When I watch National Geographic my 9 year old wolf dog likes to watch
the nature shows that have big cats, wolves and critters that run around on the
ground. She will sit attentively and watch as the animals move around on the
screen, She will occasionally go up to the t.v. and try to look behind the set,
I guess she is trying to figure out how the kitties got inside my t.v. The male
wolf dog just looks at the screen for a while and just walks away like if he can’t
touch it he doesn’t see any point in watching the critters run around. The male
has something wrong with the tear ducts in his eyes, they have stopped
producing tears, so I have to put drops in his eyes twice a day so that I can
keep him from going blind for as long as I can. He weighs 130 pounds and he isn’t
very fond of having the three sets of drops put in his eyes twice a day so in
order to get him to cooperate I bribe him with tiny goodies. Niner, the female,
gets really excited whenever I call him over to medicate his eyes because she
knows that I will give her a little piece of something when I give Hunter his
treat. She has even gone so far as to walk up to me and start rubbing her eye
with her paw as if trying to tell me that her eyes need drops also and I know
it is because she wants a goodie. It looks so silly to see her rubbing her eyes
and looking at me as if to say “see my eyes are bad too, I need eye drops too”
and I know it is just because she thinks she is missing something. She will
stand in front of the male when I am trying to put drops in his eyes and she
likes me to put the saline solution drops in her eyes (they are the only drops
I put in Hunter’s eyes that don’t have medicine in them) which occasionally I
do just to make her happy and so Hunter sees her cooperate and not be the only
one I am picking on, at he seems to think I am being mean to him, even though I
am pretty darned sure the drops are not painful. They remind me of children!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
American Pizza Burgers
American Pizza Burgers
When I was a kid this was my all time favorite hamburger. It was just different enough, but not too different.
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 1/3 cups tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup minced onions
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
6 mozzarella cheese, slices
6 Tomato slices
3 hamburger buns
3 tablespoons fresh minced oregano leaves
Mix all ingredients together except the last 3 and make 6 patties. Cook them like regular hamburgers. Place a cooked burger on a half of a bun and top each with a slice of cheese and melt the cheese under the broiler and serve topped with a tomato slice and fresh oregano.
Servings: 6
When I was a kid this was my all time favorite hamburger. It was just different enough, but not too different.
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 1/3 cups tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup minced onions
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
6 mozzarella cheese, slices
6 Tomato slices
3 hamburger buns
3 tablespoons fresh minced oregano leaves
Mix all ingredients together except the last 3 and make 6 patties. Cook them like regular hamburgers. Place a cooked burger on a half of a bun and top each with a slice of cheese and melt the cheese under the broiler and serve topped with a tomato slice and fresh oregano.
Servings: 6
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Spicy Vegetable Bisque
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves diced garlic
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 tomatoes peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 pound broccoli florets
1 red or yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into small strips
1 chipotle chili pepper canned in adobo sauce
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each ) chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1. In a large saucepan heat up the olive oil and add the next 7 ingredients. Cook the vegetables until they become soft. Remove from heat and cool. Place the vegetables in a blender along with the chipotle pepper and blend until smooth and slightly chunky. Pour blended vegetables back in the saucepan and add the broth, half-and-half, oregano, thyme, pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes until mixture is reduced to the proper thickness. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is all melted.
Servings: 6
Crispy Chicken Tacos with Chili Rice
Quick, easy and delicious. Before there was Mexican chain restaurants my favorite Mexican diner served this simple (and fairly low in calories) combination for a dinner special along with a cup of spicy vegetable bisque. My family used to eat at that restaurant at least once a month until the owner’s retired. I ended up becoming good friends with one of the waitresses there for about 20 years after the restaurant closed.
Chicken Tacos with Mexican Rice
4 whole boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into pices
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package crisp taco shells
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups fresh salsa
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package crisp taco shells
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups fresh salsa
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1. In a saucepan add rice, chicken broth, chili powder, and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover rice and let cook for about 20 minutes. Cook chicken while rice is finishing.
2. Season chicken with salt, cumin, and chili powder. Heat olive oil in frying pan and add chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is done.
3. Allow guests to stuff taco shells with chicken, lettuce, fresh salsa and grated cheese. Serve with chili spiced rice.
Servings: 6
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Sea Ranch Chapel
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- Sea Ranch Chapel
About 10 years ago I went on a road trip from where I live in Eugene, Oregon with a friend of mine and we drove down to San Diego, California to visit my niece. We mostly drove down the coast and stopped for the night at whatever town we were close to when we got tired of driving for the day. We ate at a lot of really neat roadside restaurants on the coast and inland and saw some beautiful country. We drove through the giant redwoods in northern California, stopped at Bodega Bay where “The Birds” was filmed, ate one of the best hamburgers I ever had at a little place outside of Santa Rosa and we made a quick stop at a winery for lunch in Napa Valley. We took our bicycles along and got to ride them to dinner from the hotels we stayed at in the evenings and when we got to San Diego we would throw them in the back of the car and ride on the beach bike paths and stop at the bars alongside them and eat and drink some very good stuff. One of the most memorable things I saw on the trip was on the third day just after we had breakfast and checked out of our room where we stayed in Fort Bragg. We were driving along admiring the beautiful scenery, we had the ocean on one side of the road and beautiful forests on the other side. About an hour after we had been traveling I was looking at the forested side of the road when all of sudden I saw an odd little place that looked like it belonged in an “Alice In Wonderland” movie. I did a double take but we were by the place in just a minute. I asked my friend if he just saw what I saw and he didn’t because he was looking at the road in front of him since it was his turn to drive. I suggested we turn around and go see I what I thought I saw was as unusual as I thought it was. So we did turn around and drove up to this really cool place that really didn’t look real it was different. It definitely has a fantasy land appearance about it. There was a parking lot outside the structure and when we got out we discovered it was a chapel built as a memorial to a young man who died too young. It also reminds me of the nursery rhyme of the “Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe” because it almost looked like it came out of a fairy tale looking up the hill at it from the main road. Inside it has beautiful mahogany wood and stained glass windows. If you live anywhere near this place I highly recommend checking it out, it is quite a unique place.
Here is the web address: http://www.thesearanchchapel.org/
I am almost done writing my cookbook...
I have been working on writing a cookbook for me and my family and friends who have eaten the recipes over the years at parties and holidays. I didn’t realize what a trip through old memories this would be. As I go through the recipes, and cook the ones I haven’t had for a long time to make sure I want to include them in my cookbook, it has evoked a lot of memories of some of the events I made some of the recipes for. Good memories, as I find most memories involving food are good memories, I don’t seem to have a lot of memories about the food that didn’t impress me. I found that when I was younger I collected, and made up, a lot of ambitious and time consuming recipes. As I got older I created and collected a lot more casserole and quick and easy recipes, partly this was because as I got older I spent 50 hours a week doing something related to my job, either the actual time I spent at the job, time spent going to and from it and the time in the morning preparing to go to work. When I was forced to retire because of my hereditary neuropathic disease that eventually got too bad for me to work six years ago I quit reading the paper at lunch every day and quit collecting recipes. I also pretty much quit going out to dinner which was another source of my recipes as I used to come home after having a good inventive meal at a restaurant and I would recreate it so I could have the meal more often that I had time to out and eat. I have always had dogs and cats and the dogs always liked to have their dinner just after “us” humans had ours and if we went out to dinner the dogs were disappointed and sometimes wouldn’t even eat dinner because their humans didn’t eat at home. This made me feel guilty so I didn’t go out to dinner that much and for the last 6 years I have lived alone in the country with my animals so I feel even more guilty leaving them at home and going out to eat, pretty silly I know. My vet once said my animals own me and I can’t argue with him but they are fairly undemanding bosses! I only have 16 recipes to go to finish my cookbook, I don’t know what I am to use for an excuse to make 2 or 3 different old recipes every week (to make sure they were still good and deserved to go in my cookbook) and I will have a total of 300 recipes in the cookbook. I guess I will just have to cook the recipes out of the book after it is finished to “make sure” I put the right ones in the book. Every time I work on the book and read the recipes trying to decide which ones will make the cut I get very hungry thinking about all of the wonderful food in the recipes. I have known a few people who are very picky eaters and I feel sorry for them for they are missing so many wonderful things to eat. I will never get tired of cooking and eating good food.
Back to work to pick out my last 16 recipes and see which ones I "have" to try to see if they are still good!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Barbecued Pork Appetizer
Whenever I am asked to bring an appetizer to a party I like to bring homemade Chinese barbecued pork because it always is a hit and it always disappears. My dad used to complain that it was red like at the restaurant (he somehow always managed to eat it though) and if you want it to be red just add food coloring. since it tastes the same I never did but it is easy to do.
Chinese Barbecued Pork
Chinese Barbecued Pork
1 teaspoon five spice powder
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plum jam
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 inch piece of fresh gingerroot
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, regular, jalapeno or smoky chipotle
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
2 pounds boneless pork tenderloin
1. Mix all ingredients and marinate pork for 48 hours, turning meat over every 12 hours.
2. Roast pork in oven for about an hour at 325 until meat is fully cooked.
3. Cool and thinly slice and serve with hot mustard and sesame seeds to dip it in.
Scallops with Orange Sauce
This sauce can also be served over asparagus or grilled fish.
1 pound scallops
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 cup butter, cut into four pieces
2 cups pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1. Cook pasta of your choice to package directions. When done drain the pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the olive oil and add the scallops seasoned with salt and paprika. Cook about 3 to 5 minutes on each side and remove to a serving platter. In a small saucepan over low heat, cook orange juice with vinegar and rind and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, beating constantly. Continue beating until sauce is thick and creamy. Drizzle sauce over the scallops..
3. Serve the pasta alongside the scallops with a fresh green salad.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
MY DOGS ARE SILLY!
I have two wolf dogs, one is a 9 year old female and one is
a 6 year old male. I got them from a lady who rescues wolf dogs as well as
breeds a couple litters of them a year on purpose, the female was a 3 year old
rescued wolf when I got her and the male was a 10 week old pup she bred on
purpose. They were the second pair I have gotten from her, when I got the first
pair I lived with a roommate and when I decided I wanted my own place my
roommate and I were going to split custody of the dogs but they always wanted
to go back to the home they had lived in for 3 years when they came to my new
place so I let my roommate keep them (that was 6 years ago and I still go and
visit the first two once or twice a week, I was one of their first two friends
in life and they are bonded to me forever and I to them), it seemed easier just
to rescue 2 more dogs since my ex-roommate had the desire and space to keep the
first two and I had the desire and space to keep a second pair. I find the
interactions both of these pairs of wolf dogs have with each other fascinating.
They tease each other, get mad at each other, play with each other and love
each other, kind of the like how human relationships work. The two females in
both of these partnerships are a little smarter than the males and both of the
males are more laid back and sweeter than the females. Both the males and the
females do play games with their partner’s. The female in the first couple is a
very intense girl, she is always dead serious about everything. Dead serious
that she should eat first, she is by far the better dog (she thinks that for
sure and makes sure her presence is known first and the mellower male lets her
have her way. He is shyer and takes a
while to warm up to people, the female knows this so she bulls her way in first
to make sure whoever is visiting meets her first and knows that she is the “better
dog”. She will lick your face to prove it, whereas the male takes his time to
get to know someone. This female almost always eats first because the male is a
picky eater and has to make sure his food isn’t “poisoned “ before he can eat
it. While he is being cautious and taking his time the female eats all of her
food and tries to steal his, which has resulted in her getting fat and he is
still nice and slim and trim since she “has” to eat his food whenever she can.
The female I have is not as aggressive as the first female but she is cagey
about how she gets to claim more of the “treats” I give her and her younger
boyfriend. She will start barking like there is someone at the door and when
she gets the male to respond she quickly scarfs down the goodies out of his
bowl and if he tries to reclaim his food bowl she threatens to take his head
off. Pretty funny sometimes, and sometimes not! She sometimes will just start
pacing and you can see the wheels turn in her head as she tries to think of
some way to mess with me or him. She can be a real pain in the ass but I do
have to appreciate the thought process she goes through trying to trick the
male or me into doing what she wants so she can sneakily steal something. When
she is really bored she will walk around the house and bark like someone is
outside just to stir things up for no reason, I always get the feeling she is
laughing when she has Hunter barking at nothing and the cats hiding from
nothing. Silly animal!
Comfort Food?
COMFORT FOOD?
I started reading an article that included “comfort food”
recipes and I started reading it thinking what does that even mean? I
personally find all food that I like comforting, there is no one or two “magic”
comfort foods, foods that physically and mentally make me feel good. I like
food, all kinds of food, and the food I like always makes me feel good. I have
favorite foods for when I want to celebrate, they are usually food that is
harder to prepare so I don’t have them as often as other things, or food that
is expensive so I don’t have them as often or food that is prepared at a
restaurant that I particularly like because of the same reason, I don’t go out
to eat very often. When I tried to think of a food item that I find “comforting”
I couldn’t come with anything in particular. I like so many kinds of food that
I would be hard pressed to come up with a favorite, maybe I could come up with
the favorite meat animal I would hate to give up but that would come with
several different cuts so even that wouldn’t be one item. I can think of a
couple of vegetables that I think go with anything but they can be cooked many
different ways, as well as spices that I would hate to give up that I use on
almost everything, but no one item pops out because I would hate to give up the
variety of wonderful foods I eat all of the time. To me the words comfort and
food applies to all the food that I eat. Sometimes when I am sick I crave
certain foods because I don’t have any taste buds and I want something spicy,
like Mexican food, so I hopefully can taste it so I guess I could call that “comfort”
food because I am comforted by the fact it doesn’t taste like cardboard because
I can’t breathe through my nose. Or when I am sick to my stomach blander things
like mashed potatoes and gravy or macaroni and cheese are nice but there are
also many foods in this category. I guess I just like food, all kinds of food
and that is what I find comforting!
Green Chili Tails
ON THE MENU Today: Slipper Lobster Tails stuffed with a slice of green chili over a bed of curried rice served with drawn butter and fresh lemon wedges. Serve marinated asparagus served on butter lettuce with a sweet onion and olive oil vinaigrette topped with a crunched up tortilla.
This dish was inspired by a dish served at what used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant until the owners sold the property that the restaurant was on to some developers who wanted to turn the property into an office building. It was labeled on the menu as “Camerones”, or shrimp in English, but once the dish arrived you discovered it was actually a plate of slipper lobster tails on a bed of red chili spiced rice and served with drawn butter to dip the tails in. I asked the owner why he didn’t advertise that he used lobster tails instead of shrimp and he told me that he wanted to serve shrimp but when they used to serve large shrimp instead of the slipper lobster tails he found that they didn’t lie flat on the plate when they were butterflied like the lobster tails did and the slice of green chili could be laid down the middle of the lobster tails better than the shrimp, so he kept using the lobster and no one ever complained when they got lobster instead of shrimp. I did change the bed of rice to be a curry flavored rice because I felt the nice slipper lobster tails looked nice on a bed of fluffy yellow rice. At the restaurant you were served a house salad with marinated beans and a sweet vinegar and oil dressing to begin dinner but I serve asparagus that has been steamed ahead of time and lightly dressed with a sweet onion and vinegar dressing to go along with the tails and rice. This dish isn’t difficult, it takes a little time but not that much and once you prepare it for company and get rave reviews (as well as getting to enjoy it yourself) I think you will agree that it is worth the effort. The dishes are tailored to serve 2 people.
8 lobster tails, 2 ounces each
1 quart water
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
8 slices green chilies, 1 inch long each
Slipper Lobster Tails for 2: Make the asparagus salad before starting the lobster. Then start the curried rice. Then bring water seasoned with salt to a boil. Add lobster tails, cook 3 minutes and drain in a sieve.
Just before serving, slit the tails down the middle so they lay flat and melt 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan over low heat and reheat the lobster and heat the 8 one inch slices of green chilies for a minute. Place the tails on a bed of curried rice and place a green chili piece down the middle of each tail. Serve accompanied by melted butter and fresh lemon slices and marinated asparagus salad.
Curried Rice for 2: 1 1/2 teaspoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup long grain rice, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a large saucepan melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and then while stirring add the rice and coat with the butter. Pour in the chicken stock, curry, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.
Asparagus Salad with Onion Vinaigrette for 2: 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed into 2 inch pieces, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon water, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cups butter lettuce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ cup diced sweet onions, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 crisp tortilla. In a large sauté pan with a lid, on medium heat, add the asparagus, olive oil, water, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes uncovered, or until the water has almost evaporated. Turn off the burner and put the lid on it and let it set for about 10 minutes. Place the asparagus in a bowl and pour over it and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Place 1 cup of lettuce each on a 2 plates, place the asparagus on top, pour 2 tablespoons onion dressing on top and crumble half of a crisp tortilla on top.
This dish was inspired by a dish served at what used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant until the owners sold the property that the restaurant was on to some developers who wanted to turn the property into an office building. It was labeled on the menu as “Camerones”, or shrimp in English, but once the dish arrived you discovered it was actually a plate of slipper lobster tails on a bed of red chili spiced rice and served with drawn butter to dip the tails in. I asked the owner why he didn’t advertise that he used lobster tails instead of shrimp and he told me that he wanted to serve shrimp but when they used to serve large shrimp instead of the slipper lobster tails he found that they didn’t lie flat on the plate when they were butterflied like the lobster tails did and the slice of green chili could be laid down the middle of the lobster tails better than the shrimp, so he kept using the lobster and no one ever complained when they got lobster instead of shrimp. I did change the bed of rice to be a curry flavored rice because I felt the nice slipper lobster tails looked nice on a bed of fluffy yellow rice. At the restaurant you were served a house salad with marinated beans and a sweet vinegar and oil dressing to begin dinner but I serve asparagus that has been steamed ahead of time and lightly dressed with a sweet onion and vinegar dressing to go along with the tails and rice. This dish isn’t difficult, it takes a little time but not that much and once you prepare it for company and get rave reviews (as well as getting to enjoy it yourself) I think you will agree that it is worth the effort. The dishes are tailored to serve 2 people.
8 lobster tails, 2 ounces each
1 quart water
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
8 slices green chilies, 1 inch long each
Slipper Lobster Tails for 2: Make the asparagus salad before starting the lobster. Then start the curried rice. Then bring water seasoned with salt to a boil. Add lobster tails, cook 3 minutes and drain in a sieve.
Just before serving, slit the tails down the middle so they lay flat and melt 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan over low heat and reheat the lobster and heat the 8 one inch slices of green chilies for a minute. Place the tails on a bed of curried rice and place a green chili piece down the middle of each tail. Serve accompanied by melted butter and fresh lemon slices and marinated asparagus salad.
Curried Rice for 2: 1 1/2 teaspoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup long grain rice, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a large saucepan melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and then while stirring add the rice and coat with the butter. Pour in the chicken stock, curry, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.
Asparagus Salad with Onion Vinaigrette for 2: 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed into 2 inch pieces, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon water, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cups butter lettuce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ cup diced sweet onions, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 crisp tortilla. In a large sauté pan with a lid, on medium heat, add the asparagus, olive oil, water, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes uncovered, or until the water has almost evaporated. Turn off the burner and put the lid on it and let it set for about 10 minutes. Place the asparagus in a bowl and pour over it and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Place 1 cup of lettuce each on a 2 plates, place the asparagus on top, pour 2 tablespoons onion dressing on top and crumble half of a crisp tortilla on top.
Blue Cheese Meatballs
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer, 4 as main dish
Serve with toothpicks for spearing as an appetizer
Serve with pasta or potatoes as a main dish
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry red wine
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix all ingredients. Form into half-inch balls and place on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes until browned.
Servings: 6
Serve with toothpicks for spearing as an appetizer
Serve with pasta or potatoes as a main dish
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry red wine
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix all ingredients. Form into half-inch balls and place on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes until browned.
Servings: 6
Monday, July 22, 2013
Marinated Asparagus Salad With Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups butter lettuce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup sweet onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1. In a large sauté pan with a lid, on medium heat, add the asparagus, olive oil, water, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes uncovered, or until the water has almost evaporated. Turn off the burner and put the lid on it and let it set for about 10 minutes. Place the asparagus in a bowl and pour over it and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
2. Make the dressing: Mix together the 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, mustard, onions, salt and pepper together.
3. Place 1 cup of lettuce on a plate, place 1/4 of the asparagus on top, pour 1/4 of the dressing on top and sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese over all and serve..
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups butter lettuce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup sweet onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1. In a large sauté pan with a lid, on medium heat, add the asparagus, olive oil, water, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes uncovered, or until the water has almost evaporated. Turn off the burner and put the lid on it and let it set for about 10 minutes. Place the asparagus in a bowl and pour over it and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
2. Make the dressing: Mix together the 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, mustard, onions, salt and pepper together.
3. Place 1 cup of lettuce on a plate, place 1/4 of the asparagus on top, pour 1/4 of the dressing on top and sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese over all and serve..
Servings: 4
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Green Apple Pie
Green Apple Pie
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups green apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 double pie crust
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups green apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 double pie crust
1. Make pie crust and place bottom crust in pie pan.
2. Toss all the rest of the ingredients together except the butter and fill the pie pan with it.
3. Dot the surface of the filling with the butter and place top crust on the pie and stab with a fork and make a few slice in in with a knife for the juice to bubble through.
4. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 425 for 45 minutes.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Clam Fritters With Tartar Sauce
This is a quick and easy recipe that uses canned clams that is quite good and makes a wonderful appetizer.
Clam Fritters
1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 minced green onion
1 1/2 cups minced clams (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 minced green onion
1 1/2 cups minced clams (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1. Mix first six ingredients together. Heat butter and oil in skillet over medium high heat and drop clam batter into hot oil by heaping tablespoonfuls. Cook, turning once, until fritters are browned on both sides (less than a minute on each side). Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Add more butter and oil to pan as needed to cook all fritters. Serve with homemade tartar sauce.
Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced dill pickles
3 tablespoons minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced capers
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, regular, jalapeno or smoky chipotle
1/2 cup minced dill pickles
3 tablespoons minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced capers
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, regular, jalapeno or smoky chipotle
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
Breaking Bad: DYING IS NOT A LICENSE TO BE AN ASSHOLE!
I recently started watching “Breaking Bad” a
few weeks ago and at first I found the story of someone diagnosed with cancer’s
transformation to a risk taking criminal from mild mannered school teacher
somewhat compelling. I am now on episode 23 and I am now finding that the main
character has simply become a totally amoral creep with not many, if any,
redeeming qualities that I can see. He does sort of seem to care for his
ex-student that he made his protégée “bad ass” as well as he sort of cares for his
son (not as much as I thought he would) but there is hardly any way you can
call him a good influence on anyone. It seems to me the episode in which the he
lets a poor innocent girl choke to death from a drug overdose (hurting his
partner and the poor girl’s father besides the girl herself, thus getting rid
of a problem for him and he sure has become good at getting rid of problems and
there are no scruples involved when he decides to get rid of a problem of any
kind. I am hard pressed to believe that if a person had good moral standards to
begin with that they could make such a complete fall from grace as Walt does so
for me the character is starting to become more of a caricature of a stupid
amoral asshole than anything else. I feel the scene in which he is driving his
car that has a broken windshield in which he flips out at the policeman who “dares”
to pull him over for driving a dangerous car more than a little bit absurd. For
a character who has in the past tried to be careful of calling attention to
himself because of his illegal activities it seems pretty unbelievable that he
would drive a car that so obviously calls attention to him, as well as the fact
that if he is really so smart he should know he is endangering his son’s life
by driving him around in a car with a shattered windshield. I realize that the
writer is trying to show Walt is totally losing touch with what’s right and
what’s wrong but by calling attention to himself in such a stupid way doesn’t
seem in line with this character’s previous shrewdly evil actions. There is
nothing “bad” or “intelligent” about driving a junky car around asking to be pulled
over. I guess I will find out in the coming weeks if the writer can get the
character back on track to what his original transformation from the mild
mannered Walt “Kent” to the bad assed “Super” Weisenberg as the show is coming
to the final countdown within a month or so. I have also noticed the wife is
starting to be rather devious as well and Walt’s not being “honest” with her
has been one of her biggest complaint’s, because at this point I am not sure
she would care that he is doing something illegal as much as she cares that he
is hiding it from her. I personally would rather be kept in the dark about what
he is up to, like one of the character’s in one of my favorite series Justified”
said, “I prefer that they don’t tell me much because then I don’t have to lie
when I say I didn’t know what was going on”. I guess I will find out if the
show continues to stretch the limits of reasonable transformation of character’s
personality traits or gets back to a little bit more believable morality
failures in its main character’s.tions. There is
nothing “bad” or “intelligent” about driving a junky car around asking to be pulled
over. I guess I will find out in the coming weeks if the writer can get the
character back on track to what his original transformation from the mild
mannered Walt “Kent” to the bad assed “Super” Weisenberg as the show is coming
to the final countdown within a month or so. I have also noticed the wife is
starting to be rather devious as well and Walt’s not being “honest” with her
has been one of her biggest complaint’s, because at this point I am not sure
she would care that he is doing something illegal as much as she cares that he
is hiding it from her. I personally would rather be kept in the dark about what
he is up to, like one of the character’s in one of my favorite series Justified”
said, “I prefer that they don’t tell me much because then I don’t have to lie
when I say I didn’t know what was going on”. I guess I will find out if the
show continues to stretch the limits of reasonable transformation of character’s
personality traits or gets back to a little bit more believable morality
failures in its main character’s.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Crime Scenes
Once in a while something happens in someone’s life that after it has occurred things will never be the same ever again. If a person is really lucky that something will be a good thing and the things that happen subsequently are amazingly good, but unfortunately the other possibility is that something truly evil occurs and the things that follow that will never be the same again as a result of the initial action are incredibly terrible. The following is a story about one of those latter types of occurrences that couldn’t ever be undone and the chain of events that unfolded as a consequence of it and the truth of it might take a lifetime for the truth of it to never be fully discovered.
FADE IN
Scene I A copper colored Pontiac Firebird car is traveling down a heavily forested back road, it is the 40 mile scenic side trip from Glendale to Riddle that is right off of I-5 freeway south from Cottage Grove, and north of where they had started the morning drive from Ashland, Oregon. About halfway from the start of this side trip the car slows down at a wide spot just off the road, it doesn’t pull over but speeds back up and goes another few miles farther and pulls over at the next wide spot right off of the main road and comes to a stop. An older man gets out of the car first and he looks around and then looks back to the car and motions for the rest of the occupants of the car to come and join him. An older woman and a younger woman get out of the car. They start walking over to where the man is standing.
Man: I am pretty sure that this is the place.
Young woman: What do you mean you think that this is the place?
Man: I think this is where I lived when I was a kid.
Young Woman: What do you mean that this is where you lived as kid? There isn’t anything here.
Man: Over there is where the box car was and over there is where we had our garden.
Young Woman: How do you know that?
Man: Because the box car was right under these power lines, we had a line hooked up to the pole so we had electricity.
Young Woman: Are you serious?
Older Woman: Dave grew up in a boxcar along the side of the railroad tracks, it isn’t here anymore. You didn’t really think that there was anything here did you?
Young Woman: Yeah, just call me stupid but of course I did, why else would we be coming here. Dad said he lived in a box car next to the railroad tracks, I don’t see any box car here.
Man: They hauled the old boxcar off twenty years ago.
Young Woman: I am confused. I thought we were coming here to see where you lived. You never told me that there wasn’t anything here anymore. What exactly are we supposed to be looking at?
The man walks over to where the railroad tracks are just beyond the wide spot in the road they had pulled the car onto.
Man: Right here is where the boxcar was and over here was our garden. Right here are the rocks around where we had the fence around the garden to keep the deer out of it.
The young woman walks over to where the man is standing and looks at where he is pointing.
Young Woman: Do you mean to tell me that these scattered rocks are supposed to be the border around the invisible garden?
Man: It was right here and over there on the other side of the tracks was where the boxcar was.
Older Woman: Right here is where Dave lived for the first 5 or 6 years of his life, I have been here before and it looks just the same as it did before. (She is laughing)
Younger Woman: I am sure it does since there is nothing here. Why did we come here this time if you already knew there was nothing here? I sort of understand why we spent an hour in the cemetery in Glendale looking at the family graves, at least we were really looking at something, but this… this makes no sense to me.
Older Woman: This place has great sentimental value for Dave, he has been really wanting to visit here again since his father died last year, we went to the cemetery in Glendale last year like we did today when his father died, but we came with his brother Cliff and Dave didn’t get to come and visit this place and he really wanted to.
The old man walks away from where the two women are standing and continues looking around the site.
Man: Back here is where we had the little shack we hung the venison in and stored the vegetable out of the garden.
The younger woman walks over there with an incredulous look on her face.
Younger Woman: How can you tell, I don’t even see even a small amount of evidence like “ten little rocks” that supposedly formed the garden here?
Man: I know where it was located from where the garden was.
The young woman is having a little trouble containing her frustration at having gone on what seems like a wild goose chase to her. She couldn’t believe that he was looking for something that was only there in his imagination.
Young Woman: I really assumed that we were at least looking for a real live rotting boxcar, you didn’t tell me that there was absolutely nothing here anymore! Unbelievable!
The old man seemed to be very happy while wandering around the area next to the railroad tracks that no one else was following him around to look at anymore.
Young Woman: I have always had the impression that he thought his father was a real asshole, so why was it so important that he came here?
Older Woman: I don’t really think it has anything to do with how he feels about his father, it is just sentimental feelings about growing up, sometimes you don’t remember how bad things were and you just want to see the things you remember from your childhood. It is kind of like when Dave and I went to Wapato to visit where I lived from when my mother died when I was six until I got married at 19 and moved back to Oregon where I was born. I just wanted to see the places I had memories from when I was a kid, whether they were good memories or bad ones. That is the same thing that Dave is doing.
Young Woman: Well it is too late to change having come here but I am never going to let him forget he took me to the middle of nowhere to see nothing!
Fade Out
Scene II
The young man walked down the path that had formed along next to the river through the trees and as he walked along he kicked the little rocks that had rolled onto the trail back towards the steep rock wall that lined the side of the trail on the opposite side from the river. The river meandered its way through a fairly dense forest on its eventual way out to the ocean but it had a long way to go before it would arrive there.
All of a sudden he stopped and looked around, he heard sounds coming from farther on up the trail, it was the sound of someone walking on it and he quietly slipped behind a tree growing on the bank of the river and he waited to see who was approaching. The sound of the other person’s feet walking on the dirt trail was very faint as if whoever was on the trail was not very heavy. As he peered through the brush from where he was standing the young girl he had been looking for appeared where the trail ahead rounded the corner and he quietly stayed hidden behind the tree and waited for her to walk by where he was hiding. It was a fairly large tree with a cluster of bushes growing at the base of it so that he was completely hidden from the girl that was approaching.
After the girl walked by where the young man was hiding he picked up a large rock from the ground by the river and slipped up behind her and hit her over the head with the rock. She immediately fell face forward on the trail and he didn’t stay to check and see what the condition of the girl was he just took off frantically running away from the scene of the crime and crossed the shallow river up ahead a little ways and one of his shoes got caught in between some rocks in the river and when his foot slipped out of the shoe he just kept on running as fast as he could to get away from the scene of the crime.
Just as the young man disappears from view we see the shadow of a man across the path where the girl is lying on the ground and then the scene fades out.
Scene III
FADE IN
A brown railroad car sits in the background of the scene we are watching. A young boy of about 5 years old is playing with a midsized black and brown dog and a ball in front of the railroad car in what sort of appears to be a yard, of sorts. The dog looks like it might have some German Shepard in it as well as a smaller breed. The boy is laughing and having a great time playing with the dog.
We pan around on the woods surrounding the boxcar and zoom in on a rock lined area than looks like it might be a garden.
We pan out and see a train approaching this site and as the train coming down the tracks it slows down and a smallish man about 35 years old jumps off of the train and walks towards where the young boy is playing with the dog.
Man: What the hell is that dog doing here?
Boy: He is the dog that I found last week.
Man: We can’t afford to have a dog for you to play with.
Boy: He eats the leftover food that we don’t eat. He doesn’t cost us any money.
Man: Those leftovers are our leftovers, the dog can’t have them. Do you understand that David?
Boy: But it was food that mom was throwing away.
Man: We don’t throw any food away here. Lillian, where the hell are you? Did you tell this boy that he could feed this dog our food?
Lillian: (She appears from somewhere outside of the house, she is a simple looking woman and talks as is appropriate to how she appears to be) It was food that was going bad. I told David he could give it to the dog.
Man: Why are you throwing any food away you stupid woman? David can eat that food. You shouldn’t ever let him give it to a dog. What the hell is wrong with you?
Lillian: I’m sorry. I thought it was bad.
Man: You are an idiot. Don’t ever feed our food to a dog! Feed it to David.
Lillian: I won’t ever give him food for the dog again.
Man: You’re damned right you won’t! I am going to take that dog out and shoot it right now.
David: Please Dad, don’t kill the dog. He can eat the scraps off of the deer you bring home.
Man: Those are our scraps and no dog is going to get them. Go back in the house.
David and Lillian go back in the house as is commanded of them and then they hear the sound of the gun and a yelp from the dog and then they hear nothing.
Fade out
Fade in to a heavily wooded path running along a river.
Scene IV
A young man walks down the path that had formed along next to the river through the trees many years ago and as he walks along he kicks the little rocks that have rolled onto the trail back towards the steep rock wall that line the sides of the trail on the opposite side from the river. The river meanders its way through a fairly dense forest on its eventual way out to the ocean but it has a long way to go before it will arrive there.
All of a sudden the young man stops and he looks around. He hears sounds coming from farther up along up the trail, they are the sounds of someone walking along the trail and he quietly slips behind a tree growing on the bank of the river and he waits to see who is approaching. The sound of the other person’s feet walking on the dirt trail is a very faint sound, as if whoever is on the trail is not very heavy. As he peers through the brush from where he is standing the young girl he has been looking for appears where the trail ahead rounds the corner and he quietly stays hidden behind the tree and waits for her to walk by where he is hiding. It is a fairly large tree with a cluster of bushes growing at the base of it so that he is completely hidden from the girl that is approaching.
After the girl walks by where the young man is hiding he picks up a large rock from the ground by the river and slips up behind her and hits her over the head with the rock. She immediately falls face forward on the trail and he doesn’t stay to check and see what the condition of the girl is, he just takes off frantically running away from the scene of the crime. He crosses the shallow river up ahead a little ways and one of his shoes gets caught in between some rocks in the river and when his foot slips out of the shoe he just keeps on running as fast as he can to get away from the scene of the crime.
Just as the young man disappears from view we see the shadow of a man cross the path where the girl is lying on the ground.
Fade Out
Scene V
Fade in
We are now looking at a jury in a trial for the murder of the 16 year old mentally challenged girl.
The prosecutor is giving testimony in evidence against the 16 year old boy that is charged with the murder. He is also mentally challenged but that is never brought into light.
The boy is convicted of the murder and sentenced to 10 years in Jail. The sentence was light due to his being only 16 years old.
Fade Out
Scene VI
Fade In
The now 26 year old man is released from prison, the year in 1964. He returns to his home town of Cottage Grove and meets a young woman that he falls in love with and and marries a couple of years later. They eventually have two children together, first a boy and then a girl.
This man who spent 10 years in prison for a crime that no one knows whether or not he committed, and one that no one will know that he did or did not commit, was released from prison at the age of 26 and married a woman he met not long after he was released from prison. They married and had two children, a boy and a girl, and they stayed together until he died from complications from having Parkinson’s disease at the age of 76.
The following is “the rest of the story”!
Unbeknownst to the young man there was someone else observing what had occurred from another hiding place behind another tree. The significance of this would not be known to anyone for many years or the fact that it even happened as would be thirty years before anyone knew there had been an eye witness to this crime or what part the eye witness played but it is only one of the many extenuating circumstances of this particularly heinous crime.
The young man ran home as fast as he could and never stopped to look back. When he got home he realized he had lost one of his shoes so he took the other one off and took it out to the trash pile outside the old house that he lived in with his mother, father and four of his five brothers and tried to bury it under the trash that was waiting there to be burned. His oldest brother, David, had joined the navy when he had turned 18 five years before so as to escape the depressing family that they lived with and after he spent. Their father was a loveless cruel man who had never given his sons any help mentally or physically for all of their lives and their mother had been brain damaged at birth and had the mental capacity of a 13 year old child and if they hadn’t lived in a very small town with no real parental guidance their mother would never have been allowed to get married and have children given her extreme metal disabilities. Their father was of a little below average intelligence and he had only married Lillian for two reasons, one was to have sex and the other one was to have someone who would be willing to wait on him and do everything he asked her to do like she ended up doing when he married her. He wasn’t looking for any kind of intellectual relationship so the fact that his wife had such limited mental capabilities wasn’t a problem for him, it only was for the children who needed at least one parent who would be there for them since it wasn’t a role their father aspired to, his only need for his sons is that they do all of the physical labor that needed to be done around the house and yard. It was the beginning of another dysfunctional family just like the one both Harley and Lillian had come from.
Besides Harley being a selfish, loveless man he was also cruel to his sons and even though they were dirt poor and lived in a box car alongside the railroad they lived off of the venison their dad would bring home from work that got hit by the train that he worked on. Since the train ran right past the boxcar that they were allowed to live in for free since it was one that the railroad no longer had any use for and Harley worked for them and the train would stop and pick him up for work every day and drop him off on its way back to the town it operated out of that was about twenty miles before the side of the tracks that the boxcar was located on. David was the oldest child and there was one daughter born during the six years of living in a boxcar and she died when she was three. The rest of the kids weren’t born until Harley had managed to make enough money to move into a small house located in the town that the train operated out of. David would later tell his wife and kids many years later that a dog had shown up at the boxcar and after he had been feeding it some of the venison and playing with it for several months it had become his best friend since he wasn’t in school yet and he had no friends to play with because the boxcar they lived in was twenty miles away from the nearest house and they had no car to go anywhere in. Just before Harley moved Lillian and David into the house he bought in town he took David’s dog out to the woods and shot it telling David they couldn’t afford to feed it. David never forgot that and after he turned 18 and joined the Navy he had very little contact with his cruel father, he would go visit his mother and bring her to stay with his wife and kids for a night when he wanted to see her, even though she wasn’t a very good mother he recognized it wasn’t her fault that she had been born brain damaged. She had extremely irrational phobias, she was convinced that cats were plotting against her and anytime she went and visited her children after they moved away she would freak out when the cats that were pets would come in the room, she insisted they were plotting against her.
They were very poor and after they moved to the small town of Glendale they had five more children, four boys and one more girl that died at birth. Elmer was born when David was seven and he was bordering on being mentally retarded, not the extreme mental deficiency his mother had but not able to deal very well with school and other children who would make fun of him. Two years after Elmer a third son, Clayton was born, a year later Cliff was born. After Cliff was born the family moved to a little larger town about thirty miles north called Gold Hill, it was where the last son, Kenneth, was born three years later. Kenneth would turn out to be the most popular, and the least affected by his dysfunctional parents of the five boys and he did the best in school. David went to high school in Gold Hill and then left to join the Navy when his baby brother was only five years old. Right after David had joined the navy Harley moved the family to a town that was quite a bit bigger than any town they had lived in before though it would still be considered a small town but in comparison to the previous towns it was very large. Since David left home at 18 and joined the Navy to make a better life for himself than he saw himself ever being able to have if he stayed in the small towns where he grew up and didn’t see any opportunity for him to make a living as he sure didn’t want to work for the railroad like his father.
Elmer had trouble keeping up with the class in school, they didn’t have any kind of special education in the small town for a child with special needs and he had just turned 16 and was made fun of much of the time. He did find a friend in school though, the friend was a girl that also was mentally handicapped like Elmer was and they became friends. She was talked into having sex with the local boys and doing what the boys wanted made her get more attention so she was eager to please them. Elmer also started to explore having sex with her. Then the girl turned up pregnant and the kids in the class took advantage of his lesser intelligence and started to incessantly tease him about getting the girl pregnant and he didn’t understand that she could have been pregnant by any one of the other boys she was having sex with so he got really scared and freaked about his being accused of getting the girl pregnant. The only way he knew how to solve the problem was the way he attempted to do with a rock.
All of the kids knew she was pregnant and when she was found dead the police went to visit Elmer and they had the one shoe that was found near her body to tie him to the murder and they found the other shoe where Elmer had failed to hide it very well. He was arrested and was put on trial and sentenced to ten years in jail. There were rumors that Harley had also had sex with the girl as well as the girls own uncle, but the police had a good suspect who couldn’t defend himself and they never questioned anyone else in the crime. There are those in his family that still wonder to this day if maybe Harley followed Elmer and finished killing her after Elmer had hit her with a rock, as he only remembered hitting her once and she was hit many more times than that but with Elmer being unable to defend himself and the police not bothering to follow any other leads the case will never be changed. Harley and Lillian separated not long after that and she became a live in housekeeper for an older handicapped man. Elmer stayed close to his mother and none of the boys saw their father very often and he died at the age of 84 and if there was another truth in this story it died with those who were there. David is my stepfather.
Scene I A copper colored Pontiac Firebird car is traveling down a heavily forested back road, it is the 40 mile scenic side trip from Glendale to Riddle that is right off of I-5 freeway south from Cottage Grove, and north of where they had started the morning drive from Ashland, Oregon. About halfway from the start of this side trip the car slows down at a wide spot just off the road, it doesn’t pull over but speeds back up and goes another few miles farther and pulls over at the next wide spot right off of the main road and comes to a stop. An older man gets out of the car first and he looks around and then looks back to the car and motions for the rest of the occupants of the car to come and join him. An older woman and a younger woman get out of the car. They start walking over to where the man is standing.
Man: I am pretty sure that this is the place.
Young woman: What do you mean you think that this is the place?
Man: I think this is where I lived when I was a kid.
Young Woman: What do you mean that this is where you lived as kid? There isn’t anything here.
Man: Over there is where the box car was and over there is where we had our garden.
Young Woman: How do you know that?
Man: Because the box car was right under these power lines, we had a line hooked up to the pole so we had electricity.
Young Woman: Are you serious?
Older Woman: Dave grew up in a boxcar along the side of the railroad tracks, it isn’t here anymore. You didn’t really think that there was anything here did you?
Young Woman: Yeah, just call me stupid but of course I did, why else would we be coming here. Dad said he lived in a box car next to the railroad tracks, I don’t see any box car here.
Man: They hauled the old boxcar off twenty years ago.
Young Woman: I am confused. I thought we were coming here to see where you lived. You never told me that there wasn’t anything here anymore. What exactly are we supposed to be looking at?
The man walks over to where the railroad tracks are just beyond the wide spot in the road they had pulled the car onto.
Man: Right here is where the boxcar was and over here was our garden. Right here are the rocks around where we had the fence around the garden to keep the deer out of it.
The young woman walks over to where the man is standing and looks at where he is pointing.
Young Woman: Do you mean to tell me that these scattered rocks are supposed to be the border around the invisible garden?
Man: It was right here and over there on the other side of the tracks was where the boxcar was.
Older Woman: Right here is where Dave lived for the first 5 or 6 years of his life, I have been here before and it looks just the same as it did before. (She is laughing)
Younger Woman: I am sure it does since there is nothing here. Why did we come here this time if you already knew there was nothing here? I sort of understand why we spent an hour in the cemetery in Glendale looking at the family graves, at least we were really looking at something, but this… this makes no sense to me.
Older Woman: This place has great sentimental value for Dave, he has been really wanting to visit here again since his father died last year, we went to the cemetery in Glendale last year like we did today when his father died, but we came with his brother Cliff and Dave didn’t get to come and visit this place and he really wanted to.
The old man walks away from where the two women are standing and continues looking around the site.
Man: Back here is where we had the little shack we hung the venison in and stored the vegetable out of the garden.
The younger woman walks over there with an incredulous look on her face.
Younger Woman: How can you tell, I don’t even see even a small amount of evidence like “ten little rocks” that supposedly formed the garden here?
Man: I know where it was located from where the garden was.
The young woman is having a little trouble containing her frustration at having gone on what seems like a wild goose chase to her. She couldn’t believe that he was looking for something that was only there in his imagination.
Young Woman: I really assumed that we were at least looking for a real live rotting boxcar, you didn’t tell me that there was absolutely nothing here anymore! Unbelievable!
The old man seemed to be very happy while wandering around the area next to the railroad tracks that no one else was following him around to look at anymore.
Young Woman: I have always had the impression that he thought his father was a real asshole, so why was it so important that he came here?
Older Woman: I don’t really think it has anything to do with how he feels about his father, it is just sentimental feelings about growing up, sometimes you don’t remember how bad things were and you just want to see the things you remember from your childhood. It is kind of like when Dave and I went to Wapato to visit where I lived from when my mother died when I was six until I got married at 19 and moved back to Oregon where I was born. I just wanted to see the places I had memories from when I was a kid, whether they were good memories or bad ones. That is the same thing that Dave is doing.
Young Woman: Well it is too late to change having come here but I am never going to let him forget he took me to the middle of nowhere to see nothing!
Fade Out
Scene II
The young man walked down the path that had formed along next to the river through the trees and as he walked along he kicked the little rocks that had rolled onto the trail back towards the steep rock wall that lined the side of the trail on the opposite side from the river. The river meandered its way through a fairly dense forest on its eventual way out to the ocean but it had a long way to go before it would arrive there.
All of a sudden he stopped and looked around, he heard sounds coming from farther on up the trail, it was the sound of someone walking on it and he quietly slipped behind a tree growing on the bank of the river and he waited to see who was approaching. The sound of the other person’s feet walking on the dirt trail was very faint as if whoever was on the trail was not very heavy. As he peered through the brush from where he was standing the young girl he had been looking for appeared where the trail ahead rounded the corner and he quietly stayed hidden behind the tree and waited for her to walk by where he was hiding. It was a fairly large tree with a cluster of bushes growing at the ba
After the girl walked by where the young man was hiding he picked up a large rock from the ground by the river and slipped up behind her and hit her over the head with the rock. She immediately fell face forward on the trail and he didn’t stay to check and see what the condition of the girl was he just took off frantically running away from the scene of the crime and crossed the shallow river up ahead a little ways and one of his shoes got caught in between some rocks in the river and when his foot slipped out of the shoe he just kept on running as fast as he could to get away from the scene of the crime.
Just as the young man disappears from view we see the shadow of a man across the path where the girl is lying on the ground and then the scene fades out.
Scene III
FADE IN
A brown railroad car sits in the background of the scene we are watching. A young boy of about 5 years old is playing with a midsized black and brown dog and a ball in front of the railroad car in what sort of appears to be a yard, of sorts. The dog looks like it might have some German Shepard in it as well as a smaller breed. The boy is laughing and having a great time playing with the dog.
We pan around on the woods surrounding the boxcar and zoom in on a rock lined area than looks like it might be a garden.
We pan out and see a train approaching this site and as the train coming down the tracks it slows down and a smallish man about 35 years old jumps off of the train and walks towards where the young boy is playing with the dog.
Man: What the hell is that dog doing here?
Boy: He is the dog that I found last week.
Man: We can’t afford to have a dog for you to play with.
Boy: He eats the leftover food that we don’t eat. He doesn’t cost us any money.
Man: Those leftovers are our leftovers, the dog can’t have them. Do you understand that David?
Boy: But it was food that mom was throwing away.
Man: We don’t throw any food away here. Lillian, where the hell are you? Did you tell this boy that he could feed this dog our food?
Lillian: (She appears from somewhere outside of the house, she is a simple looking woman and talks as is appropriate to how she appears to be) It was food that was going bad. I told David he could give it to the dog.
Man: Why are you throwing any food away you stupid woman? David can eat that food. You shouldn’t ever let him give it to a dog. What the hell is wrong with you?
Lillian: I’m sorry. I thought it was bad.
Man: You are an idiot. Don’t ever feed our food to a dog! Feed it to David.
Lillian: I won’t ever give him food for the dog again.
Man: You’re damned right you won’t! I am going to take that dog out and shoot it right now.
David: Please Dad, don’t kill the dog. He can eat the scraps off of the deer you bring home.
Man: Those are our scraps and no dog is going to get them. Go back in the house.
David and Lillian go back in the house as is commanded of them and then they hear the sound of the gun and a yelp from the dog and then they hear nothing.
Fade out
Fade in to a heavily wooded path running along a river.
Scene IV
A young man walks down the path that had formed along next to the river through the trees many years ago and as he walks along he kicks the little rocks that have rolled onto the trail back towards the steep rock wall that line the sides of the trail on the opposite side from the river. The river meanders its way through a fairly dense forest on its eventual way out to the ocean but it has a long way to go before it will arrive there.
All of a sudden the young man stops and he looks around. He hears sounds coming from farther up along up the trail, they are the sounds of someone walking along the trail and he quietly slips behind a tree growing on the bank of the river and he waits to see who is approaching. The sound of the other person’s feet walking on the dirt trail is a very faint sound, as if whoever is on the trail is not very heavy. As he peers through the brush from where he is standing the young girl he has been looking for appears where the trail ahead rounds the corner and he quietly stays hidden behind the tree and waits for her to walk by where he is hiding. It is a fairly large tree with a cluster of bushes growing at the base of it so that he is completely hidden from the girl that is approaching.
After the girl walks by where the young man is hiding he picks up a large rock from the ground by the river and slips up behind her and hits her over the head with the rock. She immediately falls face forward on the trail and he doesn’t stay to check and see what the condition of the girl is, he just takes off frantically running away from the scene of the crime. He crosses the shallow river up ahead a little ways and one of his shoes gets caught in between some rocks in the river and when his foot slips out of the shoe he just keeps on running as fast as he can to get away from the scene of the crime.
Just as the young man disappears from view we see the shadow of a man cross the path where the girl is lying on the ground.
Fade Out
Scene V
Fade in
We are now looking at a jury in a trial for the murder of the 16 year old mentally challenged girl.
The prosecutor is giving testimony in evidence against the 16 year old boy that is charged with the murder. He is also mentally challenged but that is never brought into light.
The boy is convicted of the murder and sentenced to 10 years in Jail. The sentence was light due to his being only 16 years old.
Fade Out
Scene VI
Fade In
The now 26 year old man is released from prison, the year in 1964. He returns to his home town of Cottage Grove and meets a young woman that he falls in love with and and marries a couple of years later. They eventually have two children together, first a boy and then a girl.
This man who spent 10 years in prison for a crime that no one knows whether or not he committed, and one that no one will know that he did or did not commit, was released from prison at the age of 26 and married a woman he met not long after he was released from prison. They married and had two children, a boy and a girl, and they stayed together until he died from complications from having Parkinson’s disease at the age of 76.
The following is “the rest of the story”!
Unbeknownst to the young man there was someone else observing what had occurred from another hiding place behind another tree. The significance of this would not be known to anyone for many years or the fact that it even happened as would be thirty years before anyone knew there had been an eye witness to this crime or what part the eye witness played but it is only one of the many extenuating circumstances of this particularly heinous crime.
The young man ran home as fast as he could and never stopped to look back. When he got home he realized he had lost one of his shoes so he took the other one off and took it out to the trash pile outside the old house that he lived in with his mother, father and four of his five brothers and tried to bury it under the trash that was waiting there to be burned. His oldest brother, David, had joined the navy when he had turned 18 five years before so as to escape the depressing family that they lived with and after he spent. Their father was a loveless cruel man who had never given his sons any help mentally or physically for all of their lives and their mother had been brain damaged at birth and had the mental capacity of a 13 year old child and if they hadn’t lived in a very small town with no real parental guidance their mother would never have been allowed to get married and have children given her extreme metal disabilities. Their father was of a little below average intelligence and he had only married Lillian for two reasons, one was to have sex and the other one was to have someone who would be willing to wait on him and do everything he asked her to do like she ended up doing when he married her. He wasn’t looking for any kind of intellectual relationship so the fact that his wife had such limited mental capabilities wasn’t a problem for him, it only was for the children who needed at least one parent who would be there for them since it wasn’t a role their father aspired to, his only need for his sons is that they do all of the physical labor that needed to be done around the house and yard. It was the beginning of another dysfunctional family just like the one both Harley and Lillian had come from.
Besides Harley being a selfish, loveless man he was also cruel to his sons and even though they were dirt poor and lived in a box car alongside the railroad they lived off of the venison their dad would bring home from work that got hit by the train that he worked on. Since the train ran right past the boxcar that they were allowed to live in for free since it was one that the railroad no longer had any use for and Harley worked for them and the train would stop and pick him up for work every day and drop him off on its way back to the town it operated out of that was about twenty miles before the side of the tracks that the boxcar was located on. David was the oldest child and there was one daughter born during the six years of living in a boxcar and she died when she was three. The rest of the kids weren’t born until Harley had managed to make enough money to move into a small house located in the town that the train operated out of. David would later tell his wife and kids many years later that a dog had shown up at the boxcar and after he had been feeding it some of the venison and playing with it for several months it had become his best friend since he wasn’t in school yet and he had no friends to play with because the boxcar they lived in was twenty miles away from the nearest house and they had no car to go anywhere in. Just before Harley moved Lillian and David into the house he bought in town he took David’s dog out to the woods and shot it telling David they couldn’t afford to feed it. David never forgot that and after he turned 18 and joined the Navy he had very little contact with his cruel father, he would go visit his mother and bring her to stay with his wife and kids for a night when he wanted to see her, even though she wasn’t a very good mother he recognized it wasn’t her fault that she had been born brain damaged. She had extremely irrational phobias, she was convinced that cats were plotting against her and anytime she went and visited her children after they moved away she would freak out when the cats that were pets would come in the room, she insisted they were plotting against her.
They were very poor and after they moved to the small town of Glendale they had five more children, four boys and one more girl that died at birth. Elmer was born when David was seven and he was bordering on being mentally retarded, not the extreme mental deficiency his mother had but not able to deal very well with school and other children who would make fun of him. Two years after Elmer a third son, Clayton was born, a year later Cliff was born. After Cliff was born the family moved to a little larger town about thirty miles north called Gold Hill, it was where the last son, Kenneth, was born three years later. Kenneth would turn out to be the most popular, and the least affected by his dysfunctional parents of the five boys and he did the best in school. David went to high school in Gold Hill and then left to join the Navy when his baby brother was only five years old. Right after David had joined the navy Harley moved the family to a town that was quite a bit bigger than any town they had lived in before though it would still be considered a small town but in comparison to the previous towns it was very large. Since David left home at 18 and joined the Navy to make a better life for himself than he saw himself ever being able to have if he stayed in the small towns where he grew up and didn’t see any opportunity for him to make a living as he sure didn’t want to work for the railroad like his father.
Elmer had trouble keeping up with the class in school, they didn’t have any kind of special education in the small town for a child with special needs and he had just turned 16 and was made fun of much of the time. He did find a friend in school though, the friend was a girl that also was mentally handicapped like Elmer was and they became friends. She was talked into having sex with the local boys and doing what the boys wanted made her get more attention so she was eager to please them. Elmer also started to explore having sex with her. Then the girl turned up pregnant and the kids in the class took advantage of his lesser intelligence and started to incessantly tease him about getting the girl pregnant and he didn’t understand that she could have been pregnant by any one of the other boys she was having sex with so he got really scared and freaked about his being accused of getting the girl pregnant. The only way he knew how to solve the problem was the way he attempted to do with a rock.
All of the kids knew she was pregnant and when she was found dead the police went to visit Elmer and they had the one shoe that was found near her body to tie him to the murder and they found the other shoe where Elmer had failed to hide it very well. He was arrested and was put on trial and sentenced to ten years in jail. There were rumors that Harley had also had sex with the girl as well as the girls own uncle, but the police had a good suspect who couldn’t defend himself and they never questioned anyone else in the crime. There are those in his family that still wonder to this day if maybe Harley followed Elmer and finished killing her after Elmer had hit her with a rock, as he only remembered hitting her once and she was hit many more times than that but with Elmer being unable to defend himself and the police not bothering to follow any other leads the case will never be changed. Harley and Lillian separated not long after that and she became a live in housekeeper for an older handicapped man. Elmer stayed close to his mother and none of the boys saw their father very often and he died at the age of 84 and if there was another truth in this story it died with those who were there. David is my stepfather.
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