H today

Carrefour, the grocery store in Kunming (and Shanghai) have flat escalators in order to take your shopping cart up and down three floors of the store.

This one goes up and the other side goes down.

I took a long walk this morning to take my cowboys boots to the shoe store to get new cleats on it.  I then walked to Starbucks at Safeway to get some coffee.  This afternoon, it is much warmer so I rode my bike to get my boots and go the library.

I decided to order the book How To Train Your Dog Like Pro from Amazon as it has a DVD with it.  I got it from the library but I want my own copy of it.

I am sleeping throughout the night now.  I do not drink coffee in the afternoon at all anymore.  I do however, get up around 5:30 each morning.

I am reading Micro now.  You can sure tell it a Michael Crichton book, as he lectures at time about the science of the projects in the book.

Tomorrow morning is fudge-making day again.  I need to get some more butter at the store tonight.

Steven

Hump Day today...

If you want fresh fish, you cannot get it fresher than this, live fish in a grocery store in Kunming China.  The same thing happened in Shanghai also. 

Some tanks have so many fish in there that I would never buy one.

I went on a long walk yesterday, the day of Dad's birthday. He turned 90 yesterday.  Today (March 7) is my younger brother's birthday.  Four days ago, on March 3, was my youngest brother's birthday.  Two of my sons have birthdays near the end of this month.  My ex-wife has a birthday on March 11.  An ex-girlfriend has a birthday on March 12.  My late mother's birthday was March 19.  March is a big birthday month for me.

It snowed here yesterday morning, but by the early afternoon it had all melted.  I went on my walk around 2:00 pm and got back home at 3:30. 

I am going to Mass again since returning from China.  I got a 1962 Missal from Amazon.  This has the old prayers both in English and Latin in it.  This Missal is pre-Vatican II. 

Not to worry though, I still have many questions about the teaching of the Catholic Church.  I certainly do not believe in the virginity of Mary. This is just the Church's effort to force down women in the Church. 

I do not believe anything written in the New Testament.  The four gospels, written by people we do not know, are just good stories and have no basis in fact. 

I am still looking for an Irish Setter puppy or dog.  I found a puppy but the breeder wants $1,000 for the puppy.  She is in Oregon City.  Another breeder in Bend wants $650 for a hunting Irish Setter or a companion Irish Setter.  I saw a young girl walking three young Irish Setters across the river here a few days ago.  I will try to find her again in the next day or two.

I am reading a book in my Kindle Fire about getting a puppy and training the puppy.  I wonder it I can handle getting a puppy instead of a full-grown dog. 

I also have a book here from my local library, Train Your Dog Like a Pro, with a companion DVD. 

I must go easy reserving books from my local library. It is a regional library and gets books so fast. 

I have finished only two books since returning from China, both library books:  Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend and The House of Silk.  Both are great books. I am now reading Micro, the last book by the late Michael Crichton. 

It is very cold outside this morning.  28 degrees but the sun is shining. 

I picked up what I need to make fudge again. This time I will get the temperature to 354 degrees to see if the fudge sets up right this time.

I got a new Shakespeare book yesterday.  It is The Oxford Shakespeare: Complete Works. I really like to read Shakespeare plays.  I joined a Yahoo group that is on Shakespeare. Right now we finished Macbeth.  I copy each posting to Word and then, when the play is done, I put it on my Kindle 3.  Next is Julius Caesar. 

I have a new book on my Kindle 3 called Shakespeare After All, a good book of essays on the plays.

Now that I am back in Oregon, I do plan on going to Ashland later this year to see both Shakespeare plays and plays by modern authors.  It indeed will seem strange going there by myself.  In the past I always went with someone but this time I will go by myself.

I got some Morning Joe from Starbucks Coffee.  I like my coffee black and strong.  It is so very good. It is so much cheaper here than in China. Starbucks in China costs me about $4.00 a cup for a cup of black coffee.  A pound of coffee there cost me almost $14.00.  I have some decaf coffee here if I want to drink coffee in the afternoon.

I know, such a long post today.

Steven

Monday now...

This picture shows how China grocery stores display meat, with no coverings on it, just sitting out there raw.  I never buy meat in this way.  You see flies around the meat. 

The next few days I will show other parts of grocery stores in China.

I was not feeling well last night.  So I went to bed early and got up at 4:30 this morning. 

I am listening to podcasts today as I work.  Only a Game and Hang Up and Listen, two sports podcasts. 

It is raining hard here today.  It was not raining this morning.  Watching the news last night (a very rare event for me) I see we may get snow early tomorrow morning. 

I am still working on The House of Silk.  It is a good Sherlock Holmes book, by a new author, written in the 19th century language.

I watched Fast Food Nation, a movie I taped yesterday, that bears no relationship to the book.  I am getting the book again from our local library to read it again.

There is a new book coming out tomorrow on white bread.  I have an long excerpt of the book in my Kindle 3.

More tomorrow on the grocery stores in China.

Steven 

Sunday now...

I made fudge yesterday, but it did not get hard.  The recipe on the marshmellow creame jar said heat it to 324 degreed F.  My candy thermometer said heat it to 240 degrees.  I heated to 260 degrees.  That was not hot enough, apparently. 

The recipe said it boil it for 4 minutes or until it got to 324 degrees. I boiled it for over seven minutes but it did not get hot enough.

This means I will have to make it again, this time to get the temperature to 324 degrees. 

Today I will go to the Shaw breakfast.

I am reading The House of Silk, but rather slowly.  I have to read Mircro by the late Michael Crichton.

I ordered a 1962 Missal for the Catholic Mass, for the old Latin Mass.  I got it from eBay.  It will be fun taking to Mass next Sunday.  With Prime membership it comes in two days.  So next Tuesday I get it.

I ordered two conserative Catholic books for my Dad for his birthday. He turns 90 on Tuesday.  That is what he gets from me for Christmas, his birthday and Father's Day.

Next week we go back on Daylight time. 

In China, as big as the United States, there is by one time zone for the entire country.  Kunming is the middle of the country.  In the winter there, it got dark by 4:00 pm every day.

The picture here is from the lake in Kunming.  People live on these boats.  I do believe they make their living from the lake. 

Not much else happening today. I went to Mass last night,. 

Steven

Fudge today, not yesterday...

This lake is very big, but I showed you back waters of this lake in Kunming China.

This guy is poling along his boat.  Again, I think he has been fishing, but I was told there one cannot fish in this lake.

Saturday today.  Santiam Marketplace is taking place at the local middle school. I may not go there as it just vendors there. 

Tomorrow is the Shaw Breakfast.  I will probably go this breakfast to get some great sausage gravy and biscuits.  It is one of the best breakfasts around, but just before I left for China two friends invited me to taste their sausage gravy and biscuits.  Hers was much better than the Shaw breakfast. 

I have a big file of recipes I collected over the years.  I may punch 3 holes in each page and put them in a notebook. 

I was so busy yesterday I could not find the time to make my fudge. So this morning I did make it.  How long does it take to set up?  After two hours in my room it was still quite soft.  I moved to the kitchen table to cool down there.

I saw a dog walker across the river here yesterday. She was walking three  young Irish Setter dogs.  I should have stopped her to ask her where the dogs are near here. I may go across the river again later today to see if I can find her.

I am listening to Sonic Tap on TV on a station that plays The 60's Revolution  Great songs from my time a long time ago.

Great to have access to this blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube again. All were blocked by the Chinese firewall there. 

Many of the songs I hear on this TV station I already have on my Real Player. 

I made three CDs in China with songs for students there.  I wanted each of them to hear the imaginary of the songs. 

I found the Richard Harris version of MacArthur Park on YouTube.  It is one of my favorite songs.  Jimmy Webb wrote it, and it about a romance breakup with his girlfriend.  "They left the cake out in the rain..." is about him going quietly to her wedding and seeing the reception rained on half way through.

Sure fun to write again after being gone for over six months.

Steven