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 have Peanut and Kiwi well trained doing GIS, Peanut is doing the work and Kiwi is Supervising and they work for cat food and seeds. Pretty cheap labor if you ask me. They are such good pets. 

So plans for the weekend, once again we are still in that part of the year when it's still a little cold and it's not spring yet, so we are stuck doing inside types of things as well as what we normally do. 

Fret not though, data are starting to let longer and the weather is warming up (and I officially left the AC in all year) and outside activities are right around the corner. Although warmer and brighter days just means they will work on widening the road in front of the house, so so much for peace and quiet. I will have a little less grass to mow though. 

Have yourselves a great day and make the most of it. 

Hi ho hi ho

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.

I have no idea what they year of this picture is, or even any idea when it was taken. It was a picture of a younger Grandpa Hall performing someplace. He had a group he performed with called the Green Mountain Boys who recorded on the RCA Label, but I never met Bill Addis (the other member) and have no idea if the guitar player in this picture is even him. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is once against completed, you know what that means. It's time for a Tidbits!!!!

* It has been 22,342 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, and improved 1,045-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,595 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. 

* 6,182 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. 

* 5,393 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 5,431 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 2,568 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 1,226 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,085 days making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* I have 2,534 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.

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

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

* There are 302 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025.

* There are 280 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* Pitt comes back to Morgantown in 211 more days. I can't wait. Revenge time for Rich Rod!!!!

* There are 162 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary together. 

* There are only 13 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 7,856 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. It's almost time to uncover it. WIN!!!!

* Life is much better when you eat Girl Scout Cookies, just saying. I've made my order already. 

* Still playing Monopoly Go. I'm still in 5th 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. Where is Marshall located. ROFLMFAO

* Hi ho hi ho

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.

We did go buy some Meojawana Calico Cush Catnip to and a new scratchpad, talk about being stoned, we cut her front nails yesterday and there was zero fight from her, she even offered up her second paw to be clipped. Then she decided to take a nap on the new scartchpad with all the catnip on it. I may have to enroll her in Catnip Anonymous because I have never seen her like any catnip like this one. 

Back at it for another fun filled week of working, we have our contract in place I just need my new charge numbers go I can go and backfill all my charge codes to make them relevant to this contract.

Michelle has been busy at work as well, collecting past-due debts and paying some bills and getting everything up to speed. It was a little intimidating at first for her, or should I say overwhelming, but my girl has it all in hand now. 

So what is on our agenda this week, Michelle and I will both be doing what we normally do and Kiwi and Peanut will be ordering around their humans like they usually do. Trying to figure out what kind of mischief they can get themselves into before next weekend. 

Have yourselves a great day

Sunday

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are quite proud of themselves yesterday as they managed to change the Battery in Pearl yesterday, she only had 408 Cold Cranking Amps and was due to be replaced, the new one has 640. It could have made it through the summer, but any more cold days would have just made it harder and harder to start and they did not want to see their Mommy stranded. 

Speaking of these two, today they plan on taking down all of the Valentine's Day decorations around the house and start decorating for St Patrick's Day. I'm telling you these two are very festive around here and when they are not creating chaos they are both a couple of pretty good multi-purpose pets. 

I did have to change Glucometers this past weekend, I usually buy the cheap ones from Sam's Club. Test strips are so much cheaper and they all do the same thing. I've had the one touches, but the test strips are so expensive and like I said they all do the same thing or else they wouldn't be being sold through pharmacies. 

So plans for the day? Not too much. 

Update: They did a good job.

 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut have decided to assist me today as I change out the battery in Pearl, Kiwi said Dad with this cold weather Pearl just doesn't appear to have the cold cranking amps in the morning, so he and Peanut have decided if I buy the battery they will be the mechanics and change it for Mom. Although before they unhook it I should remind them that Pearl is the white car and Ice is the Gray one. Crazy animals. 

Well our contract was extended and signed for the project I was working on, my work was supposed to cease on January 31 (for this project), but they anticipated the next contract being in place and we were given permission to bill to the task the past few weeks. Honestly Monday morning I had no idea what was going on and I was told keep doing what I was doing. Always nice to remain employed. 

Michelle will probably take ice today to do the shopping as I take Pearl to Advance to pick up the new battery (I'll let them install it as well, I'm not sure Kiwi quite grabs the concept of a ratchet and 10 MM socket just yet. Pliers and wire cutters he has laid out as tools may cause me bigger problems than letting Advance install the new battery, and on the right car. 

Some sad news to pass along, Misty's fiancée Robert passed away this week, so condolences to her and that part of the family as they mourne Roberts passing. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

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 hope everyone had a great week and an even better start to the weekend. 

You know what would be nice to know? Every summer Ruby Amphitheater downtown comes up with a summer concert series. It appears like they are going to do it again in 2025, but acts are still be rounded up and scheduled for the series. I like it because it gives me a summer of content to write about (between that and the movies) before heading into fall and High School Football. It's a time of the year where the blog pretty much writes itself on Fridays and I'm not struggling six days out as to what to write for content. 

That however is where we are at right now, It's mid-later February and unless you are hot and heavy into NASCAR (which I am not since Dale Earnhardt died), there really isn't much going on. There is college baseball which has gotten started, but other than this upcoming Tuesday game our home schedule doesn't really kick in for a few more weeks. There is always Basketball, but March Madness is a month or so away before it kicks in full gear. 

Have yourselves a great day.

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 weeks pic is from the Thanksgiving Festivities this year. We once again did it at the Cassville Firehall and we had set up a photo place with a backdrop so that groups of people could have their pictures taken together. It's not too often that I as the photographer get into too many pictures, but this was an opportunity for that magic to happen. 

To see the rest of the day's festivities, check out my Facebook album.

Have yourselves a great day.

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is once against completed, you know what that means. It's time for a Tidbits!!!!

* It has been 22,335 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, and improved 1,045-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,588 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. 

* 6,175 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. 

* 5,386 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 5,424 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 2,561 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 1,219 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,078 days making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* I have 2,541 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.

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

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

* There are 309 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025.

* There are 287 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* Pitt comes back to Morgantown in 218 more days. I can't wait. Revenge time for Rich Rod!!!!

* There are 169 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary together. 

* There are only 20 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 7,849 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. It's almost time to uncover it. WIN!!!!

* Life is much better when you eat Girl Scout Cookies, just saying. I've made my order already. 

* Still playing Monopoly Go. I'm still in 5th 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. Pat McAfee's Superbowl commercial, if you can recognize him.

* Hi ho hi ho

President's Day

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'm pretty much in limbo right now waiting to find out of our contract was extended and if I have any work immediately ahead of me. It's a waiting game to say the least. 

With that being said, today is President's Day which is a Federal Holiday. Meaning that post offices and banks and any state or Federal Offices are most likely closed today in observance. Keep that in mind if you are going out and have someplace to be. 

Michelle is working today and like I said I am in limbo, so that means Peanut and Kiwi and myself will be tearing down that noisy bowling alley they built over the weekend. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Sunday

Here I sit in a festive kind of household, Kiwi and Peanut are having the times of their lives pretending like they are ready for the PBA tour. Truth be told they both spent all day and night bowling and carrying on drinking some kind of a pineapple contraption of a drink and singing tunes from the Mama Mia soundtrack. I have spent the who weekend as the pin setter, but I don't have the heart to tell either one of them after all their hard work in constructing twin alley's, they neither one of them have figure out how to knock down a bowling pin. Gutterball after gutterball from these two and what do they do, slap a wing to paw high five and party like they are rock stars. As long as they are having fun I guess. 

I upgraded my old Cirkul bottle that I have been using for months to a 40oz one. Hell Ice and Water will stay cold in this thing for days, I had had the plastic one but the ice continually melts and you are having to put ice cubes in all the time to cool your drink down. I got a Cirkul Tumblr and love this thing. You are basically drinking water with a little bit of flavor added to the strength you want with interchangeable flavors. I got a 20 ounce tumble a few months ago and love it, Michelle got me started on them and we both love them. 

No plans for the day other than spending time and laughing with the animals. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Saturday Morning Rambling

Here I sit once again in a household that is not so quiet, it seems Kiwi and Peanut have decided to convert the hallway into a Bowling Alley. Sad thing is, they wake me up and they want me to be the pin setter so they don't have to. They somehow managed to build 2 lane bowling alley complete with an automated ball return, but they need me to set the pins back up for them and to do it in an expeditious manner to keep the games flowing along. Tell me my animals aren't spoiled. 

To be honest I have had a real bad stomach bug all week, it's actually been pretty painful and has really limited my mobility from it. Appetite has been pretty much next to nothing and I don't really even want to eat. I've had better weeks to say the least, hopefully this is just a temporary thing and I can recover quickly. I hate the feeling of being so useless. 

So what is on the weekends agenda other than our typical shopping? Nothing planned to be honest, we did have to purchase a new vacuum sealer this week as our old one was just failing to suck all the air out of the food. I must have hit them at the right time to purchase, because I bought this one much cheaper than this. I guess it went on the fritz at the most opportune time, when they were on sale...lol

It had been some time since I last heard from my Nephew Daniel, it was before Christmas was his last communication to me, and although I had sent a few messages (he likes to talk about the Steelers) I hadn't heard anything from him until this week. He's been taking college classes and has been dedicating a lot of his time to studying, so I can't fault him. At least I heard back. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Big Ole Hairy Valentines Day 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 Valentine's Day Friday.

Does anyone have any plans for this evening for Valentine's Day? As of Press time (six days earlier) I do not have any plans as of yet, but we'll have to wait and see what could transpire by the time Michelle and I get off of work today. I'll have to confide in both Kiwi and Peanut for some ideas to make Mommy's Day special. 

Anyone feel like something is missing? We started with Football season last August and now the Superbowl has been played and football is done until next fall (with the exception of the WVU Spring Game), does this mean I can start cheering for the Pirates and Baseball now? It's about time for Pitchers and Catchers to report. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

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.

Every boy loves his first dog, my Dad had a Beagle that they named Brownie although he was around long before I was ever even thought of. Glenna Mae had dogs that I was quite fond of, but it just wasn't my dog so to speak. There was my Dad's dog Mitzi who had grown quite fond of me years earlier, as she had followed me around everywhere. 

My first dog however was this young pup who I named Rocky. Glenna Mae had taken me to the pound to select a dog after Grandma was finally convinced to allow me to have  a dog. We walked into the pound and this guy was jumping and screaming for my attention, so much so that he got it and we brought him home to his new home.

I took this picture on the back porch, when I started to venture into the world of Photography with my Kodak Camera with 126 film that you had to take and drop off to get the pictures developed. Biy have we came a long way since then...lol

Have a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is once against completed, you know what that means. It's time for a Tidbits!!!!

* It has been 22,328 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, and improved 1,045-day Calendar. 

* It has been 7,581 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. 

* 6,168 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. 

* 5,379 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 5,417 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 2,554 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 1,212 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,273 days, I've now outlived him by 1,071 days making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* I have 2,548 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.

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

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

* There are 316 more shopping days left until Christmas 2025.

* There are 394 days until I hit the age of 62. Yeah I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* Pitt comes back to Morgantown in 215 more days. I can't wait. Revenge time for Rich Rod!!!!

* There are 176 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Fourteenth Wedding Anniversary together. 

* There are only 27 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 7,842 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. I've made my order already. 

* 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 have to admit, this one made me cry as I watched both of their careers. 

* Hi ho hi ho

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.

Last week I was relearning an old skill that I used to use at work. It has been a number of years where I have written batch files and run them from the command prompt which is not something I have done for probably 20 years. I'm doing it as I export jpgs out of a pdf and renaming them to a specific naming convention and with a large number of files. A Batch script is a windows command that is very useful, it's just I haven't used it in years, back when I used to write AML's. 

Watch the David Kitchen and Tiles website this week as Michelle's profile should be added. We were hesitant in letting that out because she went to one of her previous employers competitors, but it's starting to get out with some of the vendors and so it's no longer a big secret. Keep an eye out, her profile should be added this week. 

Have yourselves a great day and the start of a great week. 

Hi ho hi ho

Super Bowl Sunday

It's finally here, Superbowl Sunday and Kiwi and Peanut have no problems with letting everyone know who it is they are cheering for this evening. They are both adamant about who they like and why. 

Kiwi being that he is a bird, is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles for no other reason than they are birds. I think it is a species favorability thing with him. He is a Saquon Barkley fan and thinks he will be the difference in the game. 

Peanut on the other hand is a Swiftie, I tried telling her Taylor Swift does not play for the Chiefs, but she doesn't care if it is her boyfriend Travis Kelce that is playing for them. Peanut is more of a Swiftie fan than a Football fan. She also likes Patrick Mahomes but only because Taylor does. 

Michelle and I? We are Steeler fans and will watch the game for the commercials which used to be the best part of the game. Don't tell Kiwi, Wings are on this evenings menu for the big game. It's something we have done for every Superbowl since we moved in together.

Have yourselves a great day, make it memorable. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a joyful household, Peanut and Kiwi have been up all night playing an intense game of Trivial Pursuit, each playing for bragging rights as the smartest pet in the Hall Household. Kiwi seems to hold an edge in the Sports and the sciences categories where as Peanut is better at the entertainment, history and surprisingly the Geography questions. They are both faking it when it comes to Arts and Literature, no Darth Vader did not kill Mobey Dick or pull Excalibur out of the stone. I think they just like bluffing each other to see who is more gullible. 

So what is on today's agenda? Pretty much our shopping. We have resorted to doing it on Saturdays rather than Sunday Mornings as it gives Michelle a chance to sleep in on Sunday's. She likes to stay up watching the true crime videos on Youtube and me, I take after Grandma and Grandpa Hall and am asleep hours before her. 

It is Superbowl weekend, and tomorrow is the Superbowl. Kiwi and I think the Eagles will win, Peanut is a Patrick Mahomes fan (I think she likes Taylor Swift). Should be a good game hopefully. 

I am liking French Creek Freddy more than Ohil right now and he seems to be more accurate than that Rat up north. Warmer weather this week was a pleasant surprise, I know we had a winter weather advisory Thursday morning g and it was 51° out. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

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

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

Wednesday

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

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

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: 2

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 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.