ohbehave

It goes something like "the written word takes the place of the absent Christ." I know he means absent in the sense of Christ's ascention and not being here physically but it seems so final worded in that way. As though Christ is absent and no longer touching our lives personally which simply isn't true. Know what I mean?

Dear Watered Garden,

I have an 11 year old dog, Duke, who I've had since he was a pup. The other day I had to take him in for a vacination and I thought while there I'd ask the vet if she knew of a book, or something I could do, to help prepare myself emotionally when it's time to say goodbye to my friend. What she said prompted me to write to you. It's not very much, but it impressed me greatly, and it is my hope it will somehow comfort you. She said the joy Duke has brought to my life will be worth the sadness I'll feel when its time for him to go.

Thank you for writing about your wonderful Sophie! My prayers are with you, Sophie and the family.

Happy Birthday Simon ze mostest

Hi Belle,

I know you'll have a great time! I went there several years ago. If your travels happen to take you to Golden Gate Park I suggest you visit the Japanese Tea Garden. So pretty and serene!

http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFNbrhds/Jap...Tea_Garden.html

Hi Paw,

I think there are a couple of reasons for the browning. First is visual appeal. I don't think you'll get that lovely browning from a slow cooker. Next is flavor. By browning you release some of the sugars that produce carmalization which provides more flavor. If you dredge the meat in a little flour prior to browning it will help convert the liquid in the slow cooker into a more gravy like consistency. I think I'm making myself hungry!

Hi Exie! This thread's gone to he11 in a "hand" basket

Hey David thanks. That is indeed what I was thinking about. I wasn't a kid when that commercial was made though. It was cute and clever! Another gravy memory. In the corps they sometimes served us millet with gravy on it. It really wasn't too bad but sometimes it had an odd grayish color to it.

Boy Outfield, you got your request! This is definitely a different topic :)

Reading this gravy discussion is blowing my mind! Just today, while getting my dog's dinner ready, I thought about a dog food that was popular when I was a kid. The selling point was all you had to do was add water and it makes its own gravy. I think it was called Gravy Train or something like that? Is that stuff still around?

Thank you so much Darkhorse and Paw for posting this! I haven't heard these guys in so long. I loved them back then and love them now! When I heard the song Christ is Coming I was reminded of something. If any of you happen to have a copy of ROA '73 I'm in it rocking out to that song. If you see a close up of a girl with long brown hair wearing octagon shaped glasses you'll see Ohbehave I hadn't even had the class yet but man did I have a good time there!

Thanks again and in the word of Exchathedra "mwah"

Thank you for posting the links But Now I See. He sure did know his Bible! Some of the things he said really touched me. Especially when he spoke about obedience. I am glad to get to know about Lonnie. I had never heard of him until what has been brought to light here at GSC.

Thanks WG :) I know the CR-V would be less money. When the time comes to actually buy I'll have a major reality check cost wise :) I am attempting to discipline myself and save each month as though I were making a car payment. I would love to not have to finance the whole thing.

Hope you're having a most excellent day and thanks again!

Thanks Mr. Fiddle Picker :) I will definitely spend time at this site. It looks very informative. Sure like the looks of this SUV!

Boy am I having some wonderful memories right now! I went lightbearer to Muskogee my first year in the corps when those guys were there. Donnie Sm#ith (8th corp) was our fearless leader. Sure loved those guys!

Cool car Oenophile! It looks like it can really jam down the road. Thank you Chas and Belle for your suggestions. I'm not in too big a hurry so I'll definitely take time to check things out. Leather makes a lot of sense with the dog. I can see where it would be a whole lot easier to keep clean. I love the doggie but he does shed year round!

My credit union told me they work with a guy from Enterprise car rental company. He looks for rental cars that are for sale for credit union members and I understand I can save some going that route. I'm just not sure yet if they own pilots, or any honda make for that matter, but will look into it.

I hope everyone's having a nice evening and thanks again for the suggestions :)

p.s. Oenophile if you happen to read this could you suggest a good organic red wine that's not off the charts expensive?

Thanks Zshot. The CR-V does look inviting cost wise. It's just that I have a german shepherd and am thinking of a larger car to take the dog and stuff for camping and such. I presently have a suzuki sidekick (4 door) and after having it for so long the thought of something bigger like the pilot sounds good. I appreciate hearing from you though! Thank you :)

Hi Everybody,

ChasUFarley's minivan announcement inspired me to ask if any of you own a honda pilot. I've been considering this SUV for a long time now and thought this would be a great place for some first hand feedback.

Thanks for any input. Love you guys!

Happy birthday sweet Exie Girl !!! I hope you're have a great one and doing all sorts of fun things today MWAH!!!!!!!!

I just looked at my profile here at GSC and saw I joined in 2002 and I still think Raf is a weatherman I better get to posting so I can get that "thinks the cook is cute" phrase under my name

Thank you Templelady :)

Thanks Freeatlast, it was a hoot! And thank you Suda for the precious picture and the blaming the wrinkles thing works for me

Love to all!

Thank you Ex and Year! Mwah

Vegan, I'd like the Neatloaf recipe too. I'm not a vegetarian and like to eat vegetarian meals sometimes.

Good morning everybody! TGIF

I can't tell you what but I can tell you why:

Tell me why the stars do shine

tell me why the ivy twines

tell me why the skys so blue

because God made you

that's why I love you

MWAH!!!!

Hi Shell,

I recently tried this recipe from the food network channel and cut/pasted it here for you. I'm not a great cook but was able to pull this one off. Also, I didn't use pork (don't want to insult psalmie ) but 93% beef and it turned out fine (moist!).

Tomato Relish:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced

2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf:

3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs

Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 bacon slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.

This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Hi William,

Welcome here and thank you for writing your story. I am happy for you that you are financially prospering and are healing from the military experience.

When I was about 10 years old my older brother had returned from Vietnam. Just a few days after his return he was preparing to take an afternoon nap. He asked me would I wake him up in an hour. He then put his hands on my shoulders, made sure he had eye contact with me, and asked that when I wake him up to just tap the bottom of his foot then quickly leave the room. I was too young at the time to realize what he had been through, and can only imagine how tough it was.

Hope to hear more posting from you!