Ann's Joy Thread

Beef night.  We have to have one every now and again.  L&C are really into grass-fed beef.  My budget is a bit tight these days, so I sauteed a pound of organic, grass-fed lean ground beef, seasoned it with crushed garlic, Italian seasoning, and a little red wine.  Found a new gluten-free pasta - four grains: white rice, brown rice, corn, and quinoa.  The ad said it was as close to the taste and texture of semolina available.  Chris agreed after trying it.  Lynn still tends to turn her nose up at anything smacking of carbohydrate, so I also fixed a bag of broccoli slaw, following the directions on the package for broccoli "pasta":  Nuke the bag for three minutes, open it into a skillet with a touch of olive oil, crushed garlic, Italian seasoning, and a bit of Allspice, and stir-fry another few minutes.  Heat a jar of good marinara sauce.  I tossed a salad of arugula and sauteed mushrooms with oil, vinegar and fresh thyme.  It was just the 3 of us so we ate in the kitchen, serving our plates from the stove with whatever struck our fancy, in whatever proportions.

RA has been acting up again, so Lynn washed dishes while Chris took out the garbage.

In the meantime, I listened to their stories of the first weeks of school  Chris is ebullient about his new career as music director at a military base middle school.  Lynn is bogged down in her administrative duties, getting new staff members aclimated, etc.  It was a real joy to just sit back and bask.

Bunnies 40; Sea Eagles 24

Souths Cement Place in Preliminary Final





The South Sydney Rabbitohs have advanced to the Preliminary Finals by emphatically defeating the Manly-Warringah Sea-Eagles by 40-24 in front of a sea of red and green at Allianz Stadium tonight (Friday).
Despite a late surge from Manly, a crowd of 25,733 were on hand to watch the red and greens put on a controlled performance that saw a handful of magic moments unfold, propelling the Club to its third successive Preliminary Finals berth. Doubles to Alex Johnston and Adam Reynolds – who scored a personal haul of 20 points – helped the side over the line in a seven try to four performance.
Both sides burst out of the blocks with enthusiastic football – the Rabbitohs getting an early opportunity at the Sea Eagles’ line thanks to some ill-discipline. But the red and greens were unable to convert the opportunity into points.
It was Manly who looked to score first though, when a kick into Souths’ in-goal stood up just long enough for Brett Stewart to have a desperate attempt to ground the ball. Greg Inglis shepherded the ball dead, but not before the video referee had a look for a possible four-pointer.
But it would be the Rabbitohs who would post first points, when Adam Reynolds put in a cross-field kick that was batted back by Lote Tuqiri, then grubbered forward by Dylan Walker for Reynolds to finish off the movement with the first try of the night. Reynolds converted his own try to give the side a 6-0 lead with 12 minutes gone.
The Rabbitohs continued on with their momentum when Kirisome Auva’a made a massive break down the touch-line. But while it seemed Auva’a had been grounded in a tackle, the movement continued up-field, culminating in the red and greens finding themselves again right on the Manly line. Reynolds put a short kick into the in-goal for a flying Luke Keary, who ultimately picked up the ball in the in-goal to score amid thunderous cheers from the predominantly red and green crowd. Reynolds added the extras to make it 12-0.
Not to be out-done by Auva’a, Greg Inglis then made his own statement by making a break of his own that almost lead to another try being scored – this time through young-gun Alex Johnston. A closer look at the try though showed that Johnston had lost the ball over the line.
Lote Tuqiri though would make no mistake on the other wing, when Reynolds hoisted a massive cross-field bomb to the dual-international, who towered over Manly’s Jorge Taufua to score. Reynolds converted mere feet inside the touch-line to make it 18-0 with 12 minutes in the first half remaining.
Anthony Watmough found himself on report following a dangerous tackle on Greg Inglis, and the penalty would prove costlier still. As a result, the Rabbitohs again found themselves on the Manly line, with Alex Johnston finishing off a back-line movement that saw John Sutton and Luke Keary combine – Johnston atoning for his earlier drop-ball with a four-pointer. Reynolds’ touch-line conversion attempt hit the upright, leaving the score at a stunning 22-0 to take the teams to the sheds.
From the very first set of six, Souths made their intentions clear when Kirisome Auva’a made a break up-field before being dragged down just short. The red and greens spun the ball out to Adam Reynolds who put the ball into the in-goal, before planting his hands down on it to claim a try in the first set of six of the second half. Reynolds converted his own try to make it 28-0.
Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran found himself on report following a desperate attempt to diffuse a try to Issac Luke, set up by a Johnston banana-kick. The Rabbitohs denied taking the two points, and after a second infringement on the following set, the red and green’s seemed even more determined to get four points. Dylan Walker delievered, before Reynolds again added the extras to make it 34-0.
It was raining red and green tries when a brilliant pass from Greg Inglis sent Johnston through for his second four-pointer of the night – the Souths Junior sprinting 30 metres to touch down mere minutes after the Walker try. Reynolds made no mistake to make it 40-0, bringing his own personal haul to 20 points.
With 16 minutes in the match remaining, Manly finally got on the board through Brett Stewart, who took a dubious looking final pass to make it 40-6 with Jamie Lyon’s conversion. Lyon grabbed a try of his own not long after. His conversion from the touch-line making it 40-12.
The Sea Eagles’ revival continued when Tom Symonds crossed for a four-pointer to close the gap slightly. Lyon converted to make it 40-18. A consolation try to Cheyse Blair made the final score 40-
 
Rabbitohs 40 (Adam Reynolds 2, Luke Keary, Lote Tuqiri, Alex Johnston 2, Dylan Walker, tries; Adam Reynolds, 6 goals)
Defeated
Sea Eagles 24 (Brett Stewart, Jamie Lyon, Tom Symonds, Cheyse Blair, tries; Jamie Lyon 4 goals)
 http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2014/09/12/souths_cement_place_in_preliminary_final.html  

Just one more match to the final?

I think so, Shelagh.  Last year was my first time to follow and i still get confused as to exactly how it works.  They ended the season in 3rd place, so they were able to skip ahead to this last game against Manly.  They reached this point last year and lost, so hopefully they will be up for it.

Thanks to a reminder from an old FB friend, I have something to watch this afternoon:  My DVD of an old Aussie film from 1992 called "Hammers over the Anvil," where Charlotte Rampling plays the role of what we have since come to call a "cougar,"  an older woman having an affair with a younger man (played by an incredibly young Russell Crowe.)

This is a good thing, since last night's Outlander Episode was a tad disappointing, since young Jamie only appeared in the very last scene.

(Our heroine, Claire Beauchamp Randall and clan chieftain, Dougal MacKenzie have been in the hands of the English army. An officer in that army, who has improper notions about Claire, has ordered Dougal to turn her over to the army at Ft. William.  Dougal comes up with a solution to the problem.  If she marries a Scotsman, she will have the rights of a Scotswoman, and he cannot be forced to turn her over.  She is not happy about it. She cannot tell them that she is from the future, or they will assume she is a witch.  She cannot tell them that she has a twentieth century husband who will not be born for 200 years, and who is a direct descendant of the English officer who wants her for his own "reasons."  She is naturally reluctant to go along with this plan, especially when she learns that her proposed husband-to-be is no other than the young outlaw, Jamie, who is several years her junior - hence the appropriateness of the cougar thing in the DVD.)  

Fortunately, those last minutes of the episode followed the book almost word for word, and now that the episode has aired, I won't be giving away any spoilers:

Quote :

The lawyer set down the inkpot he had brought in, and whipping a clean quill from his pocket, presented it ceremoniously to me. “And just what is this?” I asked. This was in the nature of a rhetorical question, for the top page of the bundle said CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE in a clear calligraphic hand , the letters two inches high and starkly black across the page. Dougal suppressed a sigh of impatience at my recalcitrance. “Ye ken quite weel what it is,” he said shortly. “And unless you’ve had another bright thought for keeping yourself out of Randall’s hands, you’ll sign it and have done with it. Time’s short.” Bright thoughts were in particularly short supply at the moment, despite the hour I had spent hammering away at the problem. It really began to seem that this incredible alternative was the best I could do, struggle as I might. “But I don’t want to marry !” I said stubbornly. It occurred to me as well that mine was not the only point of view involved. I remembered the girl with blond hair I had seen kissing Jamie in the alcove at the castle. “And maybe Jamie doesn’t want to marry me!” I said. “What about that?” Dougal dismissed this as unimportant. “Jamie’s a soldier; he’ll do as he’s told. So will you,” he said pointedly, “unless, of course, ye’d prefer an English prison.” I glared at him, breathing heavily. I had been in a stir ever since our abrupt removal from Randall’s office, and my level of agitation had now increased substantially, confronted with the choice in black and white, as it were. “I want to talk to him,” I said abruptly. Dougal’s eyebrows shot up. “Jamie? Why?” “Why? Because you’re forcing me to marry him, and so far as I can see, you haven’t even told him!” Plainly this was an irrelevancy, as far as Dougal was concerned, but he eventually gave in and, accompanied by his minions, went to fetch Jamie from the taproom below. Jamie appeared shortly, looking understandably bewildered. “Did you know that Dougal wants us to marry?” I demanded bluntly. His expression cleared. “Oh, aye. I knew that.” “But surely,” I said, “a young man like yourself; I mean, isn’t there anyone else you’re, ah, interested in?” He looked blank for a moment, then understanding dawned. “Oh, am I promised? Nay, I’m no much of a prospect for a girl.” He hurried on, as though feeling this might sound insulting. “I mean, I’ve no property to speak of, and nothing more than a soldier’s pay to live on.”He rubbed his chin, eyeing me dubiously. “Then there’s the minor difficulty that I’ve a price on my head. No father much wants his daughter married to a man as may be arrested and hanged any time. Did ye think of that?” I flapped my hand, dismissing the matter of outlawry as a minor consideration, compared to the whole monstrous idea. I had one last try. “Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?” He hesitated a moment before answering. “Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.” He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed toward the door. “Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,” he said. The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over.

Gabaldon, Diana (2004-10-26). Outlander: with Bonus Content (Kindle Locations 4408-4440). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  

I am likely to be busy for a bit, guys.

Annie

Another joyous Thursday dinner.  Always enjoy spending my time with Lynn and Chris.  My sons-in-law are prime examples of modern-day gentlemen who appreciate their wives, not only for their appearance, but for their intellect as well, who are glad their wives have careers, willingly do their share at home, and would never even think of putting them down or saying anything remotely demeaning.  My son is the same with both his wife and his daughter.  Every now and then, I do good.

But to the dinner.  I ran across a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Cream Sauce.  The enchilada part would not do, since Lynn is avoiding all grains these days, but that poblano pepper sauce sounded too good to pass up.  So I got a rotisserie chicken - Italian Herb style.  The seasonings used are so similar to the herbs used in Mexican cooking that the chickens work beautifully with those meals.  I made two salads:  a tomato-and-cucumber one that I saw on my FB page - no recipe, but the picture was enough.  I made it early in the day, with a simple vinaigrette, and added avocado chunks when I served it.  The other salad was a repeat:  Slaw with a tequila-lime dressing.  

Happened to be out of tequila, so I had to go to the liquor store, and while I was there, decided it was time for another bottle of Enchanted Rock vodka.  Used it to make some Texas martinis - a bit like a "dirty" martini but with jalapeno olives and their liquid, which has a little of that jalapeno heat in it.  Served them with an appetizer of guacamole and black bean chips (no grains, only legumes) while I finished the last minute dinner prep.

it was a delightfully mellow evening.

Annie

Sounds delicious, Ann. You should put together a recipe book. Even if you didn't publish it, the family would appreciate a copy!

I've thought about it, Shelagh.  I did one called "Nana's Kitchen," which was a collection of my Mom's favored recipes.  It was a huge hit.  I ended up putting on a CD for my cousins, who had appreciated her cooking as much as the immediate family.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Super idea--do it now.

OK, my PC is acting weird.  I had almost finished a new post when it just disappeared, nowhere to be found.  It shouldn't be too hard to repeat it since it was mostly pictures, so here goes another try.

Facebook Fun - was browsing my FB page when I ran across another photo of Old Orange (my home town) posted by If the Devil had a Wife, the site of a book written by a native Orangeite, exposing her family skeletons.  The pic today was one of the Orange Tiger Bengal Guards Drum and Bugle Corps, which put us on the map during the 30's and 40's by achieving national acclaim for their marching and playing skills.  Life Magazine did a multi-page spread on them in 39, which included a full page picture of my first cousin, Patsy Levingston, who was drum major at the time.

Today's pic was taken a few years earlier, which she was one of the "juniors."


That's her in white, standing next to Mr. Lutcher Stark, the group's sponsor and one of the subjects of the book mentioned above.

I got curious and looked up the website devoted to the Guards history and found this one, taken a few years later, when she was one of the drum majors:

That's her on the left - the short one.  The tallest, on the right, is Becky Havens.  She later married one of Lutcher's sons, and it is her daughter Rebecca who wrote the book.

I also happened on another picture while I was browsing the site, one that might interest the old-timers here.

The Guards flag bearers during the early 40's, about the time I was born.  See the brunette with the huge smile, 3rd from left? She's another cousin on my dad's side of the family, Norma Meredith.  A few years after this picture was taken, she met and married my mother's brother, known to regular old PA'ers as my Uncle Feagin.  And I'm sending this right now, w/o proofing, cause I don't want to lose it again.

Annie

Wonderful photos, Ann; your cousins are really pretty and I love the outfits.

Weren't the outfits cool?  I especially liked the western ones. When they marched, the drum majors would use the pistols to signal turns, etc.

Made me think of Annie Oakley.

Annie me.

Playing with a new toy. Lynn was issued a new tablet today at work, so she gave me her Microsoft tablet. So far, the hardest thing is learning to use the space bar, which keeps bumping me back to the beginning of the line. It's getting a little better now. The thing is, the keyboard is a touchpad rather than actual keys. I think I can get the hang of it eventually, but this first attempt is going to be short.

I am eager to see how it works with Word 2013.

Have a good evening, guys. See you later.

Annie

South Sydney Rabbitohs down Sydney Roosters to reach first grand final in 43 years

South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-22 Sydney Roosters

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/26/south-sydney-rabbitohs-sydney-roosters-nrl-match-report#start-of-comments

Quote :

South Sydney have ended the Sydney Roosters’ title defence to surge into their first grand final in 43 years with a stirring comeback win over their century-old rivals.
Finals bunnies no more, Souths will take on either Penrith or Canterbury in Sunday week’s premiership decider after recovering from an early 12-point deficit to power to a 32-22 victory. The thumping win atoned for painful preliminary finals losses Canterbury and Manly in 2012 and 2013 and denied the Roosters a shot at becoming the first team since Brisbane in 1992-93 to secure back-to-back titles in a united competition.

It's a joyous day in South Sydney, Australia today.  Their rugby league team just won its first Grand Final in 43 years, defeating the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6.


http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2014/10/05/rabbitohs_2014_premiers.html

They did themselves and their owner proud - talk about a happy camper:



Mr. Crowe has been a fan since he was 6 years old.  He saw them win their last premiership when he was seven.  His support didn't waver over the years, and 8 years ago, when they had so many losses they were in danger of being dropped from the league, he worked out a deal and, along with a silent partner, bought the team.


He had come from a sportsmen's family.  His two first cousins were top-ranked cricket champions in his native country, New Zealand.  The family was surprised to learn that all he wanted to do for a living was to write poetry and song lyrics, and perform them with his own folk/rock band. (Those performances led to earning roles in stage musicals like Grease and Rocky Horror, and eventually his first film.)


But those family roots had given him a strong sense of the game, and, even though he grew up in relatively poor suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand as well as in Sydney, once his acting career gave him a steady income, he realized he had a strong practical ability to handle finances as well.


The team has shown steady improvement under his leadership, especially during the last 4 years.  He earned that grin you see in the pic.

Here's another bit:

https://nz.sports.yahoo.com/league/news/article/-/25189822/crowe-delight-as-souths-end-the-pain/#

Quote :

Crowe delight as Souths end the pain

South Sydney owner Russell Crowe hailed the contribution of his players and staff after the club sealed a first premiership in 43 years.

Crowe, who presented suspended hooker Issac Luke - who missed the game - with a ring he purchased for him after the final siren, said it was a night he would never forget.

The Hollywood superstar who bought the club in 2006, helped restore the club to being one the the game's superpowers 12 years after they were readmitted back into the competition.

"I would say it's a pretty good night," Crowe said.

"There's deep deep satisfaction, this is a team sport and there has been a lot of people involved over the last nine years and a lot of effort gone in.

"It's a grand reward for those who stepped up to the plate and said we weren't to put up with Souths being a losing club any more."

Crowe hailed the impact Sam Burgess has had on the club since his arrival in 2010 with the rugby-bound Englishman winning the Clive Churchill Medal despite playing the whole game with a shattered cheekbone.

"I met him he was 20 years old and he had this ambition and I noticed what that level of ambition was," he said.

"I call him the sparkly-eyed man. He can be hard as he wants on the football field but gracious off of it.

"He's carved his name deep in the history of rugby league."

So, Shelagh, it looks like Bath's rugby union team is getting a good man for next season.

... and he can't stop smiling. 

Sam has arrived in Bath:

Great video - Thanks Shelagh!

He looks good. Guess that shattered cheekbone in the NRL finals didn't do too much damage.

A joyful evening -

Lynn and Chris had suggested that we forego the Thursday dinner at my house and that I join them for their weekly Friday pizza night.  

When I arrived she told me I had a surprise: Susan was driving in from Helotes to join us.  They don't get in that often.  The last time I had seen her was in July. She came in a little later, bearing flowers and wine.  Shortly after we finished the pizza, Chris insisted that he had to go downstairs to watch a football game, and we three girls spent the evening just chatting and sipping wine. It was our first girls' night in years.  We caught up on everything.  Most of the talk was about teaching, well, education, anyway.  Neither of them has been in a classroom for awhile.  Susan's new job is counseling (technically) at a very small high school in a very small town in the hills -  320 students total.  A very small administrative staff, so everybody does double duty in order to keep things running.  She talks of the difficulties, the students needs, but she isn't really complaining.  She's excited about it all.  Lynn is in the middle of getting her middle school teachers ready to administer TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills, or something close.  I've been gone awhile)  We also discussed the pros and cons of Common Core, and the fact that we all concur that actor Sam Hueghan was the perfect choice to play Jamie Fraser, the delightful and dashing hero of Outlander.  We made plans to have our holiday gathering/Susan's 46th birthday with her and Jimmy at their house in Helotes on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

It was a mellow evening.  I'm still feeling the warmth of it.  

Thank God for daughters, especially grown up ones.  

One of the personal joys of Facebook - keeping up with my Orange cousins This is my cousin Julie and her husband Mark.


Julie is my Uncle Feagin's oldest.  Her Mom was my dad's cousin, so she's a double cousin, or something.  Feagin and Norma met at a BBQ in our back yard when I was 4 or 5 years old.  Julie and my brother, Bob, were close to the same age.  She was less than a year younger, so she's around 64.  Would you believe that when she was growing up, she thought she wasn't pretty?  Too tall, she thought, and she wore braces.  Don't have a pic of their daughter, Megan, but she is a rare beauty, too.

This is a painting of Julie's mom, my cousin and aunt.


It was painted by my mom's oldest brother, Tom. He met her just after WWII, and fell madly in love with her. She liked him a lot, but then, Feagin came home, and also fell hard. When Tom realized how strongly they were attracted to each other, he backed away, but the night after the wedding, mom noticed that his light was on all night (He lived in a garage apartment behind our house), and the next morning when she went out to check on him, she saw this fresh painting. Tom did not marry for 10 years, and then married a woman half his age. Theirs was an especially happy life together. When Uncle Tom died, his wife, Thelma, gave this painting to Julie.

Families can be very cool.

Annie

Beautiful painting of a beautiful woman, Ann. Only just noticed it; I came onto the thread to say that Sam has been nominated for the Golden Boot award:

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Bath-Rugby-Slammin-Sam-Burgess-nominated-Rugby/story-24573062-detail/story.html

Fantastic!  It does put me in a confusing position.  You see, I am decidedly a Burgess fan, but I speak Inglis.

(Greg Inglis is the bunnies fullback, and is also a nominee.  I have a huge thing for him.)
http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/sport/nrl/news/2013/12/best-of-greg-inglis-2013-nrl/

This clip does not include my personal favorite play.  Inglis favorite first cousin plays for an opposing team.  He is young, but has potential, and in one game against the bunnies, he had a strong chance for a score on a full field run.  The only rabbit with a chance to stop him was Greg.  And about two-thirds of the way down the field, he came up behind the cousin and very gently cradled him in his arms as he pulled him out of play.  Then the two of them stood up and hugged.  Loved it!