Ghillie Suit or Wookie Costume?

So.... I spent last weekend with my parents and sister in the Dallas area with some friends that have a great big house. On Saturday all the guys went to Cabela's in Fort Worth. My dad bought some boots. Before we left, my Dad and I both tried on a Ghillie Suit (just for kicks and ghillies, er, I mean giggles).

A Ghillie suit is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble heavy underbrush. Hunters, military snipers, and paintballers use them to prevent detection.





I think we look like we're trying on Yak coats or Wookie costumes.

Speaking of wookies, I was joking with my family about how we misunderstand words in songs. My favorite is from a Jack Johnson song "Better Together" from the In Between Dreams album: "Our dreams, and they are made out of real things, Like a shoebox of photographs..." - "Like a shoebox of photographs" sounds a lot like "Chewbacca photographs."

Vigil

Did you hear the one about Tang Pie?

So.... how many times has someone said to you, "I hear you make really good Tang Pie?" None? Well, today I heard that statement for the second time from a complete stranger in the last three weeks. Fortunately, I do make a mean Tang Pie, so it wasn't a totally creepy, odd thing to say. Also I have made Tang Pie since I've moved to Arkadelphia (for a little dinner party at a friend's house), so it certainly made sense. The "complete strangers" have been parents of my patients, and they have made this statement as small talk during their children's check-ups. Still, typically Tang Pie isn't the Rabbit I pull from my Witty Repartee Hat. Welcome to small town America.

Tang Pie is very easy to make. Thanks to my friend Cindy Barker for the recipe.

For the crust:
Soften one stick of butter in the microwave. Add one cup of flour, 3 TBSP of sugar, a dash of salt and mix together. Then add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Press the mixture into an ungreased pie plate. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes (until golden brown). Cool completely.

Notice the use of my Pi Plate. (Thanks, Misty Leigh and Marty.)

Now mix together 3/4 cup of Tang (yes, what Astronauts drink) and 1-14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (yes, what I drink) until well blended. Then add 1/2 cup of sour cream (this helps to cut the sweetness). Then fold in one 9 oz container of Cool Whip. Pour the Tang mixture into the cooled pie shell. Then use most of another 9 oz container of Cool Whip to cover the Tang mixture. Sprinkle with some chopped Pecans and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Now, enjoy a delicious slice of Tang Pie.

Don't lick the plate in public because you know whoever sees you is going to tell their friends, and pretty soon, at work, you'll hear from total strangers, "I hear you can lick a dessert plate clean in no time flat!"

Happy Birthday, Travis!

So.... today is Travis's birthday. He was born three years ago, so in dog years, he's legal to drive, smoke, vote, and drink. He prefers not to do any of those things. He'd much rather chase a squirrel, bark at the neighbors walking past the house, or eat tiny bits of Rice Krispy Treats (no Nutella for Travis).

We usually have a party (well, it's been an excuse for me to have friends over and make them wear sombreros).



Because of the house being a pig sty and local friends being out of town, we're forgoing a fiesta this year. Actually, now that I think about it, to each of the previous parties, I had invited the woman that I was dating at the time. Both of them flaked out at the last minute, effecting the dissolution of the relationships. Stupid Ex-Cheerleader. Sorry, lousy, stinking Frame Thief. So, I guess I've learned my lesson - actually if a woman isn't willing to wear a sombrero at my dog's birthday party, she probably isn't the right one for me. By the way, no, the dating didn't cease immediately after they skipped out on the party, so please don't think I'm that weird.

Anyway, I got Travis 2 toys as gifts. One is a red rubber chicken that squawks. The other is a crocodile that squeaks.



He loves the chicken. He knocked all the pillows off the sofa while playing. It was his birthday, he threw cushion to the wind.



Travis hasn't touched the other toy. Hopefully, we won't see it show up on The Island of Misfit Toys. "No one wants a crocodile - that squeaks."

Yes, I realize that in the first picture of Travis and the chicken, there are 2 identical pairs of shoes (sometimes, if I like a pair, I go back and buy another one).

nutreat

So... here's a quick little bit about a quick little bite I made this weekend.



Delightful!

Start by making some Rice Krispies Treats:

3Tbsp of Butter
10.6 oz bag of marshmallows
6 cups of Rice Krispies

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. When the butter (please use real butter) is melted add in the marshmallows (the little ones melt faster); stir almost constantly. Once the marshmallows are completely (I said completely) melted, add the Rice Krispies (you can use the store brand cereal - it's usually cheaper). Vigorously stir the mixture as you remove the pot from the heat. Without burning your fingers, dump the pot of krispy marshmallowy goodness into a 9x13 cake pan which you have already buttered generously. Then after generously buttering your fingers and palms, gently press the mixture into the pan. Wait (oh, the agony) until the treats have cooled. Then cut into squares or rectangles.

But... to make them so much better, smear them with the secret ingredient - nutella! I think it makes them almost sinful to eat. It is a nice combination - the sweet krispy crunch paired with the silky, creamy, nutty chocolate - Delightful!



Nutella is this wonderful chocolate and hazelnut spread. I have loved nutella since I first tasted it a decade ago when I was in Europe. I probably had 2 or 3 nutella crepes everyday that I was in Paris. In Italy I'd spread it on my bread in the morning. I brought some back from Europe. Fortunately, now it is readily available in supermarkets and Wal*Mart. Actually I think it was readily available 10 years ago at some supermarkets - I just didn't know about it. One time in med school, I was trying to stay up to study for a test, and I didn't have any coke, diet coke, or coffee at my place, so I was forced to eat nutella by the spoonful to remain awake.

So... to be totally redundant, I totally recommend this Delightful Nutella Smothered Rice Krispies Treat (I also recommend occasionally eating nutella by the spoonful).

The Bus

So.... on Mondays and Fridays Arkadelphia Clinic for Children and Young Adults (ACFCYA - that's really our abbreviation - I didn't make that one up) reaches out to some of the more rural areas (they don't even have a Wal-Mart) and sees patients on the Baptist Mobile Health Unit (the bus).



We all take turns, so I only go two days a month. We start clinic in Gurdon in the morning, which is about 15-20 miles away. We set up in the parking lot behind the library, next to Sonic. I'm told that if it's really slow, some of my partners will check out a smut novel from the library; so far I've relied on home improvement magazines and So Doku. After morning clinic we drive down to Prescott (another 15-20 miles down the road) to go out to eat; Lorie, my nurse, and I always outvote Bob, the bus driver, who usually suggests one of the local truck stops or a diner with a plate lunch (last week's special was hamburger casserole). Last Friday we ate at the Flamingo Grill in Prescott. After lunch we either sit in one of the little courtyards in downtown Prescott or take a nap on the bus at the park. Bob has a sign that he tapes to the door that states, "WiLL NoT OpEn 'tiL 1 PM." Prescott clinic was previously held at one of the local churches, but now the bus parks beneath some trees at the park, where there is more shade. Well one time we did have to park at the church because the Chicken & Egg Festival was being held at the park. Prescott clinic is usually busier than Gurdon.



The bus is a pretty neat set up for a clinic. Patients sign in and wait on benches on either side of the bus. The counter will have paper work, charts, meds, and supplies. The allergy shots are kept in the fridge next to the sink. There is a bathroom on the right, and then in the back is a separate "exam room" which has this huge, weird, rotating exam table. If we are busy or if the chief complaint is something sensitive, I'll use the back room, but if people are just trickling in I usually start taking my history and examining the child as they are being checked in.



One day last week the "crapper" (not my words) had gotten too full, so Bob decided to drain the tank - in the parking lot. Fortunately, it was towards the end of the morning. Unfortunately, their was a leak in the hose Bob was using to drain the tank, and he got waste water on his pants and shoes. He had to call his wife to come pick him up, so he could change clothes.



I've considered getting my Commercial Driver's License, that way I could drive the bus and practice medicine, but then I thought, "there's no way I'm emptying the 'crapper'."

Made in Philippines

So.... I'm really sure this isn't worth an entry, but I was somewhat bemused with a recent purchase. I had gone to Pottery Barn last week, looking for a bedspread that was on sale. The Perky Pottery Barn Lady apologized for not having that item after I explained I drove an hour to come to Pottery Barn. By the way, they usually aren't perky - mostly snobbish and uppity - come on, you're working at Pottery Barn. Maybe if you sold pottery or barns I may let you get away with uppity, but never snobbish... Anyway, she relayed that most of their linens are only available online and said that I could return the item to the store instead of online if I didn't like it - maybe she knew something about that bedspread I didn't.

I continued to browse, looking at very expensive mirrors, uncomfortable couches, and lots of other things I need. My shopping-friend, Becky, didn't stop me from making any impulse purchases, so I blame her for the Small Bosphoros Bowl full of Tiger Cowry Vase Filler Shells that now adorn my coffee table. As I was arranging the shells in the bowl, I noticed one of them had a sticker on it: Made In Philippines. I was a little perplexed, bemused if you will: was this shell really made, or was it harvested, grown, or found - it was just a weird sticker to find on a sea shell.



I also found a very nice barn at the store across the street, Shellery Bowl.