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Friday, February 07, 2025

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward to when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday.

I everyone ready for the big game this weekend? Kansas City vs Philadelphia for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, not sure what we will be doing but we traditionally do wings on that day and have done that since we moved here years ago. 

So who have I got? I think I am going to call the upset this year and go with the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. I just have a funny feeling Saquon Barkley is going to be the deciding factor this year and he plays for the Eagles. I could change my mind by Sunday, but that is what my gut is telling me this year and I just have to follow it this year. There will be Hall of Famers on both sides, but I think Barkley is the difference In My Humble Opinion. 

Other than that, no big plans other than getting done what we do every weekend with our shopping.

Have a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned or just stole from someplace on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up and recall or relive the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it has always been a lot of fun.

This picture goes back to August of 1999, back to even when I was a smoker as you can tell by the cigarette in my hand. This was the evening after my first day of college. I was reading up on all my reading that was assigned for my Psychology class and preparing to transition from a former Steelworker into a Full time college student. 

I look very concentrated, but I was also very scared at that time as I was entering into the world of the unknown and I wanted to make sure I hit it hard and hit the ground running. I remember driving to my first class earlier this morning and pulling over and throwing up that my nerves were so shot. Ironically my first Professor was in a Geology Class who was later a co-worker that NETL with me. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is once against completed, you know what that means. 

* It has been 22,321 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, and improved 1,045-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,574 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working on my field. 

* 6,161 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together. Ironically the theatre we went to see the movie in just closed for business this past weekend. 

* 5,372 days ago I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day. 

* It was 5,410 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, it was a great day with friends and family. 

* I have now lived 2,547 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going. 

* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,205 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,064 days making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* I have 2,555 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows though, doing what I do I may never retire.

* 363 more days until Phil steps to center stage once again for Groundhog Day.    

* 330 more days to go until my Goodbye 2025 Blog is posted. Hopefully, I can put some better content together this year.

* There are 323 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025.

* There are 301 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* Pitt comes back to Morgantown in 222 more days. I can't wait. Revenge time for Rich Rod!!!!

* There are 183 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary together. 

* There are only 34 days to go until Spring 2025, my favorite season of the year.  

* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days that I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.

* I have written 7,835 blogs in what is now 20 years since I started blogging. Two decades ago.   

* Older Drone still needs to be sent out for repairs, not a big priority at this time. My little drone is awesome and I really like it....when I take time out to fly it.   

* Yes the Air conditioner is still in the bedroom window, now we are thinking about leaving it in for the winter. Michelle did buy a cover for it finally.

* Life is much better when you eat Girl Scout Cookies, just saying. 

* Still playing Monopoly Go. I'm still in 4th place among friends and family. It's been a back and forth and I currently sit at 4th place again. 

* This is my favorite Tiktok for this week. I've really started watching this ladies content over the past few weeks, she is hilarious. 

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday, February 03, 2025

Monday

All good things must come to an end, but this is an exciting day to end the weekend on. Now we have to take our collective noses and stick them back onto that grindstone known as life and get back to doing what it is that we do for a living to make this a better rock to live on.

I did get some good news on Friday Morning, a day I thought would be my last one working for a while after a week of putting in Overtime. It may take two weeks to get our next contract in place and we were going to be sitting idle for the next two weeks, not anymore as we have money left over that we are allowed to charge to until the next contract is in place in a couple of weeks. I do have a few things I need to do to set up today, like even more security settings believe it or not. I'll have a virtual desktop on my VPN system that will give me access to the servers that I need to be on. 

Michelle's office should have everyone brought on and be up and fully up and running today after they made a few more hires in the past few weeks. A Project manager and a Properties manager as well as landing a few contracts with a large developer, things are looking real good where she is at now. 

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday, February 02, 2025

Damn Rat

 



Phil, the great Groundhog from Punxutawney who is the seer of seers, the prognosticators of prognosticators has spoken to his handler. The language is known as Grounhogeze, a language only a few of us speak has informed his master handler of his prediction for 2025.

The little SOB saw his shadow. 
Groundhog Stew, with Bacon and Natural Wild Rice
Marinate the woodchuck, brown it, braise in stock, remove meat from the bones, then sweat some diced vegetables, add back the meat and cooking liquid, along with some rice, season it up, and voila. Have some good bread around, you're going to want to wipe the bowl clean.
Prep Time12 hrs
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Groundhog, Small game, Stew, Woodchuck
 
Servings: 

Ingredients

  • One roughly 2-3 lb groundhog skinned, gutted, rinsed and quartered (see photo above)

Marinade

  • 3 cups dry white wine
  • 1 bulb of garlic cloves lightly crushed with the back of a knife
  • 1 large sprig rosemary leaves torn off the branch
  • a small handful of fresh thyme sprigs roughly 6-7
  • 2 fresh bay leaves optional
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup blended olive oil or neutral vegetable oil

For the Groundhog Stew

  • 3 cups mixed vegetables diced 1/4 inch (I used a mix of carrots, potatoes, onion, celery and fennel)
  • 1 large tomato
  • 3 qts chicken stock preferably homemade
  • 4 ounces smoked pork belly or slab bacon diced 1/4 inch
  • 1/4 cup wild rice flour for dredging the woodchuck, optional
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 1/2 cup wood parched / natural wild rice or 1 cup cooked wild rice
  • 1 ear of sweet corn
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Tobasco to taste, optional
  • Sliced scallions 1/4 inch, tender white and green parts only, optional

Instructions

Marinating

  • The night before hand, trim the groundhog pieces of as much visible fat as possible, then season liberally with salt and pepper, toss with the garlic cl0ves, oil, thyme, bay leaves, and rosemary. Put the seasoned groundhog pieces in a wide dish or casserole and pour over the wine. Allow the woodchuck to sit overnight or at least for 4-5 hours, turn it around in the juices now and then if you have time.
  • Cut the corn from the cob, then cut the cobb into 2 inch slices and reserve both separately.
  • To prepare the stew, render out the fat from the bacon in a wide 10 inch braising pan, remove the bacon and reserve, leave the fat in the pan.

Browning and Building the Stew

  • Remove the groundhog pieces from their marinade, pat dry and remove any rogue herbs or pieces of garlic. Toss with the wild rice flour, then brown on medium high heat in the bacon fat. Pour off the spent fat from the pan, deglaze the pan with the sherry, reduce by half, then add the stock, corn cob, cover the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. If you have time, skim the albumen and fat that rise to the surface of the pan occasionally as it makes a cleaner tasting stew. Simmer the groundhog gently for 1.5 hours, or until the meat can be picked from the bones.
  • Meanwhile, cook the wild rice in the chicken stock until just done, then strain out the rice and lay out on a plate or cookie sheet to cool. Reserve the wild rice liquid to add to the stew. It adds really good flavor, and that's why you're cooking the rice in chicken stock in the first place.
  • Remove the woodchuck pieces and cool, then pick the meat from the bones, give it a rough chop, and reserve. You should have about 2.5 cups of meat.
  • Remove the stock from the pan and reserve then strain it. You should have about 1 qts of liquid.
  • Wipe the pan, then melt the butter and add the diced vegetables and the garlic. Sweat the mixture until it's well cooked, and the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes, then add the reserved woodchuck liquid, wild rice liquid and simmer for 15 minutes more.
  • Finally, add the woodchuck meat, corn kernels, and wild rice. Season the stew with salt to taste, then serve immediately with some Tobasco on the side. If not serving, chill immediately, transfer to a labeled, dated container and reserve until needed.

Groundhog Day

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday Morning, the Household is all full of anticipation. Kiwi and Peanut are up watching all the festivities on Groundhog.org so that they can see Phil the one day of the year he doesn't live in our backyard by the old bridge and is the spotlight of the world. Kiwi wants to have a Green Cheek Conure Day where he can fly around and if he poops in flight it means something. I don't think Phil wants to share the spotlight with them on his day, however. He's just like that I guess, but they are enjoying watching him on TV. 

I guess the big question needs to be what my next post is going to say, do I put up a Groundhog Stew Recipe or do I praise the great prognosticator for predicting and early Spring. I know Peanut and Kiwi are both voting for an early Spring as they have had enough of this wintery crap and I have to 100% agree with them on this. 

Has everyone gotten all their forms for their taxes yet? I think we have all of ours and I have even purchased the HR Block Software that I use from Amazon (it's cheaper there) and we are all set up and ready to start inputting information when we get everything organized. I think Michelle had 3 forms and I have 7 I think off the top of my head. I miss the days of simple returns..lol

Have yourselves a great day and hope Phil does not end up in a stew. 

Saturday, February 01, 2025

Saturday Morning Rambling

Here I sit in a quiet household, scratch that Kiwi is talking all kinds of crap as he is beating his sister Peanut in a round of Texas Hold Em while they are watching Basketball on the TV. He's super excited that he is finally beating her at something, although I'm not sure what he is going to do with the catnip that she put up as an entry fee nor do I know what she would do with his seeds. I think it is just the thrill of competition between these two. 

I'm surprised they haven't stolen any of the car keeps in an attempt to make it up to Punxatawney tomorrow for Phil's big day. I know that they are both getting a little tired of the cold weather and all of he snow that they have seen in the past month or so. They, just like their Daddy is ready for some spring time weather and is ready to put this winter crap behind us until next fall. I can't really complain though, it has been much warmer the last few days and the Ten Day Forecast actually looks a little encouraging. 

So plans for the weekend? Nothing really, I'm still feeling a little under the weather but am feeling much better than I have in the last month or so. I mean if you are going to be under the weather, I guess the optimal time is when the weather outside is less than favorable, hows that for a positive spin on being sick. 

I guess it is official now, my great niece Erica and her Boyfriend Caleb are expecting their first child together this September. It's on Facebook, so that makes it official. lol

Have yourselves a great day.