Pouring rain and hail

Image via Wikipedia Whew! The sky got really black pretty quickly, and we had a pretty intense storm for several minutes. The hail was only pea-sized, and it wasn't coming down in buckets, but I was still listening intently for anything that sounded like an approaching train. So far, so good, but the severe thunderstorm warning continues for another hour. (The photo isn't actually from this storm, but I thought it looked cool.)

Well, now the storm is over, and we find that it has wrecked a gazebo that we recently bought. Sigh.

Our neighbor Trevor was over here, playing with Andrew in the basement. He came up and looked out the window during the worst of the storm, and he said, "I don't think I should go home in this." I agreed with him and he added, "I sure hope I don't have to eat here!"

Ah, well.

Kind-of a slow day here today. There were a few extra last-minute bits of school supply shopping to be done, and I'm trying hard to get the horrible odor of cat pee out of the carpet. Ay-yay-yay, I hate cat pee. In addition to carpet-peeing, Duma has also been doing a lot of upchucking, too. I gave him some extra Laxatone, and now I'm appealing for any and all strategies to help me with the odor problem. I've been using a Zeolite powder to no effect, and I've tried vinegar and water, and now I'm using frequent sprayings of Odo-Ban. The latter is having the most effect, but hours later it's making John's eyes burn. All suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Remember quite a while ago I said I had crossed the legal limit for having fun while writing? Well, the judging was completed today, and my entry came in 7th for the "Masters" level and 10th overall (out of 200 entries). It's called "Erasmus and the Ant," and you can find it by clicking on my "Index to my FaithWriters Writings."

I'm trying out a new service called "Zemanta" which helps you find photos, links and articles for your blog entries more easily. It analyzes what you write and puts options on the side of your screen. I got a bit of a surprise looking through the photo suggestions that were posted there. You see, the recipe I wrote about (below) makes mention of a certain anatomic portion of the chicken. Zemanta went out and found a photo of that anatomical portion, but it sure didn't come from a chicken! Hmmm...if that kind of error happens too often, I may have to uninstall the program.

Tonight's dinner is Favorite Oven-Barbecued Chicken and Buttery Corn Casserole

Favorite Oven-Barbecued Chicken


12 each chicken breast tenderloins
1 to taste parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese
1 to taste barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breasts in 10x15 pan. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan and cheddar or Swiss. Pour barbecue sauce on generously. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Buttery Corn Casserole

1 large egg; lightly beaten
5 oz evaporated milk
3 tablespoon Butter; melted, divided
2 can corn; drained
8 oz shredded cheddar
1 cup Butter-flavored crackers; crushed, divided

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk ONLY 2 tbsp butter, corn, cheese and ONLY 1/2 cup cracker crumbs. Spoon into a GREASED 11x7 baking dish. Toss the remaining crumbs and butter; sprinkle over corn mixture. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until edges are bubbly.