Daily Deliciousness

Greetings, dear readers!

Last night, after discovering a new recipe for cornbread, my wonderful husband set about in the kitchen to work his magic for dinner.

Homemade buttermilk cornbread topped with bacon and E-Z Chili

And here is the chef proudly showing off his work.

The man behind the meals

While I may not have the best relationship with my family, I am forever grateful to them for helping my husband and I buy this trailer to live in and raise our children. Something as simple as having a working oven was an all but distant memory until we moved in here. Now that we've upgraded from a precariously-balanced toaster oven to a real one, even I who seldom cooks will get a chance to try my hand at baking!

Rainy Day Fun

Fall has finally arrived in Arizona! It came late in the morning with a storm, but we finally get cooler temperatures for a while.

I shot a brief video of this storm, but Blogger wouldn't upload it due to size constraints. My late father-in-law would call this a "turd floater"

The flooded street

For the first time ever, I had to dress the baby in long sleeves and long pants! Like mommy, she's a lazy fashionista

During a break in the storm, we went outside to survey the damage. There wasn't any except for flooding, thank goodness, but there was something else waiting to be seen at the neighbors.

In addition to mom and dad, there are nine zooting pinchable pit bull pups in that yard. It was so cute seeing them all out with their little tails wagging and playful chomps!

There is no rainy day here without a selfie.

Copycat faces

The second round of the storm brought some small hail crashing down, but that was as ferocious as it got. What passed for the third round was some wind and a brief shower. There is some more rain expected during the night, but all remains quiet for now.

Welcome Autumn! It's good to see you here.

The Stairs

Happy Monday!

My husband had a long and busy day today. What was he doing?

He was building stairs to the front door!

Work in progress

This project was something that needed doing, but hadn't been completed due to lack of funds for material and time. After my relatives visited us two weeks ago, the material issue was solved when my mom bought all sorts of lumber, hardware, and tools for my husband for the honey-dos around the home. My grandma's complaints about how "wobbly" the stairs were, plus a letter from the sleazy park management to all the tenants telling people to cover their trailer hitches and put handrails on steps with more than three risers or else the insurance company would refuse to renew coverage on the place, gave new urgency to this project.

Unlike the hack-job steps that were present when we first moved into this trailer, the previous stairs to our trailer were not poorly made. My husband takes pride in his work so that even temporary (re: mostly long-term) fixes are done well. Were they a bit loose? Kind of, as it was a small step-stool he made and then drilled into the soffet below the front door.

Starting at 10AM, my husband put his new tools and lumber to use. Thank goodness it's FINALLY starting to cool down a bit here in Arizona, so he wasn't toiling in the blazing heat and sun. The clouds helped, though there were a few quick splurts of showers that buzzed through which delayed progress a bit but not by much. As he worked, my husband had me walk up and down the stairs to check distances. He'd planned for two steps, but after I had to stretch to avoid falling into the gap between what was supposed to be the top step and the threshold of the door, he put in a top step. It meant now that a handrail would have to be added, but they were now much safer.

We can make a ramp out of this if needed

All done! Kitties must inspect the final result and approve of it!

By about 4PM, the stairs were finished. They looked beautiful as he'd carefully measured and cut the wood, and the steps themselves were flat enough for a board to be laid on top of them for a ramp if need be. The new stairs are much more sturdy and stable, all up to code for any nosy insurance agent who inspects it.

My husband being a meowl

I'm so proud of my husband. The fact that he can build/fix things is one big reason why I married him. That is a rare skill to find in someone nowadays.

Goodnight and sweet dreams, everyone!

The Devil You Know

What a week it has been.

First, my husband and I had to cut our daughter's godfather out of our lives after he brought over his new "girlfriend" to our home last Saturday to introduce her to us, and she turned out to be a prostitute that he picked up in a convenience store parking lot (he lied to us about where he met her too!). The whore also stole some cosmetics and brushes from me after we let her in to use our bathroom. I didn't realize what had happened until after he left to go home with the prostitute and I was cleaning up the bathroom since she'd been in it. Ironically, the stolen items weren't worth much monetarily. The cosmetics were ones I hardly used and was planning to dump, however the brushes were my favorite and I used them regularly. Though I filed a police report about the robbery, my husband and I were out for blood. I was very angry that I'd been robbed (it always hurts worse when someone close to you is the perp), but my husband was even more furious at his former friend because he'd stood as our daughter's godfather at her Baptism and swore an oath to uphold the teachings of the Church, which he had now thrown away for a lot lizard; blaspheming the Holy Ghost. We've blocked him from communicating with us after sending off angry messages telling him what happened and to stay away. I don't think I will ever forgive my daughter's former godfather for this incident.

My husband and his now former friend at our daughter's baptism.

Fast forward to Thursday, when we went to noonday Mass at the Cathedral across the street from my husband's clinic where we'd gone to get his biweekly supply of medicine. My husband suggested the venture and while I was reluctant to go, we had nothing planned for the afternoon and since we were in the area, why not? In spite of my reluctance, it was clear almost from the moment we set foot on the property that the Lord wanted us to be there that day. We met a pious young woman who was new to town and saw some old faithful friends from our other church too. And the cherry on the blessing sundae? The sermon was about not casting pearls before swine, and that some people will just never accept the Lord no matter how hard you try and inspire them to do so. That really resonated with us because we tried so hard to bring our daughter's godfather, my husband's former friend, back to the Catholic Church. We'd encourage him to come to church with us (and he did on many occasions), pray more often, to cut toxic people out of his life, he was the Best Man at our wedding, and when I became pregnant, we offered him the position of being our child's godfather if he would come back to the Church by going to Confession and start receiving Communion regularly again. He finally did go to Confession during Holy Week and took Communion on Easter, but he was never as committed to being a good Catholic after that.

She wasn't too crazy about having water poured over her head either

Today at the other church, we got another reminder about how real the Devil is. There was a disruptive parishioner who set my demon meter off the minute I laid eyes on him. I suspected he was mentally ill and lacking for treatment, but something else didn't sit right about him. Interestingly enough, he disappeared during Communion and was not seen again for the rest of the Mass. Then after Mass, while my husband and I were fellow-shipping with our friends and fans, one of our good friends there told us about how she'd been attacked by demons with unexplained scratches, bruises, and bites appearing on her body after she'd gotten her life straightened up following a divorce and end to a toxic relationship. She told us how she had to seek relief from the torment by having the diocesan exorcist pray over her, and a trip to his monthly healing service where he does special prayers and lays the monstrance on people who are spiritually under attack. Our friend reported that the exorcist's church was full of devils, and some people claim to have seen Satan himself in the chapel. My husband knew the church where this exorcist served because his late best friend/dope dealer belonged to that church and that many dope dealers frequented this church, bringing the demons of their trade with them. It may seem paradoxical that a Catholic church should be full of demons, given that people seeking exorcisms usually go to a Catholic exorcist first. But, keeping in mind that demons are more attracted to something/someone more sacred, it makes perfect sense. There is a parable my husband told me before we were married that does a pretty good job of illustrating this situation, which I will include as a footnote at the end of this post.

It is said that only God can take a bad situation and bring good out of it. My prayer life, while never particularly strong, has been lacking for some time. He was using the robbery and subsequent fallout to remind me that it's not a good idea to take His protection for granted, and that I need to step up my prayer life more. October, being the month of the Rosary, is a good time to do that.

Have a blessed week, and take care everyone.

***
The parable of the two churches: A seminarian had a dream in which an angel showed him two churches on opposite sides of the road from each other. One church was immaculately neat with a manicured lawn, wealth, well-dressed parishioners and well behaved children, a choir in tune and nice cars in the parking lot. The other church was more run-down, impoverished, with poorly dressed parishioners who were smoking during Mass and talking about football while the priest gave his homily. Demons swirled around the parishioners and the priest in this church, tempting them with thoughts about money, sex, murder, etc. What cars were in the parking lot were jalopies and the choir could barely keep a tune. The angel then asked the seminarian which church was saved-the middle class church or the run-down church?

The answer: the run-down church. It was saved because the people had faith, which was why the demons were swirling around and attacking everyone there so viciously. The absence of demons at the middle class church was because the people there had no faith. Thus, there was no reason for the demons to be present and attack people there.

Dixie Man

My husband had a very interesting meeting this morning.

For some weeks, my husband was corresponding with a fellow from an organization called the Sons of Confederate Veterans. My husband, while born and raised in Texas, had ancestors in Louisiana who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV, for short) purports itself to be an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Confederate soldiers who fought to keep the South free from Union control and interference. Members must be documented heirs of the Confederate soldiers.

From a video called "The Irish Brigade". Many Irish immigrants were put into service on both sides of the Civil War, some enlisting as soon as they'd disembarked from the immigrant ships as a means of securing their families' new existence in America ("Gangs of New York" does a pretty good portrayal of this practice). Pic (and video) found here

Though my husband never had much to do with this organization, his family in Texas did. His brother was a member of the SCV, and they paid his funeral expenses when my husband's brother died in a car accident. Since his brother had been able to procure the required proof of ancestry, my husband figured it wouldn't be too hard for him to join the SCV as well. When asked, my husband responded that he would be joining the SCV for both fellowship in the Southern cause, and networking with the intention of picking up gigs from time to time. While I supported my husband's decision, I had some reservations about him joining the SCV. For one, solidarity organizations like this tend to be targeted by infiltrators from intelligence agencies, or used as fronts for ones. While the SCV goes back to the late 19th Century, long before the birth of most intelligence agencies to lend itself credibility to not being a front, it didn't rule out the possibilities of infiltrators since the Anti-Defamation League has labeled the SCV as a hate organization. My husband, who had more than his fair share of dealing with infiltrators of one stripe or another, acknowledged the possibility but didn't give it much thought.

Today was the introductory meeting for new members to the SCV here in southern Arizona. The subject discussed was the role of Arizona during the Civil War. Arizona, according to the leader, requested assistance from the Confederacy because Apache attacks were making living on the frontier dangerous, and that calls to the Union for help had gone unheeded. The Confederacy responded by sending out some assistance to the then Arizona Territory. See map below for reference.

There's something you don't learn much of in school. Pic found here

It may surprise some of you to know that what is today southern Arizona actually seceded with the Confederacy. It was that decision that made the Union government move the state capital from Tucson to Phoenix, where it remains the capital to this day.

Other than that interesting little geographical tidbit, there were some plans discussed regarding a day trip to a shooting range and just general chitchat. My husband got to meet some of the other members. Only men are allowed at SCV meetings, but despite some elderly members, my husband was not the youngest one there. There was a man in his thirties who was of mixed Mexican and White ancestry. He and my husband got to talking, and they hit it off pretty well. My husband's impression of this organization is so far pretty good. If they have a branch for women, I might look into getting involved too. I love history, and though I'm a 2nd generation Serb, my marriage to a descendant of a Confederate veteran might be acceptable grounds for admission.

I still have my reservations about the SCV, but only time will tell if I'm right or just paranoid.

A Short Review of Beer: Golden Road Hefeweizen

It's that time of the month! Another trip to the gas station, another full growler of beer to try.

This trip's selection was from a Los Angeles-based brewery called Golden Road. I'd never heard of, much less had, a hefewizen (German for "half-white") brew before, so I picked it out while my husband fueled up the car outside.

A toast to the Creator

I had my first taste while observing the super blood moon lunar eclipse, and I will admit that I was not impressed with this Bavarian-style brew. It has an odd taste, almost like a chemical; not bitter, but definitely not sweet, maybe too heavy on the wheat?

The brewery's website says that "Golden Road Hefeweizen was brewed with a Californian twist — the addition of dried, locally grown, organic citrus to a Bavarian classic. After the initial banana and clove, expect tart citrus, a medium body and a dry finish that will leave you thinking about that next sip." My impression was "this tastes weird". Either my taste buds are not primed to detect such fruity subtleties or I do detect the additives and they register as terrible tasting. 

It looks kinda pissy, but this is as close as I can get to capturing the real color of the brew

I'll give the brewers credit, the hefeweizen looks and smells great. My cellphone camera does a pretty good job of capturing the golden yellow color, and the malts clearly are present. The alcohol content is pretty low too, only about 4.6%, so I wasn't buzzed.

Like Barrio Blonde, hefeweizen is a good starter beer for someone who's fresh off the mainstream beer boat in the new world of microbrewing. Because it's mild, this beer does go down easy. It's definitely a good summertime brew, and I'd suggest pairing this beer with a sandwich to at least deal with the odd taste. If you're not having hefeweizen with a meal, I do recommend adding some clamato (tomato-clam juice) or plain tomato juice to give it a palatable flavor. My husband added a splash of his favorite clamato and he said it took the odd taste of the hefeweizen away.

Overall, I didn't like this beer. I wouldn't buy it again after this tasting. 

For more on Golden Road Brewing, check out their website.

As always, please drink responsibly

Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux

Greetings, friends!

Today is the feast day for one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church, St. Therese of Lisieux. Also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, she was born Therese Martin in Alencon, France. She was the youngest of five sisters, all of whom would go on to become nuns, much to the joy of their devout parents Louis and Zelie Martin. Therese entered the Carmelite convent where she would spend the remainder of her short life at the age of 15, and died of Tuberculosis at the age of 24. Her time in the convent would be a profound spiritual journey, where her famous "Little Way" would come to fruition.

Prayer card dedicated to St. Therese. Pic found here

Affectionately known as "The Little Flower", devotees who pray her novena (a series of prayers said over a period of days, usually nine days) report encountering roses in some form as a sign that their request has been submitted/granted. I can personally attest to this encounter, as the first time I'd finished praying her novena in college, I was walking to class one morning and took a route I didn't normally take on the campus to get there. I randomly turned my head as I was walking, and saw rose bushes in bloom, despite it being rather late in the year for them. A fellow church lady had told me about this sign, but I did not believe her. Now, I could see for myself that there was some merit to this claim. St. Therese famously said that she would spend her time in heaven doing good works on Earth, and leave roses as her signature, of sorts. My encounter with the roses at school was her way of saying "I got your back".

For more on St. Therese and her spirituality, check out her hagiography here.

Try praying her novena as well. You too might encounter a rose in one form or another.