Thinks

I was all set for today. I had Arlen Spector to comment on. I was ready with a conversation about the intellectual dishonesty of words, words used to camouflage evil. I had many thinks and much to say. 

Now I am wrapped in grief over my dog and have lost the fire in my belly. Funny how the immediate moments in our lives bring us to ground. The events of the world fade away and you are left with tears and an empty space.

It is fortunate that I have too much to do, so I am not allowed to wallow. Horses need to be fed, dogs need to be fed, work needs to be done. I'll look for him throughout the day and then I'll remember and tears will well-up. This will be the worst of it, the day after. Shortly, grief flees and fond memory fills the empty space. But for now I mourn my dog.

There is never a shortage of world events to get my ire up, but there is a brief moment after loss that consumes the heart and allows for nothing but sadness and tears. I'll dwell there for a little while as I go about the ordinariness of my day. Tomorrow is waiting, today I will be sad.

With Extreme Sadness

That dog is BIG.

Anyone meeting Atlas

If he shrugged, the world moved.

Atlas at 18 months, right after he came to us.

Our big dog, Atlas left this earth 4/29/09. 

It was fast, he stopped eating on Tuesday, went outside and wanted to be left alone. Wednesday morning we took him into the clinic. I knew it was the end when we were able to get him into the Jeep. He would not have done that if he was well. He had tumors on the spleen which ruptured and were bleeding internally. He was not stressed and left peacefully.

He was my guardian, my comfort. Half German Shepherd and half Afghan Hound, he was large at 150 lbs during his hey day, and he was serious about his role of big dog in chief. He had that very large dog rumble that starts somewhere deep in the body and moves its way through the throat. When his hackles stood up and he stared and rumbled, anyone foolish enough to move, was foolish indeed. He'd had a hard beginning but he came to me at 18 months and his life changed and he was happy. He was always a responsibility because he was territorial and so large. And he had fear, which never completely left him.

He was also a clown and a neurotic. He had to have a blanket to drag around and he would suck the blanket. He couldn't be around when I disposed of the old blanket, it would make him very anxious, but once gone, he accepted the new one readily.

We will miss him. He was a job, no doubt about it, but he was a good dog who needed a chance and he got it. He always seemed grateful and he was certainly loved. And he returned the favor.

To Bee Or Not To Bee

That is the question.

I believe I will bee, but not this year. In looking for bees I have found that an order needs to be put in by late winter. So I don't think I can get bees for this season. I also need to do a little research before I jump into this and I need to purchase and assemble the boxes. I bought a large box of perennial wild flower seeds yesterday, so I'll sow them in the area where I will keep the hives. Next year it should be established and ready for the bees.

I will have a chance to visit a new beekeeper's hives, see how she does with wintering them, and to also visit the hives of an established beekeeper who is mentoring my friend. I can get some questions answered and make an informed decision. Managing disease caused by mites is something I would like to know more about. Raising horses has taught me to know as much as possible about a species and its weaknesses.

It was recommended that I read Beekeeping for Dummies, so I have ordered it. I'll have some time to purchase and assemble the hives and to contemplate this venture. It's not cheap, so I feel I should know something and not jump in feet first. You know, unlike horses.

 I need a new title. I'm losing stature, going from horse breeder, owner and breeder of National titled horses to poop-picker. I seriously need a new title. Beekeeper, now that has a ring to it. It's sure to impress as much as horse breeder did. Actually probably more, as horse breeder didn't impress too many at all. Mostly I was asked if I raised race horses or people wondered what I do with all those horses. Feed them. I would be asked if I made money, nope. It was all downhill from there. 

But beekeeper. My insanity will be firmly cemented in the minds of many. But I'll have a title and I still won't make money. Somewhere along the way I missed out on that money-making course. If we do come back through reincarnation perhaps I'll be a Wall Street banker the next time. Is that de-evolution?

It's The Bee's Knees

 I think it safest to base our assumption, that bee culture, in some respects is a hazardous business, even amongst the most thorough and careful. 

A.I. Root 1882

I'm contemplating becoming a beekeeper. Yes, you read correctly; a beekeeper. Why, you ask. Because it has grabbed my attention and has piqued my interest. 

An internet acquaintance set up her first hives three days ago. She lives about 30 minutes away, so I will have the opportunity to visit and see for myself if I want to jump into bees. I have a limited time to decide, as the bee season is now underway.

There is a startup cost that, while not huge, is large enough to give some consideration to. Especially considering my own economic downturn. On the other hand, I have a perfect spot to place hives, a fenced area which hasn't had horses on it for several years (it was eroding badly) that has been allowed to go wild. And there is full sun all day, which is ideal. I will seed it in wildflowers to add to the abundance of clover that is already there. My honey will be floral, as a result. I also have an old apple tree and a lot of flowers on the property, so it is a given.

I have to decide. 

April Showers, Finally

There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting.

George Carlin

My rain dance apparently has paid off. It's been a month since we had rain and that was not a helpful rain. The ground was frozen and my barn flooded. So this is appreciated, by me, my grass, my flowers and my trees. Thank you.

I'm the Greatest Star, Uh Huh

So I was watching Funny Girl until the damn satellite went out AGAIN. I love this movie, despite the obvious shmontses (silliness). I suppose because I was the ethnic girl, the nebbish. I didn't look like anyone else, I didn't think like anyone else, I was not like anyone else. So I put on a game face and went out and made sure I was never like anyone else.

Too bad it didn't lead me someplace. But where is someplace, if not where you are? I was never a star, but I have been a presence. I'm a diva in work boots.  A queen whose scepter is a manure fork. A star on the stage of my barn, with my horses as my adoring audience. Fanny Brice, aka Streisand, has nothing on me. Well, she did have Omar Sharif. 

Longing, Waiting, Wishing

Spring is being dragged by the ear, kicking and screaming, into Minnesota. Like it or not, it's being forced to happen. 

Red Twig Dogwood

Box Elder 

Lilac

Dirty Ivy

Ivy's dam, Secret

Hello Day Lily

Greening of the Pastures

Gracie has put on some weight & is doing better

Dutchman's Britches

Rhubarb

Gnarled Old Apple Tree

Come 'ere a Minute, Lemme Give You a Big Smooch

A Friday bonus. A little Shrimp Scampi, aka Scamper.

Too bad the horse market went to hell in a hand basket. He ranks really high on the adorable scale!

Am I in OZ Yet?

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

Dorothy

The wind howled and pounded the house relentlessly into the early morning hours. I was sure we would go sailing off to OZ, never to be seen again. Banging, screeching, thumping and bumping, it kept me awake much of the night. I know my feet would never fit into the ruby slippers, so a return to home would have been impossible.

A brief look about shows no damage. Roofs are intact, trees are still standing and the three mares who live in open housing are still there. So it seems all that was lost was my rest.

It looks like a nice day, I think I will go out and enjoy it.

Thinks

Soul shadows you everywhere.  ~Anda Fiori

Intellect without soul. Ponder that for a moment. On first consideration it may be doing without thinking, but it's deeper than that. It's doing without caring. And perhaps it's more than that.

The Best and the Brightest. A phrase that has been bandied about a lot. Graduate in the top percentage of your class at Harvard and ride the shuttle to Wall Street. Money Express. Intellect without soul.

Lawyers rising to the top of their game. Writing briefs parsing words, massaging truths, authorizing torture by saying it's not torture. International law doesn't understand our need, the Geneva Convention is outdated, obscure. We are The Best and the Brightest. Intellect without soul.

Board rooms across the world, men in suits sit and discuss how to make the profit margin wider. More profit is necessary, more profit is good. Hong Kong was a great run, but now Mainland China is better. No regulations and the masses will work for nothing. Profit will be so high that a few pesky lawsuits over dead children, dead pets, a drop in the ocean.  Profit. Intellect without soul.

A state governor, a good christian man, threatens to veto any budget that comes to his desk with income tax increases meant to close a whopping deficit. He smiles benignly at the camera, speaks in a soft, convincing voice and says that more cuts are needed. We can't raise taxes on those who can afford to help in crisis. That's just wrong. Cut social services more, cut state healthcare for lower income people. Cut police and fire services. Cut, cut, cut. Intellect without soul.

It comes at you with a smile and an outstretched hand. It speaks with a voice of reason, it tells you it has your best interest at heart, just let it be. All will be well. It's raw capitalism without restraint, it's raw power without control, it's ideology without heart.

Earth Day

The earth is what we all have in common.

Wendell Barry

I remember the first Earth Day. We felt so proud and empowered, we were consciously considering what we, as people, were doing to destroy the very planet on which we lived. It was a wonderful feeling. There actually was an effort made during the 1970's. President Carter had solar panels installed on the White House, fuel standards for automobiles were set high and there was a push for alternative energy. Then came Ronald Reagan and the 1980's. I won't say anything further, I think the ensuing 29 years speak for them self.
I had these shoes, the original Earth Shoe. They were very popular and very comfortable. I find Earth shoes are still made and I am having trouble with sore feet. Perhaps I should give them a try all these years later. It always amazes me. What was once old is new again.

This day has always been a cliche`, but perhaps we can give just a little thought to the damage we all do and try to find some way we can individually change something for the better.

Poetry

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.

Charles Dickens

                                                                Andrew Wyeth

The Person I Long To Be

 By Victoria A. Mogyorosi

The day light breaks again
Another day has begun.

But still no sleep has come.
My body is weary

My mind overworked.
I lie awake thinking

But what I am unsure.
I need to break free from the cycle I endure.

Everyday is the same and the nights are undistinguished.
I feel as though I am being pushed along with the tide

Unable to break free from the everyday flow.
This is not me I need to change, before time takes over

And I am unable to change.
I need to be freed from the grasp of ordinary

And become that person I have always longed for.
Express myself in every way, and conquer the dreams as I lie awake.

Then I may fall asleep and put my mind to rest.
Make changes in my life and help those in need.

I would like to touch everyone's life in a positive way
And leave my mark on society before I fade away.

Disappointment

I had some boneless/skinless chicken breasts and a couple of eggplants, so I did a recipe search to come up with something different to make. As I've said before, I usually don't use recipes, but thought I'd look.  This was disappointing. It really needed 'something'. I put up the successes, so I thought I put up a failure. I won't put up the recipe, but it's chicken, grilled eggplant, chopped onion, called for tomato paste and 1/2 c water and I used crushed tomatoes, and oregano. It needed garlic and turmeric at the least. Bland.

Looks good, though!

At the Register

I don't like gourmet cooking or "this" cooking or "that" cooking. I like good cooking.

James Beard

I don't like to grocery shop. I dislike it so much we had bare cupboards and on a Sunday morning I was forced to go shopping.

Every time I go through the checkout I hear the same thing. "You eat healthy". So this makes me wonder about the American diet if my shopping habits are so unique they are consistently commented on.

I do not buy prepackaged food. No junk food or sugary food. Ever. I do buy canned goods and frozen vegetables. I also buy durham wheat pasta as well as whole wheat and I buy white rice and brown. I use wild rice, which isn't a rice at all, and I use some potatoes. So I'm not completely away from simple carbohydrates, but I'm doing fairly well with balancing it.

I cook from scratch and if more people would try it they would realize it doesn't need to be complicated or time consuming. It is so much better and cheaper. I make things up all of the time. I rarely use a recipe, so it's often difficult to duplicate!

My planned vegetable garden is causing happy anticipation. I'm excited over tubers and vines. It's pleasant to be excited about something simple.

But, this leads me back to the checkout counter. What are those clerks seeing all day, every day that causes them to comment on my food items each time?

But I Want It

Mankind are an incorrigible race. Give them but bugbears and idols...it's all that they ask; the distinctions of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, of good and evil are worse than indifferent to them. William Hazlitt

I have been reading something on a horse forum over the past couple of days that is disturbing on several levels. The first and most immediate is purposeful removal of a mare from her foal for the purpose of using the mare for the show season.

A short synopsis: This mare was purchased last year for an eight year old girl by the child's grandmother. Now from what I remember reading, this is something like the third of fourth horse that was bought for this child. It seems buying horses at auction for a child really isn't a bright idea. Anyway, this little mare was bought from a private party, so the child actually had an opportunity to ride the mare around and get a feel for her. I know, a novel idea, right? The child and the mare got along like pigs and mud. Happy Days! Well not exactly. Seems the mare had a rendezvous with a stallion last year. A couple of months ago the new owners realized she was in foal. They were justifiably upset, but as the saying goes, crap happens.

And now we arrive at the problem. Two days ago mama foaled out a filly. The purchaser of the mare, grandma, has decided her granddaughter should not miss out on her good times because of the inconvenience this new life represents. The child has a right to her fun, trail riding and gaming her horse. After all, they didn't want a foal and this one is 'just a mutt' so grandma is justified in her decision, which she assured the worldwide web was hard thought, to pull the mare from the foal after two days. She graciously allowed that the foal should get it's colostrum from the mare, but then the party's over. Something about making it easier for the mare because her milk won't have come in yet. What does she think that stuff dripping all over is? 

The mare foaled at another property and that person is keeping the baby. Why anyone would want to care for an orphan is beyond me and why anyone would voluntarily orphan a foal completely escapes my comprehension. I've raised one orphan and have lost three foals. The frantic behavior of the mares when they can't find their baby breaks a person's heart. Well at least this person's heart. To purposely cause this, I can't understand it. Raising an orphan is so much work that I won't go into it. I would never want to go through that again.

The other level of being disturbed. What about the granddaughter? If she isn't heartless and self-serving like grandma, will she feel guilt? Will she come to look upon her grandmother in a negative manner? I actually hope so. It's far better than the alternative; another cold person whom is concerned for their own gratification, regardless of the consequences of actions taken.

And another. Initially members of this forum reacted as one would expect. With shock and outrage. Grandma responded with anger, telling everyone it's not their business and to butt out. She didn't ask for opinions, only announced the foal was born and she has made a decision. When asked why she would think there wouldn't be a response, she started to list all of the 'nice' things she has done and how she has never judged anyone on the forum and thinks she deserves the same courtesy. Now the sad part. The outrage disappeared and the milk of human kindness was poured over the woman. To be sure, she had her defenders. You can always find someone to validate your bad behavior. But the people who rightly called her on her wrong-doing, how could they turn around and make nice? A couple of people didn't, but enough did.

Usually in life there are shades of gray. Life is full of nuance and often things are not entirely as they seem. But sometimes it's black or it's white. It's right or it's wrong. When a member of a community does something which is cruel and unnecessary, the weight of that community needs to bear down upon the person. Even if it doesn't stop the behavior, the perpetrator needs to understand that the community is repulsed and does not sanction the action. But instead, the desire to not seem judgmental, to not have someone mad, took over. Sometimes making a judgement about an action is the right thing to do.

I think It's Spring

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  ~Ruth Stout

Look what's happening on the farm in Minnesota! The iris are poking their noses out of the leaves. I can't wait to get my hands dirty! Perhaps this afternoon I can get out the rake and get the gardens cleaned up.

My tentative plan for next weekend is to till a vegetable garden. My first full-fledged veggie garden, something beyond green peppers and tomatoes. I haven't figured out exactly what I will plant, but that will be half the fun. I think I will also put an area of cutting flowers in this garden.

I have several flower beds which have been neglected over the years, so I have high hopes of reviving and renewing these humble bits of blooms. I have a feeling if I don't do it now, my opportunity will be lost. It's not getting any easier to get down on my hands and knees. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of taking a limited mobility yoga class. I bet I'd be the youngest in the room, but perhaps not the most flexible! Now, I'll leave you with that image.

Thursday's Thinks

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,  

and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

 Gilbert Keith Chesterton

I had something on my mind this week that I thought I would talk about. But now I don't think I want to. I've had a little stress in my life, on top of the normal low grade stress that is commonly my life. So my mind is in a different place right now. I'm in a place rather rare for me, peaceful gratitude. I know, who'da thought.

I feel grateful for the people who have helped me with Bounce and the people who express their concern for him. Without this medium of communication I would not have found Dr. Thomas and the glimmer of hope this offers. It's enough to make an old cynic think.

It's a beautiful day, tax season is over and Mark is able to crawl out of his hole, the mud is dry and the horses can move around better and the work has been caught up. For this moment, at this time, life is good. I'm alive, and I believe it all!

Poetry

I'm Alive and I Believe in Everything

Lesley Choyce

I'm Alive, I Believe In Everything 

Self. Brotherhood. God. Zeus. Communism. 
Capitalism. Buddha. Vinyl records. 
Baseball. Ink. Trees. Cures for disease. 
Saltwater. Literature. Walking. Waking. 
Arguments. Decisions. Ambiguity. Absolutes. 
Presence. Absence. Positive and Negative. 
Empathy. Apathy. Sympathy and entropy. 
Verbs are necessary. So are nouns. 
Empty skies. Dark vacuums of night. 
Visions. Revisions. Innocence. 
I've seen All the empty spaces yet to be filled. 
I've heard All of the sounds that will collect 
at the end of the world. 
And the silence that follows. 

I'm alive, I believe in everything 
I'm alive, I believe in it all. 

Waves lapping on the shore. 
Skies on fire at sunset. 
Old men dancing on the streets. 
Paradox and possibility. 
Sense and sensibility. 
Cold logic and half truth. 
Final steps and first impressions. 
Fools and fine intelligence. 
Chaos and clean horizons. 
Vague notions and concrete certainty. 
Optimism in the face of adversity. 

I'm alive, I believe in everything 
I'm alive, I believe in it all. 

So you wanna be in pictures, you wanna be a star

Try to get anything done with this in your face!

Yesterday I was attempting to get body shots of Bounce and Shaka wanted to crawl into the camera. Some things just never change, it's always been about Shaka and it will always remain about Shaka. Bounce thought the camera would eat him and Shaka wanted to eat the camera. Somehow, I managed to get him out of my face and to get Bounce to stop running away long enough to get some photos of Bounce. Every time I look at him the old song You're still the one comes to mind.

Bounce's Blog

I have started a blog to chronicle Bounce's alopecia. 

Bounce's Journey; A Horse & Alopecia

He will be treated with Chinese herbs and acupuncture. The blog will describe the treatment and the progress, or lack thereof. Bounce is occupying a large segment of my brain right now, so I wanted a different blog to talk about him. I didn't want this to become a medical site. Wish us luck, we are going to need it.

Where Have I been?

Here. In the barn, on the farm. Life on the farm in the spring is busy. We get through winter, head down, shoulders squared. But in my case, lots of things go unnoticed and untended. I simply struggled to get by. The barn is cleaned, the aisle swept, but the barnkeeping is minimal. Saturday I swept the stall fronts, put some things away and felt a little better about the place. I still need to hose it down as that is the best way to deal with dust and cobwebs, but it's a bit cool for that. This is my untidy barn in the morning.

Late morning I had it cleaned up a little.

The tack room. My nemesis. I hate cleaning this area. I had a long time boarder who loved to clean and was a dear soul. She kept the tack room and wash area spotless for me because she wanted to help me. A wonderful, lively and opinionated friend. She died from cancer three years ago this month. I miss her on many levels. The tack room is never spotless anymore. A long winter and me not giving a rat's bare behind, this is what you get. I decided enough is enough and cleaned it up. Yuck. 

So this is the result of an afternoon's effort. It needs some a washing and some paint, but it's in order and swept. That's good work for me and my tack room. I have too much stuff.

Too many saddles.

So I have been busy at work. The next two months are always busy, even without the birthing of foals and the breeding of mares. I don't know how I did that, plus everything else, but somehow I did. I should have an embarrassment of time now, but I don't. Is it time catching up or is it a common affliction; when we have time we tend to waste it. If I'm honest with myself, and is there any point in telling yourself lies, it's both. But the work remains, the drive to do it still bubbles up and so I carry on. But one thing doesn't change. I hate cleaning the tack room.

Thursday's Thinks

Never tell me the odds.

Han Solo

My thoughts are mostly on this guy. The above is Bounce at two. He is a very pretty horse and he is a big personality.

These are photos of Bounce in the show ring as a yearling. He earned a handy sum of money at this show, beating out the get of some stallions with multi-millions behind them.

I feel an irrational sense of hope for him. He is a real force and I can't believe hairlessness will be his undoing. His irascible personality is supposed to be his undoing!

The vet wanted his registered name for her records. It's WF Im Impressed. She told me that is a great name, too bad no one will be impressed with him now. I know she didn't mean to be cruel, but that wasn't nice. 

I'm not giving up. I'm in contact with Dr. Thomas (thanks Alicia). Maybe there can be a positive resolution to this.

Poetry

I shall not die of a cold. I shall die of having lived.

Willa Cather ( 1873 - 1947)

ACROSS the shimmering meadows-- 
Ah, when he came to me! 
In the spring-time, 
In the night-time, 
In the starlight, 
Beneath the hawthorn tree. 

Up from the misty marsh-land-- 
Ah, when he climbed to me! 
To my white bower, 
To my sweet rest, 
To my warm breast, 
Beneath the hawthorn tree. 

Ask of me what the birds sang, 
High in the hawthorn tree; 
What the breeze tells, 
What the rose smells, 
What the stars shine-- 
Not what he said to me!

Willa Cather

Bounce

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.

Arabian Proverb

This is Bounce. He is a purebred Arabian and a real character and fits his name. I took this photo two weeks ago. Bounce is losing his hair. Two-thirds of his facial hair is gone now, large spots on his body and almost all of the mane and tail.

The vet was out on Monday and she is fairly confident he has Alopecia. She took a couple of skin biopsies and some blood to check for thyroid and anything else it could possibly be, but it's more than likely that. It's an auto immune disease and it's not treatable. If he continues the hair loss he is experiencing, he will need to be put down. He is 8 years old.

He was a successful halter horse as a yearling and he made some money. He loved to show halter. He is rideable, although he is nervous about the mounting process, but once up he's really good. He's beautiful and he's a mischievous character who always wants to be in the center of everything. He plays harder then any of them and he's always good for a laugh.

I hope his hair loss stops. I have too many horses, but this is not the way I want to cut down the numbers.

Roasted Pork With Tomatoes

I had a half can of tomatoes left from making eggs, so I put the remainder in the bottom of a clay roaster, along with the remaining 1/2 onion. About 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a 3 lb pork roast. Seasoned with coarse salt, cinnamon, ground coriander and garlic powder. I used a covered clay roaster in a 325 oven for 2 hours.

Served with sauteed asparagus, tomatoes, garlic & lemon pepper rice.

We Should Have It So Hard

Poverty is the worst form of violence.

Mahatma Gandhi

I was looking for something and opened a drawer I haven't opened in a long time. I found this photo of Mark's dad & three of his siblings. They were poor farmers in Rhame, North Dakota. This photo was around 1924 and the children are from left to right: Mark's Aunt Hilda (who is still alive), Mark's dad Stan, his Uncle Clarence and Aunt Helen. 

When I think I have it rough, I need to look at this. Both of Mark's parents came from large, poor farming families. Mark grew up on a farm, in a large family without a lot of extras. They are a very close family and I don't think any of them feel they missed out on much. They did all go on to college and they all made a success of themselves. The hard work taught them tenacity.

My life was very different, my parents did not come from poverty and I had most of what I wanted and all that I needed. I used to think differently, but as I actually matured I realize that I was spoiled and something of a brat. I needed a good, swift kick in the toches. 

I can't begin to imagine what a hard scrabble life would be like. I really don't want to find out. I had enough change in my life when I moved from the city and took up barnkeeping. This photo makes me think, and I think about the new era of poverty that is upon us now. It may look different, but it is just as wrenching.

Musings on a Monday

I think that God in creating Man overestimated his ability.

Oscar Wilde

I think Monday is killing me. The process started on Sunday, but it took the full weight of Monday to do the job.

Tuesday will roll around and I'll flutter back to life a bit, just enough to make it to Wednesday, which will catapult me into Thursday. With Thursday comes a surge of energy leading me into Friday, from which I sprint into Saturday and so sail into Sunday. And then, Monday. Oy.

Slow-Cooked Eggs

We had a winter day on Sunday, so I decided to make a little brunch.

Easy and good.

Slow-cooking eggs gives them a different consistency, firm, but rich and creamy.

I used what I had on hand.

4 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 small onion, chopped

small bunch of fresh asparagus, cut into pieces

1/2 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

enough oil to coat the pan. (hint: heat pan to hot before putting in the oil. This will prevent sticking)

saute until crisp/tender

thin sliced smoked deli ham, cut into pieces

5 eggs, whisked with a good splash of half & half

a healthy shake of turmeric

add to the sauteed mixture and cook over lowest flame. It takes 30 - 45 minutes to cook through. Leave it along while it cooks. I had some thin sliced sharp cheddar which I cut into pieces and placed on top for the last 5 minutes. A little dollop of light sour cream and it's brunch!

It's Back

And I need some serious pharmaceuticals or at the very least, a stiff drink. It's 10:00 AM, would that raise eyebrows? Might raise my spirits.