Long And Full Of Words

     What have the last two days brought? Well, the moms fell again at the rehab facility. They took x-rays and all is clear, but she is still fighting using her right leg. There is that knot on it, which I do believe hurts her, but I think the pain signals to her to be scared of falling, and that is what is holding her up. I talked to her today about doing what the nurses said, so that she can get better faster, and she was all for it, but it's really a crap shoot on whether the information sticks or not. When I walked in to see her today, the nurses were weighing her, and she was arguing with them the whole time. I tried my best to calm her down and explain that they needed that info to give to the doctor, but she wasn't buying it. I also confirmed to her, that she was a good weight and tasing getting fat, which she wasn't. I was actually shocked that she was weighing just as much as before her fall. The reason is, that she just isn't eating enough I bring her food whenever I go, so that I can confirm that she is getting something, but when it's left up to her, she just refuses to eat. There is also the problem with her not being able to really use silverware anymore. She just doesn't always comprehend how it works. That's one of those things that she has forgotten. Other than that, she has cleared all tests given to her, and she is in perfect health, for her. She just needs to heal that lump and get over her fear, so that she can get walking again.

     All this led to me not going to the movies today. When I took a little time for myself, the hospital moved her without my knowledge, and I do see that as a punishment for going out and having a little fun, so the movies weren't an option today. I did work in the garden and replant a bunch of seedlings and pepper plants into larger pots, so that they can grow big and strong and produce lots of peppers. I did finally cut into that tomato, and it was really tasty. Nice sweet flavor with a full tomatoey taste. Plus, it's rather beautiful when you cut into it.

     Just look how deep and rich that color is. I have a few dozen on the plants growing and ripening, so I'll be eating good for a while.

      I got some interesting garden pictures for you. The first is the Purple and White Dahlia that I got as a surprise for my mom, but I don't know if she'll get to see it in bloom, so I got a picture of it to show her at the rehab. This is one beautiful flower.

     That is not an enhance photo, that is exactly how rich with color that flower is. It's a true beauty. I have a couple of pepper flowers too. The first is from my Purple UFO, which was shock. Not too long ago, it looked like a twig with three leaves. I nursed it back to looking more like a plant, but didn't really look over it much after that, but yesterday it caught my eye, because there were three blossoms on it, and they are quite taking.

     That is a rich royal purple on those pedals, and I can't remember, but I think it produces a purple pepper as well. I'm pretty excited about it. The next one is from the Beuna Muluta. It is almost the direct opposite of the one above. No color what so ever, just pure as the driven snow white, and it's quite fetching in it's own rights.

     That one already has peppers growing on it, and they are growing fast. I think the first flower dropped a week ago, and this is the pepper from it just about 20 minutes before writing this.

     This one is purple at a stage of it's ripening I believe. I think it's final phase is red, but it goes purple right before that, so expect lots of pictures of this little beauty.

     One last pepper picture. This is the Rainforest, which has just exploded with production. I counted pods, flowers, and buds, and came up with 101 which is a large number for such a small plant. It's around 2 feet tall at this point, but it's thriving. You can make out some of the pods in the picture, and they have this really cool shape, not that traditional pepper shape. They are more like a jingle bell. I can't wait to try these out. They are supposed to have some good heat and flavor.

     When some of those pods start ripening, I'll get another picture for you. These should be a bright red when they are ready to munch on.

     Don't forget, I grow more than just peppers, and I gave the brussel sprouts a trim today. This is what you are supposed to do before the final frost of your zone. I think I may be a little late, but better late then never. You can get a clear view of all the sprouts growing. It's quite cool to see exactly how brussel sprouts grow. I estimate about 60 sprouts pre plant, so I'm going to be flush with sprouts soon.

     I need to get the Canon out and get some close up shots of these things before they are gone from the garden. That reminds me, since I have time, anyone want to do a photoshoot? I'm dying to get some good pictures again.

     I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I dried a bunch of habaneros so that I could make some powder, and bake it into my cookies. I finally got that all done, and baked the cookies last night. I used the brownie tin that was given to me by my buddies wife. I also broke out the Kitchen Aid mixer, so that I wouldn't have to mix all the ingredients by hadn't. It's such a pain to do, and this mixes them all together evenly. This is the result. The peanut butter chocolate chip habanero brownie.

     It has all the flavor of the cookies, with a little extra sweetness from the habaneros, and then there's that little kick at the end. I'm sure most people will be floored by them, but I think they are pretty amazing. I didn't figure out the macros, but it seems to be double one of the normal cookies. It's really good, and I only used half the powder. 1 and a half tablespoons to be exact. I tried a tablespoon at first, and then tried the batter. It just wan't enough, so I added the extra half in, and that was the right amount. That baking tin was a game changer too. I can't thank them enough for giving it to me. I also have some stoneware pots, that I'll be trying out tomorrow with a chuck roast. I have this sneaking suspicion, that it's going to be epic.

     I've had to alter my attack on this 30 days of bettering myself. I'm working on getting my schedule figured out. When the moms was here, it was simple. I'd wake up and get as much of a workout done before she would get up, and most of it was in the dark. Since I don't have to do that, everything is off, and I'm trying to figure it out. I woke up today at about 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I just went after it. It was like when she was here, but I didn't have to worry about waking her. It was a little more relaxing. I've also started a new training style when it comes to pull-ups and my back development. The idea is to train everyday as often as possible, but only at half max. Since I can do 6 pull-ups for a few sets. I'm now doing 3 pull-ups as often as I think about it. The idea is that your back gets so used to the movement, that you actually increase your max without doing a loaded program. I'll let you know how well this works. I can tell you that I already feel a difference on my first few sets. I'm pulling higher, and with more of an explosion from the bottom then I was before. Before you say the you are going to over train, that is why you only do have max. That means that I only do 3 reps per set, I just do more sets, and it's whenever I want, and not a minute are two apart. It's like how someone working manual labor builds repetitive muscle by doing the same movement day in and day out. It's a more natural way of developing muscle and size. Oh yeah, I have also gained a half inch on my chest/back measurement, so there is that as well. Pretty crazy right?

     Before I get to Favorite Song of the Week, I ate that chocolate ghost pepper tonight after dinner. The flavor wasn't the same for the whole pepper as it was for that small piece I had at my buddies house. It was sweet, but it had that floral flavors which I'm not real fond of. This is more of a cooking pepper than it is an eating pepper, which in reality is what it was developed for. I already now that it pairs well with beef, and I almost put it in my taco meat tonight, but I like to try ingredients in their natural state before cooking with them, so I know what the flavor profile is. My buddy asked me what it would cook well in, and an idea did come to me, that it might be really good as a bacon wrapped popper, like jalapeño poppers, just way more spicy. I have to wait until my plant produces, which is quite a ways off at this point, to try that, and to see how it pairs in pork. I do think it will overpower the taste of ground pork, but I'm willing to give it a try. The heat was intense, and like most chocolates, it was full on attack. The burn lasted a full 20 minutes, and it was intense. I nearly went into panic mode, because of how bad it was. Despite that, it was still far more enjoyable than those extracts. I probably should have made a video of it, but since I already had eaten it in food, I didn't see it as a first time taste test, so the video would have been kind of a lie.

     Ok, Favorite Song of the Week, is still following the theme of love, unity, diversity, and understanding. It comes from one of the original goth bands, and may even be their most popular song. This band is still going strong, maybe not as strong as they were in the 90's but they are still out there touring and doing amazing shows. I got to see them once, and they did a 3 hour show, with no opener, and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I give you The Cure with "Lovesong".


     That song takes me back, to the days when I would wear eyeliner and black nail polish. Those were some good days, but they were also full of angst and depression, so I look back on them fondly, but don't want to revisit them. Peace in and goodnight.