Okay, that about does it for now. The pictures aren't as high quality as I would have liked (I think Picasa saves them at a fairly low resolution, but maybe it's just because they were taken indoors under low-light conditions), but they're fun. If my computer ever decides to work again, I might post some more pictures tomorrow.
In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's entertainment, and I wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year. Stay safe, and out of trouble. Goodbye 2008...let's hope that things will start looking up in 2009. Peace.
December 31, 2008
Jack's Turn
Okay, round two. I'm trying to upload about 15-20 pictures at once here, but it's only showing the first 4 of Jack that I selected, so I'm not sure how many are actually going to upload. At any rate, here are some pictures of Jack, and some amusing pictures of the rest of us. It was a night so full of laughter, some of us were in tears! ;)
Oh, and if it only uploads 4 pictures, I'll just keep posting until I get them all online. This is the first time I've used Picasa to blog in a long time, so I don't remember how it works. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Oh, and if it only uploads 4 pictures, I'll just keep posting until I get them all online. This is the first time I've used Picasa to blog in a long time, so I don't remember how it works. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Plan B
Okay, so my computer is still being a tool (unfortunately not a useful one.) I've basically spent the past 20 minutes or so watching it boot up, restart itself, boot up, restart itself, ad nauseum. It did this before, and it's a PITA to get it working again. (I think I had to remove a hard drive last time, and reload everything on the 2nd hard drive I had installed.) So I am none to happy at the moment.
Right now, I'm taking advantage of "Plan B", and using Monica's laptop (and currently Picasa) to post these pictures. It's not what I really wanted, but it will work for now. (Oh look, the computer just crashed/restarted again!) Anyway, here are some pictures I took this evening while I was at Clare and Josh's place for Jack's 3rd birthday (happy birthday buddy!) Yes, I realize Jack isn't featured in these pictures, but don't worry, his pictures are coming very shortly (when I upload the pictures of my memory card to this laptop, and post another blog.) In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of Clare and Esme. :)
Right now, I'm taking advantage of "Plan B", and using Monica's laptop (and currently Picasa) to post these pictures. It's not what I really wanted, but it will work for now. (Oh look, the computer just crashed/restarted again!) Anyway, here are some pictures I took this evening while I was at Clare and Josh's place for Jack's 3rd birthday (happy birthday buddy!) Yes, I realize Jack isn't featured in these pictures, but don't worry, his pictures are coming very shortly (when I upload the pictures of my memory card to this laptop, and post another blog.) In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of Clare and Esme. :)
December 30, 2008
NOT In A Good Mood
I have so many creative things I want to do, but most of them require my computer,so I'm seriously bummed out right now. I'm even using my cell phone to post this blog, hoping my computer will go back to working properly again. Oh well, now I just need to find a way to earn enough money to buy a computer that can handle what I want to do. Maybe i'll win the lottery... *sigh*
December 26, 2008
A Few Christmas Pictures
I know some people (well, 1 person that I actually know of) had some problems trying to install the plug-in to view the slide shows that I posted on here the other day. So, to make things easier, I posted these pictures in a simple photo gallery. Click on the link below if you would like to view them. Oh, and this time most of the pictures are of Jacob. lol
December 23, 2008
Some Of My Favorites
Here's another quick slide show I just made from some of my favorite pictures. Hope you enjoy.
Favorite Pictures
December 20, 2008
Holiday Slideshow
Okay, I'm not sure how long this will take to load on other computers, and you MAY have to download and install the Photodex player to watch this (it should tell you if you need to, and provide a link where to get it), but here's a quick slide show I created today from some pictures I took while we were all at Clare and Josh's house having an early Christmas celebration. Enjoy! :)
An Adams Family Christmas
December 17, 2008
Well Worth The Effort
I just had my first bowl of the venison stew and I must say, it was well worth all the time and effort that went into making it (from field dressing the deer to turning it into something I'd be happy to serve to my friends and family.) For the most part it looks and tastes like beef stew, but with a slight variation in taste. Some of you will be lucky enough to try some of it for yourselves. For the rest of you, if you would like the base recipe (I modified it slightly) just let me know and I'll give it to you.
So that's 2 things I've made from the venison so far - jerky and stew. The next thing will either be a venison roast, venison/pork chili, venison/pork meatloaf, or spaghetti and meatballs with (you guessed it!) venison/pork meatballs. (In case you missed my previous posts, I ground up some of the venison and mixed it with ground pork that we got from Dad and Sandra.)
The best part about all of this is that the meat didn't cost me anything. It was an unexpected surprise received during a day spent with my sister. I saw another deer that had been hit, on my way home this afternoon, and it looked a good bit larger than the deer we picked up. But I was in my Saturn (and didn't know how long it had been on the side of the road, although it looked pretty fresh), so I didn't stop to pick it up (although I thought about it!)
I'm sure there are some of you out there who might be like "Eww! That's disgusting! You're eating road kill!" and there was a time when I probably would have agreed with you. But when money's tight, and you actually see the animal get hit, and know that it's a "fresh kill", you just don't turn down free meat! I could take the time to hunt the animal myself (and I plan to at some point), or I can take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself. Either way, the meat isn't going to waste, and the animal didn't die in vain.
Okay, I guess that's about it for now. The back of my skull is throbbing with a headache, and I'm waiting for the Excedrin Migraine to kick in, so I'm going to wrap this up. Happy holidays everyone, and thanks for stopping by. Peace.
So that's 2 things I've made from the venison so far - jerky and stew. The next thing will either be a venison roast, venison/pork chili, venison/pork meatloaf, or spaghetti and meatballs with (you guessed it!) venison/pork meatballs. (In case you missed my previous posts, I ground up some of the venison and mixed it with ground pork that we got from Dad and Sandra.)
The best part about all of this is that the meat didn't cost me anything. It was an unexpected surprise received during a day spent with my sister. I saw another deer that had been hit, on my way home this afternoon, and it looked a good bit larger than the deer we picked up. But I was in my Saturn (and didn't know how long it had been on the side of the road, although it looked pretty fresh), so I didn't stop to pick it up (although I thought about it!)
I'm sure there are some of you out there who might be like "Eww! That's disgusting! You're eating road kill!" and there was a time when I probably would have agreed with you. But when money's tight, and you actually see the animal get hit, and know that it's a "fresh kill", you just don't turn down free meat! I could take the time to hunt the animal myself (and I plan to at some point), or I can take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself. Either way, the meat isn't going to waste, and the animal didn't die in vain.
Okay, I guess that's about it for now. The back of my skull is throbbing with a headache, and I'm waiting for the Excedrin Migraine to kick in, so I'm going to wrap this up. Happy holidays everyone, and thanks for stopping by. Peace.
December 16, 2008
The Pot Thickens
Okay, I wanted to entitle this post "Road Kill: Phase III", but that sounded a little disturbing, and not quite mysterious enough. So "The Pot Thickens" it is, and it's both a reality, and a catchy play on words (yes I know, I wax ever wittier as I lumber towards middle age.) But allow me to explain. For those of you keeping score (or at least reading Clare's blog or my blog), you will remember that a week or so ago, Clare and I happened upon a deer that had been struck by a car (actually, we saw it happen.) Since then, I have been doing various things with the venison that I harvested from the doe. To date, I've only tried a bit of the jerky I made from some of venison I cut up. I'm not really a jerky person, but it was okay I guess, and the people who've tried it who actually LIKE jerky have told me it's pretty good, so I guess I did something right.
Anyway, tonight I decided we'd use some of the stew meat and have a go at venison stew. So we got out the Dutch oven, used it to cook up some bacon (both to eat in sandwiches for dinner, and for the bacon drippings), and dropped in a couple pounds of cubed venison. After browning the meat, we added some seasoning, chopped onion, and enough water to cover everything, then set it to simmer for a couple hours (it has just under an hour left at the moment.) When the timer goes off, I will add the bowl of veggies pictured below (carrots, celery, and potatoes.) Then the mixture will cook for another 30 minutes at least, to soften the vegetables. Finally, we'll pour in a mixture of flour and water to thicken everything into a stew, cooking it for a few more minutes to blend everything together (when did this become step-by-step cooking instructions? This isn't an episode of "Cooking With Matt", or at least I didn't intend it to be! *g*)
Oh well. With luck, we'll end up with a nice Dutch oven full of tasty venison stew. I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, here are some exciting pictures for your viewing pleasure! Bon appetite!
Anyway, tonight I decided we'd use some of the stew meat and have a go at venison stew. So we got out the Dutch oven, used it to cook up some bacon (both to eat in sandwiches for dinner, and for the bacon drippings), and dropped in a couple pounds of cubed venison. After browning the meat, we added some seasoning, chopped onion, and enough water to cover everything, then set it to simmer for a couple hours (it has just under an hour left at the moment.) When the timer goes off, I will add the bowl of veggies pictured below (carrots, celery, and potatoes.) Then the mixture will cook for another 30 minutes at least, to soften the vegetables. Finally, we'll pour in a mixture of flour and water to thicken everything into a stew, cooking it for a few more minutes to blend everything together (when did this become step-by-step cooking instructions? This isn't an episode of "Cooking With Matt", or at least I didn't intend it to be! *g*)
Oh well. With luck, we'll end up with a nice Dutch oven full of tasty venison stew. I'll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, here are some exciting pictures for your viewing pleasure! Bon appetite!
December 13, 2008
Clare & The Kids
Just a few pictures of Clare and the kids I took the other day when Monica and I were over visiting. :)
December 10, 2008
The Depressing State Of Affairs
So it's coming to that time again...my birthday, and the end of another year. It's time once again to look at my life, and take stock of things. Now while I must admit that there have been some wonderful events in my life over the last couple of months (mainly moving to our "big house in the country", and being closer to Clare and her family which has let me spend lots of quality time hanging out with them), the unfortunate events are once again overshadowing the joyous ones.
As most of you know, we lost Monica's mom to Lou Gehrig's disease a few months ago, and much like after our mother died, life hasn't been the same since. Kim was just the latest in an ever growing list of loved ones we've lost over the last 7 years or so. I'm beginning to think the words to the song are true, "Only the good die young", because both of our mothers were taken well before their time. They had so much more life to live and love to give, and to lose them in such painful ways has put a damper on what should be a bright and happy time of year.
Then there's the whole job situation. First of all, let me just say that I am profoundly grateful to at least HAVE a job, when so many others out there are struggling to do anything they can just to make ends meet. That being said, I will be 34 next Thursday, and I am currently earning the lowest wages that I've received since just after I got out of college. I was doing okay, sort of, when I was working at OfficeMax in Acworth, but I took a fair pay cut when I transferred to the Athens store, and it definitely shows. The last paycheck I received, the first one from my new store, was the lowest paycheck I've received in years, several hundred dollars less than what I was earning before the move. I just can't live like this! I'm approaching middle age, I have a college degree (sure it's a basically useless B.Sc. in Communication, but it's a degree!), I have numerous computer skills, and the job I'm currently working at is paying me less than $9/hour.
To put it mildly (and crudely), THAT SUCKS!!! Why can't I get a job that pays what I'm worth (or at least something more than $12-$15 and hour?) Why can't I get a job that's Monday -Friday, with weekends off, and on a set schedule? (Okay yes, if I take over the ImPress department at my new store I'll have a Monday - Friday shift, and slightly better pay, but it's still not really going to be enough, and definitely not what I'm worth.) Next week will mark my 2nd year with OfficeMax (the longest I've ever worked for a single company at one time), and I should be due for a raise by the end of the year, but even if we GET raises, they'll only be a few cents, and I'll still be earning way less than I was when I was a Supervisor. I'm in somewhat of a dead end job where I am, because there's not really anywhere I can go in the ImPress department, and I don't want to go into management or anything, because I don't really like or enjoy retail...I just do it because half the time it's the only place one can find a job, especially in this crappy job market with this current economy.
So as I approach my 34th birthday, I can't help despairing about my current situation. I'm in a crappy low paying and dead end job, I live in this wonderful house all alone most of the time because Monica's transfer STILL hasn't gone through, and things don't look like they're going to improve any time soon. I didn't really mean to go off on a rant quite so much, but this rainy weather isn't helping either. It's the kind of weather that encourages too much thinking, and right now there are too many things that I don't want to think about...
On a different note however, I have plans to make a movable fish/game cleaning station that I can use out in the yard to clean and process any fish or wild game I might harvest. I have a vision in my head, and I'm going to draw out some sketches. If I can build it like I want to, it will come in handy for lots of things. And who knows...maybe if it comes out REALLY well, I can try and sell them for some extra money! Stay tuned to see how this idea pans out. Peace.
As most of you know, we lost Monica's mom to Lou Gehrig's disease a few months ago, and much like after our mother died, life hasn't been the same since. Kim was just the latest in an ever growing list of loved ones we've lost over the last 7 years or so. I'm beginning to think the words to the song are true, "Only the good die young", because both of our mothers were taken well before their time. They had so much more life to live and love to give, and to lose them in such painful ways has put a damper on what should be a bright and happy time of year.
Then there's the whole job situation. First of all, let me just say that I am profoundly grateful to at least HAVE a job, when so many others out there are struggling to do anything they can just to make ends meet. That being said, I will be 34 next Thursday, and I am currently earning the lowest wages that I've received since just after I got out of college. I was doing okay, sort of, when I was working at OfficeMax in Acworth, but I took a fair pay cut when I transferred to the Athens store, and it definitely shows. The last paycheck I received, the first one from my new store, was the lowest paycheck I've received in years, several hundred dollars less than what I was earning before the move. I just can't live like this! I'm approaching middle age, I have a college degree (sure it's a basically useless B.Sc. in Communication, but it's a degree!), I have numerous computer skills, and the job I'm currently working at is paying me less than $9/hour.
To put it mildly (and crudely), THAT SUCKS!!! Why can't I get a job that pays what I'm worth (or at least something more than $12-$15 and hour?) Why can't I get a job that's Monday -Friday, with weekends off, and on a set schedule? (Okay yes, if I take over the ImPress department at my new store I'll have a Monday - Friday shift, and slightly better pay, but it's still not really going to be enough, and definitely not what I'm worth.) Next week will mark my 2nd year with OfficeMax (the longest I've ever worked for a single company at one time), and I should be due for a raise by the end of the year, but even if we GET raises, they'll only be a few cents, and I'll still be earning way less than I was when I was a Supervisor. I'm in somewhat of a dead end job where I am, because there's not really anywhere I can go in the ImPress department, and I don't want to go into management or anything, because I don't really like or enjoy retail...I just do it because half the time it's the only place one can find a job, especially in this crappy job market with this current economy.
So as I approach my 34th birthday, I can't help despairing about my current situation. I'm in a crappy low paying and dead end job, I live in this wonderful house all alone most of the time because Monica's transfer STILL hasn't gone through, and things don't look like they're going to improve any time soon. I didn't really mean to go off on a rant quite so much, but this rainy weather isn't helping either. It's the kind of weather that encourages too much thinking, and right now there are too many things that I don't want to think about...
On a different note however, I have plans to make a movable fish/game cleaning station that I can use out in the yard to clean and process any fish or wild game I might harvest. I have a vision in my head, and I'm going to draw out some sketches. If I can build it like I want to, it will come in handy for lots of things. And who knows...maybe if it comes out REALLY well, I can try and sell them for some extra money! Stay tuned to see how this idea pans out. Peace.
December 8, 2008
A Bloody Mess
After hanging out at Clare's today, I decided to come home and deal with most of the remaining venison I still have left to cut up (I still have the one backstrack left to process, but most of the other stuff is done.)
Tonight it was grinding and jerky time. I've already got meat for stews and roasts in the freezer, but, I wanted to grind a good portion of the meat, mixing it together with ground pork before freezing it. So I got out the grinder attachment for our Kitchen Aide mixer, and went to town. I have to say, I've ground various types of meat before, but never has the meat been so juicy and bloody. I ended up having to keep my hand in front of the grider because as it was churning out the ground meat, it was also shooting little squirts of blood all over the place while making a nice and juicy squelching sound! So I fed the chunks of meat into the grinder with one hand, and used my other hand as a backstop to stop the blood from squirting everywhere. (This sounds a lot grosser than it was. The blood spatter was small, but there was a fair amount of it!)
Anyway, I got all the venison ground up, then dumped in a couple pounds of ground pork from Dad and Sandra, mixed it all together, and ran it all back through the grinder. Then I divided the meat into 3 Food Saver bags, and vaccuum sealed it for the freezer.
Prior to grinding, I also took some of the strips of meat that I cut for jerky a couple days ago, places toothpicks through them, and suspended them from the top oven rack. Then I set the oven on 180 degrees, propped the door open and inch or so, and started the process of turning the strips of meat into venison jerky. I'm not sure how it will turn out (or what our gas bill will be like this month), but hopefully everything will turn out fine.
At any rate, here are some pictures of the venison.
Tonight it was grinding and jerky time. I've already got meat for stews and roasts in the freezer, but, I wanted to grind a good portion of the meat, mixing it together with ground pork before freezing it. So I got out the grinder attachment for our Kitchen Aide mixer, and went to town. I have to say, I've ground various types of meat before, but never has the meat been so juicy and bloody. I ended up having to keep my hand in front of the grider because as it was churning out the ground meat, it was also shooting little squirts of blood all over the place while making a nice and juicy squelching sound! So I fed the chunks of meat into the grinder with one hand, and used my other hand as a backstop to stop the blood from squirting everywhere. (This sounds a lot grosser than it was. The blood spatter was small, but there was a fair amount of it!)
Anyway, I got all the venison ground up, then dumped in a couple pounds of ground pork from Dad and Sandra, mixed it all together, and ran it all back through the grinder. Then I divided the meat into 3 Food Saver bags, and vaccuum sealed it for the freezer.
Prior to grinding, I also took some of the strips of meat that I cut for jerky a couple days ago, places toothpicks through them, and suspended them from the top oven rack. Then I set the oven on 180 degrees, propped the door open and inch or so, and started the process of turning the strips of meat into venison jerky. I'm not sure how it will turn out (or what our gas bill will be like this month), but hopefully everything will turn out fine.
At any rate, here are some pictures of the venison.
Hanging Out At Clare's
When Clare got back from running her errands (and I from mine), I drove over to her house and we spent the day together with Jack and Esme. I kept Clare company while she sat atop the walls of the cob house she's building and scraped away the grass that's starting to grow from all the rain that's fall on the cob lately. Then we sat around the wood burning stove and at generic Fig Newtons while sipping hot PG Tips tea (another delicious English tea.) When the kids woke up, we went outside to shoot a few rounds from my .22 rifle at the stump across the yard. Then Clare went to the post office with Esme while Jack and I hung out by the cob house, listening to the animals in the woods. (I thought there was a deer walking along the ridge near us (and there may have been), but one thing I did see making noise was a squirrel.)
Anyway, when Clare got back home, we went back inside to warm up around the fire again, and I read 3 books to Jack (one of them twice), watched some strange children's nature show with him, and had a nice bowl of carrots, potatoes, and sausage. Then I wandered back home, leaving Clare to bathe the kids and get them to bed.
All in all it was an enjoyable day, and I do so love being able to spend some quality time with Clare and her family. Here are a couple pictures from today.
Anyway, when Clare got back home, we went back inside to warm up around the fire again, and I read 3 books to Jack (one of them twice), watched some strange children's nature show with him, and had a nice bowl of carrots, potatoes, and sausage. Then I wandered back home, leaving Clare to bathe the kids and get them to bed.
All in all it was an enjoyable day, and I do so love being able to spend some quality time with Clare and her family. Here are a couple pictures from today.
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