Critique: Racconto Conchiglie pasta! Fail!

I recently purchased a one pound bag of Racconto Conchiglie pasta at a local grocery store intending to do a short piece on the nutritional aspects of eating pasta while on a diet. Sadly, I never got much beyond the cooking of the pasta as my first plate, when made according to the directions on the package, was so undercooked that I tossed everything out!

In fairness to the Racconto company that distributes this Italian product, I have emailed them with the details of the package and will post their response. In, the meantime, I think I'll go back to eating proven winners! As for this product, I would give it a 2 on a scale of 10. Epic fail!

Update: A week went by and I heard nothing back from these people. My advice, take a pass on this product.

Critique: Healthy Choice Beef Strips Portabella!

According to the package, this must be some sort of wild West dish: 'Tell your taste buds to saddle up because it’s time to ride. Tender and juicy beef strips covered in a savory portabella mushroom sauce, served with fluffy whipped potatoes and a fresh mix of green beans and carrots. Then finish up with a sweet caramel-apple dessert that’s close to perfection.'

At just 280 calories, I was all ears, er... make that all mouth..as in watering. This creation by the same folks who brought us Weight Watcher meals, has all the things I like in a TV dinner style meal a deal! There's beef, veggies, fungus in the form of mushrooms... And oh my! Is that a heap of mashed pertaters I see on the package. Man-o-man! You get all that AND dessert! There's just got to be a catch.

Well, it wasn't the price! I paid a paltry $2.99 for this and the nutritional panel also indicated it was not going to blow out an aortic gasket when I ate it. So, I figured it'd have to be the taste! If there's one thing I've learned in life, there ain't no such thing as a cheap TV dinner that was good for your body AND tasted good. Nope! Just not in the cards.

I was beginning to suspect that the folks at ConAgra Foods may just have gotten their act together when they decided to come up with this line of products! The instructions were a breeze; just cut away the plastic over the dessert and nuke for about five and a half minutes on high. Man, it don't get no more easy than that! I followed these simple directions and then headed over to the dinner table to dig on in. In the background, I put on an old Roy Rogers number to help set a western mood.

The beef, the sauce and the mashed potatoes were good to excellent. I wasn't as happy about those carrots and green beans, however.. so, I gave them lower marks. I saved the apple dessert for last. Oops, the apple were a tad bit al dente. Good tasting, but they need to work on that some more. Overall a very decent low calorie, low salt meal that is head and shoulders above many similar offerings on the market. I gave this one a sold 7 on a scale of 10.

Critique: The shrinking Smart Ones Salisbury Steak meal!

This must be the sixth or seventh Salisbury Steak  entree offering that I've critiqued over the last few years. Why I missed this one from Smart Ones is beyond my understanding, so today I am making amends!

This meal came with mac and cheese, so it was a shoo-in at $2.79, (in 2016 I got it for $2 on sale). As one of the Weight Watcher's group of meals, I figured I was making a pretty smart choice!

At just 270 calories per meal deal, I was very tempted to add a side or two to sort of 'round out' the total eating experience. [But, then I realized that I'd already been doing that for some time. One look at my expanding waistline was enough to dissuade me.... this time]. Note also, that by 2016, the meal was just 250 calories... hmm.. the portions must have shrunk!

Preparation was actually pretty straightforward. I've found, from experience, that the smaller the box, the more likely it will be to prepare without much mental effort on my part. I like the smaller boxes a lot for that very reason!

The instructions indicated this to be a 'peel back the corner' class of meal. You peel one corner, nuke it for four and a half minutes, pry open that corner even more so you can stir the contents and then nuke again for about another minute and a half! See! Easy! No mental ability required. That was right down my performance envelope alley!

I got through the requested microwave operations, while pouring myself a glass of ice water. In a few minutes I had an appetizing abet small meal sitting invitingly in front of me at the table.

The Salisbury steak tasted a lot like meatloaf, something I've found to be true in other labeled products by the same name. The mac and cheese was also a real savior because who doesn't love mac and cheese! I gave this meal a sold 7 on a scale of ten and hope to enjoy these more often. Now, I only had 14 hours to go before breakfast..... arrgh!

Update: May 2016 - Circa fast forward and now this meal deal is in separate compartments! So, on one side were the noodles and the other was the 'steak'... My initial take - the cheese side +5, the 'steak' -4. The cheese mac tasted like it should have, while that steak think.. I wasn't sure what the fuck it was... a hard version of a meatloaf? OK, at the sale price of only $2 it was still a pretty good deal. and I found that a breaking up a slice of white bread to use as a sop for the leftover gravy made for a most excellent finish!

Is Bull Shoals lake to flood? Even with less than normal rainfall?

Is is even possible to flood a large area when the rainfall for the year is slightly below normal? Has Jesus finally come back down to earth and produced a miracle? One that contained five feet of water spread over the entirety of the Bull Shoals lake system? That's over 45,000 acres of surface? Wow!

Yet, here we are in late April, 2015. A month that is still behind the average for rainfall for the month, region-wide, and guess what? The lake level, which has been rising since the start of the month, continues to rise! Can you say hallelujah and praise the Lord?

I'll make a prediction that is effective beginning April 24. That is that the lake area will flood with popular parks like River Run being closed to the public before we get very far into May. That individual that lease land to grow crops along the lake will, in some cases, get wiped out! Why would this happen? What did the Corps of Engineers do to prevent it? Maybe we should all just ask Jesus!

Mower problem solving!

This short piece is not so much a how to do or fix, as it is a what to also do intellectually, when you have to tackle a problem with a riding mower problem.

It's an autumn day and I was making the last cut of grass for the season. Lots of leaves on the ground with some piled over by a small raised garden. After cutting close to an acre of grass, I make the last minute decision to plow through and much a small pile of leaves next to the bed. Unknown to me, there was a rather large rock smack dab in the middle of the pile. As I drove into it, both blades on the 42 inch deck engaged, and then stuck momentarily... just long enough to strip off the locking teeth of both mandrels. Bummer. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. On that day, I quickly disengaged the blades and drove the mower into the garage, thinking I'd address the problem (whatever it was) next spring. I thought that at worst, I'd bent a blade and it'd be no big deal. Such nativity and innocence...

Fast forward to the next spring. It's late March in SW Missouri! The grass is now growing like crazy and I looked with increasing anxiety at my so not working mower. A call to a man who had cut my grass from time to time bought me some time... at $40 a cut. The thing was, grass has a tendency to grow rather fast in the spring and in short order, I found myself $120 down in less than a month. I resolved to fix that mower and to do it tout suite!

The first major problems arose after I had detached the mower deck and it was lying on the garage floor. I has ascertained, at that time, that upon hitting that rock one mandrel was going to need replacement. In order to accomplish that, I would have to be removed. This involved the removal of three small bolts that held it to the deck and a large 7/8 inch bolt that affixed the top pulley. The small bolts were not much of a problem, but that large one was something made in hell. No amount of pressure I could bring to bear moved it even a smidgen. I had no idea what to do after even heating it with a propane torch proved fruitless. Finally, after a week worth of failure, I decided to visit a local mower repair home operation to see if they would tackle the jog. Alas, we I stopped in, no one was there. Also, calls the service were not returned. I left and headed back down the road. But, as I was driving I saw a small building that advertised Welding and Fencing. Hmm, I thought, and pulled on in. Inside were a couple of young men manhandling large sections of steel pipe. One of them , the owner, told me he was going to be headed my way the next day and would stop by. I gave him my business card and left wondering if he had actually meant what he said....

The next day, sure enough he called and arrived at about 11AM. Out from his truck came an acetylene torch and a small portable impact wrench. Inside of ten minutes both those top nuts were off. And, it turned out that the one I has having a problem with had been cross threaded! Well, that only goes to show that sometimes, you have to think a little outside the box to get a problem resolved. And like the welder told me, 'it amazing what a little heat can do!'

Roger's Welding & Fencing in Forsyth MO!

If you are in need of most any type of job that requires welding, cutting or fencing construction then look no further than Rogers Welding and Fencing located at 13983 US Hwy 160 near Forsyth Missouri. Owned and operated by Dusty Rogers since 2009, I had occasion recently to employ their services to remove a cross threaded bolt on a lawn mower deck. That bolt would have been next to impossible to remove, had not Mr. Rogers arrived and saved the day!

I found this man to be easy going, yet professional and more than fair in what he charged for his services. Their service is open during regular business hours with the admonition that since they arr 'mobile' most the time, it's best to leave a message so they can call you back! They can be reached by calling 417-294-4358! I highly recommend this company for all your jobs that need a highly skilled technician for general welding construction or fencing!

Critique: Wise Food Creamy Pasta

A company known as Wise Company offers a wide selection of freeze dried meals, some of which, they state can be stored for 25 years! This boast has been contested by some other companies, notably the Oregon Freeze Dry in an article published by Denis Korn, also a noted survivalist. Wise is located at 3676 California Avenue, B100 Salt Lake City, UT 84104 and can be reached by calling 1-800-393-2570. This so-called survival food is being purchased more and more often as families prepare for hard(er) times.. imagined or real.

The package I rec'd, as a free sample, arrived in a white foil package that had 51 grams of product inside. In addition to the food, an oxygen absorber packet was present that needs to be removed prior to preparing the 200 calorie meal. Most of their offering comes in plastic buckets with the 'one month' bucket costing about $112 for 112 servings. That's about a buck a serving for those who are poor at math...

The directions were pretty basic, just boil a cup of water in a small pot, add the product to the boiling water, stir, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for about 13 minutes (stirring occasionally). Uncover, let it cool a bit and then eat! Nothing very dramatic and most of their other offerings follow the same path, one would assume. So, let's say I was to also prepare the BBQ Beans which come in at 210 calories – that would make my lunch a 410 calorie deal that cost about $2. Really, not all that bad a deal. And if all I had to eat came from that one bucket and assuming I had water and a source of heat, I'd be sitting pretty until about the thirtieth day. Maybe, I should have considered the two month supply...

As I poured the mixture into boiling water, it assumed the appearance of oatmeal with chunks! I set a time for 12 minutes and then dutifully stirred every 4 minutes.  You can see the progression at right. Towards to end of the prep time, this meal did firm up a bit, but to me the end result was disappointing. The over all feel was 'gummy' and for some reason, it had a hot spicy taste! So, no I didn't finish it, and instead waited to see if it would dry into something that could be possibly used as a cement..... Not a very good start to be sure.

My advice for the average family of four would be to purchase enough to cover everyone for up to two months, but shop around and do your research first. (Remember that in a survival situation, you are merely trying to get from one day to the next - the food doesn't have to taste gourmet)! That amount would see you through most disaster scenarios. A good article to read is 25 Must Have Survival Foods!

Note that in the event of something really major like an asteroid impact or an all out nuclear war, I'd think you'd not have to worry as much about food stores since your life expediency would be both likely brutal and short!

Forsyth Missouri Citywide Yard Sale May 9th!

Every year, the City of Forsyth Missouri has a yard sale that brings together all sorts and types of people who gather along Highway 160 to show off their wares! I would not be far wrong to say that you can find just about any sort of whatnot or doodad at these annual events. Even food is offered in the form of cookies and pies! Just make sure to put on your walking shoes if you desire to take in the full flavor of all that goes on!

This year the event will be held on May the 9^th. It's free and the bargains are great! But, please don't forget to stop in at the various places of business while you're out and about. I'm planning on a nice lunch at the Frosted Mug as it is pretty much smack dab in the middle of all the action! They serve a selection of menu items including good old hamburgers and hotdogs – not to mention an ice cold mug of beer! Apparently, the wild rumor I tried to start concerning free food and beer did not come to fruition.

The 2015 Taney County Fair!

Is it really fair to call this County fair a fair event. Over the past few years, ever since they moved most of it to the Shoals Bend Park area, I feel it's gone a bit downhill. Everyone I know, liked the old location very much. Passers by driving on Hwy 160 had a great view of the layout and as well as the amount of activity that was going on. At Shoals Bend, I feel as though I am driving into someones back alley. Really? Thanks, buy no thanks!

This year, the Taney County Fair will be held starting on June 23^rd (a Tuesday) through Friday on the 27^th. Also, this year, admission to the 2015 Taney County Fair is completely free! Rides and attractions as well as arena events have a separate gate fee but admission to the fairgrounds, the stage area and all the vendors including food vendors and tent area are free to the public. (I'm totally guessing that this was a move to spruce up the lame attendance figures from the prior couple of years). The schedule of events is available at http://thetaneycountyfair.com/ for anyone with an interest. And, I'm guessing it will be held, once again, at the Shoals Bend location.

Tuna, the other meat!

I have decided to officially change my choice of tuna when making a tuna salad sandwich from now on. StarKist offer a white albacore tuna in water that really fills the bill when it comes to taste and nutrition!

The small tin contains 4 ounces of tuna, costs about $2 and makes two really decent sandwiches. My recipe for tuna salad is 2 tablespoons of mayo and sweet pickle relish. When mixed well with a fork, the taste is very nice. From a nutritional standpoint, you're getting 340 calories along with a good slug of Omega-3 fatty acids. The salt content also comes in at only about 500 mg so it's not too horrible compared to some of the other foods I eat for lunch.

Mice in space!

NASA - The two mice aboard the SpaceX capsule have apparently escaped and are now roaming about somewhere in the International Space Station. Commander Barry Wilmore noted that the little creatures are 'right at home in zero gravity' and were seen zipping about in one room of the station before disappearing behind a circuit board. Efforts to locate them have proved fruitless, so far.

Dubbed Mork and Mindy by launch personnel, there is now a growing concern that the rodents may begin to wildly mate and produce numerous offspring. When Commander Wilmore was asked if they would starve or die first due to lack of water, he wasn't really sure, as there are large stores of both all over the station in plastic containers that can easily be breached by the sharp mice teeth. There is also speculation that the mice, (and any offspring they might produce) may rapidly mutate into something new and perhaps dangerous like in the fictional movie Alien...

The Commander laughed that off too, although it was a rather weak sounding laugh.

A nutty surprise, pistachios!

Forsyth MO. – After finishing my shopping recently at a local Country Mart, I was standing in the checkout line when the checker asked me if I liked pistachio nuts. I told her sure and she then offered me a package that was not salable due to the fact that it contained only about half the correct amount of nuts. I accepted and so took them home.

The nuts were called 'Pistachios' and these particular nuts were labeled Sweet Chili! I found the taste to be awesome and so plan to purchase more of these in the future. A little research informed me that these nuts often grow in arid or desert climates. My particular package was grown at Paramount Farms in Lost Hills, California. This location lies northwest of LA about half way to Fresno. I've been to that area in the past and can testify to the lush growing climate where you also see very large orange groves.

My only problem with this product is the price - at $5 it's really not in my budget any longer.

The Beaver Lake mystery!

Note that I left the first '6' off the dept chart due to laziness.

Starting on about the second of April, the water level of Bull Shoals began to noticeably rise. As a matter of fact, it rose 2.39 feet in just three days and then continued a slower rate of increase from there on forward to the day of this post. My question was where did all this water come from when there had been relatively little in the form of precipitation? Actually monthly rainfall amounts all across SW MO and NW AR were on the 'lighter side' of normal by my measurements...

Well, it didn't take long for me to trace where all that water came from. This chart of water levels from Beaver Lake show an astounding 8 foot rise in just under a 30 day period in March. This occurring in an area that the NOAA has designated 'abnormally dry'. That spike in the lake level was then passed on to the rest of the waterway system; from Beaver to Table Rock to Taneycomo and finally right to my figurative doorstep on Bull Shoals.

The real question is just where all that 'mystery water' originated. Personal area weather stations, in and around Beaver Lake, all show pretty normal rates of rainfall for the month of March. The rainfall at Holiday Island was measured at just 7.3 inches for the entire year so far! Hmm. This has been such a puzzle to me that I have contacted the Corps of Engineers via email and anxiously await their response.... a week later there was no response. I got just one response, much later on, addressed to Mr. Dan Crackedpot....

Note: For those who might be wondering how much rain it would take falling over the watershed that contains the 44 square mile Beaver Lake (28,000 surface acres), I came up with a very conservative 'guesstimate' of 16 inches needed to raise the water level 8 feet. Of course I could be way off - let's all watch and see what the half inch of rain we got on the 15th does to the water level over the course of the next few days...

Eating at McDonald's, or how to die with a smile!

"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that eating McDonald's style food are not one of the best ways in which to commit culinary suicide, but it is a way!"

The day was overcast with a light drizzle falling outside. I was sitting inside looking at a list I'd made up of chores that needed to be done. Some of the chores had little stars next to them, indicating they were of a growing urgency to got done. Yes sir, there were a lot of starred items on that page. But, surprisingly, (or perhaps not if you know me at all), I had little urge to do anything that had a 'W' in its description. All the items on that particular list required that some sort of work be performed, and so were summarily dismissed from my consideration. What did excite my imagination was two different thoughts, namely 'spend money' and 'fast food'. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 11:10 AM – close enough I thought, to be in range to be called noon, and therefore time to eat! I grabbed my keys and headed for the great double arches.

Fast forward fifteen minutes, and I was pulling into the takeout line instead of walking inside. A quick glance at the multitude of customers with drooling toddlers in tow convinced me to avoid that experience. Anyway, the line was relatively short, (it was only 11:25 for crying out loud) and forthwith I found myself by that little speaker from which emancipated a kind of shrilly, female voice.

'Good day and welcome to McDonald's, would you be interested in our mega dega meal, today?' I could have sworn I heard a snicker somewhere in the background. Maybe it was just static.

'No, I replied. I think I'll have the Big Mac with a Medium fry, please.' [Honestly, I had intended to order a Double cheese burger and small fry, but my stomach had somehow taken momentary control of my vocal cords].

Cha-ching went the metal speaker. 'That'll be $6.48. Please drive forward to the pay window, sir.' Again that annoying static. (No, I was pretty sure someone was laughing). No matter, I pulled ahead, paid for my meal at the next window, drove forward and then grabbed my bag of food at the third and final window. Quickly, I inspected the contents to affirm they had gotten the items correct. (Too often, I have driven naively away only to find I had gotten someone else's vegetarian garbage). Let me see now, Big Mac - check. French fries - double check, and away I went.

After arriving back at my home, I immediately went to the fridge to grab a Diet Pepsi (again that annoying laughter) and some ketchup, (I always forget to ask for it and they now never include it with a meal). The cheap bastards, I thought to myself.

As you might guess, the burger and fries tasted awesome and why wouldn't they? I'd just ingested 860 calories that consisted of lots of fat, grease and other assorted oils. Food like this will definitely kill me, in the long run, but what a way to go!!

Will the Corps be caught in a wringer?

May 25, 2011 Powersite Dam

It's never much fun for a man to get his 'appendage' caught in a wringer, but that's exactly what could happen to the Corps of Engineers if the weather suddenly goes south, (in my opinion).

As of this posting, the lake level at Bull Shoals was posted at 667.14 feet above mean sea level as of 6:00 AM CST. That was about three feet higher than it was to start a month that had seen just 1.5 inches of precipitation in the area since the 1^st! In addition, year to date rainfall was just about average based on historical numbers. So what gives? Why is the water level almost to the point of flooding out some popular parks that exist close to the Bull Shoals waterway? Very good questions, aren't they?

Homes on Taneycomo side of dam

My personal theory, and please understand it is pure speculation, is that the Corps has been withholding water at the Bull Shoals Dam near the Arkansas border in order to give farmers on downstream the ability to max out their arable lands. This, to the detriment, of some folks living between the Taneycomo and Bull Shoals dams on up stream. Not a good thing if found to be true. Another intrusion by a Nanny government who thinks it know what best for everyone. But wait! Things just might get worst!

With the 'pipe' plugged at one end, any exceptionally heavy rain that might fall will rapidly change thing from sorta bad to much worst, for everyone! Take the months of April and May in 2011. Everything was fine, lake levels were normal and then towards the end of the month the rains began to fall. Wham-bam, starting on April the 23^rd, we got hit with two and a half inches of water from the skies! Then the next day, another 2.4 inches fell. On the 25^th, over three inches. As a matter of fact, from April 22, 2011 to the 29^th – 9.1 inches of rain were recorded, and everyone knew that that the water levels were going to rise... then the early May rains arrived! Another two inches hit between the 1^st and the 3^rd. That came to about a foot of new water over much of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas in just a couple weeks time! 

Shadowrock Park on the left!

In 2011, many many people who lived near the Tri-Lakes waterways were impacted by all that water. Any back then water levels were 'normal' at the start of April. Can you just imagine the effect of that much rain over a short period of time with things as they are now? You know, maybe there is something to the fact that when the new bridge goes up just to the east of Forsyth that will replace the one built in the fifties, it will be even higher up than the current one! A bridge that was built, back then, by the Corps and which was supposed to be flood proof!

ETM, just the basics for breakfast!

Holy Moley! And egg, taco and milk breakfast! Am I insane? 

[Perhaps I am or maybe becoming so. Sanity has always been an ephemeral concept. But, hear me out on this meal a deal].

Eggs deal out a high level of almost 'perfect protein' for us humans. These is very little 'residue' left from an egg that is not absorbed completely as it is absorbed. That's a good sign. And those media hypes concerning the high levels of cholesterol... the latest developing consensus from the medial community is rapidly changing. About 92 calories.

Homemade tacos, the way I make them, are basically a white corn soft tortilla wrapped around a mix of taco beef (60 grams), cheese (1 tbsp) and some hot sauce. Overall,  a very good mix of carbs and protein, most of which are also absorbed very well by the intestine . About 150 calories per taco.

Milk, 2% to be exact. Another great blast of amino acids that our bodies assimilate rather well. About 120 calories per cup.

The total caloric package is about 370 - 400 calories, depending on how much the actual quantities vary. The glycemic index is pretty low, not much in the way of glucose spiking ingredients here. This 'breakfast' takes some time to digest and so the energy is released relatively slowly - about the right amount to get one to lunch time.

Echo from Amazon a real gas!

Yesterday, a device called the Echo arrived from Amazon. I think I was one of the first to get one of these devices and I'll tell you all right some the bat, it's been a real pleasure!

Like most all experiences in dealing with Amazon over the past few years. The device has performed flawlessly and actually exceeded my expectations, I've that my ability to seamlessly incorporate it into my life amazing. As a song placing interface, this little tube puts out great sounds, is interactive and allows me to effortlessly place an order for a song to add to my Prime Account. This YouTube video will answer many of the questions you might have.

My advice, consider buying one, especially if you are an Amazon Prime account holder!

River Run Park in danger of flooding!

A day later, all these canopy tops had been removed!

Forsyth MO. - Early spring rains that swept through southwestern Missouri have 'supposedly' added much depth to the chain of Lakes which include; Beaver Lake, Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals. As of the morning of April 6, 2015 - the lake near where I live, Bull Shoals, was at 666.69 feet above mean sea level. At that height, lake water had begun to encroach on the River Run Park camping area and was filling in low lying depressions. And, while the Park is still currently open, there are growing concerns that more storms arriving late in the week could drop enough water over the area to flood it. Thankfully, a twin Park known as Shadowrock lying on the opposite bank is somewhat geographically higher up and so is not threatened at this time.

At left, is a view of the boat launch which is still barely useable. The bridge that connects Hwy 160-76 is visible at the upper right of the frame.

A mystery: Earlier, I used the word 'supposedly'. Here's the deal. The apparent large rises in water levels are not really supported by the average to below average rainfall we've had in 2014 and early 2015. In 2014, we were about 10 inches below normal. In 2015, through March, about even. Could it be that the Arkansas dam, at the terminus of this water way, has been holding back water for its own nefarious purposes? Is there a developing story here?

April 7 Update: The lake level continues an upwards creep then at 666.99 feet above seal level, (a trend that could bode ill should the predicted storms mid week prove correct). As I did an 8AM drive through of the Park, I noticed that the Corps of Engineers had removed all the site canopies that were located along the lake. So, about half the sites are not going to be used at least for the spring and summer season. That leaves about twenty sites that could still be used. Lastly, below is a graphical representation of actual rainfall amounts collected at a site that is within a quarter mile of River Run Park. The numbers in the panel are a little misleading since the April figure for the average is for an entire month, while the one for Forsyth is the amount rec'd as of the 6th. That said, the overall picture seems to represent a pretty average start to the year. so why the flooding? Or as one of my friends put it, 'Where did that extra ten feet of water come from?'

Update: April 10 - At this time the water level is receding. Abet, at a slow rate. The next storm system is some time off ( a week?) so it will be interesting to see just how fast that dam on the Arkansas border releases the water...

April 11 Update: Like some SciFi movie, the Bull Shoals lake level continues to rise even though little rain has fallen in SWMO this month!This morning at 6AM, it was at 667.17 feet msl.

Shonna Bonds! Branson recording artist releases new album!

 Note that the graphic used here is not representative of the album cover!

This via my Facebook account! And, yes! I do like her vocals! [I selected one of her tracks 'Creep' for this post]! - Shonna's words; "Hey Friends! I am so excited to let you know that on April 23rd I will be releasing my first gospel album "Under Grace"!!! It has been a truly inspirational and humbling experience and I CAN NOT wait to share it with you! So with that said, what better day to share one of my favorite songs from the album than on Easter Sunday! An alternative version at https://youtu.be/2BY5OJILA88 with Johnny Depp. Be advised, however, you will not likely make it thru our so very thorough government censors..

Click the link below to listen, and please feel free to share!!! "

[Note that this entry was posted without Ms. Bonds express permission].

HOW GREAT THOU ART - Shonna Bonds

http://www.reverbnation.com/…/s…/23288521-how-great-thou-art