There must be a way of promoting human values without involving religion, based on common sense, experience and recent scientific findings.

If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.

I packaged and shipped Joshua's phone, iPod touch, headphones, and associated chargers to him today.  The package is guaranteed to arrived by 5 pm (that's 1700 to him) this Friday, August 27.  That will be Day 22, so  I hope he calls and texts all of us as soon as possible!    

Classes started for him on August 17.  We still don't know what his schedule is like or what classes he's taking.  I have so many questions!

 

 

For anyone who’s been living under a rock, Jordan got her braces off yesterday!  She wore them for 19 months, from January 19, 2009 to August 18, 2010.  Today her teeth are perfect and she looks even prettier than ever.

 

We really wanted to make a big day out of it, so I took a half day at work.  After Jordan’s orthodontist appointment, we bought some Swedish fish so that Jordan could eat something sticky and chewy without her braces.  Forbidden candy, at last!  Then we took a pizza to Simon’s office where the three of us ate lunch together.  To top it off, Jordan I went to see the premier of the movie, “Vampires Suck.”  We ate popcorn, drank about a gallon of Coke Zero, and laughed our butts off!  The movie was ridiculous and funny in an “Airplane!” kind of way.  Very cheesy. 

 

Of course I took some video of the event.  The video will take 2 to 3 minutes to download, so be patient and check it out!

 

http://www.box.net/shared/static/2uve6mrcfq.wmv

Yesterday I was driving Josie to a friend's house and Jordan was riding with us.  My phone rang and the call was from a long distance number I didn't recognize.  When I picked it up, a young man's voice asked if I was Angie.  I suspiciously answered yes.  Then he said, "Hi Angie.  My football coach needs your or dad's email address."  That's when I realized it was Joshua!  I was so tickled that all I could do was squeal that I couldn't believe it was him and that I loved him.  He chuckled, explained that he couldn't talk, commented that he was losing his voice, and asked me to tell everyone that he loves them.  So, chances are if you're reading this, Joshua loves you!  His voice was so croaky and hoarse and he sounded tired but happy.  Simon explained that Joshua is required to do a lot of yelling at NMMI, especially at first.  I could hear all of the other guys being noisy in the background, probably other football players.  I quickly gave him my email address and we said goodbye to each other.  The whole conversation only lasted about thirty seconds, but I was so happy to talk to him!

Although Joshua cannot talk on the phone, email, or have visitors until August 26, he can receive letters at any time.  That means now!  A quote from NMMI:  "It is highly recommended that you write encouraging and motivating letters to your cadet during this time."  I know Joshua would LOVE to hear from everyone, so here's his address if you wish to drop him a line: 

 

Lathrop, Joshua S

NMMI MAIL SLOT#686

101 W. College Blvd.

Roswell, NM  88201-5173

 

And I think his email will be 000154312@nmmi.edu  I'll update if I'm wrong.

This recipe is an adaptation of Prejean's seafood gumbo.  Like those cajuns say, it really is all in the roux.

 

DARK ROUX:
2 cups flour
1 cup peanut oil

GUMBO:
2 tablespoons butter
1 diced onion
2 stalks diced celery
1 small diced bell pepper

2 minced garlic cloves
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½  tablespoons paprika
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

4 (14 ounce) cans water
1 ½ - 3 pounds cooked chicken meat cut into large chunks
Cooked shrimp, crab, or sausage (optional to make a total of 3 pounds of meat)
Cooked rice

In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, roast flour and oil while whisking CONTINUOUSLY, a minimum of 30 minutes, until it resembles chocolate.  Set aside to cool for next step.  If it burns even a tiny bit, throw it out and start over.  When it’s done, it helps to transfer the roux to another container to cool.  When cool, it will be a very thick, fudge-like paste.

In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, add butter, onion, celery, bell peppers and minced garlic and sauté until vegetables become transparent. Then, add all dry spices and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Add broth and water. Bring to a boil and stir in the desired amount of roux, depending on how thick you would like it.

Once you have reached your desired thickness, reduce to a simmer for about an hour. Add chicken, shrimp, and other meat and simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over steamed rice.

 

Makes 6-8 servings.

 

 

 

When we lived in Guthrie, we had a horrible mole problem that Simon managed to control to some degree, but the moles were never eliminated.  He worked virtually non-stop and spent a lot of cash on oil sprays, worm bait poison, and various other poisons and pellets.  Nothing ever totally worked.  We thought the problem was over when we moved to Stillwater.

To our dismay, Simon recently discovered that a mole was destroying our beautiful front lawn at a dizzying pace.  I hated to see that since Simon had worked so hard to create a truly superior lawn.  Within 24 hours, we saw at least three new mole mounds emerge, along with tunnels and sink holes covering the southwest 25 % of the yard.  And the grass was turning a very dark color! 

On the second day, Simon and I made a beeline for Atwoods in search of a solution.  While we stood there looking at traps and sprays, I noticed something I’d never seen before: a product called Giant Destroyer.  I turned over the package and read about how these giant sulfur smoke bombs would release a toxic gas that would permeate the entire underground tunnel structure.  Brilliant!  Four smoke bombs for only $5!  I handed it to Simon, and his eyes lit up with the realization that, even if the gas didn’t kill our little invader, at least we’d have fun trying.  Humane?  No.  Fair and necessary?  Absolutely.  Oh, and as a precaution, we purchased a mole trap just in case.

We rushed home, inserted a fuse into the first bomb, and lit it.  It ignited like a flare!  Simon quickly stuffed it into the largest tunnel opening and covered the opening with soil.  Within seconds, we could see the noxious gas begin to seep out through the other tiny opening throughout the yard.  It was so satisfying!  So what did we do?  We lit two more and did the same thing with two other burrows.  Heck yeah!

Did it work?  Yes, it definitely worked!  No more mounds, no more tunnels or sink holes, and no more moles!  I can’t believe we discovered a $5 solution to such a destructive problem.  And I returned the mole trap at Atwoods.  I would definitely recommend Giant Destroyer for any type of outdoor rodent problem.