Veterans Day

 The eleventh day of the eleventh month, marking the armistice that ended the Great War.  Today, we call it Veterans Day.

I see that the Senate yesterday voted to end the shutdown.  Eight Democrats joined Republicans to put it over the finish line.  Tomorrow the House should vote and send it over to the White House.  Presumably, the troops will get paid and the Pore N' Starvin will get their food stamps.

That is a good thing, I reckon.  Although I have seen over the past few days, a number of the perennially broke types posting reels on Facebook and YouTube, complaining about not having food on the table.  Only in America can someone post on the internet about such things while enjoying ownership of a smartphone.  It's supposed to be Supplemental Nutrition, not the primary plan. To my mind, SHAP should be limited to basic food.  Dry beans, salt pork, flour, sugar and cornmeal. A box of milk powder.  Stuff like that. I understand that the US has huge stocks of cheese in underground caverns.  Let 'em eat cheese.

Later today I'm going to put on a pound of dry beans to make Red beans and rice for tomorrow.  I'm not too  good to eat red bens.

First Frost

 Happy Birthday, Marines.

I think we got our first frost this morning.  A light frost to be sure, but a frost nonetheless.

I made the first gumbo of the season yesterday, not so much that it was cold, but because it was the second weekend in November and I was ready for gumbo.  I never know how ay people I am going to feed for Sunday lunch, and I do not advertise my menu. Many times I don't know what I am cooking until I start cooking.  Still, people show up.  I fed 13 yesterday.

Today, Belle wants something warming, so I think I'll cook a potato soup for lunch. With diced tasso and lots of cheese.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to the grocers.

It's The Bee

 The headline in the Babylon Bee from yesterday.

Mamdani Moves Mayor's Office Under Children's Hospital

That is funny right there.  The boy is a Hamas supporter. 

In other news, I was talking with my son last night, and he told me about a new product for guys like me who carry revolvers daily.  Revo-Mag.  It's a way to carry a reload in your pocket that is not as bulky as a speedloader. Supposedly faster than a speed strip. Interesting.

The weather-weenies are telling us to expect some weather in advance of this cold from, but for the life of me, I'm not seeing it. At least locally, there is not much rain in the forecast. Odd, that.

Algorithms

 So, my feed has filled up with these little shorts where porch pirates are getting their comeuppance. with dye packs. The algorithms, they are algorithm-ing.

Like this one.  Or, this one.

My question, Is this a real thing or are they AI generated?  They are amusing for sure, but how many porch pirates are out there?

Elections Matter

 The Democrats had a good night last night, electing governors in Virginia and New Jersey. That was to be expected, both being blue states.  New York elected a commie mayor, and we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.

These results really don't come as a surprise to me.  What would have been surprising were if the results were any different. What will be interesting is how these results play out in the face of the upcoming midterm elections.

I've only been in NYC once, in the early 80s as a tourist.  I saw what I wanted to see and got the hell out of there. Eight hours, bucket list done.  Those folks can have that place.  I suspect that in the wake of this election, some will be leaving.

Pot Roast

 Last night, Belle and I were discussing the lunch menu for today.  She mentioned that we haven't done a pot roast in a while, so I determined to make one today. It's an ancient recipe, on that has been in the family for decades.  My grandfather used to make it every Sunday, as part of a larger meal.  My grandfathers Sunday table was legendary, with pot roast, meatballs, baked mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, English peas, and a host of other sides.

The basic pot roast recipe is here.

Even though my last name happens to be German, my heritage is more mixed, like all Americans.  I have German, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and Cajun blood running through me.  My Scots-Irish grandmother, for example, loved crawfish, but I don't recall my Cajun grandmother ever eating a crawfish.

I recall as a young officer, I was sent to Fort Dix NJ for a two-week class.  One night, several of us went off post to have dinner at a German restaurant.  I thought it was exotic and ordered German Pot Roast as the entree. I was somewhat disappointed to find that it was precisely what my grandfather had served ever Sunday. I did learn about schnitzel and bratwurst on that trip.

The roast is in the oven.  In anther hour the kitchen will start to smell like what I think heaven will smell like.

Monday Muse

 Are we still in the government shutdown?  I haven't noticed and don't really care. As a "small L libertarian", the less government, the better.

PJMedia asks the rhetorical question, "How many illegal aliens are drawing food stamps?"  For me, the answer is that one is too many.  The migrants I know, all of them legal, are hardworking souls that pay their own way.  If you are coming to the US to mooch, then you are in the wrong place.  Go home and mooch.

I understand that some people want to keep the gravy train rolling, but eventually you run out of other people's money.  And every tax dollar that the government squanders is other people's money. Now, I understand that two federal court judges are talking with Trump about how to get the money flowing.  It seems that the US Dept of Agriculture has some $5 Billion set aside for natural disasters.  This is not a natural disaster.  This is Democrat stubbornness. They can end it today by voting to end it.

On a more personal and local note, Belle wants me to make my stuffed chimichangas for lunch today. She has a list and will soon be on her way to the grocers.