Layng quietly in fields

Layng quietly in fields
Glstening lights

Friday, November 20, 2015

Where have you gone Katniss Everdeen?





I’m having trouble believing that Thanksgiving is now less than a week away. We have had some great, large group T-Days over the years, but some families dwindle just as new families emerge requiring new demands from extended families. You just can’t be everywhere, even as hard as you try. Somehow we always get there, though. Maybe not on that last Thursday but another time when the thanks is just as pure. Getting together with people you love --That’s a helluva gift. Holding them in your heart is that gift that keeps on giving.

Uber came in flying but will soon learn the facts of life about slow growth as they get regulated.

The demagogues are descending from the heavens like heavy handed hail on this refugee discussion. Personally, I see this one as an issue where we should step back from politicization and think in human terms – suffering humans with no home in Syria, and USA humans wanting to protect their families form attacks by madmen (And women in explosive vests) Once we take immovable sides we lose a the opportunity for reasonable solutions. And, a country here at peace with itself, instead of in pieces. Things that have made me smile: --FBI official testifying before Congress saying that they have never had anybody slip by – except the 15-20 million illegal immigrants at the alleged southern border. –Pro refugee supporter saying, “after all, everybody in the USA came from an immigrant”. The problem is that today the government using our taxes pays for immigrants – legal and unlawful. You need to have controls or become Greece.

The Question:
What do you think are the five Luxury SUVs turning heads at the Big LA Auto Show

The Headlines:
--Stocks Strong; Nike Stock Surge Accounting For ¼ Of Dow Stick Gain Of 141 (11:00 AM); United Health Also Looking Good.
--Terror Group Shouting “Allahu Akbar Storm Mali Luxury Radisson Hotel Killing At Least 27, Taking 170 Hostages; Rapid Response By French Troops, UN Peacekeepers, Malian Forces And US Special Ops Freed All Hostages By Evening.
--Thousands In Northwest USA Without Power After Raging Storm.
--ISIS Said To Be Working With Scientists To Develop Chemical Weapon Program.
--Chinese Researcher Finds Major Flaws In Popular Chrome Browser JavaScript That Could Lead To Takeover Of Apps And Android System. Suggestions: If Android Go To Mozilla; If Apple Go Back To Safari.
--New Study Shows That More Mexicans Are Leaving Than Entering USA.
--Feds To Require Shelters For Transgender Folks.
--Israeli Spy Pollard Released After 30 Years.

Non-Partisan Tids, Department:
Happy 73rd Birthday Joe Biden! Thanks for making us laugh.

Everything has an equal but opposite action, While millions drive over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s at low, low gas prices, over thirty oil producing companies in the Southwest are suffering and are in or near bankruptcy, meaning thousands of their employees will be looking for a free Christmas goose from Scrooge.

Yum, Department:
It’s not a T-day recipe but it locks good to me – Braised Tarragon chicken thighs. Preheat oven to 325. In large ovenproof  skillet heat 2 tbs unsalted butter and 1 tbs OO, then add 5 minced shallots and 3 min garlic gloves and cook fro 3 mins. Add ¾ cps dry white wine and cook over High heat 3 mins. Stir in 1 ½ cps chix stock, ½ cp chop Tarragon and 2 tbs chp’d parsley. Bring to boil. S&P to taste. Lie chix thghs skin down in liquid and simmer 5 mins. Move skillet ot oven and bake for 35 mins. Turn over thighs and bake 25-30m til 190 degree. Preheat oven broiler. Move chicks skin up to broiler pan. )Making Sauce: Spoon off most fat from liquid. In cup mix 1 1/2 tbs cornstarch with water til paste. Bring liquid to boil over med heat and stir in Corn starch. Bring to boil, sim for 2 mins til thickish.) Broil chix for 2 mins, 8 in from element. Remove and spoon over sauce.

I look at President Obama and I see a man who wants a world without borders.

I remember when the big sports ticket was for a Dartmouth-Yale football game, or Princeton-Penn or Harvard-Yale. I remember sitting in the nose bleed seats at a sold out 85,000 seat Yale bowl. That was before the late 60’s generation (Hill and Bill and friends) decided protest was in and football was beneath them. I also remember the time in 1968 when two friends of mine (One well known and living in RI) snuck into Harvard Stadium for “The Game” between two undefeated teams. After all of that nefarious work and after it appeared that the highly touted and nationally ranked Yale had the game in hand, they left early to beat the traffic, only to learn as they sat in the parking lot that in just the 42 seconds remaining, Harvard scored 16 points to tie. The Boston Globe headline read: “Harvard Beats Yale 29-29!

I don’t read anything under headlines like “Guns are not the answer.”

Maybe I should start playing Christmas music to open the Tids. People will think it is a sale and read it.

I see where black protestors at Princeton University are demanding a black only safe space. So, they are protesting to go back to segregation.

Groups satisfied with underachieving and low standards are demanding the end to tougher national testing for students. Yeah, great, keep them stupid and then they can get into Princeton and protest.

Personally, I think Jennifer Lawrence looks better without make up as in Hunger Games as opposed to those tedious red carpet appearances.

The Parking Lot: Chapter 29 continues…
   Nancy took a couple of deep breaths. Was she wondering if she should tell Jared all just because of one great night, or was she just thinking about how to say what he should know?
    Jared was just sitting there looking at this beautiful woman, wondering how his life had changed so dramatically since that night looking out his window at the parking lot. Crazy, wasn’t it, he thought.
   “Well Jared,” now she reached again to take his hand, “I and my family have a long history in this area of the country. You may have noticed from my features that my lineage goes back to the Wampanoags, who were the principle peoples of this region since hundreds, maybe thousands of years before English settlers. I’m proud of that, and also that of my English heritage which goes to the Hicks family that came to Plymouth in1621. There were a lot of Hicks and some of the more rambunctious kids went through here and Newport down to Long Island,” she paused and smiled, “probably to get away from the law and insulted wives. But some of the Hicks settled around here and North of here, worked the land, traded crops and furs and most important, became highly trusted by almost all of the tribes.”
    She watched him absorbing her words, and felt that funny twinge she first felt that night he got whacked by a two by four…a feeling she began to understand that grew and grew until last night.
   “You don’t need to know more than that for now. Basically, the result of this heritage is that I and my family own almost all of land in this entire region, from the Sakonnet Bay to parts of Fall River. We have sold some and kept most, but allowed usage. It is registered in the federal land offices, and that trinket you found in your granddaughters toy chest, is the key to my proving ownership. Jared, I can stop anything if I want to, and now somebody knows it.”

Reading Between the lines Movie Reviews:
--I’ll be going to the finale of Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 for sure. I have enjoyed the series and the latest lives up to expectations as Kitness does what she does. They it comes to an exciting, poignant and overall satisfying conclusion. That’s all I ask.
--I was looking for good things from the new mystery, suspense drama The Secret in their Eyes. It’s about he murder of a woman’s daughter and the hunt for the killer. 13 years later the killer is discovered and so are some secrets. Good cast with Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor. But, the critics are killing it. I may go anyhow.
--The Night Before, they say, is a decent, humorous Christmas movie starring Seth Rogan, Joseph Levit and Lizzy Caplan among many who form a group of life-long friends who have traditionally gotten together Chris tams Eve for a night of debauchery and hilarity (Probably not at Midnight mass). But as they are becoming adults and see their tradition coming to an end. They want to go out in style so they set out to find something called the Nutcracka Ball – the so-called Holy Grail of Christmas parties. I probably won’t be going to this one. I have a different view of Christmas, and I like it.

The Answer:
Times are changing from then when people went to see “concept” cars til now when Compact SUV’s are the rage. Five expensive models opening eyes are Infiniti QX30, Cadillac XT5, Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLS and the kind of quirky, convertible that is also a SUV – the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque!

Have a great weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!

Maybe all we need around here to combat a growing smothering government is Katniss.



Here’s little Sergeant Pepper for You:




No comments:

Post a Comment