365 Day Photo Challenge 277/365 “Great Day!!”

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

https://tchphotography.smugmug.com/FT-Toulouse/i-GzJzRkx/A

I had a great day today, busy but it was a really good day.  I got over my little rant that I had last night and decided to put it behind me.  My wife and I traveled nearly two hours to watch my daughter’s band compete.  It was cold and had a constant mist falling throughout the time we spent there.  It was after 11pm when I got a text saying that they were loading the busses to come home.

After spending some time at the competition, we went to my parents house where I spent a couple of hours with my mom and dad and all my siblings.  We had a couple of family members have birthdays this month so we met to have a small celebration.

While I’m waiting on my daughters to come home I’m watching the Alabama vs Georgia game. I had it recorded so I could watch it when I got home. I mainly watch it to see if they happen to show the band and of course they did and who do I see?  Yes, I see my son on the tube, wet and soaked to the bone but at least he looks like he’s having fun.  My son is living his dream.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 276/365 “Disappointed”

Tags

, , , ,

11986448_948961471809543_7881794435783287981_n

I’m just sick to my stomach as to what I witnessed tonight.  So much so that I’m spitting mad.  Tonight was a football game between my daughters school in which they play in the band and my alma mater.  I was so looking forward to seeing some of my friends that I went to high school with but instead I had to hang my head in shame.

I arrived at the game late in the first quarter.  Corner, my alma mater, had already had seven points on the board.  I was to meet my parents there and they were sitting on the home field of Corner.  I made my way past the gate where I saw one of my cousins in which I spoke to for about ten minutes or so.  I then made my way to where my parents were sitting and sat down with them. About ten minutes from the half is when all hell broke lose.

I’m not privy to what gone or what is said between players during the game but something must have been said or done to cause one of Pleasant Grove’s players to literally attack Corners player right after he got tackled.  Of course, either the refs didn’t see it or wanted to turn their back to it.  The home team stands saw it though and they went wild.  Words like “Eject him, Throw him out and tremendous amount of Boo’s went on for nearly ten or so minutes.  Finally the refs got together and ejected not one but two of PG’s players.  This was the start.  For the next five plays, PG was penalized after every play for personal fouls.  During this time they even managed to get two touchdowns in which were called back because of these fouls.  Unbelievable.  Now I’m already having a difficult time sitting there because I’m pulling for my daughters school and to hear the crowd boo our team was a little more than I could take.

Half time came and the bands played.  Which both bands did an excellent job considering all the tension on the field.  PG came onto the field with Boo’s.  I was really expecting to see the same unsportsmanlike conduct during the rest of the game but the coaches on both teams must have had strong words with the players during their halftime break. The remainder of the game was relatively calm.  Oh there were some pushes and some unnecessary shoves but not one personal foul made during the second half but the damage was done.

After the second quarter got started, I walked my mom and dad over to the visitor side and they got to see their granddaughters.  After a while they said their goodbyes and my parents went home.  The final score of the game was PG 31 Corner 13.  Should I be proud of the win?  I’m not sure.  In all my years of my kids attending this school, I’ve never, never seen this sort of disrespect and unsportsmanlike conduct.

I don’t care what the excuse is, if there is any, there is no reason for deliberately attacking another player.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 275/365 “Holding Pattern”

Tags

, , , ,

Clyde is taking a nap after playing with his mouse.

Clyde is taking a nap after playing with his mouse.

It feels like I’m in a holding pattern for the next few weeks.  Every weekend for the whole month of October will be filled with something going on.  Luckily some of my time will be spent with the family but there will be a lot of time away from them.

My next “official” day off will be for the Thanksgiving holidays.  I don’t have any doctor’s appointments until mid December.  Maybe I can use this time to build my vacation time.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 274/365 “Doctor Appointment Results”

Tags

, , ,

https://tchphotography.smugmug.com/Landscapes/i-845rCRW/A

I had great news from my doctor appointment today.  My blood levels all were in the good range, including my cholesterol.  My A1C was still a little high but at 6.6 it’s a lot better than what it has been in the past.  The first thing the doctor asked me was if I had been riding my bicycle because he knew right off that I must have been doing something to get my levels down.  Now if I can just get my weight down and keep it down I think I would feel better about myself.

365 Day Photo Challenge 273/365 “Half Day Tomorrow”

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

005

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow with my general practitioner.  I see him every six months and have been every since I’ve been diagnosed with Diabetes.   If you don’t have a regular doctor I would highly suggest that you get one.  If it wasn’t for my biannual checkups my CML would not have been diagnosed until it was too late.

I’ve got to talk to him about several items that I’m having problems with so it might be a longer visit than normal.  I will not be going back to work after my appointment.  I’m sort of looking forward to a little time off.

365 Day Photo Challenge 272/365 “Another One College Bound”

Tags

, , , , , ,

m2042141

I say that with very mixed emotions.  I have twin 17 year old daughters and both of them have been looking into colleges lately, more this past week than ever.  I am not ready for them to go off to college.  They are my babies and I’m not ready for them to grow up much less go off to college.  I

When my son went off to college I was ok with it.  My wife, however, was not.  Although the school is not but 45 miles away he was not coming home but a few weekends out of the year.  My son and I had spent a lot of time together camping and doing other activities with the scouts so I I figured I’d have problems with him going away.

I’ts going to be different with me with my girls.  We don’t do a lot of things together because dad isn’t cool.  We don’t have anything in common and we don’t watch the same television shows.  It kind of reminds me of the commonality of my wife and I.  Anyway, when they go off to school they will be missed a lot.  I’m not sure how I’m going to handle it.  Just going to take it one day at a time.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 271/365 “In My Element”

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

12046810_10153188561903946_2925477796270327405_n

I spent nearly all day in the kitchen starting off with breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, and sausage all cooked in my 10in Lodge skillet.

12046746_10153187921618946_8520802613162147664_n    10947251_10153187921698946_5461911010564004324_n

12032998_10153187921928946_2339865876612144373_n 12039450_10153187922013946_8161469113819854064_n 12036795_10153187921838946_2258555841461942213_n

After breakfast and after I cleaned up the kitchen I began the finishing prep work for the pizza for supper.

12074617_10153188561718946_2327977949284620982_n 12039242_10153188561823946_4718891119382943282_n 12046810_10153188561903946_2925477796270327405_n

There were no left overs.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 270/365 “Busy Day”

Tags

, , , , ,

https://tchphotography.smugmug.com/HDR/i-KHf48kK/A

I had a fairly busy day today.  It started when I took my daughter to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for her music lessons then home for lunch.  After lunch I prepared the dough for the pizza that I’m planning on cooking tomorrow night.  I did get a chance to watch a little bit of the Alabama game but it wasn’t long before I had to leave and go watch my daughter’s perform with their high school band at a band jamboree.

Tomorrow is going to be just as busy.  The girls are wanting me to cook breakfast in the morning then I’ve got some cast iron that I’ve got to start on the re seasoning process.  I’ve got yard work that I’d like to do plus I wouldn’t mind going on a bicycle ride if I have time.

Once I start on the pizza I’ll try and remember to take pictures so that I can share the cooking process.  Right now the dough is sitting in a bowl with tin foil over it so it can rise.  According to the instructions, once I get it in the skillet I’m supposed to let it rise again for another hour before I put it in the oven.  I’m really hoping this works out.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 269/365 “It’s Pizza Time”

Tags

, , ,

12009615_10207782700595790_2771583186264957684_n

I have many hobbies and as I’ve stated in earlier posts I love to cook and I love to cook in my cast iron.  If you love cast iron cooking as much as I do then you need to follow The Black Pot on Facebook.  It’s just a group page where I am starting to share my recipes as well as some tips on how to take care of your cast iron.  I have even put some information regarding restoring your cast iron if the need arises.

I’ve been seeing some homemade pizza recipes on different websites and it’s really sparked my interest being that I’ve never made homemade pizza before.  Tonight, on my way home from work, I stopped at the store and picked up everything I need to make this dish.  According to the directions, I have to make the dough a day ahead of time.  So, I’ll be making the dough tomorrow afternoon and set it aside to used Sunday evening.  I can’t wait.

“Life Goes On”

365 Day Photo Challenge 268/365 “Restoration Projects”

Tags

, , , ,

148747_1487111154869553_8481963990995287785_n

I got into restoring cast iron back last summer.  This was my first project.  It’s a Lodge Sportsman Grill.  I paid a lot of money for it and I accidently left it outside for several years.  I had misplaced it and couldn’t remember where I put it.  I originally thought that I had either left it at the last location I used it or someone stole it from me.  I never dreamed that I left it outside but alas I did.  When I found it I was so mad and disappointed in myself.  I thought it was ruined.

I started seeing a lot of posts on some of the forums that I follow about how to restore cast iron by using a process called Electrolysis.  At first I thought this was so far above my head that I wouldn’t be able to even consider it.  I was wrong.  I first started off with a five gallon bucket, a battery charger and a couple pieces of scrap iron.  I put the smaller pieces into the tank and after a couple of days, the process had stripped all the rust off of it and left nothing but raw metal.  I was impressed.  After I got all the pieces stripped I then began the process of re seasoning.  Which is another story altogether.

If there’s one thing I learned during the whole process is this.  Don’t re season your cast iron in your house.  It will leave a nasty odor and it will linger all day long.  If you have an outdoor grill this is where you should re season your cast iron.  Your marriage may last a little longer if you do everything outside.

10615964_1487111144869554_4667728144330187098_n

“Life Goes On!”