Month: December 2019

The Roundup

Winter Wheel By David Jacobi

Many Tracks is the online home for Sue Robishaw and Steve Schmeck, who “live and work in our home, studio, and shop in the northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our art, our work, our lives, and our play interweave and blend to such a degree that it is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, which is how we like it to be. Our interest in a sustainable lifestyle and world permeates our life and work. The sun provides our electricity, the wind pumps our water, and the woods and the sun heat our home and cook our food. We strive to live a non-disposable life.” Take some time to explore their site.

Inspired by 1950’s paint-by-number kits, Easy 123 Art, Inc. creates custom paint by number products generated from digital photographs. Visit the site to see how it works.

Popular Science in some form has been around for over 140 years. The website offers easy reading on science topics for those of us who are not scientists.

The Dollar Stretcher is one of my favorite personal finance sites. It has been around since 1996 and continues to offer timely, well written articles. From the About Us page: “While all of our articles can help you live better for less, some are more about personal finance topics that can help you gain control of your finances and build wealth. And then we have our frugal living articles that can help you do just about anything for less money, such as remodel your kitchen, take a much needed vacation, or feed your family for less.” Founder Gary Foreman was gracious enough to write several guest posts for a previous blog of mine, which you can read here.

Have a good weekend!

My Brother

Sunset By Mike Jacobi

We are looking for a drink

And a bite to eat

Into the bar we go

It’s been years since we were here

Everything is different

Moved around, changed

Except the bar and stools

And the huge mirror behind them

Waiting for us

The bartender steps up

And he looks like a caveman

With a 1964 Beatle haircut he is

Shocking, ugly and proud

My brother chuckles

I know something is coming

As the bartender stands there

Hands us menus

My brother, analyzing him…

Here it comes…

“Are you related to a gorilla?”

“Agorilla?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, pretty sure.”

“Okay, I think we’re ready to order then.”

The gorilla smiles

We place our order

2011 By David Jacobi

The Drive-In Experience

Early 1970’s Des Moines newspaper ad for drive-in movies

When I was growing up in Des Moines, Iowa there were drive-in theaters on every side of the city, north, south, east and west. Which one to go watch movies at on a Friday or Saturday night depended on what was playing, the cost, your previous experiences at a given theater (could the place get rowdy, did most of the speakers work, was the concession stand cheap and tasty) and the quality of the playground equipment at the foot of the giant screen for those with kids. Many times a summer movie night at the drive-in would last well into the early morning because of the late starting time (around sunset) and the line up could include previews, a cartoon or two, a kids movie and then the adult double features, which sometimes was extended to three or four movies. Once kids grew bored with the adult movies and had annoyed their parents enough from the back seat of the car they were sent off to the midnight playground. This was a special treat for most, out playing with kids you had never met before, would never see again, under the stars late at night in front of a gigantic screen showing a movie you could not hear. My mom would cook up several batches of popcorn on the stove top and dump it in a paper bag along with melted butter and salt to take with us to the drive-in. Shelly and I had our first date at a drive-in, then went to several more as our romance blossomed. Whether you have experienced a drive-in or not there is still a chance to do so today. Check out DriveInMovie.com to see if one of the few surviving theaters is close to you.

Rabbit Tracks

Rabbit Tracks

There have been rabbits here long before we bought this acreage, and in the winter some live under the machine shed. I have tried blocking and filling in the holes they make but they still get in. A few weeks ago the dogs chased one into a chain link fence next to the shed. In it’s terror to avoid the dogs it became lodged half way through the fence and was screaming as the dogs chewed on it’s hindquarters. A horrific scene to discover. It was dark and by the time we had called the dogs off and could make out what had happened, the poor creature was too far gone. I grabbed a rifle and put it out of it’s misery. The next day when I could see I went out to remove the rabbit from the fence and it took me several minutes to finally get it free. A reminder that not everything about living in the country is pleasant. The packs of coyotes that roam our area got close enough a few nights ago that we worried about the safety of our two dogs, especially Marley, the oldest at 11. We called the dogs into the house, knowing they could assume the role of the doomed rabbit if surrounded and attacked by a pack of coyotes. After a recent overnight snowfall I went out during the day to check the mailbox with the two dogs. I smiled as I noticed our yard was crisscrossed with hundreds of rabbit tracks.

Website Review: AllMusic

AllMusic

AllMusic “catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands.” One may subscribe for an add free experience or just browse all of the free sections. There is much to take in here; it’s worth the time to explore this site to learn more about the the music you already enjoy and to discover interesting new artists.

Goulash

While doing some quick research before typing up our recipe for goulash I was somewhat surprised about how many variations there are of this dish and how it has changed over the hundreds of years it has been prepared and eaten. The following is very much an American version of the dish.

Ingredients:

One pound meat (we use kielbasa or ground beef)

One onion, diced

Garlic clove, crushed

Green pepper, diced

Paprika, caraway seed, salt and pepper, chili powder to taste

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Squeeze of mustard

Add all of the above to a skillet and cook until done

Boil one package of elbow or shell noodles until done, drain, then add the above ingredients to the pot along with:

One can diced tomatoes

One can mushrooms

Pinch of parsley

One can of corn

And finally add tomato sauce, the amount of which will determine if you are making more of a casserole type dish or a soup.

Heat until warm and top with sour cream and shredded cheese.