Forsyth MO Nursing and Rehab Center!

On an overcast day in late December, I discovered a friend of mine named Pat Betz, (who had recently undergone a series if surgeries) had been moved to the Forsyth Nursing and Rehab Center located in Forsyth MO, in order that he could mend and recuperate. I had called him and we agreed to meet for a lunch at the cafeteria they had on the premises.

As it had been some time since I had visited this care center, I was happy to see that it was still operating at a high level of efficiency. (The site offers a full spectrum of healing services including; IV therapy, rehabilitation, housekeeping and laundry just to name a few). Their full service cafeteria also puts out a broad selection of meals that can be customized to any special dietary needs!

Pat was in great spirits and looked forward to only short stay as on site therapists got him back into full health.The care center is located at 477 Coy Blvd, Forsyth, MO 65653 and can be reached by calling  (417) 546-6337!

Cedar Creek MO Fire Station vandalized!

Cedar Creek MO. - For unknown reasons, one or more individuals tore up the entrance to the Cedar Creek Fire Dept, stole the fire truck and set its interior on fire!

As of this post, I'm unaware of any suspects or motive. and, if any fires do occur in that sparsely populated area, it is likely the structure will burn to the ground for lack of any quick response!

As we seem to be entering into more troubled times, please remember that if you see something say something!

Charlie's in Forsyth to offer Lasagna?

Rumor has it that Charlie's Ribs, Steak and Ale located in Forsyth and Branson Missouri may be contemplating a new menu offering! As of this post, nothing is confirmed, but I did have a chance to sample a small portion and can report that the taste was awesome! Will this be a menu item in the future or even perhaps an occasional special? Time will tell....

Fat Daddy's Smoked Breakfast Platter!

Forsyth MO. - The thermometer read 12 degrees and that meant only one thing to me. It was time to get out early and get myself some breakfast!

On this day, in mid December, arctic air was in abundance and even though it was a Monday morning at half past eight in the morning, there were few patrons in view when I pulled into Fat Daddy's off Hwy 160. - I picked this venue for two reason; it was close and I wanted to check out one of their breakfast platters!

At under 600 calories, a great meal deal!

The atmosphere at Fat Daddy's is relaxed and 'in theme' for a BBQ house. This eatery does a lot of things correctly and in fact, I scored it the highest of the five eateries located in town in a recent post! Fat Daddy's has proven to be consistent in many of the categories that I hold as important and that's why I like to eat there as often as I can!

After my menu arrived and I had a hot cup of coffee in hand, (cost only $1.29 including a refresher) I elected to order the Smoked Breakfast Platter which consisted of two egg, hash browns, some form of meat (I picked bacon) and a choice of breads (toast, English muffin, biscuit or sour dough). I went for the more traditional toast with my eggs sunny side up!

My server, on this occasion, was a young lady name Bree who was prompt and professional in serving me. She took my order and then in just a few minutes, she was back with the order pictured above. Everything, and I mean everything as as good as it gets!

I would recommend Fat Daddy's to anyone and everyone and would only admonish that lunch time goers get there early as the place generally fills up quickly! 

Coming up! I'll venture across the street to the Long Horn to also sample a similar breakfast!

A page from my Diary!

The weekend of Dec 17th! Taney County MO!

Taney County MO - I'm glad, at times like these, that I'm not a true meteorologist. The weekend of December 17^th for Taney County MO will be a time of some uncertainty, at least early on...

OK, so we will slide into Saturday, Dec 17 on the warm side of things. It could be 50 degrees! Over our heads though, a surface area of low pressure will be sliding on east in the morning hours. Behind it will the the start of the much advertised arctic front that will come and be past before we know it, exiting to the south by the early afternoon hours. A true speed demon!

On either side of that front, however will be a 'potential' for some forced drizzle and therein lies the rub. Location being everything. Most places will mainly see some light drizzle while other spots might get a dose of the frozen variety for a short period of time. Then, we just might get us a short break when nothing appears to be happening...

What will happen next, though, is the subject of much debate. Some weather experts feel that there might be a 'banded' region of snow that could be quite intense, but of short duration if you happen to live underneath it. Best guess for Taney County would be that any of this sort of nonsense will occur just to the north, say north of the I-44 corridor. (However, motorists would be well advised to pay attention to rapidly developing events in the afternoon hours as the frigid cold dome establishes itself in the area).

Then, a brisk and persistent northwest wind will kick in for the balance of the day on Saturday. By Saturday night, wind chills are expected to be in the -5 to -15 range, and so, the weather service has issued a wind chill advisory for late Saturday!

Sunday will likely not make it out of the teens with nighttime temps in the single digits! The bottom line here is to watch out for your pets, and do what you might need to do to keep your water pipes from freezing and bursting! Otherwise, please enjoy your weekend! Weather forecast for December work week #3!

www.taneyservices.com

Critique: Smart Ones Roast beef and mashed potatoes! Don't buy this!

Way too salty!

Beef too icky!

The mashed potatoes had hard spots! Really?

The meat was swimming in slat laden gravy with bit of something I could not quite define.

WTF? Why did I buy this crap?

And that is my total review on this sorry lot!

Cost of a cup of coffee by region!

Forsyth MO. - After paying almost $2 for a cup of coffee at a local restaurant, I decided to check out some other regions of the country and really got an eyeful! The average for a cup of Joe was $2.70. Holly cow! The most expensive nationwide was Honolulu, where a cup of coffee costs an average of $7.56! WTF! (The costs needed to transport coffee to Hawaii are clearly passed onto the consumers living in paradise).

After thinking about it for a bit, I've decided to restrict my coffee drinking to home and to start ordering water when I eat out!

A Chinese hamburger?

Forsyth MO. - Chinese hamburger? Not really. I meant to say I ordered a hamburger and fires at restaurant called the Chinese Mexican Burrito, a sort of you can get anything you want kind of joint located on Hwy 160. I tried to get them to add 'Pancakes' to their sign, but they refused!

Surprisingly, to me, the hamburger was pretty decent as were the crinkle cut French fries! My meal arrived hot with soft buns, sort of the way I like my women! My only objection was that I felt their prices were a little on the high side. Still, this venue is generally crowded right around lunch time, so I'd suggest you try and arrive early!

Overhead Door Company of Springfield! A great company!

Just about everyone living at the Taneycomo Terrace condominium complex has a garage. They are great in that they provide good protection for vehicles. However, sometimes they can become a problem and that is exactly what I encountered recently when the main tension unit (the long bar with the spring) that had two wire spools on either end failed on one side! (I’m sure my garage door was likely installed in 1991 when my building went up and so was pretty old). My problem now was to find a garage door service facility who could repair it, without taking me to the cleaners! So, I surfed the Internet and came up with a highly rated company in Springfield called 'Overhead Door Company of Springfield'! I called them at 417-862-9339 and was told a repairman would come down on Tuesday, Dec the 13th.

Prompt and early, on that date, a truck (see pic blow) arrived and a very nice gentleman name Keith greeted me and then went right to work. I was soon informed that the reason the steel cable had come off the spool was due to the main spring not supplying enough tension. He fixed that and then inspected and repair a few other areas of the mechanism that needed some work. The end result was a professionally repaired door that again worked perfectly, and at a very fair price. Keith will be my only choice in the future for any garage related work that needs to be done!

Key points to a successful eatery!

Any venue that serves food to the general public is only as good as the people that work as employees and that make the place what it is; great, fair or poor. That's for starters. But, to be a success at all, it starts with the owner and then flows downwards from there. A great owner or owners can make all the difference and most people know that in their guts! Next in line come General Managers, Assistant managers, cooks and servers. In some setups, a guy or girl may wear more than one hat. But, it must be remembered that everyone involved that's their cues from the person or persons over them and that perception continues right up to the top!

Now in addition to the staff there are some other very important areas that must be maintained and even refreshed, from time to time, in order for any food venue to prosper;

Overall building appearance

I think someone got mugged in the joint on the right!

No matter what, it's the overall appearance of the building that often sets a customer's mind when viewing the eatery for the first time. A well maintained, brightly lit establishment with good parking will attract. A shabby establishment with peeling paint, cramped parking and a dark interior will repel. Maybe the food at that place on the right is cheap?

Signage

I'm in the mood for some pizza!

A great looking sign (like the one pictured on the extreme left) not only informs the public, but also invites the customer in as well. The other sign, at right, might indicate that the joint has a central food trough from which to feed. Yuck!

Interior ambiance

Let's go to the place on the right!

Ambiance is a complex term, but in general it refers to how a customer will assimilate the feel of the establishment in their minds. Lots of wood and shining surfaces with objects that push the overall theme will be met with pleasure and will support return visits...At left, two locations that drive home completely different viewer perspectives

Mission theme 

Actually, the venue at right is quite busy??

Most cities & larger towns boast quite a number of places to dine and the competition is often fierce! but, what sets a place apart from the rest of the crowd is what can separate the so-so from the excellent! For instance, everyone knows pretty much what to expect when they go to a Red Lobster or to an Outback. Each has a series of 'signature' meals and both are successful enterprises. But, what of the venue pictured at right? I wondered if they also served pancakes....

Menu

Colorful versus dull!

Once a patron makes it into an eatery of his or her choice, and are seated all comfy, it's time to view the menu! It is in that important 'document' that a customer can be enticed to order specific meals depending on how it is perceived. Colorful photos offering meals that push the general theme can be a big boast to profits while allowing the cooking staff to do what they excel at doing! by contrast, menu's that offer everything including the kitchen sink and with photos are a waste of time. Wait! I take that back. If a place is called DanO's Slop House, then such a meandering menu might make some sense!
  

Quality and presentation of prepared food

I think I'll try the one on the left!

If an eatery has got all the above items correct, then they're on the home stretch to success! It all now depends on the overall quality of the raw ingredients and the cooking and serving staff. High grossing venues pay their people very well and usually get even more in return. A professional maintained kitchen in which experience chefs create and which are supported by fast and competent servers will make the profit grade every time.

Cleanliness & Climate

Uh, no thanks!

Finally, success and cleanliness go hand-in-hand. Fail here and you not only will loose customers quickly, but you will also have the Health Department visiting way too often. Table surfaces should be spotless, silverware clean, bathrooms beyond reproach and the serving staff immaculate. Do all these things along with making sure to 'change things around' periodically and your 'joint' will be crowded most every day!



Web Presence

Lastly, there is how well represented a venue is on the Internet. Something that has become also der rigueuer over the past several years as people with smart phones whisper the name of an establishment into them to get needed information. No web presence means less business, it's that simple.


Scores of some area establishments

My scorecard for select sit down eateries, (shown below) is one based on opinion.... take it for what it's worth! Note that out of a possible 40 points, none of the eateries got really close.

Update: I recently visited Fat Daddy's for a breakfast and will be visiting a restaurant that is just across the street called the Long Horn Family Dining establishment to try out a similar meal!

Disclaimer: All data & info provided on this site is for informational & Entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site makes no representations whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any material presented here & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or for any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

Is a mid December iceing headed our way?

December 11, 2016 – About five days from now, say along about Saturday, December the 17^th or so, the weather may take an interesting turn, as a vigorous and fast moving system swings across the Midwest. This from the NWS: 'Will there be winter travel weather problems on Saturday? While the post frontal precipitation won't be overly heavy, global models do indicate a potential light wintry mix quickly transitioning from rain, to freezing rain, to snow (or freezing drizzle if we lose cloud ice). Will mention this in very general terms in the forecast in the coming days. Given how cold it will become, some degree of travel impacts could be possible.'

Update: Dec 15 - Snow chances dissipating! As a matter of fact, we may not experience hardly any precipitation until our next frontal system pushes through the region on Saturday. The GFS and ECMWF still indicate a band of snow developing behind the front, potentially bringing only a dusting to some locations with the highest chances along and to the north of the I-44 corridor. Many areas may not receive any accumulation at all given the very progressive nature of this band of snow. However, there will likely be the wind gusts, reaching 30 mph at times behind the arctic front with frigid wind chill values not seen thus far. Wind chills near -15F will be very possible!

www.taneyservices.com

Critique: Smart Ones Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables!

At only 250 calories I thought to give this $2 (on sale) item from Weight Watchers a try. Not sure it was a good decision.

After following the direction carefully, I sat down, fork in hand to a good meal. That was the plan. Unfortunately, the rice was a bit underdone and even hard to chew in some cares! I felt that slippage going on as the meal kept going downhill. While the broccoli looked great, it too was on the raw side. I even tried nuking the meal some more to no avail. On a good note, the chicken tasted pretty good. But, after chewing through that tough rice, who really cared?

I gave this meal a 3 on a scale of ten. Best go look at some other offerings...

Whatever happened to the flu bug?

Thus far in Missouri, the rate of flu infections have flat-lined!

 Taney Country MO. - The flu surveillance results are now in for Week 48 (Nov 27 to Dec 3) and there has not been a single death attributed to the flu as of that period in time! As flu season approaches, University of Missouri Health Care infectious disease experts say that getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent influenza and limit the spread of the disease. Well, that and washing your hands frequently, at any rate!

That said, now is not the time to relax good health practices. As of the date of this post (Dec 8, 2016) we have yet to get into the real 'meat' of the coming Holiday season! People and kids will be shopping en mass at local stores, there will be lots of parties and those activities mixed with cold weather can exacerbate the rates of infections! I've already heard of cases where kids have gotten sick (unknown if from colds or the flu) and have given that to their moms and dads. So, be careful, get your flu shot and wash those hands! See the entire Missouri Week 48 report here.

Charlie's now offers crayons and paper to special customers!

It was the sort of day that offered nothing to excite or inspire me. You know, the kind of overcast and chilly fall day you often find in early December. So, it was that I entered into a local restaurant/pub in a rather somber mood. 

When entered and then sat myself down at the well appointed bar, the manager came up to me and must have noticed my sour expression. 'Hey poopie lips', she intoned while pinching one of my cheeks, 'how about I bring you something special to raise your spirits?'

I looked up into her face. My puppy-like eyes wide open. 'Why gollee, Ms. Ngo, I exclaimed excitedly. 'That would be really swell!' Smiling, she turned and disappeared into the back area. I then sat there quietly with a dull expression on my face. Something I did a lot. The minutes passed...

Suddenly, the lady reappeared with a large sheet of paper and a bunch of crayons in a glass cup! My eyes lite up. She plopped both items onto the bar in front of me and implored me to 'draw something.' Cause I as a 'special' guy!

Well, the minutes flew by as I got down to work and focused my entire mind to the task at hand. Yes sir, I was going to make me a self portrait that maybe they could hang on a wall or something. Boy, was I ever excited. So much so, that an occasional 'yipping' sound would escape my lips. So, there I sat, drawing like a man possessed while 'yipping' with increasing frequency. (Heck fire, I was so engrossed that I failed to notice the other bar patrons quietly moving to more distant stools).

At long last, (like after about four minutes), I finished up. As I sat there looking at my creation, a final 'yip yip yip' escaped my lips. Boy, was I ever a proud guy! Then, after carefully replacing the crayons into the cup, I made my way over to that manager who was busy taking care of other customers.

While in line, waiting for her to finish ringing up a few nervous looking customers, I was jumping from foot to foot in boyish anticipation. I guess I might have also been breathing a little too loudly, as those same customers kept looking at me over their shoulders. Looking back, they had a sort of deer caught in the headlights expression. (Something I'd heard about, but never actually seen before).

Finally! She was done! I stepped proudly up to the counter and thrust my drawing into her face. 'Here lady' I remarked a little loudly. 'You can have this. Maybe you'll want to hang it on somewhere.' She glanced at that paper and said, 'Sure, I'll get right on that.'

Smiling broadly, I paid my bar tab and even left her a quarter tip. Yep. Charlie's is a great place for special people like myself!

Kellogg's big supporter of George Soros and the Far LefT!

The nonprofit arm of Kellogg’s – America’s cereal and sweets giant – is reportedly a major donor to the Leftist billionaire George Soro’s Open Society Institute and the ultra-liberal Tides Center.

Listed as the seventh largest philanthropic foundation in the United States, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation also registers as one of the largest institutional funders in the world – with most of its assets going to causes on the far Left.

Source:Michael Haverluck, OneNewsNow.com

H5N6 – An emerging dangerous form of bird flu that is 67% fatal!

Classified as H5N6 – This genetic re-assortment of the flu virus can cause the infection in both human beings and animals. And, while it is not severe in the avian population, it is when humans catch it.

As already noted, the H5N6 influenza is considered a new emerging infection. This viral disease is caused by influenza virus. It is considered to be a new 'atypical' viral infection. Any new bird flu is of serious concern as it is hard for to manage and control bird migrations. Since the first emerging of bird flu H5N1 in human beings, there are many scientists who currently following this particular strain with concern. The greatest fears surrounds its growing potential to become pandemic!

Most recently, H5N6 has cropped up in South Korea! The situation is so serious that the authorities there are in the process of culling 3% of the total poultry population in an effort to control its spread!

Despite these efforts, Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that four new cases of infected birds had been confirmed in central South Korea. That brings the total number of infected birds to 13 since H5N6 appeared about two weeks ago, according to the statement. Nine other farm birds are also being tested for suspected infections, it said. To contain the further spread of the virus, the ministry will slaughter at least 2.78 million birds, including the 1.68 million that have already been culled, the ministry said. 

The mortality rate of the infection among humans is 66.7%, which is considerably higher when compared to other new emerging influenza's, and so bears close watching by the World Health Organization. Right now, country's like China are the main focal point of infection. However, it should be noted that birds have a tendency to fly great distances!

The caloric low down on a serving of Spaghetti with meat sauce!

Whenever I set myself down to a plate of spaghetti with a meat sauce at lunchtime, I've often wondered just what the caloric impact is for a given serving!

Here are the averaged figures I came up with:

Spaghetti pasta = 3.6 cal per gram (based on using American Beauty spaghetti panel information)

Pasta meat sauce = 3.3 cal per gram (based on my research post)

So, the first task was for me to decide what size of a serving made any sense! As I have been on a diet for what seems forever, I'd long ago estimated that the average tri-meal caloric content I needed to hit was about 500. (That was an averaged figure that would work out to 1500 calories a day, leaving me a few hundred to use for snacks). Eighteen hundred calories was, in reality, a top limit for a male over the age of 60. At least for one who wanted to lose a few pounds a month.

OK, now assuming the meal would consist of only the pasta and sauce, I wondered what a 500 calorie deal would look like? OK. Let's assume I went for 100 grams of pasta. That would equate to 360 calories right there. Now, to be under that 500 mark, I could therefore apply about 40 grams of sauce (or 132 calories) for a grand total of 492 calories for the entire meal-a-deal! This seemed a livable portion. Note: One of the fun things to do on any diet is to cheat! (Something I do quite often)! I therefore added a slice of garlic toast and found myself in culinary heaven! what a great lunch! Then, I started to wonder about what I was going to have for dinner....

A barbershop in Varanasi, India! Not your typical kind of haircut!

A pretty low res affair... मेरे लिए एक विशिष्ट वीडियो नहीं

Nick Drake with Saturday's Sun!

The who, what and why about Nick Drake can be garnered at other sites. Me (patently insane) and Nick (who I never met) did share many things in common. He obsessed with his height, I on the other hand, was concerned with other social shortcomings.  That said, each of us, man women and child, will face many life challenges. It's how we deal with them, over the course of a lifetime, that defines the way in which our peers perceive who and what we are at any point in time. (God, of course, knew that shit about us all along)..

The Truth About Eggs – What Commercial Egg Farmers Don’t Want You to Know!

Really? We can't do better than this?

A massive scale egg producer in Pennsylvania has made the news for its inhumane treatment of chickens and unsanitary conditions. 

Kreider Farms, which houses seven million hens, appears to be the next sickening example of what allegedly happens behind the scenes at CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations).

The Humane Society recently released an undercover video that exposes the horrific conditions endured by the birds in this operation. (Think Auschwitz on steroids, only for birds, not Jews).

Kreider Farm's owner, Dave Andrews, claims the allegations are false and that three state agencies have given the farm a clean bill of health. He did admit, however, that one of the farm's buildings tested positive for salmonella but has since been cleaned up. (Yeah, that makes me feel better).

Another study found that while more than 23% of farms with caged hens tested positive for salmonella, this dropped to just over 4% for organic, i.e. free-range pastured flocks. The highest prevalence of salmonella occurred in the largest flocks (30,000 birds or more), which contained over four times the average level of salmonella found in smaller flocks. Am I getting through to everyone?

Compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture and allowed to freely forage outdoors may contain:

• Two-thirds more vitamin A
• Twice as many omega-3 fats
• Three times as much vitamin E
• Seven times more beta carotene
  

Hmm. Well, here's my point. The question is, what kind of food system do YOU want everyone? Do you really want to put this sort of commercially grown crap in your mouth? If every American decided to not buy commercially produced eggs, things would finally change in a heartbeat. All that's required is for each and every person to change his or her shopping habits whenever it's feasible.

Enough said. I buy farm fresh eggs whenever I can find them. For me, that means visiting John's Frosted Mug in Forsyth Mo., where I live.

Forsyth MO 2016 Christmas Parade on Dec 3, 2016!

Forsyth MO. - Everyone loves a parade and the folks living in my quaint southwestern Missouri town are no exception. The footage above was shot in 2010, showing the fire trucks and men and women of our great Fire Department throwing out candy to one and all!

Now sure, I get it. Forsyth's Christmas Parade could be considered somewhat lame when compared to say New York City! But, they are fun to attend and I would urge everyone who can make it, to show up! (At this time, I was not sure as to the exact time of the event, so you might want to call the Forsyth Chamber of Commerce at 417-546-2741 and ask)! Also, the parade generally starts on Coy Blvd and then proceeds down Hwy 160 to Y Highway. I think, if you get there around 1PM, you will be in plenty of time to witness the fun! In general, I like to arrive early and have lunch at one of the many restaurants that line the street like the Long Horn. Either that, or I take the opportunity to stretch my legs and do some shopping at venues like 'Etc. Etc'. Note that the 'Rain Date' is Dec the 10th! In any case, a lot of men and women spend the time to put it all together and I'd expect to see lots of community support on that day! God bless America and keep her safe!

Update: Forecast for Dec 3 - Cooler...cloudy. Slight chance of rain in the morning... then rain likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40's. Temperature steady or slowly falling in the afternoon. Light wind in the morning becoming southeast around 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60%. Anyone planning to attend might want to call the Chamber at 546-2741 for exact times and status of the event! According to my sources, the parade is on! Lineup on Coy Blvd at 1PM - Parade starts at around 2PM.

I was frozen! Sorry, all you lycans out there.

OK. So it took more than a decade or two for me to bring it all together, after the fall and the aging crash that was my life.This number by Madonna gathers together some times past, times happening now and perhaps more times to come! Or not... The ticking clock of a mans life's time counts down so swiftly. The lady of my distant past, I can still remember just the way you passed me that silver ring, mouth to mouth! The chains we forged that day, were for forever...I suffer even now...Wait! Cathy I'm old now...

God help me! I'm now on Sound Cloud!

I've done something like six podcasts and even one other person signed in and 'liked' me! Wow!

Followup: Thanksgiving service at three locations!

Forsyth MO. – It was an partly cloudy November the 24^th when some hungry members of my community celebrated Thanksgiving at a local high school courtesy of Fat Daddy's restaurant along with some of the area churches. There were also great meal deals offered at John's Frosted Mug and at Charlie's. Curiosity, (and my empty stomach) drove me to go and investigate these events!

While I didn't go into the High School cafeteria, I did note that the parking lot was already pretty full right after the 1:00 hour, when they opened. The Frosted Mug had light traffic at the 2PM hour while Charlie's had only a sporadic turnout.

I did eat at Charlie's with a friend and would say that it was one of the better meals I've had. The pumpkin pie desert, in particular, was awesome!

Dollar tacos offered at local restaurant!

Two tacos, two bucks!

Forsyth MO. - During Happy Hour, which runs from 2PM to 6PM Monday through Friday, Charlie's Ribs Steak and Ale located at Hwy 160 and Y, offers up tacos (both hard and soft) for only a buck a throw! At least, that's my understanding - the soft ones may cost a bit more, not sure. And, while I'm also not sure just how long this promotion will run, you can call 417-546-2011 for details!

Update: Dec 4, 2016 - The special was still ongoing and gaining in popularity.

Random Thoughts for late November 2016!

Steak with stir-fried peppers and onions!

Take a braised steak and combine with some stir-fried banana peppers, sliced onion, oregano, rosemary and dried basil and you've got yourself a great start to any breakfast!

Throwing together a tasty breakfast that's under 500 calories takes a bit of planning. This meal deal combines a small portion of steak (100 grams), that is grilled for a few minutes in a convection oven. To this is added a small batch of stir-fried home grown banana peppers (40 grams), onions (35 grams). The spices included a dash of dried Rosemary, and a teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil. Those guys added only about 350 calories to the total meal and when you added a cup of milk it came to 476 calories all told. See! I'm really trying to lose some weight here! Hey Washington DC! That's a hint! I'm trying to slim down and perhaps you should too!

Speaking of Stir-fried!

Rumors abound, these days on Capitol Hill, that Nancy Pelosi is on the way out! Who would have figured that such a nice, sensible woman would fall into such disfavor. Perhaps it's because the Democratic Party is currently holding a fire sale and she is their poster child. Fare thee well Nancy, I knew you not!

Future site of the DNC?

I went to no expense to grab a picture of the proposed new location for the next Democratic National Convention. It's a small 'planet-toid' named Ceres that is pretty far 'out there' in the Oort Cloud someplace. Now, while the surface of the site is rather cold and bleak, I thought it a fitting location for a political party whose style of thinking is also often sorta 'out there'!

I'm hoping, from time to time and over the coming decades, we hear from these people... Sorry, that's a fib.

Mediacom, WTF is wrong with you?

Over the weeks, month and years that I've been forced to subscribe to Mediacom Internet service, I come to realize what the word incompetent really means. By far and away, this cable company's managers are the most sorry bunch of failures and CF's I've ever had the displeasure of being associated with. I pray the new incoming President will make it a priority to draft legislation to help and escort these bums out of a business they are so ill-suited to perform.

Senior Friendship Lunches – Just the Facts!

Forsyth MO. - On Monday thru Friday (except on Holidays), the Senior Friendship Center located at 13879 US Hwy 160, offers up a fantastic assortment of meals (see November calendar) at incredible prices! Just how incredible you ask? Well, it's a donation kind of thing, so if your hurting give what you can. Otherwise, for men and women under the age of sixty, they ask $6, for those at 60 or above the suggested amount is $3.50! I didn't get a clear answer on what they ask for kids, but I got that it was whatever mom or dad could throw in the hat!

Meal time begins at 11:15 AM when the salad bar is ready to go, with the main meals served starting at 11:30 AM – My advice is to get there early to avoid the crowds! (I forgot to ask exactly when the meal service normally ends, but would assume it was not too far past the noon hour). Either way, you can give them a call at 417-545-6100 to make inquiries!

I eaten at this venue many times and can attest to the high standards of food preparation that are in place. The food tastes great and the company is even better!

Free Thanksgiving meal at Forsyth High!

Fat Daddy's in conjunction with some local churches have combined efforts to put together a Thanksgiving Meal starting at 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM at the Forsyth High School for anyone and everyone who would like to participate on November 24. The meal is free (a donation can will also be available).

There will be balloons and signs displayed on Coy Blvd to help guide people to the event! Sounds like a great idea! You can also feel free to visit Fat Daddy's Bar-B-Que on Face Book!

Diet and Thanksgiving really go together.. Really?

Speaking as an older person who has been battling his weight for decades, I wanted to put my two cents in on the Thanksgiving meal blastorama.

According to research from the Calorie Control Council, the average American may consume more than 4,500 calories and a whopping 229 grams of fat during a typical holiday gathering from snacking and eating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Holy tamales! I've been eking by on only 1800 calories a day for what seems like forever just in order to lose a couple of pounds a month. (And, even that has been touch and go)! A 4500 calorie meal would set me back a very long ways indeed! And frankly, it just ain't worth it, to me!

This year, I plan to do something sane. I'm going to forego the huge Thanksgiving blowout in favor of a simple and sensible meal deal that will include the following;

 I feel I could live with the seven hundred calories, just so long as I scrimp a bit on breakfast and lunch. And, that horrible sodium reading... I'll just have to live with that.