Travelling and Arriving, A General Grouse.

There is definitely insanity in my family.

We had two long days of driving, Saturday it rained for 5 or 6 hours and it wasn’t just a sprinkle, it came down in buckets. So much so that when we reached the motel Matt grabbed the overnight bag and we ran into the lobby. By the time Matt actually got indoors, he was drenched. With the result, it was too wet to go out to dinner so we went for some Italian, wasn’t bad but the room wasn’t really designed for dining!! Matt eventually managed to slip out and get the booze bag, by that time we needed a snort. I didn’t get my CPAP machine so didn’t sleep that well. We had no cards to while away the time playing cribbage. Matt in particular wasn’t a happy camper. In my case, I had no computer or anything. However, I did find Hitchcock on a movie channel. Not sure how much I missed, but what a wonderful movie. Will have to rent it or something. I thought Hopkins was  marvellous in the part. So was Helen Mirren.

Sunday we set off and got as far as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, everything running smoothly. We were headed west by then towards Pittsburgh (a fact I had forgotten) I reminded Matt to head west, I don’t know how it happened, we ended up heading east. We finally realised when we went through 3 tunnels, there is only one on our way home. So, we left the road paying a $5 toll and did a U turn getting back on the right road. We had lost an hour, i.e. 2 hours altogether. It also racked up our final toll. However….. We finally cross the border in to Canada and head up the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) which is one of the worst I have ever encountered traffic wise. I am not all that familiar with the route as I let Matt do it. We got to a section where we were to branch off and reading the signs I thought we should stay on our current route. No way, so, my fault definitely this time. We dithered around, came off the road and then back on it. Got thoroughly lost. Finally stopped at a garage and found out how to get back to the right route. Finally, we got home about a couple of hours later than expected. Next came the unloading. The Assistant Super was great helping get the shrimp and turkeys upstairs.

Monday, we went bowling. With 5 pin bowling, if you are not on form, you end up throwing three balls for every one of your thirty frames. I did manage to cut that amount down a bit but I definitely was not on form. Then we went to the grocery store, and did a week’s shopping, traipsing round the supermarket. Next we went to pick up my Avon orders. Matt was the one who got to carry all the stuff upstairs although we do have a cart which helps. I might add, we had been doing laundry in the morning, I had been making all kinds of phone calls plus doing our accounts etc. etc. Monday night, my body felt it had been in a rugby scrum with a dozen 300 lb. men kicking and beating me. That is now, right this minute. I said, there is insanity in my family. Would you believe we bowl again on Thursday? The first of the Travel League meets. Oh, I forgot to add I have been chipping ice for ages to free the bags of shrimp and get them in the freezer. The turkeys we managed to get into the freezer last night. Supper was a rotisserie chicken bought at the grocery store with some kettle chips and some tomato juice. I ask you? Right in the middle the young receptionist from our Doctor’s turned up to collect her huge bag of grits and her 2 lbs. of boiled peanuts. She hails from Georgia, what do you expect? I forgot to add that I have been suffering from edema for the last two weeks and my ankles are like tree stumps, travelling doesn’t help matters nor, apparently, does keeping my legs up.

I saw a very odd cloud formation but my tablet didn’t really catch it, it looked like a lot of flat topped cliffs all sawn off neatly. It was a very odd sight, I was fascinated. I also saw a dragon so immediately thought of Father Dragon of course.

No recipe today, sorry, I am just too beat.

Nice to be home though, I think, actually as I told several people today, I need a vacation.

Have a great Tuesday.

Words. Problems.

I have always been interested in words and love acquiring new ones – last night on Jeopardy I came across a good one which I don’t remember ever hearing before – enantiomorph – meaning mirror image. Fascinating word. Satima, if you are reading this, is this a new one to you? An ezine writer invented a word I love, franticulate, I hope it will creep into the dictionary because I think it is such a descriptive word. He used it to describe his excited dog. Lewis Carroll managed to coin chortle which is now part of the English language, galumphing was another. Both words came from his poem The Jabberwock from Through the Looking Glass. Two of my other favourite words are cacography which refers to bad handwriting and deltiology which is used as the official name for collecting postcards. My handwriting is certainly bad and I once had quite a collection of postcards from all over the world which explains how I came across those two words.

I seem to have another problem with my recent operation, I am suffering from pretty major edema in my right leg so I have to keep the leg elevated. Right now I am sitting with my feet in the air and typing on my laptop. Not easy I promise you. Last night my lower leg looked something like a tree trunk. I phoned the surgeon’s office and they told me this is not unusual and that the humungous bruise that I have on my inner thigh could spread as far as the knee. Delightful. I can’t even access all my programmes ‘cos I don’t have all my passwords handy. So, this is all you this is all you get from me today.

Easy Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

1 tablespoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

1 package (about 18 oz.) regular white or yellow cake mix (not pudding-in-mix type)

PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING(recipe follows)

HERSHEY'S Syrup

Chocolate curls (optional)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and wax paper-line two 8-or 9-inch round baking pans.
2. 2 Place peanut butter chips and shortening in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1-1/2 minutes or until smooth when stirred. Prepare cake mix as directed on package; blend in melted chip mixture. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. 4 Frost with PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve with syrup drizzled over top and sides of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cake. 10 to 12 servings.
   PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING
   1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
   2/3 cup milk
   3 cups miniature marshmallows
   2 cups (1 pt.) cold whipping cream
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   Stir together peanut butter chips, milk and marshmallows in 2-quart saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips and marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth; cool to lukewarm. Beat whipping cream in small bowl with electric mixer until stiff; fold in vanilla and cooled peanut butter chip mixture. About 4 cups frosting.
   Variation: Cake may be baked in greased and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with 1/2 recipe PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING.

Have a great day