Moderation

 It appears in this last week of September, that the weather is about to moderate from our usual heat and humidity.  We are expecting a cooler front on Wednesday/Thursday that will bring a bit of rain and cooler temps, with highs in the 80s, Squirrel season opens this weekend in our area, and the rain should help with the hunting.  The woods are dry right now and the leaves underfoot are like walking through corn flakes.

As I type this, I have two A/C units running.  They are currently both cycled off.  That is good news for my power bill.  Belle made a runup to the Dollar Store and came back with a sack of potatoes. She's hungry for Potato Stuff.

It's a recipe that I found on Bruce Mitchell's site.  Bruce and I cook similarly, with more emphasis on flavor and using what is at hand rather than strict adherence to a recipe.  This reminds me of an old recipe that a college girlfriend cooked occasionally.  The recipe didn't have a name, so we started calling it Brenda potatoes.  Basically, potatoes and onions with a little bacon for flavor. She layered hers in a heavily buttered Dutch oven and ran it in the oven for an hour or so, until the potatoes were fork tender.

I don't mind posting recipes, but it is so much easier to put up a link, so here is the link to Potato Stuff.

Getting Fall

 Belle was mentioning today that she was ready for the weather to cool off so we could make gumbos and stews and corn maque chou. (mock chew)

Corn maque chou is a regional thing, with lots of different recipes. The only real constants are corn and cream.  Everything else is the chef's choice.  I like onion and bell pepper, while Belle might add some petit diced tomatoes.

Below is Bruce Mitchell's recipe.  You can tell that the weather is cool, because Bruce is wearing a shirt.

Bon apetit, y'all.

Jewelry

 I lost my wedding band last week.  I've been losing weight and noticed that the band was getting a bit loose, but didn't think much about it.  Until it was gone.  Doing yard work, I noticed that I was not wearing a wedding band.  Well, hell.

It was a plain gold band, 10-carat, size 9.  I think, when I got married, I paid about $50 for it.  

This morning, I went to my jeweler and ordered a new wedding band.  Yellow cold, 10-carat.  The guy didn't blush went he told me the price, but he did apologize. $500.  Yeah, really.  I'll pick it up on Tuesday. The gold spot price today s $4284.25.

I'm one of those guys who feels naked without a wedding band.

Dry Week

 I just finished a dry week, which is something I do occasionally.  For one entire calendar week, no  alcohol of any kind.  No beer, no wine, no whiskey.  It helps reset the palate, gives the liver a break, and makes sure that there are no psychological problems.  It's a good idea.

Surprisingly, I don't miss it at all when I take a dry week, which is exactly the point.

We did get a passing thunderstorm late this afternoon.  We need the rain.

Diesel Strike?

 Over Sunday lunch, I heard a rumor that truck drivers and others are planning a diesel strike  for October 1st.  What??  That don't make sense.

Yeah, I know.  Fuel prices are high. But the idea that truckers are going to turn off the engine to protest high prices sounds a bit odd.  Doing a little Google-fu tells me that the idea seems to have gotten the best legs on the Book of Face. That particular social media page has a world-wide reputation for accurate information (/sarc).  So there you have that.

More pressing concerns is what's for lunch?  I have a good tomato, a loaf of fresh bread and a pound of bacon.  I believe it's time for a good ol' bacon and 'mater sammich..  I'm going to preheat the oven and slide that bacon in there for 30 minutes or so.

Saturday Thoughts

 Climate change - This is the first summer that I can remember when we have ot had a hurricane in the Atlantic basin. I've lived here through 72 summers and can't remember a summer like this one.  NOAA bacs me up on this, and I am not complaining.

The hummingbirds are passing through and my feeders are totally engaged.  I'm going through sugar water at an enhanced rate.

Human migration - After watching Nick's video yesterday and thinking abut the lessons we can glean from it, I am wondering what the Atakapa people might think about it.  Or the Huron or Chippewa or Arisaka? The worst part is that the folks who defend illegal migration is that they probably don't know who the Chippewa or Atakapa people are.  We can learn from history.  How did hat work out for the Cherokee?

The AI Kerfuffle - Has anyone but me noticed that the AI democrats are making the same arguments that they used when trying to quell covid?  Trust the science... Flatten the curve... It's going to kill us all... My strongest argument is that Bernie Sanders hasn't been right about anything yet.  If Bernie says that it is an existential threat, we should probably ignore him. He ain't been right about anything yet.

This is Saturday and I have things to accomplish, so if you will excuse me.

Nick Freidas

 Nick Freidas is a conservative voice in the United States.  A proud veteran, he served with the US 1st Special Forces in overseas deployments.  Post military, he served in the Virginia legislature.  Now he is speaking out on a range of issues.

Nick put out a documentary on the problems of unrestricted immigration. It is a cautionary tale for US politics and social policy.

I'm simply trying to boost the signal.

Cycling

 I have three big AC units in the shop, and since June I have left one of them running even when we aren't in the shop  I have the thermostat set and it seems to help keep the place cooler, with a shorter cool-down time.

This mooring we awoke to milder temps, drier air, and the coffee on the patio was very pleasant.  When the dog and I walked out to the shop, I was pleased to see that the AC unit was cycled off.  It's cooler in here than it has been sine last May.

We still have a lot of summer left in subtropical Louisiana and we are in a drought with no relief in sight for the next week or so.  But, this morning gives me reassurance that milder temps are on the way. In another month, I might be able to make a gumbo.

Very soon, I'll be hauling propane bottles to the feed store to heat the place.