Thursday, April 24, 2014

Tangy chicken

Tangy chicken marinated and baked on 
wood skewers make an impressive and tasty appetizer.
Ingredients5 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons low sodium gluten free soy sauce
6 tablespoons all natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped basil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 pounds chicken breast (boneless and skinless)
Bamboo skewers
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
  1. Place the skewers in a deep pan and fill the pan with water. Soak the skewers for about 15 minutes before proceeding. This will prevent the skewers from burning during the cooking process
  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, peanut butter, cilantro, basil and lime juice; mix until well combined. Pour half of the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. One half will be used to marinate the chicken, while the other will be used as a dipping sauce. Be sure to keep these two halves separated to prevent contamination from the raw chicken
  1. Using a meat tenderizer, pound out the chicken breast until it is about 1⁄4-inch thin and cut each into long strips about 1 inch wide. Place the chicken strips into the medium size bowl with the sauce and mix well until the chicken is completely coated. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to marinate
  1. After the chicken has marinated, roll each chicken strip into a ball and place it onto a water-soaked skewer. Place the skewers onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Discard the sauce used to marinate the chicken
  1. Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the color has reached a nice golden brown
  1. Place the cooked skewers on a serving platter along with the previously set aside dipping sauce and enjoy

Friday, April 18, 2014

Lilac - Dwarf Korean Miss Kim

Lilac - Dwarf Korean

Same Lilac scent in a smaller size

Dwarf Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri 'Palibin') is known as a compact but spreading plant. It is smaller and denser than other Lilac bushes.

The Dwarf Korean Lilac blooms heavily in mid to late spring with dense, showy clusters of pale lilac flowers that are spread over the entire canopy. This variety is very fragrant and begins blooming at an early age.

With a mature height of 4-5 feet The Dwarf Korean Lilac is so versatile. It can fit in tight places and small gardens. A great choice for a foundation plant because it won’t block windows. It is also very tolerant of pollution making it a perfect choice for an urban garden.

The Dwarf Korean Lilac is cold hardy and easy to grow. It is also adaptable to most any soil conditions.

If you love lilacs but thought you didn’t have room for one the Dwarf Korean Lilac is for you. Now you can enjoy the captivating fragrance of lilac in a small yard or even in a decorative planter. Their compact size makes them a great selection for any garden or small landscape.

*Cold Hardy

*Adaptable

*Heavy bloomer

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

TOO DAM FUNNY

 TYPICAL GOVERNMENTAL MOVE.
This is a good one!! Look at the two pictures; then scroll down
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania. This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter, you won’t stop once you start. WOW Love this man.




This is an actual letter: State of Pennsylvania 's letter to Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQ ... File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2010.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action..

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.








Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File
No.. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 11/17/09 has been handed to me. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .

A couple of beavers are in the process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.





These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2010? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,

RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS