Cathedral of Junk

It was my duty to help Keep Austin Weird and visit the Cathedral of Junk Museum All I can fairly say, is that now I don't feel like such a junque collector after seeing this guys backyard art!

slow down

this picture I took last week is a remnant of the fall season that is passing so quickly. Just two days ago, as I walked to the post office in my shorts, tanktop and sandals, the 85 degree sunshine warmed my shoulders. A shiver went up my spine as I walked in the door to hear the woman in front of me tell the Postmaster "Merry Christmas" I thought I was in the twilight zone. Come on, the jack-o-lanterns on the porches have not slumped over into orange mush yet. The tress are still green, nothing is remotely yellow or orange. I still want to eat candy corn. Yet the stores are already playing annoying Christmas Carols and all I wanna do is listen to some Jimmy Buffett on a sandy beach. Call me grinchy, call me grumpy. But DON'T tell me Merry Christmas....YET!

These are Days

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

Barack Obama

click here"Time for a Cool Change"by Little River Band and click here These are Days by Natalie Merchant

Good Stuff

I love getting a new recipe and sharing my own. My idea for this post came to me this morning as I enjoyed my breakfast wrap! As a Bed and Breakfast owner, I pride myself on egg dishes. I get my fresh yard eggs from my friend Nancy in the picture above, whom I now call THE CHICKEN WHISPERER! She has developed a language with her birds and it's fun to watch her talk to them like children, gathered all around. So when I scramble an egg, I never add milk. I add a dollop of plain yogurt. The egg fluffs up like a puffy omelet you get at Waffle House because they "blend" their eggs. This morning I was out of my yogurt, so I added a chunk of silken tofu and oh what a treat! One egg turned into what seemed like three! And the texture was so wonderful. Now here's my secret for moist, tender scrambled eggs ( I can feel my brother right now getting nauseous as he is "White-Bread-Fried-Eggs-Bacon-Gravy-Biscuit-Boy" making fun of his "Tree Huggin Granola Sister") Never, ever scramble the eggs once they are in the pan. This makes them dry and tough, unless you are cooking for Matt that is his preference. Fold them gently over once, twice if necessary. Another house specialty is Nest Eggs, and that's Matts specialty. He has it down to a science, right down to baked perfection. He cracks eggs into muffin tins, one in each, spoons just a bit of picante sauce and grated cheese on each one and bakes...pops it onto a "nest" of hashbrowns ! We serve a full hot breakfast to our guests along with our home-baked Granola and Flax Bran Muffins loaded with apples, carrots, raisins and walnuts! Nothing Continental around here. And one more house secret: I sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon in the coffee grounds before brewing! And last but not least, my Homemade Household Cleanser recipe if you want to go all natural....makes the house smell so healthy and clean! Fill a 32 oz spray bottle with the following: 2 cups water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp pure castile soap ( I use Dr.Bronners Hemp Peppermint), 3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, 20 drops tea tree oil, 20 drops lemongrass essential oil, 10 drops sandalwood or patchoulli essential oil. I use this on all surfaces except glass because of the oils. Thanks Dawn for a great chicken picture!

Fun with Fotos

this is a great sight called BAKUMATSU KOSHASHIN (something Japanese that I can't pronounce). It's FREE, and fun.