How to read the bingo barometer. If you see me sitting out in the sun reading the Sunday newspaper until noon, it went okay. Today, I was just taking it easy for no reason while making another big batch of borscht. You can't make it in small batches. This is Russian beet soup, a totally vegetarian dish to which you add sour cream. Most Floridians have never heard of it. Either you like it or you don't. Later, I'll give you the recipe. Meanwhile, here is a Florida sunset. No matter how I tried, my camera would not capture the big red ball--but you can see it here on the horizon.
Time to buy some new reading material. And I mean new, current books. Sure, electronics hasn't changed much, but the outdated stuff I'm used to reading doesn't offer any challenge. I'll likely spend tomorrow at Barnes & Noble. Now that I can afford it again. I'm also watching for the media to pick up on the fact that as of today, the first 1,000,000 babie boomers have retired since February 1, an event to be repeated every three months another 84 times.I see gold has topped $1,500 per ounce. That should shake up the mortgage-based pension funds of the land. Alas, the date at which I will again buy gold is in 2013, at which time I may not be able to afford it. I last bought gold at $364 per ounce. I sold it to buy toothpicks. You may have detected I've been doing my 2010 taxes.
That year, I cashed in the last of the granddaddy of all my investments, my once vast holdings in Eaton-Vance, the tax-free dividend fund. We go back a long ways and it was my top producer. After thousands in dividends I had to sell at a market low (last year) due to renters and partners who let me down, and even then, I only sustained a $63 capital loss. That was a fund to admire.
Arizona has voted to build a solid fence along their border with Mexico either with or without the cooperation of other states. Good. I'm all for legal immigration provided the people who have lived here legally since birth are in approval. What I don't like is theories of assimilation that ignore the opinions of the white Christian majority. As for the argument that immigrants take jobs no American would do, such jobs should not be allowed to exist until they do pay enough. Let's see if the Feds stick their noses in on this one.
After the successful performance y'day, the advice is pouring in from all angles. Many say we have to "diversify". That means they want us to play their brand of music. 'we are a country band and that is all that is in the works, peeps. There are still tons of logistics to be ironed out, like how to move the PA system until I can afford a Fishmann. I've run the numbers and it will be a while yet, since I have to retain the old system until the new one is reliably incorporated, what is known as "parallel implementation".
Dave-O hasn't been around, so I scootered over to see. He is flat broke, and cannot put gas in his truck. Then, he lends his bicycle to a kid to go to his job, and the bike gets stolen. No, Dave-O, you cannot borrow mine. It was irresponsible to lend out your last resort form of transportation. Worse, when he doesn't bring over chicken parts, how can I cook them? When there is no chicken, I can't make up enough for the next week and devote the time to reading. The good news is he gets his money in another 15 days and his worries are over.
Besides, I've been reading anyway. Electronics, sewing, and non-fiction, just what you'd expect these days. The yachting book had this one memorable line concerning boat races: the only thing that beats cubic inches is cubic dollars. Is it true they keep a pig on board to toss in the water if they get lost? The rumor is the pig will immediately start swimming toward home, but is that an urban legend?
Later. Bingo was packed, the prizes were the largest yet, besting almost every individual record. But then, the more people, the more times the prizes get split between multiple winners, as was the big enchilada this evening. Still, tips for me remained at the disappointing level and I am still considering some time off. And the trip to Okeechobee. I said disappointing, not non-existent. Bingo is just as hard on equipment as performing and it does not have the same intense rewards as music, so imagine my feelings when my $120 DVD player exhibited signs of conking out tonight.
The borscht recipe. "There is no recipe, why are you bothering me with numbers?" Okay, I'll give the outline of what to do and you can wing it. First of all, you need a large pot, one that will hold eight cups of water with enough head room for a good simmer. I don't recommend cutting the recipe in half because it rarely works and besides, borscht can be frozen up for later.
Before I list the ingredients, a few words on procedure. Although beets are the dominant flavor, they are just one of the vegetables, and the primary spice is paprika. They used to make a brand called sweet paprika, but I cannot find it any more. Instead, you add a tablespoon of brown sugar to taste. Some peope boil everything, but I saute the onions and carrots first, as this gives them a quite different flavor.
There is disagreement on shredding the vegetables, but I find this a messy chore that does nothing for the flavor and makes the end product too "soupy". I like floating chunks of carrot and such in my bowl. I find cutting or slicing thin gives good results.
1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil
2 medium beets, peeled and sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium "Granny Smith" green apple, sliced
3 level tablespoons of tomato paste, don't use tomato sauce or it tastes "tinny"
1/2 medium size head of cabbage, I cut out the core
1/2 teaspoon of dill weed
1 teaspoon paprika, I sometimes use more in hot weather
8 cups of water
Saute the onions and carrots in oil and paprika for 15 minutes, yes a full 15 minutes while you prepare the other items. The onions should clarify and with the paprika, form a nice coating when the carrots get soft. Add everything to the big pot of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add brown sugar or salt, an acquired taste. Serve in deep bowl with a generous dollop of sour cream.
I once shocked half the town by using sweet cream once when they ran out of sour. "You can do that?" Shows you how traditions can die hard. Results can vary depending on how "sweet" you vegetables are. In the past ten years, I have taken to sometimes adding pepper, though it is customary that each diner add his own spices to his own bowl. I used to eat the cabbage core separately with just mayo.
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