Cooking Day

Woke up to beautiful sunny sky, temp was 38, it did warm up and then we ended up getting some thunder and lightning and heavy rain.
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So we shut off the TV, put away gadgets and puters, and we cooked Lebanese for supper.
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. I started making Mishi, I put in a large head of Cabbage, after I cut a deep square around the bottom core, boiled it till the leaves just fall off, you pick them out of the water and stack them up to cool.
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.My Honey is cleaning small green Koosa, careful not to cut into the side or end, you end up with a thin shelled squash.
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.In a bowl you mix dry rice, tomato sause and paste, spices and let it sit.
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.I sharpened the knife and it is my job to cut the Lamb up into very small pieces and trip off some of the fat. You can also use hamburg, pork or beef for this but Lebanese dish calls for lamb.
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.Anna mae then mixes the Lamb, rice, spices, tomatoe and paste togeather, we fill the shells and make Kooosa, we then take the cabbage leaves and trim the thick end, put in lots of filling and roll the filling into a cabbage roll, this is called Mishi! They are put in a double boiler and steamed for several hours.
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The green ones are "Koosa" and the White ones are Mishi..

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 Supper was delicious, Koosa, Mishi and Tossed Salad!!!!  Desert was fresh Apple Crisp made with local Macintosh Apples.
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.My eye infection is still with me, I have surgery November 14 to try to correct a couple problems!!

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With Vetrans Day approaching don't forget our "Veterans" both past and present.
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Old Man Winter is coming !!

.We got our real first snowfall last night and early this morning, not here but about 1/2 hour from here and up on Whiteface Mountain they got it too.
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.It is too early for winter, I am not ready for it, on the way to church I was cold and grumpy.
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• 1976–1977, one of the coldest winters in the US in decades.
• 1985, Arctic outbreak   resulting  cold temperature records broken.
• 2002–2003 was an unusually cold winter in the Northern and Eastern USA.
• 2010–2011, persistent bitter cold in the entire eastern half of the USA from December onward till May, there were  few or no mid-winter warm-ups,  Heavy and persistent snow squalls contributed to almost constant snow cover in the Northeastern US which finally ended and receded in early May.

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.This snow will all melt and it will be wet, this helps fill the swamps up with water, keeps wells full of water and when the swamps are full of water the Big Bucks start moving for hunting season.
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. This is the road towards Tug Hill which is just below the Adirondack Park, Tug Hill is high in elevation and theleaves are past peak.
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.We ran right into the storm clouds and snow last night when we went to Gouverneur for a family get  togather. ..

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.This picture is right in front of our buildings, sometimes you don't have to travel far to see beauty!!.

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The Police

We are having some beautiful late fall weather, we were 81 yesterday up here in the Northern New York Tundra, it is Deer hunting season and this is too warm for good hunting, we had some high winds today but it calmed down and now it is a nice warm rain, we have the windows open and a gentle warm breeze blowing in, teriffic weather.
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I read a nice entry on Shipslog by Jack about speed traps and speeding, I have never traveled thru there but do know what "speed traps" are,

 

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I never liked the idea and places I worked I refused to set up a speed radar trap and in places where I was a supervisor I would not allow others doing it.
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 I liked to walk a "Beat", this was a designated area you were assigned for 8, 10 or 12 hours depending upon your shift.
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Above is 3 of us going down town to start our Shift, In front I am catching a Smoke, I was going to 1 Beat, on my right and left were #6 and # 10 Beat, there was also a Sgt. and 3 other Policeman walking around their beats, the footprints in the snow are from # 2 Beat who took our picture.


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This picture is when we shut the City of Watertown down due to Blizzard conditions, I am directing traffic into a parking lot near a large department store where we made people go during the Great Blizzard of 1977.
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Above is my Partner I lost a few years ago, Mark  *(RIP) holding up Marijuana, beside me is shift Sgt, and I am holding a shotgun we confiscated from a vehicle, we were walking our Beats, this car stopped at a stop light and as we crossed behind the vehicle Mark looked in and saw the shotgun in the front seat, we removed the occupants at gunpoint, found shotgun loaded, also several loaded pistols and revolvers and about $6,000.00 in cash, all arrested and later convicted.    All while "walking Around" !
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.  Walking a beat was always interesting and kept a fella slim and trim !!!!

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. Always ready.

.    I always tried to have a sence of humor.
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Don't forget our Veterans!..

Train, Fall Trip

No school friday so we picked up the Grandson and headed for the mountains.  We drove up to Old Forge which is a Tourist Trap in the summer but now is quiet, mostly locals and they have an exceptional Fall Excursion Train ride, You can ride from Utica New York to Old Forge, about 50 miles. a 2 1/2 hour trip.
. As Johnny Cash said," I got a thing about Trains".

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.Engineer is checking the brakes, they walk all around the train twice before leaving, they are heavy on being safe.
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. "ALL ABOARD", the Conductor yelled and we loaded onto the Train, there were about 24 people on this Train from Old Forge to Otter Creek,  beautiful ride.

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.Once aboard the Conductor, Mr. Heywood who is retired from New York Central Railroad  goes thru the cars and also back to the viewing baggage car and collects our tickets, $15.00 which to me was well worth the price, here he is with our Grandson, looking out the car the green is another train passing on the rails next to us.
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.We got a chance to sit so went up to the 1st class car and warmed up.
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We saw creeks, ponds, the river and swamps, lots of beautiful things to see even going as fast as we were.
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This is another of the cars we walked thru while traveling to Otter Creek, this is an old, old car from the 30's but in cool shape for its age.
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Train coming up behind us from Utica New York, they get to Old Forge and spend 4 hours shopping and wandering around then take the Train back hme to Utica.  this train had 2 engines and 8 passanger cars and was full.
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.Looking over My Honeys shoulder outside is the Moose River, we saw deer, geese, herons, turkeys and some beautiful scenery on the ride.
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. We are back at Thendara or Old Forge, back in the 1800's it was called "Fulton Chain".  Great place to visit
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Almost 2 more days till the Navy Birthday" !
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Guitars and Old Pictures

Going thru some old pictures I have not gotten to in years, brought back a lot of memories.
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.Picture of me and my father, this would be around 1947.
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This picture I remember oh so well, it is a picture of me on my Birthday, pants tucked into my rubber boots, holster and belt and me holding my Hop along Cassidy six shooter.  I walked all the way over to my Grandpa Wood to show him my shootin iron.
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My first electric Guitar, it was a Silvertone, double pick up, I worked in Alexandria Bay washing dishes all summer to but this beauty for $105.00 complete with amplifier.
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This is one of my first acoustic F Hole guitars, I learned a lot while playing this old timer.
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No laughing at this picture, I was playing with a group in Rochester New York and the Stash and Bangs were in at that time.
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The above Beauty I wish, I wish, I wish I still had today.
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My newest toy, just need to practice on it.
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.  Years ago I was "awarded" with a Chit for being able to type 80 words a minute. this little First Class from Lake Ponchatraine, LA. was our typing instructor while I was in Reserves and TDY at NOLA.
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Getting Ready for the October Navy Birthday Ceremony.
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Horses and farm work.

Well, the weather has changed, it has rained all night and all day, it is only 48 but we still wore shorts and t shirts but had to put on a jacket.
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Nice day as I am sitting here watching Old Miss and Alabama Crimson Tide play, I like "Roll-Tide-Roll" !!    I don't watch much TV as I was on the farm and sports were not in the picture in school.
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.This picture is my Great Grandfaher Johns House in Shawville, with my Grandfather Silas and family.
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. This picture above is my Grandfather Silas, my grandfather Bower and Great Uncle Milo,  Silas and Bower were single in this picture, both were from Edwards, years later they would both have children and become Father in Laws and Silas's son John married Bowers Daughter Ethel who were my parents.
 

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The above is my Great Grandfather John and my Grandfather Silas and Family at their summer cottage on Chubb Lake,  Grandpa said they went there to collect the Hay that grew so thick and fast.
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.Above is my Grandfather Silas sitting on the block of ice, my uncle Lynn Jones witting on the wagon and My Dad driving the Horse up from Jones Pond to the Ice House about a 1/2 mile away on the farm.
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This picture is of the dappled mares with my cousin Wayne and Sy riding them. Grampa Silas would let us plod along with them as long as we didn't run them.
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. The above picture is my mothers father, Grandfather Bower Whitford and his hired Hand Benny Brayton with his team, they were named Bess and Bee, the big black is the one that kicked my Uncle Ottie in the head back in the 40's,  almost killed him, back then they put a steel plate in his forehead, he was lucky, drove school bus all his life.
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. I learned as a young lad to halter, harness and hitch horses to, wagons, mowing machines, rakes, plows, spike harrows, disc harrows, cultivators, corn planters and Manure Spreaders,  I could not plow worth a hill of beans, my rows were always crooked!!!!


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I also learned how to Groom, clean the horses frogs, teeth and help Grandpa shoe the horses AND clean out the Horse Barns!!!
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