Bogieblog

Pet Resolutions

From the woman the runs All Dog's Gym, and writes a column for the New Hampshire Sunday News, comes Pet resolutions that would make life a little easier for their owner.

I could identify with roughly 98% of the items presented.

I, as usual, resolve not to make any resolutions!

Have a Happy New Year!

Gloomy and Doomy?

So, Cop Car wonders if my mind has been taken over by an alien - just because of all my prophecy of doom. Well, she apparently has not paid attention what I write. I just made the "Cursed" category in April for specific posts that fit the category (I do add some of the older posts as I come across them - but I don't really go looking for them). And, I only write about a small portion of our bad luck.

Just a few examples of the mundane things that happen to me (I won't even get into WS's stuff):

I haven't worn a watch in 15 years. Not because I don't want to know the time, I do. However, I can't keep a watch ticking (not even Timex). It got so bad that the last watch lasted exactly 3 days and quit. New batteries didn't help (just like all the others). I went thru 5-6 watches in a year's time; each one lasted less time than the one before. Thus. I no longer wear watches. Am I dooming and glooming it because I don't wear watches? No, I am being realistic and not wasting my money on any more of them.

When I worked for the S Corp., they allowed our paychecks to be be automatically deposited if we signed up for it. I did - twice, because the first set of paperwork became lost. By a very organized and professional accountant, it got lost. When I went to work with Fiber, I had to apply to have my paycheck auto-deposited. I had to do that twice - because it got lost at the office that handled paychecks (a large contractor that only handles payroll). When I went to work for my current employer, I applied to have my paycheck auto-deposited. I had to do that twice - because it got filed without being entered. In none of these places had this ever happened before (I checked). I was not surprised thought just because that is my luck. How many people does this happen to not once, not twice, but 3 times - in a row?

401K withholdings have followed the same theme as the paychecks at all 3 places (and not necessarily handled by the same people and certainly not at the same time). Heck, upping the percentage of the withholdings, at times, has been a circus.

We have changed health insurance 5 or 6 times in the last 20 years. I go to the doctor's and always give them my latest card. I also always make sure that they read off the computer what they have in there is correct (and if not, they have to type it in in my presence). 90% of the time (no, I'm not exaggerating), my insurance claim is refused because I am no longer a participant. Somehow, the billing always goes out, not to the last insurance I had, but 2 or 3 or even 4 insurances ago. At which point, I have to call all kinds of people to straighten the mess out.

At WS's last blood-letting, he had the same problem - after he had no problem on the previous blood-letting, 3 months prior. Go figure, a hospital that I had never been to, or been to an affiliate, suddenly thought that my information, from when I carried the insurance (which hasn't been for 6 years), was the information that they should use. Last time it wasn't even in their computer!

Prophet of Doom

Remember these words?

I am now positive that the Bogie luck will sneak up again and whatever I get won't be right (or, they will never arrive) and the company will get fed up and not send me any more shelves.

That sentence was from when I got the 1st set of wrong-sized shelves. I had ESP.

I called the cabinet company today and told them the latest shipment was the wrong size. I explained that the shelves still needed to be 28 1/4", not 34" and not 25". Well, apparently they don't want to talk to me anymore. Not only that, to get anything ordered I have to take both sets of wrong-sized shelves back to Home Cheapo (remember, they told me to throw the 1st set away when I called them the 1st time) AND I have to take the broken shelf in so they can measure it and order the shelves again. 

I explained that I would be more than happy to take the useless shelves in, but the nearest Home Cheapo is 30+ miles away, and could I just tell her the the size I need (never mind that I did that very thing last time) and then take the shelves in when I am going that way anyway. No, I as a homeowner, am apparently TOO STUPID to measure them and tell them the size I need. No, she didn't actually say that, but her voice said so (or it was accusing me of trying to cheat them out of shelves - I'm not sure exactly which).

And, don't forget, every time I call the cabinet place it is on my dime (or more accurately, my ten dollar bill).

Damn, I think it would have been cheaper and easier if I had actually purchased the shelves instead of getting them under warranty!

Holiday Weekend Recap

This Christmas was just as it should be, nice and relaxing. We both, amazingly, had gotten all our shopping done well ahead of time, so distribution of gifts was all that was needed.

Friday, we went to Henniker and dropped off gifts for Teri, Kenny, Bonnie and Joe. That group was going down to Massachusettes for the weekend to see family, so we had our Christmas visit a bit early.

Saturday was our normal routine in the morning; dump run, hardware store and breakfast. WS took a nap (we had a huge breakfast at the diner) then headed over to Cook's Garage for a Christmas party. I piddled around the house and got a bit of reading done. WS didn't stay at the party overly long before coming home and recording some albums onto CD for me.

Sunday we got groceries then piddled some more (he in the shed, me in the house). Jimmy and his latest love interest came over and we exchanged gifts, had pizza, watched some PBR on TV and had some good conversation.

Berry Pics

I have new pictures to share. The animal pics are in the Animals Picture Album and are the last 5 pics there.

The other pics are from the yard:

Here is a mushroom that was growing in our pile of leaves. After the leaves are collected, they are piled up in the vegetable garden which apparently created great conditions for this 8" diameter fungus.

Next is the Holy that is placed to the left of the stairs from the driveway to the walkway, and the winterberry bushes are placed on the right of the stairway.

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas!

Squash Rum Bread

Yesterday, the upstairs smelled like baking sweetbread. I had squash left over (I cook up an acorn or buttercup squash, add a tinge of brown sugar and vanilla, and take it to work for mid-morning snacking) and had to find something to do with it. I went thru several cookbooks before I found a recipe that I could adapt to what I had. That recipe was in Judy Gorman's Bread of New England. The bread came out great even with the substitutions I made.

• 2 C all purpose flour - I use unbleached, unbromated flour from King Arthur. (The spellcheck sugested inebriated to replace unbromated - maybe that would help - ha).
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (fancy that, I just realized I missed adding this ingredient)
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 C butter or margarine (I used diet butter and melted it in the microwave)
• 1 C sugar (I used a bit less since I had some brown sugar in the squash already)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 C rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (I used a bit less since my squash already had some in it)
• 1 C acorn or butternut squash  - cooked and mashed (if needed)
• 1 C chopped pecans (the recipe actually called for walnuts, but I thought pecans would be better, and they worked very well). The recipe also only called for 1/2 C, but also called for raisins (which I didn't use).

I didn't follow the mixing directions at all. I was going to, but misread about the 3rd word in, so just did it my own way after that. Originally, the recipe calls for softened butter, which would have worked if I had followed the mixing directions, but I melted mine - so here is what I did:

• Add all the dry ingredients together and blend thoroughly
• In a separate bowl, beat together the rum, eggs, melted butter and vanilla (I used a mixer on low speed)
• Slowly beat in the dry ingredients - toward the end I had to use a "burst of power" to keep the motor from bogging down
• Pour into a greased loaf pan (I used Pyrex - other materials may need a different baking time)
• Bake at 350F for 50 minutes
• Cover with foil to keep the top from burning and bake for another 10-15 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean)
• Remove to a rack and cool for 10 minutes
• Dump out of pan and leave on rack as long as you can stand it before cutting off a piece or two.

I think the walnuts would have lent too much of a bitter taste to the bread, and the pecans worked out perfectly. I honestly didn't miss the cinnamon taste in the bread until I was typing out the recipe and will probably omit it the next time I make this type of bread.

I had Squash Rum Bread yesterday for a snack and this morning for breakfast (with a bit of egg that WS scrambled up). I could easily have more for a snack later.

Hmm, maybe I should warn you to make sure you have plenty of people around to help eat it so you don't eat it all yourself!

Christmas Smells

Most places smell like baking pies, cookies and bread at this time of year. They also tend to smell like fir, balsam or other evergreen trees or wreaths.

Not the Bogie household. More precisely, not Bogie's bathroom. My bathroom, the downstairs bath, smells like dead mouse - again. I don't know why the inside of my bathroom wall has become the mice's version of heaven, but it has.

Oh, and my Christmas Rosemary tree? That's dead - completely - after only a couple of weeks. Obviously, it no longer smells good (and is out on the deck waiting for me to go dump it out of the pot.

And to prove the Bogie luck is in full force for even the smallest of things, this is the second time I've written this post. The first time, I was almost done, and there was a power flicker on my computer, which caused the post to be lost. The power flicker was nowhere else in the house - not even the microwave that loses the time if there is a slight dimming of the lights, not the TV (which is on) - nothing but my computer. And no, the UPS didn't even think about working, it's two years must be up.

Maybe I just better curl up with a book and wait for the next thing to go wrong (and yes, I really, really mean it when I tell Wichi Dude to dis-own us for a while).

Might as Well Have Been Coal

When I got home from work yesterday, WS and I went into town to get a Birthday present for a friend. We were going to pay a portion of her electric bill, but apparently the local PSNH office closed early. Well, I guess she is getting a check instead (her BD either was yesterday, or is today and we'll see her before PSNH opens up again). That was my fault for not getting down there last Friday when I had the day off work (actually I'm blaming WS because I asked him to do it when he got home yesterday - which was before noon).

When we got home, UPS had been by and dropped off the replacement shelves to the pantry. If you remember, we had already gotten a set of shelves that were too long. To make up for that, they sent us shelves that were 3" too short. I can understand the first mistake; the pantry is 7 years old and styles change. But when I called in for replacements of the replacements, I specifically told the gal that we needed shelves 28 1/4" long. I haven't even worried about the fact that both sets have been totally the wrong color since they are behind doors and nobody will see them.

I could always have WS cut down the too-large shelves. But, with our luck, he would hurt himself, he would blow up his saw, and/or he would crack the shelves - none of which are very helpful. Plus, if we have to replace the shelves in another 7 years, their records would show that they sent the short  shelves and they seemed to work.

So, Tuesday morning I will call them, and have them try for the 28 1/4" shelves again. This would be really comical if I didn't have so many cans and jars of food piled all over the house waiting for a shelf to sit on!

What We're Eating

Last year, at WS's annual physical, it was found that his blood pressure and cholesterol were at borderline levels. Borderline between being normal and being too high.

This year, both were over that line and the doc suggested he go on the DASH diet.

We had always tried to be fairly healthy eaters, but you know how that goes. I would buy fruit and it would languish forgotten in the crisper drawer. I bought bagged salads - I would eat them for lunch, but WS didn't want to take the time to "make" a salad so he would just grab leftovers that he could microwave. His breakfast (eaten at work) was mini muffins, since he didn't want to take time to cook something (although he had milk with them - so that is something).

Although we didn't convert to the DASH diet, we did change a few of our habits.

I went on a fruit crusade. I buy oranges, apples and bananas every week. They go in a bowl on the counter next to the stove, so are always in sight. I buy an extra bag of salad and remind WS (okay, just say it out loud - I know you thought it -