Coyotes and Grundies

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Good news; I have gotten a new job. My dignity can be restored once more as I return to the education field.

I had thought that working in a retail store would be fun, I love shopping so it would be like shopping all day and meeting nice people right? Wrong...oh so wrong.

It is hard work and I have so much respect for people who work in shops now, especially those who work in big department stores that have a heavy volume of customers yet who always keep the floor understaffed--to make a few more bucks for the fat cats; meanwhile, the slaves--in this case that would be me--work like they are in a Siberian labour camp, with the conditions in Siberia only being slightly better. *wink*

I would rather teach than have to go into the women's changerooms at the store and pick up the clothes some slovenly high-schoolers discarded. I mean, I am used to giving high-school kids homework, NOT picking up the inside out grundies they tried on and left on the floor. Oh my stomach is turning. I use hand sanitizer copiously. It might kill the germs but the psychological scars remain.

The other day some lady was buying a whole bunch of clothes, she had her teenage son with her. As I was going through ringing items up, I picked up something she had tried and had then left inside out. I just happened to grab it by the hygiene strip (the adhesive strip attached to the crotch area so that when some poor bugger buys the item which has been tried on by who knows how many sweaty fannies--they can remove the strip and hopefully find the item clean). The item was a bathing suit bottom and here I was touching the crotch area that had just been touching her middle-aged fanny. I'm making myself sick even recounting it.

My stomach did a back flip when I realised what I was touching, she was obviously embarrassed and I think the son wanted to die. I was trying to carry on and in doing so made a whole bunch of inane comments about whatever crap came into my mind, which only made things worse. Why oh why are people such dirty blighters? What kind of dirtbag tries on undergarments then takes them to the check-out counter inside out?

I bet Kate Middleton has never had, and never will have, to touch some aging woman's swimsuit crotch area. Why didn't I marry royalty...why? why?

Speaking of Kate, as I go about my daily life doing country things such as today's adventure which involved running up a hill with logging debris all over it--while brandishing a big stick because my dogs were getting into it with coyotes--I keep thinking, what are Kate and William doing right now? Hobnobbing with other royals I expect, living in luxury--eating little cakes--as I romp around the bush in trakky daks, dishevelled hair and an unwashed face, yelling and getting ready to fight off a pack of coyotes with a broken stick.

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Musings on a royal wedding

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The Royal Wedding; I was in my element. I woke up at 2am and stayed up all night to watch it. I feel pretty rough now but it was so worth it. I am toying with the idea of purchasing a Kenneth Jay Lane replica of the engagement ring right now...so gauche I know but I am carried away by it all. I love a good royal wedding and I love my royals.

I kept thinking back to Diana and Charles' wedding all those years ago. It is amazing how fresh and vivid the memory of it is so many years later.

I once saw Charles, Di and baby William drive past during the royal visit to Melbourne. We had to pull over to the side of the road as they passed. Di looked straight at me and waved. I don't care what anyone says against the Monarchy, that something so small and trivial as that can still bring a smile to my lips and a warm feeling demonstrates why I love the Monarchy so much.

I thought Kate's dress was nice but a bit under-whelming. I would have liked something a bit more modern, a bit different but I think that would have been hard. In her position she was right in playing it safe and going for traditional elegance. She is a lovely looking girl and William is so handsome. I did notice the unfortunate bald patch but when you one is the Prince, all manner of physical imperfections will be forgiven. I quite like Hooray Harry and I think he looked splendid in his uniform.

The pageantry and the pomp was magnificent. The cavalry riding alongside the carriages took my breath away. The uniforms were just the kind of thing I expect from the Brits. At one point the view of the carriage from a higher vantage point showed the line of horses travelling alongside, and included their feet. I noticed that they were all moving their feet in a certain way. Not just the normal plodding along, but an almost dance-like step. Amazingly all of the horses in the line were in synch. That must be something they are trained to do. What an effect.

I will keep daydreaming about the fabulousness of the wedding and use it to struggle on through my humdrum existence...

The Colonel is on the couch next to me snoring his head off...Do you think the dashing Prince will ever do that around Kate?

Food...again.

. On the weekend the Colonel took me out to lunch. We went to a place called Capones.

Capones-Cd'A

It's a kind of bar/restaurant with a sports theme. It was not exactly Bern's--my favourite restaurant in Florida--and a pricey one! For my Melbourne friends, it was not quite like Florentino either.

Grossi-Florentino--Melbourne.

Sometimes these gritty little places turn out to be pretty good and Capones didn't let me down. We had seen it featured on a TV show called Diners Drive-in's and Dives. The guy who hosts the show is an absolute Mario, or as they call them here, a Guido. He totally annoys me with his over use of the same phrases. Everything is "money," "Killer," "Winner winner chicken dinner," or "Take a trip to flavour town," Ho hum. Those kind of things are fun when you hear them once or twice but not every show. So when the host went to Capones we payed attention as it was one of the few places in Idaho ever to have rated a mention. The food there was pretty good. I had the Philly Cheese Steak and garlic fries. Before I moved to the states I had no idea what a Philly Cheese Steak was, but now I am hooked. Nom Nom! We also came home with a dog. We have our lovely two already but saw a listing in the local paper from a shelter in Coeur d'Alene for a lovely little Beagle. It turned out that someone else wanted her so we let it go. There are plenty of dogs needing a home, why fight over one. Having already started down that path though, the shelter suggested another little one in need of a home. He is a bit of a plain looker, some might say ugly. Sad but true.

Wonton

He had been given up for adoption twice, and had been in care since August of last year. My heart broke hearing this. They think he has not been adopted because he has an underbite and looks a bit like Chewbacca the Wookie.

It's hard enough for a dog to get adopted when there are so many needing home, let alone an ugly one. We met him and he seemed sweet and good-natured so we adopted him. The hour and a half ride home was interesting. He climbed over the console onto my lap and sat there the whole time. He is a heavy thing, my arm went to sleep. Then we stopped at the store to pick up our mail and bought him to meet the owners dog. That dog was not there and our new boy disgraced himself by peeing on the greeting card stand. How embarrassing! I am so glad we got him. He is a wonderful little dog. My two were difficult at first, there was lots of growling and there still is if he encroaches on their space when they are getting attention. I am doing my best to give them all equal attention but it does get hard when three dogs want me to pet them at the same time and I only have 2 hands. His name was Scooter but I really hated it. We think he looks like a Chinese Fu Dog, in particular one I saw when I was visiting Xian, China so we gave him a Chinese name: Wonton.

It's cute and he even answers to it already. What a smart lad. I really want a pure bred German Shepherd, and I hope to find one someday, but I just don't want to buy from breeders. Not when there are so many unhappy dogs languishing in shelters or on the streets. Dogs are so loving and faithful, they are the best thing in the world. I love my dogs!

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Back in Black

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Black seems to be the... new black when it comes to interior decorating. It sounds a bit gothic, even a little bit depressing but in fact it is the absoulte zenith of chic.

Everythingsimple.com

I think head to toe dressing in black is uber cool, but then I do come from Melbourne where they call that style, Melbourne black. Lots of people complain about the all black look. They come up with all kinds of Freudian assumptions about it revealing ones inner feelings, blah blah blah. Those people need to take another prozac and relax, black is back!

I am currently obsessed with black chandeliers. The juxtaposition of black fixtures and white rooms is stunning and elegant. Now all I need is some money and ruthies to slip into the Colonel's water so I can install the extravagant oddities without him stopping me!

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This bathroom with black features is just perfect. I want that bath! I hate antiques and our house has an antique claw-footed bath, no thanks. I love the pod or egg shaped sleek modern ones.

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Designwagen.com

Christmas Cheer!

Christmas is upon us once again. It’s always a wonderful time of year; presents and food, what’s not to love about that?

I am always mindful that Jesus is the reason for the season and don’t get caught up in the extreme commercialization that has taken over Christmas, so I try not to get sidetracked too much. I did send a box of pressies home to my sister and nieces which I loved doing. Giving gifts always makes me so happy. Receiving them isn’t bad either.

I managed to weasel my gift from the Colonel already. I couldn’t wait until the 25th. As December’s birthstone is Turquoise, I have always been fond of that stone. It’s hard to find it in designs I like because mostly it’s set in silver, Native-American style. No offense to anyone, but I flipping hate that type of jewelry. Southwestern style and all that—it’s ugliness makes me gag. I like my turquoise in gold thank you very much. I had a pair of 18kt gold roman coin style earrings with robin’s egg blue turquoise years ago, a gift from a wealthy aunt in Italy. I lost them. They were perfect and I am still upset 20 years later about that.

My new ring is a Carol Brodie and as a Brodie piece it is perfect of course. The stone is set on a hand-carved Philippine wood, genius! I am now nuts about wood rings—the comfort and feel is amazing. As usual, Brodie has excelled herself. I love my Christmas present.
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I made some Christmassy florentines yesterday. I have made them before using cornflakes, but this time I followed a Nigella Lawson recipe which used chopped almonds instead. They are exquisite. I have knocked off most of them myself, in fact I had 2 for breakfast today. How naughty.

Nigella Lawson always comes up with recipes that even an idiot like me can make work. I added a whole lot more glace cherries than the recipe called for, simply because I love them. The result is biscuits that look like a technicolour yawn. They taste scrummy though.

I have to work Christmas Eve and Boxing day at an (expletives deleted) retail store. Can you believe the misery? Oh this working in retail caper was meant to be a nice break from teaching. A lovely low-stress job for a bit of fun; a way to get out of the house and meet people, but as far as management are concerned, the song "Ship of Fools" keeps coming to mind.

Nigella’s Florentines.

4 ounces whole, blanched almonds
7 tablespoons mixed candied peel, in
Whole chunks, not ready chopped
1 ½ ounces glace cherries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (dark)
4 ounces white chocolate
2 baking sheets, greased.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Chop the almonds so that you have some fine pieces and some chunks of nut. Chop the candied peep and cherries into fairly small, even pieces. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and sugar without letting it scorch. Add the flour rather as if you were making a roux for a white sauce; it should form a ball of paste. Take off the heat and whisk in the cream. The mixture should be smooth, so put it back on the heat briefly to beat out any lumps. Stir in the fruit and almonds.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of this Florentine mixture onto the greased nonstick baking sheets. It will look quite liquid and will spread, so leave generous space between the blobs. Place the sheets in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve spread into larger circles and the edges are golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave for 2-3 minutes to firm up; at this point you can ease them back into shape if you need to, as they will be very malleable. When you feel they can be lifted, slip a metal spatula or palette knife underneath them and transfer to q wire rack to cool, ensuring you leave them flat.

Melt the dark and white chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave, and paint the flat side of each Florentine; I used a pastry brush for this. Be prepared to paint over and over to get a good thick coating.

Using a fork make wavy lines on the chocolate on each Florentine and leave to dry.

Makes 30.

Recipe taken from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess.

Bright sun-shiney day!

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December 4th, my birthday, 28 years old: again. Well not really, 41, but I swear I don't look a day older than 50. :)

After what felt like an eternity of unbearable gloom, the sun finally came out on the 4th and there was no new-snow. What a birthday present indeed. I desperately needed to see some sunlight, being completely exasperated with the seemingly endless procession of dark, miserable days.

The snow looks pretty but is an endless source of work. Each time it snows I have to get out there and start up the snow-blower, making sure we have clear pathways to walk on. What a flipping chore that is. Being outside in sub-zero temperatures is an ordeal on it's own, add having to do manual labour in it and I am one unhappy camper.

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My nose drips like a tap in the cold, how undignified is that? "No dear that is not water on my face, it's something altogether much more disgusting and yes it is everywhere, encrusted all over my scarf, the one I bought in Florence in a little store on my way to the Palazzo Pitti." How far that elegant Florentine scarf has travelled, all the way from a glamorous, cosmopolitan Italian city, to the mountains of Idaho to be unceremoniously covered in my snot. I apologise to the Florentine scarf-makers for this atrocity.

The snow is a metre deep in parts so unless the blower comes up, we can't walk anywhere. It is motorized so no significant physical effort is involved, unless I go into uncharted territory and it gets stuck in the powdery snow, what a nightmare it is for me to get it out. My poor back. It's codeine-laden pain relief and constant hot-water bottles for me.

Having had a horrible cold, I have not left the property for 2 weeks. Having to go out into the cold to snow-blow has undoubtedly caused the cold to linger but I had little choice. On the plus side, I have found that being a recluse is quite desirable. No having to wash my hair everyday, heck washing my face became optional. The Colonel did all the grocery shopping. Sitting at home, where it is warm having my food bought to me, this is something I could quickly get used to. Alas, life goes on and now that I am better, it's back to work this week.
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The Colonel insisted I go out for my birthday. We went into town and gallivanted. I went to my favourite store in Sandpoint, Coldwater Creek and scored a new top. The Colonel sat on one of the "man-chairs" where all the poor suffering husbands sit and look completely bored while their wives tear around the store trying on clothes. The Colonel had the good sense to bring reading material, some other poor bugger occupying another man-chair, looked like he wanted to shoot himself in the head to end the misery.

Afterwards we had a lovely lunch in the upstairs wine bar. They make excellent cappuccino but I get so frustrated with the naked froth on American cappuccinos--that is white froth with no chocolate powder on top--a travesty! I need to start going around with a little shaker filled with chocolate powder to complete my own 'cinos!
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Later we went out for dinner at a really good Italian restaurant, Ivano's. I had the chicken parmigiana, of course!
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When does a cupcake have Zero Calories? When it's made of soap!

Freezing and snowy weather means I have come down with an inevitable cold. The first, and hopefully last one of the season. How is it simply called the "common" cold, when it packs so much punch, I have lost the will to live?

I did manage to crawl out of my sick-bed and make some soap the other day, right before crawling back in with a box of tissues, cough-lollies and a huge load of misery.

Lavender and lemon seems like a nice combination so I made a loaf in which the two scents were layered. I also used my cupcake soap mould for the first time and created a lavender-lemon confection that looks and smells good enough to scoff.

I really like silicone moulds, one can make the most ornate soaps with them, and I do like a fancy soap you know. I make them with all natural ingredients, well except for the colour. I sometimes make soap without added colour but at other times I just want something pretty. I mostly use essential oils, keeping my soap natural, moisterizing and smelling beautiful.

I plan on making cupcake soaps with chocolate bases, and caramel toppings, trouble is, I may find the temptation too much and end up with a mouthful of soap. As a child I had my mouth washed out with soap for swearing. It was horrible, and let's be frank, it really didn't help. If only my mother had used creme brulee scented cupcake soap to enact the punishment, it would have been a much more pleasant experience and who knows, I might not have ended up with the tendency to swear like a flipping sailor!

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