Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Fri Jan 23 2026 07:40 pm

Hi Ruth,

My dad got into doing computer services (payroll, bookkeeping, etc) for others (in a town of about 800) after he lost his newspaper (editor, small position. No pension out of it but between his business for 20 years, mom working as a librarian (school first,then town) and retirement from that,

Interesting, so both UDD and your Dad had experience publishing.
Publishing, bookkeeping, and library work all strike me as social in nature, though a lot of the actual work is "behind the scenes" so to say.
It sounds like your Dad did bookkeeping on that Texas Instruments computer?
Did either of your parents ever "take you to work" with them? If so, what
do you remember that being like?

Sounds good to me. Steve found some goat meat in the freezer last night; I'm going to put it in a crock pot with some peppers, onions, and tomatoes for an easy sorta chili tomorrow.

Do i recall correctly that "sorta" cuisine means improvising with what's
on hand?

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Fresh Pork Sausage
Categories: Sausages
Yield: 10 Pounds

5 tb Salt
1 tb Ground white pepper
2 tb Rubbed sage
1 ts Ginger
1 tb Nutmeg
1 tb Thyme
1 tb Ground hot red pepper
2 c Ice water (optional)

You can make an excellent breakfast sausage using 100% pork butts.
This product is of such high quality that it is never seen in a meat
market and can only be had by making it yourself. You can also make a
breakfast sausage of 50% pork butts and 50% pork trimming and you
would still have a sausage of high quality. All the pork used to
manufacture sausage must be chilled from 32 to 35?F without fail. Be
sure that all the meat is free of blood clots, sinews, bone, skin,
glands, etc.

Grind all the meat through a 3/16" grinder plate and place in mixer.
Add all the ingredients and mix well until all the spices are evenly
distributed.

Pork sausage may be stuffed into 28 to 30 mm hog casings or 22 to 24
mm lamb casings. Pork sausage also may be stuffed into a cloth bag or
a 3-1/2 by 24" fibrous casing. It is very important that pork sausage
not be allowed to remain at room temperature any longer than
necessary. Place in cooler as soon as possible. Pork sausage should
be allowed to chill and dry in 28 to 32?F cooler.

Posted by: Ed P <esp@snet.n>

Recipe FROM: <news:10i7lgt$2eau2$1@dont-email.me>,
<news:rec.food.cooking/1579104>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

When he was younger (he didn't say how young), he worked as a
projectionist in a movie theater that showed movies not suitable for children. ...

Ha! It sounds like his honorific was used affectionately and with
good humor.

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He
served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher,
movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring
at age 62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply
store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a
number of health issues over the years, some stemming from being a
smoker in his younger days but lived a very full life.

How about you, yourself. Did you ever have a humorous nickname, and
if you did, is it something you would be willing to share?

No, never had anything of note and I strongly dislike/discourage the use
of a diminuative (i,e,y) with my name. Gave our older daughter a name
not suitable for using the diminuative with, younger daughter's name
could have had one but we always used the proper name.

A fishing pole is a good cat toy--tie something to the end of the line, cast and reel in. I've a friend that owned several cats and they all enjoyed chasing whatever was at the end of the line.

We have something like that in the closet here. Today i should dig it
out and show our cat a good time. :-)

Watch the kitten come out! I sent my sister some kitty toys I'd made;
she e-mailed me that he is enjoying them.

for Steve's birthday so we bought a roll at Wegman's. As good as Wegman's is for a lot of things, their pumpkin roll doesn't measure up to my home made one. (G)

I would generally prefer home made over store bought, but honestly,
any dessert that gets served to me is a good dessert. I made this
fruit salad a few days ago and was happy with it:

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is it
easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I don't know
of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Title: Fruit Chaat
Categories: Dessert, Fruit salad, Pakistani
Yield: 6 Servings

2 Honeycrisp apples; diced 1"
6 Guavas; diced 1"
2 Pomegranates; seeds only
2 Bananas; sliced crosswise 1"
1 Orange; juice of
1 tb Fine sugar; up to 2 tb
Salt & pepper; to taste *
1 1/2 ts Chaat masala

* Use with restraint since chaat masala is already salty.

Throw chopped fruit in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and
chaat masala. Stir, taste, adjust.

Squeeze the juice of the orange on the salad, and stir to coat.

Sprinkle sugar, and stir to coat again.

Taste, and adjust.

Recipe by Maryam Jillani

Recipe FROM: <https://www.pakistaneats.com/recipes/fruit-chaat/>

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... A mind stretched by new ideas can never go back to its original size.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Sun Jan 18 2026 04:39 pm

Hi Ruth,

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher, movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring at age
62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a number of health issues over the years, some stemming from being a smoker in his younger days but lived a very full life.

I knew about UDD being in the Navy, being a truck driver, a newspaper publisher, and working in his retirement at AutoZone. I did not know about
his history as a movie theater projectionist.

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is it easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I don't know
of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Chaat Masala literally translates to Snack Spice. For best results, make
your own. I used some that my mother made. Here are recipes:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 4 Tablespoon

1 tb Coriander seeds
1 tb Cumin seeds
1 tb Black peppercorns
1 tb Dry mango powder
1/2 tb Fennel seeds
1/2 tb Black salt
1/2 tb Table salt
2 Dried red chiles -OR-
2 ts Chili flakes

Preparation time: 5 minutes

This homemade chaat masala powder is a quick spice mix that adds a
perfect balance of tang, heat, and saltiness to Indian street food,
fruits, and snacks. Made with simple pantry spices, it's fresh,
aromatic, and far better than store-bought versions!

Add all ingredients to a spice or coffee grinder and blend until fine
and smooth.

Pour into a clean, airtight jar and keep in a cool, dry spot.

Recipe by Famidha Ashraf

Recipe FROM: <https://butfirstchai.com/homemade-chaat-masala-recipe/>

See also: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaat_masala>

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 1 Batch

1 tb Cumin seeds
1 ts Coriander seeds
1/2 ts Fennel seeds
1/2 ts Dried mint
2 ts Black salt (kala namak)
1 tb Mango (amchoor) powder
1/2 ts Black pepper;
- preferably whole
1 ts Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 ts Ginger powder

Roast cumin, coriander, and fennel one after another in a pan until
they turn slightly more brown.

Combine roasted seeds with other spices and grind to a fine powder in
a spice grinder or something similar.

Notes:

This recipe is supposed to include asafoetida powder, but I didn't
have any, so I may update it at a later date.

Roasting the seeds is always better, but it will work with pre-ground
spices as well.

Recipe FROM:
<gopher://lumidify.org/0/recipes/spice_mixes/chaat_masala.md>

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala (Hot & Tangy Indian Spice Blend)
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 3 /4 cups

1/4 c Coriander seeds
1/4 c Cumin seeds
5 Whole dried red kashmiri
- chillies; up to 6,
- remove stems,
- adjust to taste
1/2 ts Ajwain (carrom) seeds;
- scant
1 tb Whole black peppercorns
1 sm Green cardamom
1 sm Clove
1 Cinnamon stick (1/4")
2 1/2 tb Amchoor (dry mango powder)
1/4 ts Citric acid powder; scant
1 ts Kashmiri chilli powder or
- paprika
1/2 ts Kala namak (black salt);
- available in indian stores
- (optional)
2 Dried mint leaves; up to 3
2 tb Salt; or to taste

Use newly bought spices for this recipe. If the spices are more than 6
months old, the blend will come out bitter.

In a dry skillet, lightly dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds,
whole chillies, ajwain, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon
stick. Dry roast each spice one at a time, separately, on low heat.
Do not let the spices turn brown. Let cool completely.

Put the roasted spices along with other items into dry coffee grinder
or spice grinder and blitz to a fine powder.

Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/
homemade-chaat-masala-recipe.txt>

MMMMM
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Hi Ben,

Very much so. I don't know how long you've read the echo to pick up on
what he did over his years but he had quite an interesting life. He served in the US Navy, was a big rig truck driver, newspaper publisher, movie theater projectionist and not sure what all else before retiring at age
62. Found out he was bored so started to work for an auto supply store, just retired from that this past fall after 20 years. Had a number of

I knew about UDD being in the Navy, being a truck driver, a newspaper publisher, and working in his retirement at AutoZone. I did not know about his history as a movie theater projectionist.

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into
Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a
Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer
used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience
with one of them. (G)

Looks good but what, exactly, (know it's an Asian seasoning but is

it RH> easily obtainable?) is Chaat masala? Where would I find it; I
don't know RH> of any Indian/Pakistani grocery stores in the area?

Chaat Masala literally translates to Snack Spice. For best results,
make your own. I used some that my mother made. Here are recipes:

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 4 Tablespoon

Title: Chaat Masala
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 1 Batch

Title: Homemade Chaat Masala (Hot & Tangy Indian Spice Blend)
Categories: Indian, Spices
Yield: 3 /4 cups

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a
few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for
butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It
was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Computers run on smoke. They stop when it leaks out.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Tue Jan 20 2026 12:36 pm

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience with one of them. (G)

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never touched an Amiga, but i played arcade cames loaded from cassette tape on a VIC-20. Also, a friend handed down a Commodore 128 to me, which i gave to another friend. I kind of wish i had held onto the Commodore 128 because i think its dual-CPU architecture is technically interesting.

My Dad was a computer professional all his adult career, and that VIC-20
was the first home computer he ever owned. The one that William Shatner
hawked on TV. Dad told me later that he was pretty excited to get a
computer of his very own. He and Mom worked together to make a video game about logging trees. She made the graphics and he wrote the code.

Did UDD ever tell you what he ended up doing with those C=64's? I knew
someone who used an obsolete computer in their kitchen for recipes.

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

I like to leave the chiles whole so that people can pick them out and self-adjust the heat level. Not that this applies to Chaat Masala.

Yesterday my cousin took me to a place where i got bok choy and snap peas
that were a little past date. I planned to make fake Chinese food using spaghetti noodles, but Mom dug out some actual Chinese noodles from the cupboard. I julienned carrots, onions, washed & sliced the bok choy, and trimmed & halved the snap peas cross-wise. I sauteed the carrots and
onions together in a large wok-like frying pan. Then i added the
remaining vegetables, garlic, ginger paste, and 6 whole arbol chiles. I
boiled the noodles for 2-1/2 minutes, drained them, and turned them into
the frying pan. Later i added Braggs aminos, sesame oil, and walnuts. It turned out well and everyone ate seconds.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Creole Pork Sausage
Categories: Cajun, Sausages
Yield: 18 Servings

4 lb Lean fresh pork, butt, or
- shoulder
2 lb Fresh pork fat
2 c Onion; finely minced
1 1/2 tb Garlic; finely minced
1 1/2 ts Cayenne
1/2 ts Chili powder
1 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
8 ts Salt
2 ts Red pepper; freshly ground
2 ts Dried thyme leaves; crushed
5 tb Parsley; finely chopped
3 Bay leaves; finely crushed
1/2 ts Allspice
sm Sausage casing (9')
- (optional)

This Creole pork sausage is an old local favorite dating back to the
19th Century, but isn't as easy to find as it once was. It would seem
to have come to Louisiana with the Spanish, and was adapted to local
custom and ingredients; the term is similar to the Spanish chorizo.
It's great with white or red beans, and good for breakfast too, with
eggs!

Cut the pork at fatback into small pieces. Mix together and run once
through the coarse disc of a meat grinder, into a large bowl. Add the
seasonings and mix thoroughly until the stuffing is very smooth and
well-blended.

Make into patties, and use within three days or freeze.

Also, you can stuff the chaurice into casings; make each sausage
about 6" in length.

Recipe by Chef John Folse, Gumbo Pages

Posted by: Ed P <esp@snet.n>

Recipe FROM: <news:10i7lgt$2eau2$1@dont-email.me>,
<news:rec.food.cooking/1579104>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never

He was also a fan of Formula 1 racing. I tried to get him interested in IndyCar but he'd have none of it. ;)

Mike
---
* BgNet 1.0b12
* Origin: moe's tavern * 1-5028758938 * moetiki.ddns.net:27 (1:2320/195)

Hi Ben,

That was a long time before any of us knew him. He was also big into Commodore computers, especially the Amigas. Steve started with a Commodore 64; when he switched to a PC, he gave Dave a lot of no longer used by us equipment. Met him at a Cracker Barrel, our first experience with one of

That's cool that he was enthusiastic about Commodore computers. I've never touched an Amiga, but i played arcade cames loaded from cassette tape on a VIC-20. Also, a friend handed down a Commodore 128 to me,
which i gave to another friend. I kind of wish i had held onto the Commodore 128 because i think its dual-CPU architecture is technically interesting.

We used the C=64 for 10 years. My dad started out with a Texas
Instruments computer, I forget what model, but he was quite impressed
with what the C=64 could do. Not enough to buy one tho. (G) Our younger daughter wasn't quite 4 when we got it her dad typed in a number of
learning programs that she enjoyed, going to progressively harder ones
as she grew older.

My Dad was a computer professional all his adult career, and that
VIC-20 was the first home computer he ever owned. The one that BC>

William Shatner hawked on TV. Dad told me later that he was pretty BC>
excited to get a BC> computer of his very own. He and Mom worked
together to make a video BC> game about logging trees. She made the
graphics and he wrote the BC> code.

My dad got into doing computer services (payroll, bookkeeping, etc) for
others (in a town of about 800) after he lost his newspaper (editor,
small town weekly) job, just short of turning 60. He wanted to do
something the right way; boss said "do it this way". Dad said "I quit"
just before boss said "you're fired". Townsfolk stood behind Dad; he
stood firm in his position. No pension out of it but between his
business for 20 years, mom working as a librarian (school first,then
town) and retirement from that, they did well. IIRC, they were done
paying college tuition for us kids before he lost the newspaper job.

Did UDD ever tell you what he ended up doing with those C=64's? I
knew someone who used an obsolete computer in their kitchen for BC>

recipes.

I really don't remember; he may have but it's been long enough ago that
it's well out of my memory.

OK, thanks. We have a new Indian restaurant in Wake Forest, went to it a few weeks ago. I asked for a heat level 5 (They said they'd do 1-10) for butter chicken but will probably drop back to a 4 next time we go. It was good, just a bit hotter than I like.

I like to leave the chiles whole so that people can pick them out and self-adjust the heat level. Not that this applies to Chaat Masala.

I'll take them either way. From what the weather forecasters are saying,
the heat of them will be appreciated in the next week or so. Starting
tomorrow night, we're in for snow, sleet and freezing rain for about 24
hours, then really cold temperatures for another 10 days or so. I made
up a pan of baked oatmeal today for quick, hot breakfasts--slice off a
section, add a bit of milk and put it in the microwave (as long as the
power stays on) for a minute or so, then enjoy.

Yesterday my cousin took me to a place where i got bok choy and snap
peas that were a little past date. I planned to make fake Chinese
food using spaghetti noodles, but Mom dug out some actual Chinese
noodles from the cupboard. I julienned carrots, onions, washed &
sliced the bok choy, and trimmed & halved the snap peas cross-wise. I sauteed the carrots and
onions together in a large wok-like frying pan. Then i added the remaining vegetables, garlic, ginger paste, and 6 whole arbol chiles.
I boiled the noodles for 2-1/2 minutes, drained them, and turned them
into the frying pan. Later i added Braggs aminos, sesame oil, and
walnuts. It turned out well and everyone ate seconds.

Sounds good to me. Steve found some goat meat in the freezer last night;
I'm going to put it in a crock pot with some peppers, onions, and
tomatoes for an easy sorta chili tomorrow.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Generic, non-offensive, non-funny tagline... boring, eh?

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Hi Ben,

My dad got into doing computer services (payroll, bookkeeping, etc) for others (in a town of about 800) after he lost his newspaper (editor, small position. No pension out of it but between his business for 20 years, mom working as a librarian (school first,then town) and retirement from that,

Interesting, so both UDD and your Dad had experience publishing.

Dad had quite a bit of publishing work (work published) since he was a
stringer for high school sports while he was in high school, in the
ship's office (he was the captain's talker on one ship) during WWII,
then summer breaks in college working for newspapers. He also worked in
the office of the lumber yard where his dad worked; I remember him
telling us that his mom wanted him to quit school and work full time for $.15/hour--this was around 1935. He went back to high school, first in
his family to graduate and go to college (on the GI Bill).

OTOH, Mom went to college right out of high school, then got married and started raising the kids. When she took the school library position, she
was told by the state that she had to get certified and her Master's
degree within 5 years. State said "you can't do it; you're married with children" but she proved then wrong and did it, earning all A's and B's.

Publishing, bookkeeping, and library work all strike me as social

in BC> nature, though a lot of the actual work is "behind the scenes"
so to BC> say. BC> It sounds like your Dad did bookkeeping on that
Texas Instruments BC> computer? Did either of your parents ever "take
you to work" with BC> them? If so, what do you remember that being
like?

I helped my mom some in the school library but by the time she retired
from that and took the town library job, I was married, had my own
family and lived too far away to help on a regular basis. Did go with
her to work a couple of times when visiting home (same with Dad when he
started his computer business) but was more of a chance to visit with
locals who came in while I was there.

Sounds good to me. Steve found some goat meat in the freezer last night; I'm going to put it in a crock pot with some peppers, onions, and tomatoes for an easy sorta chili tomorrow.

Do i recall correctly that "sorta" cuisine means improvising with
what's on hand?

Basically, yes. I pulled out the baby crock pot, put the meat, a cut up
onion, a can of tomatoes, and a couple of small cans worth (subdivided
large can) of diced chili peppers in it, let it cook on low all day.
For supper, I cooked some spiral pasta and we served the "chili" over
that. Steve spiced him up a bit with chipotle powder but it was good as
is for a cold day.

We've had sleet, snow and freezing rain today, good day to stay inside.
I'm just going to heat a slice of ham, some blue Hubbard squash (found
in the freezer) and make Israeli couscous for supper.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... A truly wise person knows that he knows not.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Uncle Dirty Dave
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Sun Jan 25 2026 04:42 pm

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for the reminiscing about your folks' careers. I like the part where when told your mother was told she couldn't, she did it anyway.

I befriended the guy in charge of in-house printing where i worked. He had old-fashioned equipment in the basement. He used to run the local paper,
and told stories about battling with aging equipment there too. He was
quite a character.

I forget which branch of the military he was in, but he went to Germany in WWII. He told me they had set up schools in Austria where they were
training people to step into German government positions after taking possession of the USA. He said they had it all planned out as though it
were a done deal.

One story he told me was organizing a fund raiser. He advertised it as a topless car wash, but left out that it would be done by the Boy Scouts.
There was a big turnout, including many of the local preachers who showed
up to protest.

Basically, yes. I pulled out the baby crock pot, put the meat, a cut up onion, a can of tomatoes, and a couple of small cans worth (subdivided large can) of diced chili peppers in it, let it cook on low all day. For supper, I cooked some spiral pasta and we served the "chili" over that. Steve spiced him up a bit with chipotle powder but it was good as is for a cold day.

That sounds delicious to me. It has been cold here too. Yesterday i made
a crockpot of split pea soup. It was edible but not as awesome as usual.
I blame the expired carton of broth. It'll likely be better next time.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Generic German Sausage
Categories: German, Sausages
Yield: 1 Batch

50 lb Beef or venison; ground
50 lb Fresh pork;
- ground, not too lean
1 3/4 c Salt; sack salt; not Iodized
3 oz Morton quick cure
3 oz Black pepper
2 oz Garlic powder;
- fresh garlic is best
3 Garlic heads;
- peeled, sliced, smashed

Mix all the ingredients together and add up to 2 qt cold water when
mixing.

Sausage is ready to put in casings.

Put garlic in a pint jar, pour boiling water over it to fill jar.
Strain the garlic out and use juice, as much as desired to taste.
Start the garlic a day before sausage.

Posted by: Ed P <esp@snet.n>

Recipe FROM: <news:10i7lgt$2eau2$1@dont-email.me>,
<news:rec.food.cooking/1579104>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the reminiscing about your folks' careers. I like the part where when told your mother was told she couldn't, she did it anyway.

She had to go to summer school (about 250 miles away) for part of it;
as oldest daughter I got the brunt of cooking, cleaning, etc. Did me
well when I left home to get married, neither of my sisters could hardly
boil water when they left home. I tell Steve that I got most (not quite
all) of my cooking mistakes out before we got married.

I befriended the guy in charge of in-house printing where i worked.
He had old-fashioned equipment in the basement. He used to run the
local paper, and told stories about battling with aging equipment
there too. He was quite a character.

Sounds like fun. I remember going to the News (Catskill Mountain News)
office when I was younger, seeing them print the paper. They had to feed
the sheets of paper in one at a time, then pull out and change the
plates to do the other side. Then it was put thru a cutter and folder
machine.

I forget which branch of the military he was in, but he went to BC>

Germany in WWII. He told me they had set up schools in Austria where

they were BC> training people to step into German government

positions after taking BC> possession of the USA. He said they had it
all planned out as though BC> it were a done deal.

Probably Army but working for OSS (precurser to CIA) or a similar
agency. Sounds interesting; I wonder how much of it he could have made
public in a book. It would be interesting reading.

One story he told me was organizing a fund raiser. He advertised it
as a topless car wash, but left out that it would be done by the Boy Scouts. There was a big turnout, including many of the local preachers
who showed up to protest.

Sounds worse than it ended up being. Quite the "hook" to get a turn out
tho.

Basically, yes. I pulled out the baby crock pot, put the meat, a cut up onion, a can of tomatoes, and a couple of small cans worth (subdivided large can) of diced chili peppers in it, let it cook on low all day. For supper, I cooked some spiral pasta and we served the "chili" over that. Steve spiced him up a bit with chipotle powder but it was good as is for a cold day.

That sounds delicious to me. It has been cold here too. Yesterday i
made a crockpot of split pea soup. It was edible but not as awesome
as usual. I blame the expired carton of broth. It'll likely be better next time.

I did a chicken casserole and caesar salad last night. Tonight will
probably left overs, clean out the fridge a bit. We're slowly thawing
out but the weather folks are saying we could get hit with another storm
on Saturday.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... History repeats itself because nobody listens ...

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Publishing, Crockpots
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Tue Jan 27 2026 12:38 pm

She had to go to summer school (about 250 miles away) for part of it; as oldest daughter I got the brunt of cooking, cleaning, etc. Did me well
when I left home to get married, neither of my sisters could hardly boil water when they left home. I tell Steve that I got most (not quite all) of my cooking mistakes out before we got married.

That sounds hardcore in my book. I also helped out around the house, but to
a lesser extent. I still had many cooking mistakes to make after moving out. It's interesting how varied the experience is for different siblings in the same family. Just out of curiosity, were you the eldest?

Probably Army but working for OSS (precurser to CIA) or a similar agency. Sounds interesting; I wonder how much of it he could have made public in a book. It would be interesting reading.

Now that you mention it, i think he was in the Army. I am not sure what role he was in there... He also told me stories about working in the ship yards
in Portland, OR, building ships for the war effort. It sounded like he came from a poor family, but his parents were more loving than normal. He said
they always gave their children choices, explaining what the consequences
would be of each choice, and they always gave them a space of their own
where they could go if they did not want to be disturbed.

He was working while in his 80's. At that time he told me his health
insurance cost $900 per month. He said that even if they paid him nothing
it would still be worth going to work in order to have health insurance at
his age.

He had been married a bunch of times, and was divorced a few times and
a widower a few times. When i knew him he lived quite alone, though i
helped him set up video conferencing with his daughter who lived in
another state.

The indoor kittie is sick. She has a fever, dilated pupils, and is
moving around very slowly. She hadn't eaten for several days and finally
ate a little this morning. I hope that means she's on the mend.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Irish Sausage
Categories: Sausages, Irish
Yield: 1 Batch

5 lb Pork butt; coarse ground
3 ts Thyme
5 c Bread crumbs
3 ts Basil
4 Eggs; lightly beaten
3 ts Rosemary
8 cl Garlic; pressed
3 ts Marjoram
1 tb Salt
3 ts Black pepper
2 c Water

Combine all ingredients, mix well, and stuff into sheep casings. Fry
in butter or oil.

Posted by: Ed P <esp@snet.n>

Recipe FROM: <news:10i7lgt$2eau2$1@dont-email.me>,
<news:rec.food.cooking/1579104>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

She had to go to summer school (about 250 miles away) for part of it; as oldest daughter I got the brunt of cooking, cleaning, etc. Did me well
when I left home to get married, neither of my sisters could hardly boil water when they left home. I tell Steve that I got most (not quite all) of my cooking mistakes out before we got married.

That sounds hardcore in my book. I also helped out around the house,
but to a lesser extent. I still had many cooking mistakes to make
after moving out. It's interesting how varied the experience is for different siblings in the same family. Just out of curiosity, were
you the eldest?

In my growing up, the guys weren't expected to do any of the cooking.
I'm the second oldest of 5, first girl. I had (now deceased) an older brother,others still living are younger sister, younger brother and
youngest sister. All of them did their share of criticising my cooking
but didn't do much to help; younger sister did do some baking but as a
small part of a few meals. Dad wasn't a creative eater which helped
then, but after getting married, then Steve joining the Army really
expanded my cooking horizons. Of all my siblings, I have had the most adventuresome life and it is reflected in my cooking/eating.

Probably Army but working for OSS (precurser to CIA) or a similar

agency. RH> Sounds interesting; I wonder how much of it he could have
made public in a RH> book. It would be interesting reading.

Now that you mention it, i think he was in the Army. I am not sure
what role he was in there... He also told me stories about working in
the ship yards in Portland, OR, building ships for the war effort. It sounded like he came from a poor family, but his parents were more
loving than normal. He said they always gave their children choices, explaining what the consequences would be of each choice, and they
always gave them a space of their own where they could go if they did
not want to be disturbed.

Sounds like his parents were definatly taking a different path to child rearing--makes me wonder (my sociology/psychology studies coming
out--G--) what their childhood was like. They were too old to be of the
hippie generation where that sort of child raising was more common.

He was working while in his 80's. At that time he told me his

health BC> insurance cost $900 per month. He said that even if they
paid him BC> nothing it would still be worth going to work in order to
have health BC> insurance at his age.

It does sound like he had his priorities straight. We've always had good
health insurance--at both places where Steve worked prior to joining the
Army and then the military care. We're both on Medicare and Tricare for
Life now, the latter is a benefit of 26 years of military service.

He had been married a bunch of times, and was divorced a few times and
a widower a few times. When i knew him he lived quite alone, though i helped him set up video conferencing with his daughter who lived in another state.

Steve set my parents up with Skype for a couple of years. They enjoyed
talking with their granddaughters that way. Mom and Dad both passed away
before Zoom but we've used it to talk to our girls and their families.

The indoor kittie is sick. She has a fever, dilated pupils, and is
moving around very slowly. She hadn't eaten for several days and
finally ate a little this morning. I hope that means she's on the
mend.

Poor kitty, hope she gets better quickly. We can't have any dogs or cats
but sometimes take care of our neighbor's cocker spaniel. His vet
reccommended that he have 2 or 3 spoonsful of green beans (canned) with
his kibble--never heard of that before. Our cocker spaniel would eat
most anything but I don't remember him eating green beans. His favorite
human food was popcorn. (G)

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Our necessities are few but our wants are endless...

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Publishing, Crockpots
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Thu Jan 29 2026 02:17 pm

Hi Ruth,

Sounds like his parents were definatly taking a different path to child rearing--makes me wonder (my sociology/psychology studies coming out--G--) what their childhood was like. They were too old to be of the hippie generation where that sort of child raising was more common.

He didn't say anything about his parents' childhood, though he did say that they were descended from fairly recent immigrants from an eastern European country, i forgot which. He was too old to be a hippie, let alone his
parents. He did tell me that his mother became a widow and she moved in
with him when she couldn't take care of herself any more. He remembered
her kindness and made sure she had her own place to retreat to where she wouldn't be disturbed.

Poor kitty, hope she gets better quickly. We can't have any dogs or cats but sometimes take care of our neighbor's cocker spaniel. His vet reccommended that he have 2 or 3 spoonsful of green beans (canned) with
his kibble--never heard of that before. Our cocker spaniel would eat most anything but I don't remember him eating green beans. His favorite human food was popcorn. (G)

Sunday the indoor kitty recovered to the point where she could walk again
and she spent the afternoon napping in the sun outside. I have hope!

A friend of mine had two dogs with arthritis. He gave them a combination
of 4 ingredients, CBD, Kelp, and i forgot the other two. Said it helped
a lot.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Broccoli Fridge Clean Out Soup
Categories: Soups
Yield: 4 Servings

4 Celery ribs; diced
2 md Carrots; diced
1/2 lg Red onion; diced
1 lg Broccoli head
1 lg Zucchini
8 oz Shiitake mushrooms (225 g)
1 Garlic head;
- roasted, use half if
- you're not a big garlic
- fan
3 c Vegetable broth; up to 4 c
3 c Hearty greens; your choice
2 ts Oregano (2 g)
Salt & pepper; to taste
1 tb Vegan butter (14 g)
1/2 tb Oil (7 ml)
1/2 c Vegan coconut cream or
- plant-based milk;
- up to 1 c,
- for extra creaminess
- (optional)
Grilled cheese croutons;
- for topping (optional)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Eliminate waste and make a delicious dinner with this Broccoli Fridge
Clean-Out Soup! Rich and creamy, with optional grilled cheese
croutons.

In a large pot, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add the diced
celery, carrots, and onion with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Saute
for 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the oregano and 1 cup of hearty greens around the 5 minute
mark. Cook until the greens are wilted.

Add the roasted vegetables, vegetable broth (start with 3 cups), and
roasted garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 5 minutes, or
up to 20 minutes for deeper flavor.

Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender). Add the
remaining 2 cups of hearty greens and blend until smooth. Add more
broth if needed to adjust thickness.

Stir in vegan coconut cream or plant milk for an even silkier texture.

Top with grilled cheese croutons and enjoy!

Preheat your oven to 400?F (200?C). Spread the broccoli, zucchini,
and mushrooms on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes. Roasting
brings out a rich, deep flavor.

Recipe by Jessica Hylton

Recipe FROM:
<https://jessicainthekitchen.com/broccoli-fridge-clean-out-soup/>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

Sounds like his parents were definatly taking a different path to child rearing--makes me wonder (my sociology/psychology studies coming out--G--) what their childhood was like. They were too old to be of the hippie generation where that sort of child raising was more common.

He didn't say anything about his parents' childhood, though he did say that they were descended from fairly recent immigrants from an eastern European country, i forgot which. He was too old to be a hippie, let alone his

Sort of wish you could have talked with him some more? Every so often
I'll read something about somebody I never knew or knew for part of my
past life and realise I never knew that. Especially with people I knew;
it would have added a new dimension to our friendship.

parents. He did tell me that his mother became a widow and she moved
in with him when she couldn't take care of herself any more. He remembered her kindness and made sure she had her own place to retreat
to where she wouldn't be disturbed.

Sweet! At one point we thought my dad would pre-decease my mom (He was 7
years older and had several health issues.) and we would be the ones to
take mom in. As things worked out, she developed Alzheimer's ane we had
to put her into care for that. She predeceased Dad by 3 years; he went
into a nursing home a couple of months after her death. As things are
turning out, we're not caring for Steve's parents either--Dad passed
away 4 years ago, Mom is in assisted living.

Poor kitty, hope she gets better quickly. We can't have any dogs or

cats RH> but sometimes take care of our neighbor's cocker spaniel. His
vet RH> reccommended that he have 2 or 3 spoonsful of green beans
(canned) with RH> his kibble--never heard of that before. Our cocker
spaniel would eat most RH> anything but I don't remember him eating
green beans. His favorite human RH> food was popcorn. (G)

Sunday the indoor kitty recovered to the point where she could walk
again and she spent the afternoon napping in the sun outside. I have hope!

Sounds like she's getting her motor recharged.

A friend of mine had two dogs with arthritis. He gave them a
combination of 4 ingredients, CBD, Kelp, and i forgot the other two.
Said it helped a lot.

Whatever works. We had to rehome our last cat when she developed some
health issues. It got to the point where we told the vet to either find
someone willing to take on a cat with health issues or put her down. The
vet was thinking surgery (which we couldn't afford would be the next
option and we were moving (military) in a short time. The vet found an
older couple, willing to take on a cat with health challenges; they fell
in love with Jenny-cat when we brought her to meet them. Hopefully she
lived a long, happy life.

Title: Broccoli Fridge Clean Out Soup
Categories: Soups
Yield: 4 Servings

Sounds like what I've done different times. I've made "Monday (or
whatever night of the week it's made) Night Surprise" as a clean out
odds and ends from the fridge meal. Last night tho, I made rouladen,
flank steak pounded thin or round steak cuts, spread with mustard,
topped with a dill pickle spear and slice of bacon, then browned, and
braised, chopped onion in the braise broth. The broth is made into
gravy. Served with red cabbage and mische brot (German sourdough, found
at Wegman's. I may cook some noodles to go with the left overs later
this week.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... It works! Now, if only I could remember what I did.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Re: Publishing, Crockpots
By: Ruth Haffly to Ben Collver on Tue Feb 03 2026 02:44 pm

Hi Ruth,

Sort of wish you could have talked with him some more? Every so often I'll read something about somebody I never knew or knew for part of my past
life and realise I never knew that. Especially with people I knew; it
would have added a new dimension to our friendship.

Well, i wish i could still talk with him. An odd bit of trivia: like my grandmother he was left handed and was punished in school if he wrote or
drew with his left hand.

Sounds like she's getting her motor recharged.

Yes, she is bouncing back nicely now. She is much more mobile, though i
see her making false starts with her jumps. Something is going on with her hind legs, and i suspect it is neurological. A friend tells me to make
sure she is getting enough taurine, but i doubt that's the problem because
she eats grocery store pet food and i've read that's not generally a
problem.

"Since 1987, taurine has been adequately provided in commercially prepared
cat foods approved by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)."

The vet found an
older couple, willing to take on a cat with health challenges; they fell
in love with Jenny-cat when we brought her to meet them. Hopefully she lived a long, happy life.

What a wonderful story!

The indoor cat i mentioned here is a rescue cat, though she didn't have any health problems when she moved in.

Sounds like what I've done different times. I've made "Monday (or whatever night of the week it's made) Night Surprise" as a clean out odds and ends from the fridge meal. Last night tho, I made rouladen, flank steak pounded thin or round steak cuts, spread with mustard, topped with a dill pickle spear and slice of bacon, then browned, and braised, chopped onion in the braise broth. The broth is made into gravy. Served with red cabbage and mische brot (German sourdough, found at Wegman's. I may cook some noodles to go with the left overs later this week.

Wow, your leftover fridge cooking turned out to be full-fledged German restaurant food. I'd invite myself to your table.

Recently i made cole slaw and put in too much mayo. I could have added more cabbage to balance it out, but i found another remedy. I used it as a
sandwich topping along with radish and cheese slices. The cole slaw also
has beets and vinegar in it, and the sandwiches are vaguely reminiscent of reuben sandwiches.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Roasted Zucchini
Categories: Vegetables, Zucchini
Yield: 1 Batch

Zucchini

Cut into quarters lengthwise, put some salt on it, roast on an oiled
oven tray at 220?C (425?F) for 15 minutes.

Recipe FROM:
<gopher://tellus.strangled.net/0/recipes/Roasted_Courgette>

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)

Hi Ben,

Sort of wish you could have talked with him some more? Every so often I'll read something about somebody I never knew or knew for part of my past
life and realise I never knew that. Especially with people I knew; it
would have added a new dimension to our friendship.

Well, i wish i could still talk with him. An odd bit of trivia: like
my grandmother he was left handed and was punished in school if he
wrote or drew with his left hand.

I'm also left handed, somewhat ambidexterous as for some years my
parents tried making me right handed. I don't recall what prompted the
switch but I do some things right handed still, some left handed only
and some I'll use either or hand. Comes in handy (no pun intended) when stirring a pot that needs continuous stirring; I can change hands when
one gets tired.

Sounds like she's getting her motor recharged.

Yes, she is bouncing back nicely now. She is much more mobile, though
i see her making false starts with her jumps. Something is going on
with her hind legs, and i suspect it is neurological. A friend tells
me to make
sure she is getting enough taurine, but i doubt that's the problem
because she eats grocery store pet food and i've read that's not
generally a
problem.

I wouldn't know, never researched cat food that extensivly. At one point
the vet wanted us to try a lamb and rice diet with Jenny-cat. Ever see a
cat go on a hunger strike and push the bowl away? She did; that stuff
was nasty so the vet said to put her back on her usual Purina One cat
chow.

The vet found an
older couple, willing to take on a cat with health challenges; they fell
in love with Jenny-cat when we brought her to meet them. Hopefully she lived a long, happy life.

What a wonderful story!

The indoor cat i mentioned here is a rescue cat, though she didn't
have any health problems when she moved in.

I miss her at times. She had been abused as a kitten and put in a
(German) animal shelter, adopted, with another cat, from there and then
both cats given to friends of ours. When they went back to the States,
they only wanted to take one cat so offered us the (extremely) shyer of
the two. We decided "yes", one night while Steve and I were visiting
(before the family moved), Jenny-cat came out of hiding and parked
herself on my lap. The wife gasped "she's never done that before"; we
took it as a sign that the cat wanted us for her new family. She was
very shy, even when we had her, but opened up more in a quiet household.
She was a grey tabbly with beautiful green eyes.

Sounds like what I've done different times. I've made "Monday (or whatever night of the week it's made) Night Surprise" as a clean out odds and ends from the fridge meal. Last night tho, I made rouladen, flank steak pounded thin or round steak cuts, spread with mustard, topped with a dill pickle spear and slice of bacon, then browned, and braised, chopped onion in the braise broth. The broth is made into gravy. Served with red cabbage and mische brot (German sourdough, found at Wegman's. I may cook some noodles to go with the left overs later this week.

Wow, your leftover fridge cooking turned out to be full-fledged German restaurant food. I'd invite myself to your table.

Some nights are better than others; tonight was a meal out at the Angus
Barn in Raleigh (Google it) for a wedding reception. Not sure what
tomorrow will bring.

Recently i made cole slaw and put in too much mayo. I could have
added more cabbage to balance it out, but i found another remedy. I
used it as a
sandwich topping along with radish and cheese slices. The cole slaw
also has beets and vinegar in it, and the sandwiches are vaguely reminiscent of reuben sandwiches.

I make my cole slaw with cabbage, carrots and pineapple; my MIL gave me
the recipe decades ago and it's still our all time favorite. Haven't
found a cole slaw that measures up to it yet. (G)

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... ... Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans-J. Lennon

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)