Preparing for the journey

Chip at Monarch Watch responded to this post by email. I am printing his comment as it is of interest.

The fall thistle that you've pictured is relatively rare this yr. Possibly a victim of the April 4-10 freeze. The annual sunflowers are scarce over a wide area in KS - don't see them in the usual abundance going west until you get to Hayes or south to Chanute.

Having our fall Open House on this coming Sat - lots of butterflies here (KU Monarch Watch, Foley Hall, West Campus, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm) and a chrysalis for every kid. .

Don't worry, be happy

Paying bills is a negative thing, especially on the checking account.

Part of the problem is most of our insurance bills are due the same time Not good timing. No matter when we pay the bills, we need insurance--we're locked in.

OK, granted, we do own too many vehicles. Blame the mail route.

The Trekker is my (our) joy and I am not too upset about that insurance bill.

We must have insurance on our home, even if our deductible is so high that the only way we would collect is a disaster.

Health insurance is essential. We need coverage for a major illness, and we do realize some return on preventive tests.

Finally (pun intended), there are gifts. I like to think giving is what we do for each other. Some would say it is insurance for the long haul. At least with gifts, if we use the insurance, the premiums don't increase.

I don’t want to total the amount of money we pay each year on insurance. It’s best to pay the bills and feel relieved we are covered no matter what.

Wait, not the case. We were informed by letter enclosed with our homeowners insurance that we were not covered for the following: computer related problem (?!), war liability (?!), Terrorism (?!!!) and several other things I do not understand. There was also some limited liability language, which probably was a result of me trying to get our premiums from hell a little lower. I don't think more gifts would help that situation either.

Imported Swiss Cheese

I've mentioned before that Dan does a lot of my grocery shopping. He is good at it doesn't seem to mind.

Last week he was shopping in HyVee and picked up some of those recipe cards that often are available. He decided to buy the ingredients for one of the recipes. That's how Le Gruyere cheese is in our refrigerator.

Imported Le Gruyere cheese aged over 150 days is imported from Switzerland. Quoting from the package, "Amazingly nutty and full of flavor. Renouned for cooking and traditional fondue." This cheese is delicious.

Tonight I sliced tomatoes, sprinkled them with oregano and a little lemon pepper. I then sliced the Le Gruyere cheese very thin and placed over the slices and broiled for a few minutes. It was wonderful.

It is expensive but worth it. This is a must have cheese for a wine tasting.

I found a recipe for fondue:
Swiss Cheese Fondue
Vegetarian (Don't let this fool you, it has 670 calories per serving)

Serves 4
1/2 pound grated Emmentaler
1/2 pound grated Le Gruyere
1 clove of garlic, cut or slightly crushed
1 1/2 cups of white wine such as a Chenin Blanc
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons flour
ground pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste


2 loaves bread with thick crust cut into 1-inch cubes
Combine Emmentaler and Le Gruyere with the flour stir and set aside (either in medium bowl or in a plastic bag). Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut garlic clove. Pour wine into pot and heat over medium heat until warm. Add lemon juice. Add cheese by handful, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until melted and cheese-wine mixture has the consistency of a creamy sauce. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste (you can add cayenne or other spices too). Bring to boil. Remove pot and put on lighted burner on table. Adjust flame of burner so fondue continues bubbling lightly or bring pot to table and set on a trivet. Serve each guest a handful of bread cubes. Spear fondue fork through bread cubes. Dunk and stir well to cover bread cube with cheese mixture. Enjoy!

Bumps in the pasture