Overwhelmed and the Middle Ages

Good day ya'll (isn't it weird that I've always spelled "ya'll" that way, when it is properly "y'all" ... anyway, I drift already! Been sitting here sipping the beverage and wanting to share something extremely deep and worthy "hee, hee" yes, another of my blogs -- of which I have a couple of thoughts in my brain that I've yet to be able to turn out onto a written page (and with a couple of thoughts - my brain is definitely overwhelmed!)

So, I'm going to post one of my favorite pages out of "Meditations For Women Who Do Too Much" by Anne Wilson Schaef ... just read, you'll "get" the "Middle Ages" reference! (Um, fellas - I think ya'll :-) can relate to this too!)

Feeling Overwhelmed

"Feeling overwhelmed isn't surprising. Being surprised about it is." ... Anne Wilson Schaef

Is it any wonder we often feel overwhelmed? Just the bills for the "necessities" of life seem more than we can handle sometimes. And then there are federal income taxes, state taxes, changing deductions, investments, sales, best buys, 10,000-mile checkups on our cars, teeth cleaning, pap smears, travel arrangements, and planning family vacations, if we dare to take one.

Recent estimates on the rate of information processing tell us that every few minutes we process more information than was processed in a lifetime by those living in the Middle Ages. Feeling overwhelmed feels like a normal reaction.

"Sometimes it helps to know that I can't do it all. One step at a time is all that's possible -- even when those steps are taken on the run."

******* So try not to process more information than an entire lifetime of Medival living today and Have a Blessed Sunday my Friends -- This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Pslam 118:24

One of my favorite "feel good - not overwhelmed" websites, always good for a laugh!

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Hope - Emily Dickinson

How about a little Emily Dickinson to ponder. Have you recently stopped to listen to the little feathered being that perches within your soul and sings unceasingly? Take the time, see what it is encouraging you to do!

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune--without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Tweet, tweet, tweet :-)

Livestrong.com - A Great Free Tool

Want to change your health? Need information on how to loose weight? Need base information on a specific problem? Need something simple like a Vegan recipe? Want to watch a yoga "how to" video? Need some good tools to keep track of your daily caloric intake, exercise and/or water consumption? Need other folks who are in the "same boat" to encourage you?

Livestrong.com is the place to be and it is free (yes, there is a "gold membership" but I've yet to need anything beyond the zillions of things you can access for free!)

My favorite tool is MyPlate, a great place to keep up with daily caloric intake, water consumption and exercise. You start by putting in your goal of how much weight you would like to loose in a week (and it won't allow you to put more than is healthy for you!) and then enter everything you eat during the day (and yes "there's an app for that!). You enter what exercise you did and your water consumption. It figures everything else out for you ... here's an example of one of MyPlate pages: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ (I obviously didn't finish filling out the day!) (Note: Sorry, I realized that was a link to "me" logged in .. I replaced it with a generic MyPlate page - sorry!)

You can join a group and take a dare: http://www.livestrong.com/dares/ ... and, yes you can track your daily victories in a dare too!

Read an article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/94426-vegetarian-diet-system/

Or watch that yoga video: http://www.livestrong.com/video/619-yoga-prep-relieve-headache/

It is a wonderful place to hang out, read information (more than I'll ever be able to read) and keep track of yourself (I obviously need to get back to it myself!)

So go for it buddies -- take a dare, improve yourself!

Thank you Livestrong.com, Lance Armstrong, Chris Brewer AND all the other staff it takes to keep this website running ... also thanks to all the experts that give their time to the articles and videos!

... as the warning always goes -- check with your doctor before starting any exercise program or any other "big" changes!

Chicken-Fried Steak - Thank Texas!

It is not beyond me to "borrow" from the best! One of my bosses sent me the Copano Bay Press "Texas Reader" via email today and this little article was included, found it mouth watering and interesting and have decided it deserves to be passed along to chicken-fried steak lovers everywhere ... you know you always wondered about the origin of the tasty dish ... every time you stick a fork full in your mouth - right! ("This writer" is not me .. copied article verbatim AND "pounding the hell out of it" ... not only makes steak tender, it is good therapy!)

The Origins of a Texas Favorite

The origins of chicken-fried steak are shrouded in mystery thicker than the gravy that goes with it. The earliest reference this writer could find using that exact term is in a 1928 article on obesity in a railway employees bulletin. Obviously, the dish was being enjoyed long before that.

Most culinary historians trace the origin of our plate-eclipsing marvel to the Germans who came to Texas in the nineteenth century and brought with them recipes for Wiener Schnitzel. This dish consists of pounded veal coated with breadcrumbs and fried. (It has nothing to do with the Wienerschnitzel hotdog joints.)

Recipes for what we would all recognize as chicken fried steak were included in many southern cookbooks after the Civil War.

If you think about it, the chicken fried steak was almost inevitable in Texas. Even the best of cuts from those old longhorns required a really good set of teeth to enjoy. What was a cook to do with the tougher cuts? Pounding the hell out of it is a very Texan thing to do.

There are regional variations, even within Texas. The East Texas version is dipped in egg and then flour, similar to the way fried chicken is prepared. Central Texas uses bread crumbs rather than flour, showing its Weiner Schnitzel roots. Out West there is a version made without dipping the meat in egg, which likely had its origin which chuck wagon cooks on cattle drives.

Just who coined the term, 'chicken fried' remains a mystery...for now.

.... now for a tasty recipe for chicken-fried steak and milk gravy YUM:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup buttermilk baking mix (such as Bisquick)
2 pounds bottom or top round steak (cut into four individual portions), pounded well to tenderize
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Milk Gravy (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 150 degrees F.

In a shallow pan or plate, sift together flour, salt, and pepper.

In another shallow pan, combine egg and water.

In still another shallow pan, place baking mix. Coat steaks in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, and then coat with baking mix.

In a large frying pan (cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and heat until a drop of water sizzles. Add coated steak pieces, in batches, and fry 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked (add additional vegetable oil if needed). Remove from pan and keep cooked steaks warm in preheated oven.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil. Put the frying pan back over the heat and make the Milk Gravy.

Milk Gravy Recipe:

2 tablespoons pan drippings
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, heavy cream, or evaporated milk, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In the same frying pan with 2 tablespoons pan drippings, over medium heat, sprinkle flour over the oil and blend with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth. Whisking or stirring constantly, slowly pour in milk, cream or evaporated milk; continue stirring, scraping loose browned bits from the bottom and sides of skillet, until the gravy begins to boil and thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes or until gravy is thickened to the desired consistency and the flour has lost its raw, pasty taste.

Remove from pan and serve hot with the Chicken-Fried Steak.

Makes 4 servings

..... now go and enjoy yourself some chicken-fried steak, mashed taters, gravy and a veggie of your choice (I love corn all mixed in with my taters!)

LIVEstrong Austin Challenge

Today's rendering is very simple - I am participating in the 5K run at the LIVEstong Austin Challenge on October 23, 2010. This is a request that you take a look at my LIVEstrong webpage and consider donating, either now or later, in an effort to keep research going forward on this horrible disease.

My bet is that everyone has a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, child, friend or acquaintance that has or has had cancer, it simply must be beaten!

Thank you my friends, we can beat this disease through research and the Grace of God.

http://austin2010.livestrong.org/charamok

(Sorry for whatever reason the "link" option isn't working - please copy and paste address.)

Just a Fact: My last Livestrong Austin Challenge ... you, my friends, raise $2,000.00!

Poem: Pioneers

I've decided to also randomly share poems, literature, sayings, quips ... you name it whatever comes into my brain BUT WAIT that would be something really random and that's what this blogspot is all about :-) Here's a little poem I find particularly endearing:

Pioneers by: Dovie A. Owens

Deep in the heart of every one,
There is a wide frontier,
A vast expanse to overcome,
Beset with toil and fear

There is no smooth and easy path,
Each one must find their way,
And prove their merit traveling on
With faith, from day to day.

.... here's to you all, my buddies, finding your faith from day to day. Peace

"Live Like Your Dying" Kris Allen

Have you ever listened to this song … no, I mean really listened to this song?

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up

We're hiding behind skin that's too tough

How come we don't say I love you enough

Till it's to late, it's not too late

Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come

And we could make a feast from these crumbs

And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun

So if your life flashed before you,

What would you wish you would've done

Chorus:
Yeah, we gotta start

Looking at the hands of the time we've been given

If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking

If every second counts on a clock that's ticking

Gotta live like we're dying

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to

Turn it all around or to throw it all away

We gotta tell them that we love them

While we got the chance to say

Gotta live like we're dying

What matters the most in life to you? Have you put off someone or something that you love and that brings you joy because they/it isn’t on your schedule saying "later" – or " "When I’m not so busy"?

And if your plane fell out of the skies

Who would you call with your last goodbye

Should be so careful who we live out our lives

So when we long for absolution,

There'll no one on the line, yeah

Yeah, we gotta start

Looking at the hands of the time we've been given

If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking

If every second counts on a clock that's ticking

Gotta live like we're dying

Who would you call? Have you told them you love them today? Say, you love ice cream, but have given it up for “health reasons” (okay, dieting!) … if you were hit by a bus tomorrow, would that matter? Take the better alternative eat fat/sugar free … these days they are just as yummy – be flexible.

You never know a good thing till it's gone

You never see a crash till it's head on

Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong

You never know a good thing till it's gone

Our lives accelerate, it seems the days get shorter, list of promises get longer and a lot of what we end up with are “I need to ….. I plan to ….. Someday when I’m not so busy I’m going to.” Do you lay in bed with a hundred of chores running through your head, ever lost touch with a friend or family member?

I say we seize the day, take our lives back! Each morning we are presented with a valuable gift – a new day, it can be anything we allow it to be. Like the unopened gift it is, we need to take care in opening it and not waste every precious moment with “have to dos” (yes, there are some things that have to be done, jobs to be gone too, chores and errands to tend to .. but as the old saying goes: take time to smell the roses! Find a joyous thing – anything – to marvel in for 5 minutes … discover something that matters!

http://www.1000thingsthatmatter.com/index.php

I personally like No. 907

:-)

Name the Baby Vampire Contest

You're probably thinking - what? Neal and I are hosting a "Name the Baby Vampire" contest ... sorry no prizes are available - except maybe a free laugh or two!

Now, let me explain - in CCU one of Neal's nurses - that did all the sticking of the fingers to check blood sugar EVERY HOUR - would come in and say "I'm here to collect for the baby vampires." Then by the end of her shift she would start staying "One more time the baby vampires are getting full and now they look like little ticks." My sister and I always had a wonderful laugh with this nurse AND the one thing Neal remembers from CCU is - the baby vampires.

Part Two of this story is there is still a piece of a stitch hanging out of his scar, which I assume will eventually fall off -- anyway, I've been teasing him this week by asking him if I could pull on it and see what it was attached too :-) he, of course, said "NO" .. ah man, ruining all my fun -- he's also a needle weenie ... and this has turned into it being the foot of a "left behind" ... yes ... baby vampire. So Neal suggested we host a "Name the Baby Vampire" contest ... he even posed for the photos!

The stitch is the little black thing on the left -- not that you couldn't figure that one out!

AND, if you ever wondered what a chest scar looks like of a person whose had his breast bone cracked open ... ah come on - you know you've wondered ... I include a photo of the entire thing!

Friendships Come and Friendships Go

Stop and think for a moment of all the people that have touched your life to this day - yes, as far back as you can remember (and for some of us that is really, really far!) Now, how many of those people are still in your lives? How many of those people did you think would be with you forever? Who left first, you or them?

We as human beings are funny creatures when it comes to friendships - let’s explore just a few things I’ve observed over my years and friendships.

The definition of friend, from the American Heritage Dictionary: A person whom one knows, likes and trusts.

The definition of acquaintance, from the same dictionary: Knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.

So, in my opinion what makes an acquaintance a friend is that word “trust” tacked to the end of the definition. Someone you can trust and relax with, someone that feels like “home” when you’re around them ... these are friendships well worth cultivating! I think it is very important to remember these definitions, because in the long run they will prevent huge disappointments.

Cultivating, or building, a friendship is hard work, you have to invest yourself in them. We humans do not like the thought of rejection and so friendships are hard to build because we have to “put ourselves out there” and rejection hurts. In order to try to build a true friendship you have to let go and start sharing some things that may be private, self-disclosure as it may be, in order to start building trust. The turn from acquaintance to friend is a gradual process and we have to reach out to offer friendship by offering up caring, listening, talking, sharing, acceptance and affirmation.

Carole King’s song “You’ve Got A Friend” .... “Winter, spring, summer or fall - all you got to do is call and I’ll be there.” We all expect our friends will always be there, yet friendships end, even the best maintained friendships. Speaking from first hand experience (and I’m sure we all have these) I had a best-friend for years, we shared everything .... or so I thought .... the one thing I did learn (unfortunately) from this friend, was how to be stabbed in the back, lied too and betrayed. Several years ago, we spoke and “mended” (to a certain extent) ourselves as people at the untimely death of a “shared” friend. This did give both of us some peace, but I can’t truly say we aren't even acquaintances today ... I still grieve the friendship we had ... BUT ...

“Friendships Come and Friendships Go” however, at the time they are friends, you can truly say that they enriched your life in some way. But as in how “friENDS” is spelled, I’m willing to bet that these people that came and went in our lives were actually merely acquaintances or casual friendships - cherish these “casual friendships” for what they are, were and will continue being.
But truly thank God for the “true friend relationships” that will be with you to your end - don’t toss them away like yesterday’s garbage - for they are truly a blessing.

You a Texan? Jeff Foxworthy's Take on Folks From Texas

The end of the "trilogy," yes, the same email Prissy sent me -- once again I dare you not to smile and I dare you not to admit your a Texan! ("Oh" I'm soooo No. 5!)


1. If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Texas;

2. If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas;

3. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Texas;

4. If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas;

5. If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas;

6. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Texas;

7. If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Texas;

8. If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them,you may live in Texas;

9. If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody's passing you, you may live in Texas;

10. If you find 60 degrees 'a little chilly,' you may live in Texas;

11. If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with all your Texas friends, you definitely live in Texas!

I Dare You Not To Smile - Texas Towns

Another part of the email Prissy sent me "yesterday." Someone had alot of time on their hands and did an absolute fabulous job on this list -- I dare you not to smile!

Just Texas:
Pep, Texas 79353
Smiley, Texas 78159
Paradise, Texas 76073
Rainbow, Texas 76077
Sweet Home, Texas 77987
Comfort, Texas 78013
Friendship, Texas 76530


Love the sun?
Sun City, Texas 78628
Sunrise, Texas 76661
Sunset, Texas 76270
Sundown, Texas 79372
Sunray, Texas 79086
Sunny Side, Texas 77423


Want something to eat?
Bacon, Texas 76301
Noodle, Texas 79536
Oatmeal, Texas 78605
Turkey, Texas 79261
Trout, Texas 75789
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Salty, Texas 76567
Rice, Texas 75155
Pearland, Texas 77581
Orange, Texas 77630

And top it off with: Sweetwater, Texas 79556


Why travel to other cities? Texas has them all!
Detroit, Texas 75436
Cleveland, Texas 75436
Colorado City, Texas 79512
Denver City, Texas 79323
Klondike, Texas 75448
Pittsburg, Texas 75686
Newark, Texas 76071
Nevada, Texas 75173
Memphis, Texas 79245
Miami, Texas 79059
Boston, Texas 75570
Santa Fe, Texas 77517
Tennessee Colony, Texas 75861
Reno, Texas 75462
Pasadena, Texas 77506
Columbus, Texas 78934


Feel like traveling outside the country?
Athens, Texas 75751
Canadian, Texas 79014
China, Texas 77613
Dublin, Texas 76446
Egypt, Texas 77436
Ireland, Texas 76538
Italy, Texas 76538
Turkey, Texas 79261
London, Texas 76854
New London, Texas 75682
Paris, Texas 75460
Palestine, Texas 75801


No need to travel to Washington D.C.
Whitehouse, Texas 75791


We even have a city named after our planet!
Earth, Texas 79031


We have a city named after our state:
Texas City, Texas 77590


Exhausted?
Energy, Texas 76452

Cold?
Blanket, Texas 76432
Winters, Texas 79567


Like to read about History?
Santa Anna, Texas 76878
Goliad, Texas 77963
Alamo, Texas 78516
Gun Barrel City, Texas 75156
Robert Lee, Texas 76945


Need Office Supplies?
Staples, Texas 78670


Want to go into outer space?
Venus, Texas 76084
Mars, Texas 79062


You guessed it. It's on the state line.
Texline, Texas 79087


For the kids
Kermit, Texas 79745
Elmo, Texas 75118
Nemo, Texas 76070
Tarzan, Texas 79783
Winnie, Texas 77665
Sylvester, Texas 79560


Other city names in Texas, to make you smile
Frognot, Texas 75424
Bigfoot, Texas 78005
Hogeye, Texas 75423
Cactus, Texas 79013
Notrees, Texas 79759
Best, Texas 76932
Veribest, Texas 76886
Kickapoo, Texas 75763
Dime Box, Texas 77853
Old Dime Box, Texas 77853
Telephone, Texas 75488
Telegraph, Texas 76883
Whiteface, Texas 79379
Twitty, Texas 79079


And last but not least, the Anti-Al Gore City
Kilgore, Texas 75662


And our favorites
Cut and Shoot, Texas 77303
Gun Barrel City, Texas 75147
Ding Dong, Texas
West, Texas (it’s in Central Texas )
and, of course, Muleshoe, Texas 79347

Little Known Interesting (?) Facts About Texas

Okay, I've been neglectful with my blogging and even though I have some deep, insightful and meaningful (earth shattering, I'm sure) blogs in mind ... I'm taking the easy way out today and passing along part of an email forwarded to me by my friend Prissy - a'way over yonder in Odessa! :-) I haven't bothered myself to actually check these facts, I mean - come on - they are in an email afterall, they have to be true! Alls I know is ... I will look into No. 16 -- I mean ... that could be depressing, if true - and yes, I really should be working instead ... but it is FRIDAY - have a fabulous one!

1... Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles

2... Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles

3... El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas.

4… World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.

5… The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike - 2008!

6… The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston.

7... Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.

8... Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9… Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10… The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

11… The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,1969, was "Houston," but the space center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time.

12... King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island.

13... Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43' in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979.

14... Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5 states.

15... A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16… Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17... Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper.

18… Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco, West Columbia and Austin.

19... The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington DC (by 7 feet).

20. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington Monument.