Please Help MEEEEEEE!

Now you go and start another blog. I agree, they just don't get. It is good that I don't put all the records I do have on the blogs. However, if any attorney with lawsuits are interested and looking for records I can help them out. If not, they can find it easily now.

With that said I will go play in the sun.

Mike H,

I woke this morning thinking I should start a new blog thread titled, "A Sunday blog for the rest of us..." You know, hijack the website back from the stranglehold CCAC has placed us under. On this blog, you get to talk about anything you want EXCEPT subjects related to the management of animals. That way we know there's a safe place to babble this afternoon.

So Mike, what's your favorite ice cream flavor? I love Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Cherries and chocolate. Mmmm.

That would be nearly any brand name of Butter Pecan. However, the ne Thin Mint flavor might have a chance of taking over as number 1.

Mike Heemer

Mike,

Once again, AMEN to that brother!

Angela,

Have fun.  You picked a great day.  Don't forget your sun protection.

Key,

Great idea.  Almost makes me want to sing.

Raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens.  OK, I'll stop.  But a favorites list sounds good.  Some of my favorites:

Vanilla ice cream.  I'm not that crazy @ ice cream.

Grape or watermellon flavored bubblegum.

Playing softball.

Sometimes, doing research on the computer for blogs, although I'm not the greatest on research.

Woodworking.  Too bad, I found out late in life I love working with my hands.

Contemplating....on almost anything.

Cruising....on cruise ships.  I'm keeping it clean.  It's great.  You get to your hotel, unpack.  Go to a # of exotic & not so exotic places for 3, 7 or more days, eat like a king or queen, get pampered, play games in the casino, catch up on "B" movies & when your time is up, you pack up & go home.  In between, you get to do as much or as little as you want.  And the eye candy ain't bad either.

Reading.  Right now I'm reading two books.  "The History of Western Philosophy," & a book my mother in law gave me as a Christmas gift called, "They Made America."  My mother in law loves me.  I'm her favorite.  I'm also a legend in my own mind.

Having some good give & take on the blog in addition to always learning something new.

Not having to read @ animal management & associated topics.  I love the scroll feature.

Planning for any reason to go back home to Chicago.

Wrigley Field.  Real sun.  Real grass.  Lake Michigan in the background.  Waiting for next year.

State Street, that great street.  Michigan Avenue.  Water Tower Place.  Ethnic foods & different languages.  Real neighborhoods where people actually walk around & talk to other people.

Reading some of the topics on the blogs.  Usually something interesting.

Reading some of the opinions on the blogs.  I need a good laugh just as much as the next person.

Reruns & old movies.  It drives my wife crazy.

Cooking dinner.  I'm no chef by any stretch of the imagination.  Tonight, I'm making shrimp scampi.

Big band era music even though some of it is before my time.

Music.  I couldn't envision my life without the availability of music.

NPR radio.  Where has it been all of my life?

A good massage on scalp, neck, shoulders & upper back.  A wet noodle is a good description.

Acting & singing.

OK.  That's @ it for now.  Time for me to get out & let others on.  Key, once again, great idea for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Thanks.  JATFUR.

RichK 

Butter pecan has its merits, Mike. I agree. You're choice of flavor kind of surprises me hailing from the northern states as you do. I always thought of butter pecan as a southern flavor. It brings to mind images of magnolia blooms, moss-dripped oak trees and pecan (pronounced pee-can) pie.

Now Thin Mint reminds me more of the north.

We probably should keep this thread going, Mike. I don't think its safe to come out yet.

What was the last movie you watched at the movie theater?

Uncle Rich,

What a great list. I can smell that fresh cut grass at Wrigley field.

Here's a short list for me:

Gator sports - Wait till next year! (Gosh, there's an echo on the blog.)

Gardenias. I love the fragrance of gardenias. One blooms fills the house for several days with its rich aroma.

Running stadium stairs.

All genres of music.

Fine wine and aged tequila.

Reading and writing blogs. (A new addition to the list.)

Traveling. My son and I are touring Florida lighthouses right now.

Thought provoking, happy, dramatic, action, or sentimental movies. No horror stuff. I scare myself well enough without visual stimulation.

Volunteering in my community.

Time to go run those stairs. Hopefully Uncle Rich, it'll be safe to come out soon and blog again.

Karen Lake

The last Harry Potter movie. I absolutely fell in love with those books and just had to see the movies.

I spent 8 years stationed in Florida while I was in the Navy. 5 in Pensacola (Milton) and 3 at Cecil. I fell in love with southern cooking. Plain old comfort food.

Fried, not boiled Ochre, crowders (sic), purple hulls, biscuits and honey, mullet and hush puppies, cheesy or plain grits, gumbo, deep fried catfish, greens (all kinds) with bacon grease (it's a pork fat thing).

Unfortunately I can't eat much of it anymore. My cardio guy says I may have over indulged just a tad back then.

Mike Heemer

My favorite ice cream is vanilla on a slice of fresh, homemade blueberry pie. The grandparents and family always called them huckleberries.  Would that have been a local term because the berries were picked from bushes growing in the wild woods of New York? I guess I should 'google' that. 

Rich - NPR is one of my favorite things too, although I am not listening to it at the moment because I have my favorite music playing.  It's a list on my media player of favorite songs from favorite albums.  Currently playing, The Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden.  I like all music except rap, hip-hop and I'm not crazy about some of the country music. 

Speaking of NPR, we went to the Florida Theatre a couple of Saturdays ago to Michael Feldman's radio show taping.  It was fun and the theatre was packed.  He mentioned that no one locally was calling in to play the quiz, and half the audience yelled "because we're all here"! 

Another favorite is the NE Florida weather!!  I LOVE it here, but like Rich, always look forward to a trip home.  May is a great time to visit our families and friends in Central New York, with lilacs, daffodils, and Lake Ontario, and hopefully, no snow!  What is it about the Great Lakes?  They do beckon.  My husband stated this morning when I commented on the weather that he could NEVER go back there to live again.  I agree to a point but have learned not to say never!!  Or always. 

Today is my birthday, and that has become a favorite thing also, as the alternative to having birthdays to celebrate is unfavorable.  My husband wants to take me out for dinner so I have elected to try the new Pizzeria that Jimmaxie and Rich have determined to be a worthwhile eatery - and it's within walking distance! 

I have lots of favorites things, and very few unfavorable, but now I have to go work on my French doors - haha.  I have almost given up on perfection, and am working on making them look good if you're not wearing your glasses, or are standing at a distance of at least 7 or 8 feet away. 

Thanks for starting this blog - also one of my favorite things - the lighthearted blogs on a beautiful Sunday afternoon during my 'break'.

JudyB

Happy Birthday Sunflower!

Hey, them doors look good from here.   

Mike Heemer

Key,

Echo on.  I guess I'm not the only one down here suffering from that particular malady.  Fine wine, yes.  I'm still not that much into tequila unless it's in a Margarita on the rocks with some salt.  Chips & salso optional.  I can't do the stadium stair bit.  Bad knees.

Finder,

I'm not into the Harry Potter genre, but you sound like a kindred soul with my wife.  What are crowders & purple hulls?  Never heard of them before.  Take care of the ticker.

Sunflower,

Glad you're enjoying with the rest of us.  It's Key's fault, blame her.  A big happy birthday.  No worries.  I won't ask.  My wife & I were at the Florida theater also.  Great time.  Is it just me or does Feldman sound like Bob Newhart?  First time I heard him I thought it was Newhart on the radio, but he doesn't look anything like Newhart.  I'm so confused!

I have either NPR or CNN Headline news on during the day, depends what I'm doing.  I'm with you.  Never say never.  Unfortunately, I didn't winn the 30M in the lotto yesterday, so you guys are still stuck with me.

Yeah.  This is a great Sunday afternoon break.  Happy favs to all.  JATFUR.

RichK

Same family as black eyed peas, which I guess are really beans but who cares as long as their cooked right.

Might have been a local names in Milton area. I haven't heard of either of them here.

Mike Heemer

Mike and Uncle Rich,

You can get purple hulls here they just don't seem to be as popular as black eyes. Mike, back me up...aren't fresh peas better than dried peas? There's a world of difference in flavor!

Growing up in Texas, both sets of grandparents always had large summer gardens. It included watermelon, tomotoes, ocra, and black eyes. The rule was, if you wanted to eat a "mess of peas" then you had to shell what you ate. I think today they'd call it child labor but I enjoyed eating and shelling black eyes straight off the bush.

/K

Since we have been marginalized by the morons fighting about CCAC, I will tag onto this little corner of coherence to point those of us with brains to same good news about Florida growth. It's slowing. Here is a Carl Hiaasen column I just discovered.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/carl_hiaasen/story/375954.html

Hopefully, Spot  and Truth Hurts will have debilitating seizures and fall into an alligator nest.

Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman

You guys are killing me. I didn't do much shelling at my house but my grandparents always had a garden. I wish I had a nickel for every Mason jar of veggies I helped can. 

Homemade bread and butter pickles.

I've trudged a mile or 50 picking fresh berries, walnuts, hickory nuts and wild apples. My Dad must have known every secret berry patch in Sussex County NJ and a few in PA and NY just for good measure.

A bowl of fresh cold (if you could wait that long) black berries with a little sugar and evaporated milk could nearly bring tears to your eyes. Or was that the scratches you got from crawling into the center of the bush to get the best ones. Nope, I'm pretty sure it was the berries.

Mike Heemer

Mike & Key,

Thanks for the info.  I like my vegetables.  For a Yankee boy, I have to tell you that I like collard greens, not much different than spinach, (I ams what I ams) fried ochra & thanks to my neighbor who goes back to visit her family in Alabama, pickled ochra.  Good munchies.  Her mother makes them.

I really haven't had the opportunity to taste much in the way of black eyed peas, but I have had them & like them.  I've also had the opportunity to have chitlins (sp) & souse & crackle which are delicacies shared by Southerners, African Americans & the Pennsylvania Dutch.  To top it all, I had them while living in Chicago.  Told ya we had good vittles up North.  Thanks. 

RichK

Just got in from one of my favs....reading a good book in the backyard.  Ah the joys of a florida winter.

Uncle Rich, you don't really like ice cream???  Almost qualifies as un-american, I am worried about you.  And watermelon bubble gum?  Wow. 

I love any ice cream except the cheap stuff in the plastic bucket. I like mint chocolate chip the best.

A few other favs.  A really cold beer in a frosty mug on a really hot day.  It doesn't hurt if it comes with a dozen raw clams on the half shell with some good music playing.  The Eagles for me too Sunflower!

I like sheets hung outside to dry, dogs that don't shed, spring training (yea grapfruit league!),pansies, Peterbrook chocolate covered popcorn,old movies, sunday afternoon naps, homemade presents, well behaved children,  Click and Clack, and blogs that have nuthin to do with animal control.

Thanks all, for the change of pace!

Hey Sunday afternoon bloggers,

I peeked over at the most Recent Comments list and it appears we may be gaining on the CCAC group. In fact, I think we're taking the lead.

Thank heavens for light conversation and patience.

lily - thanks for the article. I appreciate keeping up on this stuff. It may be time for another "Growth" blog.

clayvoter - ditto on the sheets hung outside to dry. How wonderful to climb into those sheets the day you put 'em on the bed.

Uncle Rich - It sounds like you had some fairly diverse cultural experiences up there in the tundra. (It's far too cold for this California girl to be tip-toeing into Chicago in February.)

Mike H - your blackberry dish sounds about as decadent as a warm peach fresh off a Georgia tree drizzled with vanilla-laced whipping cream (the real stuff). My fave...

So, do we think it's safe to come out yet?

How fortuitous. My lovely bride decided she didn't want to cook tonight. She must have seen me drooling and decided to take me to Whitey's Fish Camp for dinner.

Fried Cat Fish, Red Beans and Rice, Hush Puppies (4, she doesn't like them) and a salad. The salad was my payment for the first three. Although they do have a good Blue Cheese dressing. 

Mike Heemer

No key its not safe to come out yet. And now that I am on the blog I am certain I will be stalked again. I was in Mike Mann's blog and got stalked there. Then I went to Rlyons blog and got stalked there too. So if history repeats itself I will be stalked here too.

Thanks lily for the article by Carl Hiaasen. I like his articles and he has been away for a while.

Maybe he will do an article concerning our falling prices.

Florida nabbed three spots on the list of 10 fastest-falling markets, with Tampa down 11.7%, Miami depressed by 10.6% and Jacksonville in an 8.7% decline from last year.

I'm starting to feel like Wal mart and the falling prices commercial.

Clayvoter,

It's not that I don't like ice cream, I just have a neutral attitude for it.  If it's there OK.  If not, I don't miss it.  Now a cold brew & 3 or 4 buckets of oysters (arsters, if you're from the Chesapeake) that's the ticket.  My record is just over 4 dozen of the little delicacies.  I don't go along with the tale that they're an aphrodisiac.

Key,

One of the many benefits of living in a city like Chicago or New York is the exposure to many diverse things.  Food is just one.  I do consider myself fortunate for growing up there.  I can't wait to get to New York City this June.  Counting the days.

Finder,

Now you've got me hunkering for some gator tail, turtle & frog legs with a frosty one on the side.  Thanks.  I just finished making some rather nice shrimp scampi.  Maybe later this week.  Oh, but I do have a nice lamb chop waiting my attention.

Angela,

I don't think anybody should be surprised by recent trends.  the hints have been coming for some time now.  Question is, can we ride them out & what are we going to do @ it?  I wonder what the professional planners are thinking.

Someone please let me know when it's safe to come out in the open.  JATFUR.

RichK

Mincemeat pie and chocolate almond ice cream. But not together.

Beef wellington and baked potato with butter and sour cream.

Those who give up freedom for security have neither. 

Had I known all of you guys were also going to the show, we would have had a MCS party afterward.

Where did you guys sit? My girlfriend and I were about 3 rows from the back of the balcony (what I get for waiting to buy tickets two days before)

It was a great show, even from up top. One guy sitting next to me kept complaining that he couldn't see anything - I politely reminded him that it's a radio show. 

904.359.4538 e-mail Jonathan

They're baaaaaack! Well it was nice while it lasted. Looks like they rested up most of yesterday afternoon and got back in the groove around midnight.

Mincemeat Pie! Darn, I'd forgotten them. Haven't had one in many a year. I could problably do a scoop of choclate almond on top of it. Never had it but hey, I'll try darn near anything once.

Mike Heemer

Jonathan,

My wife & I were in @ the 3rd or 4th row left of the stage.  Great seats.  We got advance notice because I've been a contributor to WJCT for a # of years & took advantage.  I still think he sounds like Bob Newhart, I don't care what anybody says.  Loved the show.  Loved being a part of it.  Culture came to Jax & that's what's important. 

Just as an aside, was your girl friend the one who was in the low slung bodice hanging...............  Never mind.  My bad.  Hope you had a good a time as we all did.  Now if we can only get Garrison Keillor & Prarie Home Companion.  Jonathan, see what you can do @ that.  We all know that you have tremendous pull in the community.  Look what you've done on the MCS blogs!  You have my backing on that!  JATFUR.

RichK

Our seats were in the 8th or 9th row left of stage.  We were right behind Rebecca Zapen's mom.  Wasn't Rebecca great?  Her Mom was SO proud, and rightfully so.  We also are contributors so received early notice of the show coming to Jax.  I would love to see Prairie Home Companion - missed it when it was here last.  It was at the TU center and we didn't know about it until they'd been here and gone.  We're going to start paying more attention!  Did you see the movie Rich?  It was pretty informative and we got to see what all the people look like that you hear every week.

My husband and I agree Rich, that Feldman sounds like Newhart - dry humor and all.

It was a fun and different thing to do on a Saturday morning, that's for sure! 

JudyB

Sunflower,

Was Rebecca's mom from the fish camp?  We were sitting right in front of them.  Listening to her talk, I started geting hungry.

Yes, I saw the movie.  I have a fascination with the  radio program because during my life I have tried to simplify & also have a respect for what our parents & grandparents went through.  I enjoy the program in the light of seeing it  through the eyes of someone who had no other means of communication or entertainment with the outside world other than what they heard on the radio.  That's the nostalgia bug in me.  But I do enjoy it.

Thanks for telling me @ Feldman sounding like Newhart.  I started to wonder if i was going goofier in the head.  It wqs a great show & I'm glad we were there.  It was fun.

RichK.

I grew up on Winn Dixie vanilla Ice Cream, then as we got older it was Butter Pecan which I loved.

I'm not a big coffee drinker (like to smell it roasting/brewing though) I fell in love with Coffee Ice Cream.  Most people here tell me that's wierd, but I like it.

Just my 2 cents worth, or has it gone up with inflation?