Today I learned to befriend power tools.

Power tools are the embodiment of things unknown to me. My Dad helped me tear out my deck last summer and I was impressed when I learned how to use a power screwdriver. My lack of excitement concerning power tools is because power tools are, well, powerful, and you’ve probably noticed by now that I tend to be accident-prone. I envision a perfect storm of pain and emergency care.

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For instance, you don’t see one of these on a shovel:

 My husband pointed out that the picture is fuzzy

but I think its message is abundantly clear.

The Catholic priest in my hometown had firsthand experience with such a snowblower injury. Oh dear. No pun intended. :/ The poor fellow lost fingers. So, yes, when I decided to learn how to use the snowblower it was with some apprehension. But I have a lot of confidence in my tutor – my husband, since he has both my best interest at heart, and practical knowledge of the equipment. So, I bundled up and got ready to learn how to use the snowblower.

Which I have named Matilda the Hun.

Doesn't it look like it should have "Binford" somewhere on there?

Haha! This made us laugh.
The last time it snowed (over five inches),
my husband couldn't find the key and had to shovel.
There was a back-up on the blower all along. :)

Pretty self-explanatory. They saw me coming.
Although I needed help with words like, "choke" and "throttle"
- which, by the way, sounds like a very violent situation to me.


I had to look around for the ignition, since most snowblowers
don't have theirs in the dashboard.


Bunny go fast. Turtle go slow. Me like.


You plug it in? Seriously?
We have an electric starter on our snowblower,
and when Jess handed me the power cord...
...well, you see the picture.


Pushing to start the engine.
I jumped about six inches when it started.
I think Matilda laughed at me.

The most important thing that I learned is that Matilda uses the big red part to eat snow, and anything else that gets in her path. Do not let Matilda eat anything except snow. No planters, no small animals, and especially not the back bumper of the car. Per my husband’s request.

Left handlebar is the snow-eating auger. Right handlebar makes it go. Shift into drive, hold auger, make it go. Stop making it go, stop auger, reposition snowblower to go around the corner. Oops. Missed a spot. Stop making it go, stop auger, shift into reverse, make it go – oops, forgot the auger. And don't forget to go straight! It’s a lot to remember.

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Oh yeah, and you should watch where the snow is blowing...

LoL. Just a tip.
There's a neat angle-director on the blower-vent thingie
that will keep the snow from redecorating the outside of your house.

Tah-Dah!

I accidentally shot some snow back onto the sidewalk before Matilda ran out of gas and keeled over. You know, looking at this picture, I think that the biggest thing I learned today was how much work it was. I was pretty tuckered out when I got done. (My husband even moved the cars out of the driveway so I could get the full experience. Thanks, Sweetie. I saw you laughing crazy out loud as you pulled the car out, by the way, Ornery. I have a new appreciation for all the times you've moved snow for us... :)

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When I was done, I was covered in sweat and my muscles ached. Husband dear said that I was trying to do all the work, that the snowblower is supposed to do the work. He pointed out that I was leaving snow behind because I was pushing it as it was supposed to be driving itself. And then, thinking back to my near-burning experience last night because I pushed down too hard on the tip and worked it loose...instead of letting the burner do the work. I guess I do that a lot. I take on more work than I need to in order to make something work. Even in the job that I just lost. I put a lot of work into that job, poured a lot of myself and my time and my life into that job. So I guess the most helpful thing I realized today is that it will either work or it won't, but pushing something harder than it's supposed to go will wear you out. Like any of the other goofs on this blog, I’ve know that mistakes are fine as long as you learn from them.

(And as long as you don’t end up at the ER…or let Matilda gnaw on the fender of the van.)

Ooh - And since this blog has just made my whole week fun and adventurous, I'll throw in a freebie that I learned on accident - How to make a layered beverage!

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I had some leftovers from my Shirley Temple lesson and so I poured half a glass of extra pulp orange juice, filled the top half with ginger ale and put in a splash of grenadine and had this "happy little accident" as the late great Bob Ross would call it.

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I don't know yet what I'll be learning tomorrow...

...but I'll keep you posted.

Today I learned how to make my first Shirley Temple.

Well, since I came up with the idea of this blog just this afternoon, it was a little taxing to think of something to kick off my learning streak. Something small and easy - to dip my toes in the water...dip my toes in the water. Oh, how I miss the beach. My favorite beach in the world (or at least the parts of the world I've visited) is the beach in front of the Hotel Del Coronado. It's found across from San Diego Bay. It opened in 1888, and I love how there are spots in the polished wood floors that creak with its history. It was the largest hotel of its time, and the first to have electricity.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to stay at a hotel without electricity?


This hotel was just down the shoreline from the Navy beach. My husband's Navy buddy Dave invited us for drinks at The Del after some special occasion, and we tagged along. Tagging along, of course, since we don't drink the sort of drinks that most people drink when they're going out for drinks. We could have ordered a soda. But half the fun of ordering something is that it is fun to order. With Fuzzy Navels and Nutty Irishmen, come on - let's face it, ordering a Cherry Pepsi makes you feel a little left out. Which is why people order a Roy Rogers...which is glorified cherry cola with a maraschino cherry. And essentially Shirley Temple is pretty much a glorified homemade Cherry 7Up.

So, at The Del, my husband and I ordered the best Shirley Temples we've had to date. They had a hint of lime that kicked it up a sophistication notch from my previous introduction to the drink. (Granted THAT place had sawdust on the floor. The whole time I was there I kept recalling my school years and thinking that sawdust on the floor is NOT appetizing.)

Anyway, in honor of my favorite beach and pleasant (warm) memories, I decided it was time to learn how to make Shirley Temples. There are two basic recipes for Shirley Temples. The more traditional old-school version includes orange juice, but I wanted to make the version that was closer to what we had at The Del. Here are the ingredients:


Ginger Ale (You can use lemon-lime soda if you prefer)

Grenadine (A non-alcoholic cherry syrup)

Sweetened Lime Juice

Maraschino Cherries (for garnish)

Stone jade turtle (mascot for my photos)



I would have preferred to make it in my more goblet-style glasses, but since they were in the washer our fancy flutes stood in for the job. And we used a mini brandy snifter-style cup for Waybums' drink.

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Step#1 - Place cherry/cherries in the bottom of the glass

(One thing I learned today is that Jess is a one-cherry guy, but Waybums would be a 12 cherry girl if I'd let her.)
Step#2 - Fill Cup with ginger ale.

Step#3 - Add grenadine to taste - this is the fun part because you get to decide just how cherry-infused your drink will be. You can sprinkle or you can glub. It's all up to you! You da boss!

Step #4 - Put a few drops of Sweetened Lime Juice into the mix. I would not recommend glubbing on this one. :/ Although I will confess that I scrapped my first batch because I glubbed. Don't glub the lime. Shirleys are supposed to be sweet, not turn your face inside out. There are probably other drinks for that.

Step #5 - Stir together gently. Add some crushed ice to make it fizzle and if you happen to have any little umbrellas - go for it! I would have if I 'd had any...





The finished product with my Blog Mascot Turtle. Any ideas on a name, anybody?

A toast to learning new things!

Tomorrow I am going to bake a pineapple upside-down cake from scratch.

I'll keep you posted!

:)