November month...

This website is really having cobwebs written all over it. The last time I wrote was in June. Imagine that. Well, I am back on writing. I guess when I have to write my school reports, might as well I write to my readers. The last class was interesting. I learned how to identify people’s behavior, how to bring different personalities into consensus, so on and so forth. The techniques are not hard to implement but the success rate might be low. It is all depend on how other people’s perspective, upbringing, life styles, etc. I was at a Cancer Institute program yesterday. The talk for the day was on colon cancer. It is very important to pick the diet. Some food might not look harmful but may create another genetic mutation that could lead to poisonous and lethal viruses. Exercise is very important and can help the food processing efficiently and healthily in the stomach. Lastly, the key point is to go for doctor’s checkup. This month is Thanksgiving month and I am looking forward to the good food and good family gathering.

Wishing for a Christmas Cake

“Aren’t we going to a retirement party afterwards?” Mr. Big asked this morning as I came out from the car. “Yes, we are. Why? ”, I replied.
 “You dress up like that?” He asked. 
“Yes, why not”, I replied.
“Why are you wearing jeans? He asked.
 “But my top is nice.” I said.
 “Yes, but wearing jeans? You better change.” He said.

 Mr Big is very particular about my look, especially if I have to attend a function. I don’t mind him commenting on my outfit. I own lots of nice dresses anyway. I thought I could be casual this evening for a retirement party. My coworker, whose retirement we are celebrating tonight has been working in the office for 42 years. It is amazing to see someone very dedicated to her job for that long. She advised me to just go with the flow, be good, and truthful. I am going to miss her. She is my muse. I could share my problem and she will ease my mind with her wisdom. The menu for tonight’s party is crab cake. Emm…I cannot wait to dine with good people.

 The neighbor gardeners have tilled their soil in preparation for the winter and next year growing. My garden is still covered with lots of weeds. Maybe this Sunday I could go and till my plot. I wish I could do it tomorrow but I will be at the Travel Show program. I have no clue of the details for this program. I am guessing that they want to sell some vacation package or they want to buy my campground membership. Either way, it would be nice to do something different for a change.

 The other day, I was reading on one of the gardener’s blog, “Claire’s allotment”, and she is talking about preparing a Christmas cake. Emmm…that sounds yummy. She is using a good quality brandy. She said she will feed the cake with 1 tablespoon of brandy each week up until Christmas. I haven’t discussed with Mr. Big on this. It will be my biggest challenge in my cooking experience if I do. One, I am not good at selecting brandy, vodka, rum or anything of those sort for a delicate cake like this. Second, I don’t think Mr. Big will like the fruit cake idea. He always makes a disgusting remark when mentioning the “fruit cake”. I went on google and found one Christmas cake recipe using lemon cake. That recipe sounds like a better cake to try. 

The peach season is done and now comes the apples in the market. I love those delicious sweet or tart apples varieties. I can make pies, fritters, cake or just eat it as it is. I can add some chopped nuts to the apple salad too, wow! Delicious… As I have mentioned in the past, I have never been to pick your own orchard and fruit farm. Honey’s idea of an apple picking is to drop me off at the plantation and pick me up after the working hours are over. He said I can join those in the buggy picking apples for some dollars. I think honey is just cheap…syyy…don’t get me started on that. So, I get my fresh apples from the farmer’s market. Luckily the farmer’s market is just 5 minute drive. They sell all varieties of apples. Speaking of apples, now I am hungry for some apple crumbs.

Stevia and Cold Weather

The weather is getting cooler. Morning temperature has dropped to the 50’s F and day temperature stays around 70’s. It is now time to wear the jacket in the morning. The indicator on my car dashboard shows the tires air pressure is low. I was telling Mr. Big, thinking that I would make him proud…I have checked all four tires by kicking and shaking them. They seem ok.

Mr. Big then said…huh! Kicking with your skinny foot?... He laughed.
Actually Mr. Big was right. There is no way I can feel the different. When I shook the tires with my foot, I don’t think the big tire budge at all.

Now, is also a perfect time to start working in the garden again. One of the plants that I have to bring back from the garden is the Stevia plant. Stevia is native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America, commonly known as sweet leaf or sugar leaf. This plant cannot stand the cold. Let alone the heavy snow that we normally in zone 6B receive from December to March.

As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar and some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. Stevia is said to produce seeds, but only a small percentage of them might germinate. Planting cloned stevia is a more effective method of reproduction.

I bought my stevia plant from a local nursery for $2.99 of a 2-inch size pot. I planted them in the garden to vigorously growing over spring and summer. Last weekend, I pulled the plant out and cut the top part off. I stripped the leaves from the stem, washed and dry them.

I potted the plant and keep the plant in my kitchen where it can continue to grow over the winter. I hope the plant will survive. If not, I don't mind spending another $2.99 for another plant next year. Medicinally, the plant is said to be useful as a cardiac stimulant, for obesity, hypertension, heartburn, and to help lower uric acid levels.
I just love to learn something new. This is an interesting plant. I can use the dried leaves in my tea, coffee and even in my cooking for some sweetness.

Aidil Adha...

The Aidil Adha celebration was successfully held at the Sports Center near my neighborhood. I was waiting for the bus at the grocery store parking lot as early as at 7:50 Am. By 8:10 Am the bus came to take me and the other 4 people to the prayer hall. The weather was cold but it was not cold enough for me to exhale cold air. I am glad I did not park the car near the center. The parking area was small. It was packed.

The prayer went well. I like the spacious prayer hall. The coordinator kept announcing to the ladies area to quiet the children. He thought oters cannot hear his speech. I could hear him clearly over the loud speaker and the screaming kids, they did not bother me at all.

After the prayer, I went home to my rice and fried salty fish. I didn’t get the chance to cook any special meal for the celebration this time. I only ate some cookies and bakso at one open house. I didn’t go to any other houses after that.

On Saturday, I was at the breast cancer coalition conference. My MIL and my SIL were there too along with Mupy’s niece and her son. We occupied the whole table. As usual, the food was great except for the raw carrots and raw string beans. I am not used to the taste. We were laughing over the white sauce vegetable lasagna and the apricot black pepper chicken. I have tried to make Mupy eat the white sauce lasagna I cook. But he will not budge. His lips are sealed. I have to make sure to use the tomato sauce for the lasagna.

The city mayor gave the opening speech for the event. My favorite cancer doctor, Dr. Harvey was there too as one of the speaker.

Snow day

Trick or treat was postpone to Monday in my neighborhood due to the rain all day last thursday.
Today, we receive a lot of snow. This is an early snow day in late october.
I am staying inside all day. I only received a visitor from the store we want to buy our curtain from. The window treatment consultant came and showed us the fabric and types of curtain we can have for our living room. I chose light color that match with our carpet although the wall is painted pastel green. We will get our custom made curtain after christmas. They will do the rod, fabric blind and the valace for us. I hope the window will look great.

New season

I am not sure if the 200 of rotten onions in the garden due to wet days or a change in the temperature due to weather change or glue to tonton.com and YouTube or keeping close relationship with strangers on facebook or busy watching my back to backstabber or feeling sorry to myself for losing heavenly prayer from my guardian angels or listening to the radio era on the internet or busy reading pc magazine, or jaw dropping to hear others boasting or thinking that nothing will happen magically or argh or aww to the disaster that happened globally or saddened to the news of losing a close co worker to her retirement or tired of hearing one said I have been mixing with losers too much that I am becoming one or occupying my mind with whether I will still be around after I die when Houdini still didn’t show up after he promised to come back from his death or should I come back haunting the living or really can I do that or confuse how some wrong doer could get away easily but I cant or seeing and hearing other divorces or not understanding the Islamic and Christianity extremist exists or why stupid is stupid does or not able to shop due to other financial commitment or tired listening to people talking about one leader's death and I have no idea who the leader was or all of the above that make me slacking in writing to my loyal reader.
I used to write journal on paper and I am missing doing that. There are no boundaries to my topic when my writing is kept to myself. Sometimes my thoughts might create anger, jealousy, sadness or happiness to others.
Turn 40 make me thinking if I will have another 40 years to enjoy the sun rays on my skin and the fresh rain water on my hair?
Losing weight as often told by my doctor, will that make me live another 40 years?
Let us sit back and investigate what would we find in the house of 80 year old woman/man. Will there be a lineup of supplement bottles on the dresser. Will there be prescriptions in their medicine cabinet? Will there be items made of copper, or silver as one told that those can boost one’s health? Will there be a big TV set in their house? A wii? An Xbox 360...
Whatever that is, let’s continues our days in this new season with lots of prayers, hopes, apples and hot peppers…

Trailing African Violets

I am spending this lovely and beautiful sunday at home. I picked up the loaner car at the dealer shop yesterday. You can see the car in the picture below. It is a black Nissan Altima. I hope the workshop will be able to fix my car. I miss it already.

This trailing african violets is flowering. I actually have been neglecting them since the last part of summer and early fall. Honey lifted the temporary curtain when he put back all the connections to the TV, and I saw the beautiful purple flowers from the trailing african violets.

I bought these african violets from the flea market early spring for a dollar each pot. I am happy that they survive and flowering.

The flower is getting a lot of sun from this window. Honey as usual feel jealous and said that this bay window is not for my flower pots. Erkk...he has forgotten the main reason to have this window besides peeping on the neighbor.

I am in a mission to finish watching Siti Kelembai on the internet.

Time flies when I have a mission like this. The treller is 50% done. I need to clean it before we pack the RV for winter.