Farmmom's Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

This post is specifically for Labrat who showed me a new way to eat potato salad.


To start with boil 4 or 5 smaller potatoes. Don't peel them just rinse them off and throw them in a pot. Cook them till you can stick a fork into the middle of them.

Next boil and peel a couple eggs.


Once the potatoes are done peel the skin off and cut into bite sized cubes.


Chop the hard boiled eggs, and add them, a small diced onion and a good sized blob of dill relish.

Mix it all together till it looks somewhat like this.

In a skillet scramble 3 eggs.

Add about 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard, 1 tsp sugar and about 3 tbs vinegar. If you want it to have more of a tart taste add more mustard and vinegar.

Stir it all up till it is smooth and start cooking it on a medium heat.

Cook till it is a thick sauce. Stirring constantly to keep it smooth.

Pour it on the potato mixture.


Mix it all up and chill.

Sorry about the measurements but this is one of those recipes that i just throw things in till it looks good.

If you want just a little more bite to it you can add a bit of cayenne pepper at the end.

Now Labrat can have her Chicken Fried Steak and Potato Salad sandwich.

People I Admire

In an effort to combat the winter blues, I decided to write about something happy today. Or at least not blah.

I don't actually admire many people. Respect, yes, like, sure, but admiration isn't that common for me.

However, I do have a good friend that I admire a great deal.

He's going to the same college I did, for pretty much the same reasons. He wants to do what he loves, although he's not at all opposed to doing other things if he has to to pay the bills, and having that piece of paper saying you know what you're doing, and the extra knowledge from the business classes that are part of the degree, can make all the difference in the world.

He busts his butt, both working and going to school full time. He's had to deal with parental pressure on everything from what horses to train when he's not in classes (he's already breaking colts in his off time to help pay for college) to what truck to buy when his got totaled. He's dealt with an ex-girlfriend cum roommate who somehow managed to blow several thousand dollars in three months with nothing much to show for it, and spent two months "job hunting" before she could manage to pay her half of the rent. He even used his friendship with her now-boss to get her the job in the first place.

He has one more year of classes than he should because he had to drop his riding courses his first year due to a knee injury.

In short, life has handed him the brown smelly end of the stick in a lot of cases. But he doesn't just give up. I have never seen him throw his hands up and say it can't be done.

He has abominable taste in women and has had one manipulative, emotionally bruising relationship after another, because when he gives himself, he doesn't hold back.

He's always there for his friends when they need him, whether it be a night on the town to de stress or a couple of days of backbreaking labor.

And somehow, through all of this, he still manages to keep his sense of humor and fun. He's a young cowboy in the grand tradition which means he's just slightly nuts and likely to do something dumb and possibly dangerous just because it looks like fun.

All of these are reasons I admire him. The reasons that I consider him one of the best people I know include that list, with some added on:

He won't let a female friend go a night at the bar without dancing. I have plenty of guy friends who simply wouldn't think about the fact that their gal pal hadn't danced all night. Doesn't make them bad people, but this guy will gallantly offer his arm to the more ladylike of his friends, and sincerely ask them if he might have this dance. For the more tomboyish and closer of his friends (me) he'll simply walk up, grab them by the hand, and tow them to the dance floor.

He's always willing to listen. Whether it be a close friend or the girl or guy he barely knows who is just homesick and needs to talk, he always finds the time.

There are other reasons, of course, but this is running long. My point is, the world needs more people like him, and I'm proud to call him my friend.

I wonder if my readers have friends like this? If you do, speak up. The attention always goes to the crummy people who do bad things... I'd love to hear about some of the good ones.

Letters

Twice a week I write a letter to a complete stranger. I fold it carefully, stuff it in an envelope, and send it off to the other side of the world... and I may never hear from that person again.

They don't know anything about me and all I know about them is their name and address, which makes it very difficult to write a letter.

It's harder than I expected, not that I've ever been the world's best pen pal to start with. The art of the letter has fallen by the wayside in today's age of email and internet access. Snail mail is all but extinct for anything other than physical packages.

I think it's kind of sad, personally. Sure, I struggle with what to say in a letter, and it's really easy to fall into a form letter mode when you're writing to people you don't know, but I think there's a personal touch with physical mail that email just doesn't have.

It takes a few moments to sit down and bang out an email, and send it off, but a letter... someone thought ahead, brought out pen and paper, moderated their usual scribble to something that someone else will be able to read. I think that puts something of the person into their correspondence.

I don't write letters to my friends, even those who are far away. There are people I hold quite dear that I don't even know their mailing address. And I realize, now, that that's quite a shame.

The written word is a wonderful thing, in all it's forms. I think a handwritten letter is something special, though. A good friend's handwriting should be as familiar as their face, and as welcome to see.

So, readers, I'm giving you a mission. Go write a letter. To your mom, your grandmother, your best friend or your brother, or even to that one guy you had a crush on in college if you have his address. It doesn't matter. Just write a letter, let them know you're thinking of them and took the time to sit down with pen and paper and write it out.

They'll smile when they read it, and that's worth it.

An Excellent Blog....

... That I've waffled on whether or not to link. But to hell with it, I love it and she's brilliant and I'll give a warning for those who may not wish to be confronted with these sorts of things.

What sorts of things, you ask? Why, sex, of course.

Quizzical Pussy is a delightfully straightforward blog addressing one of the four hundred pound gorillas in the room of society: sexuality.

The author approaches such things with a wonderfully open mind asking what may be the only important question in such things: Is it fun?

The things that she enjoys are not necessarily the things that I enjoy, but she's an excellent writer and even while I'm wondering why in the world, the writing (ok, and my never-ending curiosity paired with the fact that she usually does explain exactly why in the world...) carries me through the post.

It's very explicit, so if you're easily shocked, you may want to skip it.

If not, go, learn, enjoy. I love this blog and I adore the blogger... And on some points, frankly, I envy her.

She's got a place now on the never-updated blogroll, (with, of course, an explicit warning, so that I don't get nasty emails about surprising people with pictures of sex toys...) which should tell you how much I like the blog.

V-Day PSA

Just a friendly reminder for my male readers to go ahead and set up their Valentine's Day surprises now.

That way you don't forget and everyone is happy in the end!

For those of you stretching for ideas:

FTD has some lovely arrangements that can be delivered via a local florist.

Alethea's has fantastic hand made chocolates, and you can make a custom box of chocolates for your favorite chocolate lover. The black forest cheesecake truffles are definitely to die for!

You can always go for a pamper-me bath setup by selecting luxurious items in delectable scents from Bath and Body Works.

For the gunny girl in your life, a couple of boxes of ammo and a trip to the range, or a new scope or range bag is always a safe bet.

Feel free to comment with more suggestions!


**Obligatory FTC disclaimer: None of these companies give me stuff, although if Alethea's wants to offer me free chocolates, I'm not going to argue....

Memorials

In the midst of paradise sits an area that still bears the scars of an attack that happened sixty nine years ago.

If you know where to look or are lucky enough to have a good guide (and I'm not talking about the kind of guide that wears a parks uniform) you can still see bomb craters, and bullet holes.

But that's not what this is about. This is about these men:


Men who lost their lives while serving their country, and all of those throughout the ages who didn't get an elegant memorial with their names engraved in marble. The soldiers of our country who fight and die even today to protect our way of life. Whether you agree with the orders or not, they follow them. They hold their heads high and rightfully so.


There's an eerie sense, approaching the memorial. Not as if the ghosts of sailors still hang around, but more as if the reverence of everyone who has gone before you has left a residue. The white shape against the blue water is a stark image, with our flag flying above the fallen.


The entrance feels like you're walking into an ancient temple. A place where the gods and the spirits of the dead just might communicate with those of us here on earth.

I won't post pictures looking down into the water. It's something that should be seen in person. The slick of leaked oil throwing rainbow colors across the surface of the water, appropriately called Tears of The Arizona. The fish gliding above the deteriorating, encrusted metal. For me, there's a sense of sorrow, grief for men I never knew.

Mom's great-uncle was one of the men lost on the Arizona. He lies somewhere beneath the surface, along with the shipmates he died with, and a few who, having survived the attack, chose later to be interred with their brothers.

Everyone knows the Arizona is still there. Not as many realize that the USS Utah still sits just off Ford Island. Unlike the Arizona, the Utah was rolled to one side of the channel, to allow her sister ships to come and go.


Her memorial may not be as famous, nor as well-traveled, but it is no less important. If you get the chance, visit her, and pay your respects. Utah's memorial is less overrun, more peaceful. It holds the same sense of reverence, however, and perhaps a touch more melancholy.

I'm grateful that I have had the chance to visit these places. I hope my nephews do, as well as any children I might have. It's a place to give honor and acknowledge sacrifice, for the men who died there, who rest there, and for the men and woman who fell elsewhere, at other times.

Throughout the history of our country brave men and women have fought and died for the things they believed in. For those of us at home, so that we may not have to face the things that they do.

Never forget that. Never forget them, or forsake those who are facing the possibility of joining their ranks even today.

Aloha

From Colorado. Yep, we're home. We got home a few days ago but it's been a rush of catching up and I didn't have pictures to share with ya'll so I figured I'd wait till I got them to post. So now, here it is, a short picture tour of Hawaii, Farm Fam Style.



This was the view off our balcony (or lanai) at the hotel, the very night we got there. After five hours of delays in Denver and an eight hour flight, it was the most beautiful thing in the world to us, even though it was dark. Especially considering we weren't wearing coats. In January. At night. Oh Gawd why did I come home?

Another nifty perk of our room was the it was directly above the waterfalls on display at the front of the hotel, so when we'd get back to the room of an evening we'd sit on the balcony and listen to the waterfalls and stare out over the city for a while. So very relaxing....

On Thursday we went to the Sea Life Park, which is cheesy and touristy and quite a lot like a cut-rate Sea World except without the whales. But, we were tourists and they do some nifty dolphin and sea lion shows and there's plenty to see, so we went.

First up was the Ray Ballet:

Considering what happened to Mr. Irwin I think this chick is both brave and smart. She climbed into a tank with huge stingrays, but she brought bribes. I figure it's kind of like working with the mob when they're running a protection game. Pay em off, and you don't get hurt.


The rays of various types were quite cooperative when it came to showing off for the audience, and it was beautiful to watch them glide around.

Then, the sea turtles, right at the exit from the ray tank. This is what happens when you throw all the food in one area during feeding time. It's a slow motion feeding frenzy, a turtle pileup:


Since they sell turtle food (lettuce and broccoli) in the gift shop, the turtles are quite willing to wander over to anyone in the vicinity of their tank when they're not getting their big meal, and pose for pictures in the hopes of getting snacks.


Of course, no sea park is complete without sea lions, and in addition to the Miss Sea Lion Hawaii show in which they showed off their tricks they had an area where the sea lions just kind of hung out. It's not hard to guess why this guy wasn't involved in the choreographed show, since every time someone would walk by he'd make his opinion of tourists well known:

They also have a quite unusual animal at the Sea Life Park. I didn't know it was possible, but apparently dolphins and whales can cross breed. This one is the result of an accidental breeding, born right there in the park. She's called a whalfin and she was the star of the show:


A lot of the rest of the trip was sightseeing and enjoying the views. I have a ton of pictures, but to keep this short I'm breaking part of it off into another post and giving you one of my favorite vistas:


Also, the (in)famous Waimea Bay, which is reportedly normally a surfer's paradise, but which was flat as the Colorado plains the day we visited:


On our last day, we checked out of the hotel, checked our luggage, and got some more quality beach and park time in. I was pouting about having to leave this beautiful place, and one of the local birds came to console me. Or see if I would break the rules of almost everywhere in Hawaii and feed it. One of the two.