Texas Spring Chicken - Big Green Egger & Woodworker

David and Rhonda's Wedding

2012-01-10T07:34:00.000-06:00

Judy and I drove to New Orleans to attend the wedding of our nephew, David Ranlett, to Rhonda Ramos. The night wedding took place in the small town of Mandeville which is across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. There was a great turnout of family and friends in spite of a Saints playoff game that night just a few miles away. It was a nice wedding.

Here they are as Husband and Wife.

We returned home Sunday to await the LSU/Alabama BCS Championship Game also being played in New Orleans.

It was a fun trip.

New Year - 2012

2012-01-01T18:48:00.000-06:00

First of all, Happy New Year.

Second, we're both happy to see 2011 go.

That being said, we did nothing and went nowhere to ring out the old and in the new. Well, we did watch the ball drop in NY on TV but three minutes later I was asleep and remained that way until 6:00 AM.

Meanwhile, I ended the year in a doctor's office. Yep! My 'good' knee is really acting up and causing some serious pain. It may also be causing some back pain that literally puts me down. The only way I can get relief is to lie flat on the floor for fifteen or twenty minutes. Of course, the back pain and knee pain could be totally separate from each other.

The doctor was concerned that I may have a blood clot in my right leg so he made immediate arrangements for me to get a 'doppler scan.' I won't know officially until tomorrow or Tuesday but unofficially, it's not a clot. Otherwise I would have been kept at the hospital for treatment.

The first treatment option will likely be a cortisone injection in my knee. He's thinking that by taking away the knee pain I will walk normal again which, in turn, will reduce the back pain. If not, we can tackle the back to see what's causing it.

Anyway, it would appear that I'll be seeing doctors during 2012, just like 2011, 2010, etc.

Happy New Year

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T12:50:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Eve here at the Chicken Ranch and all is quiet. It's a real wintery day with rain and wind and getting colder. Perfect weather to stay inside until Santa gets here. At least I think he's stopping here. I could be wrong.

Meanwhile, the Chicken Coop is sitting idle because of an electrical problem. It appears that a rat chewed through an electrical wire 'under' the flooring. I can't remove the flooring to get to it so I'm having to re-wire around it. But I only got about halfway done before my knees and back gave out. Plus, we had to go to New Orleans for a wedding shower. It was a fun trip which we will repeat in three weeks for the wedding.

Then I'll wait for a nice warm sunny day when my bones aren't creaking to tackle the Coop project again.

Maybe there's some football on TV to keep me occupied this weekend. If not, there's always a book to read, movie to download or a nap to take.

Merry Christmas all...

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

Most Americans have plenty to be thankful for. So 'Thanksgiving' is truly a day to celebrate. And that's exactly what we did this year.

Judy's brother, Curtis, and his wife Sandra drove over from Kerrville, Texas. Her sister Joyce, and husband Allen flew over from New Orleans. Actually, they live in Metairie.

Needless to say, the kitchen got a workout, as did all four of the Big Green Eggs in The Coop. The smells in the air was wonderful and all of the food turned out delicious.

We also took advantage of the occasion to celebrate Sandra's 70th birthday. That meant extra dessert for everyone (who can turn down birthday cake?). By the end of the day we were all popping but we still had to watch some football to complete the day.

Here are a few photos of the occasion.

Yes, we had a good time.

New Gate

2011-11-29T20:51:00.001-06:00

If you have visited us during the past 20 years probably saw the Texas Gate I made to give us some privacy in the back yard. It was 7' tall and weighed in at about 100 pounds not counting the side panels.

Well, time, weather and hurricanes did a number on it so I built a new one from the ground up. I included a few changes. It is also 7' tall and weighs about 100 pounds.

I think it looks pretty nice.

Plano Outlaw Eggfest

2011-11-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

This was the third Plano Eggfest and it was well worth the trip. We had a great time the entire weekend. And as usual, we met a lot of new friends and tasted some very good treats.

I took a load of video and photos (plus those of other Eggheads) but with the holidays and my gate project I've had no time to assemble them into a movie. I promise to work on it.

Now we're all looking forward to Salado on March 17th.

Texarkana Eggfest

2011-10-09T19:13:00.000-05:00

Ever since we got into cooking on the Big Green Egg back in 1999, we have met some of the nicest people in cities and towns across North America. We have formed friendships and bonds that will last the rest of our lives, all because of the Big Green Egg.

We try to attend Eggfests as often as possible. This is where we Eggheads gather to enjoy cooking and sharing recipes with old friends and new friends as the number of Eggheads grows.

The latest Eggfest was in Texarkana, Texas, on October 1st. Most of us out-of-towners went up a day or two early and returned home on Sunday. It's about a five hour drive for us. The host dealer, Dot's Ace Hardware, went out of their way to make us feel welcome to Texarkana and provided us with Big Green Eggs to cook on.

There were approximately twenty cooking teams prepared to cook enough food to serve up to 600 local residents who were curious about the Big Green Egg. Yes, we all worked fast and furious to feed them and eventually we had more food than empty stomachs. We filled them up with a wide range of delightful dishes just to show them how well the Big Green Egg cooks food. At least 22 visitors purchased Big Green Eggs and will now begin to have the kind of fun we have when we cook our our Eggs.

As always, we had a lot of fun, met a lot of people and introduced Egg'n to a community that loves good food just like everyone else.

I put together a little video of some photos I took during breaks. Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIdjUXFeOKw

Kitchen Remodel

2011-10-09T18:51:00.000-05:00

We've lived in this house for 23 years and have improved upon a lot of things we simply could not afford when we bought the house, or for that matter, for many years afterward.

We did most of the improvements ourselves because it was the only way we could justify the expense and because we enjoyed doing it ourselves. Of course we had to learn as we went in most instances but even the learning part, mistakes and all, were fun.

The most recent improvement was to get granite countertops. The old Formica countertops had pretty much seen their day. So new countertops became the highest priority. It was expensive but well worth it in the end, especially when we opted to tile the back splash ourselves. In addition, we installed the plumbing which included a hot water recirculating pump that will probably save us 15,000 or more gallons of water that went down the drain while waiting for it to get hot. By us doing the plumbing and back splash install ourselves we saved $1,000 in labor costs. And we think we actually did a better job than what a contractor would do.

Take a look at our latest project.

Denver Eggfest

2011-08-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

Judy and I decided that it was time for us to see some of those famous Colorado mountains we've heard about all our lives . And to make our decision easier we decided to time it with the 2011 Denver Eggfest.

This post is only about the Eggfest.

I made a short video to make it easier to see why we had fun and met some nice folks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYYAt29kRs

I'll post later about the other things we did.

Ballooning over Arlington

2011-06-20T05:28:00.001-05:00

In another life, we lived a few years in Jacksonville, Florida. Actually, Arlington, and we loved it there.

One of the many great joys while living there was a hot air balloon ride we took on my birthday. It was a total surprise to me, one that I will never forget.

Judy woke me before dawn and said, "Get dressed." She didn't say why. Then we were out the door driving to I didn't know where.

Within minutes we arrived at the practice field at Jacksonville University where a number of hot air balloons were being readied for liftoff.

I thought she just wanted me to see the balloons lifting off, but no... not her style. She said the yellow one was ours. I could hardly contain my excitement while the huge balloon filled with hot air and started tugging to break free from Earth. Within minutes we were 'Up Up and Away.'

The sunrise was just starting to make a little crack over the beach to the east and the town below was coming alive with traffic. The buildings and bridges downtown were starting to shine in the sun. It was breathtaking to say the least.

We were drifting south, then east, then west as we changed altitude. Within minutes we passed close enough to our old apartment on the water that we could clearly see it.

Then we were headed right over our house. We were close enough that we could hear our dog, Punkin, barking at us. We even talked to her but I doubt that she heard us. We didn't want to yell and wake up the neighbors.

A couple of "WOOOOOOSSHHHHH's" from the burner and we went higher and westward, then southward, eventually making our way to Baymeadows Country Club where we gently sat down on a fairway.

We helped collapse the balloon and load it in the chase car, drank our customary champagne and smiled with the realization that this was one of our life-adventures that we would never forget.

Rather than ride back to the start point in a chase car, we decided to walk over to Judy's Mom's apartment there at Baymeadows and surprise her. We did surprise her but as we told of our adventure you could tell from the look in her eyes that she wished she had been along.

There was only 8mm film movie cameras back in those days so we borrowed one for a few shots. Plus, the balloon people must have taken some too. Anyway, we had the film converted to the more modern VCR format. Then we tried having that converted to CD but it didn't take.

To recapture these unforgettable moments I mounted my Flip video camera in front of an old TV that was still connected to a VCR player. It definitely isn't Hollywood quality but I think it captures enough of the moment to allow us to re-live it and smile whenever we want.

Just as important, we can now share it with everyone.

Take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWHIrW_FSvE

We Went To Hawaii

2011-06-05T10:22:00.004-05:00

The long-time dream to go to Hawaii was finally realized when we flew first class to Honolulu and cruised the islands in a penthouse suite aboard the Pride of America . It could not have been nicer, even in our dreams.

Here is our ship:

Here is our itinerary.

Green Eggs & Ham....burgers Fest in Athens, Texas

2011-05-26T18:26:00.001-05:00

Athens, Texas is known as the home of the hamburger. Yep, the wonderful hamburger that we all know and enjoy frequently got its start in Athens, Texas.

But Hamburgers is not the reason we went to Athens for the very first time, it was Big Green Eggs. We were invited to attend the very first Athens Eggfest which was being held at the Texas Freshwater Fish Hatchery just east of downtown. The name given to the Eggfest is Green Eggs & Ham....burgers Eggfest.

We really didn't know what to expect because we learned a few weeks before that every weekend there are 300 or more people, mostly kids, there to learn more about fish and even fish for them in one of the lakes set aside for potential fishermen and fisherwomen.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived is that the place is huge. Not only that but it is very professionally designed with the public in mind but the entire staff is there to make sure visitors enjoy their adventure.

The reason the site was selected for an Eggfest is because the Director is an avid Egghead. His name is Allen Forshage. He wanted to introduce the Big Green Egg to folks in the area and what better way than to just invite them out to see and taste the Big Green Egg in action.

Joining him in his venture was his wife, Darlean, who just happened to be the Director of Tourism for the City of Athens. What a team they are because it wasn't long before some major players got involved. Among them, Brookshire Grocery and Morrison Supply, a Big Green Egg Dealer.

From the start, they didn't intend to follow the pattern set by previous Eggfests around the country, they wanted to make it bigger and better. First of all, it had to be something that we Eggheads would have a good time participating in, and second, the public would remember the day as a fun and informative "Eggsperience."

It turned out to be that and more.

I could go on and on but the best way to see what happened in Athens is to watch their video and look at some photos.

The video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YDGHoZzd7E

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Freshwater-Fisheries-Center/128462433868391?ref=ts

The photos:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Freshwater-Fisheries-Center/128462433868391?ref=ts#!/pages/Texas-Freshwater-Fisheries-Center/128462433868391

Hope to see you in Athens next year.

Salado Egghead Gathering

2011-05-16T05:54:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to editing the many videos and photos taken at the Salado Egghead Gathering back on March 26th and posted the movie on YouTube.

Here's the link if you care to take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDW6PRFeIDU

Next stop, Athens, Texas this weekend for the Green Eggs and Ham....burgers fest. Should be another great time.

70th Birthday

2011-05-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

Today is my 70th birthday, or as I prefer to think of it: 52/18th birthday.

Nothing is planned. In fact, I may just go back to bed now that I've read the paper and cooked breakfast. What could be better than being totally relaxed?

We celebrated my birthday two weeks ago while we were in Hawaii. Yes, after 38 years, we went on that dream vacation we always wanted. It was wonderful. Hawaii is all its cracked up to be, and more.

I'm still working on the movie version but even my best attempt at sorting and editing the thousand or so photos and hundred or so video segments won't come close to experiencing it in person. The islands were wonderful and the people were wonderful and the ship was wonderful. It was much more than we expected.

Stay tuned for the movies...

Catahoula Leopard Dog

2011-04-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

As I may have mentioned to some of you, my great grandfather is credited with helping breed a line of working dogs called "Catahoulas." Or as the state of Louisiana refers to them: Catahoula Leopard Dogs.

In fact, it is the State Dog of Louisiana.

I grew up knowing them as Catahoula Curs. Almost anyone with a farm or ranch or a need to hunt had at least one. They were better than farm hands, or in some cases, better than children when it came to physical work. They carried more than their own weight and demanded nothing in return except to be respected and fed.

There's no limit to the amazing Catahoula stories that can be told by old-timers in the area of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Fortunately, one person from Abita Springs, Louisiana has taken the time and made the effort to tell the Catahoula Cur's, uh excuse me, Catahoula Leopard Dog's story from the beginning. His name is Don Abney. His web site is:
http://www.donabney.com/

Just this afternoon I received an autographed copy of Don's latest book, "The Complete Louisiana Leopard Dog." My name is mentioned in the Acknowledgments section although my only contribution was to tell Don a couple of stories about growing up on my grandfather's farm. My grandfather had a Catahoula that answered to "Sonofabitch." That dog would work all day and then become a watchdog at night. And I'm pretty sure his IQ was higher than mine.

Anyway, if you are a dog person, you really need to get to know the Catahoula. The best place to start is going to Don Abney's site: http://www.donabney.com/ Then if you are as intrigued as I was by what you read there, buy the book. Don has done his homework and put his findings to print.

Thanks Don.

Tracye Dianne Hill December 27, 1966 - March 12, 2011

2011-03-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Tracye was my niece. She was born when I was in the Philippines, stationed on Luzon Island. I didn't know for a few days afterward but in the same letter my sister, Tommie, insisted that I be Tracy's Godfather, even if by proxy. Of course, I said yes.

I couldn't wait to see her but it didn't happen until July the following year, 1967.

She was a beautiful baby and quickly became accustomed to my non-stop photographing of her using my 35mm camera I purchased in the Philippines. It was top of the line at the time and took great photos. Only I was into 'slide' photography and many of my slides were lost when my Mom and Dad's house burned.

But I have one photo of Tracye that I took at my Mom's birthday party. I think it reflects just how beautiful she was.

Judy and I attended her funeral in Monterey, Louisiana. It was one of the best funerals we have ever attended. She was obviously loved by many.

We learned that her death was probably brought about by years of worsening symptoms associated with seizures. She definitely had a rough time of it in her final years.

Her three children, Steed, JayCee and Gus, turned out well. I'm sure she was very proud of them.

Rest in peace, Tracye. You brought a lot of joy to many people in life.

Uncle Jr.

Cold Winter Be Gone

2011-02-18T08:37:00.000-06:00

The weather is okay right now, February 18th, but the past couple of months have been really cold. Got down into the teen's two or three nights, but there were many nights in the low to mid 20's. I don't recall it even freezing last winter. If it did, it was just barely below the freeze mark.

No matter, we're soon to be complaining about the pollen, then the heat and humidity, then the cold again.

We missed our Friend's birthday party on January 1st in San Antonio so we decided to go see him on January 30th while in town for a house blessing for Judy's cousin, Jane Lee. We had never been to a house blessing before and it came as somewhat of a surprise when Jane Lee's husband, an Episcopal Priest, blessed the front and back yards and every room in the house. I suppose that makes it easier to give guests the complete tour and saying this room is blessed but this one isn't.

There were a lot of distant relatives there, most of whom we haven't seen in years. It was fun talking to them as if it was only a few weeks since we last saw each other.

Judy's brother, Curtis and his wife, Sandra, drove down from Kerrville for the event. The four of us had lunch in Market Square before heading down to the house blessing.

The next day we drove to the north side of San Antonio to visit our Egghead friend and spent an enjoyable day there. Another Egghead friend and his wife from here was also there. So I thought I'd make a movie of the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6NdVz8U--0

We stayed until 3:30 and left for home. I'm not too keen on driving after dark anymore so it was a relief when we pulled into our garage about one minute before it was totally dark.

Meanwhile, Judy has already started cleaning out flower beds and trimming some plants so they will have a fresh start.

We're both getting 'Eggcited' about the upcoming Salado Egghead Gathering in Salado, Texas on March 26th. http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/ We've already had over 100 pre-register for the event so it should be fun.

We're also headed up to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Eggfest on April 16th. It's always fun.

Then on April 21st we're leaving for Hawaii. We'll cruise to all the islands and do all the tourist things then fly back to Houston. It's one of those trips we've wanted to do for 35 years. Best to do it now before we get too old and sickly to enjoy it. It should be loads of fun.

After we return from Hawaii, we will be going to the Green Eggs and Ham....burgers Eggfest in Athens, Texas on May 21st. It's at the Texas Freshwater Fish Hatcheries and promises to be a fun event as well.

I'm sure there will be something else to get into after that.

At least this year is not as depressing as 2010. That's a good thing.

Thirteen Days Into The New Year

2011-01-13T21:15:00.000-06:00

"Last Year" seems so long ago, but it has only been thirteen days. Actually, fourteen if you are a numbers person. Even so, it still feels like a long time ago.

The weather has ranged from cool to cold so I'm spending most of my time inside. I'm just not a cool/cold weather person. I wouldn't survive a day up north where temperatures routinely get below freezing. And snow.... no way can I live in that stuff. But the pictures of it sure make it look pretty.

I did visit my doctor and got all good numbers. Even lost a few pounds. Actually, I lost about 27 pounds but put some of them back on during the 'eating season,' uhh, I mean 'holidays.' I'm trying to slim back down before summer.

I've spent some of my 'inside' time working on the web site for the Egghead Gathering in Salado, Texas on March 26th. Here's the link to the site if you're interested: http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/

We were invited to our neighbors house for shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo tonight. It was delicious, as good as most Cajun restaurants. I had two big bowls of it over rice. That's not going to help me lose weight but it sure was good.

Now I'm sleepy.

Coop Christmas Party - The Movie

2011-01-04T20:18:00.001-06:00

It took me long enough but I finally finished the video of the Coop Christmas Party. Almost all of the videos and photos were taken by others. I don't remember picking up a camera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ib848sAOk

I'll try to do better at the upcoming Salado Egghead Gathering in March.

2010 Will Soon Be Over

2010-12-31T08:21:00.000-06:00

As with every year, there were good times and bad times during 2010. Even so, almost everyone looks forward to the new year. Many will tell themselves that it will be better than all the years before, while some will long for yesterday.

Judy and I are looking forward to 2011, but we are doing so with the reality mindset that we no longer have employment income to feed our hunger for adventure. That's okay, we will just have to select what we do and where we go with greater care. More important, we no longer are bound by the shackles of employment nor the hands of a clock. Above all, we have each other to share whatever comes our way.

Meanwhile, we closed out the year with a wonderful Christmas party here at the Chicken Ranch. It was clearly Friends among Friends having fun.

The Christmas decorations are down and put away for another year. The promises to lose ten pounds are constantly reminded by our blue Dr. OZ "Just 10" bracelets. The life-long dream-trip to Hawaii is well planned and paid for. The Eggfest season kicks off in March with a "Gathering of Eggheads" in Salado, Texas.

Both of us are in good health, all but with some aches and pains. And we have a larger TV to make up for our aging vision and comfortable chairs to nap in when we feel like it.

Yes, 2011 is going to be a good year.

Plano Egghead Gathering and Coop Christmas Party

2010-12-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

On November 5th, Judy and I drove up to Plano, Texas and joined with other Eggheads for the 2010 Plano Egghead Gathering at the Plano American Legion Hall the following day. We had a great time. If you want to see what we did to have so much fun, check out the video I put together.

http://planooutlawgathering.blogspot.com/

Now we're getting ready for a Christmas Party with many of those same Eggheads coming to visit. It's on December 18th. Check out the blog site I made for it.

http://coopchristmasparty.blogspot.com/

And while we're on the subject of Egghead Gatherings, a bunch of us Eggheads are getting together in Salado, Texas in April for the Salado Egghead Gathering. Check out the blog site for it too.

http://saladoeggheadgathering.blogspot.com/

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-11-30T18:19:00.001-06:00

While the carpet guys were here today installing the last of the carpet, Judy and I were decorating our Christmas Tree. I forgot how long it takes to make a tree look pretty. And it sure is that...

Had the home theater sound system playing Christmas music all day. White Christmas must have played fifty times.

We're busy preparing for the Coop Christmas Party on December 18th. Quite a few of our Egghead friends and a few non-Eggheads will be dropping by throughout the day, mostly to say hi to our friends from Mexico, Beli, Loren and Valeria. They are spending the night here and leaving the following day on a cruise out of Galveston.

It'll be fun seeing them again, along with all those stopping by.

By the way, if you didn't get a chance to see the video I made of the Plano Egghead Gathering a couple of weeks ago in Plano, Texas, take a look... http://planooutlawgathering.blogspot.com/

Yes, we had a lot of fun.

More Remodeling

2010-11-30T18:09:00.000-06:00

We finally got our new carpet installed, then the new wall unit for the Home Theater System, then the Home Theater System stuff itself. Then today the carpet guys came back to install in the guest bedroom.

That should pretty much do it for flooring for now. There is no more flooring to do. Looks good.

We will have to purge ourselves of some items. Already sent the 50" Mitsubushi TV to New Orleans, along with our favorite coffee table and end table. At least we can go to New Orleans to see if if we get lonely for it.

There's other stuff to get rid of too. Nothing valuable but it works and is in good shape. Judy thinks of it as 'thinning down' our possessions. Probably a good idea.

Remodeling Continues

2010-11-20T08:44:00.001-06:00

Two things really stand out when remodeling a home: it's expensive and it's not fun. Not to mention it makes a mess.

But as of today, we're progressing well. In fact, the installers will be here shortly to replace the carpet in our master bedroom and living room. We had to disassemble our bed because it is a bit complex. It has a Select Comfort (numbers bed) mattress system. Took us about an hour to totally disassemble it. The guys can move the head board the foot board.

Meanwhile, yesterday our tile guy finished installing the new tile in the foyer and wood flooring in the dining room. Then he textured the wall in the guest bath. He will finish up there today.

Then on Monday the new wall unit for the TV will arrive and be set up. It is almost the same size as the one we had before. We sold it on Craig's List to a nice couple who just happen to live nearby.

On Tuesday, Best Buy will deliver the new Sony TV and install it in the new wall unit. We upgraded our home theater equipment to the latest digital technology and paid for them to hook all that up too. By Tuesday night we should be able to watch TV for the first time in over a week.

Yes, Judy and I are tired, sore and sleepy but everything will soon be over. I'll show some photos then.

Bath Remodeling

2010-11-01T09:26:00.001-05:00

The painters and tilers should be finishing up today on our master bath remodel. It already looks better than it did before.

The next step is to call the glass people to come measure the shower enclosure. Then it will take a couple of weeks to build and install the enclosure. Only then can we use it.

Meanwhile, we are operating out of our guest bathroom. It's a bit awkward, that's all.

Here's some before and after photos:

Starting tonight we will be doing a thorough cleaning of the entire house and most of the items in it. Construction generates dust, lots of it.

Pain Block Injection

2010-11-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

Shortly after my knee replacement surgery in June, I developed a strange but painful burning sensation on the top of my foot. In as much as it was the same leg as the knee replacement my first thought was that the two were related. Apparently not so, and it took a few months and a lot of tests to determine that it was a nerve issue, probably resulting from a slight bulge near L5 and S1. I could just put up with it or they could try something. Putting up with it was not an option so they scheduled me for pain block injections last Friday.

Although these injections are sometimes performed in the examining room, my doctors prefer that it be done under surgery conditions: fasting, hospital gown, surgical center, anesthesia, and recovery room. I was home later in the day but limited as to what I could do due to the anesthesia. Definitely no driving.

The injection is to deliver an antiflammatory drug directly to the point where needed. The doctor actually utilizes an X-ray to position the needle.

I was in hopes that the results would be immediate but so far that hasn't been the case. They said it may take a few days and possibly additional injections, but they feel this treatment will solve the problem with minimal disruption.

Oddly, the burning sensation comes about within minutes after lying in my bed to sleep. If I am not asleep when it starts I will have to get out of bed. The burning goes away almost immediately and remains clear until I return to bed. However, once asleep, I can awaken during the night and not experience the sensation.

There never seems to be an end to the complexities of an aging body.

Master Bath Remodeling

2010-10-26T07:10:00.000-05:00

Our master bath has been mostly unchanged since November 1988. Although everything still works, it shows both age and wear. And frankly, we're just tired of it.

So today the remodelers will take out the entire shower down to the wall, including the glass doors and frame. Also, the floor pan will come up and be replaced. They will also take up all the carpet and the ceramic tile flooring in the potty area.

Tomorrow they return to do the plumbing for the new shower fixtures and replace the tub and sink faucets. It will probably be Thursday when they return to install the new tile floor and shower. Then most of the heavy work will be done. Another day of grouting and cleaning and we can then call the shower door people to come measure for a frameless glass fixture. That takes about ten days to order and return for the install.

All of this should greatly update the bathroom and hopefully last out our remaining years here.

Meanwhile, one of the workers is going to refurbish our wood and cut glass front door. A lot of sanding and cleaning, followed by new stain and multiple coats of urethane. We also purchased a new brushed nickle door latch kit. It should look good.

I'll be posting photos of the progress.

So That's a Gallbladder

2010-10-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

It started with a slight pain on my right side just under the ribs. Not all the time, but sometimes it would hurt enough for me to press on it for relief. Actually, it was more annoying than painful.

Finally I asked my doctor about it and within three days and a few scans I was scheduled for laparoscopic gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) to remove the gallbladder and a bunch of gallstones through several small incisions in my abdomen.

That was last Thursday afternoon and I was home the following day. Pretty amazing what doctors can do these days.

Anyway, I didn't know what a gallbladder was and started asking around. It turns out that humans have known for over four centuries that the gallbladder isn't necessary for humans to lead a normal life. I'll know if that's true on Saturday when I see the surgeon. I feel great and I'm not leaking anywhere so I'm pretty sure he will say I can resume my normal life.

A "Texas" Sort of Day

2010-09-20T10:34:00.001-05:00

The first signs of Fall is in the air and I woke up wanting something "Texas" for breakfast. It just seemed the right time for it.

So I made a pan of cornbread. But then I started being more creative than hungry. Here's what I came up with. I call it "Heart In The Deep Part Of Texas"

Added some Texas sausage and it was a good breakfast.

Also made a Texas Pineapple Upside Down Cake that turned out both pretty and tasty.

Had some batter left over so I made Baby Texas Pineapple Upside Down Cakes.

Still had some batter left so I made Pineapple Upside Down Aebleskivers

Yes, it was a fun day, and no, there wasn't any smoke flavor from the Big Green Egg.

My Sweetie Had A Birthday

2010-09-10T01:21:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official now... I'm married to someone who is old enough for both Medicare and Social Security. But that's a good thing.

Yep! She had a birthday last Thursday and, as usual, she claimed the entire week to be her "Birthday Week."

Our Forever Friend, Wanda, flew in from Jacksonville on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday. We had a great time, frequently punctuated with food and drink. Our neighbors Pam and Tom joined us for much of the food and drink. We even took Wanda to see the Burcham Triplets that she's been hearing about for over a year. I made a video just to remind us how tiring babies can be for old folks. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92SEIZWBUA

No sooner than we dropped Wanda off at the airport on Saturday, Judy's brother Curtis and wife, Sandra, drove in from Kerrville, and sister Joyce and husband, Allen, drove in from Metairie. We picked up where we left off with lots of fish cooked different ways on the Big Green Egg and more birthday cake.

But we celebrated four birthdays since they all come up soon. Four kinds of cake. Yes, we all probably gained a few pounds.

By 9:00 AM Sunday morning everyone was gone and the house was quiet. We never even got out of our PJ's all day long.

Happy Birthday, my Love. Thank you for sharing your life with me.

Final Knee Surgery Update

2010-08-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well, as of 8/18/10 I'm officially on the right road to knee surgery recovery. All those blood tests, cultures, Xrays and body scans found nothing seriously out of whack with me.

But my leg still hurts.

They think it may possibly be due to my sciatica rearing its ugly head. But it could also be from some remaining inflammation in the knee (not unexpected at this stage). So they gave me a few anti-inflammatory pills for a few days. If the pills don't help it then it's probably the sciatica. If that doesn't work they will declare me 4-F and no longer eligible for the draft.

The fun will begin again sometime next year when they do the right knee.

Knee Surgery Update 3

2010-08-06T05:33:00.000-05:00

It has now been over four weeks since surgery and my new knee seems to be working okay, although it is still a bit sensitive. But I'm still having problems with pain in other areas of my leg.

My knee surgeon sent me to a Pain Management doctor to see if perhaps a different combination of pain meds would help. It did but I'm still having some problems with cramps and spasms pretty much all the time. My foot is also creating a lot of pain because it feels like it is tingling, or extremely hot, or extremely cold, especially at night while I'm trying to sleep.

He sent me for a bone density scan and the results were interpreted by the surgeon who performed my back surgery two years ago. He said he thinks it could be due to bone pressing against my nerves. He wants to perform another Laminectomy.

Meanwhile, my knee surgeon suggested I do another month of physical therapy. I haven't done that yet because now they want me to undergo a Nuclear White Blood Cell scan. They are concerned that there may be infection in the leg. The scheduler for the Nuclear scan said they rarely do this type scan and it takes up pretty much most of the day. They have to load me up with some glow in the dark stuff.

At least they are trying to find out what is causing the pain.

Knee Surgery Update 2

2010-07-30T00:30:00.001-05:00

It has now been over seven weeks since my knee replacement surgery. And I still hurt quite a bit. But most of the pain is not from the knee, it's from my entire leg, mostly the thigh and calf areas. So my surgeon referred me to a pain management doctor. He quickly determined that something was amiss. He changed my pain medication from Hydrocodone (It never really worked very well anyway) to a less potent drug. But he added another drug that addresses the tingling/burning/freezing/numbness in my leg. Then he scheduled me for a bone density scan. I do it about nine hours from now.
If that isn't enough he will use some kind of device to help locate circulatory problems. And if that doesn't work he will schedule me for an MRI. He's determined to find out why my leg hurts so much.

Meanwhile, I finished my therapy. Or I should say my therapy benefits ran out and now my surgeon wants to schedule me for another month of treatments. That's good because I missed a lot during the first two weeks when I was anemic. I would always arrive on time but as soon as the therapist saw me looking pale, or struggling to do an exercise, she would stop the treatment. Most of the time when that happened I was so dizzy that I was close to passing out. I've got my strength back and really need to work on the areas that are still stiff and swollen.

My surgeon told me earlier today that I have good circulation in my legs. He also said the knee surgery and my range of motion is right on target except for about 5° to get my leg straight.
At least I'm recovering from the surgery.

I made a video of my experience and posted it on YouTube if you care to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LMlsl_7N4Y

I'll report again soon.

Knee Surgery Update

2010-07-30T00:25:00.000-05:00

Knee Surgery Update

It is now 7/24/10 and I'm still in recovery mode from my knee surgery on 7/9/10, and apparently, I will be for at least another six weeks up to a year. Yes it still hurts but getting to hurt less. There are periods when the pain level reaches 8, as it did on Friday during my last day of therapy. Actually, it wasn't the therapy itself that caused the spike in pain but cramps and inflammation, compounded by stiffness. The combination made me nauseous and light-headed. I needed to come right home so that I could at least try to rest. Saturday was better and I actually felt pretty good for a few hours.

I see Dr Fitzgerald, my knee surgeon, this Tuesday and I'm curious as to what he will do. I think I'm behind where I should be as for range of movement and ability to function around the house. I'm already wearing a knee brace designed to straighten my leg but I can't get enough bend in it to make a full revolution on a bicycle. Deep knee bends and squatting is out of the question. But the therapy folks tell me everyone is different and one day I will be back to normal. Meanwhile, drink plenty of clear liquids, eat lots of vegetables and do the exercises as directed, some of them as frequently as possible.

At least I'm now able to put my own shoes and socks on, a significant milestone for me, and doing Number Two in the restroom is no longer a 45-minute ordeal, prepped by suppositories, vocalized by grunts and groans and a final 'aaaaaaaa,' and then soothed by gentle baby wipes. Precious moments indeed.

In an effort to keep my mind off the constant pain I've decided to do a full recovery of my computer. It was doing things that it should not have been doing, most likely because of my recent installation of Windows 7. I'm slowly getting it put back together.

Another update will follow soon...

Total Knee Replacement Surgery

2010-06-30T15:15:00.003-05:00

Today starts the third week of recovery from my knee replacement surgery on June 9, 2010. It has not been a fun experience. Pain is the key word to describe all aspects of recovery. There hasn't been a single moment when it wasn't there, usually at level 8 or higher, even while under the influence of Vicodin every four hours.

I've been trying to find that happy moment between sleep, therapy and pain to record my experiences but until now my brain hasn't been functioning well enough to write about all that I hope to be able to record here for the world to see (at least for those who may want to read about my experience before they do it themselves).
I have to say though, everyone, including Doctor Fitzgerald's staff, Tops Surgery Center staff, friends and neighbors, and especially my Judy, have gone well beyond what I expected from them. In fact, they are the energy behind where I am today. And they constantly assure me that where I may be disappointed in my progress, the truth is that I am coming along well. At least I was until the last three or four days when my energy level dropped to near zilch. Where I consider it a disappointing setback, they look beyond it and say there's tomorrow and the next day and the next day, until I can truthfully feel that I have recovered from what has to be the most difficult surgery I have ever encountered.

I will try to briefly explain why the need for surgery in the first place.

I've had bad knees for as long as I can remember. Nothing dramatically wrong with them, they just ached a lot when standing on hard surfaces for long periods. Then about seven or eight years ago I had a serious pain in the left knee that would not go away. I went to Doctor Fitzgerald, an orthopedic surgeon at KSF Orthopedic Center. He diagnosed 'torn meniscus' as the cause and suggested orthoscopic surgery to repair it.

During the surgery he recorded clear images of the interior of my knee, pointing out each step he was taking and showing images of a growing arthritis problem which I would eventually need to address. Seven years later I told him, "I'm back."

(continued later when I get my wits back)

I'm now into my fifth week of recovery. Yes, it still hurts, but not nearly as much as before. I'm having a lot of problems with cramps. My therapist told me that it may be due to a lack of hydration. Could be, I pee a lot, mostly due to the drugs. So I try to drink a lot of water. Even that doesn't work well because if I drink a cup or a quart I almost immediately pee a cup or quart. I just can't keep it in me. Anyway, the cramps hurt a lot. But I've also got a problem with my sciatica. All the way from my hip to my toes is in constant pain. Nothing helps relieve it and to make matters worse I can't sit for very long anywhere. We went to a burger place a couple of days ago and I had to stand up a number of times the pain was so bad.

I'm also behind on my therapy progress, mostly because I was anemic for about three weeks and could not complete my therapy sessions. The timing was bad because it was when I was suppose to be making the most progress. As a result, the doctor ordered a device which I will wear on my knee a few hours a day. Each day I tighten a screw or something that straightens my leg. The last measurement showed I was -5° off plumb. I need to be 0°. I'm told that it's very important or I will always walk funny and be less than stable.

I'm still taking Vicodin but in considerably less amounts. On average, I take maybe one tablet every six hours, but if the pain is bad enough I will take one at four hours. At least I'm not taking two at a time like in the first few weeks. I supplement the Vicodin with Tylenol or use Tylenol only if the pain isn't that bad. I would like to be off Vicodin completely by week seven. That's when I end my therapy sessions at the health center.

Even with all the problems I'm having now I still plan to have the right leg done later this year or early next year. I think the right leg will be much easier to deal with because I've never had problems with cramps or sciatica in the right leg. Plus, I've kinda learned what works and what doesn't work. Hopefully, they will give me some other kind of pain meds. Vicodin just doesn't do the job that well for me.

I'll update again in a few days.

Pool

2010-06-01T01:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Memorial Day and it was HOT! So we talked about what we’re going to do to cool off during the summer now that Judy is retired. Eventually, the discussion came around to pools. And that led to us remembering just how much we enjoyed having our pool in Florida. And before long we decided if we would forego some of the planned cruises, trips and high-tech toys we probably could afford one.

That’s when we decided to take the plunge.

Judy is officially retired

2010-05-29T11:37:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know it is before June 4th, her original 'last day.' But her boss was kind enough to tell her to go home and don't come back on Thursday, May 27th. Not only did he send her packing a week early, he made a nice little goodbye speech and presented her with yet another token of appreciation, a very nice check for a job well done and wish for a wonderful future.

The timing was perfect too because we had friends from New Orleans arriving later in the evening.

And wouldn't you know it, by 10:00 the next morning she wanted to go to the Social Security office to make sure her application for Social Security was completed properly. The nice lady explained a few things we didn't know, corrected a couple of things in the application and promised a check deposit in our account in Mid September. Good idea to visit with them.

So my Sweetie and Soul Mate is now mine and only mine forever.

And what has she done since Friday, her official first day of retirement? Rearranged the kitchen, organized the maze of computer wires in our office, and planned a whole slew of projects for us. I think I'm in trouble. But I'm going to love doing it because my Sweetie is by my side all day, every day.

Ain't life grand?

Knee Replacement Surgery

2010-05-25T02:13:00.002-05:00

This is one of those stories that started long ago. In fact, it could possibly be traced back to my childhood because my knees have always seemed to hurt more than any other party of my body. But for the past ten or so years the knee pain has continued to grow worse each year.

About seven years ago I was treated orthoscopically for a torn meniscus in my left knee. The surgeon actually made a video of the interior of my knee as he repaired the damages. In the video he was talking to me as if I was awake, casually pointing out the various steps he was taking. Then he showed me some arthritis and commented that one day that was going to be a problem and that I would be back.

Seven years later I told him, "I'm back."

Naturally, they took x-rays of my knees and it took only one glance for me to see what the problem was. The inside of both knees had no cushioning whatsoever between the upper and lower joints. It was clearly bone-on-bone with considerable 'spurs' indicating extensive wear. No wonder my knees hurt.

The doctor said my only recourse now was to have both knees replaced with artificial knees. He also pointed out that I needed to do it soon because at my age and medical history I could incur yet another medical condition that might disqualify me from ever having knee surgery. I would most likely be wheel chair bound within a few years. Meanwhile, I would continue to incur increased pain and loss of mobility.

It didn't take long for me to say, "Let's do it then."

This is what it will involve:

Because Judy's retirement was already set for June 4th, we selected the following week after her retirement for the surgery. That way she could help in my recovery which could take as much as three months.

There were a number of medical steps to take first, including watching a video, getting clearances from my primary care and cardio doctors, more x-rays, blood tests, donating two units of blood for use in surgery if needed, arranging for walkers and braces and follow-up therapy and the endless paperwork so that it could be covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance.

The surgery will be performed at Tops Surgery Center on June 9th and will only address the left knee. The right knee will be done sometime in the near future.

Needless to say, our plans for travel this year came to a halt. Now we will just wing it. If I can move about and travel well we still might get in an Eggfest or two, or perhaps a trip to see family.

I am amazed at how many people have undergone this same surgery and every one of of them say it was the best thing they could have done for themselves. Most claim it only takes a few weeks before they are able to get around quite easily, even playing golf after three weeks. That's a good sign.

Judy's Retirement Party

2010-05-10T00:35:00.003-05:00

Judy's retirement date, June 4th, is fast approaching and she's counting down the days. Meanwhile, her boss, Denny and his wife, Kathy, hosted a retirement party on May 8th for her at their home in Tomball. Only employees of the company, Highlander Financial, and a few relatives and friends were there to offer their best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

The 'Retirement Cake' above reflects our plans to visit Eggfests around the country in years to come. Each balloon represents an Eggfest. We're both 'Eggheads' and love getting together with other Eggheads to cook on the Egg. Pretty creative idea for a cake huh? A friend of Jennifer's made it. Jennifer worked at the company for many years until she had triplets.

Another former employee, George and his wife Verla, drove in from Jacksonville, Florida for the party. It was another big but wonderful surprise as they walked into the room.

May 8th was also Judy's sister, Joyce's, birthday and she and husband Allen, from Metairie, Louisiana flew into town to celebrate. It just happens to be my birthday as well, so Joyce and Judy's brother, Curtis (Skipper), from Kerrville, Texas was also in town with his wife Sandra. Our good friends and next door neighbors, Pam and Tom, were also there, another nice surprise. It was like a triple celebration.

Not only were there some very nice and sometimes fun gifts for Judy, but the word was secretly put out to a number of the company's clients and associates weeks before that if they wanted to offer retirement wishes they could send their cards directly to Kathy. Great idea! So I also let it be known to our Egghead friends what was going on. The result was an avalanche of cards dumped on Judy as she sat totally unaware of what was happening. It was fun watching her look at the pile of envelopes then but even more fun watching her read the cards in a quiet moment at home. She was truly touched by the outpouring of best wishes.

Needless to say, there was plenty to eat and drink to celebrate the occasion. Everything turned out perfect. It was one of those very memorable parties that lasts only a few hours but produces smiles for a lifetime.

Here are some photos that I thought reflected the spirit of the moment. Just click on 'Slideshow' and sit back for a few minutes.

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y279/leroymcmillin/Judys%20Retirement%20Party%202010/

Oklahoma Eggfest 2010

2010-04-20T17:48:00.000-05:00

We made it up to Oklahoma City again for their Eggfest last weekend, April 16th and 17th. It rained pretty much the entire time but not enough to dampen the spirits of those who came from miles and states around to get there. It was great. A lot of fun and a lot of new friends made.

Needless to say, I had my share of adult beverages but the damage was minimal and I'm already getting ready for the Texas Eggfest in 10 days. I'll be doing the same things I did there but with considerably more experience at it.

I only took video this time and it is still in the editing stage. I'll post the link to YouTube as soon as I finish it.

Meanwhile, I won a Mini Big Green Egg and "Most Creative Entry" for the FireWire contest. Here's my entry:

Yea I know it's a little risque but so is life these days. If you look closely, I made a BBQ pit with a grill on top. In the pit there's some lump charcoal and some red and yellow cellophane that looks like flames. The Object on top is a, how do you say, "modified wiener," or a cowboy with a large Ding-A-Ling. The entry won me a set of FireWire Skewers and a lot of smiles, smirks and winks but no public acknowledgement. I didn't care. All I was there for was to have a good time. I did that for sure....

Another Weekend, Another Project

2010-03-07T21:46:00.003-06:00

Last year we dismantled the old wooden deck and sidewalk behind the garage replaced it with concrete. Before they poured the slab I connected some drain pipe to one that stopped at the edge of the wooden deck and ran it across the back of the garage to just outside our fence. In doing so it helped to relieve some minor flooding on a sidewalk. But my plans were to continue the pipe ninety feet to the street and place a pop-up head for the water to flow out at the edge of the curb and on to the street.

Well we got a guy to do it yesterday and just in time. There's an 80% chance of rain tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be enough to check out the new drain.

This is one of those projects we wish we had done twenty years ago. Now it's done and I shouldn't have worry about it anymore.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to finish up Judy's new plant potting stand and the counter behind the garage. I've built the frame and louvered cedar doors and now I'm ready to install porcelain tile on top of both. We bought the tile and probably would have started tomorrow except for the rain. I'll just work on another project inside.

There's always something to do around here.

A few days later...

Take a look at what we did.

Judy Is Retiring

2010-03-05T01:18:00.000-06:00

After four and a half decades of commuting to work, making sure customers and bosses are happy and all the stuff in between, my Sweetie is finally ready to retire. It wasn't an easy decision. She agonized for weeks over the exact date and time: June 4, 2010, 4:30 PM or June 4, 2010, 4:00 PM by skipping lunch. But 4:30 won out because the last day was no reason to start making changes. Any changes in her life would start when she arrives home at 4:55 and then it's MARGARITA TIME...

She asked me to set up a countdown calendar so she will know just how long she's got.

Judy's Retirement Countdown

Meanwhile, her boss is throwing a little party for her at his house on May 8th. That should be fun.

Oh yea, and she's got all these ideas about seeing America and Canada and Mexico and other places yet unnamed, but which include Big Green Egg fests all over the country. I suppose I'd better not start any new projects just yet.

It's going to be nice to have her all to myself for a change, but I may have to take on a second wife, younger of course, who has a good job that pays enough to afford us. (Can I do that???)

Snow

2009-12-05T00:26:00.005-06:00

It doesn't happen often but it snowed in Houston and we got some of it here. Of course, it didn't last very long but it was pretty for a few minutes. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46yRMky0kVM

Maybe we can get some more before the winter is over.

iPhone Has Found A New Player

2009-11-23T23:16:00.005-06:00

We have been looking at changing our increasingly expensive accumulation of 'electronic necessities' to see if we could take advantage of some of the 'bundle' packages the phone, TV and Internet Service Providers are offering.

We were using AT&T for our home phone, Verizon for our cell phones, Comcast for our ISP, Direct TV for our satellite TV and Comcast for our cable TV. Yea, satellite and cable TV. A little overkill is what we think too.

But get this, we've had 450 minutes of family cell phone minutes and rarely ever used over one or two minutes per month between us. And we don't text messages at all. We concluded it was more horsepower than we needed, especially now that Judy has given notice of her intentions of retiring in June 2010. One good cell phone will be enough, possibly with a pre-paid backup cell phone for emergencies.

Next, we were paying more than a few bucks for cable TV because when we originally signed up for High Speed Internet services the only carrier in our area was Roadrunner. They required that we purchase at least their basic cable TV service in order to qualify for their Internet service. Comcast took over from Roadrunner and does not require the basic cable service. We just never got around to changing it, mostly because we can see cable programs on other TV's throughout the house, including on my computer.

Finally, we were paying a goodly amount for our home (land-line) phone service because we didn't want to worry about long distance bills. Well, we could have talked for a very long time being charged by the minute and probably had money left over.

So we decided to try Vonage. They were one of the first to offer the new computer/internet based VoIP telephone servces. (That was a few years ago.) Their price is certainly right. After taxes and stuff it was only going to be about $34 a month and came with unlimited local and long distance calls. We also liked it because it had some neat features we could turn on or off as we wanted. But then we learned that their service was not compatible with our Brinks alarm system. Plus, it slowed our Comcast Internet download speeds to the point of 'crawl.' By then we had had enough.

Back to the drawing board.

Meanwhile, we wanted an iPhone, with the emphasis on "wanted" rather than "needed." Only place to get one is ATT so by the time we finished talking to a salesman we had agreed to go with their ATT Uverse package that gave us TV, Internet and telephone services. And we could apply a promotional credit toward the iPhone, essentially making it free.

Then things started getting complicated. We heard that ATT's Uverse would not work with our alarm system unless (too technologically complex to understand) and we might have to change our phone number because we still had Vonage.

We suddenly realized that we could lose our phone number and our email addresses we had had for many years if we changed, not to mention possibly losing Internet connection speed and TV viewing in each room unless we paid a fee for a box in each room. By then the costs savings by switching was gone and we ended up with less service.

We went ahead and got the iPhone but tomorrow morning I'm calling to cancel all the other plans for converting the telephone and television to ATT Uverse. Instead, we're probably going to cancel Direct TV (satellite) and increase our cable TV services. Meanwhile, we will disconnect Vonage and ATT will re-install basic land-line phone services here at home, mostly to keep the Brinks alarm system working. Any long distance calls will be charged but we have lots of minutes on our iPhone we can use for that.

If it doesn't work for us in the long run, at least we will have given it our best shot of getting the right services for our money. And we learned a lot in the process.

Live and learn...

Meanwhile, we have our new iPhone and love it. It is absolutely amazing what all it can do with the apps we've downloaded (mostly free and one for $ .99). And it is a pretty decent cell phone (which could be a plus one day).

Coop at Night

2009-11-09T18:50:00.005-06:00

Halloween 2009 was one of the best Halloween's ever. The weather was perfect, the moon was huge, the mood was right and the Coop could not have looked better. So I got my camera and started taking pictures...

Eggtoberfest 2009 - Atlanta

2009-10-29T03:50:00.005-05:00

Once again we made the trip to Atlanta for Eggtoberfest. And once again we had a great time. The weather was a bit cool and damp but not flooding like the days before.

This year we were part of Team Mexico. Some Egghead friends from Monterrey, Mexico have been sharing some really great south-of-the-border recipes so we tried to stick with that theme by cooking Jalapeno Pie and Pollo ah la Palancha. Here's a photo of us with one of the Jalapeno Pies:

Our neighbors, Pam and Tom, are now Eggheads and decided to join us in Atlanta. They had a great time too.

We also had a surprise visit from someone we haven't seen since about 1975. Henry and Gay Leland from New Orleans were camping in North Georgia and decided to drive down and surprise us. Boy did they ever... It was great. They arrived after the Eggtoberfest was over but just in time for the After Party. They were so impressed with the food and friendly atmosphere that they immediately ordered a Big Green Egg to be delivered when they return home.

Henry hired me to work at Wells Fargo Armored Service back in 1970. Judy was already working there. He introduced us and the rest is history... a very nice history too.

Here's a picture of Henry:

Now we're headed to Plano on November 6 & 7 for a small 'gathering' of our Egghead friends. Should be fun.

CNN Article On Eggheads

2009-08-28T15:29:00.003-05:00

Some time ago CNN announced that they were doing a story about backyard Grill Masters. One of the Eggheads posted something about it on the Big Green Egg Forum so I decided to throw my two cents in.

So I wrote about cooking in The Coop and added a few embellishments to tell the story as I see it. Here's the link to my entry as a CNN iReporter:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-269624

Wouldn't you know it, they picked up on the theme of Eggheads and cooking on a Big Green Egg. They decided to do a separate story about us Eggheads.

A few Eggheads had already entered photos of some of their cooks or told how they enjoy 'Egg'n,' but their reports were kind of tame compared to what I entered. And I spread it on thick, with emphasis given to the Chicken Ranch, my "Girls" (my Big Green Eggs), and the red light that burns whenever the girls are working.

Anyway, the story was published while we were in Alaska, so we didn't get to read it until later. Meanwhile, a bunch of our friends read it and thought it described us well. I did too.

Without further ado, here's the link to the story.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/07/09/eggheads.irpt/index.html

Enjoy

Leroy
aka Spring "Proprietor Of The Chicken Ranch" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Skipper's 70th Birthday

2009-08-24T11:48:00.004-05:00

Judy's brother, Curtis "Skipper" Conrad, celebrated his 70th birthday on August 21, 2009 and we surprised him by showing up at his favorite restaurant ahead of his arrival.

Judy and I met Joyce (the other sister) and Allen at the airport in Houston and drove straight to Kerrville, Texas, checked into our hotel and headed to the restaurant. Got there just in time as he walked in along with his daughter's family. It was great and I got it on video.

We later met up at his home where I cooked his favorite snack on the Big Green Egg which I brought with me.

Anyway, here's his celebration made into a movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht1qM29tQYc

Our Alaska Trip Photos and Videos

2009-08-05T21:01:00.010-05:00

I took 1501 photos and over 200 video segments of our Alaska trip. It is taking some time to edit and compile it so that it is suitable for viewing.

So far I've only done day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day 6, 7 and now day 8. Day 9 was spent in Vancouver touring the city and generally waiting for a very late flight back to Houston. I also plan to put together some unforgetable moments both on and off the ship.

Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

Day One (Getting there)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-mlgQvk32c

Day Two (Denali National Park Adventure)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XfFK8Wo1pA

Day Three (Train Ride From Denali To Anchorage)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytftZv9mHj8

Day Four (Ride to Whittier and Glacier Tour Boat)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAl3afCGGQw

Day Five (Glacier Bay)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_4ZkJQJlUY

Day Six (Skagway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HnZzVY3IU

Day Seven (Juneau)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O3SNSEZE1Q

Day Eight (Ketchikan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ASTMJmv76Q

North To Alaska

2009-07-08T03:32:00.002-05:00

In just over three hours we will be departing Houston and headed for Fairbanks, Alaska for a 11 day vacation. We've been wanting to do this for thirty years and now we're actually doing it.

We will be meeting others in Seattle for the flight on up to Fairbanks. Judy's sister, Joyce, and husband, Allen, along with some of their friends from New Orleans and our tour guide will be in the group.

We will have dinner in Fairbanks and then a bus ride to our lodge near the entrance of Denali National Park.

Early Thursday the adventure really begins as we board a bus that will take us deep into Denali National Park and fairly close to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Judy and I will be returning to the lodge by small airplane that will take us up and around Mt. McKinley so that we can see it up close. Opportunity of a lifetime and we didn't want to miss it.

From there, we travel by train to Anchorage and then on to our ship, the Diamond Princess, for the inside passage cruise with lots of stops before arriving in Vancouver. By then we will be ready to head for home.

I have enough camera gear to make a Hollywood type movie so there should be plenty of pictures and videos later on. So stay tuned.

The adventure begins...

Plantar Fasciitis

2009-07-01T13:43:00.003-05:00

Ever hear of Plantar Fasciitis? Well I have and it's not a fun subject.

What is Plantar Fasciitis? It's a painful foot problem. Simply stated, on manmade surfaces we often roll inward (pronation) flattening the arch and overstretching the plantar fascia (a thick, powerful layer of ligament-like tissue that fans out over the sole of your foot). Your feet strike the hard, manmade surface an average of 5 to 10 thousand times a day. With pronation, the plantar fascia tissue gets continuously overstretched and inflamed and that's why it hurts!

And it hurts like a SOB sometimes. Enough that I finally went to see a foot doctor after two months of suffering. After exploring the options I ended up getting an anti-inflammatory, cortisone injection directly in the area of the heel where it hurt most. I can't take regular oral anti-inflammatory medication due to my heart problem.

Well it continued hurting the rest of the day but the next day I was 100% free of pain. That allowed me to really get after some of those projects I had been trying to do before we left on vacation July 8th. The most pressing project was to finish up repairing the irrigation system so our plants and lawn wouldn't burn up while we're gone.

Wouldn't you know it, the following day the pain was back and has remained so without letup. Looks like I may be hobbling around like a beat up war vet wherever we go while we're away, which, by the way, includes a lot of walking in Alaska and then a lot of walking on board the ship. Walking is definitely going to be a problem.

Anyway, I learned a lot about "heel pain" in general and a lot more about Plantar Fasciitis. The only way to treat it is time and doing some stretching exercises. You can bet I'm doing those. Even so, it still hurts and as of right now has knocked me out of doing anything but sitting and waiting for the pain to let up some.

Oh yea, if you have a stone bruise that doesn't get well in two or three days, you may well have Plantar Fasciitis. And if you allow it to go untreated for a long time you may create other more serious problems with your feet. See a doctor. Then stay off your feet, except for those stretching exercises, for a while. Hopefully, it will go away in less than a year. Yea, a year... Good luck.

More Construction

2009-06-28T22:19:00.002-05:00

Yes, more construction. Actually, 'de-construction,' for the time being because we first have to remove the old wooden deck and sidewalk behind the garage. About 300 sq ft in all. It's done.

I put it in myself about 15 or 16 years ago and we've had continuous problems with critters wanting to live under it, rotting boards that needed replacing, drainage problems under the deck because of the critters, and leaking irrigation pipes because roots cracked the pipes.

So we hired our yard-mowing guys to take it down. Bad move. They didn't have a clue as to how to demolish anything, didn't have the proper equipment or truck to haul off the debris, nor the drive to get started early in the morning while it was relatively cool. We'll call in some experienced people to do the concrete work.

Meanwhile, I've been rebuilding the irrigation plumbing which includes completely rebuilding the six-zone valve array. Tomorrow I will connect the six pipes to the individual valves, then wire the valves to the controller, turn on the water and see if it all works. I think it will because I took great pains to make sure every connection was proper.

I also have to make sure the deep sink supply lines and drain pipe are visible, along with the 12v outdoor lighting wiring conduit, so that the pipes and wire will not be accidentally cut. All of it will eventually be under concrete.

Next, I need to connect about 50' of 4" drain pipe to an existing drain pipe that will run under the concret around the end of the garage and down toward the street. That will help solve a serious flooding problem near our back entrance.

In order to even start on this project we had to destroy Judy's plant stand (also old and rotten) and my shed I built about four years ago (starting to show signs of rot). But that's fine, I will build new ones with a better design and better features and this time use Hardy-Plank.

All of this is really doing a number on the lifestyles of hundreds of roaches and at least one nocturnal creature of the night . Perhaps we won't have to worry about them anymore.

Pictures will follow.

Chim-Chimney's Cookout and Big Green Egg Demo

2009-06-14T03:47:00.005-05:00

Judy and I thought we would ride down to League City, Texas (near NASA) yesterday for a Big Green Egg promotion they had planned. Our neighbors, Pam and Tom, went along for the ride. We thought we would have a nice seafood lunch while we were down that way.

It was HOT! Very HOT! But we had a great time, met a lot of nice people and had a very delicious lunch in a waterfront restaurant in nearby Kemah.

The day turned out to be very lucky for Tom as he won the big door prize, a medium Big Green Egg.

Anyway, here's the story made into a movie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFPYqXDYWA

And this is a followup story showing our neighbor cooking on his newly won Big Green Egg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4yLYiirL3g

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

A Few Of Our Early Adventures

2009-06-01T08:05:00.003-05:00

Since getting my 'Flip' camcorder I've been learning how to make movies. I've learned that I can also give new life and enjoyment to all those old photos from years gone by simply by making them into a movie. Here are a few I've put together and posted on YouTube. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed giving them new life.

The first is of our attempt to join the sea-faring set while living in Miami.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JKNS0AYy_U

And this one was when a friend at Continental Airlines offered us the chance to 'fly' a big Boeing 777 Jumbo Jet. No, not the real thing but close. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iBrr4sG0sA

And while we're 'up in the air' check this out. Judy gave me a ride in a hot air balloon ride one year for my birthday. We were living in Jacksonville, Florida at the time. The balloon just happened to go over the apartment where we first lived (beautiful place on the water) and then over our home. We could even hear our dog, Punkin, barking at us. We ended up on the fairway at Baymeadows Golf and Residential Community where Judy's Mom lived. So we woke her up real early and told her about our adventure. It was a fantastic experience...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w726CZK8JiU

Texas Eggfest - 2009

2009-05-12T20:02:00.006-05:00

The Texas Eggfest 2009 was held over the weekend and it was great. Could not have been much better. At last count there were 320 registered attendees.

The event was held on the decks at The Oasis, a beautiful restaurant high on a cliff overlooking Lake Travis in Austin, Texas.

Friday night a few of us met for an informal Meet and Greet, and watched the sun set in the western horizon. That was fun.

We arrived early Saturday morning and got set up to cook three items: Bourbon Meatballs, Fish Tacos and Bacon-Wrapped Watermelon Rinds. I also had volunteered to teach a class on how to cook one of our favorite breakfasts, EggMcChicken (almost like McDonald's EggMcMuffin) on the Griddle Q accessory for the Big Green Egg. That was fun.

The crowd started to grow and kept growing. And the weather was delightful. It was a good day indeed.

Check out some of the videos I made.

Friday night Greet & Meet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKM9RCidDVg

Part 1 Early Saturday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DqHuV4jMjk

Part 2 Mid Day Saturday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhprhoeT0FU&feature=related

Part 3 Afternoon Saturday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXXR1lw_mIo

This one was so successful, the host dealer has already started on next year's event and promises that it will be even bigger and better.

Can't wait...

Oklahoma Eggfest 2009

2009-04-20T15:31:00.014-05:00

Judy and I flew up to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Eggfest and we are glad we went. It was great. We'll be going again next year.

Meanwhile, here are some videos that will give you a pretty good idea of how much fun we had. The first one just shows the first hour during which we were getting set up and firing up our Eggs. The crowd arrive shortly afterward and things really get going.

Take a look at the four videos.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmyM7FX9nr4

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZJPEyQ_fhI

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwNrBLuZK1Y

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKOL0EQX4wQ

Remembering The Pond

2009-02-27T20:12:00.012-06:00

The Koi pond that has been a fixture here for a long, long time, probably ten years, is no more. We gave it away and filled in the hole. As soon as the dirt settles we will cover it with flagstone like the rest of the patio. There was about a ton of large and very large stones around it and we kept those for use in some future project. Meanwhile, here are a few of our favorite photos of the pond from when it was just a small pathway garden until now.

Almost like it never was.

Gathering of Old Eagles

2009-02-08T12:36:00.008-06:00

Judy and I drove down to Galveston yesterday to have lunch with an old Navy buddy from back in an earlier life while in the Philippines. We were stationed together at USNAVCOMSTAPHIL (US Naval Communications Station Philippines) near a little coastal village called San Miguel. We were about 30 miles west of the huge Naval base, Subic Bay.

By all standards it was considered a great assignment. Only they screwed up my assignment because once there the Navy would not recognize my Army training and I ended up in sort of a "man overboard" status. It pretty much stayed that way until I got out.

Meanwhile, as with any military unit, a few of us hit it off and hung around each other to the point where we were pretty much family.

Although I got out and became a real person again Hank stayed in, eventually making a career change to the Army and remaining there until he retired. He and a few of his cohorts from then meet up each year for a cruise somewhere. This year they sailed out of Galveston.

It was fun seeing him again after forty-two years. We immediately picked up where we left off and told the same stories we told four decades ago. We were all in the Army Security Agency, the Army's version of the National Security Agency. Very hush-hush group back then. So we had plenty to talk about.

Anyway, it was a fun gathering and I'm sure our lives will cross again somewhere and we will re-tell the same stories. Somebody's got to do it...

Here's some shots of us.

Frank in Houma Visit and Blackened Redfish Demo

2009-01-23T13:55:00.004-06:00

Our good friend, Frank Smith, aka Frank in Houma among Eggheads, stopped by on Wednesday. He was on his way to hunt ducks with friends. He brought along some frozen filet of redfish and speckled trout. He also took the time to to demo how he cooks the redfish using Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish seasoning. My neighbor made a video and I took photos of the event. Hopefully, I can link to the video so you can see it here. It's worth watching, especially now that I've done a wee bit of editing...

But here's some photos.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T21:42:00.007-06:00

This year seems to be flying by. Just a few days ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving, and Christmas is already come and gone. Now we're just two days away from a whole new year. It couldn't come at a better time.

We drove over to New Orleans (Metairie actually) to spend Christmas with my Sweetie's sister's family. Had a good time and ate too much for sure.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-11-29T21:36:00.008-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Well, at least the 'holiday' did, but there's plenty of food to remind us that Thanksgiving can last a lot longer than one special day.

This year we hosted my Sweetie's sister, hubby and two sons from New Orleans. They had a bit of a time driving over because of the traffic but at least they made it safely. We kinda figured they would be hungry so we cooked a huge pot roast on the Egg. Before that I cooked two large pork butts for pulled pork sandwiches. They were so exhausted they had some of the roast and then crashed. The pulled pork went into the freezer for another day.

Thanksgiving Day I cooked a 20+ pound turkey (we called him Fred) and he was ready in about three hours. But I let him perk in the Egg for another hour at a much lower temperature while all the side dishes were cooked. By the time we sat down to eat everyone was hungry. Fred turned out to be the best turkey ever, bar none. And the side dishes were absolutely wonderful, as were the desserts.

I suppose you could say we had lots to be thankful for, especially considering all that is going wrong in the world. We had a good roof over our heads, plenty of food to eat and a loving, generous family together to enjoy each other's company. We would be the envy of at least 80% of the world's population if only they could get past the lack of shelter, the pain in their stomachs and the loss of their family members to everything from disease, famine, terrorism and a seemingly endless list of bad people who exploit them to no end. Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

Coop Party 2008

2008-10-31T03:29:00.005-05:00

Well, we finally held the long awaited Coop Party, referred to by some as the Coop-de-doo... It turned out great in spite of some anxious moments only two weeks earlier when Hurricane Ike came through the area threatening, and almost carrying out the threat, to destroy everything in its path, including the Coop, the main focus of the party. But we survived with only limited damage to fencing and the complete distruction of the roof over the spa.

Because of the extensive damage to the area and the lengthy period of power outage, food and fuel shortages and general chaos from so much destruction, we almost cancelled the event. However, we hunkered down and did what was necessary to repair, clean and purchase what was necessary.

By the time it was over, we had 45 show up, some from as far away as Virginia, Mississippi and Oklahoma. The rest were from the San Antonio, Austin and Houston area. All came to have a good time and we did just that. It could not have been better.

I set up a special blog for the party that contains over 200 photos. If you wish to view them, click here: http://chickencoopparty.blogspot.com/

Big Party At The Chicken Coop

2008-09-04T08:59:00.003-05:00

Now that I'm finishing up my recovery from surgery I think it's time to have a party to break in the Chicken Coop. So a few Egghead friends got together here and we set a date... October 4, 2008.

I know, it's just two weeks away from Eggtoberfest in Atlanta (which we will be attending) but anytime sooner would have been too hot or in conflict with other events, or too close to the holiday season.

I posted a formal announcement on the Big Green Egg Forum and within a few days we had RSVP's from about 40 Eggheads and Egghead Wannabee's. There will probably be at least ten or more additional guests as we get down to the wire.

Take a look at the Blog Site I set up for the Party. It lists the names of those coming and will eventually have photos of the event itself.

http://chickencoopparty.blogspot.com/

If you are interested in coming, scroll down the page to the RSVP section and follow the instructions.

This is going to be a really great party.

Another Surgery Update

2008-08-15T23:21:00.003-05:00

I have been in recovery mode for 18 days now and I'm doing fine so far. Well except I'm bored to tears because I can't build, fix or destroy something. Heck, I can't even bend over. But the doctor said it takes six weeks for everything to heal. Even then I will not be able to climb mountains, only small hills. I'll take it.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for the party of all parties, at least as far as we've hosted. This one invites our Egghead friends to celebrate the completion of our outdoor kitchen, the Chicken Coop.

I say 'completion' but in reality it is still an on-going project that just keeps me busy (when I'm not feeling poorly) and out of trouble. Plus, each new idea we come up with is fun to do. We just added a new cabinet in the back that encompasses one of Judy's ideas, a built in ice chest drawer. This is so cool (pun intended). We built a drawer that holds a huge ice chest where we can store bags of ice for up to seven days. I added full-length drawer slides making it very easy to slide out even with a hundred pounds of ice inside.

Then above it I made a huge deep-drawer to hold large, bulky items. Then off to the side I added slide out drawers to house our growing collection of cast iron cookware.

To really enhance the look I made cedar louvered doors for some of it and a solid cedar panel for the other.

We happened on a piece of Corian countertop that will fit perfectly after I trim it. And the good part, it was free.

The Coop should look fantastic for the party if I can ever get back to working on it.

Post Surgery Stuff

2008-07-30T20:18:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally had the back surgery yesterday and it went quite well. Came home today. I'm in a great deal of pain from the actual surgery but the other pain in my legs and hips seems to have disappeared. That's what the goal was all along.

I will be seriously limited in what I can do and where I can go during the next four to six weeks. Then I can start to do some of the things I'm used to doing around here. Well maybe not building outdoor kitchens and flagstone decks but there's always something to do here.

My surgeon said he found nothing else of concern besides the three areas where bone was pressing the nerve bundle (L3 L4 & L5). He performed his magic over a 2½ hour period. It's called a lumbar laminectomy to correct a condition called spinal stenosis. In my case, he thinks it was caused by genetics, but the condition is fairly common although less severe in most people. The surgery success rate is from 95% to 100% depending on where you look. If you have the condition you should certainly consider the surgery before you damage your nerves beyond repair.

I just took two more of the pain meds and my next stop is bed. I hope I can sleep non-stop until tomorrow. Probably not but at least I can take more pills if I need to.

It's nice to live in a country where treatment is available. I couldn't stand much more of the pain that was constantly at level six or higher all day, every day. I'm really looking forward to each and every new day from now on.

Pre-Surgery Stuff

2008-07-17T20:46:00.002-05:00

My back surgery (lumbar laminectomy) isn't until the 29th but I had to go do all the pre-surgery stuff today. Mostly signing papers, but they also did lab work, x-rays and ekg on me. I still have to go to my family doctor to get his release for the surgery but that's next week.

I also learned a little more of what to expect after the surgery. Of course this is all based on the fact that it will be an uneventful, successful surgery.

The surgery will take about 2 1/2 hours. Then I will remain in a recovery room for at least one night, maybe two. They want me up and walking ASAP and certainly by the time I'm discharged the following day. Then I'm to progress my walking to as much as 3 miles a day within six weeks. I am "strongly discouraged from riding in a car for 4 weeks, except when absolutely necessary." I cannot "lounge on an over-stuffed couch" nor "do any lifting, bending, or stooping activities for 6 weeks." I should "specifically avoid bed-making, doing the laundry, vacuuming, or loading the bottom shelf of the dishwasher."

I'm also supposed to remain upright as much as possible, take deep breaths, eat a lot of fruit and fresh vegetables, use multivitamens and avoid alcoholic beverages.

It may "take 3 to 4 months" before I can "resume heavy physical activity."

They say I will have "good days and bad days" and about all I can do is rest, take the medication they provide and place ice packs on the painful area.

This is definitely not going to be a picnic.

Finally Got A Surgery Date

2008-07-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

Three weeks ago I underwent a CT Myelogram for Dr. Cartwright to determine if there were any other areas of concern with my spinal stenosis. There wasn't, but the initial three areas were deemed "serious" and a laminectomy is about the only way to correct the problem.

Surgery has been scheduled for July 29th at Tops Surgery Center near KSF Orthopeodic's offices on Red Oak Drive. I've had knee surgery performed there before. The staff was very nice.

I have to have new bloodwork data and visit with both my primary care and heart doctors prior to the surgery date.

I'm told that it is likely that I will return home the following day of surgery but I will need some level of assistance for a few days.

It sounds like they have this procedure pretty much down pat so I'm not all that worried. If anything, I'm really looking forward to being able to function again without severe pain.

Never an end to health issues

2008-06-21T10:53:00.002-05:00

Once again the ugly side of growing older raises its head and points me in the direction of yet another doctor. This time an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Cartwright at KSF.

My "Mad Max Disease" (affectionately named after my good Egghead friend Mad Max whom I charged with giving me his back problems over two years ago via email) has reached the point where I have to do something besides get epidurals for relief. My treating doctor suggested that I see Dr. Cartwright for a consult.

I had to undergo another MRI, this time an open MRI which was not as "challenging" as the one I had two years ago. I have claustrophobia. But with the open MRI I managed to sleep through the process.

Dr. Cartwright reviewed the MRI results and pointed to three areas where the spinal channel containing my nerve bundle was narrowed and probably putting pressure on the nerves thereby causing the constant pain and occasional loss of control of my legs. The condition is fairly common, especially in older and larger men. Genetics also increases the chances of having the problem called Spinal Stenosis. Surgery is the only way to correct the problem.

He went on to say there may be other problems and he wanted to arrange for a CT Myelogram, a procedure where dye is injected into the spinal column in order to enhance the images through X-ray and CT Scan. I underwent the process yesterday and I'm still suffering from it. That had to be one of the top five pains I have ever suffered. Double doses of Vicadan is all that got me through the night. Even now I'm having serious hearing problems and a headache of the worst kind. Hopefully it will clear up before the day is over. I may just go back to bed and sleep.

If the additional data supports his diagnosis I will likely be scheduled for surgery, a Laminectomy. This procedure involves the removal of the lamina that overlays the spinal canal. It enlarges the spinal canal and is performed to relieve nerve pressure caused by spinal stenosis.

I'm told that I can expect to be laid up for many days, but within three months I should be able to lead a normal life.

An update will follow as soon as I know what the next step will be.

New Blog Site - Chicken Coop

2008-06-03T20:22:00.002-05:00

When we set out to create an outdoor kitchen we basically had in mind a structure that would allow us to cook on our Big Green Eggs out of the direct sun or rain, plus offer the conveniences normally associated with an outdoor kitchen: refrigerator, running water, storage, good lighting and plenty of room to do stuff. Well, we also wanted it to have a pleasing look and be a fun place to hang out, not to mention have a unique personality of its own.

Apparently, we accomplished that and more. Once I began posting photos on the Big Green Egg Forum, I started getting requests for more photos, measurement information, construction details and even requests to hold a party. Some even sent items they thought would be right at home in the Coop. Naturally, they were added to the decor, often getting names of their own.

Of course I was pleased that so many people thought my handiwork was worthy of so much praise and I answered every request for more information.

Then it occurred to me that I could easily set up the Coop's own blog site, which I did and started filling it with photos. Check it out at: http://springchickencoop.blogspot.com/2008/05/spring-chickens-coop.html

Now when a request for information comes in I can simply refer them to the new blog site, along with any other information they may ask for.

Let me know what you think.

Chicken Ranch Update

2008-06-02T09:25:00.007-05:00

Finally, things are starting to settle down a bit here at the Chicken Ranch. Good thing too, because we are now in the "hot" season. It's just way too hot to be outside performing any kind of tasks unless you happen to be one of those who seem to thrive in the heat. I am certainly not one of them.

However, things do still get done. For example, a fast-growing palm tree was taking over a portion of our front landscaping. It's a pretty tree and would normally look nice wherever it is growing, but in this instance it seemed to be overwhelming our other plants while creating a major problem when it comes to maintaining the area. Before destroying it we offered it to someone if they could come dig it up. Someone did and now they have a very nice tree in their back yard. We still need to fill in the hole and clean up the area before planting some more appropriately sized plants.

We also received two new "critters" for our growing collection of Coop Animals. The first came from Egghead, "2nd Lt. Bob" in Massachusetts. We have temporarily assigned the handle, "Sundown" to him until we can come up with a more suitable name.

The second and most recent arrival arrived with a note saying that he is "a sick chick" who "needs some of your good cookin'." He was sent by my Sweetie's cousins after their recent visit to the Ranch. We also need to assign an appropriate name to him.

Here they are during Rodney Dangerbird's security orientation and general debriefing about their roles here.

So now you are up to date. Stay close though because there will surely be more to come.

2008 Texas Eggfest in Austin

2008-05-13T20:50:00.023-05:00

Well, another Texas Eggfest is now under our belt (pun intended). It was held last Saturday, May 10th in Austin, Texas at The Oasis, a really neat restaurant/bar on a high cliff overlooking Lake Travis. We were joined by my Sweetie's sister Joyce and brother Curtis and their spouses, Allen and Sandra. Joyce and Allen helped us cook up four dishes: ABT's, Frito Pie, Chickaletta's and Shrimp over a six hour period.

Everything we cooked disappeared quickly to a hungry crowd of about 150. Only 15 of us were cooking. The rest were new to Egg'n or about to purchase their first Big Green Egg. They were loaded with questions. In fact, 32 Eggs were pre-sold and at least 10 more were sold after the people saw how easy it is to cook on one and how delicious the food is.

Other cooks met with the same results. Lots of great food for lots of appreciative people.

The location could not have been better. We were on a private deck, complete with tables and chairs and our own bar. Water and sodas were free and beer could be obtained with a ticket. Mixed drinks could be purchased for a very reasonable price. We really like this arrangement over having to lug a big ice chest with all our beverages in it.

The view was fantastic. Boats in the lake looked like ants. The only problem we had was the heat. It gets hot in Austin. So next year we're having it in April. Yes, we'll definitely be there, as will just about everyone who came to this one, plus all those who couldn't make it this year.

Our hats are off to BBQ Outfitters, Sponsor of the Eggfest, and The Oasis for allowing us Eggheads to have a really great time. Here's some photos to prove it.

Or watch the video...

Fifty-Seventeen

2008-05-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

In two hours I will be a year older. Fifty-Seventeen to be exact. At least that's the way I prefer to think of it. Of course the traditional method would put me up in my sixties but that's no fun.

If I had thought for a minute that I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself. So here I am, overweight, on heart medication, arthritis in multiple joints, herniated disk in my back, one good eye, missing a prostate due to cancer, a bullet wound, rabid dog bite, cut arm almost off at the shoulder and many other serious threats to my well-being during that time. But I'm still better off than a lot of folks, and for that I consider myself fortunate.

So tomorrow when I wake up I will begin another chapter in my life, just like the day before and the day before that and so on for the 24,455th time. It will be a nice day and the love of my life will be by my side.

It's fun being me.

Happy Birthday

Unfinished Project Finished

2008-04-27T08:06:00.002-05:00

It has been a couple of months since I sawed through the tips of three of my fingers while replacing new wood on Judy's hammock. The fingers are coming along nicely but the project never got completed, that is until yesterday.

It really urps me to start a project and not finish it. So yesterday I finished it. Yep! Got 'er done! Project completed.

No, there's no plans to use the hammock because we already purchased another one, so we will probably give it away. I don't even care if we throw it away. Unfinished, it was just a constant reminder of a project that never got completed. I suppose now I can pressure wash the blood off the garage floor to totally eliminate all evidence suggesting that I did a stupid thing.

At least I didn't let it get the best of me.

More Projects

2008-04-19T22:10:00.004-05:00

My fingers are still healing from my little encounter with the table saw a few weeks back but things are still getting done around here. For instance, our fence that I installed myself almost twenty years ago was in pretty bad shape and needed replacing. We paid someone to do it and they did a great job.

While they were here we had them add to the French Drain I installed last year. They did a great job on that too.

Then we asked them to install a real concrete sidewalk to replace the stepping stones I put in last year. 90' and it looks good.

Of course all of this was expensive but since we've decided this will be home from now on, we wanted things to be for us, not the next owner. Heck, we even had a guy come install new attic stairs that lead to our A/C and water heater.

So the only thing left to do is mow the lawn tomorrow, and for that I purchased a new mower. Had to, my ten year-old mower pull cord finally broke. So since this is probably the last mower I'll ever buy I got one with electric start. That is so cool.

With all these projects being done I can now do something else with my time. Sawdust... I've really been wanting to make some sawdust. Lots of it too. Maybe now I will. And I've been wanting to read more. And I just started a new book by Greg Iles. And I want to do more cooking on the Big Green Egg. That's why I own three and built an outdoor kitchen for them.

But I also want to start a vegetable garden. A nice one. Raised with individual sections for each type of plant, and easy to maintain. In other words, tomatoes that might cost me 50¢ at the store will probably end up costing $4.00 by the time I do all the things necessary to make a tomato. But as any gardener will tell you, it's in the "growing" not the "buying."

And finally, I've really been wanting to make an outdoor brick oven. Yep! One that makes pizza and bread. Once again, it's in the "making" not the "buying."

Or I could just stop everything and become a vegetable myself. Naaaaaaaaa! Too much fun being me.

Tablesaw vs Fingers

2008-03-18T21:36:00.005-05:00

After 20+ years I finally let my table saw bite me. Yep! I let my guard down for just a second and the three middle fingers of my left hand suddenly had divots taken out. No, I've still got all of them but they still look like they were in a battle and lost, even after four weeks.

Unlike a knife, a table saw makes an 1/8" wide cut. Fortunately I had set it up to only cut 1/8" above the board so my cuts were only 1/8" deep. Even so, it was deep enough to reach the bone and take a nick out of them too.

I marked my "WHATDOIDONOW" path in the garage with 294 drops of blood before I got it under control by wrapping my hand in Bounty towels. Then I drove to the emergency room where I was promptly treated, mostly because I take blood thinners that tend to make me bleed a lot. They didn't want me to mess up their new floor.

29 stitches, Xrays, a few bandages and some really good pain killer and I was done, at least until the next day when I had to see a hand specialist. He started out by saying I was one of the few lucky ones. Most of his patients lost fingers and even hands. But he was pleased with the stitches as well as the appearance of the wounds and scheduled me for hand therapy a couple of days a week. I go back to him next week. I think he will be impressed with my progress.

Surprisingly, for three weeks my whole hand didn't want to function properly, and the three fingers tended to hurt quite a bit although the tips were bone dead. I'm told that feeling will likely return in time as I finish the healing process. Also, scar tissue will be minimal if I continue my therapy.

So instead of thinking "woe is me" I'm thinking of just how fortunate I am. It could have very easily been worse.

New Year

2008-01-01T19:13:00.000-06:00

Well, I survived another year. 2007 was certainly challenging what with a heart attack in January and that annoying/painful sciatica problem cropping up all year long. Then my Mom died and my two brothers are in dire straits.

But there are plenty of folks worse off than me so I'm really not complaining. It's more like comparing each year to each other. Let's just say I've had better ones.

But there was some good news too. I passed the "critical period" by being cancer free for four years according to my prostate doctor. Instead of seeing him every six months I'll only go every year. That's certainly a mind-settler.

Also during the year I finally finished the Chicken Coop, my outdoor kitchen. It is an absolute pleasure to cook in and I've made some very good meals out there. Not to mention having a lot of fun.

Then there was that period when I was making handles for Lawn Ranger to help him catch up on some back orders. I sent him enough rough cuts to give him some relief and now I'm in layoff status. I surely don't mind not having to worry about it but I really enjoyed making the handles for him. He said he would call me when he's ready for more.

Then there was Eggtoberfest in Atlanta. We really had a good time. Met old friends and made new friends, not to mention cooking and tasting some really good food. I am SO glad we got into Egging. Everyone is just like family whether we've met in person or not.

Then there was my goal of winning the Texas Lottery. I didn't win but that may be due in part to my not buying many Lottery Tickets. Small technicality. I may try harder in 2008. Worth a shot because somebody's gonna win.

Then there was the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas stuff. We went to Salado, Texas for a big Scottish Clan Gathering and Games where we helped man our Clan Tent. It was fun but the wind literally destroyed our tent the first day. And since I "volunteered" to prepare our Clan's newsletter I tried my best to do it up good. I was actually surprised at how nice it turned out.

Finally, we did Christmas in New Orleans. Actually, Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. My Sweetie's sister lives there. We really had a good time, well except for a terrible mattress at the La Quinta where we stayed until Christmas Eve. By then I had had enough and slept on a sofa at my sister-in-law's house. It was better than the hotel mattress.

My Sweetie gave me another Big Green Egg. A mini. I had been wanting one for a long time and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a good cooker.

Both of us are starting off the new year with a strong resolve to lose some weight. My target goal is 640 ounces. I think it's easier to lose ounces than it is to lose pounds. Just losing 3 ounces a day will reach my goal in 213.3 days. And 3 ounces is a piece 'a cake (pun intended).

We're both looking forward to 2008, all the while thinking it can be whatever we want it to be.

Happy New Year

EggtoberFest 2007 - Atlanta

2007-10-25T19:02:00.000-05:00

Another fantastic EggtoberFest. And this one was made even more special by being the Tenth EggtoberFest. The two of us were right in the thick of it too. We even cooked.

The final figures aren't in yet but I heard 3,000 showed up Saturday. That's over twice as many as last year. There were 500 at the Meet & Greet the night before. And the weather was perfect the entire time.

Texas wasn't well represented this year so I made sure they knew we were there though. I made some Texas shaped waffles here and took them with us. Saturday morning I fired up an Egg, put my cast iron griddle on it and heated up the waffles. I added some butter and syrup and handed them out. They went over great.

Then my Sweetie broke out a Dutch Oven and made a pot of chili for her famous Frito Pie. It sure didn't take long for the hungry crowd to scoop that up. They loved it and naturally asked for the recipe.

Then we started making our version of a Muffuletta. We started with sourdough bread slices, then buttered one side. Then we added some Creole Mustard, ham, turkey, genoa salami, provolone cheese and then the secret ingredient, olive salad (Just like they use in the original muffuletta in New Orleans). Then we buttered another slice of bread to top off the sandwich. About 20 seconds each side on the hot griddle and it was ready. They loved it...

Naturally, we sampled as much as we could too. Most of it was close to Fantastic. We got full real fast and missed out on a lot of stuff we wish we could have tried.

Then there was the After Party, a gathering of souls who just didn't want the day to end. We had another great time there too.

Here are a few photos for you but they really don't do it justice. It's unique, it's fun and it's gonna be bigger and better next year.

Flagstone Patio

2007-10-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

Home ownership... There's never an end to the challenges or the opportunities for improvement. No sooner than I finished my outdoor kitchen, called The Coop, we decided to cover a 200 sq ft area next to it with flagstone.

Easier said than done.

First of all, the sod has to be removed down about four or five inches in order to be replaced with decomposed granite for a solid foundation that can also be adjusted upward or downward for each individual flagstone piece according to its thickness. All of this is very labor intensive.

As for removing the old sod, that is a real challenge, especially considering the fact that there is a clay-like substance that sticks to everything. A shovel can quickly become heavy with the clay as it accumulates more and more layers. Then you just have to stop and scrape it off.

But finding a place for the old sod is also a problem. I've pretty much decided to put it behind some heavy Pampas Grass to make a sort of levy between our property and the cemetery where a great deal of water flows into our yard during heavy rains.

All of this is taking time, lots of time, primarily because I've been sick with a chest cold for almost two weeks. And the weather, dewpoint mostly, is really dragging me down. But I've got a goal, a pallet of flagstone and a yard of decomposed granite just waiting to happen.

Back Surgery

2007-10-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

They call it "surgery" but it's really an epidural injection of cortisone to reduce inflammation of the area between L3 & L4. In other words, to fix my sciatica problem that I've had for over an year. This was the third one. I had it done last Tuesday and I feel great. In fact, I've been digging up dirt and moving heavy walking stones all day, something I couldn't do without some serious pain before.

Tomorrow I will resume the digging and hopefully be able to start spreading the decomposed granite base for the flagstone I will eventually use to cover the area.

If you've never had sciatica you are lucky. If you have had sciatica you probably understand the need for epidurals, especially if you plan to live a half way normal life.

In fact, I feel so good I think I'll go move some more dirt right now.

The Cough That Wouldn't Die

2007-10-03T04:17:00.000-05:00

Ever get a cold and the resulting cough just won't go away? Well I've got one. Had it six days now and haven't had more than about two hours of decent sleep in all that time. It isn't just a cough, it's hacking up endless amounts of phlegm. So that means having to get up, find a place to spit and try to settle back down, only to go through the process again in five or ten or fifteen minutes... all night long.

So here I am at 4:30 AM during a lull moment attempting to put my frustration in writing with the hope that it will take my mind off the pending next round of coughing.

I really need some sleep too. Yesterday I was scheduled for back surgery (epidural) and needed to be at the hospital at 5:00 AM. I was home by 8:30 AM with instructions to take it easy because I was still under the influence of anesthesia. After being awake all night and undergoing surgery you would think I could sleep like a kitten. NOT! Not a wink.

Anyway, the coffee pot will automatically kick on in one hour and fifteen minutes and that's when my new day starts. My plans are to make some Big Green Egg handles for Lawn Ranger until about 9:30, then go to the heart center for exercise, and then start digging dirt to lay in almost 200 sq ft of crushed granite base with a flagstone top. It's all part of the Chicken Coop Project.

I suppose you could say, "Life is good." Well, except for this $#%^&@ cough...

French Drain

2007-09-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

We moved into this house in 1988, and immediately noted some back yard drainage problems. The builder quickly responded and fixed the problem, that is until years later when settling and new landscaping caused the problem to return.

Then I decided to build the Chicken Coop and matters got even worse. It wasn't so bad that we were flooding or anything like that but it annoyed us to no end that water would not drain off quickly. Plus, we are in the early stages of expanding our deck by installing flagstone around the front of The Coop. We thought we needed good drainage for that project.

So a few days ago I started digging a French Drain that would hopefully give the rain water a new route to the front street. I finished Phase I today. That includes 70 feet from just off the deck, around the back of the house to the fence where it will eventually go on out to the street. I put in black drainage pipe and covered it with pea gravel.

According to my calculations this will greatly help transfer the water from where we don't want it to where we do want it. Phase II and another 90 feet will take it to the street where a pop-up valve will allow the water to flow directly into the street.

I dug the trench but my Sweetie and our neighbors helped by hauling the gravel and putting it in place. It was hard work and we're all tired and sore, but we're pleased that we accomplished something worthwhile.

Health - There's no end to it until The End...

2007-08-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

My heart attack in January produced it's first "scare" the other day. I had just arrived in the parking lot of the Heart Center for my exercise class when I felt a slight pain in my chest. I didn't think too much of it but as I walked to the gym the pain grew in intensity from a 1 to a 4, and it didn't seem to want to slow down.

I went ahead and had them do the routine blood pressure check and it was fine. I told them I didn't feel that great and was going to pass on the exercise. They asked what kind of pain and I told them the chest.

Seconds later they had me hooked to a heart monitor and oxygen tank. They the nurse gave me two squirts of Nitroglycerin. All of this helped and within five minutes the pain was gone. Meanwhile they called my doctor who happened to be at the nearby hospital emergency room. He said to drive over and he would check me out.

A couple of hours later he said it wasn't a heart attack but he wanted to see what caused it and scheduled a heart cath for the following morning. I stayed there overnight.

The heart cath went well and he found nothing wrong with the stents he installed in January. So after all that he concluded that it was probably due to stress brought on by my mother's recent death and two brothers who also suffer from serious illnesses.

So the end result is that "stress" does manifest itself in harmful ways. Therefore, it goes without saying that avoiding stress is good for you. Certainly is for me.

Death In My Family

2007-08-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

My 85 year old Mother passed away this week. Heart attack with too much damage to repair. We got to see and talk to her before she passed on.

Although I'm sad, I'm also joyful that she lived a long time. I'm also pleased that she avoided the two things she dreaded most: slowly dying of cancer and slowly dying in a nursing home. She is surely Up There looking down saying she won on those two points.

Her last three years were difficult but she didn't complain. And she was clear-headed enough to repeatedly express her wishes to be cremated and her ashes distributed by my father's grave, her parent's graves and her aunt's grave (the person who raised her from birth after her mother died).

There was a gathering of relatives and friends at her beloved Catholic Church in Jonesville. We laughed and cried together, all expressing a loss that can never be replaced. The Priest held Mass and spoke of her as if he had known her all his life, even though it was a few fleeting moments when he took Communion to her at home. All of this was followed by the traditional meal for all those attending the services. People far and wide brought food and flowers and photos and memories to be shared by all.

I saw people I had grown up with but had not seen for thirty or more years. We all talked like nothing had changed knowing full well that our accumulated ailments and wrinkles alone presented a more truthful expression of our unstoppable aging process. It was fun talking to them and in many ways it reflected their belief that I'm just temporarily away from home.

I had the good fortune to have my Judy by my side the entire time. She was my strength when I needed it the most.

And so ends another chapter in my life.

Chicken Coop Is Complete

2007-07-28T21:29:00.000-05:00

Over a year has passed since I started building my outdoor kitchen, affectionately known by all who care as the Chicken Coop. The finished product didn't come without some anxious moments, especially around January when I had my heart attack. And the physical work was delayed considerably by my ongoing bout with sciatica, or as I like to call it: Mad Max Disease, after my good friend and fellow Egghead, Mad Max, who figured out a way to transmit his sciatica problem to me via the Internet. Ironically, Mad Max was the very first Egghead to visit the final version of the Coop, and he gave it a thumbs-up.

So without further ado I present to you my Chicken Coop...

My Large Egg

My Small Egg in it's transporter.

Left rear corner showing my rubs & spices Frig, and the Gas Grill where I store Dutch Ovens.

Some "nesting" chickens...

The Lights add both lighting and a touch of Chicken Coop Class

Ain't that a purddy light?

My collection of Lawn Ranger Tools

The Rooster doesn't crow but we always know which way is North...

This is the Official Coop Photo.

Here it is lit up at night.

Clan MacMillan Society of Texas Followup

2007-06-17T21:27:00.000-05:00

As I reported earlier, I became a Charter Member of the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas. I also attended the inaugural Gathering held in Austin and met a few of my "cousins." We had a great time and I have to say, there wasn't a single one who could be considered a turnoff. They were all very pleasant and just as eager as me to learn as much as they can about their family tree. Naturally, we all questioned each other as quickly as we could. It was fun talking to them. In fact, it was almost like a family reunion.

Chief George McMillan of Finlaystone, Scotland, the leader of all MacMillans (any of 200 various spellings) worldwide was there. Not only was he a storehouse of information but he was genuinely warm and personable, charming and delighted to help kick off the Texas chapter of Clan MacMillan.

Chief George McMillan

He and I hit it off early, probably because he looks remarkably like my Dad. They could easily pass for brothers, if not twins. Even certain mannerisms were the same. I suppose it could be a coincidence but I'm thinking there is a connection somewhere back a few hundred years. He invited us to Finlaystone Castle if we are ever in Scotland. We hope to take him up on the offer.

One of the topics we discussed at length at the Gathering is how important it is to identify which family tree you belong. One of the best and fastest methods is to make use of DNA Genealogy testing. Naturally I wanted good information as fast as possible so I sent away for the 67 Marker Kit. The goal is to match as many of my markers to others in the extensive database. It's doubtful that I would ever make a perfect 67 match but the more matches there are the closer I am to confirming my family tree. I will have the results in a few weeks.

In addition to doing the DNA test, I also authorized my data to be shared over the Internet so that McMillins (any spelling) around the world can see if I'm that missing link they have been searching for. Of course I will be doing the same with their data. This is going to be very interesting to say the least.

Meanwhile, I spoke to my uncle, Charlie McMillin, and learned that he has done some genealogy research over the years and he will be sending the data to me. The only thing he could tell me over the telephone is that my Great Grandfather, Mike McMillin, and his wife, Hulda Ann Finlay, came to America from Ireland via New York, to escape the potato famine in the mid 1800's. How they ended up in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana is a mystery at this time but the data may shed some light on what happened between New York and Louisiana.

I also registered with the Genealogy Forum, an on-line genealogy search and discussion forum for those seeking and sharing information. I've already posted an inquiry for any information about the McMillins of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. You can check out the McMillin Family Genealogy Forum at: http://genforum.genealogy.com/mcmillin/ The first thing you will notice is that there are a lot of us searching for information. Hopefully, someone will see my message and come forward with important information.

So, there you are. The wheels are 'a turning and hopefully will produce some information in the very near future.

Clan MacMillan Society Of Texas

2007-06-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Last year I discovered that the McMillin name originated in Scotland, not Ireland like I had been told all my life. It was a pleasant surprise, not because I don't wish to be of Irish heritage, but because it makes my life more complete. I posted my findings in my Blog: http://texasspringchicken.blogspot.com/2005/11/clan-macmillan-of-scotland.html and I thought that was the end of it.

But recently I got a card in the mail asking if I would like to become a Charter Member of the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas, a newly formed group for McMillins (any spelling) in Texas. Why heck yes I wanted to join such a group. These people are my relatives, no matter how far removed from my life and my history.

I sent in my fees and this coming Tuesday, June 12, 2007, we're meeting at the home of one of the organizers. Already a number of McMillins (various spellings) have signed up and will be there. Just as important, Chief George McMillan from Finlaystone, Scotland will be there to kick off the first Gathering of the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas. What an honor, not to mention what fun it will be to meet distant relatives I may have never met except for the Internet and the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas organizers.

As I said before, "... it may not make me rich but it sure makes me proud to be a McMillin."

If you want to check out the Clan MacMillan Society of Texas website, go to: http://www.clanmacmillantexas.org/

Stay tuned for pictures and updates. This is one group I am going to thoroughly enjoy.

Leroy

Happy Birthday

2007-05-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

I had another birthday. May 8th. I'm now sixty-six, or as I prefer to call it "fifty-sixteen." And as usual, my Sweetie made it one to remember.

We met up with Judy's sister, Joyce and hubby Allen, in Washington DC. Joyce and I have the same birthday.

The timing was perfect because we were able to go to the famous Waldorf After Party in Waldorf, Maryland. It's the party after the equally famous Waldorf Eggfest. Big Green Eggs were in abundance and all cooking something special. We met Eggheads that have been on-line friends for years and saw some we've met at other Eggfests. It was just like coming home.

Anyway, after the After Party we became tourists and hell-bent on seeing all we could before leaving for home on Thursday.

Except for Saturday night (5th) we stayed over in Arlington near the Arlington National Cemetery. And close to a Metro train entrance.

We started out good, arriving Washington National about 3:00 PM Saturday. Picked up our rental car and drove to Waldorf, MD where the Waldorf Eggfest was just winding down. It was very cold and raining, and I was in shorts so we didn't stay there very long. Checked into the hotel where the Waldorf After Party was being held in the parking lot.

The next day we drove up to DC and on over to our hotel. Nothing special, just took in the sights and sort of got a lay of the land. We did go through the Air and Space Museum and Indian Museum.

Monday things picked up. We took the Metro into town and started hitting all the places we could. Eventually, we saw most everything worth seeing in the time we had, but on Tuesday, mine and Joyce's (Judy's sister) birthday, we went to the Hart Senate Office Building where we were given an exclusive tour of the Capital. We rode over and back on the Senator's little underground shuttle train, toured the Capital's deep underground rooms, eventually ending up in the Rotunda (Beautiful). Then we went up to the spectator's gallery to watch the Senators in action. The one bill we witnessed being proposed was to allow Canadian Drugs to be purchased by Americans. It was eventually defeated after we left.

The Capital was great but best tour in my opinion was the Library of Congress. Beautiful.

But get this, Judy had made arrangements for flags to be flown over the Capital's Senate and House wings for our birthday on Tuesday. The flags will be sent to us in a few days. Here's Judy showing me my flag. Isn't that about the coolest gift in the world?

And here's Joyce showing her flag.

Monday evening an Egghead friend took us for a night time tour of the monuments. Unbelievable!!! He said it's the best way to see DC. He knew exactly where to go to get the best views amd the easiest ways to bypass the crowds. He was literally a walking, talking history book of details the average public doesn't ever hear. We even went to the Iwo Jima Memorial and saw it just as the city lights were coming on. Beautiful view of the city. Allen said the night tour was the highlight of the entire trip. I think I would agree.

We went to the White House but Queen Elizabeth was due there and we couldn't tour it. However, we got this close:

And, of course, we went to Arlington National Cemetery and saw the changing of the guard and other memorials, not to mention seeing the thousands and thousands of headstones that are visual reminders of the true cost of war. We even got to see a Wreath Exchange Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, complete with the playing of Taps. Very moving. I was very sad but at the same time so very proud to be an American.

We also drove down to Old Town Alexandria and had dinner at the Chart House overlooking the Potomac. We met Judy's cousin there and he went through a two-hour history of some very interesting details from when he served in the White House under President Ford. His wife is Assistant Director of Development at Mt. Vernon. She got us staff passes and we toured it from end to end, having lunch and cherry pie at Mt. Vernon Inn. Very nice tour.

All in all, we toured, walked by, drove by or saw:

The White House
The Washington Monument
The Lincoln Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial
The US Capital
The US Supreme Court
The Library of Congress
The Bureau of Printing and Engraving
Smithsonian's Natural History Museum
Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian's American Indian Museum
Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art
Smithsonian's Sculpture Garden
Hart Senate Office Building
Ford's Theater
Holocaust Museum
Iwo Jima Memorial
Viet Nam Memorial
World War II Memorial
Carlyle House
Arlington House
Tomb of the Unknowns
Kennedy's Grave
DuPont Circle
The Pentagon
The Air Force Memorial
The Maine Memorial
Watergate Complex
Historic Old Town Alexandria
Mt. Vernon
and others.

It was a fun-filled, fantastic trip. Glad to be home.

L

Coop Update

2007-05-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

The Coop is coming along nicely but I still have a bit to go. However, for all practical purposes the Coop is finished. It should be ready for a party pretty soon.

I'm kinda proud of my lighting. Take a look.

Here's what it looks like at night when nothing is going on.

Here's what it looks like all lit up.

Here's what it looks like with the lights dimmed.

Here's what the lights look like. Cool huh? Aren't those about the sexiest lights you've ever seen in a Chicken Coop?

I am just chomping at the bit to show it off and it won't be long.

Texas Eggfest 2007

2007-05-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well, the 2007 Texas Eggfest in Austin has come and gone. Friday was the Meet and Greet until about 9:30 PM or so and we were at the site by 7:00 AM to light a couple of Big Green Eggs so we could be ready for anyone showing up wanting some breakfast. We also wanted to move a couple of Eggs over to the pavallion where we planned to cook. It was kind of deserted that early but things started picking up by 9:00 AM and remained busy until about sundown.

Empty now but things are just about to kick off...

New Big Green Eggs waiting to be fired up..

One of the early Eggfest University Classes in progress...

There are many other photos of course but it's easier to go directly to the Texas Eggfest web site to view them as they are posted over the next few days. Just click on the link: http://www.texas-eggfest.com/Eggfest2007/

We had a great time, met a lot of old and new friends and cooked up some very tasty dishes including a Mirliton Casserole, Peach Cobbler, Breakfast Quesadillas and Bourbon Chicken. Others cooked dishes that were very tasty and easy to make on the Egg.

Yes, we had a great time and look forward to next year.

Chicken Coop Milestone

2007-04-10T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finally finished the cabinet that will hold my large Big Green Egg. It has taken a long time due to my untimely adventures with back problems and near death experiences. But it looks exactly like I wanted and works great.

I was able to cut some pieces of Corian from the remaining large "Island" piece and make them fit up to the other Corian. I also decided to line the cavity where the Egg sits with corrugated tin like on the roof. Very good decision I think.

The cabinet to the left of the Egg holds large grills and assorted items for the Egg.

I celebrated the occasion by cooking two steaks on the Egg. Worked perfectly.

I hope to finish up the remaining cabinet for the Small Egg by this weekend so we can paint.

Leroy

Have A Heart Update

2007-03-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

Interesting thing about having a heart attack... It puts things in order again. For example, I probably needed a wake-up call to get back in shape. I always considered myself strong and capable of doing anything I put my mind to. But for the last few years, mostly since I had the eye problem, I have found myself struggling with doing stuff, especially stuff that required both thought and effort. I just couldn't focus long enough to do some things. I didn't even realize it was happening until one day I was going to use my router to shape a piece of wood. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to set up the router to do it. It actually became frustrating because the harder I tried the worse I got at it. No I wasn't soaked in rum'n cokes either...

Anyway, on another occasion I needed to move something fairly heavy. Five years ago I wouldn't have given it a second thought but this time I thought I would die before I got it moved. It was like I had no strength to go along with no energy and no imagination as to how to make it easier. When I finished I was short of breath and totally wasted as for the rest of the day.

The above, along with many other examples, turned out to be the blockage problem. Now that it's fixed and I'm in rehab doing exercises I can actually see and feel the results. I think more clearly and I'm motivated to do more stuff. I can build things and I know how to use my tools. I can even move heavy objects although it still isn't easy. I just try to move them "smarter."

My only problem now is what I lovingly refer to as my Mad Max Disease. It's actually a sciatica problem but I jokingly tell everyone I contracted it via the Internet from my Egghead friend Mad Max who had the problem just before me. He's over his but I'm still a victim. If you have never had it, you're lucky. If you have had it then you know exactly what I'm going through. It's not a pretty sight. To make matters worse, the relief I desperately seek is just a $20,000 needle away, but which is off limits to me as long as I am taking Plavix, one of the many heart drugs. However, I was told that I can schedule the needle anytime after April 18th, which is three months after the initial heart attack.

April 18th is perfect because I will feel good enough to walk the streets of Washington DC on my birthday in May. Meanwhile, I have been prescribed some pain medication to help deal with it while going through the increasingly difficult rehab exercises.

So now you know my physical and mental state as of today, April, 14th, 2007.

Maybe now I can get some stuff done around here.

Rehab - Diet, Therapy and Exercise

2007-02-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I officially start my Diet, Therapy and Exercise program tomorrow. Three days a week for the next three months I will be going to a Rehab Center where I will check in, have my Blood Pressure and Pulse checked, strap on a heart monitor, warm up and climb aboard a treadmill to get my heart pumping at a desired rate. Half way through the treadmill they will check my BP again, and again when I finish about twenty minutes later.

Then after about a minute I will do the same thing on a reclining bike. I think at this point I will do a cool-down routine and then be directed to one of a number of "consultations" that address everything from stress to diet to attitude.

I pointed out to them that I'm currently in pain and being treated for a sciatica problem that may hinder my performance in rehab but they understand and will try to keep me from doing anything that might make the sciatica worse. Actually, the day they showed me around and let me on the treadmill and reclining bike I felt pretty good.

My Sweetie and I sat through a Diet Consultation last Friday. We understood everything the Dietition was saying but we also know that following a diet to the letter is virtually impossible with us. Cooking is my hobby and eating is a passion with both of us. But we'll make every "reasonable" effort to eat as if our lives depend on it.

The next update should include some positive remarks about my weight, my mood, my overall health and what I plan to do next.

Wish me luck.

Have A Heart

2007-01-20T16:29:00.001-06:00

My lifestyle finally caught up to me and I had my first (and hopefully last) heart attack. Happened Wednesday night, 1/17/07, and within ten minutes after deciding to go to the emergency room I was being treated for what eventually turned out to be a 99% blockage in one artery and 80% blockage in another. A third artery has a 60% blockage but they decided to try diet, exercise and medication to reduce it.

By Friday afternoon I was back home, and although restricted from doing much for five days, I was feeling pretty good.

New Porch

2007-01-03T16:18:00.000-06:00

Today we took down the "temporary" porch we put in about fifteen years ago. It was never meant to be a permanent solution to our "back porch" lifestyle but it served us well all those years in spite of quite a few leaks.

In its place we're having a real porch put in as part of a whole-house re-roofing project. When it's all finished (next week sometime) we will probably start tearing up the wood deck we put in about that same time and replacing it with landscaping items, including tables and chairs among bushes and walkways and lighting. Yes, it should be pretty when we finish.

Why are we doing all of this? Well, we've pretty much decided that this is home for the foreseeable future. We like it here and all the places we thought we might like are either too expensive, too cold, too hot or just not our cup of tea. So we're sticking around and we want to make sure our home is everything we would like it to be.

Even with the eager anticipation of what will be we're going to miss the old look we built with our own hands and became accustomed to over the years.

The nice thing about all of this is that we will be able to enjoy our back yard more, as well as our new outdoor kitchen (still under construction).

After all of this I think I'm going to stick to small projects in the future. But what am I ever going to do with all the cedar lumber that we took out of the porch? I'll think of something, for sure.

Chicken Coop's Progress

2006-12-27T09:37:00.000-06:00

These photos were taken around Thanksgiving. I still have to build some cabinets for my two Big Green Eggs.

EggtoberFest - Atlanta 2006

2006-10-31T11:47:00.000-06:00

We finally made it to EggtoberFest in Atlanta. What a nice way to enhance a great hobby. We saw lots of old friends from the Texas and Oklahoma Eggfests and met a lot of folks we only knew by their Big Green Egg Handle and their posts on the Big Green Egg Forum. But we also met some people who just got into "Egging" and haven't really spent much time on the Forum.

Then there's the food... WOW! So much and so wonderfully good. Judy and I didn't cook but there were over 200 Eggs set up for that purpose and at least 175 cooking on them (some were cooking on two or more Eggs).

We had a great time for sure and will likely be back. If you want to see some photos click here: http://wessb.com/Allfests/Eggtoberfest06/eggtoberfest_2006.htm

WessB combined a lot of his own photos with others to give you a taste of how great it was. Enjoy...

My "Chicken Coop" Outdoor Kitchen

2006-09-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

I've been busy these past few months and neglected my Blog site. Shame on me.

Let me start by saying that a few months ago a Big Green Egger friend's house burned down because of a spark that came from his Big Green Egg (in the driveway, no less) and flew into his garage where it ignited something. Within minutes his house was on fire. Fortunately, no one was physically injured but I'm sure there will be emotional scars the rest of their lives.

So, with that incident fresh in my Sweetie's mind, I got instructions to move my Big Green Egg Cooking Center off the deck and away from the house. It took a while to figure out where and how but we finally decided that about ten feet from the house would be fine. That would permit a certain amount of convenience and a comfortable amount of security. And we would build it with the tools and skills I had rather than pay someone else to do it.

For the past four months I have been researching, planning, digging, cutting, nailing, gluing, and everything else necessary to build our version of an outdoor kitchen. We call it our "Chicken Coop." Here are a few of the construction photos up 'til 9-23-06.

As soon as I finish putting on the roof I will start on the cabinets and countertops. We already found a small refrigerator on sale and scooped it up. It sure comes in handy for cold drinks on hot days.

It's a slow process made slower by the fact that it was well into the upper 90Â° to 105Â° range much of the time. Plus, I've been somewhat lame due to a sciatica nerve problem in my hip and leg. And combine that with being 80 pounds overweight, blind in one eye and 65 years old and you get a very slow worker. But it is slowly coming along and everything seems to be working properly.

More pictures will follow as I complete the last remaining tasks. I hope you like it.

Leroy

Happy Birthday To Me..

2006-05-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

I suppose when one reaches 65 years of age it is a milestone worth celebrating. And celebrating I did. My Sweetie and number one fan arranged for a few of us to meet at our favorite restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana on Saturday, May 6th. Actually, I share birthdays (May 8th) with my sister-in-law Joyce Schuyler (10 yrs younger) from Metairie, Louisiana, so Lafayette was a good half way point for us to get together. An added incentive is that the restaurant is operated by a friend of ours who wanted in on the action, Chef Wil Menard. He made sure that everything was perfect and that it would be a memorable experience. That it was.

Invitations were only sent to family members and two special friends I've known all my life: Emmilee Green and Carol Caprito. Emmilee and husband Joe live in Harrisonburg where we grew up. Carol and husband JT live just south of Lafayette in Franklin, Louisiana. Our friends and neighbors Pam & Tom Morris joined us and Tom did the driving when I tapped into the rum barrel. I'm pretty sure all had a good time.

Joyce and her husband Allen, asked their friends Liz and "Rat" to come help us celebrate. They came and from what I could tell, thoroughly enjoyed themselves too.

It was a good time, good food, good drink, good companions and good memories. Here are some favorite photos...

Allen and Joyce...

All smiles

Emmilee, Me and Carol

Just like old times

Tom, Pam, Rat and Liz

Thoughts of balloons...

Emmilee, Carol, Joe and JT

The start of a wave...

Leroy & Wil

We'll fatten you up some more Leroy...

Chef John Folse autograph

The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine

Leroy holding official Chitlin Party Shirt

Chitlin eater next year...

My Sweetie and Me

Making life worthwhile every single day...

Turning 65

2006-05-05T05:08:00.000-05:00

Where did all the time go? It seems that just yesterday I was in my 50's and only months ago I was in my 30's. All of a sudden I'm retired, on Social Security and Medicare, a member of AARP, and suffer from arthritis. Somewhere along the line I mellowed and realize I'm probably not going to change the world.

Time," it seems, is relative. To what extent I don't know, except that by human standards, there is a beginning and an end. We're born and we die. And until humans invented the clock and calendar, the length of the period in between didn't matter very much. You simply woke up and tried to survive the day. If you did survive, you did the same thing the next day, and the next. If you were lucky you could do this about 10,000 times before you died. I've now done it 23,725 times and I'm still going pretty strong. Or, if I measured my life in hours and minutes and seconds as many humans do, then I have lived 569,400 hours. Or 34,164,000 minutes. Or 2,049,840,000 seconds. A lot of them were wasted in so many ways.

You know that age-old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Well, I'm now "grown up" and I still don't know what I want to be. I suppose I could answer by saying "rich" or "famous" or "handsome" or "smart" but I think the point of the question is more toward what profession I would have enjoyed as an adult. But all things interest me, none so much that I would want to do it day in and day out for thousands of hours or millions of minutes or billions of seconds. So the hidden answer to that ageless question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" turns out to be, for me at least, "happy." Looking back, I think I have achieved it without ever knowing that it was my ultimate goal.

St. Patricks Day

2006-03-17T07:35:00.000-06:00

Top o' th' morn' to ya.

Today is St. Patricks Day, a day when everybody is Irish. (Just what we need is one more excuse to party and drink with abandon.)

At first I thought about smoking a brisket on the Big "Green" Egg but changed my mind. Instead, I think I will make some IBT's (Irish Buffalo Turds). Oh so what if they look and taste like ABT's (Atomic Buffalo Turds)!!! They will be cooked and consummed on St. Patricks Day. For the Irish, that's close enough.