcorn sells their varieties in sizes ranging from 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) to 25 lb. bags of each variety for $25, which is a real steal, if you compare it with gourmet coffee. We haven't quite graduated to the 25 lb. bags, yet, but Tom did bring me home a huge plastic commercial sized tub of about 30 lb. of yellow popcorn from Sam's a few years ago (I kid you not!) that took us a while to get through, let me tell you!

So far, we've been buying the case of 12 1 lb. (well, 15 oz.) bottles of the popcorn for $26.60 (you get a break on the $2.49 apiece price). The first time we ordered Fireworks' popcorn off the internet, Tom started with 12 4 lb. bottles for $6.50 apiece because it was such a good deal until he added up the total, plus shipping and handling (on 48 lbs. of popcorn, mind you!!). So, he scaled back to the 15 oz. bottles.

That was bad enough, although at the price of popcorn it's all relative, I suppose. We have three kinds of "Settlers' Popcorn".

1. Settlers' Sedona Red ("A dark, rich and red kernel known for its refined taste and airy textures. It has a dryer taste.")

2. Settlers' Harvest Gold (Creamy, chewy texture and mellow flavor. Sweet flavored corn that is so sweet, it's like you have buttered it.")

 3. Settlers' Blue Moon (This variety of blue corn pops up larger than most blues and features a wild, robust flavor, with a creamy texture.")

Settlers' sells for $1.99 for 15 oz. bottles, but someone gave us ours.

In addition to those 15 varieties, we have plain ol' cheap yellow popcorn in a big bag from the grocery store along with a bag of black popcorn from the grocery store full of small kernels popping up small with a crunchy, nutty flavor.

Of course, we haven't even gotten into the interesting history of popcorn or how to perfectly pop your prized varieties of gourmet popcorn, but time and space don't allow here and now, so that will have to wait for another day. Perhaps the next blog entry would be a good place to go into the detailed preparation and perfect presentation of this delightful, yet inexpensive gourmet food.

After all, you know how important preparation and presentation are to gourmet cooks, and the history of the food they're working with. Any popcorn lovers out there (or popcorn haters)? I'm sure you'll chime in when it comes to preparation and presentation.

But, either way, you have to admire the commitment and dedication here among the believers.

Posted in Blogging, Health, Humor, Popcorn, Reflections, Tom & Me, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

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