Shiny Stars

Just think, if it wasn't for Karen's Shiny Star this amazing grand Victorian home would have been replaced by condo's!

Good Samaritans come to Pet's recuse and helped load a thousand pound butcher block.

Pet

In our last blog we talked about pests, so why not go with the antonym and highlight the shiny stars in our lives? We talked a bunch about insects, so that’s where we can start. We have a picture from last blog of two stars, the butterfly and the bee. These little guys are so essential to the natural cycle of life. Without them spreading the plants pollen they’d die out and we wouldn’t have the vibrant colors of summer in our lives. Yay bees and butterflies! Another favorite of mine is the tiny orange bugger with the black spots. They’re lady bugs and their favorite snacks are those nasty little aphids who love to devour rose bushes. Aside: do you know that ants, interesting but still mainly pests, herd the aphids and chase them to the rose bushes where they milk them just like we do the dairy cows? Bet you didn’t know that! My positive vibes are so overtaking me, I have animal, vegetable and mineral shiny stars I want to talk about. First, let’s hear about some of your stars shining in the metroplex.

Karen

I love ladybugs! They’re cute and they eat those yucky, sticky, nasty, aphids! Without them my parlor wouldn’t be flooded with roses right now.  Another one of my favorite insect shiny stars and in my opinion the most fascinating is the praying mantis. I used to love them in upstate NY but was so depressed not to see my favorites in California. That is until I moved to Pasadena. It’s praying mantis heaven! We have two kinds, the standard green and a molted brown version. The brown guys can get to be five inches long!!!! If I didn’t love them so much I’d be pretty scared when I faced one in the garden. But their giant size is a huge plus because these guys are serious about their stomachs. Seems I never see them when they aren’t munching on some pest. Got to love a shiny star with a big appetite!  

Pet

Hey how about we find some shiny stars who don’t kill little thingies, even though the thingies are pest thingies. We have our domestic animals like Herman who’s 16 years old…or 112 in dog years…and your adorable Amelia, then we have our delicious garden veggies, I have growing tomatoes, very early for the valley. Okay that covers animal and vegetables but what about minerals? Are diamonds still a girl’s best friend? I have an antique ring with a big rock in the setting but never had an urge to buy more. Shines all right, but let’s get right down to people. Last blog we had a human hero write us. Bill doesn’t think plant munching critters are garden pests. He plants a special garden for them. And since he’s an ex cop, he probably has a traffic system worked out guiding the critters to their garden, away from the people garden. Now he’s a hero! A human shiny star.

Karen

This blog post got me thinking about my own human shiny stars. Like many people, I’ve had several in my life. My latest hero is the woman who founded the historic landmark district where my Victorian resides. When she moved to the neighborhood it was at risk of having the lovely historic homes torn down to make room for town houses and condo’s. History is not always cherished in the big city, so this area had long been neglected. But she saw the wonderful old homes and the history of the place, well over a hundred years old, and wanted to turn the area back into a shiny star. So with shear determination, she worked diligently and won the support of the community to found the second historic landmark district in Pasadena. I always think of her and her amazing accomplishment when I stroll down my neighborhoods tree lined streets and gaze at the amazing historic houses that still stand so proudly for everyone to enjoy. Aprile Boettcher is living proof that one person can make a difference.  

Pet

Ms. Boettcher certainly deserves the shiny star nomination, but so do all of the residents who work so hard keeping their old homes looking gorgeous. I know you spend much time keeping yours up to your high standards. Pin a star on your shirt, girl! Here in the country we have many old buildings but they’re more functional than beautiful. Maybe that’s just in the eyes of the beholder since when brother visits from LA, he runs all over the county and beyond snapping pictures of the old barns. We even have a few ancient mills left standing. Then there are the local heroes who’ve refurbished the old buildings in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited national park in the country. The drive through Cades Cove is a ride into the past. So here’s a salute to these men and women, the volunteers and park rangers who work on a daily basis keeping this breath taking place both historically correct and scenically magnificent. Shiny Stars all!

Karen

I’m a huge fan of people who respect and honor America’s history. We may not be that old as a country, but I think that makes our history even more precious. You mentioned the faceless hero’s that do good work every day. In the city I find I cherish even the most simple act of kindness. I have what you would call day hero’s. In the crowed crazy city of LA, it’s pretty dog eat dog so when an unknown stranger takes it upon themselves to help someone they don’t know, they are a shiny star to me. If it’s rush hour and the freeway is jammed, you can sit forever trying to get on the damn thing. So when someone actually stops traffic to let me get on the freeway they are my hero. I always wave and smile to let them know how much I appreciate their simple act of kindness. Unfortunately most hardened city slickers thinks their act of kindness makes them a sucker. Another simple act that I’m eternally grateful for is when someone holds a door open for me when I’m obliviously loaded down with bags. This simple courtesy that used to happen thousands of times everyday has gone the way of the dinosaur in the big city.  So on the rare occasion that someone holds the door open for me I’m always overflowing with gratitude. My usual parting phrase is, “Thank you so much. You’re not from LA are you.” : )   

Pet

Ha, ha! Your last sentence reminds me of when I was trying to get a bag into the compartment on a plane and had a hard time lifting it. One gentleman, and only one came to my aid. I said to him, “You’re from Tennessee, aren’t you?” Yes he was, and bless his heart as we say around here. The other local saying comes when an act of unkindness happens, like someone cutting you off on the highway. “He’s a so and so,” you say followed by “God love him!” That shows how friendly folks around here are. When outside, everyone waves from their car at whoever isn’t in a car, and often at other cars. Hey, I tried this the last time I was in LA and everyone thought me crazy. 

Karen

Well, politeness and LA don’t really go together. : ) That’s why you can spot a transplant a mile away! But there is one thing that local’s do that I think deserves a mention, they throw one heck of a pool party. I’ve never been to as many aquatic parties as I have in LA. And if you have a party disaster someone will be happy to help you out to keep the party going. At one of my friend’s parties, disaster struck when the spa broke down. You would think a 8.0 earthquake hit by the sear panic that swept over the guests. But it only took fifteen minutes to track down a pool guy to come to the rescue. I think there is one on almost every corner in our fair city. To everyone at the party he was like Superman to the rescue. To my friend this guy was the shiny star that kept her party from being a totally failure.

Pet

Another act of neighborly kindness comes to mind when I cut up on the antique butcher block sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Not very good with sharp knives this is a wonderful addition, doubles the counter space. We found the genuine antique on a relative’s porch and we were gifted with the much-needed piece of furniture. Family and friends gathered around to help get the huge, heavy hunk of wood onto the pickup. Sons and son-in-laws, grandsons, some of the girls, everyone who happened to be around, rushed to assist with the lift. Took much lifting and pushing, heavy breathing, moans and groans to place the solid wood on the pickup. Once home we called on our neighbors. Our farmer friends came over between milking with a front-end loader. Push, push, and upsy daisy, the block is soon transported from the back of the truck to kitchen door. Humans only got it inside, and there she sits. All of the helpers, even the front-end loader, are heroes, shiny stars for sure.

Karen

Nothing like come-to-the-rescue neighbors!!!!!! When my hubby and I first moved to Pasadena we bought a cute little bungalow with beautiful woodwork and a narrow steep staircase. No way could we shove our queen-sized bed up the stairs to our master bedroom. We were dead tired, as we did most of the moving ourselves, and stood scratching our heads out on the front lawn wondering if we were going to have to put the mattress on the living room floor to sleep, when neighbors across the street came over to introduce themselves. The father joked that he didn’t want us to start our new life in the neighborhood by sleeping under the stars. He came up with the brilliant idea of pushing the mattress through the very large casement picture window in the master. In a matter of minutes two ladders appeared and the father and son were nudging the mattress up the ladders. We ran upstairs and managed to pull it through. Next came the much less flexible box spring. Luckily we had used two singles and they squeezed through the window with a giant shove from the father and son team. That night when we finally went to bed we were grateful for our wonderful new neighbors. Shiny stars for sure. So do you have any shiny stars in your life? Please share them with us.     

PESTS: They can be Transplants too!

Not all insects are PESTS. Some friendly visitors to Pet's garden

 Karen's cat Amelia on the hunt for PESTS!

Hiya Karen! 

On this hot spring day I must talk about PESTS. And I’m eager to find out if the ones you have in the city can match up to ours in the country. I suppose occasionally you have a house fly wander in. You think that’s a pest? WRONG. Move into a house next door to a cow field and then you’ll find out that these flies flock in the thousands, maybe the millions, and love to plague the dairy herd, but even better spend much time figuring how to take over your house. Those huge masses of the insects…now that’s PESTS. So far we’ve only swatted a few flies, but we know they’re only the vanguards looking the place over so they can go back to their flock of millions and plan the attack. So we’ve killed a few. They don’t mind being killed. They know about all their relatives behind them and they’ve laid eggs enough to start a new generation in six hours. I have fly stories galore if you’re interested in hearing, but first I dare you to come up with worse pests than Ma and Pa fly!

Karen

You know how much I love a good dare!!!!! You’d be surprised how many strange PESTS we have here in the city. Do parking meter girls count? : ) We have the usual ants, spiders, pantry moths, and the occasional fly. But hands down the scariest pest I’ve ever seen was in my friend’s house in Palm Springs. He lives right on the edge of the desert so there are some of the usual suspects like scorpions and tarantulas. You don’t even want to see how much he spends on pest control!! One morning we headed into the breakfast room all excited about the fantastic omelet we were going to make when I happed to almost step on something that looked like it was out of a nightmare. It was large, about four inches, and had a head shaped like a seahorse and looked kind of like a miniature dragon. It even had large wings! Before I could let out one heck of a scream my male friend beat me to it. That’s how scary looking it was. Thankfully it was dead. My friend took a picture of it and sent it to his bug guy. Next thing you know he’s over in a flash all excited about our discovery. The bug guy proudly placed the creature into a plastic bag and told us he was going to send it off to headquarters. A month later my friend gets a call. The bug is actually from Chile. Wow did he get lost. And if he’s a taste of the PESTS they have in Chile I’m never going there!

Pet

I’m not touching that one. The South American bug sounds ever scarier than sighting one of those cheery sounding Whippoorwills in person. That’s comparing a bug to a bird so now in shock I’m turning to human pests. Too bad you don’t have any of them, except for the meter maids, in your metroplex. Unlike your scary bug that really didn’t DO anything, the human pests always do stuff to drive the rest of the human race totally nuts. Question: how come an inanimate object with wheels can turn a previously mild and meek individual into a raging monster? Case in point…the two lane rural road in front of our house curves through the countryside until about one half a mile both ways when it straightens out. So what does every red-blooded American boy or girl do? Why step on the gas, of course. Ignore those 40 mile per hour signs, terrorize Pet and her little dog, go, go, go, you PEST, PEST, PEST.

Karen

I have to agree that the human PEST is far worse than any insect. But before I go on a rant about homosapien PESTS I have another kind of PEST story. On one of those perfect putter-in-the-yard days I decided to plant a cutting garden. Like any good gardener knows, prepping a new space is really important. I eagerly tilled the soil dreaming of all the fantastic flower arrangements that would soon be gracing my parlor. Once I worked in some topsoil I figured out my flower placement and got down on my knees and started planting. Things were going along great until my trowel hit the edge of a large underground tunnel. It didn’t take long for the resident to come out and find out who had disturbed his home. Little beady eyes stared up at me and a loud grunt came from its snaggle tooth filled mouth. I’d never come face to face with a gopher before. This little sucker was ticked. He stood his ground and kept grunting. Our stand off turned out to be one legends are made of. : ) He obviously didn’t know who he was tangling with. I got out the trusty garden house and gave him one heck of a bath. He scurried off never to be seen again.

Pet

So many pests inhabit both the city and the country. The last time we spent a night at a motel in a very urban section of Brooklyn, NY, we were horrified by raccoon family scavenging in a garbage bin. A tough bunch, I can understand why your city gopher turned out to be a worthy adversary. Sometimes even deer come out of the parks and feed on city gardens. Here in the countryside we are inundated with them although they all disappear when hunting season starts. They are lovely creatures, so graceful, but boy can they chomp down on the veggie garden especially during dry season. Plus become a major hazard when driving after dark. Another hungry garden predator is the cute little bunny rabbit. Fortunately we have a healthy stand of clover keeping the little buggers happy. Still, I’m suspicious of the adorable little fur balls consuming my just planted baby dill. I planted fragrant herbs in the spot where the zucchini attracted a million squash bugs last year. I plan to buy the squash and cook them with fresh herbs as long as the bunnies stay away. So even after I put my number on the Do Not Call list, I’m still constantly fighting pests.

Karen

The PESTS I fight in the city are mostly the human variety.  Besides the scourge of uniform clad, ticket totting netter maids, the second worst PESTS in the city are what I like to call the grocery stalkers. I’m sure in the country you might have your own version, but here in LA with endless organizations and causes to promote and raise money for I feel like I need body armor to even think about entering the grocery store. Sometimes the entrance is almost totally blocked by tables covered with petitions and food drives and the people who stand guard waiting to pounce on you. And don’t get me started about when it’s election time. I’ve even resorted to doing drive by’s before I pick which grocery store is safe to shop at. The people hustling green petitions should be horrified that they are actually forcing me to increase my carbon footprint. What happened to the days when all you had to worry about was the Girl Scouts and the ten pounds you’re going to gain from buying way too many boxes of cookies from the cute girl with braids?   

Pet

How about the scantily clad car washers barricading the shopping center parking lot? I try to avoid shopping on a Saturday but even though I’m a major food hoarder, sometimes my freezer runs out of an essential item and there I go, getting the car washed whether she needs it or not just to gain entrance to the super market. I’d much rather make a donation to the cheer leaders, or first grade soccer, than plow through the parking lot pests. I’d also like to send some $$$ to that throw away newspaper which gets thrown away on the lawn every weekend. Here’s money for not delivering this pesky addition to the newspaper recycle bin.  How about the kids in your family who sell stuff? You love them so you’ll buy but how much wrapping paper or chocolate bars do two people need? I guess we’d best not get on family pests or we’ll run out of blog space. Maybe I should just stick with the insects as I swat one of those disgusting little moths who try to take over my overstocked pantry with food still zip locked from last year. Boy the subject of pests is a never-ending one!

Karen

That’s for sure. So I’ll close this post out with a story about Pasadena’s most famous PEST, no it’s not our cute and annoying squirrels, it’s a very special seasonal PEST, The Rose Parade Locusts. They start arriving about a week before the parade in large caravans of Winnebago’s and family vehicles.  They begin to stake out their favorite spots up and down the parade route. Going into Old Town turns into a logistical nightmare, dodging people with camping equipment and chairs while you’re trying to get into your favorite restaurant. I have a friend who actually turns the whole thing into a sport as his house in on the parade route. When the parade locusts start staking out spots in front of his house he tells them the city has changed the parade route to two blocks over. He takes great glee in seeing their confused and then panicked faces. Now I don’t condone his bad behavior but I can understand his frustration. You should see the huge mounds of trash the locusts leave in front of his house when they fly off. Nothing worse then a PEST that doesn’t clean up after itself!

Projectitus

Karen's gazebo and the newly painted fountain.  

Pet's sunroom project in progress

Karen

I don’t know about you Pet, but the second the first week of Spring hits I get projectitius. I become a list fiend. With the first holiday of the season a month away I start to make my home improvement lists. Somehow the bright spring light only seems to highlight the deferred maintenance from the winter blues. Here in sunny California, all the flowers are blooming and once again the outdoors calls. That means I better spruce up the lawn furniture and get ready for unannounced neighbors to come over for a little glass of Pinot Noir in the backyard gazebo. The same gazebo that is currently covered in cobwebs and has dirt an inch thick on the floor.

Pet

Gone are the days when you wanted change in the homestead you simply sold the one you have and bought a new one. Feeling lucky to have a house at all, we’re diving into projectitus! Great word, Karen Anne. We usually start with the friendly place, the front porch. The chairs come out of the garage, hopefully don’t need painting, and are set in conversational mode. Big planters border the edge. A few tables for drinks and small planters join them. Frost warnings over, so next come the geraniums highlighted with tumbling petunias. Red geraniums with white petunias?  Or all shades of pink. Whatever the color scheme, the front porch cries for geraniums and petunias.

Karen

I wish my projects were as simple as planting flowers. My main project is restoring my porches. All three of them! Although my house is a new Victorian built in 2003, my porches are from a house built in 1890 that was torn down because of the Northridge earthquake. Due to some shoddy painting by the builder, the hundred plus wood has been splitting and cracking every year. This year chunks started to fall off and I had to bump the porches up to number one on the project list. The back porch is also made from parts of the old Victorian and due to my brilliant idea of wrapping my wisteria vines around the posts the paint has literally been pulled off by the vine. Word of advice, don’t let a pretty vine fool you; they can cause hell when you’re not looking!

Pet

Flowers are great for covering structural sins when one is too lazy to redo whole areas. You, Karen Anne, are the ambitious type who gets to the root of the problem. Yup vines can be uber troublesome. Here in the south we have a vine that resembles a grapevine, called kudzu. The pretty leaves pop out as a first sign of spring. But then the vine grows and grows and grows. By midsummer they envelop all nearby trees, bushes and deserted buildings. Kudzu overgrowths spring up everywhere. The darn things are unkillable. The city of Chattanooga has a unique idea. They hire a herd of hungry goats who are able to eat kudzu as fast as it grows and at least keep the vines off of the highway. Idea: How about acquiring a herd of goats to trim back your wisteria? 

Karen

I think the Pasadena police would have something to say about goats grazing in my yard! Then again the neighbors kids would think I hired a petting zoo. : ) Planting vines sure is tempting but sometimes you just have to break down and do good old manual labor mainly to keep guests from falling through the floorboards. : ) Of course my city friends think I’m crazy to work on the porches myself. But I have the skills and no one will give them the attention that I will lavish on them. I have to admit I sure would rather be doing something fun like decorating my front parlor. But ask anyone who has an old wood porch, and they’ll tell you, porches are always begging for attention just like kids. Lol

Pet

At our modern house the back porch was actually a deck. The view was great, the furniture comfy, location totally convenient connecting the breakfast nook with the backyard and the bordering wild life habitat. The big problem was the deck faced west, bringing cool mornings and sweltering afternoons. So the front porch was, and is, where we sit. Temps great out front, but instead of communing with nature, we watch the neighbors and wave at the cars speeding by. Ah, but that view of the yard and the wildlife culminating in the ever changing landscape of the Holsteins grazing on the ridge was simply to good to waste. So, Madam Devoted Decorator, tell me what project we should have undergone, and then I’ll tell you what we did.

Karen

Sounds like your deck needs a roof! How about putting up a gazebo? Worked wonders for my backyard problem area. We have a nice brick patio behind the garage that we never used till last year. The reason? We have a 100-year-old scrub oak tree that sheds it’s leaves year round. These aren’t just any old leaves; no, they have razor edges and sharp spines. You can imagine how much fun it was to hang out under it's very large and deadly canopy. Not! The solution came to me one day, a gazebo!!!! It’s been like heaven ever since. We are shielded from the killer tree and the gazebo almost feels like a tree house snuggled under the large tree branches. My neighbors love it and that’s where everyone wants to hang out in the summer. Turned a dead space into a popular hangout. Get yourself a gazebo!

Pet

A gazebo sounds great and I love the way they look. I picture a gazebo at one end and a hot tub at the other. A door from the master bedroom/bath leads on to the porch/deck. Woops, I mean ex deck. What we did was construct a sunroom on top of the deck, gorgeous sunny spot, and safe from the elements. We have a great time during all seasons checking out the wildlife, mostly deer, turkeys and bunnies, but every bird imaginable.  The Holsteins graze on the hillside, rain, shine and below zero. When guests come for dinner they fight over the table in the sunroom. Not a simple solution, but it worked for us! What fun if we can manage to look out at a gazebo.

Uh oh…I feel an attack of projectitus coming on.

Karen

: ) Tis the season! I just finished a side project not even on my list. But the idea has been floating around in my head. I managed to finally score a great deal on a fountain for the backyard by the gazebo. There is a small wall mounted fountain on the back of the garage but it hardly makes a sound. Not the nice splashy ambiance I was hoping for. So I found a nice medium sized fountain high off the ground (we have raccoons) only problem was it was a horrible cream-colored fake stone. No problem for a decorating maven like me. They make wonderful fake stone spray paints so I found a nice dark granite color that matches my green and black theme.  Always have to have a theme. Lol Now that the fountain is painted, it looks like a one that would cost twice as much. The neighbors are going to be thrilled by the new ambiance while they down their mojitos!    

Pet

Fountains are nice but how about a whole pond spanned by a scenic bridge and some bright colored fish splashing below? One of our relatives built such an outdoor delight and if we can lure him down to our place, we’ll beg, bribe or threaten him until he builds a water place for us. We even have a water supply, a babbling brook hidden in the trees. The birds would love this addition. If only I were as ambitious as you! I’d be out there right now digging away. Actually we’d lure a farm neighbor with a back hoe to dig the hole soon to become the scenic fishpond. We have the acreage, now we need to catch Karen Anne’s ambition. Maybe if we promised relatives and neighbors unlimited mojitos, they’d grab a shovel and dig in. For the tee-totalers, we’d whip up unlimited supplies of those California death by chocolate brownies. Shamefacedly I must admit…to us projectitus is like a case of the flu. We lay low until the urge goes away!

Karen

Maybe I need a twelve-step program to cure me of projectitus. Instead I’ll be heading out to work on my porches. They are my major project for the year so I’ll be thrilled to get the worst off my list. Wish I felt a case of the flu coming on. : )

Happy Projectitus Everyone! 

(until they find a cure)

Spring Can’t Get Here Fast Enough

We aren't the only ones with the winter blues

Pet's brother took this picture in London!

Yes Karen it's true, it does snow on palm trees!

Pet

This certainly has been a rough winter. Seems like the ice and snow will never quit. And the cold. Bitter, biting, blustery cold. Must we break records every day? And do they have to be, the coldest, the most snow, thousands of power outages caused by ice and other weather disasters? We snowbirds, stuck for the winter in balmy Florida, really sympathize with our friends and family up north as we watch them struggle on the weather channel in our shorts and T-shirts. Okay, so some days we have to top off our shorts with a sweat shirt, and even go unstylish and wear socks with our sandals, but even then the southern sun shines blindingly in a cloudless sky. Not a snowflake in sight. Lolling in the southland is great way to chase the midwinter blues.

Karen

Although we in Southern California have had one of the warmest January’s on record we’ve also had some of the coldest nights. Storms as far away as Alaska bombarded us though usually they never make it this far south. So I would say it’s been a miserable winter here too. I mean just when we’re ready to break out the bikini and hit the beach again we get anther rainy cold snap. But hey I’m not complaining, well kind of. : ) But what is worth complaining about is the way native LA people drive in the rain. I swear it’s like they’ve never seen water fall from the sky before. They have to slow down and stare to make sure the downpour is real. One thing you can spot right away are the transplants like me. We see rain and drive just like usual on the freeways, 70 or faster!   

Pet

Do you notice how many movies in LA feature rain? The Hollywood folks get their cameras out at the first drop. I remember one of our early visits to S. California. The theme parks were closed because of the storm. So even golden state residents need a “snow day.” Not like our daughter in ice stricken Kentucky who has ten days off from school waiting on the electricity to go back on, but a weather related holiday anyway. Here in Florida there’s plenty of weather fun during the hurricane season so they don’t react to rain storms. Matter of fact, they love rain around here. We’re close to the forest fire area of last year. Dry foliage from the recent freeze makes efficient tinder. By the way, did I tell you we have cattle around here? Kind of opposite from the boonies back home. Here I counted 500 cows and 5,000 little houses. Back home reverse the figures.

Karen 

Seems you find cows wherever you go. I’m sure they know you don’t take it personally. :) Great idea about “snow day” but in LA I think they should call them “rain days.”  They actually would save lives. But these days we are grateful for every drop as we head into our third year of drought. Still, as I check the forecast and see one series of storms after the other I have to admit I long for the typical sunny California weather. I can see why my native California friend who moved to Oregon needed a doctor after the first year. When you’re not used to dark and gloomy days it really does make you stir crazy. She had to get a prescription for a special lamp to ease her depression. I’m sure the people in Kentucky and Back East could really use a light prescription too. And they’d love the side benefit of a great tan! 

Pet 

The winter sun is a welcome sight. As soon as the clouds disappear the days rapidly heat. Lately the blustery breezes keep the beaches deserted so we don’t see too many tourist type suntans. You know, the ones you want to say ouch to. Red and peeling instead of bronze and beautiful. When I went south in the winter I’d really concentrate on a tan. Mr. Sun kissed my Mediterranean hide with color George Hamilton would envy. Then every year the same thing happened. As soon as I stepped on the plane north, the tan faded and when we landed, all evidence of the southern sojourn disappeared. I stopped sun bathing when bombarded by hazard reports. Like most alarming health warnings sun avoidance comes with negatives since the word on the street is women get osteoporosis because those spf 50 lotions deprive their bodies of Vitamin D, essential to keep bones strong. Don’t know who to listen to re what’s good or bad for you I say, defiantly munching on a chocolate covered peanut butter cookie. 

Karen

LOL Pet! I say anything chocolate would chase the winter blues away. As I look at the forecast and see another string of storms headed our way for most of the following week I quickly hit the grocery store and stock up on all the things I need to make my favorite chocolate treats. Nothing like gloomy weather to bring out the baker in me. Somehow that fact that it’s pouring rain outside is masked by the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven. It’s also the perfect excuse to get a chocolate high. I don’t feel guilty at all indulging in a frosted fudge brownie with chocolate chips and washing it down with a big mug of hot cocoa with whip cream on top. Who cares that you can’t go outside when you are bouncing off the walls!!!! 

Pet   

Seems like when the weather worsens in the west, we warm up in the east. Especially the southeast!  That doesn’t mean we’ll stop eating so we look great in our bikinis. Us eat-a-holics just switch the treats. We cool off those brownies (recipe, dahling?) and plop a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Or better yet caramel cheesecake ice cream. Instead of hot chocolate we haunt the convenience stores for grape slurpies. Need a protein fix? Hot dog stands spring up along with the Orange blossoms. All those goodies are on top of three squares a day. Yeah, the sun might be blazing, the temperatures rising, and days getting longer but we still have to fight the winter blues. Hopefully the food police will forgive us indulging since the diet starts in six weeks on the first day of spring. As for now…please, please, please give us that double chocolate chunk brownie recipe before we sign off. 

Karen 

Once again you ask me to divulge what to me is like a state secret, my favorite brownie recipe. But I’ll do for our blog fans that are buried in ice and snow. These are guaranteed to make you think it’s Spring!

Frosted Fudge Brownies with Dark Chocolate Chips 

2 cups sugar

8 oz. butter (2 sticks)

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup sifted flour

1 teaspoon vanilla (preferably Tahitian)

4 egg whites, beaten until stiff peaks form

½ bag of Ghirardelli’s 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Put sugar in mixing bowl. Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stir until well blended and smooth. 

Add sugar; mix well. Add beaten egg yolks; mix well. Add flour and vanilla; mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Spread in a 10x15x1-inch greased and floured jelly roll pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When cool, spread on chocolate brownie frosting.

Chocolate Brownie Frosting 

1 stick butter (4 oz.)

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 box confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons milk

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat; stir until smooth then add confectioners' sugar. Heat milk until hot; add to chocolate mixture. Add vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over brownies and enjoy! 

(Consume with caution. Mass quantities are for heavy-duty chocoholics only. Not for the faint of heart : )  

Happy New Year & The Dreaded Resolution

We have New Years resolutions too!

Karen

Well Pet, it’s another New Year and another resolution list. But you know what? I’ve decided to hop on the bandwagon and boycott. Yep here in LA there is a huge movement afoot to say no to resolutions. At first I thought it was like saying you don’t believe in Santa Claus. : ) Then I considered all the benefits. No posting up some crazy list of things that I’ll never accomplish. On a good year maybe I’ll complete three out of ten things. Of course being a competitive person I try to top the year before so the list has become something like an episode of Mission Impossible! So the whole concept of not even having to sit down and compile the list has been a total relief. What about you? Want to join the movement?          

Pet 

Sounds good to me, but too late. I’ve already started on my resolutions. This is the year I will lose those ten pounds I’ve resolved to for oh, about a million years now. No I’ll go ahead and lose twenty! And exercise…you bet. I’ll join that gym I’ve had my eye on and get a personal trainer and not only will I be thin but also fit. No more fast foods or anything else fattening. And my mind will be much improved in 09 as I resolve to read better books, maybe take a class or two…so easy now on line. Hey, maybe I can learn a musical instrument and a foreign language. I’ve been picturing the all new me for weeks now so how can I give the lovely vision up for some kind of crackpot movement? What do you think of the much improved person emerging at the end of 2009? Do you still think I should join the no resolutions team? 

Karen 

Not to be Bah Humbug but your list sounds like my typical dream big list. Why not add in that you’ll get an extreme make over and win the HGTV Dream House? Lol Truly, I think a positive attitude is great. My way of staying positive this year is to boycott my resolution list and yours is to go for the gusto. We always knew we were opposites right? : )  I think especially this year with the way the economy is going it’s a smart move to look for ways to try to make the most of the world you can control. So I have a nice set of goals for 2009. Not resolutions, goals. : ) Actually I do want to relearn a foreign language as I will be traveling to France in October. With any luck this time I’ll do better than the C - I got in my High School French class. I also have some very ambitious writing goals. As for weight, I too would like to loose the 15 pounds I’ve been lugging around for several years. And I need to get back to my four times a week walks around the Rose Bowl. I know what you are going to say, “But Karen those sound like resolutions?” A goal by another name…. : ) 

Pet 

Wow! Here I thought (hoped) you would talk me out of my resolutions to work on fashioning a new me in the New Year and instead you come up with all kinds of commendable “goals”. Let’s get one thing straight. No goals or resolutions should state winning the lottery or getting that book out from the box under the bed and immediately into print by a major New York publisher. We have to be in direct control of our resolutions or goals or promises or pledges or whatever you want to call them. We can guarantee the purchase of one lottery ticket a week (If you play…I don’t!) and pledge to take classes geared toward improving writing skills. So my ambitious list wasn’t a dream list. For instance – a favorite finished novel bought by a movie company…a dream! Taking a screen writing course, and querying Hollywood type agents …goals. Get the picture? Now I’m going next door and announce my resolutions to my favorite cows. The girls are always so agreeable. And maybe we’ll discuss a few of my dreams. 

Karen 

Well, if your cows are anything like the cows back east I know what their goals are. Get milked!!!!!! I can see the resolution list too.

1. Stop chewing my cud 24-7.

2. Be the first in the barn everyday.

3. Find my own private meadow to graze.

4. Find a fly repellant that works! 

Pet 

You’re not funning me about my lofty resolutions, are you? So I’ll make them really simple like my bovine friends. I will lose weight and congratulate myself for doing so. Even if I shed only three pounds instead of 30 I’ll pat myself on the back and treat me to a low cal snack. I will finish the novel I’m working on while not neglecting the non-fiction projects I’ve started. That should keep me busy and following through should keep me happy. I just might also resolve to stop agonizing over the goals achieved by some of my more organized buds who seem to do in a day what takes yours truly a month. Everyone has to work at her own pace as the contented cow says while slowly treading well behind the lead cow on the way to the barn. The main thing is slow and steady, the plodder gets there too! 

Karen 

Yes, that’s the point in the end. Don’t beat yourself up if you only get three things done on your list. At least you tried. And although I’ve decided to go the boycott route this year that doesn’t mean I won’t work on my goals for 2009. This year though I’m not writing them down. They are firmly planted on my head. I only have four. Three that are realistic, and one that is pie in the sky. I mean last year gave me some hope. If Britney can lose a bunch of weight and look fabulous again, why can’t I? I think it will be interesting to see how many things I get done when they aren’t written down and plastered on the side of my refrigerator for all the world to see. Well, at least my hubby. : )

Wishing everyone much luck on their resolutions, goals, and dreams for 2009!!!!!! 

Pet 

I second the good wishes to all for the New Year. May your goals be met and your dreams come true. Whether you live in the country or the city, whether you’re a transplant or a native, be happy wherever you are and whatever you do. 

Holiday Count Down

Karen's parlor takes her two days to decorate but this year she had to do it in one day and she has the grey hair to prove it! 

Every Christmas season Eastern Tennessee is overrun with visitors. Thousands of Sand Hill Cranes stop by on their way to Florida. And you thought your house guest where eating you out of house and home!   

Karen

Well, Pet it’s holiday crunch time. I’ve decorated every square inch of my house inside and out and have almost completed my Christmas shopping. Alas, haven’t started my cards yet. Every year sending email cards gets more and more attractive. : ) But my friends look forward to what crazy card I’m going to create this year so the pressure is on. I have to say it is nice to see my cards prominently displayed on my friends refrigerators. Lol I’m also bracing for the family and friend onslaught and the proverbial house guests. As the year winds down my schedule gets crazy. Good thing the peppermint schnapps is close at hand.     

Pet 

You’re having fun doing what you love, so don’t get over stressed. Me, I’m more laid back through the holidays, you know the one who smiles  at all the whizzing around shoppers. I love giving regional presents that make the most of the area where you live. The farm where they turn out the Tennessee cheddar features lovely dairy cows I see out in the field brightening the landscape when everything turns brown. Fabulous tasting stuff. Some of my people will get dual gifts this year. First the cheese, then when my husband and I are enjoying our gift to each other…a long, lazy stay in WARM Florida, they’ll get boxes of honey belles, an Indian River delicacy, the best tangelos we even send to the family in Florida. Yes and when we’re down in the sunshine state we can see the orange trees out the window already sprouting blossoms for next year. And the best part? The goodies go out by mail from the suppliers, and I keep smiling.

Karen

I guess I’ve succumb to the city mentality. Everything has a deadline. : ) or as they say, that’s life in the big city. Here in tinsel town even something as simple as decking the halls becomes a competition. Who’s the first to get their lights up. If your neighbor hired someone to put them up then you are slumming if you do your own.  If the guy across the street has a mini Disneyland on his front lawn then you better step it up and do Disneyworld! Nothing like Olympic level competition to make the holidays stressful. I try not to get pulled in but I have to admit I was ticked off when three neighbors up the street pooled their resources and have quite the light show extravaganza. Makes my icicle lights and giant snowman on the roof look pitiful. I think I need you to do an intervention. Lol 

Pet

Why don’t you simply relax and enjoy the neighbor’s lights? That’s what I do. No competitions here in this hardworking farm community. But I remember when we used to live in the city prizes were awarded. We had some kids living directly in back of us who were…well to be diplomatic now that they’re grown and might be reading our blog, maybe from the State Penn, light fingered. So these little roughnecks (funny they had newly arrived from the country) would go from house to house stealing an ornament here, some lights there even blow up Santas and Frosties joined their heist. Then, blatantly, they’d display them all over their yard and house. And every year they won the competition. No one ever turned them in. First off they were cute little buggers, most needy of all the local kids, hard to prove the adornments were actually stolen, and hey…Wasn’t it nice that the whole neighborhood got involved?  Now that’s what I call laid back.

Karen

I’ll say!!! You’d start a war if someone stole anything around here. The neighborhood called out the heavy infantry when a prized orchid was stole from the front porch of a house a block over. I was waiting for them to post missing orchid signs all over the neighborhood. Lol The people here take their holiday decorating seriously. We have a lot of Hollywood types and they don’t mess around with the over the top lighting and automated figures. One guy bragged that his electric bill was over five hundred dollars every December. I have to say it took some getting used to all the competitiveness. Not what I equate with the holidays. But I have to say I enjoy all the wonderful displays I can enjoy from my front porch.

Pet

So far everyone around here seems to be in good spirits. Saturday, a busy day, I found myself in that big super place. The crowds weren’t too bad since this is an enormous store in a small city, and there were plenty extra checkers. I ran across little lady in one of those motorized scooter looking confused. When I asked if I could help with something, she all but sobbed, “I can’t find the stuffing.”

I directed her to the proper aisle.

“Now if only I can find the canned artichokes.”

 “Could it be in the fruit section?” she asked.

I set her straight that artichoke wasn’t a fruit but a veggie and we fussed about how you could never find a sales person when you needed one. I went back to shopping and she zipped off.

A few aisles over, zip she reappeared. “I found an associate. Your artichokes are next to the green beans.”

We both raced over there and this time found the quartered artichoke hearts. So now, thanks to the little lady in the scooter, I have the ingredients for this delicious dip for the party Saturday.

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned.

Karen

Your dip looks yummy but the calorie count kept climbing as I read down the ingredients list. : ) Yes, here in tinsel town yet another thing to stress out about is the astronomical calories one consumes at the various parties and dinners. Whole articles are dedicated to the art of nibble grazing. Why if you just take a nibble you can enjoy anything you want and not gain an inch! But I’m here to tell you that it’s a recipe for disaster.  Because in the same magazine they encourage a major fast to help you look perfect in your sparkly cocktail dress.  I’ve witness many a melt down when a poor starved soul starts to nibble and ends up gorging themselves instead. But one clever rail thin hostess found a great way to ensure no bad behavior would take place at her party.  She bragged about how she put together the ultimate holiday buffet. All her treats were healthy and yummy beyond words.  Well, I had no problem enacting the nibble rule at her party because everything was so disgusting one taste and you’d swear off food forever.

Pet

Yup, calories are a problem this time of year. That’s why in January every kind of diet suddenly surfaces. So many I can’t decide which one. I did go on one of those diets once and lost loads of weight, looked thin and beautiful enough to attend a tinsel town party. Unfortunately I got sick of chicken breasts, broiled fish and apples. As soon as I ate real food all the pounds came back. In my present condition they wouldn’t let me through the door in that skinny people place. At least here in the South wherever you go, whatever you do, you find someone fatter than you. Those biscuits and sausage gravy are worse putting on the pounds then the holiday goodies. So I guess when the New Year comes I’ll change my life style so I can finally lose those ten pounds I’ve been making a resolution to lose since about 50 pounds ago. Meantime I’m going to make delicious garlic toast to dip into the artichoke dip. Do I hear olive oil and butter?

Karen

LOL Pet! I think the more time goes by, weight piles on even faster. But here in tinsel town it’s like a collective mirror is held up to you every day. Especially since I made the mistake of making a living in fashion for over fifteen years. That’s why I try to look as thin as possible even if I gained my usual holiday ten pounds. Nothing worse than going to a party and having someone you see once a year look you up and down and say, “You look so plump and happy. I wish I could not care what people think. ” Ouch!!!!! But I have the perfect non-Hollywood correct response. “Why thank you. And I see you continue to visit Dr. Harrison. He’s a master with lipo.”   

Pet

Speaking of eating a bunch the other day we drove to a wildlife refuge to observe the Sand Hill Cranes, tall fellows with red caps and very loud voices, who stop here every year during the Christmas season for refreshments before continuing on to Florida. Watching hundreds of thousands of these noisy birds chow down on wetland veggies is quite a sight. Often in Florida a family of these Sand Hills adopts a human family and demand food. Takes a whole bunch of birdseed to fill them up! Guess all that flying helps them maintain their svelte shapes. Well Karen, I’m about to say Felice Navidad and go back to stirring up my fattening dip and slathering grease on the garlic toast. But first I want you to release to all of us with watering mouths your top-secret scrumptious cookie recipe. And then you can say, “See y’all next year!”

Karen

So you are holding the blog hostage till you get my secret holiday cookie recipe? Like my stress isn’t bad enough? : ) Feeling my arm being twisted through cyber space, I’ll reveal the recipe but you and all our dedicated blog readers have to swear that you will not hand it out like candy. After all it’s survived six generations in our family without one tattletale. Now you are forcing me to break such a family tradition. Feeling guilty yet? : ) I have added a modern addition by adding dark chocolate chips to make a fantastic orange cookie even better. So here it is. It will be my gift to our loyal readers. Trust me these cookies are beyond yummy.

Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c unbleached flour


1 c unsalted butter


3/4 c white sugar


3/4 c light brown sugar


2 eggs


2 tsp high quality vanilla (Tahitian)


The juice and grated rind from one small orange

1 tsp baking soda


2 cups Ghirardellis 60% dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, orange juice, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Combine the dry ingredients and the orange peel and stir in to the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips lightly and chill for 20 minutes or so.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or tablespoons if you like them man sized :) on a greased baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown and still soft, but set in the middle. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack or counter. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies regular sized or about 1 ½ to 2 man sized. Enjoy!

Pet & Karen Wish You Happy Holidays!!

 

Have A Happy (But Cheap) Holidays!

Karen's fabulous fall door decoration cost a staggering $ 1.50!

Pet's little friends came to live with her after a boxing day (day after Christmas ) sale. Now they stay in their own bargain box every holiday season.

Pet

That time is here, Karen. The season some folks love (you) and others only faintly like (me). Known far and wide as Ms. Scrooge, now that my kids are grown up, the only way I can get through the holidays, is to zip up my wallet and try to join in on the spirit. So, since everyone is worrying about THE ECONOMY, I thought I’d pass on some of my money saving trips. Okay, KA, quit rolling your eyes and pay attention. First I’m starting with my favorite subject, food. No matter how much all that gross commercialism gets under my skin I adore yummy holiday meals, and the many occasions to snack freely. But even here I look for bargains. Today I stopped at the grocery, you know for pick up stuff, bananas and tomatoes and walked out with two “specials of the day” both incredible good buys. Now a juicy fat ham and a plump roasting chicken reside in my freezer waiting patiently for holiday weekend revelry. Why have a great meal only on THE DAY when we have six weeks for gourmand bargain delights?

Karen

Well as I am a country girl at heart I’m always looking for deals. I don’t think I’ve paid full retail for anything in years. One advantage to being in the city are the endless places to save money and especially for the holidays. A big tradition in LA is to drive downtown to the freight train delivery depot and buy your produce and even your Christmas trees right out the piggyback container. Can’t get your tree any fresher and costing less except if you steal one out of the forest. : ) In fact when they off load all the trees it looks and smells like a forest. And for the most fabulous of holiday table decorations you just have to head for the flower market and then walk 20 blocks to the garment district and buy the most amazing fabrics for pennies on the dollar. People always wonder how I can afford to have my house decked out like a high end department store. I always give them a knowing smile and say, “I have a nose for deals!”

Pet

Positively fabulous. And here I thought you headed for Rodeo Drive to pick up your famous ornaments for your dazzling tree. Lots of our trees are stolen from the forest. Actually I have about a half acre of trees on my property. I bet more folks than usual will be cutting trees from the woods instead of laying out cash at expensive stands. Home made decorations can be very festive too. What’s prettier than decorative ropes made from pop corn and cranberries? We used to have a formula to make cookie like tree decorations. Alas they didn’t last through the years. Got to go now and clip coupons from the Sunday papers. Some folks tell me they don’t have time to go after these money savers, but for me it’s a hobby and I like to see the final grocery tab go down after they’re added up. I’m told they have a bunch on the internet, but I haven’t gotten into them…yet. Clipping from the papers rests my eyes after a day staring at the screen. At least that’s my excuse for searching, sorting and using these cash savers.

Karen

I love the Sunday papers too. I clip coupons but somehow they never make it from the kitchen drawer to the grocery store. I have the best of thrifty intensions though. : ) I have a confession to make, although I’m quite the renaissance woman and make my own curtains and sometimes my clothes, I don’t make my own ornaments. I do have a few of the ones my grandmother made out of old Christmas cards and they are some of the favorites on my tree. But that doesn’t mean I spend big bucks on the hundreds of sparkly decorations on my tree. No, I go to all the day after Christmas sales and snap them up for 75% off! And let’s not forget Thanksgiving decorating deals. You can snag them right now. I just bought a fabulous autumn leaf wreath for my front door as well as some I-can’t- believe-they’re-fake cattails and red leaf maple branches for a huge arrangement in the entryway at an amazing 85% off!! Total cost 7.00!!!!!!!

Pet

Woo hoo for you Karen! Do they give out cash prizes in decorating contests so you can get your money back? This year retailers are shooting out the bargains big time since they expect a holiday buying slump. Now’s the time to pick up your festive outfits, although they won’t be as rock bottom as at season’s end. Remember when we had to wait until after the holiday to buy cheap stuff? Not so this year. But then again, nothing’s quite the good savings as making do with what you have. Around here the custom is to deck the halls and everything else on Thanksgiving Day or not long after. I have a pretty front porch, easy to decorate with a few lights, candles, bows and wreaths. This will be the fourth year the very same adornments go out. My Christmas clothes also last for years. After all they only come out of the closet a few times every December. I remember buying my teddy bear Santa sweater-vest in a boutique at Marina Del Ray the year we went to California for Grandma’s 90th birthday. She would be celebrating her 102nd if she were still with us. Grandma’s gone, but I’ll be wearing the sweater to my chapter party this year.

Karen

Well that’s what I call putting your sweater to good use! But I have to admit I’m not a big fan of themed clothing. Maybe because I was forced to wear them as a kid. My Mom was a very accomplished knitter and she loved doing intricate themes to show off her talent. I had to put my foot down when at the age of 16 she proudly handed me a reindeer sweater with Rudolph’s nose made with a big red pom pom! But I have to admit I regret not hanging on to more of those sweaters. They really were works of art. But I’m sure someone is enjoying them today as they were so well made. I am proud to say I come from a very green family. They were recycling in the 1800’s. I love the fact that my furniture is 100 years old and belonged to my great great aunt. I have Christmas decorations that are over 80 years old. I try to keep their tradition alive by taking great care of my hand-me-downs. Of course many of the things that were considered out of date in the 1800’s are now worth a ton of money. I wouldn’t sell one piece. They look way to fabulous in my parlor. : )

Pet

That Rudolph sweater sounds cute! Wish I had one. DH has a much loved tee shirt he wears this time of year saying MERRY GRINCHMAS with the picture of the unjolly sprite himself ferociously frowning. We agree on most things but have different favorites when it comes to Christmas legends. Ahh antiques. I kind of swore off them the year the kids were at the rambunctious stage and we owned a St. Bernard. While fooling around in the living room they crashed into a family heirloom—a glass Tiffany lamp shade made by the master himself. But this year we’re back in the business. Though our house is modern we lack counter space in the kitchen for two fanatic cooks. Luckily, we inherited this huge butcher block, obviously used by a butcher of old according to all the hack marks on top, and with the aid of our neighbor’s front end loader form the farm, plopped it in the middle of the kitchen. Problem solved. And this genuine antique piece will be the star of our Holiday cooking endeavors. Talk about upgrading the kitchen at rock bottom cost.

Karen

Wow how tragic to loose a Tiffany shade!!!!! But what great luck to inherit the perfect piece for the kitchen! I love the holidays as I can bring out my grandmothers dishes. She collected tons of old transfer ware. I have a set that is brown and white that I use for turkey day. The red and white set I get out for Christmas, looks stunning on her favorite lace table cloth. Now that’s recycling! Just goes to show that having pack rats as relatives really pays off. : ) Well, I’m off to go scavenging for more deals. I saw a special on cranberries so I’ll stock up for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. They freeze really well. I’m also hoping to snag a turkey a bit cheaper this year with the help of a local store coupon. You can bet I’m going to take this one out of my purse!

Pet

You have my seal of approval for a happy holiday without going too deep into your purse! Antiques do serve a purpose. They are kept forever doing what they were made to do years ago. And are most appreciated around the holidays. Counter acting against the tense vibes cause by the falling stock market and worrisome economy, is the low cost of gas. That means we won’t have to get out the sled to travel to Grandmother’s house this year. We can well afford the low cost of gas although we might have to make the trip in an old car. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and have a very merry holiday season!!!