Introduction of Blog Family Continues

Let me continue introducing some of the fantastic people I have met and come to call family over the last almost year. Mynx, a lovely lady living in the land down under, Australia is a friend to so many of my blog family. She is a fantastic writer and knows how to make you laugh and have such a good time. Her blog is called Dribble which is an Australian saying that she explains better than I could. Check her out and have fun.

Now lets jet set over to the other side of the world, Scotland and we will find a beautiful lady named Lynne and her two wonderful children Jack and Holly who are both teenagers. Lynne's blog The Giggle Fest should let you know right away that to go there is to have fun. She knows how to tell a story and will keep you hanging on every word. This is a wonderful family and any time spent there will be a blessing.

While we are in this neck of the woods we need to check in on Thisisme in the UK where the royal wedding took place yesterday. Her blog "Southhams Darling" is a colorful and refreshing place to be. The area she lives in Devon is such a beautiful part of the UK and to know her is to know her family that lives in Paris. She is a lovely lady that will touch your heart with her wit and wisdom.

OK, back to the USA and a little south of my location we will find Barb and her hubby who are also friends with so many of my blog family. Her blog "This and that (as I bounce thru life)" is a favorite place for all of us to be frequently to get our Barb fix and the wonderful stories she can tell. Barb & Bruce would love to have you stop by.

One of my blog friends just had a book published titled Blurred Realities. Amber over at Amber LaShell Rants is a young blogger with a true talent for writing as I found out first hand by ordering her new book which was loaded into my Kindle in less than a minute. She kept me guessing and ended the book in a way I would never have thought possible. Tell her Odie said hi.

Getting late for this old boy so I will say good night & sweet dreams hoping your sunday will be as great as this saturday has been.

Let Me Introduce You

Well folks, I have been doing this for coming up on a year now and thought it was about time I introduced you to some of my blog family. Some may and probably will already know most of the ones I mention but I do have some new followers and as of this morning the total is up to an amazing "109". Still hard to believe.

I'll start with one that may be new to all of you. Susan Carpenter is a teacher at Summers Knoll Elementary School in Ann Arbor Michigan. Her blog title is Our Classroom Blog. I have been following their blog for some time and Susan continues to amaze me with the level of learning the children in her class is receiving. They learn about statistical analysis, cell structure, the environment and many more awesome subjects. I encourage you to check them out.

Another great blog is hosted by an amazing lady named Jenna and her blog is titled Cold Antler Farm. She works a regular job like most folks but also operates Cold Antler Farm where she lives in up state NY. She just celebrated her first year on the farm and has quite an assortment of creatures there. Black faced sheep who just had 6 new lambs born, chickens raised for meat and eggs, rabbits, geese, 3 dogs and a newly acquired pony. She also has a way with words and can paint a picture in your mind allowing you to feel like you are there. She plays the banjo and is an inspiration to anyone wanting to be a small farm owner. Check her out.

One of my buddies is Shady Dell Knight over at Shady Dell Music & Memories where you will be educated and entertained about music that became part of the 'slives of teenagers in a small town in Pa. back in the late 60's and early 70's. While there you can listen to some of the all time great tunes that you may have loved but haven't heard in a long time. I highly recommend this blog to everyone.

For your enjoyment next comes Crystal over at Crystal's A Pistol. She is a beautiful lady with such a sense of humor and love for her children. If you go there, I guarantee you'll go back for more. Give her a try.

One of my long time friends is Jamie Jo over at "Lord, make me a saint". She is a beautiful lady with 5 amazing children who she homeschools. She is a Catholic and her love of God is plain to see in every post. Everyone should have a Jamie Jo in their list of friends.

In Canada I give you Belle, a beautiful lady that is so much fun to know and love. She is always encouraging and her life experiences are so interesting. Don't let her title fool you. Tales from a loser who is sometimes a winner. She will always be a winner in my book.

That's enough to start with, more to come.

Thankful Thursday- My Blog Family

It never fails, I whine a little bit and all of you just pour on the love. I really do appreciate each and every one of you in my wonderful blog family and I thank you so very much for all the great comments you have posted lately. That's the kind of stuff that keeps a guy blogging.

As a side note I just have to share about my Aunt Katie who as you may know is working on the big 103 come September. Over the last year or so she has had various problems with levels of stuff like platelets and changes in medications. She went for a checkup last week and everything is back to normal, she is eating very well, having no trouble with going to the bathroom and being very active inside and outside the house. My sister Linda took her to that appointment last week & asked her if she wanted to get something to eat before going home. She said it would be fine and when asked where she would like to go she said she didn't know and finally said that Bojangles would be alright. Now Bojangles is good fast food but Linda got the idea to take her to Red Lobster and that got her excited since she had never been. She fell in love with their cheese biscuits, ate scallops for the first time and was like a child at Christmas time which of course made my sister happier than she has been in a long time just watching her enjoy herself.

We love her more than I can say and rejoice that she is doing so well and enjoying life@ 102. So today my friends I am especially thankful for my blog family and for my wonderful Aunt Katie.

wordless Wednesday-Happy Wife

CAUTION !!

Caution: In the future don't mess with A - Z challenges. It could be hazardous to your mind.

This challenge has had it moments but now that I am approaching the dreaded "X" I realize that my life has enough difficulties without adding the last 3 letters into the mix. I never wanted this to be a situation where I had to put something up every day whether I had a good contribution or not. Sadly that is the point have approached with this challenge. Therefore, I will go back to just being "Odie".

I am enjoying just being a part of this big blog family that includes people who are happy, hurting, confused, inspirational, lovely, encouraging, generous, depressed and entertaining. I see these as people who either are helping me or need my help in whatever little way I can. That is a pretty good combination and I know for a fact I have been helped along the way and I appreciate it so much.

Quitting is not a good thing but to be honest I have had "lots" of practice over the years so it really doesn't make me feel that bad as I probably saw it coming from the start. The good part is that in the whole picture I see Odie as being much better that I was when I started this adventure June of last year, even though I feel I am so very far from where I feel I should be spiritually & emotionally. So my friends, if you are saying your prayers, remember this old NC boy who could use all he can get.

Whirlygig

Before you click on start scroll down and pull the sound down on my playlist so it will not be playing at the same time. Now enjoy.

Vision and the Human Eye

Before clicking on start scroll down to my playlist and pull the sound down so it will not be playing at the same time. Now enjoy.

Underground Homes

Now this is just one of many kinds of underground dwellings. Some are not this elaborate and are built into a hillside but the effect is basically the same. Since my early 20's I have always wanted to experience living in this type of environment for reasons like freedom from noise like traffic, temperature control as it would maintain a constant lower temperature than the surface but would never freeze.

Dangers like the tornados that just destroyed so much property in NC could be avoided with this type of home. You wouldn't have to worry about leaks from water seaping into the soil because you can use high density concrete that will not let anything pass through it and of course drainage would be a major point in the basic construction.

Lighting would give the illusion of daylight and artificial windows could be fashioned with scenes that look like the outside. Some industrious individuals have even bought vacated silos that used to hold a missle and have fashioned a home there.

You might even recall the movie "Blast from the past" where this family thought world war 3 was about to happen in the late 60's or early 70's and actually lived in their underground home for 30 years with their little boy at that time. He was sent up to see about supplies and eventually brought his family up to live in a home above ground. I have seen it quite a few times. I still think the concept is interesting. What do you think?

Thank You and Welcome to My World

Just a note to all of you who have just started following "The Simple Life". As of today there are 102 of you and that humbles this old boy who never dreamed when I started this thing one day back in June of last year that it would ever amount to anything but a place to put my random thoughts.

I have acquired quite a large blog family and through it all I believe we have actually helped each other and enriched our daily lives along the way. I hope that will be the experience my new followers will feel so again I say thank you for stopping by and deciding to follow along my journey. It is appreciated so very much.

Odie

Taken - A great action movie

Before you click on start scroll down and pull the sound down on my playlist so it will not be playing at the same time. Now enjoy.

Sight & Sound Theaters

Before clicking on start go down and pull the sound on my playlist down so it will not be playing at the same time. Now enjoy.

Kneesandpaws Got It Right

I didn't really know what it was, it was just pretty and delicate. My friend over at Kneesandpaws got it right when she said "Passion Flower" I looked it up and there are many varietys of this flower

"100" Followers

"100" Followers!!!! I never dreamed when I starting this blog last June that I could ever accumulate this many people followng my Simple Life blog.



It happened yesterday as my sweet friend Annah over at "Red Means Go" became #100. You should pop over and check out this attractive, Cuban, dog rescuing, famous & talented Miami chick that would love to entertain you.

Romeo's Dream

Romeo was struck & killed recently by a vehicle in South Africa. Desiree and the family were of course devistated by this but to keep Romeo's memory alive and with purpose there is a fundraising raffle being held to aid the animal shelter there and many businesses has donated some very nice things. You can read all about Romeo's Dream here and if you feel led to participate in the raffle it is there as well. Thank you for going over to learn more and help.

Wordless Wednesday

Quotes for Life

Quotations About Life

Life is hard, if you're stupid it's harder

The purpose of life is a life of purpose - Robert Byrne

Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't. - Richard Bach

In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular. - Kathy Norris

I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches. - Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. - Grandma Moses

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. - Mark Twain

To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone. - Reba McEntire

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. -Charles Schulz

Life is a sexually transmitted disease and there is a 100% mortality rate. - R.D. Laing

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." - James Conant

Port Angeles, Washington

In another life I had this ever present dream & desire to be in Port Angeles, Washington. The primary reason being to live nearer to my friend Gloria Fred in British Columbia which is just a ferry ride across the bay instead of 3,000 miles.

Of course there are other reasons to pick that location to settle down. The strongest of these is the climate which varies from the 30's in the winter to 70's in the summer. It is nestled between the mountains and the sea and only gets about 25 inches of rainfall a year. The mountains rise to 7,000 feet and are south and west of the town acting as a barrier to a lot of the rain or bad weather.

Olympic State Park is near as well as many interesting areas to investigate. I have never been there but know in my mind that I would love what it has to offer.

O is for Odie

I go by either picture so take your pick. Odie Langley, Jr. first born of Odie Langley and Martha Katherine Flood Langley. I came into this world on March 24th 1947 (I know I'm older than dirt) at the Rocky Mount Sanitarium delivered by Dr. William Wall. It was the big hospital in Rocky Mount at the time and and been long since torn down with fewer by the day remembering it.

Don't know what Dr. Wall was smoking that day or a couple of days later because somehow I ended up with 2 birth certificates, both signed by him. One was dated the 24th and the other the 26th. My mother always assured me I was actually born on the 24th. All this came home to me when I needed a passport to go on a cruise and went to Nashville, NC to get a copy of my birth certificate and they asked me which one I wanted. Yes, they even had both of them on record at the county building.

As I have mentioned in a previous post I grew up kinda/sorta in the grocery store my dad bought from his dad after getting lucky in a poker game one night at the store. Later he married my mom and built a house a stone's throw from the store and very close to my grandparents house. I have been told that my mother would get up and discover me missing early in the morning only to find me later in bed with my grandpa. I really don't remember any of that and even finding grandpa dead in bed one morning. I was very young when he died so the only real memory I have of him was riding in his horse and buggy. If I didn't have a hat on he would make me one out of a paper sack.

My sisters Linda & Marie came along after I was about 2 and then about 3 so were were very close in age. I tried to stay as far away from them as possible and spent a lot of my growing up years in the woods with my faithful dog Poochie (looked exactly like Benji). She lived for about 13 years & I found her dead in front of her dog house one morning so she went peacefully.

Much of my young to teen years was involved with farming to some extent. My dad had a couple of acres of land that he always planted something on to sell in his store. It might be tomatoes, watermellons, field peas, peppers, squash or whatever he wanted and my sisters & I had to harvest the crop. One year he went absolutely crazy and planted cotton. That was just a bad experience. As we got older we were allow to work for other people getting the tobacco crop in and usually that meant handing tobacco to a person who tied it onto a stick that was hung on racks in barns with heaters that cured the tobacco taking moisture out of it. I really did love the smell of freshly cured tobacco. We would come home from school and have to go to the tobacco tying room where we would gather carefully a small handful of tobacco by the stems and after grouping them so that the ends of the stems were all even we would take one very pretty leaf of tobacco and wrap around the stem ends tightly and end by securing the stem of that leaf inside the bundle. Then the bundles where placed on sticks for further processing. Now they cure the leave in bulk barnes and the careful, tedious process is long forgotten.

That's how Odie spent most of his childhood. I was a quiet boy, very shy but glad to have had the experiences I had when I look back on them. I'll give you more about me later. Have a great week everybody.

Aunt Frances' Birthday Party

The birthday girl Aunt Frances loving all the family being with her.

The fire department was on standby.

Cupcakes for the little & big kids.

Had to get a shot of Linda's mother Margie

Together chowing down on great food.

The puppy that stole everyone's heart with her neverending love.

A calmer moment for the sweet little puppy.

Lovely fountain adorning the front yard.

Hard to find words to express the beauty her daughter Judy has put into her landscaping & flowers.

The children sure enjoyed the indoor heated pool.

Very athletic at times having such a great time.

N is for NARWAL

Meet Mr. Narwal. He is a vertebrate that has a backbone and is a mammal since it gives birth to live young. He is related to walruses, porpoises, other whales and dolphins. His home is the Artic waters of the higher, north polar latitudes off the coasts of northernmost Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the polar islands near Scotland and Russia.

His diet consists of artic & polar cod, capelin, Gonatus squid, Greenland halibut, shrimp and wolffish. He is so picky that he only eats this variety and will follow them along their migration routes.

Only the males have the eye catching tusk which is actually a tooth that grows out of the upper jaw and from the left incisor. It can extend as much as eight feet. Tusks have been known to wash up on shore and in ancient times people called them cast off horns of the mythical unicorn.

The gestation period is about 14 months and the baby is 160 CM long at birth. Narwals commonly dive to 1,600 feet but can dive as far as 3,300 feet for 20 minutes.

Narwal's primary enemy is humans hunting them for food and to use their bones for art and equipment and the tusks become Inuit ivory. The Inuit of Canada and Greenland love the delicacy called mattak which is raw narwal blubber and skin. Other preditors are killer whales and polar bears. A very interesting fellow.

M is for my Mama

I really miss my Mama who went to be with the Lord August the 7th, 2002. Martha Katherine Flood Langley, born in Edgecombe County, NC December 19th, 1920. Her life was filled with raising 3 children, keeping our home in order and helping my dad in the little country store he purchased from his dad after doing really well in a poker game in the store one evening. This was before he married my mom but wanted to document that. I really don't think she minded helping out at the store but when dad had to go somewhere she wasn't as happy with the situation. She especially hated the smell of gasoline which sold for 29 cents back then. I can remember her telling a customer (because you also had to pump it for them) that she was out of gas so she didn't have to smell it. Mama didn't have a drivers license so one day she wanted to visit her mother and dad couldn't leave the store so he hired Dick Sills, a very nice black taxi operator in Nashville to take us over there. He patiently waited in the yard while we visited. Can you see that happening today? I can't. While I was in Viet Nam dad acquired a store in Rocky Mount and also a house there. When I came home on leave I saw it for the first time. This time the store was not the friendly, sit a spell country store but a downtown version that was about half beer and wine. Not the environment that my mama enjoyed. When my dad died it was time for "BIG" changes for my mom. She had to get her drivers license and actually get a job for the first time in her life. She went to work for Fawn Plastics, a company that manufactured dash parts for automobiles. She advanced quickly and really loved her position there. She always regretted leaving school in the 8th grade and before retiring she went to Nash Community College and got her GED and received it in cap & gown. I was sooooooo proud of her that evening. After retiring she had a lot of time on her hands and spent a lot of it making her rounds visiting my family and my two sisters. I still remember you so strongly when I am getting baked spaghetti at K & W Cafeteria, chicken strips at Bojangles or watching Price is Right with Bob Barker. She was an amazing lady and a big part of who Odie, Marie & Linda are today.

T. G. I. F. - I Hope!!

Now that I have you smiling I do hope that this will be an awesome friday for everyone out there in blog world. I also wanted to take a moment and thank all those that are following my sometimes wild and wacky postings. As of this morning the count was up to 96 and I still find that number hard to believe. Lately I have seen comments from a lot of new folks and that is really encouraging and I do appreciate you stopping by to leave a good word.

If you remember, last friday I nearly had a melt-down here in my office after the 3 technicians I had in the field all came down with CFS. You'll have to peak back at last friday's post if you don't know what CFS means. Well, I went into Monday expecting the worse with numerous customer's machines inoperable but it went more smoothly than I had figured and as a whole the week was not too bad. Hopefully we will finish out this week with a lower stress level.

OK, this is the 3rd weekend in April which mean there will be lots of activity in my neck of the woods. Today through Sunday will be the Haliwa Saponi Pow Wow with tribes from all over the country coming to participate in the dance competition, singing, sales of crafts, food and seeing who can dress the best. It will also be a busy time for Linda & I since we will have to be in Apex, NC saturday for her Aunt Frances' birthday celebration. If you recall she is the one we visited while at the Celebrity Dairy B & B. I will have pictures to post since her daughter's place is very attractive. Have a great one everyone.

Thankful Thursday

Today Odie is thankful that I am stopping the A-Z challenge because I have been fighting with Blogger and Blogger won. I didn't like the idea that my daily blogs were being grouped together and other types of blogs were spaced above the recipes. I tried changing the title hoping it would allow the blog to be the first thing you see but no, my L blog is below about 3 other blogs I've posted. I may insert a recipe from time to time but I will stop with L and get on with life as I know it. Hope everyone has had a great week.

Remembering Romeo

Please help me in offering condolences and kind words to Desiree in South Africa over at Driftwood Ramblings for the loss of her sweet and handsome dog, Romeo. He was killed by a vehicle yesterday and his family is grieving his loss. Thank you for showing compassion to a blog family member.

Awesome God

Scroll to the bottom & turn off my playlist before clicking on this. Also there is one more after this one below.

Wednesday Praise

Go to the bottom of the page and turn the sound off my playlist before clicking on this please.

How my friday turned out

Happy Sunday folks. The picture pretty much sums up how my technicians repaired copiers on friday. Yes, it was one of those, Mr. Customer, it sure sucks to be you days. I don't think anyone could have been happier to see 5 PM happen than I was.

If they had been "green" technicians with little or no experience my expectations would have been lower but these guys, and I was down to 3 since one only works through wednesday part time and one was on a day of vacation, all have many years of experience but I think they were all afflicted with the same disorder. I'm not happy with my job and can't fix shit syndrome.

Of course when I see this happening and recognize it for what it is I feel powerless to make anything positive happen and that is an awful feeling to put it mildly. You might ask me are these guys worked too hard or not give enough benefits during the day? Well, let's see.

To start with each of them are supplied with a company vehicle to drive to and from home at no cost to them. They have a gas card to keep the vehicle full of gas that is approaching $4.00 a gal. Their day starts at 8 AM but they have been conditioned to slowly exit the shop towards 9 AM but not to their first service call but to "Griffin's Grill" next door to have breakfast and fellowship until maybe 9:30 or later putting them at their first call if I am lucky around 10 AM. Don't forget that lunch time is coming and they know how to squeeze every minute out of 60. As a disclaimer I will add that this behaviour is practiced by 4 of the 5. I do have one that actually acts responsible so there is a glimer of hope at times.

So, you might say to yourself after reading all this, how in the hell can they not be happy with their job? You see, they have all been told 1,000 times that the day starts at 8 AM and 8:01 is not acceptable to come walking through the door. Also we try to be a profit based company and when they throw a $100 assembly at a machine when a $1.25 part would have fixed the problem, or they forget to take an important part to a call and have to go back burning more expensive gas, they get upset when management barks at them. That is when the syndrome kicks in and I have to wonder how long it will last.

I don't really know if any of them actually look at my blog and I don't really care but I hope they see this and realize how they need to park their attitudes in the parking lot and get on with business like professionals.

On a lighter note we did get spaghetti plates the company bought from the local Boy Scouts that was quite tasty.

Monday is coming, with numerous emergencies facing my day but at least I will have 5 technicians instead of 3 unless one or more calls in sick. Time will tell.

Land of Fluffy Forgotten Cookies

This is probably one of the most unique recipes you will find and so worth the time preparing them. Ingredients: 2 Egg whites 3/4 Cup light corn syrup 1 Cup of nuts, chopped 1 5 oz chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually add corn syrup and beat until very stiff. Fold in nuts & chips. Drop by spoonsful onto cookie sheet covered with was paper. Place cookies in oven and turn oven off. Shut door and leave overnight. These keep well in a covered tin.

Kabobs

One of the most fun things to cook is kabobs and one of the great parts of this recipe is that you can vary the ingredients as you like. If you are using wooden skewers you will need to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to keep them from burning. I usually start and end with something like bell pepper or onion, then alternate with whatever you like. It could be a combination of bite size pieces of chicken tenders, onion, bell pepper. Or you could try bell pepper, onion, kilbasa, chunk pineapple. Another would be bell pepper, onion, zuchini, beef.

Once you decide on what combination of ingredients have everything lined up to assemble and place on a baking sheet or they can be grilled. I like to add some sweet barbeque sauce to mine. If using the oven place under the broiler and keep an eye on them to keep from burning. I turn them about half way through adding more sauce at that time. Once the initial prep work is done the cooking will go really quickly so think up what would taste great and have fun.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya:

Ingredients:

1 Tbl unsalted butter

1 Cup smoked sausage, diced

1/2 Cup onion, diced

1/2 Cup bell pepper, diced

1/2 Cup celery, diced

2 Tbl garlic, minced

1/2 Cup tomatoes, diced

1/4 Cup tomato sauce

1 1/4 Cup chicken stock

3/4 Cup long grain rice

1 Cup boneless chicken breast, diced

2 Bay leaves, crushed or ground

1/2 Tsp dried thyme

1/4 Tsp ground sage

1/4 Tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 Tsp ground white pepper

1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter, saute the smoked sausage until slightly browned. Add half of (onion, bell pepper & celery) saute until tender. Add tomato and cook about a minute, then add the tomato sauce, cook 1 minute more. Add the garlic & rice, cook 1 minute. Add the stock, spices & other half of veggies and raw chicken. Stir well and bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, but still has a little bite. Top with chopped green onions. This will feed 2 to 3 people.

T. G. I. F.

Have you ever had one of those weeks when it seemed that every day was filled with confusion, negative vibes and irritations. Mine has fulfilled all those requirements and this old boy sure needs a couple of days away from my office.

Here's hoping that everyone in my blog world is well or getting much better, happy and feeling blessed to have a blog family like I do.

Taste of Italy

Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese: Ingredients: 8 Thick slices of vine-ripened tomatoes 2 Tbl balsamic vinegar 8 Medium fresh basil leaves 12 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 8 slices Dry oregano leaves to taste Sea salt to taste Fresh ground black pepper 2 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil Arrange sliced tomatoes on a large platter. Place one basil leaf on top of each tomato slice. Place 1 slice of mozzrella on top of each basil leaf. Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper on cheese and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Finish with drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Bruschetta al Pomodoro:

Ingredients:

4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced

2 Garlic cloves, chopped

1 Garlic clove cut in half

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

10 Medium fresh basil leaves, chopped

4 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil

8 Slices crusty Italian bread

Extra-virgin olive oil (to drizzle)

Combine diced tomatoes and chopped garlic in a mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add half of chopped basil and 4 Tbl of extra-virgin olive oil. Drizzle both sides of bread slices with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill bread lightly on both sides. Rub grilled bread with cut half of garlic clove to infuse with flavor. Top each slice with tomato mixture. Garnish with remaining chopped basil and serve immediately.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone. Today I am thankful for "Free Food". Yes, I said free. You see I was in the post office last week and being the frugal kind of guy I am my eye is always on the prowl for money saving coupons that may be visible in the large trash cans on either side of the table in the outer area of the post office.

I have already posted here before about how much I like our new Sheetz stores in Rocky mount, NC. I spotted the red Sheetz emblem and examined it. It had a selection of coupons, not for so much off, I am talking free. Made to order hot sandwiches like subs, hot dogs, made to go deli type sandwiches, specialty coffee drinks like the ever popular frappe that costs over $3 everywhere, even packages of cookies. Also on the mail out was a rip off card good for a free cup of coffee every day for the month of April. I've given numerous people free coffee cards to enjoy this month and Linda and I have enjoyed free evening meals every night this week that I pick up on the way home. Oddly, some folks still wonder why I like Sheetz so much. Go figure!

Ham biscuits and Honey bun cake

Ham Biscuit Delight: Ingredients: 2 Pkgs. mini rolls in pan 1 Lb deli ham sliced real thin 8 Slices Swiss cheese 1/2 Cup butter 1/4 Tbl Worchestershire sauce 1/4 Tbl Poppy seed 3 Tbl. mustard 1/4 Small onion grated Slice rolls down center like a layered cake without breaking apart individual rolls. Combine the last 5 ingredients for sauce in a pan. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Cover bottom layer of rolls with sauce. Add a layer of ham and cheese slices. Put top back over ham and cheese. Spread remaining sauce on top. Place rolls back in pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Slice each pan into 20 individual rolls.

Honey Bun Cake:

Ingredients: Cake

1 Box yellow cake mix

1 Cup buttermilk

3/4 Cup oil

4 L Eggs, well beaten

2 Tsp cinnamon

1/2 Cup chopped nuts

1/2 Cup brown sugar

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Pour into 9 X 13 pan. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Swirl through cake batter. Bake 1 hour in a 300 degree oven. Pour topping immediately after taking out of oven.

Ingredients: Topping

3 Tbl milk

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

Mix together and pour over hot cake