Rocket Dog Clogs

I love my new shoes. Okay, so I'm pretty set in my ways about shoes. My sisters will claim that my tastes in shoes are dull, although I believe my preferences are ecletic, and based foremost on being comfortable.

Since moving to a colder state, I've fallen in love with clogs. Before moving here, I'd never have given clogs a second look, but I think the snow and cold were factors that changed my opinion about clogs. I find that during winter I need a pair of shoes that I could slip in and out, for purposes of efficiency, while providing traction and warmth.

Last week, I came across these brown plaid Rocket Dog clogs at a shoe store. After trying them on I knew that I had to buy them. They are cute (at least I think so), comfortable, and kept my feet toasty warm. I'll admit that some of my outfits don't exactly match the shoes, but I don't care. I love my shoes and they are comfortable.

Sauces: Old an New

About a week or two ago I made a batch of homemade caramel sauce and chocolate fudge sauce, in which I gave away one jar of caramel and one jar of chocolate sauce. Both sauces are yummy, especially over ice cream. My mate LOVES caramel, so not surprisingly, I only have a little bit of the caramel sauce left. Since I had some heavy cream, I made some more caramel sauce this morning.

I want to make a couple more batches of both sauces to give away as holiday presents, or just for the sake of giving it away, but for those who don't live in my state, I'm trying to figure out how I can send it by mail or travel with jars of sauces. I really want to share my homemade sauces with those I love because the homemade stuff is WAY BETTER than the store bought stuff.

I also wanted to write about a jar of sweet sorghum I purchased when I was in Kentucky. You can read more about sweet sorghum at this website, http://www.ca.uky.edu/NSSPPA/sorghumfaqs.html. I don't want to characterize sweet sorghum as something particularily "southern," but I'll admit that it's something one doesn't find easily in my neck of the woods. It has a mild molasses flavor and can be spread "as is" on biscuits, breads, etc., and can even be substituted in place of sugar, molasses, and honey. I find the taste a bit interesting and I'll admit that for me, it's an acquired taste. At this point, I'm looking into recipes to use my jar of sweet sorghum. If I cook up something, I'll definately post it.

The Beginning of a New Era

[Hey, I was at that spot several weeks ago! Picture from barackobama.net]

Vote

GO VOTE!

Putting that directive aside, it's not surprising to hear that the voter turnout has been huge. It's uplifting to hear that many who have never voted before, or even cared to vote, have actually voted for the first time today (there's a news story about a large number of homeless persons in Los Angeles showing up to vote for the first time). Chek the story out at http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4A41HR20081105. Once more, I really encourage you to vote if you haven't already done so.

Fall Foliage and Snow?

Earlier this week I took pictures of the wonderful fall foliage ocurring in my city. Compared to previous autumns, this fall has been very cool and I think it contributes to the leaves' colors. In my memory, previous autumns have been quite warm and the foliage weren't as colorful. So it's been wonderful to see the vibrant reds, bright oranges, and lovely yellows all around me.

However, today it was rainy and cold. So cold, that the rain turned into little snowflakes. I'm hoping for the best and hope that this is not a sign of an early, early winter (I believe the last Minnesota blizzard that ocurred in October was on Halloween in 1991). Other than not wanting my autumn to be cut short, I haven't prepared my garden for winter. I was hoping to put it off for a bit longer, but if this weather continues, I'll have to winterize my garden sooner than I want to.

Superman

[Big Superman Statue in Metropolis, Illinois]

Home, Home, Home

I've missed my home. I usually don't get this attached to my home, but I'm really glad to be home. We drove all night to get home, of course we stopped for a little rest at a gas station, considering that the drive took 12-hours .

So how can I best characterize my stay in Kentucky? Well, it was a nice stay, but I couldn't help but feel like an outsider. One, the area I was in was not that diverse and two, I didn't have an accent (they have really pretty Kentucky accents). I made an effort to eat at restaurants (even if it was a chain restaurant) that can't be found in Minnesota (such as Waffle House), although it was hard to find vegetarian options (practically all of the salad options had meat in it) and anything that wasn't overly cooked with fat or deep fried. The weather was beautiful during the day and I driving on the meandering roads brought nostalgic memories of my youth. Overall, like I said, my stay wasn't bad, but I'm really glad to be home.

Kentucky Impressions

This is my first time in Kentucky. While my mate is out fishing, I've been driving around looking for things to do. We're staying not too far from the Kentucky Dam Valley and about twenty miles away from the city of Paducah, Kentucky. Since Paducah was the closest city with the most attractions, I spent my moring there today. There was even a store that specialized in sock monkeys. There were a lot of antique stores and even a small farmer's market.

I guess the area I'm staying in is somewhat rural, therefore lacking in walking paths and sidewalks. Even the Kentucky Dam Valley (which consists of picnic areas, a marina, and forested areas) lacks walking paths. As much as I'd like to explore, it's pretty hard to do so without a car. I don't even think that there's public transporation in that area. So far, it's been an intersting stay and the weather has been wonderful (high-70s during the day and mid-40s at night), but I'm ready to go home.

Kentucky Lake

As I've mentioned before, my mate occasionally participates in local fishing competitions. This year he competed well enough in the local competitions, which in turn allowed him to enter the regional fishing competition. Lucky for him, and maybe unlucky for me, the regional competition occurs on Kentucky Lake, which borders the states of Kentucky and Tennessee.

So last night, he and I made our trek to Kentucky Lake. We spent the night driving through Wisconsin and Illinois. Early this morning, we made several stops at rest areas to sleep in our car (see picture), then continued driving to Tennessee. We made several detours for sightseeing purposes and evenutally got to our destination. I'm a bit exhausted from the lack of sleep and will continue chronicling my stay in Tennessee.

Is it a Bunny or a Pig?

Okay, so I've added a new member to the family. I intend to give this stuffed animal to my sister (if she wants it). When I made this stuffed animal, I intended it to be a bunny. However, my mate claims that it looks more like a pig. What do you think?