The 5th Season

  In Louisiana there is a 5th season. Better known to the rest of the world as hurricane season. Hurricane runs from June 1 to November 30.  Before the season starts some of the parishes in the state have a "parish tax free weekend". In some parishes this event was this weekend past. During this time a person should get hurricane season supplies such as : water, batteries, canned food, flash lights, medicine, ice & if possible, a generator. A first aid kit is also a good thing to have on hand & so is a grill with enough fuel so cooking can be possible. The "experts" say that to have enough supplies to last for 3 to 7 days, but with storms like Katrina, Rita & Gustav some people can be without power for at least a month. So it is always a good idea to be prepared for the unexpected.

Hurricane Names for 2011 

                                                                           

1. Arlene                           8.Harvey              15. Ophelia
2. Bret                              9.Irene                  16. Phillipe
3. Cindy                          10. Jose                  17. Rina
4. Don                            11.Katia                  18. Sean
5. Emily                          12. Lee                   19.Tammy
6. Franklin                      13 Maria                 20 Vince
7. Gert                           14. Nate                  21 Whitney

Memorial day

There is a study out saying that most Americans do not know why we observe Memorial Day. That's a crying
shame! As I'm guessing most of the rest of the world know that Memorial Day is the day we Americans honor our war dead.

Originally known as Decoration Day, marked as a day of remembrance and honoring of those that died in the American Civil War, Memorial Day was first observed on May 30,1868. It was marked solemnly with the decorating of the graves of comrades who have died in defense of their country. Not barbecues and mattress sales!

 So go to a veteran's grave place a flag or some flowers, if possible please. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day.

The NBA Final

Okay the finals are set, as I guess everyone knows by now, between my Dallas Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki & Company and the Miami Heat with their Three Stooges. Yes, I know I am VERY biased toward the Mavericks. Anyway, the Final start on Tuesday on ABC at 9 pm Eastern/ 8 PM Central. So here is the schedule:

The NBA Finals

Game1 Tuesday May 31 @ Miami 

Game2 Thursday June 2 @ Miami

Game3 Sunday June 5 @ Dallas

Game4 Tuesday June 7 @ Dallas

Game5* Thursday June 9 @ Dallas

Game6* Sunday June 12 @ Miami 8pm Eastern/7 Central

Game7* Tuesday June 14 @ Miami 

* Means if game is necessary

Everyone Enjoy. 

  

 

The Cars

I did not realize that the rock group the cars have reunited. I have seemingly just stumbled across this nice little tidbit. They have apparently been hinting and teasing on facebook since this past October about a reunion. So on February 17,2011 The Cars official debut video "Blue Tip" was released.

                   

On May 1,2011 The cars released their newest album " Move Like This" by Hear Music/Concord Music Group. However, their first single "Sad Song"  was released on March 1,2011.  In  April the group announced a 10 city tour, starting in may, for the U.S. and Canada.

         Misha

End of the World

Personally I find all this commotion about the Rapture and zombies to be a bunch of bull malarkey. It's just a scam to make money off of people who are afraid of dying. The way I was raised was when it's my time, it's my time and there is nothing that can be done about it. But in honor of tomorrow here is R.E.M.

Have you ever had a dream or part of a dream that has left you with an all day feeling of "what in the world".  I had that this morning just before I woke up. It was starting out good, it was a special program on PBS honoring Queen Elizabeth II. Had the normal pomp & circumstance that is to be expected until the end... oh my gosh the end. Well there was a stage set up with two white pianos that had red fabric draped across each. Elton John sat at the piano on the left & I never did see who was at the piano on the right, anyway, Elton is introduced with introduction of him performing Her Majesty's favorite song of his, "Daniel". That was the last sensible thing that happened because the next thing I knew the camera went to the top of the piano with Queen Elizabeth II standing on TOP of it. She was wearing the royal jewels, a lavender dress and a pair of orange & white stripe socks. I kid you not.Oh by the way, Prince Charles was standing on TOP of the other piano but he had shoes, no wait maybe he didn't have shoes on maybe just socks as well. They also looked like they did in the 1970' to the mid 1980's. Anyway, the next thing I knew "Daniel" has morphed into "Crocodile Rock", the queen is up on the piano shimmying & singing & steps had formed out of side of the piano & onto the stage to which Her Majesty regally as possible, she is still shimmying & singing coming down. She is on the stage the curtain closes behind her, the camera does a close up of Queen Elizabeth II & she is having such a ball you'd think Mad King George was back. I swear the whole thing turned into a Las Vegas Show from '70's in a heartbeat. Now that I think about Prince Charles may have been dancing on top of Liberace's piano. As crazy as this dream was anything was possible. Then I woke up & there ain't no more.

NBA Semi-Finals

 Okay as everyone knows by now we have our Western Conference Final set. It's the Dallas Mavericks against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their series against the Memphis Grizzlies was long and dragging. I did not think that series would EVER end. So here is the schedule for the Mavs and the Thunder. All games start at 9pm Eastern on ESPN:

Game 1 Tuesday May17 @ Dallas
Game 2 Thursday May 19 @ Dallas
Game 3 Saturday May 21 @ Oklahoma City
Game 4 Monday May 23 @ Oklahoma City
Game 5 Wednesday  May 25 @ Dallas
Game 6 Friday May 27 @Oklahoma City 
Game 7 Sunday May 9 @ Dallas

It's hard to say how long the Western Conference Final will be, because on one hand you have Dirk Nowitzki & the Mavericks sweeping the Lakers in the second round. Then on the other hand you have the Thunder dragging out their second series for all 7 games. This ought to be an interesting series.

 

Now for the eastern Conference Final. Well as it is REALLY well known by now we have the Chicago Bulls going aginst the Miami heat. Tonight the Bulls beat the heat 103-82 in Chicago. But here is their full schedule anyway:

Game 1 Sunday May 15 @ Chicago 8pm Eastern TNT

Game 2 Wednesday May 18 @ Chicago 8:30pm Eastern TNT ( This is the time 7 network for the rest of the games)

Game 3 Sunday May 22 @ Miami

Game 4 Tuesday May 24 @ Miami

Game 5  Thursday May 26 @ Chicago

Game 6 Saturday May 28 @ Miami

Game 7  Monday May 30 @ Chicago

 

As always enjoy and stay safe! 

Katharine Hepburn

Yesterday would have been one of, if not outright, my all time favorite actress Katharine Hepburn's 104 birthday. Miss Hepburn was born in Hartford, CT to Dr. Thomas Hepburn, who fought for the prevention of STD's &  Mrs. Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn,a suffragist & feminist. From them Katharine got her sense of independence & adventure. At the age of 14, while on a visit to an aunt's house, Miss Hepburn her brother Tom hanging in her aunt's garret. Whether by accident or on purpose it is not known. After that Katharine adopted her brother's birthday November8, became very shy & was schooled at home. But she did attend Bryn Mawr College, where she discovered acting. After graduation she went to New York and got small parts on Broadway & other places where she attracted attention, especially for her role in "Art & Mrs. Bottle". But stardom came when Miss Hepburn played Antiope, the Amazon princess in the play "A Warrior's Husband" which inevitably to Hollywood Screen test. Her first movie was in RKO's  "A Bill of Divorcement" with John Barrymore. The film was a smash and RKO gave miss Hepburn the raise in salary she demanded. For third picture "Morning Glory" she won her first Oscar. Her fourth film "Little Women" was the most successful picture of its time.

Because she would not play the old Hollywood games, wore slacks & no makeup (God forbid) & had  haughty behavior off-screen she was not to favorably received. So when she went back to New York to do the play "The Lake" critics already had their knives out & sharpened & panned her performance. Upon her return to Hollywood things were not much better. From 1935-38 Katharine Hepburn had only 2 hits: "Alice Adams" her second Oscar nod & "Stage Door". With more misses than hits she was labeled "box office poison". So back to Broadway Miss Hepburn went to star in "The Philadelphia Story" & it became a smash. So naturally she bought the film right, with help from Howard Hughes. With "The Philadelphia Story" in hand she got back to Hollywood own her terms. Good for her. The film version was a hit & with her 3rd Oscar nomination in hand, she was a bankable star again.

Now the year is 1942 & the movie is "Woman of the Year" & upon meeting Spencer Tracy son the lot she said " I'm afraid I am too tall for you, Mr. Tracy" to which he replied " Don't worry. I'll cut you down to size". So love, a 4th nomination  & eight more films, that spanned 25 years, was in the air. With their last film, co starring her niece, ANOTHER Katharine Houghton, playing their daughter, was "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". This gave Miss Hepburn her 10th Nomination & her 2nd win. 1968 saw her opposite Peter O'Toole in "The Lion In Winter" in which she received her 3rd Oscar. In 1969 she daringly played Coco Chanel in the Broadway play "Coco". In spite of her misgivings about her singing voice the play was a hit.

In the 1970's Miss Hepburn acted in television  movies. In "Love Among the Ruins", with Laurence  Olivier, in 1975 she won an Emmy. Her final Oscar came in 1980 for of course "On Golden Pond" with Henry Fonda.Katharine Hepburn's last performance was in 1994's Warren Beatty movie "Love Affair" in which she played his aunt.

Even as she grew older Miss Hepburn remained active with biking and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean by her home in Connecticut. By the mid-nineties her health was in decline and made fewer appearances. 
Katharine Hepburn died on June 29, 2003 at the age of 93 in her home at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. 

 

Stuffed Bell Pepper Part 2

Sorry but I forgot something in the previous post. If you have any of the meat & rice mixture left over from when you stuffed the bell peppers,I always do, just put in an oven safe dish and heat it. This way you can have seconds if you like.

          Misha

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a combination of a few different recipes that I use to come up with my own.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS 

1. Bell Peppers 
2. Ground Meat
3. Onion
4. Rice
5. Can Tomatoes
6. Can of Tomato sauce 15 oz
7. Salt & Pepper
8. Granulated Garlic (OPTIONAL)
9. Italian Seasoning
10. Oregano (OPTIONAL) 
11. Parmesan  or Romano grated cheese

 I usually just do two big peppers cut in half. First RINSE in 1/4 cup of rice until clear. This gets some of the starch out and the rice shouldn't stick . Use a fork to stir when the water gets too hot. Next cover with cold water and parboil.While the rice is cooking you can get started on the rest.

 Preheat oven to 350.Then start cooking the ground meat. Seasoning with salt, black pepper and granulated garlic. I use a non-stick skillet but use what you have available. While this happening you can chop the onions & get the bell peppers ready.

  Take a pairing knife to cut into the top of the pepper and go around the stem until you can pull the core out with the stem. PLEASE be careful when doing this.  From top to bottom cut the bell peppers in half  and clean out the seeds and membrane. Rinse with cold water and salt (OPTIONAL) the inside of the pepper. Bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes. You may have to turn the heat down. It's up to you.

Mind you that you may have to stop every so often and move the meat around so it does not stick and check the rice. If the rice is done enough remove and strain in colander. When this is done put rice into a bowl and set aside.  Hopefully by now the meat is cooked. What I do is put the colander in a bowl making sure that there is room between the bottom of the colander & the bottom of the bowl. Put the ground meat in the colander & let it drain while you do everything else. When the peppers have had the time you wish it to have, as long as it is no more than 5 minute, remove from the stove. Do this however you like but personally I use a flat slotted spoon (some times with help from a wooden spoon to get onto slotted spoon) & put the peppers on a platter with about 3 paper towels on it for draining purposes.

  Now is the time to start browning down your onions. Some people will add celery and/or garlic, it's up to you. When the diced vegetables are tender turn off stove & add meat, rice, tomatoes, 8 ounces of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning  & oregano. Put bell peppers in a glass dish and spoon in mixture. Take remaining tomato sauce & season with Italian seasoning & a pinch of sugar. Then our over bell peppers. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over them and then put into a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Lord willing this will give you some time to clean p the mess.Hope it turns out good for you.

This is the post that I mentioned on April 26 that I was working on for a while. Sorry this has taken so long but I have been working it. Thank you for bearing with me.

Lakers Theme Song

This is the L.A. Lakers new theme song

But I do feel a little sorry for Phil Jackson. But, MY MAVERICKS WON!! Especially DIRK NOWITZKI.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is this Sunday here in America and I would like to take the time to say thank you to all the women in my life who have had a hand in my upbringing. My Mother is the one that I get my love of reading. I remember being held by her in the rocking chair and her reading to me. Teaching me to roller skate when I was 3 or there about. I lost her when I was young so my memories of her are not all to clear. Unfortunately. But one thing that I do remember is that she LOVED Elvis.Oh my gosh how she tried to get me to go gaga about him but it didn't take. I do love his gospel music though and the rest of his music is O.K. Plus we, my father included, would go to Mississippi to visit family.And there was this deli that had a bi-wing airplane on its roof with the nose pointing down. We'd get olives from there, I hope I'm recalling correctly, black olive at that. which to this day are my favorite. We would also go to a seafood store to get fresh fish and shrimp.

 

My grandmothers are next on my list. Memories of my paternal grandmother, Grandma, are limited because she died when I was 4. But I remember playing in one of her jewelry boxes a lot and being in her car while she would be driving and we would have to come to a stop and she would put her arm across me so I wouldn't go flying. Of course, me standing up in the passenger side didn't help matters. I've been told that her favorite flower was the peony but I remember the hydrangea bush she had on the side of her house.

Then there is my maternal grandmother, Maw Maw. She is still alive and going. I seem to feel that I spent a good deal of my early childhood with her. There would be sleep overs with my cousins and we would sometimes flag down the ice cream man to get what we wanted and sometimes we would roast or burn marshmallows in the fireplace. Oh and make Jiffy Pop popcorn. Going to church on Sunday's and then everyone getting together for Sunday dinner.Roast beef, rice and gravy, asparagus and banana pudding for dessert. I like asparagus and hate banana pudding. Then I would eat Cool Whip for dessert. I stayed with her when my Mother was ill and after my mother's death. So Thursdays were help clean the living room and Tuesdays, I believe, is when we made blueberry muffins.Plus there was the running of errands around town. Going to J.C. Penney's in a shopping center plus going to the same seafood market. By the way it is still as busy as ever. Her hugs are still the greatest and the way she has always worried about everyone. Now it is her turn to be taken care of no matter how much she wants to care for others. I'll get to see her Sunday.

Lastly there is my Mom. Stepmother actually but mom literally. Half French, half Sicilian, her parents met on a boat coming to America..She is the one who did the bulk of my upbringing.I learned try to be tough, that there are people worse off than you and to take care of what is important,which for me means friends and family. Plus I learned to cook by watching her, how to choose a ripe cantaloupe and things of that nature. She is the one who was there when the time came for the first time bra and feminine things of this nature. I may have always loved animals but she accentuated that for me. Trying our hardest to take care of God's creations as best as we can and hope that it is enough. Always offer food or drink to company and if someone comes for a meal always offer them left overs to take. Plus her love of reading influenced me even more. Her books of choice was Harlequin romances and mine was,and is, mysteries. But she gave me my first Harlequin and Emma Darcy and Betty Neels became my favorite authors.
Granted we had our ups and downs but really what parent/child relationship doesn't? But in the end I will say that she was my best friend. I'm happy to know that our last conversation was me telling her she looked nice and my Mom saying "Thank you". Later that day she died of a heart attack.

                    


So for me I learned that family is everything from all of these women. Feed them well , offer them some food to take home ,hug them and tell them you love them. Even if you don't...be polite.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHER'S. BIOLOGICAL, ADOPTED OR JUST RAISING.LOVE TO YOU ALL!

BIN LADEN IS DEAD!

Hot damn the bastard is dead! Now it's Gaddafi's turn.

THANK YOU TO THE AMERICAN TROOPS FOR THEY'RE BRAVERY ! GOD BLESS THEM.

  USA

NBA PLAYOFFS: ROUND 2

Well the second round of the NBA  Playoffs started today. As is most probably known my  Celtics lost to the Miami Heat 99-90. With Ray Allen leading the way for the Boston Celtics 25 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Dwayne Wade led with 38 points, 1 rebound and 5 assists for Miami. To a certain extent it can be looked at that the Heat won by the skin of their teethe. As you can surmise I am not particularly fond of the Heat but  it has nothing to do with  LeBron I've just never been a fan of the team I don't hate them that calls for too much energy.


Next it is the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma Thunder. Grizzlies continue their run by beating the Thunder 114-101. Zach Randolph had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists for the Grizzlies. While Kevin Durant had 33 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists for the Thunder. Rirght now for me this is a yawn series becuse who outside of their cities really care about this series. May the best team win.

Tomorrow's games involve the Chicago Bulls vs the Atlanta Hawks in Chicago at 8pm Eastern on TNT. 
Then my Dallas Mavericks take on the L.A. Lakers starting at 10:30 Eastern in Los Angles on TNT.

SO LET THE GAMES BEGIN! HAVE FUN!