Too Funny Not To Share

No, this is not a dead blog. I have been on haitus while I developed another blog: heresyourpenny.blogspot.com which is my political/editorial blog. Visit and let me know what you think.

I received this from someone very special, and she knows who she is. But I'm grateful for her giving me the opportunity to spread the humor. Enjoy!

Al Gore and Bill & Hillary Clinton go to heaven, and God addresses Al first. ”Al, what do you believe in?”

Al replies: “Well, I believe that I won that election, but that it was your will that I did not serve. And I’ve come to understand that now.” God thinks for a second and says: “Very good. Come and sit at my left.”

God then addresses Bill. “Bill, what do you believe in?”
Bill Replies: “I believe in forgiveness. I’ve sinned, but I’ve never held a grudge against my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held against me.” God thinks for a second and says: “You are forgiven, my son. Come and sit at my right.”

Then God addresses Hillary. “Hillary, what do you believe in?”
She replies: “I believe you’re in my chair.”

And now for something completely different...I also reveived this in email, and it speaks for itself. Enjoy!

My Little Garden of Eatin'

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Cartoon-a-Day



Okay, folks, I'm back. But, like the summer weather we've been having lately, I'm HOT!! And it's all because I spent about 6 hours yesterday into the late evening trying to post. I kept getting HTML errors I couldn't find. I finally gave up and went to bed. Now I'm giving it another try.

Here (I hope) are some pictures of my garden.
















Three varieties, lots of flowers, fingers crossed.


















One of my favorite seasonings, for everything from tangy salsa, guacamole, spaghetti sauce and chili, it's fun to grow, economical, and you just have to step out the back door and snip a few sprigs. Fresh and delicious!














I planted the carrots just for fun. They're supposed to be red, green, yellow and black when they're ready to harvest. I'll show you how they turned out soon. I love onions of all kinds. I planted red (salsa and guacamole) and yellow (omelets, salads).



















I'm excited about the seedlings. They're from seeds I brought back from my recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Some of them can't be found here in the States. The green onions are from some leftover seeds from last year. The chamomile is to make tea to ease the tension and stress from weeding, watering and worrying whether the bugs will win the battle.





















I planted bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, jalapenos and carnival multicolor peppers. Looks like they're a hit with the bugs. I've got my fingers crossed that they'll survive....the peppers, that is!!






















Sweet banana peppers. Great for stuffing with Italian sausage. A few more and it's a meal!!



















Beautiful, hot, spicy and delicious! Can't wait to pick a few of these babies for some guacamole or tangy salsa! YUM!

Okay, that's about all I can do for now. We're making preparations for our week-long trek to Ocean City, Maryland to kick back, relax and enjoy life. Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll have pictures and commentary about all the fun we had!!

So, as the sun is heading to bed, and another weekend is about to enter the history books, here's a shot of a beautiful sunset I captured a few days ago....

So, until next time, take care, enjoy the summer, and...don't forget to keep it fun, hot and spicy!

Too Hot To Blog

Friday
July 14
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Cartoon-a-Day

Okay, so it's been another long spell that I haven't blogged. I could blame it on the weather. I could blame it on the fact that summer is slipping away before I've had a chance to fully enjoy it. But no, I've just been playing catch-up with life....trying to get my garden (pictures forthcoming) weeded, watered and properly propped up. The tomatoes, onions, carrots, cilantro and, of course, several species of peppers have literally exploded with the recent rains we've had. Plus, I've been frustrated by the fact that we haven't been able to get my new Wildfire scooter on the road. Ohio has been extremely slow in getting the paperwork back so we can get it titled, insured and tagged. AND the heat has definitely been a factor that has slowed down everything. It's too hot to do anything outside during the day, and just walking around is exhausting. At night energy just seems to evaporate, leaving me too tired to even log on. But tonight I just said, what the heck.

I have been wondering what to do with all the pictures I took while I was in Mexico during the month of May. I got this colage software package and have been playing around with it. Below is a picture of some of the pepper pix I took, plus some of a tlayuda, the signature dish of Oaxaca (Wa-ha-ka), the city in Mexico I visited.

Even though chile peppers of more kinds than I could name are common throughout Mexico, the cuisine of Oaxaca is surprisingly bland. Numerous sauces (salsas) are available on request, and I noted most of the locals requested them also. So, I guess the lack of "heat" is mostly to cater to what the locals assume are untrained palates of their northern neighbor tourists. I did my best to change that perception. I even brought back some varieties of Mexican chile seeds that are about ready to transplant in my garden. More about them as they get ready for a late summer harvest!!

Okay, that's it for tonight. Got a busy weekend ahead: lots of fun-in-the-sun activities ahead. Going to a nearby neighborhood's Community Days (amounts to a massive house by house yard sale). Have a high school graduation party to attend (anything for a free meal when it's too hot to cook), and we're going to the Fleatique to see what new oddities we can add to our menagerie.

Take care. Stay cool, but don't forget to keep it hot and spicy!

Return of the Pittsburgh Pepperhead

Sunday
June 25
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Cartoon-a-Day

No, I didn't dry up and blow away. Here's why. I spent virtually the whole month of May in Mexico to enhance my Spanish language comprehension. And, to tell the truth, I very well COULD have dried up and blown away. May just happens to be the hottest month of the year in Oaxaca, the city where I stayed for a 4-week course at Instituto Cultural Oaxaca. Temperatures were well into the 90s during the day and never got below 70 at night, except for the few days when welcome rain momentarily cooled things off a bit. The humidity was low, though, so I slowly became accustomed to the sensation of walking behind a bus everywhere I went.

While there, I had the opportunity to visit several cultural and archeological sites to learn about Mexico's history and the fascinating arts and crafts known only to this particular part of the world. Below are a series of pictures that highlight my enjoyable educational endeavor:












Typical cuisine: Tlayuda Oaxaquena



Weekly marketplace...lots of food, crafts, people



Mural in the Museum of History and Culture


Monte Alban - Aztec/Zapotec city ruins

If you'd like to see more pictures of my Mexico visit, drop me a comment with your email address and I'll direct you to my Yahoo! Photos albums. I took around a thousand photos while I was there, of everything from the people, foods, arts and crafts, street scenes and more.

As fantastic as my trip to Mexico was, nothing can compare to the magnificent work of art that my lovely lady Lucy created for me while I was gone. I'm talking about my chile pepper themed kitchen that she designed, created and decorated all by herself. It's a true masterpiece, as the following pictures attest:


The colors literally explode in pure pepper perfection!!

Peppers, peppers everywhere...HOT stuff!!!

The pepper border separates green and yellow.

Neon adds just the right amount of spice!

You're in for a HOT TIME in my new kitchen!!

Well, that's enough for one post. I'll be back soon with more crazy chile chat....

Remember to keep it funny, hot & spicy!

Great Day for a Gringo

Monday May 1
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Cartoon-a-Day

I just completed my first day of class at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca. It was a banner day. I have a professor all to myself. They have placed me in a special advanced class where we read newspapers, watch television and comment of local, national and world events. Right up my alley. Part of today's class included a Spanish SCRABBLE game pitting me against my professor. I thought I would hold my own, but when the game was over, I had beat my Oaxaca-born-and-raised, college educated professor by more than a 200 point margin. Not bad for a gringo. Following a half day of class (due to today being Mexican Labor Day), I had the pleasure of lunching with three of the students also enrolled at various learning levels at the Institute. We chose a balcony restaurant overlooking the Zocalo called "La Casa de la Abuela" (Grandma's House). There I realized 2 of the 3 goals of every visitor to Oaxaca: 1) I had my first taste of chapulines (grasshoppers, sauteed with onions, served with guacamole and fresh tomato). Then, for the main course, I had mole negro, another native Oaxacan dish, consisting of a breast of chicken baked and smothered in a thick, extremely rich "gravy" containing dark chocolate. It was so rich I couldn't finish it. And it was one of the most unique flavor sensations I've ever experienced. There are other types of mole that I will no doubt sample while I'm here. Below are photo proof of my culinary feats. (More on the third goal when I reach it.)

Well, amigos, that's it for today. I'm still suffering from the heat, though we just had a welcome thunderstorm that brought about an inch of rain. But the refreshing effects only lasted a few minutes. But I was glad to get it! Gotta go do my homework for tomorrow: read one of the local daily newspapers for tomorrow's discussion. Should be fun. Hasta luego!

Remember to keep it funny, hot & spicy!

04/30--On Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

Sunday April 30
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Cartoon-a-Day

LEFTY

REDNECK

Saludos desde MEXICO!! I arrived here on Friday the 28th of April, and I'm still getting accustomed to the climate, the cuisine and the customs. I'll be here until the end of May, attending a course of intensive Spanish language instruction. Hence, because of my arduous schedule, the look and feel of my blog will change accordingly. While I may not post every day, I will post as often as events warrant and time allows. Below are a few of the first pictures I took when I arrived.

















Okay, that's it for now. Gotta run downtown, take a few more pictures, get lost numerous times (my legacy), buy a few more groceries and then come back to rest and recuperate from the intense heat. So, hasta luego...

Enjoy your weekend, amigos! And remember to keep it funny, hot & spicy!

04/29

Saturday Month 29
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Cartoon-a-Day

LEFTY

REDNECK

And remember to keep it funny, hot & spicy!