going with the flow...
I took today off so I could make some headway on the bathroom roof, but the rains of last night did not end before daybreak as advertised, but held out until almost noon. The roof was a little slippery to be up there wreaking havoc, as was my intent, so I farted around a while and then fired up ye olde lawn mowing machine and had at the back forty. That took over two hours and then I had at the grounds proper, which, thankfully, only needed a trim, having had a regular cutting only last Sunday. Then I went cattail gathering for some more decorations on the front porch, took out the garbage, had some coffee and a smoke and sat down to post The Song of the Week. I was going to delve into some of the old psychedelic rock I've been recovering from vinyl lately, but, being of a mellow state of mind after communing with nature and my lawn mower, I thought something more contemplative and soulful might be in order. Go have a look and think of me whilst you sing along...
I guess I'll go rassle up some dinner and a jar or two of Guinness, then go wander out in the newly shorn woods under the wisp of a crescent moon and the beautiful Autumn stars... Wander with me, if you like, if only in spirit, I do enjoy the company.
Be well, my fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.
wander with me...

The Fabulous SondraK...
is soliciting donations to send some Halloween goodies to some troops that were all packed and ready to head home, but instead received orders to return to Baghdad. You can read all about it here... Please throw a few bucks into the pot to let the guys and gals who serve to keep YOUR freedom intact know you care. It will mean a lot.
wander with me...

it is the End of Times...
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"We got motha-f'n mutha-f'n toupees on mothaf'n mutha-f'n babies!"
(I just gots ta gets ma f'n street talk down, yo! Ya's dig?)

Just click the picture...
wander with me...

The innocent looking ones...
usually turn out to be the mass murderers...

Click the picture to read this tale of horror...
wander with me...

Joisey breakfast...

some things are better than sex...
wander with me...

A Cultural Interlude
...

Now, don't you feel better..?
wander with me...

it's Emeril LaGothy..!
It's that time of the rolling year when Sunday in the kitchen belongs to me! MWAAHAAHAAHAA !! Here's a little something to fill the gut and the soul: Tasty Chicken Baguette!
Marinate three thinly sliced chicken breasts in some olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, finely chopped rosemary and about a half cup of fresh grapefruit juice. Toss into a ziplock bag and throw it in the fridge for a few hours. Also marinate three or four medium portobello mushroom caps is a little olive oil and some soy sauce. Bag and chill them as well. About a half hour before you want to eat, throw the caps into a small pan with the marinade and set over low heat. They take a bit to get just right, so when they just start to feel meaty and soft, throw the chicken and marinade into another pan and brown both sides. After they're browned, turn down the heat to low and let them go until they are cooked through.
While all that is going on, trim seven or eight asparagus stalks and set them aside. When the chicken is almost done, throw the asparagus in the pan with the portobellos and braise slightly. Meanwhile, slice your baguette lengthwise and scoop out some of the dough on both the top and bottom. (I used a whole wheat with roasted garlic baguette). Slather the top with some fresh hummus and spread some olive and garlic bruschetta on the bottom half. Put a layer of sun dried tomatoes over the bruschetta. Lay in the asparagus. Slice the caps about a quarter inch thick, same for the chicken. Fill up the baguette with the mushrooms and chicken, add a layer of thinly sliced fresh mozzarella, some fresh basil leaves and put on the top. Squash it together good, cut into manageable slices and have at it.
We had some fresh pepper shooters and Greek olives on the side. Washed down with a pint of Guinness, of course!

Oh, I took the innards of the baguette, pressed it into a ball, flattened it out paper thin and fried it in the pan with the juices and marinade from the mushrooms. Makes a nice little treat!

Other than that, it was a typical Sunday; an early morning cup of coffee in the back woods, did the shopping, picked up some mums for the front and back porches, potted up some pansies and begonias to bring inside for some winter color; mowed the better part of the grounds before the rain started; watched the race at Dover, as well as the Giants get their ass kicked. And now, it's time to settle down with a book for an hour or so before wandering off to the land of Nod.
Have a pleasant evening, fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.

wander with me...

Happy Equinox...
Mabon, Shubun no hi and Happy Rosh Hashana.
So, I did mortal battle with Sir John Barleycorn last night and, although I thought I came away with the upper hand, he dealt me a swift blow about three in the morning, causing me to spend a few minutes calling the seals and uttering in strange tongues. Bastard. I'll get him back one of these days. Other than that, a good time was had by all.
It's a rainy first day of Autumn here in New Jersey, foiling, once again, doing the necessary patching on the bathroom roof to stop a few small annoying leaks so I can re-sheetrock the ceiling and get the damned renovations underway. I really want to finish them before November. I think I might throw a coat of touchup paint on the kitchen cabinets this afternoon. White looks nice, but doesn't wear well in the kitchen...
Well, friends, enjoy the new season. It's a good time for wandering.
Fare thee well.
wander with me...

it's Friday!...
A lunchtime post today, for I'm off to a little corner pub in Philly tonight to toast a friend who is leaving for points north and a new career. So, while I'm out bending elbow and wondering if I can drive the sixty some odd miles home with an untold number of pints of Guinness Zoestrizer Schwartz in my ancient bladder, you can relax by listening to a new Song of the Week. Just click the picture of Zipper in the sidebar to be magically whisked away by the wonder of the interwebs. Have a wonderful evening, fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.
wander with me...

I think the Russians...
on the International Space Station must be eating the dehydrated Borsch again...

Thank you, thank you... I'll be here all week...
On a lighter note, daughter 2 and I went to see The Magnolia Electric Company last night in Philly... in a church basement that was at least close to if not over a hundred degrees. One of the guitarists was having a hard time playing because the sweat was making his hands shrivel up like they do when you spend too much time lolling around in the tub. Still rocked the house, though. Here, have a taste -

1-07 John Henry Split My Heart.m4a
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I'm really tired, didn't get but a few hours of sleep last night and, the gods know, I need my beauty sleep more than most.
Wander amongst yourselves, tonight, dear friends... I'm going to hit the hay.
Be well.


wander with me...

BRAVO..!
to The Flea...
wander with me...

IT'S FUCKIN' FRIDAY..!
time to give the martini shaker a workout and time for a new Song of the Week! It's a thank you to my friend Bob, with whom I went to see the Asia reunion show Tuesday night. I can't describe it, it was that good. I wish you all could have been there with us. All I can say is "WUZZA"!
So, enjoy, fellow wanderers... there's some ice cold Stoley and some olives singing their siren song... I must follow!

wander with me...

beautiful...
check out the beautiful art of Amy Crehore...




one day I will own one...
wander with me...

did I offend..?
looking over my new NeoCounter thingy, I notice that there are no hits on my blog from France... perhaps the recent dead froggy post hit a nerve?
wander with me...

pretty close...

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

wander with me...

9/11...
no, I didn't forget about it. When given the proper amount of thought in the proper perspective, anything I might have to say would be shallow in the face of it all. I will say one thing, though, and that is that we, as a nation, had better stop playing the blame game, stop poking sticks into each others cages, stop playing this unspeakable tragedy as a trump card in matters politic and start acting like a united people. That is the only way we can confront and repel the menace to our way of life. The radical Islamists have found our weak underbelly and are exploiting it and causing more harm than bombs or chemicals could ever do; this country is in the midst of a civil war, brought on by those who swore to uphold the laws of this land and protect it from all foes, within and with out. The left and the right politicos are wasting their time warring with each other, rather than taking a united stance against a very real, very determined and very, very capable adversary. Radical Islam is not blind to the fault of our own pride and they will continue to provoke us into beleaguered in-fighting, with no end in sight. It is time to act, not posture. A divided house will fall, and radical Islam has both the hammer and the wedge and they will strike until we are torn asunder. And then... who knows? I know I don't care to imagine...

wander with me...

frogs...
what to do with all those dead frogs, you might wonder..?



click here...

wander with me...

oh, yeah...
Song of the Week is hosing hosting, sorry, a video this time... check it out.
wander with me...

it was a dark and stormy night...
or evening, as the case may be...
Labor Day came and went. I had the Friday before off, I was intending to do the bathroom roof, but the impending annoyance of Ernesto put that off. So, I spent the day sitting in the breakfast nook, cum reading room, and read the better half of volume one of Sandberg's six volume set of Abraham Lincoln. Not a bad read, I expected it to be just what it is; historical facts steeped in Sandberg's usual poetic prose. Entertaining to the point of being a page turner of sorts. I spent Saturday under the boredom of Ernesto's torrential downpours and fretting over whether our little brook would behave itself, or spill over it's banks and worry the yard with it's excess. It handled the onslaught admirably. The grounds came through mostly unscathed, excepting the loss of a huge section of one of the ancient maples in the back yard. I spend Sunday morning tuning up the chainsaw, then went to a little family gathering at my brother in law's house. Always a good time. They are wonderful folks, my wife's family. Not being of a close family myself, they certainly fill the bill, and then some.
Labor Day was spent laboring; chain-sawing, hauling stuff to the ever burgeoning brush pile at the end of the back forty, raking, hauling some more. I even took the time to trim the monster euonymous that has grown to Godzilla like proportions right next to where the future woodworking shop will be. Most of the tree fell where the shop will one day stand, so better now then , huh?
Other than that, the so-called official end of summer ended with a whimper, not a bang.
I'm looking forward to the fall. It's my time of year. Some folks look at it as an end, I see it as a beginning. It's always been the time of year when I grow. I yearn to see where chance takes me this autumn. The other three seasons of the year I seem to have some control over, as far as my life is concerned, but autumn is in charge of my fate in it's days, which is fine with me. Good things always seem to happen in the autumn. Good things. I need good things. Things I don't want, but things I need. If you're an autumn child, you know what I mean.
Well, my friends, I need to go make myself another Stoley martini. That first one really hit the spot. You know what they say about martini's, don't you? "One is not enough; two is too many; three is not enough". I intend to test that old saw tonight.
Be well, my fellow wanderers. Know that I think of each and every one of you every day. You are all special to me.
Fare thee well.
wander with me...

shopping...

ya gotta wonder...
wander with me...