Poo Update 2 (No, I won't update too often after this one)

WARNING: There is a gross section. AFTER the red lettering. 

I think the first week of trying anything is and should be considered a trial period.  You shouldn't have to guess or wonder if a product works. Giving it a week or so to try it out seems quite reasonable to me. That being said, it's only been 3 days I think, and I already have a resounding "YEA" for you! 

    I think I started this Jude Poo on Monday, pretty sure it was the 29th of January, as the products came in on Sunday afternoon and I wanted to do the routine in the mornings.  So, Monday I used the product I created it, mixed it, and I took 1 teaspoon of the mix with the last 3 ounces of my coffee. I added a little more cream to offset the apple cider vinegar that was added.  Tuesday morning I had a regular poo, but it was a good one.

    I did the same thing Tuesday as far as using my coffee leftovers but this time I added a tablespoon of the mix thinking it may be that I need to do that. I found a really convenient scoop with a handle on it in the junk drawer; it is really close to being a measured tablespoon, so I am using it.  This morning I had three, count them..1, 2, 3...good solid poos. They were both the consistency and the amount of a regular average daily poo. This means that the product is most assuredly working.

    Now for the more detailed gross part, so you don't have to read the rest of the blog if you don't want to, but it is something I am going to report because there may be those people who want to know. You can skip to the last paragraph (blue)

    The first poo I had this morning was thick and round (circumference-wise) It was heavy and was what everyone would say was a good poo. No surprises there, but the second and third poo were uneven on the sides, they had notches and ridges, were not smooth, and not exactly round, as you would expect to see coming from a cylinder "tube", "pipe", or intestine.  They had the look of being ridged which according to the research I did online means that the product is scraping the poo from the sides of my intestines like it is supposed to do. YEA!

    I also drink about 30-40 ounces of lemon water every evening, sometimes it is lime water, but most of the time it is lemon water, and what that does for me from a  health point of view is to also scrap the sides of the intestines to get sludge and muck off the sides so it can be flushed. The water is key!!  You really do need to drink a lot of water. I drink about 100 or so ounces of it every day with the amount of tea and water I drink. I never count the coffee, but I do count the green tea. I drink about 4 cups of it, and about 4 cups of regular lemon water every day. 

    My gut feels so good today. I'm not kidding. I am not extended whatsoever and I literally can see a difference in it not just feeling a difference. People, it's only been 3 days. I don't know where you may be in your journey, but it's only been 3 days and I have been relieved of so much already. I took the product again today, this time trying to use juice. It didn't work out for me. I didn't like the texture or the taste. I poured it down the drain and made a 1/3 cup of coffee to use. I liked it so much better. This time it was warm because of the new coffee, other times it was not.

    That's it for the update. I am 100% sure that what I did was a great thing, and it saved me a lot of money too. Now, there is a catch - - I have powder to use, whereas the product you buy online is pills. I have NO IDEA how or if their product works. I do know mine does. No, I will not sell it. I will tell you again what I put in my mix, and what amounts I put in it. If you're a doctor and you think I'm doing something wrong, please feel free to tell me. I ran it by my P.A. before making the changes in my own life.  You should do that too. Here's what I use.

The recipe I used for the Jude Poo.

• Cascara Sagrada powder               8 oz
• Sea Buckthorn powder                  3 oz
• Aloe Vera powder                           3 oz
• Milk Thistle powder                      4 oz
• Turmeric powder                            2 oz
• Hyaluronic Acid powder               1 oz

I mixed this in a bowl and poured it into a container with a secured lid. I use 1 tablespoon of it every day now.  I add to the mix the following:

• Apple Cider Vinegar          1/2 ounce
• Psyllium Husk powder       1 teaspoon
• Casein Protein powder        1/2 scoop
• 1/3 cup coffee with creamer
• Chocolate syrup (a good squeeze)

Best of luck and hopes for you. I am NOT telling you to do it, I am telling you what I did and do. There is a HUGE difference.

Photo Credit: Uline.com

How to Treat a True Musician. (I may be the ONLY person who feels this way)

 In my life, I have met and come across many (a great many) professional music artists because I worked for a very elite group of concert promoters, and I was privileged to meet and get to know dozens of solo artists and members of many bands. Most of them would be recognized if I gave off their names. We aren't close; in fact, there have only been a handful who continued to speak and communicate with me after they came through town and after the company I worked for produced their gigs. 

       When I use the word "musician" I am not talking about someone who plays an instrument. I'm not talking about someone talented and lucky enough to earn a living from either playing an instrument or two, or if they are in fact songsmiths, those very precious who allow words and melody to blend and fulfill a purpose. I'm talking about a man or a woman who is that music; the embodiment of the blending. The person who absolutely cannot (and usually will not) be or do anything other than make music. (Note, I didn't say earn money making music...but making it.)

    The musician is a person who is deeply seeded and rooted in music; they breathe it, eat it, wear it, share it, become it, and who are destined to go where the music takes them whether it is up or down, in or out, with or without, they are the essence of that word. You may know one or two of these people; if you do you are blessed. They are not normal, they are not average, they are not typical, and therefore they cannot be expected to work, earn, pull their weight, or otherwise contribute to a world or society that demands that each partner in a relationship do so. It's not that way with them; it's impossible.

    Some musicians are "discovered" and in every single last case known, they were taken under wing, promoted, produced, and then probably abused and taken advantage of. If the musician didn't have someone in their corner to straighten out the mess they may find themselves in, it could mean the loss of not only their involvement with their gift but for many it means giving up their words, giving up their passion because they didn't know better and signed away the rights to their works before truly understanding the depth of their actions. 

    A musician cannot be expected to be more than what he or she is; if they can, they are only partially musically inclined, and have other aspects (good or bad) running through them; they are multi-faceted. A musician is just that; a mono-faceted being; a musician makes and is music. There really are only a few of these types among us, but they do exist, and when we stumble across one we know. We know, because they thrill our soul. We know, and we should be internally and eternally grateful for their presence. We should also know that they could have already been a victim of one or more who have not been fully affected and fascinated by them. We'll know by their spirit if they have been hurt, stung, crossed, or broken.

    Like an angel, very very much like an angel, a musician is a being of higher energy; consumed with a frequency much stronger and more potent than most. When I say they are not normal, they are not average, they are not typical, it's because they are so far far above the rest of us, we should admire their spirit and embrace their inspiration even if they don't themselves see themselves as being so marvelous. The good ones really never see it; they seem embarrassed or confused when the fact is presented to them.

    God has blessed me in some ways when it comes to my outlook on musicians. He has broken my heart and filled it with sympathy, compassion, and a willingness to bolster, love, and appreciate the grace that is the musician. I am not impressed by any amount of money one may earn, it is by far the least thing I am impressed with in fact. I am moved by their devotion to the calling. I am moved by their dedication, their own passion, and the way they seem to believe the world should be viewed. 

    If no one else is willing to do so, I am willing to forgive a true musician for what the world may see as being lazy, lax, or idle. I am more than compelled that they are anything but this; they are torn in their spirit because they do have families to support oftentimes, and they are expected to do more. They are expected to quit themselves for periods of time to earn,  to pay bills, to keep the fires burning at the homefront - - would it be cruel or inappropriate for me to say anyone who meets, falls in love with, and subsequently marries a musician KNEW or should know the very being of the one they love is not able to quit him or herself even for a moment?

    If God should (and I would not mind if He did) decide to bless me with sharing the rest of my life with a true musician, I would at least have the withal to know that I would not expect that man to work outside of his choice to do so with his music. He wouldn't need to earn but simply play. He wouldn't be expected to profit but to bless. He wouldn't be held accountable for income, but for his walk with his passion; I would hope he would want to share it. If God gave me such a man, then God Himself would also let the man know that I understood and understand all that is and will go with the word "musician". It isn't 94% but 100% of who the person is. God only made a few of them, and they are all so very unthinkably precious.

    Will God do that? I have no idea. God does God. He does what He is going to do. I can tell you this, there is no way under His Heaven or on His Earth that I am seeking to find anyone to share my life with at this point; it would ONLY be Him and His doing if it happened, so if it does happen, my prayer is that God finds me the perfect man for this chapter of my life; and that could only be a musician. That much I will admit to, but I'm not casting any nets. When I say they are few - - they are rare, quite limited, and extraordinarily singular. No net is needed. If it happens, it will be because God flat deemed it; end of story.

    The world at large suffers from not being as compassionate and willing to promote or produce the musician without strings attached, but I do prefer the strings. I have been uniquely redeemed in my spirit because I have the insight to know what is genuinely sacred. 

Photo Credit: Canva.com

I Stand With Texas (and that's sayin' something since I'm from Oklahoma!)

 Just in case you've been living under a rock, or you just don't keep up with such things, there has been a MASSIVE change in immigrant crossings over the past few months. It's been going on since the day Joe Biden took office, but it's been so much more aggressive lately, and a development of sorts has been developing quite rapidly at the Texas border. I don't know about the other borders, but the Texas border has seen a bit of action.

    Truckers and farmers in very large numbers have taken to driving to the border in their rigs both with and without trailers attached. Some of the rigs are farm combines and larger tractors; things you'd hope would remain off the streets, but this time is one of the few times we (others on the roads) honk and wave, and we even salute those brave men and women who have joined in the convoy to put a stop to this nonsense.

    We've been so patient, so very patient, and we've sought ways to help immigrants come over legally, but without vetting, and without some sort of record keeping, this has turned into a nightmare beyond imagination! Don't think for a second that it's just simple people with simple needs trying to make something better of themselves. That is not the case. For the most part, the ones coming over are men, younger men, not families, just men. They are truly invading our country.

    Too many of these people who are crossing by the literal thousands every single day are not doing so legally. They are from other countries other than those in Mexico and Central America. They are coming from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, China, and other places. They aren't here to find regular work, and to bring their families over to make a better life; they are here to destroy our great nation from within, and they are being assisted in this grave assignment by none other than our own government. 

    To say Biden and his administration have committed TREASON is tantamount to saying you can hear the song of the cicada in the South!! IT IS OVERWHELMINGLY true and it is overwhelmingly wrong and we the people, WE THE PEOPLE are not going to stand for it. They crept their way into Office in 2020, but it won't happen again. This time we're taking back our country and we're starting to do it peacefully through the two very important groups who make America GREAT to begin with; our truckers and our farmers!! (THANK YOU!!)

    Thank you, Governor Abbott of Texas, for your stand. Thank you, Governor Stitt of Oklahoma as well. We will stand united. We will stand together. Oklahomans stand with Texas, and when that happens we are unstoppable!! You can bet your last hard-earned dollar that the folks of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, and others will too. We're sending truckers. We're sending farmers. We're buying t-shirts that show our support and tell everyone we can - - because your nation is ONE NATION UNDER GOD and until He comes to take us home, we will be indivisible. 

Buy your shirt here: I Stand With Texas Tee

Photo Credit: AmazonFashion.com 

Poo Update. (I know, right?)

 I've never been offended when people wanted to talk about their personal bowel issues because it's actually quite necessary to do so; it's just the when, where, and how they discuss it that can be a problem.  For me, because this is my own blog,  you may in fact catch me talking about my poo - - poo is what we need you know. When we can't or won't go it can be a real problem. Being able to express or release one's bowels can be a very happy and joyful occasion at times.

    So, I blogged about it a few days ago, here is the link, poo blog. In the blog, I describe a certain online product you can buy for about $28 a bottle, and the bottle will last you 30 days. I can't say a month as several months are longer than 30 days. It will last you 30 days, and the product advertising or reviews, even say it can take up to 60 or 90 days to really see the results you're hoping for. Let's say it's going to take you 90 days, and you're out $28 x 3, or $84 trying to get all the poop out of your body. That's not too much to pay really; not if you're about 10-20 pounds heavier with the stuff inside of you...just sitting there.

    The thing is, I don't like to pay that kind of money. I really don't. I'm a little stingy with my hard-earned money. I don't want to just "flush it down the toilet" as it were. (Joke...yeah, OK) and I don't want to just hope that something works if I pay for it to work. I did what anyone should do, I looked up the ingredients of the wonder pill and decided that most of what I found could and would work if taken in sufficient amounts.

    When it comes to anything that could have a laxative effect, you need to run it by your doctor and be sure that you can take it without any issues. I'm saying that both as a disclaimer and as a means of being realistic. You should consult your doctors anytime you try something new that will affect your systems and how they operate. Only you and your doctor know what you need. Don't let someone from the internet persuade you to do something; I mean that.

    I checked out the ingredients, and I bought them online through Amazon. Instead of buying the one product that had all the ingredients in it, I bought the ingredients separately, and in so much greater quantities too; for so much less! I bought about five or even six months worth of product for $36 and I added two ingredients that I had already at the house. I added the cayenne pepper, and I added the ginger root. The product they sell doesn't have psyllium husk, turmeric, vitamin C, or probiotics in it, but I added those as well. I don't know if I said so in my poo blog. (When I got the ingredients I had to do math to figure out how much to put into the mix and what quantities to use. It wasn't too hard, the amounts are on the back of the bottles.)

    I added the vitamin C and the other ingredients because I take them every day and they too are in powder form, so it made sense to add them to the mix before I blended it. I use my last 2 or 3 ounces of coffee, a bit of protein powder, and about a tablespoon of chocolate syrup too - - because I can.  I pour in about 1/2 ounce of Apple Cider Vinegar. Any more than that and it starts to taste really funky. I may add another 1/2 ounce of it later to lemon water, and that really helps with the sides of your colon - - stripping off any goo or gunk that may be hanging around.

    The thing is, and you can ask your doctors this, a lot if not most of cancers start in the colon. Cancer isn't our only concern though. There are a lot of ailments that start right there in the colon. That's why the doctors ask you to have it checked and cleaned as you get older. We don't drink enough water, and we should. I do, but I'm not the norm in that arena. I'm not necessarily normal in any arena really, but that's another blog entirely.

    So, the powder I made, the Jude Poo, is going to last me about five or six months. I'll keep you updated. I'll expect results in a few weeks not months, because I do exercise, I do drink a lot of water, and I do pray over the matter. Prayer is a key factor in all of my daily habits; it could be a good thing to add if you haven't done that already. God made me. He knows I need to poo to stay healthy and happy. There's a reason people say things like, "You're full of ..." and so forth. Being stuck or stuffed with it can make you irritable. It's not fun. 

    Today's update is a basic one. I started the program yesterday, and all is well so far. I have had my "movement" and it was normal for me, but I want greater results. I want to truly be able to say that this is an amazing decision. I want to see myself weighing 20 pounds lighter in a month. I want to reach my weight goals by April; we'll see if that happens. It's not just about poo at that point. I need to keep lifting weights and working out, walking, drinking water, and you know, eating correctly, and getting enough sleep. It all works together.

    Have a blessed one. Get out there and exercise if you can. Make a point to praise God for all He's done for you, and all He will do for you too. He listens. He smiles.

Photo Credit: Farmtohome.com

1211 (Slacking)

 Here it is Saturday, and I don't want to write. I'm not going to consider myself a total slacker, however. I'm going to watch two movies and see if I can get a few more clues and/or ideas for the book. I have in my mind what I want to say. I have a plan for this story, that story, etc., but I'm just sort of lacking the motivation to make it all happen today. I've been on a reading binge, which isn't a bad thing.

    Today is January 27, and I'm fairly certain I'll write either tomorrow or next week. I'm not really in any hurry, and I don't have to have anything penned by any time soon; it's just me putting myself under pressure, so I have decided not to do that. I'm going to read more, watch old movies, think, exercise, sleep, and take hot baths. That really sounds like an amazing plan.

    It's about 32 degrees outside, but the wind is kicking up and making it feel so much colder. I think the dog decided to pee really quickly so she didn't have ice sticking to her butt. She told me in no uncertain terms that we were running back to the door and we had just barely stepped out of it. She knows. She's not one to fool around when it comes to cold weather.

    Her being so persnickety about being outside brought to my attention that there isn't a dog in my book yet. I'm on chapter 15 and there is no dog. Who does that? I think Alistair will need a good dog soon. I'm wondering if he'll find one on the way home from school or if his dad comes up with one during his course of work.  You just never really know. Ama could use a dog too, she doesn't leave her house much other than to get groceries and go to church. She could use a dog. We'll have to dog this book up - - that may be what it needs.

    Until then, I bid you farewell, and a good evening. I'm about to choose which old-timey movie I want to spend my time with. It's gotta be about murder so I can get an understanding of what people said during the 30s and 20s about murder, science, and things like that. I listen and I learn. I like learning.

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia.com

Pecan Sandies. Because They Do Matter.

 I must give credit where credit is due, and that would be to my father, Reuben Wayne Stringfellow because he brought home the first bag of pecan Sandies I ever ate.  I am not about to say whether or not they were Keebler brand. I have no idea what they may have been. I can tell you this, my father was Scottish, and he he probably never bought name-brand cookies, candies, or anything when we were kids. He may have bought Braum's ice cream, but that's an entirely different matter.

    So, the pecan Sandies or shortbreads that we eat today (in my house) do vary from the name brands to the off-brand names. The only criteria they must have is that they are in fact good tasting. I can even say that the cost of the bag is secondary to the taste of the product. I can go that far. That being said, I decided to do the side-by-side taste test this morning just to see if there really is that big of a difference between the two brands that are currently in my house.

    Keebler was the control cookie. The Aldi store brand is the challenger. When I set the bags one on top of the other for the photo I realized for the first time, that the portions were the very same. They were both 11.3 ounces. I don't think I even thought that would be possible, but it is. They are. The Keebler cookie is slightly smaller in circumference but slightly denser in texture, and they are in fact the same weight per bag, with the same number of cookies in each bag.

    The Aldi bag Sandie had more tiny slivers of pecans, and they were not as smooth as the Keebler brand either. I could turn them both at an angle and see the obvious roughness of the Aldi cookie. I'd say by comparison that the Keebler is a little Scotsman wearing a kilt with fashionable hose and polished shoes. It may have a vest, blouse, and jacket with a tie, where the Aldi cookie is also a Scotsman wearing a kilt, but maybe he's not so inclined to pull up his socks, and he's got on a pair of laced-up black boots and he's not wearing a jacket or vest, but a rough and wooly jumper (sweater for the Americans). That is the difference between the two cookies.

    How do they taste? To be completely honest I needed to try two or three from each bag to be sure, but I gave the Keebler more points for denseness and the Aldi brand for less greasy aftertaste. It's not as if Keebler has a greasy aftertaste, but it's there sort of faintly lingering, where the Aldi cookie was a little less noticeable. I would give each an 8 on a scale of 1-10. I like them both. I will buy them both. The difference in cost was fairly significant if you must know.

    The Keebler cookies were purchased at Winco, which is cheaper than say Target, Walmart, or another named store. They were $3.79 for the bag. (The Keebler bag opens on the top with an easy-to-open pull thing, whereas the Aldi cookie bag does not have that type of opening.) The Aldi brand was $2.99, so you're talking a good .80 difference, so that's roughly .... math. That's math, that's what that is. It's .80 less for the Aldi bag.

    So there you go - - a taste and side-by-side comparison between two of the finest -- you can do your own comparison if you need to. I would. I would go out there in the big bad world and pick them both up and just test my theory!! I double-dog dare you, and that means you have to do it....unless you wanna be called a chicken!

Photo Credit: Me.

ZuPoo vs. JudePoo

 It seems that every year some new "guru" with that obligatory young, liberal, and hipster look comes along and tells all of us that we should stop all the unnecessary dieting and we should give up our gym memberships because all the workouts, the time spent running on the treadmill and doing so much cardio is just not what we need to do. Our belly fat, they tell us, is only there because we allow it to be. We did it ourselves, and we're the only ones who can remove it.

    I'm not saying that the good folks behind the latest "fat burner" pills called ZuPoo are saying we're never to pick up another barbell or that we're not supposed to juice the greens again, but they sort of kind of said it in their advertising. They have some guy with a three-day beard looking all sexy in his loose-fitting sweats, pushing his agenda, or their agenda, and I decided to look a little closer at it....and at their agenda, too.

    According to the internet, which all of us know, is always correct, (right?) the ingredients found in the ZuPoo product are as follows (not in any percentage order): Magnesium, Cascara Sagrada, Fennel, Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Cape Aloe, Burdock Root, Bentonite, Milk Thistle and Cayenne.  REALLY? We already knew that these ingredients could do the job of moving our bowels. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to go through the list and literally say "yep" each time we run into a supplement that another company used to claim the very same thing!

    How many of us have done the whole apple cider vinegar lemonade thing? How many of us tossed a bit of cayenne into the stew to bring up our temperature a little so we could burn a few more calories? We all do it. Well,  here's my take on it. I have a take you know, because I'm not paying $25.00 a bottle for a 30-day supply of something that generally takes 3-6 months to see the results I'm looking for. NOPE.

    I went on Amazon and I bought the same ingredients in powder form (except the Apple Cider Vinegar. I can pour that into the mix) and I'll make a shake out of it so I can drink it once a day and be done with it. I'll even add psyllium husk as well as turmeric because I'm really just that cool. I'll add it to a juice I would have juiced such as carrot or cucumber with an apple and there you go - - one healthy holy-moly 8-10 ounces of colon cleanser to chase the devil right out of you.

    I may have to sideline it with a good dose of Milk of Magnesia, but it can be done. I'll post the results as I get them and that way you'll know if I'm just a raging lunatic or if maybe I'm onto something. The ingredients cost me $36.00 and will last more than 120 days. I think the smallest bag of powder for the bunch was the fennel, and you only use a little of it anyway. I think I'll get 120 days out of the powders. Even if I only got 60 days I'd be on top, but I think I can get at least 120.

    Let the games begin!!

Photo Credit: LinkedIn.com

1211 (Chapter 14 is done) 45% done

 It doesn't seem like a big change really, but I have crossed a threshold in the book. I'm now genuinely in the book and writing about the house that is the star of the book. The Garvey House is an 8-unit apartment house that is situated in an affluent sort of area, just north of the downtown metroplex in Oklahoma City. Keep in mind, that it is not real, it does not exist in reality. The address I am using is part of one I lived in during my very young years as an adult - - if you call it that. I had barely graduated high school, so yeah, I was legal. 

    The 14th chapter was written today, laying some groundwork for the book's main character Nick Posh. He'll investigate things, dig up things, and literally nail someone in the process. He'll be looking for reasons to pin anything on a suspect to get him off the streets because he believes him to be dangerous. He's on a mission and nothing will stop him. 

    There will be quirks! There will be odd-ends. There will be "Can that even happen?" questions, and there will be shaking of heads. It happened to me, so I know it can happen. I'm pulling out the stops on this one. I'm going to have fun with it and get as much of it out there for the world to enjoy. If I happen to stretch the truth a bit in the process, well, you know I'm fully licensed in creative writing, and I have that right! I have no qualms about it - - let the games begin.

    I only wrote one chapter today, I won't consider myself a slacker until I either do that three days in a row, or if I don't write anything at all - - then I may consider my means, methods, and ways, but until then I am on track to finish the book in about 10 days, and then I can read through it, make corrections, have it published and call it done. I do want to go through it really well, and not have to make more corrections to it after it's published, so I may wait a week after it's written to take it up again and check it for mistakes. 

    I think it best.

Photo Credit: Zillow.com  (This is the actual house I lived in. My unit was upstairs on the left.)

1211 (42% done) YES!!

 So, I've written about 42% of the book, and I think it feels about right. I'm about to write Chapter 14 tomorrow, and that means I'll hit about 29-30 chapters when I'm finished. I think that's about right. I wrote chapters 12 and 13 today. 

    Besides following up with the matron of Garvey House as to who and what lived in the place, Posh brought his wife over to meet the once very popular vaudeville superstar of the stage Mercedes Kuhlman. She was billed as Mercedes Renee, a French and Indian Cajun queen from the bayous of Louisiana, but the truth of the matter is, that Mercedes was born into a very influential and affluent German family; albeit she was in fact from the state of Louisiana. The promoters did tell the truth about that.

    We learned about a case that will foreshadow the characters in the next few books. I like to drag a red herring in when I can to do the build-up to the build-up. There are funny moments, fun moments, odd and strange moments, and we're about to meet a host of new characters who don't necessarily live at Garvey House but something or someone brings them to the place. It is where the action takes and took place.

    One thing Mercedes says is that you don't have to be an Albert Einstein to catch on to a few things that go on at the Garvey House, but it may make things a bit less complicated if you saw the world through the lens of another great mind of that time - - that of the little Tramp, himself. You just never know who may or may not show up on that brick and concrete porch at 1211 W. Garvey. You just never know.

Photo Credit: India Today

1211 (35% done) YEA!!

 First, just let me give a big shout-out to my good friend Tex who I now has been religiously reading every blog and every social media post I have been able to produce lately. You don't know how much that means to me. I love technology...I'm not good at it, but my daughter is, and she showed me the ISP of several frequent flyers;  you're one of the top contenders, Tex!! Oh, you have made my heart sing.  You have danced on my soul, and I appreciate it. Thank you. If I can bring a smile to your face, I will praise the God we love, and consider it a blessing to do so.

    That being said, my book "1211" is 35% written. What? Yes, it is true. I am getting into it now. Let me say, I'm loving it. Mercedes is about to describe the women of the house, and we're about to find out that there's a ghost of a chance that someone dead is still very dead in the basement and he's not being all that quiet about it. 

    There's an arson to report. There's a car show coming up, and the First National Bank will suffer one of its biggest robberies tomorrow -- not in true time, not in reality, don't go off telling the FBI that I said I was robbing the bank! No. The bank in my book is the First National Bank, and in my book, this very very fictional, not-real book, it will be robbed. Do you think I made the point that it isn't really going to happen? I hope so. Of course, I would die laughing if they were robbed tomorrow and I am sitting here with this blog out there in front of God and everyone.

    Tonight will be a good night. I'll read more of my Perry Mason story, the one I'm gleaning information to spice up my book a little. I do that. I don't plagiarize God knows I'd hang myself first; I do borrow things and recreate situations. I do give credit, and I also twist and uncover ways to say the same things someone else said without being a thief about it. There is nothing new under that old ball of fire in the sky, you know, so I can say something that someone else said without being held accountable to anyone. I am very careful not to be a boo-bear in those terms.

    So, Elaine found out today that her husband had been intimate, or maybe he had been intimate with a very famously gorgeous superstar after they had said their international goodbyes about eight years prior. She's not going to let that happen again - - no sirree!! She's got her painted nails dug very deeply into the man, and he doesn't want to be anywhere but where he is.

    It's a good book. I like it.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com  (Mabel Normand)

1211 (Finished with Chapter 9) Woot!

 If I'm going by all the other novels I've written, then I have to say that the average word count is about 86,000 for each. I'm at 25,000 basically, and that means I'm more than 25% finished. I'm about 29% finished. Woot!!

    Right now, at the end of Chapter 9, I'm about to bring Nick back to the front porch of 1211 W. Garvey to talk with Mercedes about the women who live in the large housing unit. She's explained the behaviors of all the men who live in it, but the women may prove to be the undercurrent of the murky waters that seem so still and quiet above their rocky beds.

    I'm keeping MacRae and Ferguson in the picture by adding conversations with them. Posh just met a new helper who will prove instrumental in proving his father's murder was in fact a murder, and maybe he'll get somewhere with the new District Attorney of Canadian County; maybe someone can be investigated and brought to justice. We'll have to see what happens.

    For now, suffice it to say I am having a blast writing this particular book. I knew I would. I knew it would be a fun and eventful time for me. I'm making crap up, I'm recalling things that really happened, and I'm just living the life...the life of an author that is, not necessarily the good life. I'm living my life.

    One of the things I love about this book is that it can't be too weird or peculiar. Nope, this one is one quirk after the other, and with good cause. I lived that life for a while in a creepy old house that had a history to not only speak of but to keep quiet about. Yep, you guessed it, there really was a 1211, but I can promise you I didn't murder anyone there; he was dead long before I got there.

Photo Credit: Canva.com

1211 (Chapter Six is DONE!)

 I don't know why I took almost a full month off from writing, but I was just not feeling it. I was not there. It was not there. I was and am thinking of other things. I need to stop that and keep the flow going. The writing is what I need and the writing is what will happen. Thank you, Jesus.

    So, I'm about to start Chapter 7 of the book now, having just finished 4, 5, and 6 today. I'll probably do 7, 8, and 9 tomorrow, and then at least 2 chapters a day from Monday through Friday, so that's another 10 chapters. If I'm at 7, 8, 9, tomorrow, and then 10 more, that's 19 chapters expected by this time Friday, and if I do 3 more on Saturday and three more on Sunday, that's 25!! Woot. I could be so close to finishing the book!! Oh my!

    It doesn't always happen that way. As you see, I took off a month and just hit it hard today. I'm loving it, and I'm about to start the process where I pull out the cards and start writing what I think should happen from one chapter to the next, but I'm not quite there yet. I am not at the point where the characters are branching off and doing things that begin to take over my brain yet - - it's coming, I promise you that.

    I've got one of the 9 household residents described. She's a hoot. She'll have visitors and "visitors" coming by to see her soon enough. Right now, the family is getting all settled into their new city; they just got married, they'll find a home soon and little Alistair will enroll in school. He'll be going to the same school my mom went to; just so you know. 

    I'm really looking forward to writing this book. It's quirky, fun, uplifting, interesting, weird, and downright strange at times. I can't wait to dig into it and really get the stories going. Some of them actually happened to me, that's why I'm so excited to leak them to the world and pretend I have no idea what I'm talking about...all the while I laugh in one of those subdued voices.

    Soon, and very soon, there will be naked people in the hallways, and bathtubs overflowing without anyone taking credit for the prank. There will be mishaps, murder, mayhem, and mayonnaise, and when I say that I am implying that the mayonnaise could have something to do with the mishaps, murder, and mayhem. It's a ride...it's a whipping-the-head-around ride, and I am so looking forward to writing it. I don't care if I don't sell a single book, I am going to have too much fun writing this one. I may write two just so I can get all these stories out of my head!

    Good luck trying to stop me from laughing, because this story, this book is a killer - - and then again, the murder was so long ago that it's a bit dusty at this point. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images Westend61

The Seventh Time is the Winner! (Not Recommended)

 By now, you should know that I am an author. I auth. It's what I do. I write books, and I publish them for free -- or nearly for free, and then, sometimes that doesn't work out for me as I expect it to. This is one of those times.

    The book "Edinburgh" is my 9th or 10th book to write, I'm not sure, but it was my 3rd book to write in 2023.  I wrote it in the summer and I wrote it rather quickly, as I didn't have to think too hard about it. I finally finished it in late August, and I think I submitted it for publication on the 1st of September. 

    I always write the book, go through it a few times, and submit it for publishing before I go through it hardcore to make any changes. The reason for that (though I've changed my mind about that very recently) is that I can't find my mistakes when I go back over the manuscript soon after I write it. I need a couple of weeks of it being out of my head before I can see the mistakes. Allowing it to be published puts the book into pressed and printed form, so I can hold it, go through it, circle the mistakes, then take the book out of print and correct it.

    There is a chance that during that time the book will sell a couple of copies.  The book "Of Kilted Pleasure" sold 47 copies before it was corrected, to which I have to somehow find all those people and apologize. I don't think I'll do that again, I'm serious, I think I've learned my lesson. It was a good thought, but it doesn't work out for those paying for the book only to have it come to them with errors - - mind you, however, that they will own a collector's item at that point!! 

    Anyway, "Edinburgh" had 29 errors and boo-boos. I fixed them in the Word document and I sent it back to Ingram Spark. They sent it back saying the file was corrupted. They don't tell me HOW the file is corrupted, just that it is, and I'm supposed to both read minds and assume I know the way to fix the issue. I reprinted it in PDF which flattens anything and it embeds all the fonts (don't ask me what that means, but it does have to be done), and that didn't help. It was returned again.

    After making more "corrections" which I really didn't, but said I did, I resubmitted the file. Guess what, they accepted it, but when they sent it for approval, there were spacing issues that I didn't do - - they had to. I complained, but no one responded. They just said I could fix it and resubmit it. OK, but they screwed up, and that won't be on my original file! I had to resubmit the file I had, and they sent it back again, again saying it was corrupt -- I searched and searched. I didn't see any issues, but apparently, they did, so I had to resubmit it once more.

    Finally, they accepted it again. I tried to approve it, but now they had removed a couple of my blank pages which would give better spacing for things like the "Thank You" page and so forth. I tried to correct it, and I tried to resave it, but the file manager would not allow the correction. I would have had to redo the entire thing - - not going to do that. I approved it as it is, but when you or others buy it, you'll just have to deal with the lack of pages for the spacing that I truly wanted.

    When I am really famous some publisher will take all my books and redo them the way they want to redo them, and I won't have to worry about it -- until then, I have the right to complain, fuss, and cuss a a little. The service at Ingram Spark is virtually free, and they do a relatively good job; it's not perfect, but it gets my books into Amazon and Barnes & Noble, so I'm OK with it. I just can't figure out how they can delete pages and my files aren't being saved correctly. I shouldn't have to mess with a file once it's been corrected on my end.

    It is what it is - - which is a harsh statement. I could take the time, redo it, force the issue, and be upset about a page or two, but I'm not going to do that. There was one submission I had to redo because they added random pages in the middle of the book!! GEEZ!!  When I complained to their supervisors I did get somewhere, but again, I shouldn't have to do that. People should just do their jobs...really, they should.

    The book is on Amazon. Here is the link. If you buy it and it was the one that was left before the correction, please write back to them and say so. They will replace it. I can't, but they can. THANK YOU.

http://tinyurl.com/StringfellowEdinburgh

Photo Credit: Me.

    

My Bad!! (My Mistakes)

 As a writer, I write. As an author I auth, but I don't like correcting my mistakes. I mean, yeah, I do it, but I don't like it. I don't (a) like to admit that I make mistakes, (b) like to find them, and (c) like to correct them.  When I write I type. I also write it out in longhand in some ways, but not the entire book; what I do is write out the plots, the twists, my storyline, or my thoughts in longhand, then I type them up on my keyboard into the computer using Word. I paid for Word. I think it should correct my boo-boos.

    I wrote five novels last year starting with January's release (or early Feb.) of "Of Kilted Pleasure" and then I decided to get the ball rolling on the Nick Posh thrillers, so I wrote "Murder Book" for an April release I think. Next came "Edinburgh", another romance book that takes place in Scotland, but it is a modern romance, whereas "Of Kilted Pleasure" is a Highland Romance that takes place in the 18th Century.  "Edinburgh" wasn't finished until July, which makes you wonder what I wase doing in May and June! I was studying to become a Claims Adjuster.

    In August or early September I released the sequel to "Murder Book", it is titled "Pinball".  That's a roller-coaster book for sure. Then, just before the year ended, I released another book, this time a drama/romance titled "Bay Sorrel Ranch".  BSR takes place in Oklahoma and it is set in modern times. It's a drama novel, but it has twists and peaks in it. There's a romance, there's a murder, there's an investigation, there is some travel, and yeah, there is sex. Not gonna lie about it.

    When I write I write. I make tons of mistakes, but I don't immediately find them. If they have red or blue lines under the words I see them, but if they don't, I don't. It's a fact.  I paid for editing with "Of Kilted Pleasure" and that didn't happen. I've made that mistake before, and again, before, it didn't happen. I don't know why I thought paying for editing the next time would make a difference. It did not. I didn't realize I had made over 30 mistakes in the book until it was released and I bought a copy and read it!! (and then subsequently corrected it)

    So, what I did with the next 4 books, having published "Of Kilted Pleasure" through a house, and having self-published the others, was to write the books, go through them before I have them published, and I did try really hard to make the corrections before sending them up to be published - - until it didn't work. I literally thought I sent up the right file for "Bay Sorrel Ranch" the one with the corrections, but NOPE, I did not. I sent up the one with the 84 mistakes. When I sent it out, it was published, and when I bought it and read it I found the 84 mistakes. I have since (yesterday) corrected them and resubmitted the book.

    It really isn't hard to make the mistake I made in sending up the wrong file to be published. I named it too close to the one that didn't have the corrections, and when I should have deleted the other file, I didn't. I sent it up to be published. Wow!! So, that's a good lesson for me to learn -- when I write a book, I correct it. When I make changes, and save the file, I should always delete the last one. I keep thinking maybe I will need it, but I should just delete it. I also save it 5 times on my computer on my desktop, documents, downloads, and on two different flash drives. JUST INCASE!!

    So, what I'm going to do now, is to go through all the files I have on my computer for all the books I've written. I'll save ONLY the corrected versions, and delete the others. I'll save the corrected versions on all the platforms, but only the corrected versions. Maybe my new book, "1211" will not suffer the same fate - - maybe my readers won't suffer the same fate. The good news (and it's not really that great of news) is that I haven't sold many books so it won't make that big of a difference. If anyone wants to exchange their book with mistakes for one without mistakes, I can do that probably, or they can keep it as a collector's item!!

    I did have to change the cover for "Bay Sorrel Ranch" too since it had a nasty back cover that was off-center, and the photo needed attention. I corrected it. It should be up on Amazon in a week. We'll hope the others don't get sold or if they do someone will reach out to me complaining and I can change books for them - - that's the hope. If it doesn't happen and they want to give me a poor review, well, I can't stop that. I know I make mistakes; at least I admit it when I do.

    Right now, I'm watching old movies to get ideas to describe things in my book "1211" since it takes place in 1930. I'm watching old movies and looking at the dresses, the men's clothes, the cars, the street signs, the house decor, and so forth. I want it to be detailed and authentic. I'll end up screwing up and adding something from the '40s probably, but hey, we make boo-boos from time to time - - if we didn't we'd be robots and there's no fun in that.

Photo Credit: Me (but I'll change this cover since I need to reword the blurb on the back a bit)

    

    

"Murder in the Blue Room" (A good old funny film)

 I decided to watch a couple of older movies that deal with murder so I can get a few ideas for my new novel "1211".  It's going to be to research this way; I love old cheesy movies anyway, and those that have murder as a theme make me smile. I'm not smiling because there's a murder, per se, but you know what I mean. There are always detectives wearing Fedora hats, and women with stupid expressions! I love it.

    Universal Pictures put out a film in 1944 with June Preisser and others. The movie is "Murder in the Blue Room", and it didn't disappoint. It was cheesy, it was lame, it was one of the worst films out there in terms of actual acting, but let me just say I loved it. I'll recommend it to anyone who wants to spend an hour of their day watching dance routines, listening to old tunes, and trying to figure out the plot.

    I'll admit, I knew who the killer was almost right away, but I didn't see some of the twists that were thrown at me. I didn't particularly like the "ghost" as he was not only faker than fake, he was just too - - well, lame. I can't find another word, even though I have already used it. The ghost was lame for sure. He's not needed or necessary, but he's there, and it does make you shake your head and giggle - - so maybe he did his part.

    June Pressier is the smaller of the three "actors" who come and perform for the guests in the house. She is an amazing acrobat and performer. She used to dance in the streets to get money for her family back in the late '20s. Just such an amazing soul - - look her up on Wikipedia and learn something fun. Here's the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Preisser

    When you have nothing else to do - - and you're not even writing a sequel to a murder book, you too can watch the movie on YouTube and just laugh a little. I'd suggest grabbing some popcorn and making a thing of it. Don't expect too much, OK? Don't think it's gritty, gutsy, or even glamorous. It's pretty...well,  I shouldn't use the word "lame" again, but there it is. It's lame, but it's amazingly so. I loved it.

    Now, I can come up with a few cheesy things for my characters in "1211" to do or say. I like having real inspiration and being able to credit it. I will too!! I'll write something in the book about the movie, even though the movie doesn't take place until 1944 and my book is placed around 1931...I can figure it out. I can make it happen. If nothing else, I'll leave a link in the back of the book - - and I guess I can leave it here too. Enjoy! ("Murder in the Blue Room")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsHnvXj22FU

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures / YouTube

Perfection in a Dish. (Orange Chicken over Rice)

 So, if you know me, you know I cook. You also know I write, and there are times when I compare cooking to having sex - - usually when I'm writing, and trying to hold the attention of my readers. Today, joy of joys, I'm just going to talk about cooking and leave all the bedroom innuendoes where they belong - - which is in the bedroom. Today, because I can, I'll talk about making perfected orange chicken over rice. (It's not hard)

    First, you make a choice to either buy the orange chicken in a bag at Trader Joe's (they do a great job) or if you're going to make it yourself using the raw ingredients. If you go the T.J. route, the entire thing only takes about 20 minutes once you soak the rice and you're done. I'll start with this method.

• Buy the long or jasmine rice.
• Buy the bag of orange chicken.
• Soak your rice for 10-15 minutes and rinse twice.
• Refill the rice cooker with enough water to only cover the rice that you're cooking. You don't want too much water. Start the rice cooker.
• While the rice is cooking, not soaking, you open the bag of orange chicken, remove the duck sauce packets and you spray a pan so you can load the pan and put it into the oven on 400  for about 20 minutes. (The rice will just about be done when your timer goes off.)  
• Once your timer goes off, remove the chicken, put it into a bowl mix it with the duck sauce, and place it back on the pan/cookie sheet to warm in the oven you just turned off while you make sure the rice is actually ready.
• Wash your mixing bowl so you can get that out of the way.
• When the rice is ready, you take the chicken out of the oven, and you stack the rice on your plate, add the chicken, and if you need more duck sauce you squeeze the little packets you were about to toss into the bin.

    OK, now for the real way, the more satisfying way in my opinion. Preheat your deep fryer and get it ready with new grapeseed or olive oil (extra virgin is best, and you don't need to fill up the fryer, if you're using a smaller fryer that's better anyway, you only need to use about 2" of oil) You do NOT want your oil to be too hot. You want it to be hot enough to fry but not to burn the meat on the outside. (Check your instructions on the machine you use, if you use an open pot on the stove, be sure to not plop your pieces into the oil. Lower them with a slatted plastic spoon.)

• Buy your rice and chicken.
• Buy flour, eggs, and milk too. (to make a good batter)
• Cut the chicken into small pieces (1" pieces or smaller)
• Soak your rice for 10-15 minutes. Rinse twice, and fill up the rice cooker to the point that your rice is covered, but no more. Start the rice cooker.
• Mix the flour (1/2 cup, 1 egg white, and some milk) into a bowl, and give the egg yolk to your dog who by this time has realized you're in the kitchen and should be there to help you.
• Dip the chicken pieces into the batter and get them all battered up and ready to be fried.
• Put the chicken CAREFULLY into the deep fryer, a few pieces at a time. When they are floating, let them turn golden brown, remove them, and add more chicken pieces.
• This process takes about 8-10 minutes, so be sure and time it correctly so your rice is not still cooking. You want both the rice and the chicken to finish at about the same time. (I could absolutely have added a sexual comment right there, but I am refraining. Have you noticed how many times I have possibly restrained?)
• When the rice and the chicken are both done, you can start the duck sauce. It's really fun.
• You'll need: orange or apricot jam, chili or cayenne sauce, soy sauce, a bit of white vinegar, and garlic. It's 100% up to you as to how much of each you use. I use the following:

1. 1/4 cup of jam
2. 1/4 cup of soy sauce
3. 1 tsp garlic
4. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
5. 3 tablespoons of white vinegar

Mix the ingredients together, and pour them over the chicken or keep them as a dip, it's up to you. Once you top the rice with the chicken you can say your prayers and enjoy your meal. I hope you have learned something today - - if nothing else, you have learned that I don't always have to mix my fantasies with my recipes, but you also know me well enough by now to know I did so in my head.  That invisible Scotsman who often likes to join me both in the kitchen and the bedroom made his appearance at least a couple of times during this blog -- he is just too cute for words.  Sigh....oh...Craig! Not here, wait...sigh.

Photo Credit:  Me

Earthquakes in Diverse Places. (Like Oklahoma)

 It's been several years now, but one day I was in my apartment living right here where I live now as far as apartment complexes are concerned. I lived upstairs and I had a really sweet neighbor whose son had just moved back with her for a few weeks to save money to get into his new house. Well, I poured myself another cup of tea and was just about settled into my cozy couch to watch the OU/OSU Bedlam game, when that man decided to make so much noise that it literally shook my apartment!

    I jumped out of my skin, to say the least, and I ran out to the balcony of my unit to glance down to have a good holler at the man when I saw him flying out of his apartment below me and he was about to fuss at me for doing something to interrupt his game watching too!! 

    Both of us just sort of stared at each other, and I said something like, "Wait, that wasn't you?" He retorted, "No, I thought you did something bad enough I was gonna have to come save you or something."  Then we both sort of felt something else, but this time without the noises; it was just the rumbling of the ground...EARTHQUAKE!!  That was in 2015 I think. I would have to go look it up to see how big it was, but it was in Edmond, Oklahoma which is about 15 miles north of where we were living.

    Today, just about noontime, I was again, sitting in my cozy chair reading a book with my dog by my side and though I'm in the same complex, and I'm still living upstairs, I felt the livingroom shake -- I wasn't sure if the whole apartment shook, but again, I thought maybe the neighbors below me were playing hockey or something; maybe crashing into the walls with their pick up truck. I just wasn't sure. 

    Today's temperatures plummeted from 62 degrees yesterday to about 11 degrees today, so that can cause the earth to make really funny noises and it can cause disruptions in or near faultlines as well -- and that's what it was! Up there in Edmond, Oklahoma again, the world was coming to an end! We had a 4.4 Mag Earthquake, and then a few minutes later there were a couple of smaller aftershocks; one of them right up under my brother's house and the other under my sister's nose!

    My dog and I just sort of hung out in the chair blaming the neighbors when one of my friends posted something about it on social media, and I put two and two together. I called my daughter out from the other room to let her know we had survived the earthquakes. She was happy to know it, and we did the little praise dance; as it really is a reason to thank God when you are spared the tragedy that some are not spared. 

    If you look at Oklahoma on a map, you'll not only see that we are plumb right on top of Texas, which is where God intended us to be, but we are also nowhere near a fault line of any sort whatsoever -- so why do we have Earthquakes? Some say it's fracking, and I don't doubt that one bit - - but whatever the reason, we have had a few rather good shakes and it makes me think of the Bible verse that in the End Times, there will be earthquakes in diverse places.  The Bible doesn't say ONLY those places with fault lines -- it says diverse places. We count!

    Now, if we're having alien sightings, which some say we are, and we're having earthquakes in weird places, and we're about to see Damascus taken out to the point that no one can ever live there again (think nukes) - - then maybe we're looking at the last days of the last days, and we're about to go home soon! Wouldn't that be awesome?  Say yes, because if you say no you're literally saying Jesus isn't as important as whatever it is that could possibly keep you here on this earth. God really needs to twist your spirit if you're thinking that way.

    LET'S GO HOME!!!  That's what I'm thinking. That's really really really what I'm thinking. For now, I'll just keep the dog close, the book pages turning, and my ear to the ground -- I mean, it could have been my weird neighbors too, but this time, it was legit.  The ground moved.

Photo Credit: USGS.gov

Southern Women Rule (You Need to Know This Fact)

 I am an American. I say that proudly, and I will never give up my American citizenry. I may end up moving to Scotland, but I will go back and forth as long as I can, and I will always be a Southern American woman when someone inevitably asks me where I'm from. They can't not ask; (double negative) it's in my voice, it's in my actions, it's in my demeanor - - making me a bit de-meaner than some I suppose. 

    Having fallen in love with Scotland, and all things connected to the great country, I can't help but want to visit it as often and for as long as I can each time I go. I can't tell you the heartbreak that happens when I have to leave it. I implode to a degree. My daughter has a VR set and she'll look up videos and 360s of Scotland and I'll just sit there for 15-20 minutes and stare - - wish, dream, think.

    Today, because I'm so very connected to all of my roots, I decided to make a great Southern breakfast for myself and think of all the Scots who would pay me good money to bring this particular meal to their neck of the woods. I made myself biscuits and sausage gravy. Now, in the US when you say "biscuits and gravy" it's always (almost always) assumed that the gravy will have pork sausage in it.  Mine is a bit different. I put a little gravy in the sausage. I'm going to pile that sausage pretty dern high up on top of my biscuits and you'll see the gravy of course, but you'll know the main characters for sure. For me, and maybe it's because I'm not only a Southern woman but also an Oklahoman, I will pile that sausage right up there.

     I tried a dozen times to make scones, I promise you I did, but it just never worked for me. I wanted to do it - - I did. I followed YouTube videos and I watched so carefully. I read up on it, I Pinterested the subject, but no matter what, my Southern oven just wouldn't do it. The ingredients just felt too close to those of a good old-fashioned biscuit, so that's what comes out of my oven each and every time I tried to scone it up for good measure. I have come to grips with it; I may be 48% Scottish, and even another 47% English, but I am 100% Okie, and there's just not going to be a high-topped floured treat in my life...unless I buy it.

    So, today, and other days, I decided to make biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. I have the cutest little tiny food processor that processes the one cup of flour and 4 tablespoons of butter that I need to make 8 good round biscuits. I added the other ingredients as well, but of course, the milk comes last. I really do prefer the food processor to me trying to fight the slicing and the blending. It's more even, and though my Granny and my Aunt Wilma may give me a stare or two from above, I'm satisfied that some things are better in 2024 than they were in say...1924.

    I will say that I remember my Granny being able to make taller biscuits than me, but I was quite a bit younger at the time, so maybe it's just a visual perception. I don't know. What I do know, is that I can't scone for anything. I just can't. I have given it my last go - - until I decide to try again and become just as disappointed as I usually do. The thing is, I wanted to make scones so I could say I did it - - and to be able to split one in half without it falling apart. You can't do that with a biscuit, not a good biscuit. They crumble when you try. That's the basic difference I suppose.

    Maybe my biscuits have more flour. I could play around with that, but in the end, it's the same. I like thinking of scones with clotted cream and jam, and I end up doing the clotted cream and jam, but only with biscuits, and it's not as "regal" or pretty. It's flatter and more crumbly - - broken up and pathetic really. They do taste good. I will say that, the biscuits with the clotted cream and jam do taste good -- they just won't win any awards for aesthetics.  My biscuits and sausage gravy may not win any beauty contests either, but I will say that mine are better looking than those that have only bits of sausage in the mix - - yeah buddy! 

    So, there you go - - ask me -- I'll tell you, I was born in the United States of America, right in the middle of Oklahoma City. I was raised in a good old-fashioned Baptist home (we eat a lot) that believes in being able to make food for the congregation from an early age. I was under the age of 10 I know, when Aunt Wilma dragged me into the basement kitchen of the 40th Street Baptist Church to peel potatoes and boil them. She would have tanned my hide if I had cut myself too; just telling you the truth. No blood in the water! She would have spanked me good if I had bled without permission!

    Growing up in the South (Southwest) meant that we ate a lot of biscuits. We ate them with gravy, with butter, with jam, with bacon, with meals, with eggs, and just all by themselves. There are few ingredients, and they're cheap to make. A good biscuit can last a week if the weather isn't too hot outside; but you do have to sort of heat them up now and again - - please don't tell my Aunt or my Granny that I use the microwave and a wet paper towel to make that happen. I think Granny put a damp cloth over the pan and let it steam the biscuits on lower heat. 

    There you go - - Scones will be purchased or eaten if someone else can make them. They will be gloriously appreciated as well. I don't have to worry if anyone likes my biscuits. I never have a single one to heat up again unless I'm making them for myself. I can't seem to use less than a cup of flour, which makes about seven or eight.  I've been on the other end of that where we used over 10 pounds of flour to cook enough for all the people at the church who were counting on the kitchen ladies to feed them on any particular Wednesday night. I miss those days. I really do.

Photo Credit: Me. (The gravy back there only has a bit of sausage now, I added much more later)