Channeling a past generation

Since little Geoana is at church camp this week Geogal and I decided to jazz up our nightly meal menu. Like most kids, little Geoana is a picky eater though her tastes are slowly moving toward more variety.

Tonight's meal was chicken-fried steak. Since we have plenty of tenderized round steak in the freezer (courtesy of a Kansas cow) this is not a dish that will set us back many dollars. The only things I needed to purchase during the weekend grocery run were a small container of buttermilk and a bag of potatoes (you just can't have CFS without mashed taters on the side!).

Going down one of the grocery aisles I spotted the envelopes of powdered gravy mix. For a split second I pondered taking the easy way out, then the vision of my paternal grandmother flashed into my consciousness.

No way! You make the gravy out of pan drippings, just as grandma did.

And so I passed on the manufactured krep. However I did make sure I had plenty of flour, milk, and salt.

(An aside: My grandmother died when I was very little and sadly I do not remember her. However over many years I've heard from both dad and mom that she was an outstanding cook from the old school, where everything was fresh and made from scratch. I wonder if I've inherited some of her culinary talent.)

I haven't cooked chicken-fried steak in over 25 years. As a teen I made it a few times, using a recipe taken from The Genuine Texas Handbook. It was a simple dish: tenderize the meat by hitting the dickens out of it, make the crust from an egg-and-flour mixture, fry in a skillet. Make the white gravy out of the pan drippings.

The reviews at the time were polite. Steak was OK, not great. Certainly not anything compareable to what I'd get in one of the better restaurants.

This time I decided to do a little homework. Scoured Allrecipes.com for the different variations, then decided to mix buttermilk with beaten eggs, plus crush some corn flakes to add to the flour. Salt and pepper the meat first, then dunk and dredge. Repeat.

Results?

Steak was good. Still not restaurant quality but more flavor than my teenage attempts. Crust had more integrity. Gravy? Much better flavored than I remember, but a bit lumpy (it will get better with practice, I'm certain). Definitely tasted better than the powdered stuff. I had to fry the steaks longer than anticipated (thicker than what I am used to) and the crust did come off of sections of the meat.

Overall not a bad freshman attempt. Just like my other dishes of note, I'll get better with each attempt.

Judge for yourself?

A week in a small town

If I had Tom T. Hall’s talent I could write a “story song” from the events of this week.

But given my abilities I’ll keep things limited to prose.

Sunday: Church, lunch after church. Then Geogal gives the kitchen a deep cleaning. Shortly I hear a YIPE!, followed by whimpering.

No limbs lost, but one heckuva bloody finger. Cut it on the inside of the toaster oven. She decides to head over to the ER and returns in short order with a sophisticated bandage and the needle stick from a tetanus shot. But no need for stitches.

Monday: Begin week as usual. Breakfast, check over evening meal plans, head out to work. Eat leisurely lunch.

Notice storm clouds gathering. It’s getting darker. Soon I hear folks in the building listening to weather radio and chatter over the city’s 2-way system.

Get a call from Geogal. “Are you coming home?”

Nope. The higher-ups haven’t excused any of us.

Tornado warning. And the building in which I labor does not have anything resembling a storm shelter.

The siren sounds. Then the rain pounds, followed by hail (only pebble size).

On the home front the gals are huddling in the basement.

Turns out our town is spared. Tornadoes do touch down at points south and east.

Get home at quitting time. Next thing you know the phone jangles with the sheriff’s department doing reverse-911 calls. Another tornado warning. And in the middle of meal prep.

Go down to subterranean safe level. Come back up a few minutes later when it is revealed the warning in question refers to the northwest part of the county, not anywhere near us.

Tuesday: Next-to-last softball game for little Geoana. A nail-biter but they pulled it out in the end. Final score: 7 to 6.

Her games commence at 8:30 in the p.m. Hard to go home and hit the hay after all that.

Wednesday: Normal routine (see Monday). Get home from work, go exercise, Come back home, eat a leisurely meal.

Oh, did I mention I saw a utility vehicle at one of the lots in town? Would meet Geogal’s needs perfectly. (When winter drew to a close she voiced her desire for a large SUV that has 4-wheel drive, the better to tame the snow with!) She rings me in the 4 o’clock hour, want to come over and test drive it?

We do. Nice. Maybe a bit too nice.

Back at the domicile, she and little Geoana go about making cookies from scratch. (For the blood drive the following day.) I’m down in the basement minding my own business. Next thing I hear is yelling, then whiny little girl voice. More yelling from the adult of the pair.

I head upstairs to ensure nobody’s finger got sliced off.

Nope. Just the little girl not paying attention and most of an egg winding up on the counter and floor. And a mother who is on the edge of postal.

A short while later, all is calm once again. Congregate to watch Star Trek--TOS on the DVD. (The episode was “Arena,” if you’re curious.)

Thursday: Kitchen is a wreck from the evening before. Cycle is off, dishwasher ran in early evening. Dishes inside are clean and waiting to be put away. In the meantime the cookie preparation and mealtime did the usual damage to cleanliness. (Normal cycle would involve an empty dishwasher after supper, then it gets loaded and we hit the “on” switch before going to bed.)

Before I even have breakfast I commence on the evening meal. Pulled pork sandwiches. Involves dry rubbing a shoulder roast and preparing a concoction of apple juice this and apple cider vinegar that. Throw in some Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to boot. Set in Crock Pot and turn switch to low. Many hours should make good meat.

Then assume role of “Cookie.” Fry bacon, then whip up some farm-fresh scrambled eggs for everyone. After, head out to work as usual.

Meanwhile Geogal gets home from work, has little Geoana unload the dishwasher, then attacks the kitchen with something a little shy of vengeance. By the time I get home the cooking area is immaculate. Crock Pot is the lone warrior, doing its thing on the countertop with nary a complaint.

Looking forward to an easy evening. The meal is mostly done, then little Geoana has a softball game at 8:30. The last one of the season.

Then the phone rings. It’s the P.E. teacher/local recreation guru/softball umpire calling to tell us that little Geoana’s team has a game scheduled at 6. (It’s currently 5:55.) A quick glance at the schedule confirms it--the coach and just about all the parents missed the fact that today’s contest involves TWO games. And hardly anyone from our daughter’s team is even there. Might be looking at a forfeit.

Hit panic button. Geogal starts calling the other kids’ parents. Some are in town, some live out on farms.

She gets little Geoana there. Calls a bit later, they’re playing. Got 8 girls.

I eat in peace, then gather together said food to provide nourishment to the rest of the family.

Arrive at the ballpark, find Geogal. Tell her I’ve got the food. She’ll eat once this inning is over.

Third out. That’s the game. (Time-limited and it started late.)

Head back home, so thankful I took the food down there (said to self in sarcastic tones).

Back at the homestead, the females eat while I begin working on this piece.

Postscript: The second game of the doubleheader was won by little Geoana’s team. 11-10 on a walk off base hit. (They were the home team.)

And we haven’t even experienced Friday yet....

Is this a challenge?

Following up on the last post...

iCloud, with its features and abilities, promises to be a major improvement over MobileMe.

I'm OK with that as MobileMe certainly had its deficiencies. However I wondered about the future of Apple's offsite system as it pertains to maintaining the Web pages I built with iWeb.

And it turns out I'm not alone. Since last week numerous other Mac devotees are posing the same question in their respective realms of cyberspace.

Making things worse, Apple hasn't made public (yet) the plans for storing more than just audio and visual files, syncing information across one's iOS devices, and automatic backups.

What about our web pages?

Not only that, but what of iWeb?

It didn't escape fans' notice that in the latest release of iLife the emphasis was on iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. iWeb (and iDVD) were left unchanged.

Unchanged, ignored.......soon to be orphans.


Even James Lileks made note in his entry today:

"As for Web Design, they learned iWeb. Sigh. Not exactly a platform with a future."

Yes, this blog you're currently reading gets the bulk of my creative attention. However long-time readers know I also maintain an Apple-hosted blog that allows more creativity with picture placement and text format. Everything I do there I create in iWeb, usually with the stalwart MacBook.

Time to start thinking ahead. I presume (along with most anyone else in the know) that Apple will kick iWeb and web site hosting to the curb. What now?

How about taking it to the next level? Obtain a different host? (Hey, now I don't have to pay MobileMe a C-note every year to keep the service, maybe I can swing this.) There are a multitude of hosting services out there, plenty of competition means reasonable prices!

And what of learning more advanced Web design? I'm not the nerdiest chap around these parts but I've tackled computer-related challenges before. I must acknowledge that while iWeb was (excuse me, is) easy to learn, it has its limitations. Perhaps I can do simple redesigns that will give the end result of a more attractive (and up-to-date looking) site.

Last but not least I don't have to sacrifice my previous work. The ever-helpful MacLife gang offers a solution to the question of migrating my site (intact) to a different host.

So rather than launching diatribes at Steve Jobs and Company I'd rather just test my own abilities. Time to make lemons into lemonade!

Geeky stuff, but at least it's COOL geeky stuff!

Like just about all other Apple fans I paid close attention to the new software coming forth from Cupertino that was officially unveiled last Monday.

I'm not overly excited, but the information about IOS 5, iCloud, and OS X Lion was interesting on several fronts.

I'm already getting the machines here at home ready. Our plan is to upgrade the memory in both the iMac and the MacBook to 4GB and 2GB, respectively. Coincidentally (?), this month's issue of Mac Life features an article on how to do just that.

A couple of glitches, however. First I learn that Lion will only be available through a download via the Mac App store.

Um, I can't access the Mac App store currently as I'm still running Leopard on both my machines. (I figured it wasn't important for me to upgrade to Snow Leopard since that release wasn't significantly different from regular old Leopard.) Why not just wait for Lion since that would be a more significant update?

Scratch that. Soon as I learned that Lion would not be coming via CD or DVD I got over to the online Apple store and ordered the Snow Leopard family pack (at least it didn't set me back much $$$$). By this time next week I should be enjoying the tweaks Snow Leopard offers plus browsing the Mac App store.

Now today I'm reading further and learn that I can't upgrade the MacBook to Lion. Lion, you see, requires at least an Intel Core 2 Duo chip. The iMac has it, the MacBook has a Core Duo.

Rats. That's the first sign of obsolescence.

I'll make the best of it. Running Snow Leopard, I should be able to get a few more good years out of my trusty notebook. It still runs great considering it's been in continuous use for nearly five years. And the memory upgrade won't hurt either. Next up is a new battery (this 'Book is of the vintage with user-replaceable batteries).

iCloud, meanwhile, poses a question to me. I'll address that in my next entry.

And A Happy Memorial Day To All

I've got Old Glory flying outside the front porch. In today's wind (gusting around 40 mph) her colors are well displayed!

Little Geoana spent Friday and Saturday nights at the lake with one of her friends (and the friend's family). Sunday morning she comes through the front door. Tired, a little scraggly, a bit sunburnt, and not quite full of energy.

Turns out she spent plenty of time in or right at the edge of the lake, making sandcastles and engaging in other activities such as playing boat with a fallen tree and throwing mud clods at the other kids. She herself was the recipient of a rock to the head, courtesy of friend's slightly older brother. (He claims it was an accident.)

My words to her? "Sounds like you had a great time."

She did.

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Popped up the camper this morning, first time this season. Thankfully everything is safely intact and there was no mold or mildew from the wet spring.

We have only one trip on the docket this summer. Unfortunately little Geoana's summer commitments combined with Geogal starting school soon makes for a June-July-August with little downtime, family-wise.

The one downside of camper check-out came when we were readying the rig for takedown. The bungee on the back end bunk canvas snapped in two. No big surprise, we already knew the thing was worn when we bought the pop-up. In fact we're a bit surprised it held out this long.

No matter. A quick look on PopUpPortal.com indicates this will be a fairly easy fix.

I hope.

_______________________________

More evidence of the double standard.

Geogal and I went to Kearney on Saturday. I find a pair of swim trunks at Old Navy on sale for $8. (For the record, I have had my current pair for over 10 years. The elastic in the waistband is gone. I'd say I got my money's worth.)

Geogal, on the other hand, can't seem to find herself a suit that runs less than $50 or $60. She finally finds something online she likes but when it comes time to place the order it turns out the item won't ship for about three weeks.

My comment? "Women's swimsuits seem to be one of the biggest rackets there is." She agreed.

I win!

This morning was just like many others in the Geohouse.

Geogal went to go wake up little Geoana.

Upon returning, Geogal tells me the little one had her hands to her face while in slumber. "Mommy, I dreamt I got braces."

(We did spend Sunday afternoon with a family we've befriended, since our last get-together their son is now adorned with braces.)

Geogal's answer? "I dreamt I was eating a breakfast burrito."

My dream? "I was driving up Interstate 10, heading for Sky Harbor airport. Had plenty of time to make my plane. Then the Highway Patrol pulls all vehicles off the roadway in groups of 50. They then question us one at a time. Nothing about any possible criminal activity, rather the questions were the nature of 'What is the maximum speed allowed on such-and-such highway?'

"I was looking at the clock, trying to determine if I could endure this delay and still make my plane."

For what it's worth I won the "weird-dream-just-before-waking-contest." Hey, I take my victories where I can get 'em.

Dinner table conversation

On Sunday we ordered a pizza for lunch. Brought it home, Geogal and little Geoana already had served themselves and were seated at the table. I prepared my plate, went into the dining room and was hit with a distinct whiff of something pungent.

I thought for a moment, then identified it as Parmesan cheese. Sure enough, Geogal had torn open a packet and dumped it over her slice. I verbalized my discovery, saying the smell was unmistakeable.

Little Geoana said in reply: "That's what that is? I thought somebody farted."

(She shares my disdain for most things cheesy, save pizza.)

Further indoctrination into the ways of rural Kansas families

It's no secret that many people around here are farmers, related to farmers, or have lasting friendships with farmers. And along with the growing of wheat, corn, milo, and alfalfa comes raising critters as well.

I already get farm-fresh eggs from one of my coworkers (her mother owns numerous hens and this is the time of year where their egg production skyrockets). Therefore, excepting the winter months, the Geohouse enjoys the best-tasting eggs around.

A few weeks ago I heard this particular colleague talking in the hallway about one of her acquaintances about to send in a cow for processing. My ears perked up and I butted into the conversation by saying I was interested in buying into this process. Before I knew it I was on the hook for one quarter of beef, the price to be determined. (It's based on the weight of the cow/steer and the current market price.)

Last week I got a card from the locker, my meat was ready for pickup. I loaded my truck with coolers and thermal bags (the locker is about a 45-50 minute drive one-way).

We now have a freezer full of beef. Steaks, roasts, stew meat, ground 90/10, premade hamburger patties, BBQ ribs, and liver to boot.

In case you're curious, the cow weighed in at almost 1500 pounds. No tipping this bovine.

Yesterday I thawed a couple of packages of hamburger patties and cooked them up on the kettle charcoal grill (still don't have the propane beauty working yet).

The verdict? Out of this world. Little Geoana commented the burgers practically melted in your mouth. Everyone liked the flavor. Just about what we expected. One of Geogal's coworkers warned her, "Once you've bought a local cow, you'll never go back to grocery-store beef."

And we haven't even tried the steaks yet....

Home Improvement

Last Sunday Geogal and I cleaned out one of the rooms in the basement. You know the type--it's the quarter where all of the extraneous boxes and items wind up mainly because there's no other storage alternative. It's known in this dwelling as "the guest bedroom." Simply because it includes a queen size bed. The rare occasions where we have company finds this room as base of operations for the visitors.

While spring cleaning is a good pretext the real reason for the downsizing and moving of boxes and bed was due to a project that's been in planning stages for many moons now. Geogal has long wanted an egress window in the basement. We are acquainted with a fellow here in town who is engaged in his second career as a remodeler/construction dude/cabinetmaker/old item replacer and the like. I can't call him a contractor as I don't know if he is licensed, but no matter. He took a look at our basement last fall and recommended the window go into the larger bedroom rather than be situated in the den. We noted his advice then simply waited.

A short time ago he came by and said he and a colleague would be starting the job soon. Then last week he came around and said they would begin on Monday. Sure enough, they did.

It's now Saturday and our guest bedroom contains an eye-appealing egress window.

(For those of you not in the know, an egress window is a large rectangular ventana facing out to a well that is large enough to accommodate a normal-sized adult. Inside said well is a ladder reaching up to a translucent cover that opens out to (in this case) our backyard. It's meant for emergency exit of the basement as well as to allow a firefighter access to the "downstairs.")

So either today or tomorrow Geogal and I will move the items back into the "guest bedroom." We also have hope that we can organize the boxes just a bit better to make the room appear less cluttered. Not to mention we can now officially call this a "bedroom" (apparently it couldn't have the government-approved moniker without an egress window).

To add icing to the cake he also replaced our garage door yesterday (another project with which we approached him). Our old door was not only showing its age but also last fall it snapped one of the support springs which made it nearly impossible to raise or lower. We elected to take the more expensive route and just have a new door installed.

And now every time I go online to check the savings account balance I swear I hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner.

May Day! May Day!

Decided to get little Geoana up to speed on something crucial to her future functioning.

A working knowledge of "Star Trek."

Thanks to the business entity that is Netflix we are now having episodes of Star Trek: TOS delivered to us three episodes at a time. We got her started this past week with "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Man Trap," and "Charlie X."

She's observant. In "WNMHGB," she picked up on Gary Mitchell's hair slowly turning gray which is something I didn't catch in numerous viewings. She also got scared by the true appearance of the creature in "The Man Trap," turning her face away from the screen and having us tell her when the creature was gone.

In all fairness it is one of the most grotesque beings ever seen on "Trek."

One thing that struck me in watching these episodes is just how well they hold up after all this time. Even though they're more than 40 years old these eps show that good storytelling is truly timeless. (That the special effects have been updated in recent years doesn't hurt.) Plus the acting, still superb today even with Shatner's mannerisms and speech now fodder for the comics.

Case in point: When the mutating Gary Mitchell turns to the camera (knowing he's being watched by the senior officers) and gives them an arrogant glare it can send a chill down your spine.

There's a good reason for the little one to start on her Trekkie journey. Both Geogal and I are fans, plus my mom has been watching the series since it first aired in 1966. I remember as a little kid my mother watching the reruns on weekends even though Dad hated (and still despises) TOS although he is much more partial towards "The Next Generation."

Geogal and I have fond memories of catching "TNG" in its first-run syndication while we were in college. And now, with little Geoana enjoying shows such as "Futurama" we figured it was time to let her in on the Star Trek jokes plus have her enjoy some of the best science fiction television around (well, maybe not season 3 of TOS).

The little girl sometimes will join us in watching TNG reruns on weeknights (though they're on at 10, a bit late for her right now). Many weeks ago I kept an eye on the schedule and finally was able to watch "The Inner Light" episode from start to finish.

You remember that episode, even if the title doesn't ring a bell. It's the one where Picard is knocked unconscious by an alien probe, during which he lives most of the adult life of a man from a planet that's long gone. When the probe releases the good captain it turns out only 25 minutes has passed on the Enterprise.

Again, good storytelling is timeless (no pun intended).

And In The Meantime

Don't have a significant amount to share this time around. Almost like the whole Geofamily is in a period of marking time. Not much action, no major news, no differing developments. Never mind that little Geoana is wrapping up fourth grade, the summer trip is entering final development stage, and a couple of house projects are on the launching pad.

No, just business as usual right now.

Geogal and I had the opportunity to make a sojourn to Kearney last week (both of us took a day off from work) and savored the slow pace of two adults who weren't in a hurry for anything (once the medical appointment was out of the way). Had a great BBQ lunch at Skeeter Barnes and I finally got to redeem my Cabela's gift card (Xmas present from Mom and Dad). Did I get anything exciting? Yes, a pair of New Balance walkers to replace the light duty hiking boots I've had for 15 years (and that were literally coming apart). Geodad, I encourage you to go to the Buda store and get yourself a pair!

Geogal also got to use her Hobby Lobby gift card as well, purchasing stuff about which I have no interest.

Overall a good trip.

Old Man Winter is giving us the last he's got for the season, which means cool but not cold. Not having to scrape ice in the mornings is a nice harbinger of the coming summer. But as one of our friends said tonight: "Betcha before you know it we will be begging for it to cool down!"

Indeed, but for now I'll welcome the coming of warmth even if it means yard work.

I'll close with the saying on the slides they used for the old commercial bumps on the Tonight Show: "More To Come."

Weekend update

First, my grill might not cook again. At least not without me replacing some of the innards.

After uprighting the thing on Friday I hit it with a good cleaning on Saturday afternoon. Scraped out about two years worth of grease and gunk. Then the moment of truth: would I get the blue flame of propane?

No. Started out with yellow hues, not quite hot enough for the true griller. In a few minutes they burned out leaving me with no fire and the rotten cabbage smell of unused LP.

Drat.

I do know this was caused by the wind shear, as I've used the grill a few times since the weather turned more temperate.

What about the lamb chops for Geoana's birthday meal?

Since I tend to work with a backup plan in mind I procured charcoal for the (smaller) kettle grill and the end result was nicely grilled bits o baby sheep with a flavor that only comes from coals.

And, since Char-Broil is a manufacturer of some reputation I went onto their web site and sure enough it appears my parts are still available. They're just not cheap. To replace the burners will run me $25 apiece (three of them). The valve/hose/regulator assembly will set me back more than 50 bucks.

Still cheaper then a brand new grill.

Did I mention I used the aforementioned kettle for smoking spareribs yesterday? I used some charcoal combined with hickory, cedar, and apple wood. The result was a nice aroma together with white smoke.

What about the end result? Turns out I had them on just a little too long. While portions were still edible (and tasty) some parts were just too overcooked.

I could have felt sorry for myself, but I'd rather view this as a learning experience. It was my first attempt at smoking meat the true way (low and slow), in the future I just need to check on the doneness rather than have a set time in mind.

How windy was it??

Here in NW Kansas folks are used to "air in a hurry."

Today, however, I came home to find this:



That's my propane beauty Char-Broil grill, no lightweight here.

Took two people to get it back upright.

Any long-lasting damage? I'm not sure yet but will definitely find out tomorrow when I grill up some lamb chops for little Geoana's birthday meal.

And I didn't help...

Read this news today about the demise of the Flip camcorder.

Last Christmas season I was wondering if Geogal (Or Santa, or Geogal playing Santa) would give me a Flip. Given it is so compact and could shoot hi-def video I wouldn't have been surprised.

But no, a bipod for my hunting pursuits was the highlight of my Christmas morning.

And yes, I have to admit shooting video with the iPhone is way too easy. Great quality too. I will post a couple of live-action captures on my Apple account so family can see what we do for fun on weekend afternoons (hint: guns going off).

So long, Flip! Say hello to the non-smartphoners for me!

Catching up to me?

I woke up last Friday morning with a sore throat.

I knew what my next few days would be like. I got a hold of some Zicam and now have a back-to-normal gullet but my head is another story. Sniffling, sneezing, congested, spacey, loopy cranium it is.

So what better time to write than now?

Geogal thought it was the lack of rest and a busy many days that led up to this current condition. Could be, although I prefer to believe I just caught a bacteria or bug of some sort. No matter, I did rest more this past weekend then the one previous. Also, now that the BB Gun tourney is history and the in-laws visit is past I have eased up on my evening workload.

March is almost over and I (plus everyone else) is waiting for Old Man Winter to make a final exit for the season. Just about there, at least this week's unpleasant weather consisted of rain and not snow. Some sleet, some freezing fog, but no white stuff.

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Another reason to be done with winter: Spring turkey season. A few Sundays ago little Geoana and I went to a turkey hunting seminar put on by Kansas Department of Parks and Wildlife. It was time well spent and we came away with a couple of in-mouth turkey calls and new knowledge about hunting down those gobblers.

I don't have a lot of hope of bringing home game this time around. I remember hearing a snippet from one of the hunting programs featured on Outdoor Channel that when it's man against turkey...... turkey usually wins.

Still, I can be persistent. Plus I have a lead which might result in me hunting on private land this time around. We'll see.

Did I mention little Geoana's birthday is coming up? She wants a youth shotgun, decked out in pink camo.

The next few hunting seasons are going to be (even more) fun.

Winding down

We’re back home this evening. Been gone since Friday a.m., little Geoana was competing in her first BB Gun tournament. This one was statewide and took place in another Kansas town several hours away.

She did quite well given this was her first go-round in competition. Yes, “a good time was had by all,” and needless to say everyone in the Geohouse is exhausted from yesterday’s shooting marathon. (The day began at 6 a.m. and closing ceremonies wrapped up just before 7 in the evening--that’s not including the pizza and pool party back at the hotel.)

Not only was my child a first-time shooter but I was a new coach, helping to guide the neophyte shooters on the line. The amusing (and high point) of my day came when several of the team scorers and parents motioned me over toward the scoring table. “I’m in for it now,” I thought to myself. Either I had committed some type of technical error that would disqualify one of my young charges or I was about to be the recipient of a chewing out from a parent who believed my inexperience resulted in his or her child getting a lower score.

Turned out it was neither. My progeny shot extremely well on one of the rounds and the other folks wondered what she usually scored in the weekly practice sessions.

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Geogal is not someone who “wows” easily. She’s been there, done that, heard it before, seen it already, and often knows someone who has surpassed whatever I’m describing at the time.

So when I downloaded the NCAA Tournament app for my iPhone imagine my surprise when I showed her what it could do, up to and including live streaming of the games (in HD no less).

She was impressed. So much so, she spent a good deal of this weekend using it to check the games. Hey, she’s even enamored with the concept of accessing the Net while we’re going 75 on the Interstate (good old 3G).

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One positive about the month of March is that winter is officially over (I believe today, but if not, then definitely in the next couple of days). ‘Twas nice to ditch the jackets during the return trip today (temps in the 60’s and 70’s).

I’ve alluded to this before and yes, I know the cold hasn’t made its final exit for the season just yet. Still, gotta enjoy this while I can.

Thaw

Finally, winter appears to be on its way out.

I used to say fall was my favorite season but given the snow/ice/slush/dry/more snow/more slush/horrid wind chill that was the past several weeks I think spring is heading to usurper status.

Not only is the weather getting more tolerable but yesterday I was cutting dead clippings away from the remainder of last year's garden when I saw an earthworm and later, a ladybug.

Not to say Old Man Winter is completely gone but at least his days are numbered (until November or December).

It won't be long now before I raise the roof on the camper and get her ready for more trips. (Colorado is calling.)

_______________________________________

Watched the NCAA tournament selection show this evening but this year I just can't get excited about college hoops. NMSU didn't win the WAC tournament and therefore are turning in the uniforms and cleaning out the lockers.

Sigh.

_______________________________________

Not much happening on the home front. Geogal and I both work, little Geoana goes to school (except for this week--spring break). Little Geoana's BB gun shooting is improving, the state tourney is coming up! After that, soccer. After that, softball. After that, the town shuts down for about six weeks!

_______________________________________

Don't let the tone of this entry fool you. I've got plenty going on, stuff related to my interests and hobbies. I'll fill you in as the days and weeks pass. But for now, bring on the warmer temps!!!

How many uses are there for an iPhone?

Bet no one ever thought of this.

My luck being what it is, I'll never have the chance to catch something as cool as what this guy recorded:

So much for the interlude

Last week we had temps in the 60's.

Earlier this week we had temps in the 50's.

Snow had all melted, no need to worry about ice while one is driving.

That all changed today. Since it's still February here in Kansas I knew the springy temps wouldn't last forever but today Mother Nature decided to hit us with both low temps and plenty of snow.

How much snow? Well, when I took little Geoana to school this morning it was sleeting just a tiny bit, no accumulation.

Lunch hour, about four to five inches. None of us brought our snow boots either. I arrived home with wet socks and professional shoes that weren't made for deep snow.

When it was all said and done I measured eight inches in the front yard.

Oh well. Temps are supposed to be in the 60's next week. Here comes March!

Pictures? Why not?





Yes, I snapped them with the iPhone.

Speaking of iPhone, got a call from Geomom last night. She decided to head over to her local Verizon retailer and take a look at the iPhone. But before doing so she wanted to ask me about mine. In her words: "I decided it was time to get into the 21st century."

Glad to have you here, Mom.

Technology Assist

iPhone is fully active, porting the number was complete sometime this morning.

Now on to creating custom ringtones. It's not hard to do in iTunes, provided you're familiar with Finder and know where your music files reside.

I don't have a lot of phone numbers in my contacts. Only two, actually. Geogal's cell and the home phone number.

I already knew I wanted to import "Theme From 'The Monkees'" and use a 30 second clip for Geogal's ringtone. But for the house number the decision was a bit more difficult. So many really good songs in iTunes. Which one to use to identify home sweet home?

Pondering this question while doing the dishes tonight, the Nano in the living room speaker unit gave me the answer. I had it on shuffle, and after several songs it went to Steely Dan's "Home At Last."

Perfect!

Now the lyrics of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen will alert me to an incoming call from the domicile:

"Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last"