Amid other things ... the Ravens win, and two questions

[kinzel]

With the Raven's extremely convincing win over the Patriots I can anticipate a glum reception when I hit the PO tomorrow morning with 75 outgoing packages. I'll try to be understanding. . . . . right. I do hope Joe Flacco will get his hip taken care of -- those kinds of problems are nothing to fool around with!

Part of the day's duty include a couple meals, and -- since I had some last chance onions and some last chance spuds and some last chance sour cream and some last chance crumbled cheese -- I read through the potato sections of a couple of my usual cookbooks and also one we got years ago that I think I've never really used before and ... sliced the potatoes thin, put a layer on the bottom of the baking pan (over some olive oil spray), sliced the two surviving red onions and made one layer out of them, sprayed that layer with non-stick baking spray (with flour), added another layer of potato, poured some mixed olive oil and assorted dressing over that, then mixed the sour cream with some milk and dried chives and poured that over the potatoes, spreading crumbled cheese over all ... and baked it at 425 for about an hour and 15 minutes (ceramic baking dish). Dunno ... it wasn't quite scalloped though it was crispy on top and it wasn't quite any of the recipes I looked at .. .but it was quite good and we ate it with abandon. There's some leftovers.

Question 1: if you open the nearest window right now and listen for 30 seconds, what do you hear, what can you learn? If I open the nearest window right now I can hear the sound of a half dozen or so snowmobiles (some going, some coming), a train whistle, a truck with knobby tires going up the hill about 1/3 of a mile away, and the sound of scrabble rushing in to climb the bookcase so she can sniff the air -- and yes, her sniffing the air. The air is cool, and carries the scent of woodsmoke. I learn then that the wind is from the west or maybe WSW -- the smoke comes from that neighbor... and the wind is light or I wouldn't hear the train whistle from the east or ENE.

Question 2: Some years back we did a poll of "favorite authors" of our readers. Should we do it again? The old poll, in all the ancient HTML and stuff, is still online: http://www.korval.com/congru22.htm ...

version 1.01, fixing some nits

Comments

[redpimpernel.livejournal.com]

#1: Since it is around 10º out I'm not going to really open the windows, but I will step out on the deck. It's dark out so the only things I can hear is the traffic on the freeway 6 blocks away, the occasional car driving up or down a nearby street (one with a broken muffler), and the hum of the motor on my inflatable snowman, which is on the deck.

Earlier today (while I was farm sitting) I heard this: the wind over the snow, a dog barking from the farm to the west, a snowmobile, some crows, some chickadees & sparrows peeping, a small plane flying low overhead, the windmill squeaking, horse wickering from the pasture because I went outside.

#2 Since I wasn't around before sure, ask again.

[grassrose.livejournal.com]

It would be fun to see how the list changes between surveys. I recognize ALL the names, and agree with most of them. I've got a couple more to add, maybe, depending on how many you let us choose.

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

Temp in the negative numbers so not opening window. Very quick open & close of front door gets minor traffic noise from the east (the freeway) and maybe a car on the four-lane at the end of the block. Wind blowing but not too hard. Someone has some music playing (on the loud side) from the back some where. One poor dog seems to be objecting to being outside. I don't blame him.

Earlier in the day much in the way of snow removal noise, snow blowers and the skritch of shovels on sidewalk. Most were taken care of yesterday but the guy two doors down is never very good at timely snow removal. Someone showed up with a snow blower to do the woman across the street (saw her going in the house a couple of days ago on a walker). She usually shovels her own.

Favorite author list

[fergusonar.livejournal.com]

Yes! Please do a new list! I just looked through the old one and find I would trust your respondents to help me find new authors I would enjoy. Great idea!

[scrapcat.livejournal.com]

I find it really interesting - and the list confirms this - that my favorite authors and I have the same favorite authors. If a recommendation on a book cover is from one of my favorites, I will invariably buy it! The Anne McCaffrey recommendation is what made me buy my first Liaden book!

Then and now

[(Anonymous)]

Today it almost got to 50deg F (!!!!), so I was on the porch bringing in the Holiday Lights. I have been hearing the quiet purr of cars and other assorted vehicles stuck in traffic on Main Street.
Something big diverted traffic off the highway and
clogged the road. Normally they wizzz by.

At the time you posted - Sunday around 7:30ish, I
was on my way home, if not at home, after enjoying our folk music in the bookstore event. Cold, quiet, crisp crunches of feet on ground. Jackie panting as he dragged me around to sniff-inspect all the doggie blogspots.

Favorite authors would be interesting.
Lauretta@ConstellationBooks

PS The cars just started wizzing by - wonder what freed up Main St?