Keepers: Fall Television Short List

Day 4 of NaBloPoMo has arrived and I'm already using the prompts they gave us. Ha! It's not that I've run out of things to say but more that I'm tired because I take care of Baby M during the day and am also trying to get the Etsy shop open and today starts my sugar detox and that's just too darn many things going on to have committed to posting EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 30 DAYS. WTH was I thinking? AND, I said I'd do it on the Grits. too. Dumb.

Thankfully, my GERITOL has arrived. Very nice of Walmart to have it in stock. If they can't sell you on something new, they'll gladly sell you on something old. Hopefully, it's tried and true and I'm not headed down a blind alley to disaster. It's just GERITOL, after all.

Today's prompt is: Which fall shows should totally be canceled already?

Who knows? Who has the energy to stay up and watch any nighttime television? And, if they have the energy, who has the time???? Tell me, who! Because I want to ask them how they have the energy or the time.

Ok, calm down, it's not that bad. I do watch a little nighttime television but it's using via Netflix or Hulu because I'm not, in general, a fan of the shows they put out there for the world to see these days. This fall, I've tried a few new shows (on Hulu because, nighttime = sleep) and here's my take:

1. LETHAL WEAPON. I was skeptical. I really enjoyed the movies and I liked the characters and the way the actors interacted with one another. I assumed I would LOVE Damon Wayons because, Damon Wayons but who the heck is this, Clayne Crawford? AND WTH kind of name is, Clayne? No matter, I have totally enjoyed this show (which means FOX will probably cancel the hell out of it- if they do, NETFLIX, PLEASE pick it up!) It's funny and the relationship between Wayons and Crawford is working! There is not a single character on that show that I do not like. I also love that it's being shown on Hulu because I can pick it up whenever I want and rewatch any episodes at any time. 
2. THIS IS US: I happened upon this one on Hulu and tried it. I've watched all episodes, so far. I have no idea if the writers will be able to hold my attention but they have it up to this point. It depends on how they develop the characters. Y'all know how writers will make characters do things are just too stupid? Yeah, I don't like that. I'm referring to the path they often have female characters take. It's insulting. Warning, I have yet to watch this NBC show without tearing up. 
3. AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE: this ABC show drew me in becasue I love Katy Mixon. She's just adorable! I like the show ok so far. I like that she's coming to terms with herself and how she's adjusting to being in a community of people who aren't really 'her' people. I am probably giving it more of a chance just because of Mixon. We'll see. The jury is still out. 
4. BULL: I've seen all of 1 1/2 episodes because CBS is stingy and won't let Hulu show it. I thought it was ok but have no idea what I really think because, CBS is stingy. I'd love to give it a shot though  because Michael Weatherly. 
5. MAN WITH A PLAN: I just happened upon this and so far, MEH. But who knows? I've only seen one episode. I won't really be able to keep up with this one because, CBS is stingy. 

And that's it. The other shows I watch are not new this year and there aren't that many of them. 

If you'd like to see the few I've caught but didn't quite click with, check out the Grits! 

What's on your list of good shows to watch?

August Happiness Challenge: Television and Other Lovely Things

This post is going to cover 4 days of the August Happiness Challenge! If you want to join in, create an icon of something, anything, that makes you happy, post your 'happy', and head over to One Gal's Musing and let her know, in the comments, that you're on board! That's it!

Day 11: Television makes me happy. Not the news or politics but sitcoms. I do enjoy sitcoms. My current favorite is: LAST MAN STANDING. I've been crushing on Tim Allen for a long time. I find him hilarious. 

But why do I like his latest sitcom so much? I love that they look at both sides of the issues. So many people talk about how they love his conservative comments and how "that is stuff that needs to be said." I have no idea what the hell they are talking about and I'm not sure they're actually watching the show. Two of his three daughters are more liberal minded as is his wife. They are constantly giving attention to both sides of every issue I've seen aired on this delightful program. I find it refreshing to see a father of daughters allow his daughters to be who they are and not try to shove his own agenda down their throats. 

The other thing about television? Netflix and Hulu which offer so many detective shows that I love, such as LONGMIRE, and have introduced me to my latest craze- Brittish detective shows! 

Day 12: Football makes me happy! Preseason has begun and college ball is not that far behind. I am going to be a happy camper until February! WooHoo! And do not worry, I've been collecting football related clothing for Baby M for months! She's all set! 

Day 13:  Funny memes make me happy. And there are some funny ones out there. Like these:

Day 14: Learning words that are new to me makes me happy. Especially when those words are so soothing. 

What makes y'all happy?

Stupid Westerns and Food

I certainly haven't accomplished much in the last couple of days. We are still waiting on Knology to get up and running in our area- which should be only another month- so I'm still hating watching Netflix from time to time. I'd like to hook up Birdie's XBOX 360 and take advantage of Hulu but I don't know how and everyone else keeps forgetting about it. ANYWAY, I'm stuck with Netflix for now.

All that to say, I ran across the Lonesome Dove series (Comanche Moon, Return to Lonesome Dove, Lonesome Dove...) and decided that I would watch them. And that's just about all I've been doing. Shameful, I'm aware. But how I do love that series- especially Lonesome Dove. I mean- Rober Duvall AND Tommy Lee Jones?! Swoon.

Of course there is uncontrollable sobbing are tears that accompany the watching of these shows. It's that dang music. Cursed violins. And I really hate it when they kill off my favorite characters- like Deets (Danny Glover) and Gus (Robert Duvall)...I would NEVER have made it in the old west. Never.

Even with all that sobbing television watching going on, I did still manage to tear myself away to try a couple of new recipes-

This one started with a big pot of garden fresh veggies-

And ended up being Swiss Chard Rolls--

For dessert, a Rhubarb Crumble-this was my very first rhubarb anything. It turned out delish!

Swiss Chard Rolls
(a Gerson recipe for 2--I more than doubled it because we had the gang over)

4 leaves green chard
2 carrots
1/4 head broccoli
1/4 head cauliflower
2 small zucchini
1 cup corn
1/2 cup uncooked rice

Sauce:

1 1/2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic

Directions: Put chard in hot water to soften. Cut other veggies in small pieces and simmer til done. Drain water. Make sauce in blender and pour over top of veggies and uncooked rice. Place some mixture in center of each leaf and roll up. Put in baking dish with a lid and bake at 250 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Part of the Gerson plan is cooking food slowly. Sometimes I adhere to this standard, sometimes I don't. I didn't this time- I cooked it on 350 for about 30 minutes (everything was already cooked I just wanted to heat it through). I cooked my rice first and mixed it with the veggies and then rolled them up. When I realized I had forgotten the sauce, I just poured it on top of the rolls.

Rhubarb Crumble
(from Koko's Kitchen)

3 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 TBS orange juice
3/4 cup raw honey
1 TBS spelt flour (I was out of spelt so I just used gluten free all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS coconut oil

Topping
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup spelt flour (I was out of spelt so I just used gluten free all purpose flour)
2/3 cup oats (I used the gluten free ones)
14 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish. In a bowl, stir the rhubarb, orange juice, honey, flour and cinnamon. Put mixture in dish and dot with the tablespoon of coconut oil. In a separate bowl, combine the honey, flour, oats and coconut oil and mix until it resembles a coarse mixture. Put on top of the rhubarb mixture. Cook at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil about halfway through cooking.

Happy cooking, y'all! And try to stay away from the TV! :)

Z is for Zenith

Zenith televisions.  I remember these.  We had one and my grandparents had a Zenith CONSOLE television.  I can remember watching professional football and golf on our Zenith.  I remember getting to stay up late and watch the Beatles on the Zenith and drooling over Kurt Russel in Disney movies (back in the day when I liked Disney...I still drool over Kurt Russel).  When I was little I watched Captain Kangaroo on the Zenith.  When I was older, after school I would come home, fix a snack and watch Gilligan's Island or Batman or the Flintstones or the Addams Family or The Munsters...Do you remember Green Acres?  Bewitched?  I Dream of Jeannie?  The Brady Bunch?  Whether I liked them or not, I watched.  That's what the Zenith was there for, right?  And let's not forget about the NBC peacock! And those antennae!  What about rabbit ears?

Funny, though, I don't remember ever watching television during the summer months.  I remember spending days at the library where my dad's mother was librarian.  I remember playing with my cousins and neighborhood friends; riding my bicycle; going to the swimming pool every day; vacations...but not television.

I'm pretty sure the only thing my grandfather ever watched on their Zenith CONSOLE was the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite; baseball games; gospel music on Sunday mornings and LAWRENCE WELK.  My grandmother, on the other hand, loved the soap operas on CBS.  As The World Turns and The Guiding Light were her absolute favorites.  And then, on weekends when I spent the night, she and I stayed up late and watched Elvis movies (I started to write 'old' Elvis movies but they weren't really that old then, were they?).

At our house, we would eat supper on TV trays while watching television.  Not at Grandmother and Granddaddy's though.  At their house, supper time was family at the table time.  We had that at home once my parents adopted my three wonderful brothers.  But I think it was because the den was a bit small for 6 of us to sit with TV trays and watch that smallish television.
 
I remember my mother telling the story of my grandparents' Zenith when I was three years old.  Apparently, I liked to turn the knobs on the set but, for some strange reason, that little pleasure of mine was not all that pleasing to anyone else.  So, one evening I was about to turn the knobs and my mother said, "Pam, do NOT turn the knobs on the television."  She says that I stood there and looked at her, looked at the television, and then back at her.  Suddenly, I took off running and, as I passed by the set, I reached my hand out and turned every single knob without slowing down one bit.  Sadly, I haven't changed much when it comes to having my way.

And that's the way it is- Saturday, April 30, 2011.