One of my relatives docrpm posted this interesting entry on his blog about something he saw at his local Safeway.

As I posted in my comment to him, this seems to be a great example of the problems you encounter when you try to legislate common sense. It's too bad that more and more, we are forced to do so.

With the garden in full production mode, the family has been hard pressed to come up with new ways to consume all the produce. We stumbled upon a recipe (on the back of a box of pasta) that seemed perfect for our garden's abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, and basil.

Penne w/ Zucchini Sauce and Sausage

1 lb. Italian Sausage (crumbled)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, chopped (2 cups)
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes (approx 4)
10 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt
1/8 l. ground black pepper
1 lb. Penne pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 T. chopped parsley

Boil pasta according to package. Drain.
Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until done. Remote from skillet and set aside
Heat oil in a skillet. Saute zucchini, tomato, basil, garlic, and seasonings 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
Add sausage to vegetables. Stir. Add sausage and vegetables to hot pasta. Toss. Sprinkle cheese and parsley.

Notes - basil needs to be fresh. The quality of the sausage obviously makes a difference. Don't overcook the pasta. We also find the dish tasty the next day as a cold leftover.

Tags: Gardening

Growing up, one of my favorite games was Trouble. I first got the game when I was about 6 years old.

This weekend, we picked up the latest "travel" version of Trouble. I thought it would be interesting to compare it to my original game. Which I still have and which still works great.



Obviously, the newer one is on the left, old one in the center. Box describes Trouble as a "Frustrating Chase Game" made of "sturdy plastic". Yup. I actually do keep things forever. I've also somehow managed to keep the original game with all its original pieces, and with the Pop-o-Matic still functioning (even though you can see oxidation from the metal inside the dome).

I would never have thought over 30 years ago that my sons would be playing with the same actual game today.

A couple of interesting websites with videos I've found today.

The first one begs the question "Does it spill your drink when you get a Blue Screen of Death"? Click here for the first video.

The second one gives me a chance to answer a question I've been asked a bunch lately - did I get an iPhone. The answer is no. But if I did, I certainly wouldn't treat it as seen in this video. Click here for the second video. Warning - not for iPhone owners that are faint of heart.

Tags: Technology

So it's early July and the garden has just been working overtime.



Zandra's happy as she loves tomatoes. We've already picked a few and according to her, they are yummy. Along with the cukes and zucchini. Just picked some peppers last night. Hoping this keeps up for the summer -- still a long way to go.

More garden pictures here.

Tags: Gardening

Coming back from visiting the family on Tuesday, we were seated in front of a family (mom, dad, and 3 year old girl) where after getting on the plane, the girl was screaming rather hysterically. All the parents on the plane felt bad for the family as mom and dad were working very patiently and diligently to try to calm the frightened girl down.

Then Mr. Jerk sitting a row or so behind them shouted, "Get her off the damn plane. I paid good money for this seat and I can't take this anymore. Get her off the plane now."

I think most of the plane was in shock at Mr. Jerk.

All the parents in the front part of the plane then sprung into action to try to help calm the girl down, which she eventually did after about 10 more minutes. Too bad none of us had brought anything to take care of Mr. Jerk.

Talking with the parents later (who were very appreciative of all the support and even let Andrew watch a movie with their daughter on their computer), it turns out the little girl's last flight had been quite traumatic. Their plane had been clipped by another plane on the runway with their plane getting the other plane's winglet stuck in their tail cone. So even to an adult, yes, I'd be traumatized too. Much less a 3 year old girl.

So to Mr. Jerk out there - get off *my* airplane next time.

Tags: Travel