Have a Geeky Christmas 2021

 It wouldn't be Christmas at Home on the Range if I didn't post the year's Geeky gifts.  Christmas Eve was a traditional turkey dinner (since I was in the hospital over Thanksgiving), and like a 5-year old I woke Partner in Grime up about 5 a.m. because "There's presents. . . and coffee. . . did I mention COFFEE".

This year there was more of the practical for him as his work has his traveling, often to places colder than here.  So warm vests, hats, sweaters, pj's, etc., and then, the fun stuff.

His stocking had an assortment of toiletries and snackables as well as the next Green New Deal vehicle. The balloon didn't have the face of a politician on it - but we might remedy that.

My tactical stocking came well equipped.  The dogs are little pens - and the magnets are perfect for our three favorite Labs - Barkley  - who loved to retrieve, Abby, who hated to retrieve unless it was edible, and Lorelei - who just loves her ball (but maybe loves the one on the ground more. . .let's see.

Let the nerdiness begin:

Yay - just what the Doctor ordered - a flash fill light for my Canon (so evening food photos have proper bacon illumination).

Always - we have to have out T-shirts.

And things for good, clean fun.

To keep Partner occupied - some Russian surplus tool stuff, books to read, and a desk organizer for telework central downstairs.

I scored in the girly stuff department (and no jokes about the Vegan cookbook there to the right of the "secret squirrel" desk mascot, it was on my wish list as I cook meat free several meals a week and can only do so much "beans and rice").

And there's the illustrated copy of Backyard Ballistics!  I'm not sure what a Cincinnati Fire Kite is, but I guarantee one will likely be built by summer.

I wondered what the noise was down in the shop - finally, some organization for my utility drawer AND some new knives!~

"Really Honey - you bought me a broom?"

Oh wait - it's a disguised walking stick - made out of a deer antler and hickory - because hickory is perfect if you need to whack the )*# out of someone because they called your "walking stick" a "cane" (PT on the leg IS going well, up to walking 2 miles a day now but it's been uphill).

For extra safety, I can walk with the guy with the flashing LED beanie.

It also has red and blue "police light" lights, just in case one of us needs to make a "traffic stop" to pick up dog poop while on K9 walking duty.

A little something for the shop wall.

And the living room wall

We couldn't forget Lorelei Lab. The "death tail" is an indicator she's happy with her duck.

When you are too cheap to buy one of those little lighted tabletop trees.

I think my husband realized he wanted to marry me when he realized I owned more soldering irons than I did purses.  

All I Ever Needed to Know

I have a number of friends who are grew up in the generation before and after mine. You'd not know it from either our activities or our conversations, but there are some TV shows I grew up seeing that the younger ones missed.

One of those is Blakes Seven. Running for a few brief seasons in the end of the 70's, and produced by BBC, it had 10 million viewers in it's prime, with divided camps as to whether it was a silly but entertaining space opera or a heroic poem. It's both.

Yes, it was a decidedly low budget (isn't that the same quarry?) story of a band of outlaws, on the run from their government, striving for justice in space, while battling some hilariously dangerous aliens. The early scrips were stunningly intelligent despite some chincy sets, far more appealing to me, as that age, than the slick offerings of other shows.

So for a quiet day at home I present a classic (author unknown)

ALL I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM BLAKE'S 7

Trust is only dangerous when you have to rely on it.

Reality is a dangerous concept.

I am not stupid, I'm not expendable, and I'm not going.

No good deed goes unpunished.It is frequently easier to be honest when you have nothing to lose

Civilization has always depended on courtesy rather than truth.

On Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide.

The art of leadership is delegation.

All that patience gets you is older.

Regret is part of being alive -- but keep it a small part.

He who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.

Infallibility depends on your point of view.

There are times when even the most cynical must trust in luck.

Heroics seldom run to schedule.The choice is very simple -- either you can fight, or you can die.

In the end, winning is the only safety.

Power usually makes its own rules.

It is not necessary to become irrational in order to prove that one cares; indeed, it is not necessary to prove it at all.

While there's life, there's threat.

Luck has nothing to do with it.

Strategic withdrawal is running away, but with dignity.

Idealism is a wonderful thing; all you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use.

Nobody is indispensable.

Everyone's entitled to one really bad mistake.

In the end, your word is all there is, really. There are other rules, but you'll find out what those are when you break them

Oh Deer - What's For Dinner?

I was in the hospital and recuperating during the start of deer season but thankfully I have friends that will trade some fresh venison for my homemade sourdough bread and rolls.

Venison Meatballs with Bacon and Thyme

1 and ¼ pounds ground venison

around ¼ pound smoked bacon chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

2 heaping Tablespoons chopped fresh Thyme

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons sourdough breadcrumbs (use your bread of choice)

3/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of garlic salt or garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg (if using grated fresh Nutmeg use 1 or 2 small pinches)

unsalted butter for cooking

 Lightly cook bacon in a dry pan until lightly browned, set aside on a paper towel to cool.

In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients, add cooled bacon last, handle as little as possible, and form into meatballs. Add a small splash of milk or stock if needed to help it hold together.

Melt a pat of butter (adding more as needed) in the bacon pan on low/medium, then fry meatballs until done.  Serve with chopped herbs or add gravy. 

Quote For the Day

Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No 

matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always 

got there first, and is waiting for it

-- Terry Pratchett

SEND IT!

How many Labrador Snipers can you see in this photo?

Keeping on Track

Those of you who know me outside the blog know that the day after we lost Abby Lab I was admitted to the hospital. The antibiotic-resistant staph infection I've been fighting for over a year in one leg that went septic back in September reared its ugly head. Before it got too bad, they admitted me, called in an Infectious Disease Specialist (my own Dr. House), and pretty much "nuked it from space" with some antibiotics I'd never heard of but pretty much "kill everything" (take THAT Amoxicillin!)

 I'm finally on the backside of this and feel 400% better (after losing 24 pounds, not all of which was the result of the "pumpkin spice mousse" they tried to feed me on Thanksgiving Day).

Although my heart health is pretty amazing, according to the doctors, they recommended a lower sodium diet during recovery.  So. . . . .

click on photo to enlarge

A modification to my Scottish Pancake Recipe.  Scottish pancakes  (known as Dropped Scones) differ from their American cousins in that they are much smaller, thicker, sweeter, and have a slightly crunchy outer texture which is really good.  I simply modified my recipe to make it almost no sodium (less than 8 mg per serving).  Partner in Grime gave them a big thumbs up. 

Brigid's Scottish Pancakes - serves 2-3.

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon Hain No Sodium Baking Powder (if you don't care about sodium substitute 1 teaspoon regular baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt).  Available at Amazon or Healthy Heart Mart online.

2 large eggs (room temperature)

3 Tablespoons milk (batter is quite thick)

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately then stir together just until combined.

NOTES:

-These are fluffy and delicate and spread out on the griddle.  Use no more than 2-3 Tablespoons of batter per pancake (for perspective photo is on a salad plate)

-These have more sugar than your American pancakes - cook on medium heat, NOT medium/high or high and make sure your pan is oiled well, including between batches.

-If using skim, low fat, or non-dairy"milk", add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

Serve with unsalted butter and real maple syrup.

So Long and Thanks for the Kibble

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

-A.A. Milne, 'Winnie The Pooh.

'It is with heavy hearts we have to tell you all that Abby Lab went to the Bridge last Tuesday, peacefully, and happy (after a Reese's peanut butter cup she spit out at the Vet because "I want the nasty DRY treats Mom gives me!").  She made her journey from our home with a very caring Vet and her sister Lorelei Lab got to say goodbye.

 She would have been 16 in February.  Considering she started her journey to us after being left heartworm positive at a high hill shelter when she was 8, that's pretty good. She brought a lot of joy to us and helped heal so hearts broken when Barkley left us.