Sunset and Spring

First camelia bloom of the season...
I'm going to have lots and lots of bluebonnets!
Redbuds are blooming all around. Mine is just starting to bud.
I purchased a couple of pork tenderloins at the grocery store the other day...they were buy one get one free...$2.50 per pound! I froze one. Tonight I baked the other. I sprinkled it with Kosher salt. Covered it with cracked black pepper. Sprinkled with dried onion and rosemary. Popped it in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes. You could slice it with a fork!!! So tender. And tasted so good! I thinly sliced a couple of potatoes and layered them in a baking dish. Chopped one leek and half an onion and sprinkled on top. Salt and pepper and some butter. When the potatoes were just about tender, I sprinkled with some shredded cheddar cheese. Oh, my! The leek added just the perfect touch. Along with a mixed green salad...olive oil and vinegar for me...homemade honey mustard for Sam. A near perfect meal!

I purchase almost no bottled salad dressings.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons bold spicy mustard (or dijon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Whisk it. Chill. Serve over your favorite salad.

Confession...I do not care for honey mustard salad dressing. Sam likes it. We went through several different brands trying to find one that tasted similar to some he had in a restaurant. I finally started checking the recipes on the internet. Tried some complicated ones...then landed on this simple recipe. Yesterday, da Judge bought our lunch. I walked across the highway (had to make sure there was no traffic...a Charlie's Angel I am not and refuse to run in heels!) to pick it up...grilled chicken wrap with homemade potato chips. I noticed that the dressing was honey mustard so was going to pass on it. Da Judge mentioned that she loved their JALAPENO honey mustard dressing. I tried it. I liked it pretty good! So I may drizzle some jalapeno vinegar in a small amount of the dressing and see if Sam likes it that way.

I had an epiphany in an antique store a while back. I purchased a couple of odd creamers (from sugar and creamer sets). I use them to serve homemade salad dressings! Perfect servers!

Froggy Morning

Ducky, You have a great suggestion about a photo of "the" stump on a foggy morning. I'll see what I can do, however it is on a hilltop and I don't recall ever driving through fog. I'll be watching!

Latest Thing to Wear to a Business Seminar

Let's pretend that you have driven from the far corner of the great state of Texas to attend a business seminar. You are representing your county judge and your county. And you wear these:

Um.........

Walking the dog shoes.
Beach shoes.
Kayaking shoes.
Running shoes.
"Barefoot" skiing shoes.
Shower shoes.

But wear them to a seminar?

Okay. I do not wear my nicer office clothes and heels to seminars. I go for more of that "Office Casual Friday" ... slacks and blouses...generally a couple of layers because most of those meeting rooms can be like an ice box...and I'm usually the only one in the room who is uncomfortably hot.

And. I wear loafers. Not sports shoes. Not Crocs (I do not own a pair of Crocs...they are garden shoes and I can purchase much cheaper shoes to wear in the garden). Not 5-finger shoes.

Wear these things? To a business seminar? I thought about dragging my camera out of my purse but was afraid I would be too obvious. You really should've seen the whole "presentation." You may have done a "double-take" too.

Fried Chicken!!

I planned on meatloaf for supper Friday. When I got the ground beef out of the refrigerator and was thinking about the rest of the ingredients...egg, onion, cracker crumbs, tomato sauce... Tomato sauce? My eye landed on the leftover spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator. Spaghetti sauce? :-) So, I smushed some spaghetti sauce into the meat mixture. Patted half in a loaf pan. Layered some sliced cheddar cheese on top. Topped with the remaining meat mixture, onions, and more spaghetti sauce. Then ... My cell phone rang. Carol asked us to meet them in Pittsburg for pizza. Sam walked in the back door at the same time. I turned to him and asked, "Meatloaf or meet Carol and Elton for pizza." He responded, "Pizza." So...I covered the meatloaf tartare and refrigerated it.

I cooked it for lunch yesterday. It was good! Sam not only went back for seconds, he ate thirds! "Guess you like it." "Yes. It's really good." "I used leftover spaghetti sauce in it." "It's really good!" LOL

This morning I put the fixin's in the bread machine and we had meatloaf sandwiches with fresh baked bread. Mmmmm.

Sam watched the race. I read a bit. Napped a bit. Worked on a Dear Jane block. Oh...have I mentioned that yet? I'll read the last few posts so I won't repeat myself and get back with you later.

After the race I told him that I wanted Chicken Express chicken. So we went to Mt. Pleasant. This is the place that puts the Bible verse on the bottom of the receipt. Today's verse is:
"He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen." Deuteronomy 10:21.

First Sign of Spring

Daffodils are blooming! I noticed them yesterday in someone else's yard. Checked mine...Nope. But this afternoon! They just popped out! I went to Mt. Pleasant after lunch...shopping...for clothes. Y'all all know how much I enjoy shopping...NOT! I'm needing something cooler to wear with my slacks and skirts. Found a couple of short sleeve jackets, a couple of tops, and a couple of suits at really good sale prices!

And guess where I stopped before leaving town? Yep...Down at the CAR WASH! Can't leave without showing these two cuties. Wonder what they both are thinking...

New Westminster Breeds

Shoot off the fireworks and break out the band! The Westminster Dog Show in New York highlighted six new breeds. Two of them ...TWO of the six... were hound dogs! What makes this so exciting for me...Jonathan's dad raised and hunted hound dogs! During his coon huntin' days, Ron had Treeing Walkers (I do not like them!), Black and Tans (I like them), and Redbones (I love them!!) He even had a bloodhound once...but he did not make a good coon huntin' dog. We had several good dogs. The majority of them were UKC (United Kennel Club) registered. They did not have a long enough pedigree to be registered with the AKC (American Kennel Club).

But now...NOW!!!! After 100 years of breeding and proving themselves. The Redbone Hound (along with the Blue Tick) are AKC registered and this week. THIS WEEK!!! They were featured along with four other "new" breeds at the Westminster Dog Show in New York. HOUND DOGS!!!

Joe was one of Ron's favorites. We also had two of his sons, Clem and Roy. Clem followed in his dad's 'paw prints' and was a really good dog. Roy was gorgeous!!!...but not very good at hunting what he was supposed to be hunting.Yep. That's me. Back in December 1973. With Joe.

Let me tell you a story about Clem. The hounds were Ron's dogs. Not mine. The only time I had anything to do with them was when Ron was gone on the truck and I fed and watered them. And gave 'em a pat on the head. And maybe turned one out every so often while I was working in the yard. Anyway...

Whenever we were out in the yard, we turned one or two of the dogs out to play with us. Once while Ron and I were horsing around - I screamed. Clem ran between us, faced Ron and GROWLED AT HIM! Ron and I stood there with our mouths hanging open. I got rather smug. Ron's dog. Uh-huh. Riiiight......

'Bout time this breed got their due!

LOOK at This!

2fer

I've got my arms full of loving!

Austin Highlights

No interesting photos. So sorry. I thought I would get a photo of the building where the training took place. Brick was an ugly pink, but the top floor had some gorgeous arched windows. Problem was...the weather was just so blasted cold!

So...first photo is of hairspray and cologne?? What's with this? Monday night I set the alarm on the hotel furnished alarm clock. Everything looked right. My first night out, I never sleep very well at all. I read. Turned out the light. Turned over. Turned the light on. Read. Repeat. Sometime over in the wee hours of the morning I went to sleep. I woke and checked the clock. The clock with the alarm set for 6:30. The red LED readout stated: 7:19. WHAT?! I jumped up, ran around the bed and grabbed the clock. The time was set 12 hours off!!! I had the alarm set for 6:30 in the morning...but the stupid clock was set on PM. Thank goodness I had showered the night before. I ran to the bathroom and did the makeup. Back to the bedroom and got dressed. Back to the bathroom, ran a brush through my hair and sprayed it...with the prettiest smelling hair spray I'd ever...I looked in the mirror and I had a yellow can in my hand.

I smelled like one of those little old ladies that when they walk past you in church loaded down with the L'Air De Temps it about knocks your head off. (Glad my deodorant was a stick...don't know what the hairspray would've done under the arms...)

I know...I haven't learned not to park beside/under trees. But I pretty well figured out that this one would be safe.

Tuesday night I really regretted not getting a dessert to take back to my room. I took care of that Wednesday. It was huge! I ate half Wednesday night and had the rest for breakfast. LOL Yes, breakfast. I still went down and got some milk and an apple to finish up.

Got my bags packed and in the Tahoe...then went to the last morning session of training. Received my certificate...was dismissed...headed north. I found a H.E.B. at the interstate exit for Pflugerville. They had ChocoVine! I was so excited!!! I thought I better get two bottles. And if two bottles were good, then THREE was BETTER! This may become habit forming... :-)

This is Austin

I haven't even taken any photos! Of course the only thing outside my window is another big hotel and Interstate 35.

I'm here on job training with the State. This is my first solo trip to Austin. Wish I knew more about what's here. I did find out that there's a HEB south of the hotel. I need to go there for some ChocoVine. From Holland. Red wine with chocolate in it. Had some at the quilt retreat in Houston (where the 4-Runner got smashed by the tree limb).

Training has been boring, interesting, and a learning experience...all three. Tomorrow evening a couple/three of us are going to Pappadeaux to eat. Don't know what else we'll do, but it will be pretty tame...I'm not parking under any trees. :-)