Todnem.com (beta)

Dear Cyber Guru

Went to log on today and it refused to let me on (said my name and /or password were incorrect)  Tried multiple times, including starting over, etc.  Was able to log on using Melody's name and password (which it still recognizes as me.)  Has NSA caught up with me at last?  Have I been cyber-erased?  Have I been given a new identity?  And how come we're still not on Google any more?  Roger is irritating me.

Dave

Jeff, I can't seem to open up with my name, just Dave's.  I wonder if it is because we both are using mtodnem, because we use the different passwords you gave us.  Any ideas?  I think it is funny I just sent recipes to Lisa, that is listed by Dave.  Sure is fun hearing from everyone. Melody

Lisa, you recently asked for some healthy recipes.  Have been experimenting with a new weight watcher cookbook and will send good ones as we try them. This one was a hit: sounds busy but really wasn't and I would double the apple cider and vinegar to make more sauce, as Dave likes more sauce on noodles and use 2 apples. 

Chicken with Apples and Cider

2 Tbs. veggie oil

1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced

1 tbs. packed dark brown sugar

4 (4 oz.) skinless boneless chicken breasts

1/4 teasp. each cinnamon, salt, pepper

1 medium onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 cups hot cooked wide noodles

1-in a large nonstick skillet over med. heat, heat 1 tbs. of the oil. Saute the apple until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 3-5 minutes longer. transfer to a plate.

2-On a sheet of wax paper, sprinkle the chicken with the cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  In the skillet, heat the remaining oil. Saute the chicken until browned, 4-5 minutes on each side, transfer to another plate.

3-In the skillet, cook the onion, covered, until tender, 6-8 min.; stir in the cider and vinegar. Reduce the heat and simmer 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet; simmer, spooning the sauce over the chicken, until chicken is cooked through and the liquid is reduced by half, 4-5 minutes.

4-Return the apples to the skillet; cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Arrange the noodles on a platter; top with the chicken mixture, pouring any remaining juices over chicken.

per serving  1 chicken breast 1/2 cup noodles and 1/4 cup sauce: 352 calories, 11 gm. fat, 1 gm sat fat, 89mg chol. 273 mg sodium 36g Carb. 2 g fiber, 27 g Protein, 35mg Calc.

Recipe #2  Orange-Crumbed Baked Chicken

tasted like chicken tenders-I tried it with lemon instead of orange

Makes 4 servings

2 tbs. orange juice

2tbs. dijon mustard

1/4 teasp salt

3/4 cup whole wheat cracker crumbs

1 tbs. grated ornage zest

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 teasp. freshly ground pepper

4 (3 ounce) skinless boneless chicken thighs (I used chicken tenders)

1-Preheat the oven to 350 F. spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray

2-In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, mustard, and salt. On a sheet of wax paper, combine the cracker crumbs, orange zest, shallot, and pepper, Brush the chicken on both sides with the mustard mixture, then dredge in the crumbs, firmly pressing the crumbs to coat both sides. Place the chicken on the baking sheet,. bake 15 minutes; turn over and bake until cooked through, 15-20 minutes longer.  With the chicken tenders, this was an eat with your fingers meal, perfect for your little munchkins.

Per serving  1 thigh 179 cal, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fa, 1 g trans fat, 59mg chol. 518mg sodium, 20 g total carb, 3 g fiber, 16g Prot, 1mg calc. 

ENJOY!  Melody

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so David says I have to jump in and finally write since Jeff is whining no one is writing.  Actually, I just have to say I am sooooooo busy and David doesn't like to share the computer or I would have written something sooner. (In reality, I prefer to read what he writes more than my own).  But I do have to say I remember my password- just logged in, and the page says, welcome Dave!, so I logged him out again, re-entered my password, and the page says, welcome Dave!, so Dave stands here (sure I am screwing something up) watches me log him out, re-enter password, etc and welcome Dave! Oh well, it really is me.  We are so back to work and not really excited about it.  Fun to see some of the folks I work with, but Dave and I have worked 6/7 out of the last 8 days, so much for temp work.  And would be there now except we went to Seattle today and I had my left saphenous vein 'fried' with a laser.  Sounds icky but really doesn't hurt while it is being done, (except for the charred flesh taste you get in you mouth while they are doing it) had the right one done this summer.  I had a big lump in my right groin that was a distended superficial vein (we have superficial and deep veins) and it was causing me pain, especially since I am exercising 5 days a week faithfully and have been since March.  Anyway, the first leg hurt gobs, when we were told it might be a little achy and no down time (they lied).  Probably was bad because it was so big to begin with, so this time I let the dr know what I thought about the advil, tylenol regimen without narcotics, so this time he gave me a vicodin prescription and so far it is pretty good with just the advil.  FIGURES.  I am glad it is feeling okay after all.  Dave, my hero, drove me over and back.  Long day if done alone.  My days lately consist of exercise, fixing food for lunch/dinner, cleaning up and going to work.  Thats about what I can fit in before work at 3pm.  With Dave willing to eat whatever I cook, I have been following weight watchers since March in a program at work.  And have managed to slowly lose an official 20#.  SO I am back to where I was when we came home from Arizona and feeling good about it.  30 more to go so it will be a process but sure feel better.  Dave bought me an elliptical trainer for my birthday and I have used it 5 days/week ever since, unless we hike or bike.  Last week, we went to Mt. Baker for our 11th anniversay-ya-the guy who was NEVER going to marry again sure passed up the 7 year itch!  We had a great time and did a 8+ mile hike that was gorgeous.  Saw a black bear (from a distance) and a Mt. goat.  Wish we had planned to stay longer cause it was sooooo nice.  Well, he is pacing and probably going to start whining if I don't give this back to him.  SO HI EVERYONE.   Love, Melody

 

O Digital Guru,

I tried to post some photos, following various directions (or so I thought.)  If I click on Dick's photos, I get a subdirectory of categories, and from there a series of very small pictures that I am unsure how to enlarge.  When I click on Dave and Melody, I get no sub-directory, but I do see the pictures barely sticking out from under the scroll bar at extreme right.  When I click on those edges, I get the picture, but huge, Much bigger than the screen, requiring scrolling in both directions to see it.  What did I do wrong?? ((and how do I do it right?)

My very first day of clincal in my very first week of nursing school, I was walking down the hall in the nursing home, when I heard this little kind of chirp,"Little help ... Little help."  In a valiant attempt to avoid confronting my terror head-on, I quickly searched the hallways for someone to take care of this problem.  Alas. 

Peeking timidly into the room, I saw a little old man in a chair dancing from side to side like a metronome.  As he reached each extreme he would extend his neck (his head kept transcribing a widened U) and chirp, "Little help." (Rather  reminiscent of a bird.)  In time I would have been able to put on my nurse personna and stride briskly into the room, seemingly able to leap tall buildings etc.  But this was my first hour, and I sort of slithered in and asked him what he needed.  His somewhat dreamy expression never changed, nor did the dance, but the lyrics became , "Gotta go to the pot ... Gotta go to the pot."

Oh crap.

There was still no one who knew anything, so I got him up and helped him into the bathroom.  Unfortunately that was only part of the mission.  "Pull down my pants," said he.  I sat him on the toilet, seeking only to escape this horror, but he didn't get positioned just right.  "Could ya push my pecker down inside?"

And I thought, "Dear God what have I gotten myself into?"

This last week at work has reminded me of the validity of first impressions.

Dave

P.S.  We had a twenty-something die this week, so for all you younger generation types who may occasionally consider living paycheck to paycheck -- consider the consequences of major illness/injury and not being able to work (not to mention the astronomical room rate for a hospital stay.)  Not to be a prophet of doom, but tomorrow really is promised to no one.

 

 

Good news!  The universe appears to be smiling upon me once again.  It is really more of a feeling than the circumstances, but in the last week we have found my watch (in the hedge) lost over a year ago, but still keeping time through rain, snow, and dead of night; we found the battery charger for the camera (lost months ago) so now we can take all the pictures we want; I put a FREE sign on the travel trailer on Bean Rd. property, and within 3 hours, some guy called up and took it; I talked to the attorney and it turns out since we haven't filed a counter-suit in superior court against Hopper (which would lump all complaints into one suit) we can file in small claims court for the storage fees, plus we can file again in small claims for breach of the original contract.  He can dismiss his suit any time he wants independent of anything we do, and while he can re-file at a later date, what conceivable credibility could he have after claiming we stole his stuff, then dismissing the suit (to get his bond back he has to acknowledge he's got everything) then reclaiming we stole his stuff?  Finally, Mom got hold of the people who buy and move houses, after months of no answer, and they looked at Bean Rd. and are interested in the house!

Now the only thing I have been discussing with the universe is getting my book published, so my question is, has anyone been putting out positive vibes re: Bean Rd.?  Or is the universe just smiling on me as it occasionally does?

I have not seen Carol Tuttle's book yet, but I imagine it will be a Power of Positive Thinking or Think and Grow Rich or Everybody Wins with a religious slant.  Angels instead of Universal Intelligence or power of the subconscious.  If it is truly something new, then I want to hear it, but Peggy's initial response of "Who is Carol Tuttle and who appointed her God?" seems pertinent.  Nonetheless the proof is in the pudding if it works and more power to all who can benefit from it.  I also agree with Peggy when it comes to being wary of cults, and I couldn't possibly agree more when she says "...don't just swallow everything that sounds good on the surface."  But here's my problem.

Peggy, you are a good, kind, intelligent person.  Has it not occurred to you that swallowing everything that sounds good on the surface is exactly what you advocate?  Do you seriously suggest that any idea lacking a Scriptural basis can't be true?  You warn about cults(generally thought of as small groups of wackos[which is to say we don't agree with them]).  Don't you realize that Christianity, by definition, is itself a cult, albeit a large one?  As is Judaism, Bhuddism, Islam, Wicca, Scientology, Zoroasterism and innumerable others.

For all the Believers: By Truth, I assume you mean the word of God.  I would be interested in hearing God's word but where would I find it?  The Bible was constructed by the Church three or four centuries A.D.  The New Testament was made up of writings picked and chosen to present a politically correct version of the chosen agenda.  There were many other writings from the same time period that told a very different story --that Christ married, that He was not crucified etc, a la Davinci Code.  These were deemed politically incorrect and banned from the Bible.  (Discovery Channel had a whole program called Banned from the Bible.)  In any event, unless God personally sat down with Peter and dictated every word, what we have is Peter's word and Paul's word, not God's word.

The Old Testament is even more ancient Hebrew writings with the added problem of translation.  Ancient, crumbling, faded writings with whole sections missing, written in Hebrew, a language which does not have vowels and thus must be translated contextually.  (bat, bait, abate, boat, bit, bite, beta, bet and many others would all appear exactly the same)  Then there are the centuries of hand-copying manuscripts before the invention of movable type.  Even biblical scholars can't agree on how it translates.  And you think that every word in the Bible is literally the word of God because...?

I think faith can be a good thing.  I think blind faith that flies in the face of fact, history, research, and evidence is one of the greatest dangers we face.  I will consider anyone's point of view, if they have the evidence to support it.  Fanatics won't.  And please, please remember a zealot is one very small step from a fanatic.

I really don't expect anything I say to make anybody re-evaluate their position, but consider the following:  How many of the following practices/beliefs originated  from Christianity?  1.The Lord's birth was attended by shepherds, and is celebrated on December 25.  2.Worship is on Sunday.  3. Heaven and Hell and ressurection.  4. Baptism.  5. Communion.  Answer: none.  They were part of Mithraism which pre-dated Christianity and which begs the question -- did Christianity re-invent those things on it's own, or could there have been evolutionary blending at work?

The unified field theory works out mathematically, but is so abstract that us mere mortals can't grasp the concept.  Anyway it says there are multiple universes (perhaps infinite)  What occurs to me is perhaps everyone gets exactly what they believe, that in some universe they are exactly right.  Unified field theory also requires eleven dimensions.  What the other seven dimensions could possibly be, I can't imagine, but perhaps God is there.  Or perhaps God is in our collective minds and resides in the 90% (some would argue 99%) of our brain we don't use.

All I'm saying is anyone can believe what they will.  Provided they're not trying to restrict me with it, that's fine.  But I think everybody has a responsibility to at least consider the evidence. 

Dave