Cabin Fever

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Wikipedia defines it as follows:

Cabin fever is an idiomatic term, first recorded in 1838,^[1] for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in a small space, with nothing to do for an extended period. Cabin fever describes the extreme irritability and restlessness a person may feel in these situations.^[2]

This weather sucks. When people get older, they are not able to cope with the cold weather. I'm 69 years old and I have seen all of this cold Siberian weather that I can take. When the weather drops below 50 degrees outside, you will find me inside. I just can't take it!  

I've done everything I can think of to fight off this cabin fever. I have watched so much tv and Netflix that I am about to go blind. I've got this crummy book I am trying to read. I've cleaned out my desk drawers that have not been cleaned since 2002. I got all my tax papers together for the accountant. I never do that before April 1. I've surfed the internet for hours.  I have Facebooked, Pinterested, e-mailed and texted.  I've even taken my wife to Wal Mart shopping. Now that is extreme. 

The weatherman is forecasting another 7 days of record breaking cold weather. As I look out my back window it is snowing a blizzard. 

My wife and I have been talking about cashing in some frequent flyer miles and heading south.  Unfortunately we can't afford a place to stay once we get there. I swear that next year this time I will be in a warmer climate.  In the meantime, I can only sit here and dream about some of places I have been and would like to be right now. 

New Orleans and being photo bombed by my Nashville Tn. grandson. 

Peurto Rico, El Conquistidor in Fajardo 

Breakfast at the El Conquistidor in February with my Winston Salem family. 

Cabo, Mexico 

I don't know about you, but I am feeling better already. 

Winter on the Water

I hate cold weather. I can't afford to buy a winter home in Florida, so I just struggle through the winter here in North Carolina the best I can. Every now and then we get a day here when you can actually get out on the water on a boat. Saturday was such a day. It was in the 50's with light winds.

I'm fortunate to have a friend who has a boat with curtains on it that fully enclose the cockpit. When you are inside, it is really quite comfortable. He loves the water just like me. A typical weekend at the beach includes a trip by boat to Beaufort for breakfast and a trip around Morehead City waterfront. 

During the winter months, the Beaufort waterfront is nearly deserted.  There were a few very nice live aboard yatchs there.  I often wonder what it would be like to own one of these, to have the the freedom to follow the sun.  So why are they here in NC in January?

I will never own one of these, but it cost very little to dream. 

A nice trawler and a motor yatch tied up at the Beaufort dock. 

A picture of Jarrett Bay Marina on the intracoastal waterway where you can purchase one of the mega yatchs. 

What a difference a day makes. 24 hours later rain and wind. Not a day to be on the water.  Oh well, we had one nice January day this weekend. 

Sweet Potato Chili

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Well it is January, cold, 34 degrees and drizzling.  I'm certainly not going out today. Just trying to stay warm and getting ready for the State vs UNC game tonight.

I gave Becky a new crock pot for Christmas. It the large one with all the bells and whistles. Just chop it up, throw it in the pot and you are done. No need to stir. 

One of our favorite slow cook recipes is sweet potato chili. It taste better than it sounds and is ideal for this kind of weather. I found this recipe on the Internet last year and featured it on an earlier posting.  Some of my friends have tried it and they all say that it is good. Maybe just so they done hurt my feelings--I don't really thank so because most of my friends don't care if they hurt my feelings.  Anyway, here is the recipe. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-chili/detail.aspx

Give it a try. 

Sweet potato chili doesn't last long in this house, so we are doubling the recipe. Four Johnston county sweet potatoes diced. 

Really easy to make if you know how to use a can opener. After 69 years, I've got that covered. 

The finished product with shredded cheese and a dollop of yogurt. Enjoy. 

Welcome 2015

2014 was a good year, but unfortunately I have put on a FEW pounds over the holidays. We have had a number of events that we have attended and it seems like they all revolve around food. Not just plain food, but some of the best food I have ever tasted. 

There has been ham, turkey, mexican, seafood, beef, chicken and that just a start. Desserts include sweet potato pie, coconut cake, church window cookies, and nearly every candy that you can name. 

On New Year's Eve we went with some friends to a Morehead City restaurant named Calypso North. It is off the beaten path and patronized mostly by locals. Although we have passed the restaurant many times, I had never eaten there. Since they were the only place that we could find that would take our last minute reservation, we gave them a shot. GOOD CHOICE! 

I had the shrimp and andouille pasta which was very good. Becky had a fish dish with a side of collards. I had a taste of her collards and I am here to tell you that they were the best that I have ever eaten and I am not a big collard fan. 

Well, the last meal of 2014 was a real treat. Good food and good friends. Starting today, I am going on a diet. Losing the extra pounds that I put on over the holidays is my New Year's Resolution. 

New Addition to the Mangum Family

We now have a new grand dog in the Mangum family. Another rescue dog. Otis is now with his third owner, my daughter and her Winston Salem family. 

The kind of face that even a mother would find hard to like. 

Otis reminds me of Carl Spackler, the groundskeeper in Caddy Shack played by Bill Murray. 

Otis is about one and a half years old and a good companion for Sally, their other dog. 

Do You Like Bluegrass Music?

I like all types of music, but bluegrass is one of my favorites. When one of our classmates told me about a group that he knows that was to perform in Garner Thursday night, Becky and I decided to go. The name of the group was Diamond Creek and the venue was Lorraine's Coffee House and Music which happens to be about three blocks from where we lived for 30 years.

Lounge area inside Lorraine's. 

This photo showed part of the crowd of about eighty. The fellow sitting left center in the dark shirt is Elvin Johson, one of our favorite teacher's husband. He lives about two blocks away. Sorry I don't have a better picture of him. I did get a chance to speak with him and he seems to be doing fine.  

Does this classmate look like he might enjoy Bluegrass?

This is Diamond Creek. There is also a fiddle player standing to the left, a bass player and featured singer hidden by the guys up front. This is not a garage band. The music was good as you will hear anywhere. 

Lorraine's is a nice place to go if you are looking for a little something different to do. They also have good coffee (sorry, no alcohol). We picked up some former Garner neighbors and had dinner at T K Tripps before heading to Lorraine's. I think we all enjoyed the show and will likely return. 

If you like Bluegrass, you should give Lorraine's a try. You will need to check their website to see their live music schedule. 

http://www.lorrainescoffeehouse.com/

By the way, the featured singer, Emily Kirsch, is a freshman at Cambell and also attends the same Four Oaks church as Rex, Pat and Elvin. She is very good. Following is her website. 

 http://emilykirsch.com/                 

Yes, Angier has a Christmas Parade

The Anger Christmas parade was held on Saturday, December 6th. It was a typical dreary December day. Luckily, the rain held off to the very end of the parade.  Following are a few photographs .

There were two high school bands, Harnett Central and Triton. 

A few floats, most of which I would call the homemade variety.  Very nice. 

We had loud motorcycles.

Ronald McDonald.

The Dunn Clown where there. I think they were around when we were still in high school. 

I saw only one antique car. Too bad. 

One of the floats. 

Always the star attraction of the parade is Mr. and Mrs. Claus. 

Of course you always put the horses at the very end of the parade. No respectable marching band would want to follow a bunch of horses.

Another Classmate Turns 70

Friday night was Larry's time to celebrate his 70th and celebrate he did. Betty Jo had arranged a surprise birthday party for Larry at the Angier Depot. 

Larry and Betty Jo arriving. Larry claimed it was a complete surprise. 

They did a great job at decorating the Depot and setting up the tables. There were lots of people there. 

That's Larry in the center of the photograph. 

Great bluegrass band. 

You may recognize a few of the people. 

Complete with menu.  Betty Jo has set the bar very high. I'm not sure that the rest of our 69 year old classmates can live up to this standard. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY,!!!  Way to go Betty Jo and friends. What a great party. 

Trimming the Tree

I got tired of fighting a real tree with its trunk that never would fit the stand. Every year we would spend hours searching for the perfect tree that was large enough to fit the space where we put our tree. Then there was the problem of getting the tree in the house and erecting it on a stand.  So when the artificial trees went on sale after Christmas, I bought this 12 foot monster for about $200. That was about eight years ago. It is beautiful and it has a perfect shape.  The only problem is that it weighs about a ton. It comes in six sections, but it is all we can do to put it together. 

Finally assembled and lights turned on. 

The only way we can put it together is to tie a rope to each section and for one person to go to the balcony and lift the section while the other stands on a 6 foot step ladder and guides each section into place. This is not something that a 69 year old should be doing. Well, we did get it up again this year and no one was injured. 

The next day we finished installing the ornaments. Not too bad for a cheap 12 foot tree.  I saw an 8 foot tree at Home Depot yesterday for $400.

Latest on the Winston Salem Grandsons

These days children have all kinds of activities that they can participate in. The latest for grandchildren Eamon and Brendan is fencing. They have always had Knerf swords and light saber toys around the house. They would take them to the beach where they would entertain us with their energetic sword fights. I  guess it was only a matter of time before they moved to the next level. 

Eamon with his equipment. Brendan refused to to put his gear on. 

I think this is called a lunge. 

Their dog Sally was not impressed.