West Texas Voice of Reason

Here it is, nearly Christmas time. Time for making snacks to give to family and friends.
Now today I decided it was time to start.
Got all the makings ready.




Yep Chex Mix time or as the Mrs calls it....Trash time. Decided to save time and cook off 2 batches at a time. Saves an hour per batch.
In the oven it goes




An hour and 10 minutes later out it comes and to cool on the table.



Made a fast trip to the store to replenish the supplies. Putting the makings together for another batch takes about 20 minutes.

Now this went on for 7 hours and 30 minutes before I said enough. Make a batch, stir every 15 minutes for an hour. Pour it out on the table to cool. Bag it and start over.

Finally all done.




18 gallons. But there is more. The last batch has something special. A teaspoon of my hot pepper mix.



2 gallons for those brave enough to go where few have gone before.. And it's all mine.




At least until time to give to those family and friends.

Current Location: In the kitchen
Current Mood: exhausted

Last Thursday was one of those days when nothing was going right. It was cold and snow was in the forecast once again. No sunshine, just a cloudy day. It never ceases to amaze me just when you need a little pick me up, BAM, there it is.I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I just had to reach for the camers and now it is time to share what I saw with you.

Scroll down





A little futher







Just another step or to






Nearly there.






Now Look






Twasn't reindeer on the roof top. Notice the black dog laying in front of the dog house.

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: accomplished

Got up this morning with the possibility of snow in the forecast. Was raining and 32 degrees. Started to work and still just light showers. Got heavier as I got to the office. It started snowing about 45 minutes after I got to work. Had to leave and go North about 9: 15 so snowing for 30 minutes. Take a look.


The parking lot






House across the parking lot




House across the alley




And the house across the street




Got back in town at 11:00 A.M. and the snow was gone.Got about 2 inches and it melted. Snow in the forecast for tonight and in the morning. Any that falls will melt tomorrow as high about 40. Then again snow tomorrow night as well as Friday night. Warn up maybe for a short time Saturday with the high maybe in the low 50's.
So join me in saying Snow, snow, go away and fall some other place and leave us high and dry. Don't even want a white Christmas.

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: cold

May you have the most wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving ~~ We ALL have so much to be thankful for ~~ and one of the best is for good friends.

Today I decided to grind up the peppers I recently dehydrated. I have been keeping peppers I grow in the freezer until I have enough to grind up. Now I try to keep the Habanero peppers separate.
Now these can be very dangerous if one should breath some of the ground peppers into your lungs, it could be a ride to the hospital. So I " gear up" for the job.



Yep, rubber gloves and mask required.

Next is a bowl of the "hot peppers". Nearly can see the steam coming from them even after dehydrating.



Now throw them in the flour grinder.




and you get the very fine power.



After grinding the habernaros I decided to try the others I dehydrated. Some jalapenos, Chile piquins and some serranos. I did remove the stems.





Now this made a very nice power that has the potential of being hot. I got one pint jar full of the habanero power.





And a pint and a half of the other mixture.


I looked on the Scoville heat scale to see where this mixture would place.
Jalapenos rate a 2,500 to 8,000 , Serranos come in at 8,000 to 22,000, and the chile piquin come in at a very nice 40,000 to 58, 000.
The habaneros I have come in at a whopping 150,000 to 575,000. Now that can be called hot.
I love to doctor up my chile and stew. It takes only a very, very small amount to really spice up a bowl of either. I have given some power to others but only after explaining the amounts to use. I even sent some to Thailand to a friend. Those Thia's are known for loving hot stuff. They told Pat they didn't know what that "Texan" put in that jar but it was "DAMN" hot.
I made some Chex Mix last year and put a 1/4 teaspoon in the mixture and it turned out very nice and spicy.
Now if one of my LJ friends are wanting to take a ride on the hot side, just let me know.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer's history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to the ten-page paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.

15. I hate it when I miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and then goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud Lite than Kay.

Saw this beautiful tree lined street across town this week.
Lots of color even here in West Texas.

We even got new flowers for the winter in the flower beds out front.






around the red oak tree





even the tree is showing some fall color.






Then I look west at the neighbors purple leaf plum tree and what did I see?

OH!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Clean up on aisle 3.

#27.... Yankees Win.........#27......Yankees Win........27 World Series Wins!!!!!!!!!!
Eat your heart out Red Soxs

Current Location: In the Den
Current Mood: jubilant

Went to Austin for a meeting and saw some nice sights. Take a short trip with me.



Early morning rise over West Texas.



These wind turbines are north of Roscoe.



Looking North up Congress Avenue. There is the majestic capitol building of the great State of Texas 12 blocks away.




A boater taking a breather.



Looking down to the lobby of the hotel from the 12th floor.




A cold bird looking for a drink. I think he was looking for the boater to give him a lift.



Palm trees on the pool area of an apartment building. Trees on 3rd floor of building.



Sunset in Austin



Just another view of a nice sunset over Austin.

Got this to day and it is a thought provoker.
What do you think?




The Philosophy of Ambiguity

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY, AS WELL AS THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF ENGLISH:

Please enjoy and understand the following

1. DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY THINGS AND DON'T PET THE SWEATY THINGS.

2. ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR.

3. ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.

4. IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

5. THE MAIN REASON THAT SANTA IS SO JOLLY IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS LIVE.

6. I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, "WHERE'S THE SELF- HELP SECTION?" SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.

7. WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

8. IF A DEAF CHILD SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?

9. IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?

10. IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

11. &nbs p;WHERE DO FOREST RANGERS GO TO "GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?"

12. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGER ED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?

13. IF A PARSLEY FARMER IS SUED, CAN THEY GARNISH HIS WAGES?

14. WOULD A FLY WITHOUT WINGS BE CALLED A WALK?

15. WHY DO THEY LOCK PETROL STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM?

16. IF A TURTLE DOESN'T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED?

17. CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?

18. IF THE POLICE ARREST A MIME, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT?

19. WHY DO THEY PUT BRAILLE ON THE DRIVE-THROUGH BANK MACHINES?

20. HOW DO THEY GET DEER TO CROSS THE ROAD ONLY AT THOSE YELLOW ROAD SIGNS?

21. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD?

22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.

23. DOES THE LITTLE MERMAID WEAR AN ALGEBRA?

24. DO INFANTS ENJOY INFANCY AS MUCH AS ADULTS ENJOY ADULTERY?

25. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?

26. IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO?

27. IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO, WOULD YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?

28. IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?

29. WHOSE CRUEL IDEA WAS IT FOR THE WORD 'LISP' TO HAVE 'S' IN IT?

30. WHY ARE HEMORRHOIDS CALLED "HEMORRHOIDS" INSTEAD OF "ASSTEROIDS"?

31. WHY IS IT CALLED TOURIST SEASON IF WE CAN'T SHOOT AT THEM?

32. WHY IS THERE AN EXPIRATION DATE ON SOUR CREAM?

33. IF YOU SPIN AN ORIENTAL PERSON IN A CIRCLE THREE TIMES, DO THEY BECOME DISORIENTED?

34. CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

Current Location: In the den
Current Mood: tired

At the request of Melodey,out in California,I took some photo's of them old cotton fields back home. This field is just out side of the city limits. I would guess this field will yield 3 bales of lint per acre. It is watered by underground drip irrigation. The dry land cotton would be doing good if they can get 1/2 bale per acre. A bale is about 500 lbs.
Now one must click on this link and listen to the great Johnny Cash sing " Back in them old cotton fields".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRNzdRFnn0c



A field white as snow. Well nearly as white.




Notice how loaded these stalks are. As these cotton plants were growing, one had to watch for those pesky boll weevils. Now listen to Brook Benton tell you about those pesky bugs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffLGzIlHwY

Hope you enjoyed these pictures and songs.

This last week I was selected' put on special assignment, to take a film crew out to get some video of the crops. They wanted some with good color but the sunflower patches have bowed their pretty little heads down and lost their petals. To bad because if they had looked like this field 4 weeks ago it would have been what they wanted.


I remembered where a "punkin" patch was. They went wild. I got some good shots of some of the runts left in the field.




Also some of the outcasts



One of the guys decided I needed to be in the pictures so take a look.



And another one.

Ones this size go for $50 each and takes 3 people to put they on the trailer. Only about 2 weeks to get them out of the field and to the stores.
One more shot

Will post more crop photo's later if you want to see them.

I was at the American Power and Windmill Museum Center 4 weeks ago and made some photo's. Take a look.



Just a few of the working windmills outside.


Just a few inside.

A few more inside.


More outside. Notice the wind turbine.



2 wheels on this big boy.

Now I have told you about the tough birds we have out here. Don't mess with these West Texas birds.



I know it sayd Colorado but they were on their way to Texas and needed a rest.
This next 2 photos are from a windmill farm southeast of Lubbock.


I got several in a line for this photo.
Hope you enjoy these photos. More "Shots From West Texas" later.
Go out and look around you. Take in the sights and wonders about you..

I know this maybe too political but figure it out if you can.
You do the math.



This is our Government in action..........

A vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons of gasoline a year.

A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year.

So, the average 'cash for clunker' transaction.......

Will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per vehicle, per year.

They claim 700,000 vehicles were turned in...

So that's 224 million gallons per year.

This equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil...

Currently, 5 million barrels of oil is about one-quarter of one day's US consumption...

And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $75 per barrel.

So, we all contributed to spending roughly $3 Billion of our taxes...

To save $350 million...........??

To top it off......................., $6 out of every $10 went to a foreign owned car company!!!

Really now,..........How good a deal was that for us taxpayers??



Congress can be trusted to do a great job with health care though........................right

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: curious

I caught this image last Thursday morning.

Hope to get some better photos before long.

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: busy

I am wondering why the big uproar about the president's speech to the school children. It is no big deal so let your kids go to school. I remember when Reagan and Bush 41 spoke to the school children and there was the same uproar from the Democrats. There are a lot of bigger items on the plate. Sp if you were thinking about keeping your kids home tomorrow, don't.

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: curious

This has been a very busy week as I drove 1750+ miles this week.The furthest I got from the office was 150 miles but the in between miles was a killer. I did find some interesting photos to share.

I'll start out with " Oh give me a home where the

roam and the

and the antelope play.
One has to see the cattle out there also.


notice the nice rain clouds in the sky.


Today was one of those rainy days The air was clean and refreshing. Earlier I found some more crops to photo.


notice how each and every flower is facing the same way? They are facing east. I think the sunflowers are looking east to glimpse the first light of day every morning. a closeup of one of them. This field is 1/2 mile square. Wonder how many flowers are in this field? I don't have the foggiest ideal.
A lovely shot.

School has started and one can find old abandoned school houses out in the country.

close your eyes and listen for the sounds of the kids playing outside. Enough for tonight. More to come so stay tuned.

Here are a few photo's from my travels I call "Out and About"



A cotton field



"A punkin patch"



A big "punkin" hiding under the big leaves. It is over 18" across and growing.



The once majestic house left to the winds of time.



Faces in Time. Can you see the faces?

Next time I will post photo's made at the American Windmill Center

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: sleepy

I came across this and laughed and laughed. I thought some of you might need a great laugh so enjoy.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/55edbc072b/carol-burnett-show-snow-white-15-years-later-from-carolburnettfan

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b53143e5d1/the-carol-burnett-show-dentist-sketch-from-carolburnettfan

Current Location: in the den
Current Mood: crazy