Endless Tape Loops

One morning, not long ago, I awoke to Eddie Fisher singing  "Oh My Pa-Pa." I buried my head in my pillow and groaned, trying to shut the song out, but it was no use. It continued to play over and over in my brain. No matter how I tried to block it, it sung through. This is an affliction I have suffered from for many years, and I dread what my subconscious will come up with next. I have been tortured by songs such as, “One Eyed, One Horn, Flying Purple People Eaters”, “ I’m Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart”, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, “Elvira”, “Achy Breaky Heart”, “Mother-in-Law”, “The Witch Doctor”, and countless others. What I don’t understand is why I don’t come up with better music. If I have to listens to something endless times, why can’t it be a well written song? Why does my brain latch onto the worst? There is one song that I dread above all others, and that is" Danny Boy." I fear even mentioning it. It has only come up in the endless tape loop twice in my life, but that was more than I could bear. Those two times made me wonder what I had done to be tormented so. It is such an awful song. It’s other title is” London Derriere” and that’s a much better title for the damn thing. Oh – I’m sorry, “Londonderry Air.”

Anyway, these insidious songs do fade by evening. I’m grateful for that, and they don’t show up every day. But just when I think it’s safe to assume that I’ll never be afflicted again, I wake up to “Feelings – Whoa Whoa Whoa, Feelings!”

I found this recipe on Allrecipies.com. Not only did it taste good, but it was easy to make. Serve with pasta or rice. 2 cups of chicken stock may be too much, so watch the amount you put in. 

Sour Cream Chicken Paprika
    4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

    1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

    1 cup chopped onion

    1 1/2 tablespoons butter

    2 tablespoons paprika

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    2 cups chicken stock

    1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

    1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

You can leave breasts whole or cut them up, whatever your preference. Use a large skillet, and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken and set aside.

Using the same skillet, cook onion in butter until translucent but not brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with paprika and salt. Pour chicken stock into the pan, and bring all to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer; mix flour with sour cream until smooth, then whisk into chicken stock. Place chicken in skillet; simmer until chicken is heated through and sauce has thickened.

                                                                     EARTH DAY

                                                The Environmental Terrorists are among us.

                                                           Palestine Street   View #1

                                                         Palestine Street  View #2

                                                  They shaved off half of my Magnolia tree.

Today is Earth Day, and as I sit writing this essay, I can hear the tree killers with their chain saws, outside my house, and there is nothing I can do to stop them. The tree trimming company, hired by the electric company has full rights to go onto your property and cut back any trees they feel like that are near the power lines. Never mind that it’s spring and the sap is running in the trees. They don’t care if they die or not. If you look down Palestine Street, you can see their butcher work. Hundred year old trees have had their branches cut back to the trunk nearest the power lines, leaving them unbalanced and susceptible to disease. And what happens when the trees in front of your house die? Your property value goes down, and your air conditioning bill goes up.The power company is happy about that. There are reasons why I love the state of Mississippi, but there are also reasons that make me ashamed of the state I live in. The level of consciousness is very low here. People think nothing of throwing trash out of their cars as they drive by your property. Many of them are students at Hinds Community College. I know because I see them do it when I walk through Raymond each morning. Most women in Raymond come out on a daily basis to pick up the trash in their yards. I see them and it makes me sad. What does it take to make people aware of the damage they do? It’s obvious that the company who runs the tree service doesn’t care about the trees. No one thinks about the fact that we all live here, together, and we’re connected to everything else. I don’t have children because the earth is overcrowded, but for those of you who do, please, please teach them to love their mother. The Native Americans have a chant that we should take to heart:

The Earth is my Mother. She takes care of me.
The Earth is my Mother. I take care of her.

And please, make the decision this year to never take home another plastic bag from the grocery store – ever – again. 

Egg Arrangements – The Art of the Egg

Since I now have over 100 eggs, that Bay Lee, my cockatiel laid, I did an image search on Google to see what other people have done with eggs. I was hoping to get some inspiration for an art piece. What I found was far more amusing than I could ever come up with, and I thought it only right that I share the images with you. 

                                                             This is my favorite one!

Bras

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/braless-best-study-says-bras-breasts-saggier-161300096.html

I can’t believe it. Suddenly, after all these years, the truth comes out about bras. For some reason, it doesn’t occur to most women that the bra was the invention of a man – not another woman.  Now how can a man design something for a woman when he doesn’t even have the same equipment? Not only that, but how is it that they were able to convince western women that the bra was a symbol of their womanhood?  Believe it or not, there are some women in this country that never take them off! They even sleep in them. And now the myth that your breasts would sag if you ever took it off has been busted.  Thank you!  Do you honestly think you could convince men to wear something tightly strapped around their chest at all times?  I don’t think you’d get your man to agree with “ I’ll wear one if you wear one.”  Honestly, ladies, I burned my bra in the sixties, and have been happier ever since!

Try this amazing 239 Bean Soup! 

Ingredients:
239 Beans
Garlic
Onions
1 Small Tomato
Chicken Stock
Salt and Pepper

Combine all the above ingredients in a pot and cook until done. Make sure that you only use 239 beans. Why that exact number? Well, if you added just one more bean, it would be too farty! 

Rainbow Co-Op

Elaine and I went to the Hippie store in Jackson today. We had a marvelous salad, and enjoyed every bite. Their salad bar is worth every penny you pay for good organic food. We always enjoy our visits. On the way out, we stopped by the ladies room to refresh ourselves before the long drive back to Raymond. This was posted on the back of the door, so you would see it on your way out. Yes! Finally some instructions on how you should act! Now they can’t say they didn’t know any better.

Baked Shrimp

I believe Bill, my husband, found this recipe on Facebook. We tried it and liked it very much – and it’s simple.

Melt a stick of butter.
Line a baking dish with aluminum foil
Pour the butter into the dish.
Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter.
Put the shrimp on top of the lemon slices.
Sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning on the shrimp.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

                                                             Belated Easter Joke

                              Q:  What do you call 10 rabbits in a row, walking backwards?

                                                      A:  A receding hare line!