Cowgirl Goods

Show and Tell Monday

WOW we had beautiful weather this weekend.  When it hit's 70 in November in Maine EVERYONE gets outside.  The beach was packed, the mountain was packed and lot's of yard work was getting finished before the snow flies.  It was nice.

I've discovered a few things out in "blogland" that I thought some of you might like to know about.  

First off my friend Cindy at Artmaking in the North just posted about her latest art show.  Since I couldn't get up and over to the show Cindy sent some fun flyers about the art shows in Anchorage.  She recently participated in a show called Wild Bras on Parade!!

"Alaska Woman's Training Bra" Donated original sculpture for Foundations For Recovery, the Art Bra Project for Casting For Recovery. © Cindy Shake

Casting For Recovery is a non-profit nation wide program that supports women with breast cancer by offering fly fishing retreats for therapy.  I won't go into detail check it out if you can.  I've been kind of curious about learning how to fly fish and then to see it being used for this now has me REALLY curious.  Maybe Cindy can comment on this and give it her plug.  But do check out Cindy's art, this girl will make you love metal.

Next you all remember my BIG GREEN EGG smoker/cooker/brick oven the coolest thing, besides my Liberty cowboy boots, I've ever purchased?  WELL you know how there is "an app for that" for the iPhones?  Well you can pretty much say, "there's a blog for that!"  My buddy Bridget sent me this blog: Cowgirl's Country Life.  Let me tell you this girl is all about bbq and smokin'.  I'm talking smokin' meat.  THEN if you check out her links you will just get mired in bbq blog heaven and you might start chewing on your arm you'll be so hungry.   THEN I found THIS; The Outdoor Cooking Guild and I stumbled onto some "guy" blogs.  They were very refreshing to read, they pretty much talked about pizza, beer and BBQ.  My husband always says to me, "We are not complicated creatures."  He's right, read some "guy" blogs and fire up the grill!

Weekend Drive-by photos.

It's getting kind of salty around here.  That's not a good sign because it means winter is coming and these are the salt piles that all the surrounding towns get their salt for the roads.  It all comes in on huge ships kind of like this one.

Portsmouth Harbor, NH is a pretty busy place. A lot of "stuff " is brought into this harbor including oil. There are mountains of scrap metal that leave from here.  That is what this ship was loading up, rusty rusty metal.  Portsmouth sits on the Piscataque River which I believe is in the top ten rivers with the strongest current.  So watching the tugs navigate these ships up the river and under 3 bridges is pretty spectacular.   When you all come to visit I'll be sure to take you to Portsmouth, it's a cool town.  

How could I NOT give you a picture of the gang.  It's beautiful today so a nice walk down at the "Academy" (Berwick Academy) is their favorite place.  BOB does wind sprints on the soccer field and his cheerleaders chase him down the field!  It's pretty funny.  Happy Dogs, Happy Weekend.

Friday Dinnah

Let's talk Mac & Cheese.  Now I know that we ALL love the above but we're not suppose to.  With hibernation mode kicking in big time all I want is either bread and butter or mac and cheese.  At the cafe we always tried to outdo each others mac & cheese.  It would get pretty complicated but we all used this basic recipe from Mr. James Beard himself from his Beard on Pasta book.  Here is my tweaked version of it:

Mac & Cheese Marj Style

6 Tablespoons Butter (YES BUTTER)

6 Tablespoons Flour

3 cups milk (2% or whole, skim doesn't work well)

lots of black pepper

1 teaspoon tabasco

1# box of funky shaped pasta

2-4 cups of various grated cheese (what ever is in the cheese drawer)

Melt butter, add flour and stir to make a roux.  Let it get kind of brown and nutty smelling while whisking.  Then slowly add milk one cup at a time, keep stirring, and let it thicken after each cup.  Add the pepper and tabasco.

HERE'S THE TWEAKY PART, on the side I've sauteed up an onion, red pepper, LOTS of mushrooms and sometime sundried tomatoes, splash of white wine, basil, you get the picture. 

Cook the pasta, drain put in a large mixing bowl, top with the veggies, sauce and cheese.  Mix and put in an oiled 9X13 glass dish, metal is okay too.  Top with bread crumbs or crushed saltines.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  

If this makes too much for ya's it freezes really well.  

Hmmmmmm comfy. 

Old Fashion Business

Meet my buddy Ruger.  Ruger weighs more than me and I think I could saddle him up and ride him but he would just do this. 

A few days a week I go and check on Ruger and walk him while his Dad is at work.  I'm bartering with his Dad because he (Mike) snow plows our driveway.  That doesn't sound like a big deal but when you have a driveway that is at least a quarter mile long and live in Maine, this is a "wicked good barter."  Our driveway would cost at least $100 a pop and last year I think he plowed 20 times.  SO hanging out with this sweet gigantic slobber bucket is cool with me.  I remember my dad bartering all the time when I was a kid.  My Dad owned an auto body shop and he was always bartering with someone.  My large animal vet tells me how much he has bartered over the years.  I think his freezer is still full of meats and cheeses that farmers bartered with him.  But the barter deal I'll never forget, because I see them everyday, is my straight teeth.  My dad painted my orthodontists horse trailer and I got braces.  Now isn't that the coolest cowgirl barter or what?!  THANKS FOR DOING THAT DAD!!!

Cowgirl Fashion 1947

Life Magazine May 5th, 1947

"Of all women's clothes, riding habits follow the strictest rules. Says Emily Post, "A riding habit, no matter what the fashion happens to be, is the counterpart of an officer's uniform; it is not worn to make the wearer look pretty!"  Nevertheless riding is fast becoming one of women's favorite sports.  Riding schools report record enrollments, 10 new dude ranches are opening this year and riding togs of all kinds are in the midst of a sales boom."

"Bareback riders scorn appurtenances of fashion, wear whatever is comfortable.  In Caramel, CA., teen-ager Barbara Jenkins likes to wear blue jeans."  (Whoa early day Cruel Girl jeans?)

I thought is was time to start digging in the old magazines again.  I giggled when I read above about riding clothes being the counterpart of an officer's uniform.  I like uniforms.  When I was working as a chef I tell you a chefs uniform has to be one of the most comfortable uniforms.  You might think those coats and pants are funny looking but boy oh boy they are comfy.  I could use some new clothes but I HATE shopping.  Give me a catalog and have it delivered to my doorstep and I'm okay.  But go into a store....ugh.  I don't have tons of clothes and I've noticed my wardrobe has evolved into a cowgirl kind of uniform.  Uh go figure.  That doesn't cross over into the work force very well.  Remember Garanimals clothing for kids?  They still make them and all you have to do is match the tags and you have an outfit.  I need a store where I can match the tags and have an outfit. 

Standard Time

Back to the Standard Time.  I don't feel like I gained and hour of sleep because all the critters didn't set their little watches back an hour.  So I'm still looking for that hour...if any of you see it let me know.

Someone has a new sister!

Colbie has a new sister! 

Little Zoe was born 10/31.  Doesn't this photo just melt your heart?   Colbie and Zoe are the granddaughters of my friend Carla.  Remember that awesome pumpkin cookie recipe a few weeks back that I shared with you all?  Yes that Carla;)  When I opened this photo this morning it just made my day!  Congratulations Mom and Dad and I know Carla can't get there fast enough.  We're packing her up and getting her on her way! 

What would Tillie do?

Tillie Baldwin showing them how it's done.

I love Tillie Baldwin.  Of all the old time famous cowgirls she really is my favorite.  She was crazy and fearless. The other night Bruce Robison sang one of his latest hits, "What would Willie Do?"  It was hysterical, thank goodness Willie Nelson has a sense of humor because I'm sure he has heard this song.  I've been thrown a few curve balls lately and I keep thinking "What would Tillie do?"  I have my own song going on in my head.  I won't sing it for you, that would not be nice at all.  I know lot's of people ask higher powers "what would they do?"  Sometimes I wonder what my grandmothers would have done in certain crisis.  Or what even qualified as a crisis.  But wondering what Tillie B would do just has a good ring to it.  Do you have anyone that lived in a different time and wonder what they would have done when a curve ball hit them? Or am I the only one that thinks like this???

Strangers

This picture and what I have to say have nothing to do with each other except they are both just nice and fall continues to show off in Maine.  It's been two weeks since I flew out to Arizona.  You know how many people you encounter when you travel in airports?  TONS and you don't really pay attention to any of them.  Your focus is getting from A to B and through security not totally undressed and avoid cooties.  I've flown a lot and sometimes on the plane you chat with the person next to you and sometimes you barely say hello.  Those people are usually the ones  their body language is saying, "DON'T TALK TO ME!"  Got it.  I had several stops on the flight out to AZ and when we stopped in Chicago we picked up Ed.  Ed sat next to me.  This is how I sized up Ed: an older gentleman, kind of tired, maybe a little stressed, not fond of flying but had to get somewhere and probably didn't want to talk.  We said hi and smiled at each other.  Well from Chicago to Denver we did not stop talking. 

Ed was on his way to Colorado to say good-bye to his sister who was on life support.  His twin brother and son where traveling with him.  The son would of been the guy across the aisle that kept staring at me and I wanted to say, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?"  Ed was tired, he was coming from Long Island.  Ed shared some of his life's stories with me and I took this opportunity to try out my interviewing skills that I just learned from my dear friend Barry.  He had been married to a lovely woman for 45 +/- years.  He grew up on Long Island and worked in the city. He worked in sales most of his life except when he was a Marine in Vietnam. Marine's don't get the "light duty" jobs, he saw combat. Ed is still best friends with his buddy from the Marines.  He said that friend saved his life.  Once again I found myself talking to a vet and they told their story like it was yesterday.  I can't imagine what they carry with them.  Despite what Ed was about to go do, Ed loved life!  He was proud of his marriage, his sons and liked to talk about good things.  I told him all about blogging and that I was off to meet a "blog pal".  He was so excited for me.  As our plane was landing we couldn't believe what we covered in a 2 hour flight. I just had one of the best history lessons ever. We exchanged cards, Ed has never carried a wallet, he had a pile of papers in his pocket, little notes and some worn pictures of people dear to him.  He happen to have two of his own cards in there.  I got one.  It has been sitting by my computer for a week.  I will probably never see Ed again, then again stranger things have happened.  This was just a close encounter of a special kind, a kind person willing to share their kind life story. Not a rock star life.  We were both reassured that kind people still exist out there. Val Kilmer was two seats behind me on my flight home.  I knew Val's story, Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, he got chubby and acted like he was from Hollyweird.  I'm glad I got to sit next to Ed, he was way more interesting.  Happy Trails Ed.