Duck pond

Good morning,

We celebrated my granddaughter’s Birthday at Sea World. We had lunch with Kai, a killer whale and the run of the park.  Her favorite thing was splashing and stomping through the water puddles created by the water ride Atlantis. Every time the boat splashed a curtain of water rained down and she would scream and laugh and run. Her dress was soaked her little sandals were soaked; she was having a wonderful time. As we waited for the adults to float the Rio she fell asleep and we missed interacting with the dolphins. The exhibit was closed for the night when we got there so we wandered through the shark tank. Much to our disappointment the Clydesdales were gone. The best part about the park! 

As we were observing the otters one of them turned, looked up at this boy and started barking at him. I do not know what was being said but that otter was determined to have his say.

 Then at the arcade area by the duck pond Emma decided she wanted to play and win a duck. I kept putting her off and finally she boldly decided to go past the fence gate and grab a duck in the pond herself. She could not understand what money had to do with grabbing a duck. I grabbed $5 handed it to her. She looked at the money and at me and at the boy in charge. I finally convinced her to give him the money. He turned on the water pump the ducks started swimming and I grabbed one with the net. The ducks with an L won a large prize. The ducks with the s won a small prize. She did not like the first duck I fished out, which had an L on it by the way. She did like the second duck I pulled out. The boy at the pond shook his head in disbelief as the second duck had an s on his belly and she liked that one. He did not understand that she did not understand the game and that she was fishing for a pretty plastic duck not a stuffed animal. The boy grabbed her plastic prize from the net and with a big smile handled her a rather large stuffed yellow duck. She looked at him like he had lost his mind. I could tell she was about to unleash her wrath upon him for the exchange when I saw her mom exit the arcade area with a big stuffed dolphin. With an over abundant amount of enthusiasm I started rushing toward her mom screaming “look what Emma won!!! A duck A duck ! Emma won a duck!!. Emma got excited and ran after me. “Look mommy !!! A duck!!!!”  Crisis avoided. Whew!

While waiting for the Shamu show Emma went Earthing. Vic talked her into hugging a huge tree and she ran up got her footing and wrapped her arms around this huge tree. The crowd waiting with us went nuts and cheered and ooooed and awed at her. She rewarded them with a huge smile. 

Sunday morning Emma and I had Birthday cake for breakfast. Later on when asked by Sid if she wanted some cake for breakfast she said yes and ate a second piece. Before that Vic asked her if she wanted cake and she said yes but he never got around to getting it. She was working everyone for cake. Smart girl!

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com turned on the AC yesterday and as usual for the 4th year in a row the AC in the house froze up and failed to work. Every year at this same time it does this. I am calling the repair man today. It is hot it is humid and I am soooooo over Texas. 

I am reviewing my situation and looking for a way out of here….. where is that yellow brick road?

Wear what I want

Have you ever walked into a meeting feeling light hearted and happy only to BAM!!!! out of the clear blue have someone attack you? Happens to me, happens a lot. Like a sniper. They wait, they fire. It happened last night. There is a feeling in the room of battle lines being drawn and I am clearly unaware it is happening. Look if you want a position on the Board say so. You do not need to attack me. Bloody Hell!!!! Just say “hey T, I really want to be in that position can we chat about it?” I would have let you have it.

I have not received an apology from Mark on Team Cuellar.

Have you ever taken a shower, got ready for your meeting, left the house only to realize when you arrive at your destination that you forgot to wash your hair? Yeah,…. That was me yesterday.

Do I tell you what to wear to the Teen dance? Do not tell me. If I choose to wear my pajamas, a prom dress, jeans, shorts or flight suit that is my business I have on my vest do you????? Do I mention what you wear? I really do not care. You come have fun!!!! This is not fun anymore.

My new neighbor likes to stand in his darkened kitchen and watch us from his window. I feel obligated to act weird. Weirder that usual.

One of the tea bags in my teapot has exploded and there are tea leaves floating everywhere…hahahah …I needed that…hahah Thank you GOD! Love your sense of humor, it feels like armor.

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com is going to rearrange her home. Can I paint my couch? I also need a staple gun and staples. Some paint for the dining room table…..does my brother still have that old table at his house? I would rather paint that table and chairs it will go better with the buffet and hutch. I am inspired by gypsy wagons and Marrakesh. Michelle last chance to move in…….

Breakfast Letters: Amok Time

Breakfast Letters: Amok Time: Why is it that male creatures that are 40ish and beyond in convertibles feel that stop signs are not meant for the them? Last week it was ...

Amok Time

Why is it that male creatures that are 40ish and beyond in convertibles feel that stop signs are not meant for the them? Last week it was green car guy and yesterday it was silver car guy. Neither the same guy nor the same car, are the dealerships telling them this? Was there an article in GQ or Men’s Vogue that I missed? Is it posted on some Man website? Embroidered on the waistband of man panties?  Where do they get this idea from? Could it be the way they are instructed to drive in Italy, Eastern Europe and they assume here?  Women in convertibles stop. We want to be looked at. We want to give you a good look at us. We are not saying we are aloof and beyond your reach. We are saying we are fun, wild and whooooot!!  My dad had a convertible once. He did NOT drive like that.

I must say that once in a while it is good to eat a cherished bowl of cereal of your childhood. At Halloween we have Count Chocula and Frankenberry here but a few moments ago I treated myself to Cocoa Puffs, Little round balls of crunchy, chocolaty, yumminess. I am thinking Captain Crunch tomorrow.

Did everyone see the line up in the sky last night? The moon, Venus and Aldebaran, I have never heard of this star Aldebaran; It I the eye of the bull of the constellation Taurus, Also known as Alpha Tauri, 65 light years away. Aldebaran is Arabic and translates “the follower”. It is 44.2 times the diameter of the sun. That is huge!! If you follow the three stars that make up Orion’s belt from left to right the first star you see after the belts third star is Aldebaran. It is an orange star. On an episode of Star Trek  Dr. McCoy says Spock is "as tight-lipped as an Aldebaran shellmouth” The episode is called  “Amok Time”.

Lady Tamara www.LochaberHighlandEstates.com will be calling your business today for Silent Auction items for the Taste. Talk to you soon!

Sparkle or Burn

I had a Vampire moment this morning. 

I actually noticed it first yesterday morning. I awake early and go for a mile long walk every morning that I do not have a 7:30 am meeting. It is dark when I leave and dark when I return. I have had the thought many times that it was a race. That I must return before sunrise. That this was my only solitude, the only moment to feel human again, on these walks. I have a fanciful imagination. Yesterday as I headed back East to my house I could see lavender in the sky and paler blues then the midnight hues I was accustomed to.

 It was even more pronounced today. The Eastern sky gaining lighter shades than yesterday and for a moment an overwhelming sense of panic…. I was not going to make it home in time. I pulled my hood tighter over my head and kept walking. But I smiled and thought maybe I would not burn up, I had not yet, maybe, I would sparkle.

When I lived on the island I would take these morning walks on the beach. They were wonderful and I miss them so much.  The scent of salt and sea oats and Sargasm weed, wet sand, vague smell of fish, the sound of the platforms way off shore, the occasional bird sounds or fish jumping.  Sometimes during hurricane season if one comes close enough to Corpus Christi and is strong enough the wind we get here has the scent of ocean. It is brilliant.

Today I am going to live fully in each moment. Not wondering when it will end or what will come next.  I do not want to miss a single moment of the joy, adventure, surprise and treasure that has been lovingly created for me. I may not like it all but I know I do not always know what is best for me. I have been allowed those things I deemed were best for me and they were NOT. However they were part of the tapestry woven for me and there was treasure within them. Join me? We all have things today we absolutely believe we have to do today, so be it. But stop and just be in the moment of them the other things will happen without us thinking on them.

Lady Tamara spent a good hour with her favorite knight

 from the North on Friday on the phone and he says nothing will come to fruition until 2017. Lady Tamara forgot to ask if she was included in the plan or will she just be a guest and pay to play like all the muggles? That was me stepping out of the moment chasing after something I want. I want to be a regular part of the venue. Live there. Play (work) there. Have a permanent place at least until I can go Pirate for the rest of my life.  To be sure, the rum will never be gone…hahahaha

Congressional staffer lies?

Little male humanoid in the green car at the 4 way stop, here is what happened it will be followed by what I think of you.

1         I arrived at the sign before you.

          I came to a full stop as dictated by law.

          I was to your right, which means in the case of a doubt (as to whom arrived first) per the driving instruction I received I would proceed.

          You arrived after I did. I had the right of way                                                                           You did not stop at all when you realized you got there after I did.

         You rolled on through as a means of control, intimidation and arrogance.

        You were driving a standard transmission (not a crime but read on)                                   You were talking on the phone while approaching and departing the stop sign.

        I watched you fumble with your phone while you shifted on through your slow roll.                                                                                                                                   I am a Lady. Lady Tamara   www.HighlandTitles.com to be exact.  Out of respect (which you lack) you should have let me go ahead.

       I pity all females in your circle.                                                                                                     I pity your sons.                                                                                                                             I have harsh words for your Mother.

      Your sperm donor would be proud….

Dear Public Affair humanoid…You have told a lie. You wrote it on a business card. You had no idea when you did this that I had a witness to your lie. I understand you wanted to save face with your error but, throwing me under your incompetent bus was not the way to handle it. As I see it the only people that knew you were a “no-show” was me and the witness. This could have disappeared never to be spoken of again. But NO, because of your lie here it is. When you called me from downtown San Antonio and said you were going to come by around 4-4:30 I realized you would probably not make it. I could tell you had not driven up I-35 North on a Friday during Rush Hour.  I was not worried about you not making it. You either would or you would not. You did not. But you wrote it down on your business card that you got there by 4 and the building was closed and locked. This is a LIE. You know it is and I know it is and may I again say the witness knows it is.  I thought not of it again. But Monday I get a call, accused of not being in the office. It was Thursday and I was still hearing about it. You are supposed to represent a Congressman in Texas. Is this how the Congressman represents himself? With a staff member who lies at the expense of another human just to cover his inability to arrive at a destination when he believed he could. This was no problem for me. I would not have thought badly of you or the Congressman.  Last year the Congressman did not represent my district but guess what……….. he does now. So I will give you until Thursday afternoon to apologize to me, to the Executive Director and to the Administrative Assistant and to anyone else you believed you needed to contact to cover your butt.

I am waiting…….

Oh and the Councilwoman who still has not apologized for what she did to my centerpieces at the Luncheon, Councilwoman Hale from Cibolo.

A barricade across a road usually means the road is closed. It is not put there for you to feel important and special.  I had taken up a stance at a crossroad near a barricade to shoot some photos of a parade.  I do not work for the city involved. I am standing there enjoying the morning and watching the onlookers arrive to stake out a bit of sidewalk.  A car rolls up and wants to get through. He just sits there. Finally turns around and drives off. Another car wants through to get across to go down to his house on the opposite street, OK. Lawn man wants to get to his client on the street I am standing on so again I move the barricade. The first of the runners go by and then a few more and more cars pull up to the barricade and wait and turn around and leave; all but one. He is dashing up the road, around the curve and sees us. He applies brakes, he slows, and he is not stopping. He creeps right up to the saw horse and sits there. Waiting as if the saw horses will magically part and let him through. He creeps a bit closer. I hear him change gears and the whirr of the car as he backs up at Mach 2, spins around and dash off. Again, a barricade across a road usually means the road is closed.

This garage door business is well beyond my ability to deal with. Oh just do this or this or this or that the advice from well-meaning people have been. I cannot do this!!! This is the type of thing a man deals with. This is man work. I am a girl!!! I do not know where to begin or what to do. Get on Criag’s List, go to home depot, just buy a couple panels, call the pros and have them look at it and then go do it yourself.  A man would have resolved this already. Brought me the still bleeding head of the beast and asked what next with rapt enthusiasm.

I paid my lawn care man extra to do a weed killer thing and I still have bloody weeds after 4 weeks!!! What the bloody hell did I pay for? He then says if I want more than the grass cut ( I need 8 dead shrubs removed) I need to pay more? You still owe me some dead weeds!!! You bloody freak!!!!  My neighbor works at Home Depot and she brought home some magic dust that her man treated her yard to and their weeds are gone. I suppose I shall have to put on some pants and be my own bloody man!  I don’t need a pedicure who looks at me bloody feet anyway!!!

Have a weed free day!

She needs a bear

As we all know parking spaces have 2 lines. Your object is to park in between the two lines leaving room on either side. I am sure you do not have to leave room; it is more of a courtesy thing. You can park on the line if you choose. Circumstances from others not parking between the lines may cause some to park on the line or maybe over the line into another space. Some people park on purpose into two spaces. I did when I had a new car but I also parked farther away from destination in very vacant areas of the parking lot. Not close to the building preventing others who may have health issues or are over 50 who need to park closer. I pulled into a parking lot and found the spot I wished to park in. I pulled in to exactly the middle evenly spaced between two lines. On my left was a smallish SUV parked fairly well between their lines and to my right, a large SUV was parked on the line. I got out, locked the doors and was walking around the end of my car when the owner of the badly parked SUV walked around to her door and glared at my car as she attempted to get in hers. She huffed and her once lovely face dissolved before me into something hideous. 

It was almost mesmerizing. I slowed my pace waiting for her to make a comment which I could see was perched on the edge of her now ugly mouth. She huffed again and slowly opened her door as I watched. She glanced partially in my direction where she discovered me looking in her eyes. She turned away from me as I kept walking and a giggle escaped my smiling lips. Whether she scratched, banged or spit on my door I do not know because I did not look. Her anger was directed at me because I parked as I should have. How often do any of us feel anger because something was right when we were so wrong? How often are we on the receiving end of that anger? We do something with pure thought and the person it was for reacts so wrong and with such anger. Does it confuse you? It does me. I am usually shocked by their thought process. Never would I have dreamed up what they believe I was doing. It is shattering! What horrible things have happened to them that cause this anger, resentment, distrust? Makes me want to buy them a teddy bear.

Oh…did I mention I saw Horatio Friday?

 He was at a golf tournament. Well, I believe he was. I was at a golf course that was hosting a tournament and he was there. I did not see him so he must have on the course somewhere near hole 14.

Let me tell you something about Tamara. She sang in the Jazz Choir in High School. Yep. Like Glee Club 

  but, not. Jazz Choir was made up of members of the regular choir. We had these amazing uniforms we would wear and perform different songs and concerts. It was a class, choir was a class you received credit for it. I loved it. I was in choir from 7^th grade through my senior year. I was forced to perform a solo at a UIL event once. I hated it, I hated the song. I did horrible. I am not a soloist. I like to sing in a group. I did perform a duet in public once at my church with my friend Debbie for a group of Seniors at a show the youth choir was hosting for them. I was the male vocal part. It was fun. They laughed. It was the Goatherd song from the Sound of Music. “High on a hill stood a lonely goatherd….” Hahaha

Lady Tamara www.LochaberHighlandEstates.com has been told several times she sings very well. She does not believe she does. Her voice instructor, yes I had private voice lessons doesn’t everyone? After many different songs and styles the instructor informed Lady Tamara that she does her best singing while singing country music. Lady Tamara was heartbroken. I wanted to be more like Stevie Nix and less like Joanie Mitchell or Tanya Tucker. I stopped singing pretty much after that. I am very good at Harper Valley PTA.

I have been drinking my tea with half and half for lent. I bought some cream last night for the first time in about 8 weeks and I must say, tea is much much MUCH better with cream than with milk or half and half. I feel more like Lady Tamara this morning.

I hope you all have a cream covered day!

Irish flag in my bowl

Email me privately for more information on Amasa and Thankful. You cannot be nice like a few researchers are and just post it out there? Really??... because you are the sole heir to a vast yet undisclosed inheritance? Because they are/have been in the witness protection program since 1770? Because sharing information on our dead kin folks will land you with a 1.3 million dollar fine? Because you spent the past 12 years doing the research and you do not wish to share it? Well aren’t we all glad Madame Currie did not feel that way and don’t we wish Darwin had felt that way. My first emotional response to you is something like rage but not as red. My next emotion is pity. This is me tossing a V to you. Spock style!

My sugar bowl looks like an Irish flag. I will describe it so you too may see it. A cut glass crystal bowl, the cuts look like knife pleats. The kind you imagine Grecian gowns were styled like or the back of wonderfully plated kilt. Inside this sparkling container is white sugar crystals and scattered in amongst them, green and orange glittering grains of sugar. An Irish flag.

I made blueberry muffins yesterday. 

Not open a package and stir in some water. I must say they smelled like French toast as they baked. Not IHOP French toast but the delicious crispy toast I have found only at the Empress Hotel in Hong Kong. They even tasted a bit like French toast with Blueberries. Loved them and I am eating the last two this morning.  That was not the end of my culinary skills yesterday. For dinner I made Focaccia bread with rosemary and fennel, Lobster and shrimp ravioli in a quattro salsa al formaggio which I sprinkled Chesapeake Bay seasoning into. WOW!!!!

Today I have four limes that need to be used for something and I am thinking lime chess bars. Who is coming to tea?

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com is looking for a 2 bedroom 2or 1 bath cottage, home, loft, apartment, condo, townhome to move into to. If you know of any please let her know. She is willing to relocate. She can do her job from anywhere and she can pick up new clients form anywhere.

Oh and one more thing…… I am also looking for sugar cubes. Please let me know if you know where they are. Thanx!

Is she yours?

My fairy Godmother delivered unto me a vacuum cleaner yesterday.

 I never sought to gain anything by these letters. But it happened. I am very grateful. I am not sure she truly understands what this gesture meant to me. Just as I am sure another friend, who sent me a bit of money in an encouraging card last June does not. I ask GOD to pour out showers of blessings on you.

Now for the overly rude woman at Chuy’s…… 

My daughter is a hostess. It is her job to greet you and seat you. She will chip you if the wait staff is too busy. It is NOT her job to inform you of the where-about of your favorite waiter. If she says he is off for the day he is off for the day. It is NOT her job to inform you as to why he is off for the day. That is his business and maybe the way the schedule was set. If the waiter in question is your son and you have just discovered he has lied to you that is your drama, it has NOTHING to do with my daughter. Grilling her like she is suspect is NOT acceptable. If the boy in question is your lover again that is your drama NOT my daughters! Writing up my daughter negatively in a comment card because you cannot have what you want is very unacceptable. Your complaint?..... she needs to be more assertive? How is this for assertive? Speak to her ever again and I will hunt you down and step on your neck! She is beautiful! Deal with it! She is enchanting! Deal with it! She is a joyful free spirit! Bloody well deal with!!!!

While I am on the track of rude behavior…. Dear city council person…. Attending a banquet and placing your campaign oversized cards on tables on top of the centerpiece is soooo very unacceptable!

 What in the Hell were you thinking? Did you see any other ugly piece of propaganda on the tables? NO NO you did not. We do not allow that. What if I came to your home and put my business cards all over your house? Tucked in the frame of paintings and photographs. Laying on top of your tacky bric-a-brac. Scattered all over your cocktail, end and dining tables. I am still in shock at this behavior. You do not even have an opponent. You spent an enormous amount on cards you do not need. That is YOUR problem that is not an invitation to scatter your face on ugly cards all over my bloody centerpieces. It is called disrespect and you owe me and apology! A public apology since you did this heinous thing in public. The little village you live in and represent now have left me with very negative feelings about the quality of people coming from there. Maybe I should show up at a public council meeting and ask you if you represent your district with the same careless disrespect you showed me and my centerpiece? Maybe I should circulate fliers with the photo I took of your behavior within your district? Perhaps I could just mention it on facebook and maybe 200 of my friends will repost. You are in public office. You are less than 20 miles outside of San Antonio…..

Wait!..... could this person be the same person that was ugly to my daughter?.....hmmmm I see very similar behavior…..

Lady Tamara  www.HighlandTitles.com will be opening up a charm school for rude city councilwomen.  

Breakfast Letters: Garage Battle

Breakfast Letters: Garage Battle: Let me start with the first incident. On Saturday I clean the vacuum filter and go over the carpet in the dining room. As I move into the ...

Garage Battle

Let me start with the first incident. On Saturday I clean the vacuum filter and go over the carpet in the dining room. As I move into the media room I come across a little orange ball. I attempt to gently nudge the ball aside to continue my vacuuming when the machine sucks the bloody ball up and then proceeds to make an incredible noise. There is no getting the ball back and there will be no more vacuuming and I have 5 people coming for Easter. I also now have the added expense of buying a new vacuum or paying to repair this one. Of course you already know about the bag of Easter basket goodies that did not make it home with me and the disgusting pork loin. I believed that my troubles were over but as you will soon see ……that was NOT to be.

My daughter who has been practicing her driving skills went a block from the house to the mail cluster boxes to retrieve the mail in my car.

 I am here sitting at my desk deciding what product to promote the following day when I hear a crash outside. I pause, oops Shaggy just ran over the trash can I assume. I go to the window and look out. I see nothing amiss. She gets out of the car and looks at the front end of the car and then looks at the garage door. I recall the crash I heard actually sounded like it came from within my house. If I was not a pale shade of olive skin before I am now. I go down stairs and out the door. “What happened?” I ask. “Oh Mom, Your car is fine”. What did you hit? “ I bumped the garage door.” Bumped? The bloody door is caved in and looks as though it is grimacing in pain. Let me just move on ahead to say first. This will be a funny story in a few weeks. It is not funny to me right now. My brother found it extremely funny. My brother is the husband in a two income family. If I had the money they do I would laugh too.

I have handled each battle since Saturday with grace and skill. No easy task considering each thing triggered PTSD symptoms. However the garage door incident has not been so easy. It became even more so when I learned it will cost a minimum of $549 to replace it. That may not sound like much but I make less than $1000 a month. So I have been challenged with an intense case of battle mode. I have shut down my human contact to the extreme bare minimum. I am inventorying my resources. Creating strategies. Making sure all my escape routes are clear. Playing out scenarios.  I am leary, distrustful, anxious, and I have already decided I am in red flag and there will be no prisoners. I have passed fight or flight. What surprises me is how fast I can go from I am all right to a very intense Warrior and recall every nuance of emotion from every battle. Every moment, every direction, every progress still lands me here. How much fight can one woman keep giving? When will I give up? When will enough be enough and I just lay down my sword and give up? This is the thought that terrifies me and I am fearless. I was planning a trip to the edge on Sunday. That always seems to be my cure. But now…. Now I have to buy a garage door.

If you have been trying to talk with Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com and she does not seem to be hearing you, she is standing guard at her castle perimeters.

 Bagpipe is playing (thank you Jeff for being her piper) and she is watching. 

Rotten Pork

I have given up chocolate for Lent. 6 weeks of no chocolate. I am very excited about Easter morning. No I am not Catholic. I have done this for years. It is either chocolate or men. Anyway I am out shopping for goodies for the baskets. I spent $70 at one location and $30 at another; I carry the bags into my room and deposit them in an undisclosed location. I get up early anxious for my favorite Easter treats Reese eggs. I am loading up each basket when I realize I have gone through all the bags and there are no Reese eggs, no peeps, no cookie and cream eggs, no Easter socks. I am missing a bag. I carried out the bag she handed me. I realize Barbie at the cash wrap failed to give me one of my bags. I heard no “Ma’am you left a bag!” I saw no ne chase me out to the parking lot. I cannot believe I was that distracted as to just left it sitting on the counter. Surely she would have noticed or the person behind me.  I am soooooo disappointed, in people, in the day, and I wish I had the amount of forgiveness GOD has. 

I sent the kids to get a puzzle last night for my mom to have to mess with today. I said get a 500 piece puzzle that was not too complicated and pretty. They brought back a black night sky with a with a white and grey stripped tiger. Maybe I should have said “think old lady”. OOyyyyy!!!

I will eat one of the truffle eggs I got the girls and get on with me morning. 

It was an Omen, the missing bag of goodies. I had everything prepped for the pork loin a’ la’ Provence. I open the package which is sealed airtight. I take a deep breath and reach my hand out and grabbed hold of a slimy cold piece of flesh. I knew immediately “danger danger…get rid of it!!! BAD BAD!!!!” It should NOT have been slimy. I lean toward it to take a sniff and before I can even get my nose 6inches from the thing I can smell it. Buzzards 3 miles away probably could smell it. It smelled 3 days old dead. Now I had pulled the thing from the freezer Saturday afternoon. Let it thaw a bit and then placed it in the fridge. It should NOT have smelled that way. My stomach lurched and as I was thinking don’t do it, I hurled it the trash. My daughter grabbed the trash bag and promptly put it out side. Now what would we have for dinner? There would be 6 of us. I would make chicken Alfredo lasagna. I went to get the precooked chicken and low and behold it was ham. Rethink dinner again. Meatloaf I decided as one of my daughters looked at me in horror and shook her head. “Mom I do not like meat loaf”. Her friend Daniel looked like he had just eaten lemon peel. Fast approaching panic I remembered I had made a batch of sauce for lasagna last week. I could still make the rosemary focaccia, cabbage and carrots.

 I went to work creating,  the children went outside for a water balloon fight and I started doubting my amazing culinary skills. I had made a cheesecake on Saturday for Easter dinner. Made not unfroze, not opened a packaged mix, made. I had peeled, chopped, cooked, mashed and reduced 6 fresh mangoes into a tasty topping and slathered in on the cheesecake. 

The way things were going I imagined it would be horrible. I quickly got it out and cut a thin slice out and …… WOW! It was perfect. Dry, yet moist, firm yet incredibly soft. The mango sauce was amazing. I was relieved and grateful and said a prayer of thanks.  Dinner may be a little crazy today but dessert was brilliant. I should write the recipe down and share it except I made it up and did not measure.

My daughter Lovey and I filled 140 eggs with treats Saturday night and on Sunday Daniel and I hid 132 of them (the rest would not go back together).  The girls all showed up dressed to kill with Emma in tow and set her gathering them up.  She had a huge basket and before long it was full. I thought she might get bored or tired but at each and every egg she gently picked it up and made a fuss. Ooohs….. and ahhhs…… and total joy on her face. She would see a pink one about 10 feet from her and run passing green ones and blue ones and then a yellow would catch her eye and off she would go passing up green and pink ones. There was no methodical order just random joy catching her attention and pursuit. It was bliss.

Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com will not be roasting a pork loin for a very very very long time. It will take me a while to not associate that smell with pork.  I also will be shopping somewhere else. I pray everyone had a less chaotic adventure for their dinner.

Tonight no dinner, I have an Artz Council meeting.

Breakfast Letters: Creme Brulee

Breakfast Letters: Creme Brulee: Good morning, I am Lady Tamara  www.LairdOfLochaber.com   and I would like to tell you a little about me. Not all at once but a wee bit ...

Creme Brulee

Good morning,

I am Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com and I would like to tell you a little about me. Not all at once but a wee bit at a time. My opinion (which I will swear I have none of) on some things may be quite clear and other things maybe it seems I cannot make up my mind. Since I am nibbling toast we will begin with food; reminds me of the scene from the Sound of Music, when Maria is teaching them to sing. “Let’s start at the very beginning….”

I am, as I said nibbling toast. Not just bread and butter. I like cinnamon raisin bread with butter and cinnamon sugar, my favorite for toast.

  As for jelly, jam or preserves, I like jams and preserves, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, the berry group and Orange Marmalade. I want any of those plopped down on top of scones, real one, like Val makes spread with clotted cream 

and a pot of tea. I prefer tea but I want it served in a pot not a bag sitting in a cup with some hot water on the side. Coffee is for eating breakfast out and road trips. I like a to go cup and lets drive. I do not like iced tea however I will drink iced blackberry green tea. I adore iced coffee with cream.

 Speaking of cream, I want cream or half/half in my coffee and my tea. Powder creamer is forbidden in tea and only used in an emergency for coffee. Sugar is for tea only. Sugar cubes are the best but since I cannot find those I like colored sugar crystals scattered in my sugar bowl, little brightly colored jewels glittering in my sugar.

I am repulsed by a slab of meat sitting on my plate. Not a Vegan or vegetarian but I do not like flesh. Now here is where it will get weird. I adore adore adore prime rib cooked just to the point of well done. No pink, no squish, firm and a little dry with horseradish sauce. Salmon, not the steak cut but a small fillet. Salmon is not for blackening. Snow crab legs without the body part just the legs. Boiled shrimp (you peel them style), butterfly my fried shrimp. I do not like my shrimp mixed in other foods. Fresh raw oysters, I want them shucked and loose, lying in their shells with cocktail sauce.  I do not do sushi.  I have had excellent Japanese and Chinese cuisine.  I do not wish to eat Asian food.  I like Thai and I like Indian. I like Lebanese and Egyptian foods and Mediterranean.  I like McDonalds double cheeseburgers, it is comfort food. Going out to a burger joint to get a burger will not make me happy. I do not care if they won a critics choice or are gourmet.  I do not eat hotdogs except at an event because it is part of the experience, such as a baseball game or a corndog at a flea market. I would like to one day eat a dog from a street vendor in New York. 

 Italian is great!  If pork medallions are on the menu I may eat them. If black pepper encrusted filet mignon with blue cheese crumbles is on the menu I may eat that. If ham in a cherry bourbon sauce is on the menu I may eat that.

Crème brulee is my favorite dessert. I have had the most amazing, best, champion crème brulee in San Francisco, all over San Francisco. They are the kings of Crème Brulee. However I will sample it anywhere. Please other places try and dethrone San Francisco!

Mahi Mahi in mango chutney,  Blackened red fish,  Pulled pork sandwich,  Pot roast,  Crab cakes. Butternut squash ravioli, Manicotti,…..

I do not like chain store restaurants. No Chilis, Papadeux, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc…. I want a real chef creating his art in his kitchen and it served with flair and pride. I want food prepared for me by someone who loves to cook and wants to share his joy.

Speaking of food. I must turn in my menu for the Gala.

What do you like to eat?