Our Fall Adventure...

 The world seems to have gone Autumn all at once.

Suddenly, the colors have splashed the trees...they are bringing in the dried corn and beans...nights are dropping in the 40's and 50's...and everything comes in Pumpkin Spice.

Personally, I think they may be taking this a bit too far...

This morning, I am fixing red potatoes, onions, and bacon...and setting pintos to soak for tomorrow's cornbread and beans (and the Kansas vs Titans Game at 1:00)

 Fall food and football!

Recovering from our mid-week Plainfield Adventure...which included Applebees for their Steak and Shrimp...and an after brownie bite...breakfast at Cracker Barrel...a stop by Chandler's Orchard...and enjoying the fall foliage.

 

A couple of days of "Our Time" before the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

I miss you, already!

Ordered Blue Muscari Bulbs and King Alfred Daffodils to snuggle into the borders and containers for Spring color...before the ground gets too hard to work.

Today is a Cinderella Saturday...with maybe a hot bubble bath and a nap tossed in for good measure.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

 

"Nope...you can't leave me again...ever..."

                                                      -Gadget

Virtual Africa: Ethiopia

 

 

Nestled in the Great Rift Valley...the country of Ethiopia.

Today we explore (virtually), here.

 The Horn of Africa.

It is impossible for me to think about Ethiopia without seeing Moges, immediately.

Moges (pronounced Moh-gus) was my Anatomy and Physiology I instructor in Nursing School. He was from Ethiopia...spoke English dismally (...you couldn't even understand his lectures...much less record them...) and was pretty round, for our limited perception of an Ethiopian. He may have been a brilliant instructor in Ethiopia.  Here, he was the butt of some terribly insensitive jokes.

"They say he ATE his entire village before coming to America."

He was a patient, gentle man who put up with us, admirably...and probably didn't understand a lot of the horrible comments that were made.

Anyway...

Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world.  117 million people cover roughly 420,000 square miles. 

Religiously, the country is made up of Sunni Muslims and Christianity.

Ethiopia's name is derived from Greek for "Burnt Face".

It is the first place that Modern Man appeared in fossils.

Ethiopia has seen...like most of Africa...rule under many nations including Russian and Italian.

It has been a Federally recognized Republic since 1991.

You have probably seen it in the news recently after a dust-up with the Tigray.

 Explained in more detail by the BBC-

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cr2pnx1173dt/tigray-crisis

Like a great deal of Africa...Ethiopia has distinctive wet and dry seasons. Think oppressively hot and dry or monsoon. There is little gray area.

Agriculture is primary and coffee, sugar cane, potatoes and grains make up the bulk of it.

Ethiopia is known for being the place the coffee bean originated. Legend has it that the goat-herder, Kaldi, noticed even his older goats frolicking like kids after eating the beans from specific wild plants. They became so energetic they would not sleep at night. He brought the beans to a local monastery and the abbot made a soup out of them. 

This soup would eventually be refined to the morning cup we enjoy today.

Now you know.

You can try some yourself, here

https://www.amazon.com/Ethiopian-Coffee-Yirgacheffe-Roasted-16-ounce/dp/B0030IGUI0/ref=asc_df_B0030IGUI0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312061264516&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15323865619130782874&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016589&hvtargid=pla-570558757845&psc=1

Ethiopian Coffee Production

Coffee Plantation
  

The
Process

https://youtu.be/lDAqwztVR3Q

https://youtu.be/FdfwlMuXZQc

 

Next we will head to the Ivory Coast.

Ethiopian Sunset

https://youtu.be/2xW9mTStyhM

To Go Boldly...Kids and Grands...Vegetable Soup...and Chris' 32nd Birthday!

 

What a week!

Woke this morning to 45 degrees...the heat on and hot chocolate. Fall has arrived and it is spectacular!

After over a half century...Captain Kirk (William Shatner) has (at 90 years old) finally gone boldly where few of us ever will go.

And it was wonderful.

"I'm not crying...you're crying."

If anyone deserved the life-changing ability to experience space...it is this man. 

And we watched as he stayed by the window...face pressed to the glass...in awe.

And cried along with him when he returned to Earth...overwhelmed...humbled.

Choking back tears as he thanked Bezo for the Experience of a Lifetime.

As a girl I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.

This was better.

Yesterday was amazing with my grands and Nicole and James...and pizza and pop and chat and watch me ride my bike, Grandma Rose!

Catching up with each other and life.

My Kaylee now Kayleb with all that entails.

I have no problem with another grandson...but still find myself tripped up on the pronouns.

Love will always be love.

The veggie soup?

Let me explain.  I seemed to have morphed into my Dad after all these years. When I would pick him up I always knew what advertisement he had recently seen by his restaurant for lunch request.

"Hey...you know what sounds good? Rally's" 

So, when our friend, Kathy, sent a picture of her homemade vegetable soup bubbling away last week my first thought was-

That's Nice.

Immediately followed by a Venom-like voice in-my-head that said-

We are HUNGRY!!!! We NEED homemade veggie soup...NOW!!!

On market-day I picked up red potatoes, stew meat, onions, carrots, tomatoes and paste, corn, green beans and a little cabbage and Sunday I will let it simmer for the entire day...voila...veggie soup!

Even have a long loaf of French bread and butter to accompany it.

Going to roast the root veggies with the meat, tonight.

Hard to believe that my youngest turns 32 tomorrow!

 Where do the years go?

 He and Don and I getting together, soon, to celebrate both their birthdays.

Don's was the 13th.

John and I off on our Fall Adventure in mere days, now!

So excited!!!

We will schedule the Bridge Festival next year, love.

This Week's Movie:

An older film (2017) with Peter Dinklage

Stories within stories...memories within memories...as he attempts to retrace the events leading up to the horrific crash and death of his much loved brother.

An outstanding performance by everyone in this psychological thriller.

Nice twist at the end!

Now to roast the meat and vegetables...

More Anon.

 

"I'm HELPING with the laundry, Dad..."

                                                               -Gadget

Update:  So, our Colts beat the Texans...and Kansas beat Washington. All is good in the world!

And I finished simmering my soup!!

                                                                                                                                            

 

Life is Good!!

Woodwork...Guitars...Cats and More!

 

Fall is here!!!!

A chill in the morning air and the trees are just starting to show yellow and orange. The reds will arrive later.

 

Did my Cinderella Day on Friday so that today and tomorrow are freed up for weeding outside and getting ready for mums & pumpkins next week...working on my autumn painting...found a picture I really like...

 and naps...food and Sunday Football!

Chris' latest project!

and James has been busy building an entrance desk for the school!

So cool!

John and his son and his grandsons and even a great-grand are out together,today for a multi-generational fishing trip!

At the bait shop, prior, he was surprised when Willow

(remember Willow?)

heard his voice and ran all the way across the shop...talking to him.

Then jumped up to her spot on his shoulder and rode around the store with him.

"SERIOUSLY????"

                        -Gadget

It seems he has a cat in every port!

Crazy Cat Guy.

Anyway, Willow has claimed him as her own.

Speaking of cats.

"Get a cat." they said.

"It will be relaxing." they said.

Yeah, right.

Sofi has gotten used to nap-time now.  Between 2 and 4 almost every day. She joins me...unless for some reason I make it to the sofa late...

At which point she looks at me like this.

"I'm not moving...you are late...figure it out."

                                                                 -Sofi

And keeps all the quilt and her part of the sofa...leaving me to find a way to sleep around her. She will not move.

-laughing-

"The bowl...it is empty!"

                               

"Okay...I guess I'll keep you on..."

Cats!

Facebook was down for most of a day, this week-

and everyone got in on the fun.

Twitter immediately trolled them.

And everybody got into the fray.

Starbucks, McDonalds,  Burger King, Tom from MySpace, Everyone else, Eventually- even Mark Zuckerberg...and Tampax for the win.

"Hey Mark..I think I've found the problem."

                                                    -Kitty Tech Support

No book, this week...but a great new movie for Friday Night.

This Week's Movie:

The sequel to Venom. Let there be CARNAGE.

And, who better to play Carnage, than Woody Harrelson?

Entertaining.

Funny.

It is an Alien/Parasite film, for godsake.

You have to go in with that in mind.

You'll LOVE it!

Now back to a relaxing weekend...lunch and maybe even a nap.

Sofi's baby picture...see the little pumpkin on her shoulder?

and now...all grown up and decked out for Halloween!

"You thought you were READING this??? How cute."

                                                                         -Gadget

Virtual Africa: Sudan

 

Today (virtually) we are here.

Officially The Republic of Sudan.

45 million people live here in its 729,000 square miles.

It is Africa's 3rd largest country.

It's history dates back to the Pharaohs. We know about the pyramids in Egypt...but did you know Sudan also has pyramids?

Well, now you do.

These are the Nubian Pyramids.

Tour

https://youtu.be/J0Lf1ofmaOo

and Inside

https://youtu.be/JUl41Oj3tSQ

The country's name is derived from Arabic...and means Land of the Blacks.

Sudan has been under the present rule from 1956 to today. although there was briefly a coup in 1969 and the War of Dafur in 2003. 

As African countries go...it has been rather stable.

Its coastline borders the Red Sea.

Face it...you just won't see THIS at Myrtle Beach.

Red Sea

https://youtu.be/HS2SSFh7viU

The capital city, Khartoum, is where the White Nile and the Blue Nile rivers meet and form the mighty Nile.
 

The fork which gives rise to the Nile.

Where The
Nile Splits

https://youtu.be/Ia7c5nXiv5k

The dry desert regions are subject to frequent sandstorms (known as haboob) 

https://youtu.be/WJ4R26nutlU

Around 70% of the population here is Arab...with Islam being the primary religion and Arabic the predominate language.

As an aside....I received the Kenyan Coffee  and made some as soon as it arrived.

Very strong and good.

Next up:  Ethiopia.

Until then....