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Songs and Fire

He was dying and he knew it. The pain of existence was slowly going away. He heard people going in and out of the room, but only as a distant sound. He heard her familiar voice, the daughter he raised was close at hand. He felt her nearby as he took a last breath. In moments, he opened his eyes again, expecting to see her standing above him, but what he saw instead was an old forest on land he remembered as a child. It was solidified in his mind as his place of peace, his home. No longer was his body slowed by a damaged heart, he got up and gave a nod knowing this was right, this is where he was meant to be. There were voices raised in song just over the ridge and he felt compelled to follow, knowing he needed to join their chorus. The old songs made him quicken his steps because he knew there would be food, drink and he knew his voice was needed. As he got closer to the crowd, he saw there was a familiar bon fire in the middle of them. He saw the crowns of flowers and oak adorning the
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Piragi Recipe

  3/31/2024 Dear Future Me, this piragi recipe still works, but also note that we replaced Buttermilk with sour cream (impromptu thing)....and as Bob Ross taught us, it was a happy accident and it worked out great. We also tried doubling recipe and using KitchenAid but turned out dough on our massive cutting board to mix in the rest of the dough. Makes approximately 90. Also, cardamom works, 1tsp for double batch. (nov 2023 iteration of recipe) 1 lb bacon to 1 medium onion ratio - (keep at 3 lbs) chop bacon.  Best practice is to freeze portions of the strips...makes it easier. Dice the onions...prepare to cry.  When you sautee the bacon onion mixture...you want to cook it so the onion softens but the fat on bacon is not fully rendered. Add black pepper liberally. But salt really depends on how salty the bacon is. Do not drain anything. Put in a longer flatter container so all the juices distribute evenly.  Best practice is to let cool overnight. For the dough... 1/4 c warm water 1tsp +
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The Haunted Home

                    James sat in the dirty kitchen with his feet propped up on the table and looked around the dilapidated room. He watched a rat climb over and around the counters and sink, looking for scraps of anything. James rolled his eyes knowing anything that even resembled food had long since been carried away by other animals or decayed so much it became dust.  Still, it scurried around in a hurried way, as if it had to get one more morsel of food in before it goes back to the office.                 “Or maybe it has to get back to Mrs. Rat,” James said to no one in particular.                 “You know they say a sign of going crazy is talking to yourself,” a voice said behind him.                 James sighed, unaffected by the sudden intrusion of his solitude.                 “I wasn’t alone, I have Mr. Rat here to keep me company, Sheila.”                 “And why are you sitting down?”                 “I gotta be here all night and I don’t want to get my fee
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Driving Refresher Class 101

Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for most young people. It’s been a few decades, but I do remember getting mine. I know over time my driving skills are not what my driving teacher would have approved of. In fact, I’m pretty sure he would be hitting that brake on the passenger’s side a few dozen times. So, I acknowledge that we all kind of lose our edge over time and get a little creative in how we drive. That being said, some of y’all are just out of control and are so bad Mad Max is even questioning your choices. Let’s have a refresher course, shall we? The lines that divide lanes mean something. If you are not sure where you want to go, pull over. Do NOT pick 2 lanes because you haven’t made a choice yet. Green is go, yellow means red is near and red means stop. Now just because you saw the yellow light doesn’t mean you still have the right of way. Yellow doesn’t mean hit your turbo boost pretend you didn’t see the light turn red. I’ll wager if you do this, you have a
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Organizing work lunch orders: aka why do you hate yourself?

If you choose to organize ordering lunch for the group at work...expect some of the following to occur ... No matter which place you pick, someone will be unhappy.  75% of the people will want a special order.  People are quick to order but slow to pay.  Someone will remember the days when that place served a different dish…and why don’t they do that anymore? It was so much better than now. You know where we should have gone is to the other place that is like this place but entirely different…it is so much better.   No one has exact change, but everyone wants exact change.  Whoever promised to pay you later…they lied.  The place will not have whatever the most picky person wants.  The menu you ordered from is out of date and all of the prices have gone up.  When the food arrives, someone will want to see the receipt because they cannot believe they owe that much.  At least 1 item will be wrong, and you will be judged the restaurant got it wrong.  There will be 1 person who wants to ord
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Moving Truths

I have moved 21 times in my life.  No, I'm not in the military or in the witness protection program. My first move happened when I was 18 months, so that is not my fault. The few moves during my teenage years were also not my doing. The rest...well I gotta admit those are on me.  I also have helped people move over 10x in my life. A couple have just been my parents bringing me and my sister along to help friends move. The other times have been me helping other people move just because...well I have no idea.  When I turned 50 I swore i would never move anyone ever again. Last year I helped my son move and in 2 weeks I will help my daughter move. Never make sweeping declarations in life, because the opposite always seems to happen. I really should have said, "after 50 I swear I will never be broke again" and see if the world would have taken me up on the challenge.  After 30 moves, there are somethings I have learned. 1. The weather will be crap. The chances of the hottest/
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Truths of Office Life

I've worked in offices for over 4 decades. After all of these years, I have found some truths just are universal for almost all offices. You will put off going to the bathroom to avoid certain people.  The one who complains the most about working does the least amount of work There is always 1 person who is perpetually surprised at their job People who tell you how it used to be done still do it that way, even though the rules have changed.  The person who gossips the most knows the least.  Someone has probably had sex in your office or on your desk.  If you look busy all the time, no one gives you a new project.  Most people can finish their jobs by noon.  Productivity is inversely proportional to how many productivity meetings are held.  Condiments in the refrigerator are in their own spacetime continuum.  Team building exercises often reveal those who would be the first to die in a zombie apocalypse.  Going #2 in the bathroom involves strategic planning.  Those who fear technolo
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