Pumpkin Pie @ MindSay 
football
Mr. Larry Todd, my old high school science/Bible/P.E. teacher once said that he loved this time of year because “the nights are crisp and the days are mild.” Sometimes the days are a little too mild for me, but I have to admit that this is my favorite time of year too. It’s time to break out the sweatshirts and long sleeves, and I’m going to have to go and raid my old closet at my parents’ house for hats to protect my bald head against the autumn chill.
It’s the time of year when I like to snuggle under a blanket and read a good book. For some reason I do more reading in the fall and winter than at any other time of the year. In addition to my schoolbooks, I’m juggling a Louis L’Amour Western with nonfiction works by Andy Rooney and Bob Newhart, and the poetry of Shel Silverstein. Angie and I put new flannel sheets on the bed last night, and the only problem once I’d settled in for the night was deciding which volume to drift off to sleep with.
’Tis also the season for really good food that I usually only eat in the cooler months. That extra layer of wintertime fat that keeps bears warm doesn’t have quite the same affect on humans, but it’s sure fun putting it on. As I write this, there is a pot of chili simmering on the stove. None of that crap out of a can for us; this is homemade, fire-breathing, put-hair-on-your-chest chili. Nor is it like that slop served at Wendy’s, where you’re lucky to find one little chunk of meat in what amounts to nothing more than a watered-down salad. I’ve got two pounds of meat in my chili, along with three kinds of beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, and a secret ingredient or two.
Notably absent from my recipe are chunks of peppers. In my humble opinion, any kind of pepper other than black or cayenne is to good chili what Harry Reid is to the U.S. Senate...unnecessary. I wouldn’t befoul my chili by even passing a pepper over the pot. Trust me, pepper fans, if you ever get to try it, you’ll find it has enough kick that you won’t miss those vile fruits one bit.
Good chili does need some cornbread to go along with it, and I’ve got some baking in the oven right now. I think Jiffy corn muffin mix makes the best cornbread. The sweetness complements the spiciness of the chili quite nicely.
Homemade vegetable soup is also a fall staple. My grandmother makes the best vegetable soup I’ve ever tasted. I’ve tried her recipe numerous times over the years, but my soup never quite measures up to hers. I guess that little dash of love that goes into Granny’s soup just makes it taste that much better.
I love the smell of pumpkin in the air. I’ve been known to carve jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, and a couple of times I’ve used the pumpkin innards to make a pumpkin pie, but every one I’ve made turned out soupy and ruined the crust. I doubt I’ll try again this year. Besides, I’ve still got Little Debbie and Mrs. Smith to satiate my pumpkin desires, and Olive Garden serves a pumpkin cheesecake that is well worth the drive to Raleigh or Greenville.
I appreciate nature more in the fall. What’s more pleasing to the eye than driving down a roadway with trees lining both sides and displaying brilliant red, orange, and yellow leaves? Watch out for deer! They’re some of my favorite animals, but as I’ve said before, they make me paranoid about driving at night. Still, a field dotted with deer is another lovely autumn sight. I’m looking forward to our next trip to Sparta. It will be really beautiful in the mountains.
The smell of that chili is driving me crazy. I’ve drooled down on the keyboard three times already. I’ll be glad when Angie gets home, so we can eat. A nice hot meal, a little TV Land, and Travis Dog lying at my feet. It can’t get much better than that...until I answer the call of those flannel sheets.
© 2007 by J.D. Lewis
A traveling salesman was out driving in a rural area when he was suddenly hit with a severe stomach pain. He was miles from the nearest bathroom, and was beginning to sweat profusely when he realized he was driving past a large pumpkin patch. He pulled over to the side of the road, exited his vehicle, and ran to the center of the pumpkin patch, where he found a particularly large pumpkin. He took out his knife, quickly cut off the top of the pumpkin, pulled down his pants, sat down, and emptied his bowels into the pumpkin. When he was finished, he pulled up his pants, replaced the top of the pumpkin, and went on his way.
Several weeks later, he was back in the same area and drove past the pumpkin patch. "I've got to tell somebody about that," he said to himself. He stopped at a little general store, where several old farmers were sitting around the cracker barrel, swapping stories. The salesman grabbed a Coke and joined them. He said, "You know, a few weeks ago, I was out this way, and I had the worst stomach ache. I knew I'd never make it to a bathroom, so I stopped in this pumpkin patch and cut the top off a pumpkin, and used the bathroom inside the pumpkin. Then I put the top back on and went back to my route."
After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, one of the old farmers wiped his mouth and said, "I told my wife that pumpkin pie tasted like shit."
While there have been some minor American holidays such as Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Halloween that I have missed, the only major one that I will have missed while being in Jordan is Thanksgiving; however, my program mates and I did not let the holiday pass like any other normal day. Instead we had a Thanksgiving dinner at an apartment that five of the students in my program are staying at.
The meal was complete with every staple as we ate turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. Everybody made something for the dinner. At home my dad always makes sticky buns for dinner at my grandparents, so I figured I would add that dish to the food we had for our dinner in Jordan.
Making the sticky buns was quite fun. It was the first baked good that I had really ever made before; however, my dad’s instructions made the task much easier than I thought it would be.
The night before our dinner, I made the dough for the buns while in the same some kitchen, some of my friends prepared the food they would make the next day. The next morning I woke up around and 10 and started making the sticky buns around 11 o’clock. Once I finished those, I left for the apartment to have dinner.
I obviously felt different having a Thanksgiving meal without my family. Considering the situation though, this was the perfect way to spend the holiday. All the food turned out amazingly. As I bit into my sticky bun, I got the familiar taste that let me know it was Thanksgiving. The only thing that the setting needed was a football game on TV. While I certainly have enjoyed learning about the culture of Jordan, it is great to be able to transport some parts of America here.
| You Are Pumpkin Pie |
 You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality Those who like you are looking for something (someone!) special |
wooo! sorry got a bit bored ;)
Life is life atm. i'm a little frustrated with some people who just need to chill.
I'm also being bitchy because i make choices for myself :P If i don't want to sulk with someone, i'm not going to :P they can do it all alone. there's nothing either will gain if we sit there and pout our faces off.
I love it when people try to guilt trip me :P i trip them back by saying "I have loudly stated i never expected that of anyone"
and when they trip me with "so now I"M the bad person".... a short and sweet "Twist it all you like. I'm not playing." that usually pisses them off.
While i will help people when they feel like shit, i refuse to waste my time, breath and energy on someone that is intent on only feeling worse. there's nothing i can do or say to change their mind. They're in control of their life, not me. Especially when they ask hundreds of questions to give me the opportunity to make them feel better.... I just say it as it is. But i know when to bite my tongue.
example
"*whine* why does this always happen to meeee"
replies
"It does because you want it to"
"because you're lazy"
"Oh, so everything revolves around you? HA."
etc.
So many people get mad. But then they get worse when i ignore them.
I'm such a whore.
I'm a bit of a "My way or the highway" type, because i'm convinced my way is best.
I'm out to use as little energy as possible. i'm also a single lane mind when it comes to certain stuff. can't be helped i suppose. its how i am.
i'm considerate most of the time, but i'm opinionated. *angelic*
So. What else.
TOmorrow i'm getting a MASSAGE. and a manicure. dont really care for the manicure, because it doesnt matter any to me... but why not! then going golfing with dad. then getting my horrible hair cut. the only reason i care about my hair is because i like it. i dont like it frizzy or poofy. i like it so i can run a brush through it and leave.
so i need split ends cut out. it's been 6 months since a proper cut. Then. going. to. KARENS BIRTHDAY PARTY.
We might be getting a new kitten. That will be a hard few weeks. I have this weird.... thing... where i get depressed about animals being taken as pets. i'd never be able to have another dog. they make me sad.
I WAS DEPRESSED ABOUT FISH. BEING TAKEN HOME.
I still fuss over them after 3 weeks.
Imagine what i'd be like with a kitten.
my god. but i think of it like this. If it wasnt me taking it home, someone else would take it home. or it would be put to sleep. in i way i wish i wasnt THAT sensitive. i mean thats almost going too far when you consider the extent of that senstivity.
I'll probably be fine when i meet the rascal.
I think i'll just have to take faith in something Ataata said to me about dogs....
they always find happiness in the bad.
unlike some humans.
but iunno. I'm a strange child. anyways, i'm pooped. i was ready to take a nap HOURS ago. i need my zzzzzzz's
night night everyone <3
thank you for reading :)
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