Blather
Cooking for Guys
Live to Camp
Camp to Live
Poetry
and Other Lies
Dutch Oven Trailer Trash Casserole
Trailer Trash Casserole: Tater Tots, diced onion, ground beef, Cream of Mushroom Soup, cooked in a Dutch Oven, finished with grated cheese melted on top. Ketchup added to taste. Ingredients 1/2 bag of Tater Tots 1 diced onion 1/4# ground beef per person 1 can...
Irish Toddy
My new favorite is an Irish Toddy. Place a slice of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice in a mug. Cover with scalding water, leaving room for one ounce of Shanky's Whip and one ounce of Irish Whiskey. Give it a stir and enjoy. Repeat as necessary....
Nettle Soup
Stinging Nettles are a nutritious early season foraged food which can be found throughout the United States. Gloves and garden nippers and a little care make it possible to harvest them without getting stung. Drying or boiling the plant neutralizes the stingers,...
Foggy Meadow
Foggy Meadow This layered drink reminds me of dense fog blanketing the field behind our house. The club soda calms the anise flavored Pastis, allowing it to play nicely with the rich caramel and vanilla of the Shanky's Whip. I think you will enjoy this. Ingredients ...
Mushroom Stuffed Burger
I had some fresh chanterelles, a half a pound of ground beef and some grated cheese left over from last night's dinner. It was lunch time, I was hungry. A stuffed burger seemed like the obvious solution. Ingredients ½# ground beef 1-2 medium...
Authentic African Black Soap
I was given a jug of Authentic African Black Soap for Christmas. Gentle and fairly sourced, it is supposed to be the best for washing everything. I have been excitedly waiting for the McFarlanes to bring it to me from California. I haven't washed anything, saving...
Playing With Sharp Objects
Cliff and Donovan came over yesterday and helped me set up a throwing axe target in the back yard. Andy had loaded a huge Ponderosa round in the bed of my truck. We took down a set of poles that was in the way and backed the truck in as close as we could before...
A December Foray
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Good Afternoon
12/13/25 2:00 60F (15.5C) Calm, clear and sunny It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, quite warm for December, so Amy, Walter and I set aside our chores and went for a walk. We ended up down at Wy'East Winery. Amy had a glass of red and I had a glass of pink. Walter had...
Good Afternoon
12/9/25 1:30 48f (8.8C) Steady rain, no wind. ...
Good Morning
4/11/26 5:30 50F (10C) Overcast and raining. Dark, wet, and quiet. A light, steady rain is falling. A single frog croaks in the dark, all alone and without hope or enthusiasm. The birds have yet to wake. Walter inspects the perimeter, ever vigilant....
Good Morning
4/10/26 5:30 48F (8.8C) Cloudy. No wind. The moon is hiding. The air is thick with pollen and the smell of fresh mown grass. No fans or sprayers yet this morning. The songbirds have center stage with a turkey calling in the distance. ...
Good Morning
4/9/26 5:30 39F (3.8C) A clear and windless dawn. The waning half moon floats over the southeastern rim of the canyon. This morning clamors with a thousand birds, two frogs and the incessant whine of one really loud orchard sprayer. Walter can't take it...
Good Morning
4/8/26 5:30 41F (5C) Clear sky with no wind. The moon is waning gibbous, low and due south, above the head of the canyon. The frogs have surrendered the stage to a chorus of birds who are enthusiastically serenading the dawn. Walter Dawg keeps watch as...
Good Morning
4/7/26 6:30 54F (12C) Mostly clear blue with pink shading a few wisps of clouds. A light breeze is rising, then losing its ambition, fades away. The moon is three-quarters and waning . It peeks through the pines as it sets. The oaks are budding. The...
