Wish Upon A Star

When I was a little girl, I bought into all the fairy tales about that gallant, chivalrous knight on the glorious white steed, who would whisk me away from reality into a sparkling world of wonder.

  I dreamt that the glass slipper would fit.

I desperately desired the prince’s kiss to awaken me from my daily slumber.

I just knew all my dreams would come true, because Jiminy Cricket assured me they would.

But, while awaiting the arrival of my one true love, I whistled while I worked, wished upon star after star, and kissed more toads than I care to remember. All I found were bad apples, cracked mirrors, warts and evil mothers-in-law.

My heartache and despair brought me to my knees where I did my best to figuratively scrub my floors clean.

With the help of the Mistress Headshrinker of Oz (a.k.a. Pam Bailey), I removed my rose-colored glasses, clicked my ruby red cowboy boots together three times and began to see a bright, beautiful world of reality surrounding me.

And, then three years ago it happened...

My knight, albeit with dented armor from the many dragons he’d fought and slayed, magically appeared in his white Jeep Cherokee, ready to defend my honor and protect my delicate ego. But, wait! I knew this fine knave! Wasn't this my dear, kind friend from long ago?!  Indeed, it was Sir Eugene, son of Nel!

The more I stared, the brighter his armor gleamed. A year later, Sir Eugene, son of Nel, waltzed me down the aisle of Eternity and across the threshold of our Castle in the Clouds.

Happy 2nd Anniversary on June 6th, Honey!

Dreams really do come true, Y’all!

The Dreaded Day

It’s almost like I knew this day was coming. Strangely, I was feeling depressed yesterday. No reason in particular, just down in the dumps. But, given my stage of life, that mysterious and not-so-lovely phase of menopause, I didn’t think much of the mood swing. Most of the time, I feel great. When I don’t, it’s not my fault, it’s menopause. (I wonder how long I can milk this excuse.)

I went to bed early last night and committed myself to rise early and go to the gym for some much-needed endorphins and pound shedding. I felt great after my workout! Upon my return home, as I was contemplating either an extremely early start at work or cleaning my house, my dilemma was interrupted by a text message. Oops! I’d forgotten that I was supposed to meet my girlfriend at Starbucks for a hot chocolate. She was moving our meeting place much closer to my house, so off to Dominican Joe’s I went.

I had a great cup of hot chocolate while listening to my dear friend bring me up to date on the latest chapter of her interesting personal saga. She even mentioned how she was jealous that I had such a great job – working out of my home as a business analyst, performing a job I truly enjoy with people I really like at a great company. “Yes,” I thought, “I feel so blessed.”

During my one-on-one meeting with my manager this morning (the 7th manager I’ve worked under, by the way, since my contracting stint began two years ago), I felt prompted to ask about my future with the company. I knew my contract was up in June, and although previous managers had tried to bring me on board as an employee, they’d met with a No-Remote-Employee Policy that could not seem to be negotiated. I honestly felt that if I simply did my best at my job, and developed strong relationships with the project stakeholders, I would prove my value to the company and an exception would be made. I know I’m good at what I do.

Well, that strategy didn’t pan out. My manager disclosed in answer to my question that in June the company would not be renewing my contract due to budgetary constraints. Glad I asked. The only other time this happened to me was when I got laid off by my present company’s main competitor. I was doing a great job then, too! Maybe I’m in the wrong industry.

I’m indulging in a half-day pity party, but beyond that, it’s back to my cheery self. After all, with a life as blessed as mine, I have no reason to mope.

I noticed a voice message on my cell phone after my meeting with my manager. It was a recruiter. She was just checking to see if I was still happy with my present position, or if I might be in the market for a new gig.

See, even with just a mustard seed of faith, all kinds of doors can open. And, my faith is so much greater than a mustard seed.

I’m human (and menopausal, don’t forget), so I’m going to blow up the balloons for my party as I sit on the pity pot.  I won’t be here long, though, so stay tuned for “the good stuff”.

“Employment, sir, and hardships prevent melancholy”—Samuel Johnson

“The blessing of an active mind, when it is in a good condition, is, that it not only employ itself, but is almost sure to be the means of giving wholesome employment to others.” –Unknown

“…for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” –Matthew 17:20

Time to Move a Mountain, Y’all!

And Justice For All

A picture of a dead man…why would I want to see a picture of a dead man?!

When I heard the news that Osama Bin Laden was dead, I felt relief not joy, for there is no joy in killing – no matter who it is.

Glenn Beck, on his website yesterday, discussed the release of the Bin Laden photo by President Obama. He makes some very good points. Would we have wanted to have a photo released of President John F. Kennedy after his assassination?
We have become a nation of voyeurs. I’m constantly amazed by the drivers on the freeway, who slow down near a car accident in hopes of viewing the carnage of a wreck. I’m dumbfounded by shows like Jerry Springer and Dr. Phil that promote the stupidity and infidelities of others in the name of the almighty TV ratings. And, don’t even get me started on reality TV.

My prayer to Heavenly Father the night I heard Bin Laden was dead was one of gratitude for calling this evil man Home. Here was a child of God, as we all are, who used his God-given agency and his talents and gifts for evildoings, choosing darkness over light. I prayed for the family members of his victims, all over the world, who undoubtedly still grieve because of the actions of that man.

There are consequences for all actions. The blood of Bin Laden’s victims still cries for justice. It is not enough that this man no longer walks the earth. He left, in his wake, the grief and pain of all those who lost their loved ones in the attacks on 9-11. He left children fatherless and motherless. He left behind broken hearts. He left behind destruction and fear. He left behind other weak-minded individuals, poisoned and persuaded by his evil beliefs.

I take comfort in knowing that justice will unavoidably be served. The Lord Jesus Christ will not call Osama Bin Laden one of His sheep. And, on Judgment Day, Bin Laden will have to stand before God to account for his sins, and his evil actions will stain his soul for all to see. Justice will be served, and he will have to pay the price for all he did while on the earth.

I don’t need to see a picture of Bin Laden dead. It is enough for me to know that his death is just the beginning of the sentence he will serve.

For those of us still here on the earth, let us comfort one another, be good citizens of the United States of America, beware of evildoers and stand up for liberty and justice for all!

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” –Edmond Burke.

"An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him." –Proverbs 17:11

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” –Pledge of Allegiance

Choose The Right, Y’all!

Texas Trailer Twangin'



Banjos - Painting by Sue Duda

I’ve received lots of positive feedback from my readers, mostly emails from my out-of-town friends and family, drooling about the topic, Tantalizing Trailer Treats. Even my mother is ready to drive down to Austin just to spend a day sampling the trailer fare. My response? “C’mon down!!

Someday we’ll try out new trailer eateries, I promise. But, for now, we’re gung-ho on Ugly Banjos and Bits & Druthers! The other evening, after determining that neither one of us was in the mood to cook dinner, Gene and I returned to the East Side Drive-In for more gourmet-to-go.

Gene needed another fish & chips fix (sans the chips) from Bits & Druthers (he can't get enough of that wonderful, deep-fried haddock), and I wanted to try the “real” Jimmy Cracked Chicken at Ugly Banjos. As you may recall, our first fabulous food fling at these two eateries was during the SXSW Music Festival. The trailer eateries had pared down and, in some cases, modified their menus in expectation of large crowds.

My first observation on our return trip was the East Side Drive-In is much more festive in the evening. Everything is lit up with fancy neon signs, and it’s easier to see inside the trailers as the culinary artists, or hash slingers, whichever applies, are busy at work. Plus, it is much cooler at night.

Surprisingly to me, Matthew Schaefer, co-owner of Ugly Banjos, remembered us as he delivered my order of Jimmy Cracked Chicken to our table. How nice, and what great service! But, I digress. What’s important here is THE FOOD! Oh….my….goodness! If I thought the Jimmy Crack Chicken sandwich I had before was wonderful, this full-blown version of the Jimmy Crack Chicken meal was over-the-top scrumptious!

 
The cornmeal-crusted chicken breast, served with honey truffle butter, was sliced atop a bed of indescribably delicious hatch green chile macaroni-and-cheese and fresh, spicy collard greens. I ate half the mac and cheese before I made it back to the car.
Let me stress that I never order chicken when I go out to eat. I usually prefer to order items that I wouldn’t normally cook for myself. But, this…Jimmy Crack Chicken…oh my…it plays music on my tongue. The flavors and texture are simply wonderful.



Banjo Sailor - Painting by Chad Elliott

I really will try a different trailer eatery soon, y’all. I promise. But, first I just gotta try Ugly Banjos’ “Mom! The Meatloaf” Sammich and their Chicken Fried Steak. I’ll let you know what I think.

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” -- Luciano Pavarotti
 
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” -- Virginia Woolf

Strummin’ Yum, Y’all!

Beating Around The Bush

One morning in the not-so-distant past, I was awakened at 5:30 a.m. by the most invasive bird’s song.  Some little bird, who had nested overnight in our front shrub, decided to announce the arrival of a new day, although it wasn’t even daytime yet.

I lay in bed, trying to ignore the trills and chirps of the boisterous birdie, but I began to sense a sinister plot.  We have a love-hate relationship with the birds.  We have a bird feeder out front, so we can view the lovely cardinals and doves.  Gene puts food out in the backyard during the winter for the birds, so they won't starve.  I thrill at the sound of a red-bellied woodpecker working on a tree trunk. But, the grackles poop all over our cars and deck. And, now it was The Austin City Bird Singing Festival at 5:30 a.m. in my front yard.  Isn't there an ordinance against that?!

My need to sleep would not be silenced by the sound. After about 5 minutes, I jolted myself out of bed, pillow in hand, and marched out the front door.  In the dark in my pajamas, I began to beat the shrub with my pillow.  The bird stopped singing.  I had no thought for the condition of the bird’s health, only that the sound would cease.

I returned to bed and snoozed until the sun had risen and it was truly time to get up. My husband thought it was funny that I was so grumpy and insistent to have my early morning hours of slumber.
 

Before dawn the next day, my little early morning intruder blasted more alarming birdsong out his little beak.  This time, my husband heard it and got up to see what all the ruckus was about.  The first thing Gene did was to turn off the yellow porch light. 

The singing immediately stopped.  Chuckling, Gene returned to bed and told me the bird must’ve thought our porch light was the sun. Turn out the light, the party’s over!

By the way, beating the bird in the bush is not the same thing as beating around the bush. One is much more direct than the other. The likely origin of the phrase, beat around the bush, is derived from early hunting techniques in which unarmed men would walk around the forest beating tree branches and making noise, so as to flush out the prey from the bush. This allowed the hunters to avoid directly approaching the game. The technique was most often used in boar and bird hunting. For boar hunting, this was done primarily as a safety measure due to the razor sharp tusks and the likelihood of a boar charging a hunter. In bird hunting this was to scare the birds from their cover so that hunters could shoot them easily.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” –Miguel Cervantes

"A bird in hand is a certainty, but a bird in the bush may sing.” –Bret Harte

“A singing bird in the bush before dawn may never sing again.” –Grayson Nelson

At My House, the Early Bird Gets the Boot, Y’all!

Artist Credits (in order of appearance):
Bird in the Bush - Barbara York
Bird Flu - Unknown
Girl Screaming with Birds - Unknown
Sleeping Bird Red - Kimberly Palencia
Bird in Bush - Margaret Fane
Bird in Deep Night - Kelly Riccetti
Cat with Dead Bird - Tex Norman

Blankets of Bluebonnets

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! It’s that time of year again, all you lucky Texans! Bluebonnet time is here! Fill up your gas tank, throw the kids in the backseat, grab your camera and head to the Hill Country for blankets of bluebonnets.

On second thought, with gasoline up around $3.40 per gallon, maybe it would be better to drive the family down to Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in South Austin. That’s what Gene and I did this past Saturday as we attended the Artists and Artisans Festival at the Wildflower Center. The featured artist, Ken Moore, was on site to answer questions about his beautiful bluebonnet paintings. Although Mr. Moore never formally studied painting, his artwork is wonderful, and it captures those feelings of spectacular awe many of us have felt while admiring the fields full of blue Texas blooms. Ken Moore’s bluebonnet paintings will be on display at the Wildflower Center through May 30th. (Top: Ken Moore’s Edge of the Hill Country #662 oil painting. Below: Ken Moore’s “Spring At Last” #694 oil painting.)

Also exhibiting at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center is Shou Ping, paper sculpture artist. Ms. Ping takes paper that has been painted with watercolors and cuts them into pieces, creating amazingly beautiful 3-D sculptures, set behind glass, much like a painting.

The day was perfect to walk through the grounds at the Wildflower Center, where we took time for pictures by the bluebonnet field, an annual ritual in Texas. I mean, you just can’t have Spring without a bluebonnet picture!

Walking down the various paths, my nose picked up on a pungently sweet scent that I had to hunt down. It turned out to be a Texas mountain laurel bush, which I now have on my list of landscaping plants for our yard. The plaque stated the blue blooms of the Texas mountain laurel attract long-tongued butterflies. Well, that sold me! Let those short-tongued butterflies find some other place to go!

The open-air square at the Center had a number of tents set up with artisans’ wares. My favorite was the iron art, specifically the shaman yard art, based on ancient petroglyphs.

I think the shaman figure below may have been based on one of the Teletubbies. See what you think.

Anybody else doin' a double-take?!

The crowning moment during our outing was a visit to the indoor artisan gallery. Since 1987, Gene has been trying to find a men’s turquoise and gold ring. While on our various trips, we usually check whether local jewelers carry any turquoise and gold ring combinations. It’s quite rare. Even those we have found haven’t been exactly what Gene was searching for. That is until now. We happened upon Fred and Barbara Stockbauer, Goldsmiths (www.fredstockbauer.com), who had a beautiful selection of men’s turquoise and gold rings, along with all their other exquisite jewelry.

When Gene tried this one on, we knew it was the ring he’d been looking for. The stone came from the Morenci Mine, located in Southeastern Arizona, and is a collectable turquoise since the mine is now depleted.

In every way, it was a wonderfully blue day – blue skies, blue laurel, bluebonnets and turquoise!

“If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.” –Audra Foveo

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." --Ladybird Johnson

“None can have a healthy love for flowers unless he loves the wild ones."--Forbes Watson

Everything’s Better with Bluebonnets On It, Y’all!

Tantalizing Trailer Treats

It was a glorious, sunny, Saturday afternoon, and we were in search of a fabulous hotdog. The traffic in Austin was beginning to build as Austinites and visitors to the Texas Music Capitol began embarking on the first weekend of the South by Southwest Music Festival, commonly referred to as “SXSW”. Gene was approaching his boiling point as we searched in vain for a fancy hotdog joint downtown. I suggested we get back to the East Side, the chilled-out area of Austin where we live. As soon as we passed under IH-35, I sensed that Gene’s stress began to dissipate.

We ditched the idea of hotdogs, and set out to find an East Austin funky food stop. The first place tried, the East Side Show Room, wasn’t open for lunch, so we kept driving down 6th Street. I nearly wet my pants as Gene hollered, “HOTDOGS!”, pointing to the left side of the street. There, peeking above a fence was a red, British double-decker bus with “cheese steaks”, “burgers” and “dogs” painted on the side.

We parked around the corner, and as we entered the East Side Drive-In, located at 6th Street and San Marcos, our eyes scanned the small semi-circle of trailers with trendy names like The Local Yolk, Ugly Banjos, Bits & Druthers, Pig Vicious and more.

We saw a small sign at the entrance directing us to fish & chips, one of Gene’s favorite dishes, at Bits & Druthers, so we quickly headed in the direction of the British flag.

Gene stepped up to the small window of the red, white and blue trailer and ordered his fish & chips. As we waited for the fish to cook, we chatted with Josh and Shannon (fancy fish fryers extraordinaire).

Friendly and full of entertaining information, these two chipper (pun intended) people explained how the owner started Bits & Druthers after learning to cook the UK staple of fish & chips while living in the land of the Queen Mother. We also learned that Bits & Druthers does not skimp on quality. The fish is fresh haddock from Quality Seafood, one of our favorite seafood stops, which I’ve previously blogged about, and the tartar sauce is homemade.

We didn’t even make it to the next trailer before I had to return to Bits & Druthers to let Josh and Shannon know that theirs was the best fish & chips we’d eaten in Austin. The fish was incredibly fresh, and the batter was…perfection! Crisp, delicious and not at all soggy or greasy. We can’t wait to go back for more!

Our next stop was Ugly Banjos, known for its homestyle cookin’. And, who could resist a name like that? It was a must-try for me!

The red trailer and colorful handwritten chalkboard menu, lined with bottle tops, boasted of several tempting treats. (Check out the Fried Oreos!)

Making a decision was difficult, but I eventually settled on the Jimmy Crack Chicken. With the anticipation of large SXSW crowds, Ugly Banjos decided to tone down their menu, which many trailer eateries were doing, but encouraged me to come back after the festival for the “cracked up” version of this soon-to-be-famous “sammich”. Even without the collard greens and hatch green chile macaroni and cheese (see the online menu), this sandwich was stand-alone genius! The buttermilk fried chicken breast contained a perfectly seasoned cornmeal crust, providing an interesting texture and awesome flavor. Served on a ciabatta bun with honey truffle butter for a tinge of sweetness, a big slice of tomato, cheese, lettuce and jalapeños, served with kettle-style potato chips, the Jimmy Crack Chicken Sammich was a lip-smackin’ delicious treat!

The co-owners, Matthew Schaefer, (right), and his sidekick, Michael Hegar (left), were enthusiastic about their food and location, as well as the décor for the trailer. Gene loved the fact that Ugly Banjos serves Dublin Dr. Pepper!

And, speaking of décor, I was immediately drawn to the cigar-smoking, mustached, yellow mascot standing outside on the counter. This commissioned piece of festive metal was made by local artist, Mike Poulson, located at Slackerville, 2209 South 1st Street, whose entertaining iron work Gene and I have seen.

Rest assured, Gene and I will be back to try every single item on the menu at Ugly Banjos!!

Yesterday, on St. Patrick’s Day, I returned to the East Side Drive-In to celebrate Tami’s birthday, a dear friend of mine. Naturally, I wanted to take her to Ugly Banjos or Bits & Druthers, but we arrived too early in the day and were too hungry to wait until noon. So, we tried our luck at The Local Yolk.

Like Ugly Banjos, the Local Yolk had trimmed down its menu, offering only a few sandwiches, but The Florence was a yummy early lunch for two gals that hadn’t eaten breakfast. The Florence consisted of a fried egg sandwich with pesto, mozzarella and tomato. Good flavor and fresh.

For some reason, just being in this cozy group of trailer eateries made me think of Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”. (Actually, Gene does have a trailer for sale.)



Tami and I ate and talked and watched all the entertaining young people. The best outfits by far, though, were two young guys enjoying SXSW in their green garb for St. Patty’s Day. The young man on the left was originally from Russia, now living in Austin, and was giving a plug for music on Thursday nights in the bar at Hotel Vegas on 6th & Comal. The fella on the right was in town for SXSW visiting from Austria. Dig those brown suede leather britches! Yodel-ay-hee-hooooo!

There are so many trailer park eateries in Austin to try that I may just have to change the name of my blog to The Texas Trailer Twang. It’s got a certain ring to it, dontcha think?

“I don't know what I did in this life to deserve all of this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream.” –Hilary Swank

“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” –Harriet Van Horne

“Life itself is the proper binge.” –Julia Childs

(Note: The top picture is by Paige Bridges, a Northeast Texas artist. See her vast array of wonderful vintage trailer art.)

Support Your Local Trailer Park Eateries, Y’all!!