Campfire

[Bethers]

I'm so very lucky that as much as I get stuck in one place for months and months because of the need to work - people come to visit. Diana (mtngal) stopped overnight and we'll gtg again when she returns west in Feb. Today Lyn decided this was a good stop on her way home from her daughters - she's staying until Sunday. Sandi who has changed what date she's coming several times (teasing her - first change was my idea because of the weather) changed again to come in tomorrow so that she can be here while Lyn is here! And since I'm working the next couple days - they can keep each other company and I'll just visit.

I love having them come - and any others of you - I'm here till mid-March - would love to see you!

[havingfunnow]

Just had the nicest lunch with my sister, followed by a prowl through an antique shop. Great tempura! I won't see her again until spring (unless she has kidney surgery, in which case I'll be in Florida with her).

[snowball]

have decided that I will be glad when Monday comes and I can head South it is so cold
at least for this gal who is used to wintering in the South
sheila

[avalen]

Finally got the new phone, worried about losing stuff so I tethered my phone with the USB cord and copied my picture file to my laptop. I also backed up to Microsoft cloud but we were having a hard time getting the contact list to transfer. Figured I would have to just do it manually but they slowly started showing up. The one exception was I didn't have the pictures associated with my phone numbers show up. Since I still have the old phone and all the pictures on it I tried a new thing....I turned on the Bluetooth feature on each phone, clicked on share, then Bluetooth, phone and it transferred!! I was amazed, I was just grasping at straws really trying to get the few favorite pics I had assigned. Course I did have to hold a phone in each hand cause the new one I had to click on accept each time I sent a picture. Who would have thought a phone that had no service to it would still Bluetooth! So,,,,,to get to the point, I've spent the afternoon setting up my new phone with the little tweaks that make it me. Also got the stitches out of my cheek today from the latest squamous that got removed. Very fine sutures and at this point it just looks like I scratched my cheek. Its not even going to show.
Did a crock pot meal today, picked up some pork country ribs, $2.99
a lb , but it was a family sized pack. It was the last they had so I asked the butcher if I could just get about 3 large ones, he said sure and re packaged the meat marking it as brown wrap pork butt, $1.39 a lb!! Obviously he must have thought this little old lady with yellow hair was cute hahahaha, couple a potatoes, onion and the soup mix, dinner
cost $6 and that will give me about 4 dinners! Pretty neat day.

[Acadianmom]

Today must be the day for cooking ribs. I cooked beef short ribs in gravy. Yesterday when we were at the doctor's office I picked up some beef ribs. I bet you haven't seen a combination doctor's office and meat market. We weren't very impressed the first time we saw his office but since he saved Harold's life we like him a lot. The doctor has a ranch and sells his own meat. I wish I had bought more because they were very good. Not as much fat as the ribs the stores here sell. Walmart puts them on sale sometimes and they look like more fat than meat.

I wonder if Shiela made it to Q.

Martha

[JudyJB]

I used to buy gold jewelry at an auto parts store, Martha!!

There was a chain of auto parts stores in the Detroit area that were family owned. The original store, however, had decades before, opened up a toy shop and then a jewelry department for the Christmas holidays. It got to be really popular, so the jewelry department grew into a large part of the original auto parts and hardware store!

It was open all year, but the couple of months before the holidays you could go in there and find 20+ salespeople just selling jewelry with about 50 feet of counter space. So you could buy a diamond bracelet or engagement ring and get your engine cylinders ground and pick up a case of oil. What made the store so popular was quality and quantity. Whereas most jewelry stores would have just a few of say, 18' gold chains, this store would have 50 in various kinds and thicknesses of 18' gold chains. Also, they sold a ton of watches and other good stuff. You could not find a place to park in the parking lot in December.

So, I think a meat market and doctor's office makes sense!

[Acadianmom]

Judy, that's one way to create your own foot traffic. Go in for wiper blades and come out with jewelry. lol I would be more likely to go into an auto parts store than a jewelry store but while I was there I would look at the jewelry.

Martha

[snowball]

Today must be the day for cooking ribs. I cooked beef short ribs in gravy. Yesterday when we were at the doctor's office I picked up some beef ribs. I bet you haven't seen a combination doctor's office and meat market. We weren't very impressed the first time we saw his office but since he saved Harold's life we like him a lot. The doctor has a ranch and sells his own meat. I wish I had bought more because they were very good. Not as much fat as the ribs the stores here sell. Walmart puts them on sale sometimes and they look like more fat than meat.

I wonder if Shiela made it to Q.

Martha

Nope still in Utah but the latest is Friday!!! we will hope!!!
sheila

[Colliemom]

Funny thing. I just cooked a half slab of pork ribs in m slow cooker a couple of days ago too.

[gingerK]

Now you gals are making me hungry for ribs!

[Acadianmom]

I cooked some pork ribs in the slow cooker a few weeks ago and they came out very good. The recipe called for browning them in the oven or broiling them and I can't remember which. I always think I'll remember these things and I don't. I don't like to put meat in the slow cooker unless I brown it first except chicken. Now I'm hungry for ribs again.

Martha

[JudyJB]

I think I just made a very good decision. I am at Brantley Lake, just north of Carlsbad and the wind is 35+ MPH, which is a lot of rocking and rolling. Supposed to slow down to 20-25 tomorrow, but that is still pretty windy. I have a reservation for Alamogordo, NM, for tomorrow night for five nights, and I was originally going to take the most direct route through the mountains.

That is, until I checked the weather conditions in Cloudcroft, NM, which I would have to drive through, which I also discovered is at 8,668 feet elevation and high temps tomorrow are in 30s with lows in teens and possible snow!! Oops! Poor planning. Alternative route is south through El Paso but an additional 110 miles, for total of 257 miles. That is a long drive, but I think it would be a LOT safer.

Besides that, there will still be that wind tomorrow, so I have cancelled my first night at Alamogordo, and am going to stay right where I am for another night, and do the drive on Wednesday when winds are going to be more like 10 MPH. Not going to take a chance.

[Colliemom]

Martha, I just put my meat in the slow cooker and let it go It always comes out nice and brown and so tender especially the ribs. Best I have had for quite a while. Just threw in a half slab in one piece, a little salt on the meat, some BBQ sauce, not a whole lot as I don't like stuff soggy in sauce and let it go for about 6 hours on low.

[WickedLady]

Judy: Good thinking.

[Birdie]

Yep Judy, Marda is right! Good thing you will go down south. It looked like NM mtns were getting their first ski snow! You don't need to go over those mtns in snow! The wind should be improved here in Kerrville tomorrow, too! I am headed over to Cranes Mill for a few days! Be safe / have fun!