Michigan City Santa Parade 2008

Baby it was cold outside. But the brave of heart and spirit would not give in. Maybe we should try having Christmas in July...

Traditions and Memories

Most, if not all of our fondest memories relate in someway to food.Food, that is essential to life, is what life is built on and around.As many prepare for the Annual Thanksgiving Day food orgy we remember not only family and friends from past feasts but the dishes set before us.Aunt Bea's braised beans, Dad's Deviled Eggs, or even Busha's Lime Jell-O molded salad...

Recently my cousin Patty, reminded my of this holiday tradition and wondered if I had the recipe. Not wanting to seem ungrateful to our Grandmother and our shared memories I assured her I did... Well, I didn't but I hoped I could find one close to Busha's that it would pass.A search for Lime Jell-O recipes led me to a very unlikely source and to the exact recipe...

Google led me to www.ashtry.com I know the name almost turned me off as well and I am a smoker.To my surprise I found the exact recipe I was looking for and more. The site supposedly belongs to a Léon Brocard, aka Acme. But all of these links just seem to deepen the mystery of this site and the person or persons responsible for all the wonderful and delightful food and memories to be found here.How Léon managed not find and collect the links to all this wonderful food and then give us a way to search for our memories not only by name but by ingredient is amazing and awesome. Like me, so often we only know what was in a dish and then more often then not, just one or two items. You can not even do that at the Food Network. So if you are searching for that one dish that mean the entire holiday to you or your family but can not recall how to make it... check out the recipes at Léon's, who knows you may just find Aunt Bea's Braised Beans there as well.From where I sit, Just Off Senter, it is true what old Will Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name will smell as sweet." Remember not to judge a site by it's first page.

Oh and while you at it....

Autumn in Indiana and New Adventures

There are songs about Autumn in New England, but from where I sit, this Mid-western scene is none too shabby.

The golds and reds are as vibrent in the Hoosier Sunshine as they could be anywhere.

As awesome the view may be it is sadly a reminder that all too soon we will have vistas of white to stare at for what will seem an eternity.

Take care not to go snow blind... it can and has happened.

As from where I sit... new adventures are on the horizion... I have retired from the hectic world of punching a clock and now am reconnecting with home and years of "I'm too tired this weekend" housework.

This should all prove very interesting as we, husband, pug and I adjust to this new or shall I say returning role as Domestic Goddess... Rosanne was not the first you know....

See you all soon, now that I will have more time to spend exploring and expressing my just off Senter views.

One = YOU!

Vote!

Be Heard!

Be Counted!

From the coal miner in West Virgina to the CEO of a Fortune 500 on Wall Street, male or female there is one moment in a true Democracy that all the members of that society are equal and worth more than any monetary amount.

It is in the seclusion and solitude of a voting booth, where all differences of real or imagined social status disappears and the real importance of One is revealed.

That ONE is YOU!

There will be no one here asking YOU to reveal if you are Blue or Red. We will not pry into you heart and minds to ascertain how you feel at this "historic" point in the life of our country. We just ask that you take the time to VOTE on November 4th, 2008!

Then on November 5th, 2008, whether Blue or Red, that we all join together to work on the healing and renewal of our American Dreams.


By Wednesday, November 5th, 2008, you will realize how important One can truly be. You will know how important YOU have always been!

That is how we see it from here, just off Senter

The Ends Insigth ... Hold On Just A Bit Longer....

Hold on just a bit longer (for 8 days from now, to be exact)!!!

What seems to me to have been several lifetimes ago this political nonsense started and for all this time we (the people of this dear land) have been bombarded with, "Pick me!" "No, pick me!"

Both, Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin claim they know what is ailing the country and they have the cure!!!

Know what it is????

CHANGE! CHANGE NOW!

All four of the aboved named are college grads, or they have attended institutes of higher learning. Well ,I am here to tell you and them, a high school drop out knows that much (and in many cases, more).

Blue State or Red State, America is a land of hurt.

The "band-aids" that have been tossed out across the land have not even begun to dress the gapping wounds of two wars, an economy that is non-existent, and families feeling near hopelessness.

Look around you. Just down your street, how many have or are about to lose jobs because the company has, or is "downsizing". Which is PC for, "Hey Buddy, your fired!"

How many are standing to lose their homes? Their cars? Their families?

Whom ever does "win" on Nov. 4, 2008, will not have an easy road to travel.

We American's have grown accustomed to quick fixes. Just pop a pill and all will be better in a hour or two. Or at least the pain will be dulled.

Sadly there will not be easy fixes for the ills we have all contributed to. Many caused because of our addiction to quick fixes.

Do get up and vote. It is the single most important thing you can do in you life. Don't just think your voting by wearing an American Flag Pin. Be brave and show what your heart is wearing. Get into the Polling Booth on Nov. 4, 2008 and VOTE!

Then, even if your not so incline to pray, this may be a good time to grasp this habit and begin to pray.

Pray for and with whom ever the mantel of leadership falls on. Their desire to stand at the helm of this great and mighty ship will be answered. As I see it, there will be no quick fixes or easy answers. We will all need to roll up our sleeves, and prepare to work together as never before to put this country back on course.

Hold on tight America, this could be a very bumpy ride.

Anyway, that is how I see it from here, just a bit off Senter.