Wednesday Open Thread

The Race Is On !


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  1. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    What a beautiful picture!
    Mornin’ Gang

  2. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Warren G. Harding receives his Thanksgiving Turkey, shipped all the way from Chicago to DC on a 1922 GMC, K16, truck!
    Can you imagine driving that thing over 700 miles, on mostly unimproved, dirt roads, with chains on the tires, no less?

    This GMC made a non-stop world record setting run from Chicago to the side door of the White House with the President’s Thanksgiving turkey 96 years ago today. Warren G. Harding would not issue a “pardon” to this bird (as is customary today) and it would end up on the President’s dinner table the next afternoon. Less than a year later Harding died while still in office of a heart attack while speaking in San Francisco..

    Note the chains on both the steer and drive axle wheels and then think about what it would be like to drive this truck on unpaved roads from Chicago to Washington, DC 96 years ago. I would imagine the driver had durable kidneys riding on those wooden spoked wheels with chains.

  3. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    My Turkey didn’t receive a pardon either.

  4. Hamous Avatar

    I half-expected Donald to tell the gathered press corps “I don’t do pardons” and summarily chop the turkeys’ heads off in the Rose Garden.

  5. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Just yesterday, I was about to ask y’all if you had heard from Southern Tragedy since I’ve not heard from her in a while, but she showed up over yonder last night saying she’d been away since her birthday. She texts me once in a while but I mostly keep up with her shenanigans over yonder.

  6. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Mars revisited: NASA spacecraft days away from risky landing.
    By MARCIA DUNN
    November 20, 2018

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars is about to get its first U.S. visitor in years: a three-legged, one-armed geologist to dig deep and listen for quakes.

    NASA’s InSight makes its grand entrance through the rose-tinted Martian skies on Monday, after a six-month, 300 million-mile (480 million-kilometer) journey. It will be the first American spacecraft to land since the Curiosity rover in 2012 and the first dedicated to exploring underground.

    NASA is going with a tried-and-true method to get this mechanical miner to the surface of the red planet. Engine firings will slow its final descent and the spacecraft will plop down on its rigid legs, mimicking the landings of earlier successful missions.

    That’s where old school ends on this $1 billion U.S.-European effort.

    Once flight controllers in California determine the coast is clear at the landing site — fairly flat and rock free — InSight’s 6-foot (1.8-meter) arm will remove the two main science experiments from the lander’s deck and place them directly on the Martian surface.

    No spacecraft has attempted anything like that before.

  7. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Scrolling through the local channels, I passed by the Messican one and their Weather Gal was wearing black leather shorts and a bright, red top??…MmmmK

  8. Hamous Avatar

    NASA’s InSight makes its grand entrance through the rose-tinted Martian skies on Monday, after a six-month, 300 million-mile (480 million-kilometer) journey.

    Will it be able to take a picture of the flag that Neil Armstrong left?

  9. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    I thought Matt Damon planted that flag.

  10. Hamous Avatar

    Maybe it was Lance Armstrong…

  11. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    Turkey bird number one in the oven. Turkey bird number two is in the on deck circle.

  12. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Turkey Bird, one and two, weight? Pumped up/stuffed?
    Since the Boy wants to use his no-fry, fryer, I got a 13 1/2 pounder, about as big a bird that you can fry (dry cook?)

  13. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Sir Lancelot?

  14. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    #2

    Cool story. I suppose the bird got a good tenderizin on the trip as well.

  15. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Son wants the old trued and true fried turkey, so it shall be. Course Mama is making him every kind of side and desert he ever even hinted he liked.

    This will be my first holiday season NFL free, going to be rough. Oh well, there is always Shiner.

  16. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    We have 25 and 21 lb. turkeys, brined overnight and coated with oil and spices. No stuffing. I always liked to cook my dressing separately, but these Yankees up here won’t eat my southern cornmeal dressing so I quit making it. I’ve tried turkeys most every way, but I’ve found brining and regular baking in the oven to be the best.

  17. Tedtam Avatar

    Will it be able to take a picture of the flag that Neil Armstrong left?

    I was under the impression that we left no American flag on the moon.

  18. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    Nobody going to microwave their bird?

  19. Tedtam Avatar

    Eldest Sis is making Thanksgiving dinner. She’s scaling way back this year, since it’s just her and her hubby, her daughter, SIL, maybe their boys, and Hubby and me.

    She’s only going to fix: a smaller turkey w/dressing, roasted brussels sprouts in bacon/cream sauce, sweet potatoes, green salad, squash dish, homemade cranberry sauce, rolls and mashed potatoes. Of course, there will be pumpking pie, cake, and chocolate pecan pie. Snacks/appetizers will include deviled eggs (her specialty), cheese snacks, gelatin salad. Her daughter is bringing a ham.

    Yep, she’s cutting waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back!

    I’m planning on bringing some roasted green beans and some kind of keto pecan pie dessert.

    And games. I miss playing games, so maybe we can sit around the table and do that when we’re too full to move much.

  20. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    #16 Texpat, big guys, when I baked turkeys, I always got the biggest one I could find, but I started frying them 15 years ago and that takes a 12-14 pounder. The Boy absolutely loves fried turkey, so I was surprised that he wanted to get a fryer that didn’t use oil. I suspect that he was a little afraid of frying a turkey on his own, but anyway, we’ve used it for two years now and it does a good job. Of course, we pump him up first. About the dressing, we stopped putting it in the bird years ago, only a small amount would fit in the bird anyway.

  21. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    these Yankees up here won’t eat my southern cornmeal dressing so I quit making it.

    Get a rope…

    I sure do miss my grandma’s cornmeal dressing. My mom and aunts can make a close facsimile, but it is just not quite the same. It’s not even on the menu this year.

  22. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    We bought a smoked Turkey, a ham, and what seams like enough alcohol to make the Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain content.

    I was copied on several group text messages between my wife, mom, and sister that discussed side dishes. My wife basically told my mom and sister to plan that part of the menu, to purchase those items, and to prepare them. I’m not too sure what the final menu consists of right now.

    It is my understanding that our menu will be mostly keto friendly.

  23. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    I ran into a really good turkey brine recipe many many moons ago that came out tasting like it was smoked. Wife does not like it so never have repeated it. My BIL uses the brinning (sp?) on chickens then grills them. It placed them many times when back when he used to do cook offs. I always forget to try that out.

  24. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Group texts need to be outlawed.

  25. Hamous Avatar

    As a prelude to our recent family reunion to meet the newly discovered Aunt there was a group text going around discussing arrangements. Someone asked “Who is bringing the gator meat?” Another aunt responded with a text that was supposed to be “Shelly is bringing it, unless Ben brings it.” She was using voice-to-text. It somehow went out as “Shelly is bringing the the Lesbians.”

  26. phil Avatar
    phil

    A Kenyan appointed federal judge just ruled no one can cook, bake or fry a turkey for Thanksgiving and you can’t say Thanksgiving.

  27. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    Morning, chickadees. Eating breakfast and then going out for a bit. As EG always says, I’ll report back later.

  28. phil Avatar
    phil

    Just imagine if the whole world got along as well as a The Price is Right audience does.

  29. phil Avatar
    phil

    Yes because FGM was foremost in the Framer’s minds when the constitution was comprised.

    In 100 years history will show the Judicial Branch killed the Republic.

    Maybe 50 years.
    Or even as short as 25.

    Pass me the cranberry sauce.

  30. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Voice to text is not there yet. People need to realize it and act accordingly.

  31. phil Avatar
    phil

    Here’s to female lead singers who know how to blow.

    Nice g-solo too.

  32. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    It is easy to mute notifications in WhatsApp if you are a part of a group text. You can even set a timer so they will resume. I find it more cumbersome to mute my plain ol’ SMS messages

  33. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    Samsung galaxies have better voice to text capabilities. Anytime anyone tries to use that on an iPhone, it comes out garbled. For that matter, galaxies have a better camera too.

  34. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    As a little outfit we don’t do much guvment work but I am currently working on a quote to repair a piece of equipment. Being the government, you better have all bases covered, anticipating any little thing that could and will come up because it’s damn near an act of Congress to revise once approved, so you pad accordingly. Being the government you best have equipment operating like new, so you pad accordingly. They are a pain in the rear to deal with, so you pad accordingly. It occurs to me that each and every contract or bid dealing with the government is approached in this way and how many billions, trillions must be wasted each and every day.

  35. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    IH10 westbound at the Brazos is moving pretty well. Eastbound is only 5mph.

  36. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    #36

    They all behind you? 😛

  37. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    No, I’m on the feeder doing 65.

  38. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    It’s lunchtime and I feel like I am one of the last remaining people here at work. Texpat is busy with his birds and he hasn’t posted his normal set of articles. What am I supposed to read while I eat?

  39. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Now the Eastbound is backed up to 36/Sealy.
    This is when the dummies start jumping on to the Eastbound feeder – not knowing that the feeder does not cross the river and they get dumped back on to the freeway.
    Gridlock accomplished.

    I’d advise taking FM 529, past Brookshire, at least.

    Or 290.

  40. TexMo Avatar
    TexMo

    How about George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation?

    and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

  41. Hamous Avatar

    To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

    …oh, and FGM rocks!

  42. Sarge Avatar

    Sealy is where I turn south on 36 till I hit 1093, then head east to 359 and head south to the new home place……but they’re 290ing 1093 from Fulshear to Katy, so I’m looking for an alternative.

  43. Tedtam Avatar

    Helicopter. Your alternate route is a helicopter.

  44. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    #37 Shannon
    I tried to read your linked article, but I only got a couple of paragraphs into it before I realized that I’m just not interested at all in transgender stories.

  45. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    I thought I’d get a head start on the Thanksgiving cooking, I have my sweet taters cooking in the oven and I’ll slice and make candied taters the morning. I also sliced up my yellar squash N onions and fried them up, I’ll put them in the fridge tonight and warm them up in tomorrow. I’ll make the egg bread for the dressing next, I was supposed to cook it with the sweet taters, but got in a hurry.

  46. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    Ahead of a traditional Thanksgiving meal at Luby’s tomorrow, I wanted something as different from that as possible today. So we are having hot canned chili, pinto beans, and Uncle Ben’s Spanish rice, with a slice of pepper-jack cheese melted over the top of each bowl’s contents. Tortilla chips, of course. Green tea to wash it down. Dessert is a big orange-flavored muffin from the Kroger bakery. I will nap well today.

    Hope everyone has a fabulous day tomorrow.

  47. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    Best A O-C so far. And hey, I think the light bulb over her head finally went off for this one!

  48. Katfish Avatar

    #51 – Well Luby’s n e v e r occurred to me but that does make sense.

    I’ll be feasting at Landry’s unbelievable buffet.

    no muss no fuss no tupperware, leftovers, or dishes!!

    (and less than 1 mile from home)

  49. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Good drizzly afternoon Hamsters.

    Raining again but not hard and 54 at about 3:30 pm. Outside stuff is postponed until the weather cooperates, whenever it so chooses. Only 0.10″ in the gauge thus far so things that didn’t freeze last week in the tandem 28-degree nights are getting a drink. Everything that got nipped and turned brown or yellowish-tan only got wet. Most of our yards around the house are still green thanks to the many sheltering trees that still have most of their leaves. Pasture grass is yellow-brown in the open spaces but still green under the trees, though the summer grass is done for. Winter grasses seem to be on the march. Some of our trees are slowly turning yellow/gold.

    All our flowerbeds are empty save one on the south side of the house where the impatiens are still going strong right next to the house. Looking for winter pansy flats needs to be done soon or there won’t be any to be had, and they are the only stalwart winter flowers I know of that can have ice on their faces and survive.

    We’ve been too cold too early this fall, a harbinger of a cold winter to come. Same goes for the Midwest and the snowfall we drove through on the way to the airport in Green Bay in the middle of October on the way home from visiting kin in Door County.

  50. Tedtam Avatar

    It somehow went out as “Shelly is bringing the the Lesbians.”

    Which puts the query “Would you like breast or thigh?” in a whole new light.

  51. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Yankees up here won’t eat my southern cornmeal dressing

    Well it’s no wonder. We make it with cornbread down here.

  52. phil Avatar
    phil

    If’n you get bored, tired of football or the weather’s bad, here’s phil’s award winning, Top 7 MST3k Turkey Day movies.

    1. Mitchell (Mitchell. Even his name says gimme a beer.)
    2. Time Chasers (There’s something very wrong here–there’s no food courts)
    3. Soultaker (Does anything really star Joe Estevez?)
    4. Space Mutiny (Slab Bulkhead, Hack Blowfist, Punch Rockgroin)
    5. Legend of Boggy Creek II (They’re calling insane hogs?)
    6. Final Sacrifice (I think Rowsdower has screendom’s best rear end)
    7. Werewolf (Did he just honk?)

  53. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    After discussing several restaurants to dine in on Thanksgiving, we’re having a modest turkey dinner at home tomorrow and going out on Friday instead to have a wide selection of places to dine. Not necessarily for turkey. Shopped at Randall’s deli in Pecan Grove for all the essentials in small quantities.

    The Luby’s in Rosenberg closed maybe 10 years ago, and the one in Sugar Land is on the to be closed list so it will be mobbed. We’re sorry to see the wonderful Luby’s restaurants of our early days in Houston and then out here near Richmond shrinking as a chain and obviously on the way to oblivion.

  54. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #53 Katfish

    Aha, thank you for the mention of Landry’s being open. We had gone there a few years ago, and we forgot about checking to see if they will be open.

  55. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Texpat from your #15 yesterday about quieting a horse by putting tape on its nose, I would surmise it has the same effect on the appropriate nerve(s) as would using a twitch on the nose but minus the maneuvering needed to install it. Looks like a much better idea to me.

  56. Katfish Avatar

    #59 – MsAdee – I only checked with the Landry’s near me between 99 & Mason Rd on eastbound I-10 service rd.

    Landry’s

    Their buffet is available 10:30am – 8pm. Adult rate is $28.50 per

  57. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    We lost our Luby’s in Tomball quite a while back as well. Not a great fan, but very good when the mood hit.

  58. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    I think subconsciously I might have become too much like the Luby’s demographic. 😀

  59. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    46 Hammie

    Bellville to Port A in less than an hour.
    I can dig it.

  60. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    We went to Landry’s last year. Excellent.
    Reservations strongly suggested.
    We had a 1.5 drink wait, even with reservations.

  61. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    FGM and the Law.

    I have to be a contrarian here, and in the interest of proper federalism, the judge in Michigan, a Ronald Reagan appointee, is correct constitutionally. As much as I hate the very idea of female genital mutilation, the criminality of these acts are the responsibility of the states. I know that the first thing from people’s minds will be the question of abortion and Roe vs Wade. Two wrongs don’t make a right in this context.

    The criminal code at the federal level has been overwhelmed with all kinds of pet peeves of politicians looking to advance their own careers at the expense of justice dispensed at and in the correct jurisdiction, presidents included. It’s the job of states and the sovereign residents of those states to establish what is legal and illegal in most practices and actions among their citizens. The federal court system is already buried in criminal case loads that don’t belong there.

    We need to stop the deferral to the federal courts of all kinds of things. We also need to end the primacy of district level judges from interfering with executive decisions from the White House. This is a step in the right direction towards federalism as intended. The fact there are only 26 or 27 states who have outlawed FGM is alarming as hell. It needs to remedied at that level and as soon as possible. A campaign by the people should begin now to make sure bills are presented and passed in all the states that don’t already have it.

  62. El Gordo Avatar

    #57 – Motel Hell not on this year?

  63. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    #51, Did the beans go into the chili?

  64. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I watched Motel Hell a few weeks ago.
    Classic.

  65. Katfish Avatar

    #62 – GREAT pickin for sure!

    But I swear I could hear a dobro – never saw one……………

  66. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    Maybe it is how she is playing the bass, she is pretty busy with that when the camera stops on her.

  67. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    67 cont’d.

    When the people of Michigan realized after this case came to light there was no state law against it, they passed the most strict laws against FGM in the country, I am told. Supposedly, their act is a good format for other states to follow.

  68. El Gordo Avatar

    Happy Thanksgiving to all. Lest I forget tomorrow or get too busy.

  69. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Maybe it is how she is playing the bass, she is pretty busy with that when the camera stops on her.

    Completely mesmerizing.

  70. phil Avatar
    phil

    Soultaker gives MH a run for the money.

    That tightens my pants.

  71. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Texpat waking up to 19 degrees in the morning.

    Bit chilly.

  72. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #61 Katfish

    Thank you for the directions. We’ve been to that Landry’s in years past.

  73. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    Captain Kirk goes one on one with a Gorn tonight. I think he wins, but gonna watch anyway.

  74. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    #69 goat
    I won’t answer that question.
    :mrgreen:

  75. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    #76
    I’m pert’ near afraid to ask what this post is even about.

    Please always refer to me as mh42 which is more descriptive than MH.

    Whew.

  76. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    MH was abbrev. for Motel Hell.

  77. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Ever listened to the Wheel of Fortune Closing Theme?

    They rock it.

    https://youtu.be/QrWuboX1oZ0

  78. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Yeah I was puzzled as well, but I weren’t gonna say nuthin not knowing what those two been up to!

  79. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    So, son-in-law’s Gub’ment phones rings, a US Marshal informs him that one of his probationers is in Mexico?! The guy had permission to go to New Mexico but said he meant old Mexico? That’s not going to fly.

  80. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    #82
    Whew!

  81. Hamous Avatar

    67 Texpat

    The same sick bastards that challenged the federal law will challenge the state laws up through the federal courts.

  82. phil Avatar
    phil

    I’m of the opinion that most US federal judges are a just bunch of sanctimonious Deep State, God complex suffering idiots.

    Nothing honorable about them.

    Pass the dressing.

  83. Katfish Avatar

    #83 – Dangit I know a dobro when I hear one – where is the player?!?

  84. Katfish Avatar

    #78 – MsAdee I had no idear if Yall had a Landry’s over in Your neck-o-the-woods or not…………if you see a fat old hippie sittin at the bar tomorrow say howdy 🙂

  85. Tedtam Avatar

    I’m finishing the last of my contributions to tomorrow’s menu.

    I’ve roasted some green beans and now I’m making keto pecan bars.

    I figger Eldest Sis has got the rest of the menu under control.

  86. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    G’night all. Just think of how much stuff needs to be attended to tomorrow before you can crash in front of the TV and watch football until you fall asleep.

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