It's the first weekend in September, which means it is Labor Day weekend, the last official holiday weekend of summer, 2026! So, lets end summer on a delicious note, shall we? It's been a strange summer, as food goes, but it's time to put all the gloom and doom aside, and take a bite of some amazing recipes. I hope you will enjoy the recipes I have come up with! They sound amazing to me.
"Keep your face to the sun and you cannot see the shadows. That's what sunflowers do."
~Helen Keller
Summer is almost gone, but there are still some sunflowers lining Woodbridge road. Funny thing, it's sights like this that have made me come to mourn summer parting, maybe just a little bit.
"It's not what you earn, but what you keep, that builds truth wealth."
~Anonymous
So, I decided to try something new. I joined a survey service, Branded Surveys, to make a little mad money! So far, I have made, $11.93 for about 3 or 4 hours work. I know, it's not much, but the survey's are interesting, and according to the article I found on Yahoo Finance, I could possibly make around $140 a month with the proper dedication to taking the surveys. I don't think I will be available for that many surveys but when it's time, I can trade in my points for either direct deposit into my bank account, or I can opt for gift cards for anything from movie tickets to restaurants like, Olive Garden or Red Robin and many more!
So, that my news for this Thursday morning. I hope to earn at least another $40 this month. October is our traditional vacation month, so I'd love a movie and a really nice lunch at Olive Garden, sometime before October is over. Of that's contingent on wither I am eating in restaurants again. Hey, I am making progress... I didn't check the FDA Recalls list even once yesterday! Now if I could just find my bravery when it comes to eating those lovely strawberries we bought yesterday! Hey, one day at a time! And many, many surveys!
"What happens to the hole, when the cheese is gone?"
~Bertolt Brecht
Yesterday was a good day. Hubby and I took a little trip to Trader Joe's to grab some comfort foods... mostly cheese, but there were a couple meats and some, Maple Leaf, maple cream cookies on the list as well! We also bought some absolutely gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes. Yes, I am going out on a limb and trying some produce. Earlier in the day we bought some lovely strawberries and bananas at Costco. I was hoping to be able to pick up some V8 but unfortunately, they didn't have any in stock. Boo! I wanted that more than anything else, but I have a lovely lunch planned for later today of some yummy focaccia bread we picked up, with some mortadella and provolone cheese, assorted fruit, Simply Fruit, fruit punch and one of my small cans of V8! Sound good? Just wait until I photograph it!
By the way, Asiago Cheese with Rosemary & Olive oil, is fabulous! I just have to have all the yummy stuff now in moderation. Damn old age, you suck!
"I'm gonna get that gun of mine... and up till now I've been forgiving and forgetting, because that's how I was brought up. But "ill tell you one thing: if you ever say another thing about me, or make another indecent proposal, I'm gonna get that gun of mine and I'm going to change you from a rooster to a hen in one shot."
~Doralee Rhodes ( Dolly Parton )
9 To 5
Two amazing performers left us exactly one week ago today, Dolly Parton and Time Curry. It would be wrong to not make this post a double feature, as both brought so much to the big screen, in two very different directions. My favorite movie that Dolly Parton did was 9 To 5. What a way to make a living! I loved the song, and hummed it often with my pals, boy and girl, when we worked at both the title company and the marketing offices. My pal, Steven, and I, worked at both companies, so it was an especially humorous inside joke that no one else got! Our actual hours were 8:30 to 5:00 but the truth of the story, and of the song, still held true... office workers rarely get the appreciation they deserve!
Dolly, Jane, and Lily brought it to life, as did Dabney Colman as their egotistical chauvinistic, misogynistic boss, and boy did I meet my share of those! And it was perfect! As 1980's movies go this was one of the best. The movie is directed by Colin Higgins, who never made a movie I've hated. Silver Streak, Foul Play, Harold and Maude, and 9 to 5 are all masterpieces! But this one has Dolly Parton in it, and that makes it all the more special! Dolly was a star in her first movie role as, Doralee Rhodes, and her star shined brightly!
9 To 5 Official Video
Stephen King's
"IT"
"I'm every nightmare you've ever had. I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you've ever been afraid of."
~ IT
Stephen King's "IT" ( 1990 )
In 1990, network tv introduced one of the scariest movies of all time, Stephen King's, IT. I am sure that you have either seen this version, or the remake that was done in 2017 and It Chapter 2, which was released in 2019. The remakes weren't for me, oh they were fine, but they just didn't scare me the way the original did! Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise was incredible. He brought the evil clown to life, and even if you never had a particular fear of clowns before, this clown would definitely haunt your dreams. He did mine! Tim Curry was such a good actor. Watching him as Pennywise, didn't make you think of Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the, Rocky Horror Picture Show. That's a good thing. Not all actors can shed an iconic roll, to move between movie rolls, but Time Curry did, and he did it brilliantly! Watch, IT, and you'll see the depth of his talent! I still worry about Pennywise showing up one day, having shed, Derry, in search of a new place to call home.
Beep, Beep Ritchie.
"Let go. Be afraid. You taste so much better when you're scared."
It's been a summer of product recalls, well, actually, I've only been watching the product recall lists since the Taylor Farms recall of lettuce, sourced from their Mexico plant, just a month ago. I probably wouldn't be so hypervigilant about all of it, if Taylor Farms hadn't been a major donor of Donald Trump, and the Republican party. I have zero trust for those entities, but I do have trust in Elizabeth Warren, who is raising questions about how things unfolded with the Cyclospora outbreak, and with influence peddling and corruption this administration has engaged in. Hopefully she will continue looking until she gets the answers we all need to feel safe eating healthy foods again! The FDA's food recall list has everything on it from drugs, to dog food, to frozen foods and of course fresh foods. It's hard to know what to eat. I am doing okay, but I sure miss my berries and salads. But, like I said in an earlier post, I am going to start buying locally grown lettuce, rather than bagged prewashed salad mixes. Today I am purchasing a brand new salad spinner from Cuisinart. It looks like this...
... and after that, keeping vigilant and taking that extra time to be sure there is no cross contamination is happening in my own kitchen, after that, that's all I can do. I will give a review on my new Cuisinart gadget soon, because I am planning to start eating my veggies again, my body has been grouchy without them! Tomorrow I have a a field trip planned to visit my local, Trader Joes and Sprouts. I will post soon about that too!
Can you feel it in the air? Is the sun seeming to be a little more yellow and bright? I know, I know, it's still summer, but it has seemed to me that both those things have begun happening out my window, for the last a couple weeks, so there is not doubt in my mind, it's already autumn! I guess pre-season football has also helped me feel, despite fighting a stomach virus, like autumn is here to heal me, just with a wave and a slant of lovely light. The last day of August is almost here, in fact it's tomorrow, so I really don't mean to rush the natural order of things, but this has been a brutal month as far as temperatures go, and I am really looking forward to the temperatures of autumn. Even the days that are hot, bring early, cool nights that require a sweater, or at least a cozy blanket at the end of the bed!
Anyway, autumn is almost here, so enjoy a little preview of what could be.
It's on 65 days to go until the midterm elections. The midterms should be the great healer this year! Here's to Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026!
I am a little under the weather today, but this sounds too good to pass up! I pretty much watch all of Gordon Ramsay's cooking shows, even Kitchen Nightmares. I have learned a lot from him about cooking from him.
I think most Americans understand, and cherish, Canada as much as they should. Hell, ever Sarah Palin showed some fondness for Canada, when she shared her admiration for their health care, which she benefitted from when she was a child.
"Believe it or not... this was in the 60's... we used to hustle on over the border for health care that we would receive in Whitehorse. I remember my brother, he burned his ankle in some little kid accident thing and my parents had to put him on a train and rush him over to Whitehorse and I think, isn't that kind of ironic now. Zooming over the border, getting health care from Canada."
~Sarah Palin
2010 Speech in Calgary, Canada
We get so much from Canada, not the least of which has been their unwavering support and friendship as a trading partner. The fought alongside us after 9/11 and have partnered in NATO. In fact, Canada supplies America some of the electricity Americans depend on. But I am sure Donald Trump realized none of that, when he took office. He has continuously threatened to take over Canada militarily, and make Canada the 51st state! Canada, by contrast, has been patient with the crazy, but it's was clear when the latest tariff fuss came to a fiery end, that Canada feels Trump's behavior can no longer tolerated. Thank God!
Stand tall, Canada! Do what you have to do to fight Trump's attempts at fascism! But don't forget, Americans love you, Trump is alone in all this nonsense! Mostly. Remember, there will be better days.
So, I am in a random mood, therefore this is a random post! I am not feeling my best, getting better, but still a little out of it. Funny how random a stomach virus can be. A fever one minute, and then perfectly fine the next. And so goes the same with the other symptoms... use your imagination, or go on whatever experience you might have had. LOL. So, the following is a series of random videos, because, well, why not?
Designing Women
Season 1 Episode 2
The Beauty Contest
October 6th, 1986
Contact Cold Medicine
(Vintage Commercial)
Fleetwood Mac
"Gypsy"
Nick's Kitchen
Classic New York Cheesecake (Extra Creamy)
The Ed Sullivan Shoe
Nancy Sinatra
"These Boots"
Wendy's
"Where's The Beef"
Three's Company
Season 6 Episode 25
"Up In The Air"
Alka Seltzer Commercial
Starring Jack Somack
And that's enough randomness for now. When you go random, what's good for you? Music, TV, retro fun? If you care to tell me, leave me a comment!
"If you ever looked at me once with what I know is in you , I would be your slave."
~Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights
Seriously. Natalie Harp needs help. How do I know? Because she displays the exact same obsession I witnessed one day, by a girl, who also had a lot of problems. Her name was Talia. She came for a visit and was staying at my mother-in-laws house. She wasn't visiting our family, she was an acquaintance of the minister of our church, yes, the man I briefly dated. At least he called those dates. It's debatable. Anyway, Talia became obsessed with the minister, and suddenly she announced that they were engaged, a fact he denied. Slowly she began to display odd behavior. Like that ne day, I think I have shared this story, when my brother-in-law called me on the phone, and very sweetly demanded that we pick Talia up together, from the local "mental health clinic" where she had just been taken by ambulance. Something had set her off, we never found out what exactly what the problem had been, but there it was.
Neither dear brother, nor or I, had any idea what to say to her on the car ride home. She sat in the backseat very quietly, with very dark eyes, staring off into space. Daryl and I were on the brink of nervous giggles, which was so bad under the circumstances, but what could we do, who knows if she was going to randomly freak-out? Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice our nerves! After we arrived home she went to her room, where she spent about an hour. When she emerged she was holding a large poster board with the words... "God became man as man became Gumby's." Yeah, I didn't get it either. Still don't. But I don't think about it that much either. Talia made her way back to Oregon in late August of that year, and after that, who needed to dwell. But that's not the same as forgetting all together!
Fast forward to Natalie Harp. Natalie is not Talia. She's worse. Both in her own behavior, and in her blind devotion to a serial abuser, misogynist, cheater, a man convicted by a jury of his peers of sexual misconduct and at the end of the day, he is a suspected pedophile. And that doesn't begin to cover the other characteristics of his personality, personal beliefs and decision making skills that have proven dangerous to this country! Does America need one more reason to be worried? Natalie is about one heartbeat away from turning into, Alex Deforest, from Fatal Attraction! Does America need to be wondering when Natalie will end up boiling Barron's bunny? She works in highest post of the United States government, she's more important than the president, she's Trump's Binky. And in that she's already moved culture, and probably military policy with her inane posts, such as the one depicting Trump as Jesus, she's already made some deeply negative impressions.
None of this was ever on my bingo card... and I don't know why?
I love The Italian Job, for so man reasons, not the least of which is it's use of my beloved Mini Cooper! In fact both this version of the film, and the original, paid tribute to the coolest car ever! But both movies are rather excellent suspense movies! The have different feels, but the same general story, both are the heists of a lifetime, with some romance along the way! I give it 5 popcorn buckets. Now... go watch it! In fact go watch them both if you can find them! The two make a great double feature!
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."
~Jim Rohn
So, this weekend was fun! Well, no, not really, but it was interesting. Late last week I started not feeling well, my stomach was crampy, and it was exceptionally painful. I wasn't able to do basic bodily functions, use your imagination, so I bought some over the counter remedy... which didn't work. Ugh. But Friday night things got kicked up a notch when I started vomiting clear liquid with bile in it, and ooh, lookie there, I had a fever! Not too high of a fever, just enough to be interesting. My blood pressure also spiked, and my is that bile in my vomit I see? So... okay... it was time to call the advice nurse. So I did. I gave her all my symptoms, she consulted with an on-call doctor, who said I needed to go the nearest emergency room. Pronto. So I did.
We got there a little before midnight, and all around me was the usual sights and sounds. People, like me, vomiting, and talking about the fact that they had been exposed to Covid. YIKES! Because regardless of what was wrong with me in the moment, it didn't help things to know that I had now, definitely, been exposed to Covid-19. GOD! There were folks who looked almost like they weren't ill at all, and then there were folks who were kicking drugs. And others still who didn't look like they would make it through the night, let alone survive sitting up in a packed emergency room for hours on end!
Sigh.
It was a Friday night in an emergency room.
I got two bracelets for my troubles at check in. One that displayed my ID, and the other flagged for all my allergies... and there are a few! Mostly sulfa class antibiotics, and other assorted food allergies. So, as I said I was all set, and waiting for the doctor. Good. Help was on the way. The pain would be gone soon. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Pretty soon 4 and 1/2 hours went by without being called, but somewhere nearby they were giving out blankets, because it was freezing where they put us. Why did they move us? Because a man near me was kicking drugs so bad that he was apparently seeing demons.
We finally left. I am home feeling like shit. Running a fever and wondering... was it food poisoning from the scary Chipotle meal that was delivered through Uber Eats? More on that later. Was or is it the Norovirus? Covid-19? Cyclospora that hasn't been reported? I just don't know. I really don't. And now I hear that Trump is planning to invade the market with "mystery meat." Folks, learn to live without beef for a while, you have a right to know what goes into your body. I have something really wrong going on and I don't know why. I am fairly sure I will be fine in a few days, at least I hope so. But it's so discouraging to do everything your told to do when handling food. You pressure yourself on food safety, and I still ended up with Covid-19 twice, and whatever this is!
Folks there is something coming, and Trump will never admit when it's here.
But can we all avoid what's coming? I just don't know.
"Your life is a movie. You are the main character. You say your scripts and act your lines. Of course you do your lines in each scene. There is a hidden camera and director who you can ask for help, any time from up above."
~ Happy Positivity
Can it be? 23 years has passed so quickly! I kinda have to pinch myself. I was able to keep this blog going, despite making several social media exoduses and through any number of high stress situations both in the new, and in real life! I don't mind admitting, I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am keeping my commitment to keep myself sane. I am keeping my commitment to writing Ellipsis, because it is the story of me. It is 23 years out of my life. I haven't shared every inch and dusty corner, but I have shared what has been the most profound moments. Moves from hell, assorted cats, Trump drama, beautiful gardens, my wonderful birds. My first, second and third Mini Coopers. Movies. Twitter friends come and gone, my autumn leaf collections. You know... life. My life! This year, I am especially proud of this blog, because for the first time, in a long time, I didn't take spring and most of summer off! I feel good about that!
One-Pot Roman Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes - NYT - Recipe
"The only real stumbling black is fear of failure.
In cooking you have to have a what-the-hell attitude"
~Julia Child
While all the stupid, and dangerous, food recalls continue to rage, I am finding myself craving comfort food, and for me that means Italian food! Pastas, olives, and hearty Italian dishes of all kinds, usually make my soul happy! I love fresh salads and seasonal fruits, but I decided I am going to ignore my love of berries, lettuces and assorted fresh vegetables, for now. I did, however, find a salad that sounds fresh and enjoyable and that seems like it will pair nicely with this recipe.
Melon Salad With Nectarines, Tomatoes And Basil - NYT - Recipe
