Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Month: August 2021 Page 1 of 2

Roasting the harvest – Poblanos from garden to dinner table

For the last few years I have been growing poblano peppers in my garden. They are a darker green and when fully ripe are a nice deep red. When a poblano is dried, it is called an ancho. They are a mild to medium pepper in terms of heat.

I usually pick them when they are green, but I don’t worry if they turn before I use them.

A bunch fresh out of the garden.

Back to School in 1934

When we get to this time of year, I always think of back to school. I thought I would share a few pictures from Georgie’s collection from 1934 in West Point, Iowa.

This is the Orchestra at St. Mary’s. The people were not named on this picture.

Dispel Confusion: The Bystander’s Guide to Role-Playing Games

One of my readers pointed out to me that not everyone has played a role-playing game (or RPG, for short). So today we’re going to explore the basics of what RPG’s are and how they are played.

Approved by taste buds, but not by cardiologists: Buttermilk Biscuits

I have been trying for some time to find a biscuit recipe that comes out flaky and light. I am getting there, but I will always compare my biscuits to the ones we had in a little café when visiting Memphis .

A biscuit split on a white plate with a fork laying next to it.
Nice and Flaky!

This recipe is the result of many attempts to come up with a really good biscuit. Thank goodness Walt is a willing test subject for my cooking experiments!

The same sort of features that make a flaky pie crust, like I covered in this post, apply to flaky biscuits.

Recollections of a great uncle

Noel Edward Manley was my (Michelle’s) great-uncle. He was born August 18, 1924 in Rapid City, South Dakota to Joe and Bessie Manley. He was part Oglala Lakota and supported organizations that gave back to the Native American Community.

Joanne, Noel, and Noel’s son, Richard. Sadly, they are all gone now.

Favorite Tools: The Piloted Tap Wrench

Keeping a tap straight and square the the hole you’re tapping is really important. Not only does it ensure that the threads are strong, it helps prevent you from breaking off the tap in the workpiece. But it’s not easy: holding it perfectly square to the work while you turn it takes a lot of practice. Or a better tap wrench…

Keeping dry in the woods – a coat (or two) for Jaxon

As you saw in my post last Monday, we like to take Jaxon hiking in the woods with us. Since he is a short hair, we thought is was important to get him a coat to help keep him dry and warm. We found a very nice coat that fit him well. Unfortunately it didn’t stand up to the wear and tear of a dog running through the woods.

This coat was purchased for Jaxon, but it quickly became damaged as we hiked about. The hook and loop closures frayed and had to be repaired numerous times.

What’s in a name? Nicknames, Family Names, and Middle Names

In a few posts, I have been discussing some of the challenges of identifying people when you are doing genealogical research. I covered immigration and census records in this post. I talked about some of the difficulties encountered in translation and working with older documents in this post.

Today, I am going to look at some naming conventions that can make it difficult to determine exactly who you are looking at.

OMG! We’ve turned 100 Already?!?

I mean sure, there are some mornings I feel like I might be. But age isn’t what I’m talking about.

It’s time to go walkies! Hiking with Jaxon.

Our dog Jaxon loves to hike with us. I needed a leash that would work while hiking, sometimes with a large pack on my back. Since I use two trekking poles when I am on the trail, my hands needed to free.

Jaxon with his pack on a backpacking trip.

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