How lucky?

Lucky me, I got a flu shot, some weeks ago, and now I have caught the flu! Well, perhaps this bug will treat me in  a more kindly way as a result. All I know is that I feel terrible and can only wonder at how I might of felt without that damn shot!

How lucky for my little town. It's been colder than most of Alaska and soon everyone can look forward to ice skating on Swan Creek, as the arctic conditions look to be staying awhile longer!

How lucky for everyone in the US, that our President Obama-the-Man  is still on his throne! And, would you just look at all the progress he's made! In just half a decade, even while struggling with that mean old Republican Congress, he hasn't lost the faith! I feel your love oh Great One and, oh my goodness, we have three more years of your inspired rule yet to come!

Critique: Healthy Choice Chicken & Spinach Alfredo!

At $2.79, this 220 calorie offering from the the folks at Healthy Choice has a lot going for it! There's some chicken chunks, spinach and penne pasta – all three of which are up there in my 'like' department. Oh. and that Alfredo sauce isn't too shabby either!

Healthy Choice offers this TV style dinner as one of their line of seven 'Baked Taste' recipes that is actually prepared in your friendly (and fast) microwave. And, at just 241 grams in total wright, you aren't really getting all that much food, (which is another good reason to eat stuff like this if you are trying to diet). In addition, there is only 550 milligrams of sodium to deal with which makes it a low salt item as well. So, overall, I would give this meal high marks in terms of overall nutrition.

As to the preparation, that's also a breeze. It's a 'slit it and nuke it' affair on high for about 4 minutes. I like any TV dinner that has such few instructions. (If I see the words 'stir and reseal', I generally will give that item a pass). Not so with this meal deal or the other offerings of like venue. They're all easy to make. High marks, and smiles, all around.

After nuking this meal deal, I sat down and gave it the taste test. Hmm, the aroma was excellent and everything was hot and very tasty. Most importantly, the pasta was fairly close to al dente – something that the folks at Banquet have never seemed to get a handle on. I think we have a winner here! This meal got a score of 8 on a scale of 10 and yes, I will be trying the other varieties.

Random thoughts for Early February 2014!

Record cold temps in the Forsyth area!

That warming trend the NWS promised us would start on the 10^th of February? Well, that isn't going frigid temperatures that will be only somewhat modified by an occasional snowfall or ice storm every few days through the middle of the month. If that comes to pass, we might just set a new record for the coldest February. Right now (Wednesday, February 5th) we are ten degrees below normal for the month and we seem to have us a semi permanent snow pack to boot!

to happen as they now are forecasting more

As I gaze out my window, on an otherwise fine Wednesday morning, I can see snowflakes floating in the 18 degree air. Brrr! I also note that locales like Nome Alaska will hit 30F this day and somehow that all seems to fit my increasingly bleak outlook on life. I look out my front window and briefly wonder if the roads outside are as treacherous as they appear to be? A car goes by sideways, spinning little loop de loops. Think I'll just stay home.

Mediacom and their old stuff!

'How is Mediacom like an old man? They both have equipment that doesn't work very well!'

I had to send out a jab to Mediacom, bless their aging souls. They seem to be experiencing equipment difficulties on a fairly regular basis these days. Outages at my place are becoming a regular thing and it makes we wonder what's going on with them... does anyone remember how Obama was going to make the Internet better through the installation of more fiber optic cable all across the nation? He promised that early in his first campaign. So, how's the cable working where you live these days? Or do you still have DSL? Just what the hell did we get for that 17 trillion we blew on the economy?

Personally, I'd love to see a new cable company come into our area. Perhaps one with youthful thinking employees and loads of fiber optic cable at great rates. I'll continue to hold my breath on that happening...

That Bull Shoals bridge project!

I haven't heard anything yet about the Bull Shoals bridge project meeting that was scheduled for yesterday at 5PM at the Forsyth High School cafeteria. I did have a chance to talk with the folks at MoDOT prior to that get together and was told that there would be no real presentation or materials planned for the public to view. So, I'm guessing this was nothing more than a gripe session and I've had more than enough of those over the course of my existence.

Still, it would be interesting to hear if anything concrete was said or offered by either side. (I wanted to ask if there was going to be a walking or bike area on the new bridge). As I cross this bridge at least twice each day, I've gotten used to serving to avoid pedestrians who are trying to navigate the 6 inch ledge they are forced to use. The less athletic sometimes will misstep and suddenly stumble out into the roadway. A situation which can get pretty exciting at times. No ones gotten killed, so far at least.

I have heard that the Corps of Engineers may be unhappy about some of the aspects of the bridge as it may need to be relocated some ways up or down the river. I find that a little bit troubling as THEY WORK FOR US and not the other way around! What's going on with these guys anyways? (These are the same bunch of maroons that decided it would be a good idea to remove 14 of the canopies from campsites along the river. After two months they still litter the park area – and for what reason)? I've never heard of any reason that made even an iota of sense. So, forgive me if I'm a little bit leery with them having anything whatsoever to do with that new bridge project. Let em go build a pontoon bridge for the traffic to cross while MoDOT handles the bridge – that would keep them busy at any rate and out of everyone's hair.

Making pasta a part of any diet!

This pasta meal came in at only 487 calories!

If you're like many Americans, a good plate of hot pasta is a must have meal as it is considered a comfort food by most. The problem is you also have to be careful due to the calories. Not with the pasta! It's only four calories per gram – it's the pasta sauce that can hurt. Alfredo sauce, for instance, is practically a heart attack in a bite! A much better way to go is to make your own low calorie – low salt sauce and then make sure you stick with small portions!

Pictured above was a filling meal I consumed just this morning. It was comprised of 70 grams of pasta, 47 grams of a homemade sauce that contributed only about 130 calories. With a glass of 2% milk the total came to just 487 calories! I also kept the sodium levels low by substituting Ms. Dash for the real thing!

Bone chilling cold on tap for early February!

Last year we got over 60F on three occasions!

OK, so we got some snow with maybe more coming towards the second weekend of February. That I can live with. What really rankles me, however, is the persistent arctic air that keeps invading my little home down in southwest Missouri.

Yesterday, on Monday the 3^rd, the temperature got up to 34F. It's too bad that will be the last time we see such warmth between now and next Monday! After the snow stops falling in the early afternoon on Tuesday, we can expect some really cold air to help make our winter misery more complete. Daytime highs will struggle somewhere in the 20's while the night times will flirt with readings close to zero! (Even Nome Alaska is currently warmer than that)!

After paying back to back electric heating bills that were well over $200 for both December and January, I'm betting that February won't be much of an improvement. Already, this month, we are running a full ten degrees below average and I'm sure that the next five frigid days will not improve that trend very much! I've turned my home thermostat down as far as can be considered practical (66F daytime and 60F night time) while retreating to one room with a small space heater and a humidifier that goes 24/7. This arrangement has allows me to maintain a room temperature that varies from 72F to 74F depending on what's happening outdoors.

Thankfully, the weather service is pretty sure we will be in a warming trend starting sometime around the 10^th of the month. That sure would be n ice!

Alien Invasion of Forsyth!

Forsyth MO – 8:00 AM – I wake up feeling colder than usual. A glance at the outdoor thermometer confirms a reading at or near zero degrees. Outside, all is quiet – the kind of quiet only a blanket of snow can achieve. I ponder a question in my mind – Get up or stay put? I elect to go back to sleep...

10:30 AM – Hunger pains drag me out of a sound sleep. I exit the warm bed and stumble down a dark hallway on my way to the kitchen. The thermostat for the house had been set at 64F leaving only a small space heater to warm my bedroom. I urge my bare feet to go faster. As I pass a front window, I can see that the snow that had fallen the day before had been plowed. Bare, wet pavement peeks through here and there. 'Thanks plow dudes', I mutter aloud to the window as I make my way towards and int the kitchen area proper. The stone tile floor is quite cold and my feet protest before becoming numb. What to eat, I wonder to myself.

11:00 AM – I'm back in my room sitting at a computer with a plate of rice and chopped hotdogs. A breakfast fit for champions (and old men with limited culinary imaginations). As I sit there eating and staring at the screen, I use one hand to move a mouse to select various favorite web pages. First, a check on the National news at Fox – Denver lost the Super Bowl – what a surprise. Obama swears to Bill O'Reilly that the IRS targeting was innocent – yeah sure it was. Then, I switch over to Facebook – a site that is always good for a laugh or two. In a few moments, my breakfast was done and gosh darn it, a post meal nap looked like just the thing!

As I slumber the remaining portion of the morning away, a clear blue sky rules my roof overhead. And, it is really bright out there. Too bright for my eyes so I keep them shut even after I re-awake. Somewhere in the house, an old clock chimes out the noon hour. For the second time, I stumble out of bed – after all, it's now time for lunch!

As I prepare for my second trek of the day, I also remember to place socks on my feet. I then retrace my steps on worn carpet to a well loved site that is the repository of all things related to pots and pans. Ah yes there it is! Nirvana in the form of a white box that hums enters my field of view. Steadfastly, I ignore the pile of dishes, newspapers and other bits of matter that call for immediate attention. A pang of guilt assails my mind and then quickly fades. Anyway, I think, chores are for the afternoon and this is still figuratively the morning...sort of.

With one hand I open the door where all the chilled food is kept. My eyes sweep an assortment of containers trying to make out the 'use by' date on each. My habit of buying stuff, sticking them in the fridge and then forgetting about them for a week or two often comes back to haunt me. Just how far past the use by date can one safely go, I wonder idly to myself. I closely inspect a container of coleslaw looking for any unusual bits of color mixed in with the various shades of green. I become uneasy and return it to the back of the fridge then decide that a road trip for food is now the order of the day. (I do a lot of RTFF's in a given week mostly due to laziness but also due to the desire not to die from E. coli. poisoning).

Now ensconced in my car and somewhat surprisingly to me, the roads were mostly clear of snow as I drove just a short distance to a local convenience store otherwise known to locals as Park Place. Strange name that. I've never been sure where the owner came up with it – I'm always reminded of a property by that name in the game of Monopoly. If I recall correctly, it was one of the highest priced pieces on the board and I wondered if that choice was intentional....

Upon entering, I say hello to the cashier – a pretty lady by the name of Peggy and then wander towards the back of the store in search of liquid refreshments. It was only after I had paid for a twelve pack that I took notice of the deli counter – slowly my mind put together the fact that I could probably buy myself a sandwich and thus forgo a time consuming and more costly meal up the road at a local steak house. To which, I ordered a ham hoagie to take home and enjoy.

It was as I was leaving that I looked up into that clear blue sky and saw an object hovering above my head. While I'm not very good at judging sizes, this craft looked to be both alien and huge – perhaps some ten miles across. I could also see much smaller objects breaking off from the 'mother ship', some of which were heading my way. Not far from me a women screamed....I dropped my sandwich...

Thank you for reading the intro to my new novel......................

 Dan's newest novel is now available at a few bookstores in Iowa at the stunning price of only $24.95 USD.

The enigma of the campsite canopies!

It would seem that like God, the Corps of Engineers must work in strange ways. At least that would seem to be the case at the River Run location just to the east of Forsyth Missouri!

Back in December of 2013, the Army corps of engineers decided to remove 14 canopies that shielded the picnic tables that ran along Bull Shoals. These were dumped at two locations and there they have sat ever since. When I asked other laypersons why this was done in the first place, the most logical answer I heard was that they were removed due to the fear of flooding. OK...but if the park were to flood, what's to keep these light weight aluminum structures from floating on down the river?

Seriously, it cost us taxpayers money to take these down and it will cost even more to put them back up. What gives? If this group of government employees is at a loss for things to do, then perhaps they could donate time to the City of Forsyth, which I'm sure could use some free help.