My Son As A Comic Strip Character

When the Beaver was about five years old we compared him to Calvin; he had so many of the characteristics of that cute, but devious little boy and he even had his own stuffed Hobbes. The comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes in which the broad themes of the strip dealt with Calvin's flights of fantasy and his friendship with Hobbes, his misadventures, his unique views on a diverse range of political and cultural issues and his relationships with the people in his life, especially his parents.(Wikipedia)



Now that he's older he is soooo much like the 15 year old Jeremy of the comic strip Zits! The strip is set in Midwestern suburbia, and centers on Jeremy as he tries to balance life while hanging out with his friends, developing an awkward relationship with his on-and-off girlfriend, struggling through school projects, practicing to become a rock god, and tolerating his embarrassing parents.(Wikipedia) And of course Ward and I fit the stereotype of the long suffering, but loving parents.

Wild Thing, Part Deux

The wildflowers are starting to show a few more blooms; there really needs to be a field of them to truly appreciate the variety and colors . . .

But I have my first morning glory bloom!

Wild Thing

This year I went for totally unconventional plants both in my flower boxes and my little bedding area in front of our quarters. Things are just now beginning to fill in. If we were here until August, I think it would have turned out quite nicely.

Anyway it's different than your standard impatiens bed. The first photo above is from the area in front of the house; the only plants I remember for sure are the yellow lantana; I picked the others for color and dependability. The ivy growing along the brick wall will slowly fill in up to the iron railing and should have pretty blue or purple blooms. It is morning glory and tends to take over.

The two center photos show a little experiment I did. I bought a packet of wild flower seeds and put them in a ground box that is next to our outdoor "patio" area.
They have just started to bloom and for the longest time they looked like a bunch of weeds! Actually unless I get some more blooms, I think it still looks similar to weeds, but I can see that there are a number of heads getting ready to open. Maybe in a week it will look like the a beautiful mountain meadow . . . or not!

Honoring My Children's Father

Happy Father's Day . . . Soldier Dad!


"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder -- infinitely prouder -- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys."
Douglas Macarthur

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."
Clarence Budington Kelland

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Theodore M. Hesburgh

Bul Go Gi to Biryani, A World of Taste

That's right the International Group of Fort Knox World of Taste Cookbook is hot off the presses. This little labor of love has recipes from Turkey, Pakistan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Bahrain, Germany,Ecuador, Finland, Canada, France, Brazil and of course the good old USA. Best of all it also has pictures of our club members from the past few years, and every gathering involved sharing at least a small smackeral of something to gnosh on. We do so love to gnosh!

I'm going to share one recipe with you that was made for me by a very special friend from Saudi, though the recipe was written by a friend from the USA.

Djaj Mhammar (Baked Chicken)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 chicken, fryer, cut into serving size pieces

Rice
Pine nuts

Combine all of the oil, lemon juice and spices in shallow baking pan. Roll cut up chicken in marinade. Bake in hot oven at 425 degrees F basting occasionally. Bake until tender when pierced with a fork (approximately 30 minutes). Remove from oven and baste again. Serve around a bed of plain rice. Sprinkle rice with cinnamon or pine nuts sauteed to a golden brown. Chicken juices may be reserved in a separate bowl to pour over rice. Serves four.