Friday, May 9, 2014

Friday Mishmash

I'll get the upsetting news out of the way first:  our running store had a fire yesterday morning.  Thankfully Mike and Dan (the owners) got out OK - I can't imagine how scary that must have been!  According to Facebook reports, there was a lot of smoke and water damage (the automatic sprinklers kicked in really quick), and they will be closed for a bit while everything gets sorted out.  I hate that this happened - in the just under two years that the store has been here, they've made a huge, positive impact on our community.  I was there the first day they opened (heck, I was in the store while it was still being built) and it's been such a nice place, sort of like a "Cheers" bar, to me.  I know they'll be back, but ugh, what a mess they're facing.

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Onto happier news.  Last week Amy's daughter attended our USAFit coaches meeting (btw I've looked up the rules regarding the apostrophe with that one and still am not sure what is correct); she kept herself busy coloring pictures, and afterward, presented me with this:
A knitted mitten (in a very fancy design, I might add) and a ball of yarn - I love it!

Speaking of knitting, I was finally able to change colors on my mohair scarf.  I'm knitting with one strand of a pretty turquoise, and one strand of a bright green.  I've had some issues with the mohair sticking to itself, tangling, and getting in my eyes and mouth, so this will probably be the last project I knit with mohair for quite a while.  But there's no denying the absolute softness, and I know I'll love it once I'm finished:
It looks better in person; I took these pictures on a very cloudy, rainy day, so the light wasn't great.

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Paco sleeps very happily in his crate most nights, so if he's crying/whining, I figure something's wrong - either he has to go to the bathroom, or he's barfed.  Last weekend in the middle of the night he was crying so Jeff got up with him (I was not pretending to be asleep, I swear I really was sleeping)(that time, anyway).  Paco bolted to the back door, Jeff let him out, and very quickly realized that he was chasing an animal in the backyard - I guess he heard it from his crate?  At that point I did wake up to hear Jeff trying to get him back inside, because it was an armadillo that Paco was going after!  Yes, I live in Texas, but we don't have armadillos in our yard that often.  Still, they are mean creatures with very sharp teeth, and I know Paco would lose if he got too close to one.  The next night?  Paco woke up and was whining again!  I think he just wanted another chance to find the dang armadillo.  And speaking of armadillos, a strange tradition here in Texas is that many people have a red velvet-flavored, armadillo-shaped, groom's cake at wedding receptions, like this:
 
Sometimes they're dead, like this:
 

The other weird thing (I know, like this isn't weird enough) is that the cake inside is usually red velvet, which is another phenomenon that I never experienced until I moved to Texas.  The first time I had a piece of red velvet cake was within the first few months of living here - someone brought a red velvet sheet cake to a Christmas party.  I was all, "oooh, sounds so luxurious!" but what it is, is a cocoa-flavored cake that has about half a bottle of red food coloring in it.  Bizarre.

And this is where my mind goes when Paco chases an armadillo.  All roads lead to food. 

Have a great weekend!

22 comments:

  1. Yikes! So sorry to hear about your running store. That's scary. Glad no one was hurt. I have only ever saw that armadillo cake on the movie Steel Magnolias. I didn't know it was a tradition. Very odd that someone would want to recreate a dead armadillo cake. Yuck! It reminds me of eating road kill. Haha

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    1. Eating road kill, yes! For the longest time, all I ever saw was dead armadillos on the road. Now they are in our yard, hurray! (not)

      Considering Dan and Mike were in the store when the fire started, YES. Very very glad they weren't hurt in the fire.

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  2. I don't understand the armadillo trend either. Red velvet cake, I do understand. :) (It tastes just as good without all the red--it's the buttermilk and vinegar that gives it the richness.)

    Just thinking about knitting with mohair in the summer makes me itch. It's so pretty, though, so I see the temptation.

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    1. Buttermilk and vinegar, eh? I had no idea, but obviously red velvet isn't my dessert pick.

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  3. Oooooo! Your scarf is turning out lovely. I need to knit faster to catch up with you.

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    1. It's all I've been knitting lately, that's why!

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  4. You wrote that last line just for me, didn't you? LOLOL.

    And, what Fran said.

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  5. Those cakes are gross, but since I've seen Steel Magnolias, I already knew about this tradition:)
    Happy Mother's Day this weekend!

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    1. I saw Steel Magnolias a million years ago, but that cake scene didn't stick with me. My mind is like a steel, uh, sieve...

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  6. Sorry about the fire at the shoe store - so glad it wasn't worse! Poor Paco - and I too think red velvet cake is overrated - its basically just chocolate cake for goodness sake!

    Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. See, that's what I'm saying about red velvet - just have chocolate cake!!!

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  7. Bummer about the fire at the store. :( Every time I see Armadillo cakes I think Steel Magnolia's too. The dead one on it's side is a little funny. lol

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    1. I don't get having a dead animal cake at your wedding, but Texas. I've also seen deer head groom's cakes. Whyyyyyy?

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  8. Oh no! Sorry to hear about the fire. Do they know what caused it?

    I love the mohair! Such deep, rich colors.

    Yeah, the whole red velvet cake thing, especially in armadillo shape, I never understood. But then, there's not much about Texas I understand ;)

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    1. Haha, I've been here over twenty years and there's still a lot about Texas that I don't understand!!

      They think the fire was caused by a faulty wire in the A/C - when it cycled on, the fire ignited.

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  9. Bummer about the fire!

    But wow, you are so talented the scarf is BEAUTIFUL!!!

    And I never understood the red velvet thing, and assumed maybe cherries or something were involved. Red dye? I can skip it, thanks!

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  10. I had to comment to stand up for red velvet cake. It is my most favorite cake ever! My grandmother used to make it for me for my birthday.

    But, you can't have it with cream cheese frosting. You need to try it with this old fashioned cooked flour frosting. Yes, it sounds weird, but it is unbelievably delicious.

    I usually only make a red velvet cake at Christmas time, but I may just have to break out the baking pans and make one for you!

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  11. Sad to hear about your favourite running store, Shelley; however glad to hear no-one was injured.
    What a gorgeous scarf! I smiled when I read your post as I recalled a mohair sweater I had when I was in high school. It was light pink & every time I hugged my boyfriend, his black shirt took on a pink hue. That boyfriend morphed in to my husband of 38 years!! I also remember pulling out pink fuzz from my mouth & eyes. Needless to say, that sweater didn't hang around too long!!

    Armadillo cakes in Texas? We have cakes in the shape of maple leaves here in Ontario, Canada!

    Happy weekend!

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  12. I was watching online coverage of an apartment fire here last night. FIre is scary. 25 people lost their home and possessions from it, but thankfully no one died.

    I know Red Velvet is supposed to be a southern thing, but there are red velvet items all over around here, including John's favorite breakfast muffin :D

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  13. I saw a pic of you and Jeff on FB and was wondering what was going on. Sad news about the running store, hopefully the damage is not too much and they are up and running again soon. The good news is that no one is hurt.

    Oh my I would be scared if such a freaking armadillo was in my garden and Bella was chasing it (which she definitely would do too :) ) Paco is a good guarding dog that he heared that outside. Hopefully the scary animal is gone by now.

    I love the scarf, even on a pic it looks so soft and the colors are beautiful.

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