Post-holiday catch-up

It seems hard to keep up with the daily blogging over the holidays.  Besides,  most of my faithful readers were on vacation, and the rest were sick.  What's a poor blogger to do?  Just hold tight, that's what!  Now, things are returning to normal, and I have been trying to catch up on my correspondence.  Everything that I write this week seems to be a day or two behind, but I promise to be on time now! ;^)

First, let's get the important issues out of the way.  The 9.0 earthquake/ tsunami disaster in Asia has us all hooked to the news, looking for answers.  How could they not have the right warning systems intact?  Did all those people have to die?  Thankfully, no one that I knew in the region was affected by this event.  As of this posting, 23,000 have been declared dead, and that number is sure to climb.   I certainly hope that they get all the aid that they need to restore order.  It puts things into perspective when I read people's blogs complaining about how boring their Christmas was.  Hey--YOU'RE STILL ALIVE! 

On a smaller scale, I was out walking yesterday, and observed lots of trash lying around in the neighborhood.  It must have been a sign--I soon came across a large plastic trash bag, so I decided to make use of it.  I began picking up trash and recycleables, cleaning up the hedge where all the stuff was caught. 

When my bag was full, I took it home, separated the aluminum and plastics from the trash, and went inside, quite satisfied that I did those people a favor. 

Upon leaving the house today, I noticed that last night's wind basically annihilated my cleanup job.  Things looked the same if not worse than before I started picking up.  More cans, jugs, and cardboard were strewn everywhere.  I don't know if I'm the only one who uses bags in their trash can, but I never lose my trash like those people do.  This also begs the question:  Why don't THEY clean up their own neighborhood?

After yesterday's events, I decided that I needed a good laugh.  I turned on MTV and watched a few episodes of Viva La Bam.  If you like to watch something ridiculously funny once in a while, here's your show! ;^)

You may remember my foray into the fine art of making pecan pralines.  When I made the first batch, they resembled nuts suspended in wallpaper paste.  So yesterday, I decided to melt them down and try again.  Thanks to some timely advice that I was given, I learned that you must stir the mixture until it turns color, and when scooping out, you only have a minute or two to work with it until it hardens.  I followed the instructions, and perhaps in my quest to do it right this time, I stirred a little too long.  I don't have the chewy snacks that I had first intended.  Now I have pecan brittle! ;^)  Not a problem, though--I love the stuff!

Now that I'm caught up with the news, it's time to eat dinner.  Have a good night!