Snowy, Cold, Monday

It's snowing and cold outside. I just want to leave work, go home, bake bread to warm up the kitchen, put on my flannels, and curl up with a good book and my fleece blanket.

Women and Financial Planning

I received this in an e-mail this morning and thought I would share......

Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.

When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with which to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.Her natural beauty took his breath away.

I may look like just an ordinary man,' he said to her, but in just a few years, my father will die, and I'll inherit $65 million.'

Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three days later, she became his stepmother.

Women are so much better at financial planning than men.

Monday, It's Almost Over

Maxine

Flooding in West Virginia

The rain continues for the 6th straight day. Our creeks and rivers are leaving their banks and as I'm typing it still continues to pour the rainy snowy mess outside. I traveled to my Greenbrier County office today, it is about 60 miles northeast from my home. It poured the rain non stop all the way. The fog was so thick you could not see more than 50 yards in front of your vehicle. I was using my defensive driving skills today. Watch out for the other guy because he may not see me and hopefully I see him first. I stopped along the way and shot a picture of the New River. This river is normally very shallow in this part of the state. You can wade across the the river and fish in the summer. The water is so high today that white water rapids were roaring. I mark a red arrow on the picture where normally a little tiny stream of water trickles into the River, today the little stream was a huge creek with rapids rolling down the hill.
I think these trees forgot to lose their brown leaves in the fall. They are hanging onto them in January. It is strange to see leaves on any trees this time of year. We've had several wind storms lately and all the leaves should fall during a wind storm. Oh, I should never question an act of God. The pictures are not good because of the dense fog, but you can see what a terrible day we experienced. If the snow we're having tonight keeps falling then the rivers will stop over flowing, temporary, until the snow starts to melt. We will see what tomorrow brings, we really need sunshine to brighten our spirits. I can certainly see why so many West Virginians become depressed in the winter (after the holidays). The weather alone is depressing and makes it hard for our elderly population to get outside and enjoy fresh air.

Duck's On The Menu

I cooked duck on the rotisserie for Christmas Dinner. I also had chicken on the rotisserie as a backup. This was my first time cooking duck. I had fifteen for dinner and everyone said the duck was delicious, we did not need the backup chicken. We picked the carcass clean. My son e-mailed wanting the recipe, and others asked also. If your interested in a delicious duck recipe try this:

Vanderbilt Traditional Christmas Duck

Prep Time: 25 min
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 2 servings
1 (3 to 5-pound) duck, giblets removed
1 orange
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
3 Earl Grey tea bags
3 cups water
2 tablespoons molasses
Place duck in a medium glass bowl breast side up. Use your fingers separate the skin from the meat without tearing it. Cut the orange in half and squeeze over the duck, then place the rinds in the cavity. In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt and the pepper. Sprinkle mixture all over the duck. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, rotating the duck after 2 hours so the breast side is down.
In the bottom of a pot with a steamer insert, combine the sugar, tea bags, and water and bring to a simmer. Place marinated duck in steamer legs down and cover. Steam for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Preheat rotisserie to 275 degrees F.
In a medium glass bowl, mix together remaining salt and the molasses. Rub the mixture over the steamed duck. Place the duck on the spit. Cook duck for 1 hour or until meat is cooked through and skin is crispy.
Remove from rotisserie and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

It's a lot of steps, but really not that difficult, and well worth the effort.