Dr. John's Radio Emporium WYNR 1390 now online

Today, I bring you exciting news in an update of a post I did on July 24, 2012 about my neighbor John who'd started his own radio station in his home broadcasting the hits of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's every Saturday night from 7-9 Central Time. At that time, John's show was only available by radio within a small radius of his home station, but John has since gone digital and now everyone can tune in on Saturday nights via his web site: WYNR1390.com. 

These broadcasts are gems,  little slices of old-school broadcasting, like John did when he started out as a DJ at KAND 1340 back in the sixties. Each week features a theme, and this week's is 5 by 5: five songs by five different artists: The Eagles, ELO, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Poison and Van Halen. If you're near a computer Saturday night at 7 Central, tune in for a listen to Dr. John's Radio Emporium! *Note: John never misses a broadcast, but since I posted this yesterday, he was injured and is in the hospital recovering, so he cannot broadcast this week, but will be back next Saturday, March 8 - tune in then.

Also, he takes suggestions and requests for future shows via the email link on his site. Past shows have centered on the 25 greatest songs of the 60's, 70's and 80's, backseat of the Chevy, 50's doo wop, Southern fried rock, and Texas artists, to name a few.

To read the whole story of John's beginnings in radio, second career in television and movies as a production manager, and third act as a Dallas constable, go to my 2012 post, but here are a few extra fun facts that I learned during my last chat with John, who is like a walking encyclopedia on the history of radio broadcasting.
John has now been inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

In the 60's John was an instructor at the Elkins Institute of Radio Broadcasting here in Dallas and Rush Limbaugh was one of his students.

Most commercial stations do not play songs from before 1964, which was a turning point in the American music scene due to the British invasion. John's station plays songs reaching all the way back to the 50's.

The music director of John's station, dubbed "Nurse Gina" is his lovely wife and greatest cheerleader, Gina.

word crush, Portland, book find: good things

Sometimes, I can get hung up on a word or phrase, turning it over and over in my mind to relish, like a lollipop that you never want to get to the end of. My current word-crush is solar plexus. I got stuck on it writing a poem about how words can get inside of you and change you in a magical way right down to your solar plexus, which is like a hub or center connecting many core parts of your body. So, the sound is cool, but also the concept. 

I have gained a lot this year through the words of gratitude I conjure most mornings and nights. I heard a TED talk by a guy who was an expert on happiness, and he said that his first waking thought each morning is to picture five people who love him and to give thanks for each one. That is a powerful boost and I have found it so helpful in starting my days off in a creative and calm state of mind. Also, I have been memorizing a few Bible verses, just to have them handy to meditate on. I like this one from Jeremiah 29:13 in which God says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." I love that because it is comforting and speaks to the faithfulness of God. Don't we all need something that we know we can depend on?

Oh my goodness, Portland was sooo much fun last weekend. The trip was Thursday through Monday, and it is the reason I have not blogged. I went without QG, so it was a girls weekend with my daughter, Kelly. We did most of our favorite things: hiked, cooked, thrifted at several Goodwill stores, went to two movies (both good: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Dallas Buyer's Club), ate ice cream, drank coffee and our favorite beer: Carolus, hung out, went to yoga, etc. We drove to the coast, which was lush green forest against deep blue water and black rocks. These photos are from the trip.

Also, on the flights, I read a wonderful book: The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel. Wow, beautifully understated in the poetic simplicity of the language, yet dense in telling detail. It was set during WWII and involved an arranged marriage, and the intersecting lives of many groups in Colorado. I highly recommend this gem.

cutie cake, round one

My cake invention was not a rousing success. I liked it, but I tend to like everything. Other reviews were mixed, so, obviously, it needs refinement. The idea was to boil up these cuties and put the cooked clementines and their liquid in a blender, then use that in place of butter. I figured the skins would provide some oil and there is not much white pith on these to make it too bitter. I added some olive oil, but should have put some water in and perhaps a tad more olive oil. Anyhow, it was intensely citrus in flavor and rather light in texture. The Cutie Cake recipe:

Start by boiling 7 cuties is a small amount of water, covered so that it steams until soft throughout. Cool, then pulse in blender until thick and smooth.

Mix 1 yellow cake box mix, 2/3 cup of the cutie mash, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and 3 eggs. Beat 4 minutes, then put into a greased and floured rectangular cake pan, bake as directed on cake mix package. When done, poke holes all over top of cake with a chopstick. 

Mix 1/2 cup each of water, cutie mash and sugar and bring to a boil, then simmer a few minutes until sugar is dissolved. Pour this over the top of the cake. That's it. Enjoy. I plan to tweak this recipe some more, because I think it has a lot of potential to be a healthier version of birthday cake. Let me know if you have any ideas for improvement.

My sister sent me these flowers yesterday - what a fun surprise! Thanks, Lisa.

53

Whew - today I made it to 53. Not sure if that is such a great accomplishment, considering I had no choice, but this particular birthday fills me with relief. My mom died at 52, so I've been uneasy all year about that number. In the back of my mind, I kept wondering if I would also die at 52. That does not seem logical, as I am not even sick and I want to live forever, but feelings are seldom logical and 52 seemed like a complete barrier beyond which I couldn't imagine myself being. My first thought when I opened my eyes this morning was... I did it - I made it to 53, and that filled me with joy and happiness. Can't wait to write, take pictures, and a million other things this year.

I have an exciting cake experiment baking now, and I will tell you all about it tomorrow. It is a healthy version of a box cake that I made up and I don't know if it will turn out delicious, or like a rock, but I will reveal all tomorrow, with pictures and recipe. Also just made a huge batch of granola and am making two loaves of bread. All of this because tomorrow is the most exciting of days. I fly to Portland to spend the long weekend with my youngest daughter, Kelly. Naturally, I would not think of showing up without a homemade loaf of bread and a sack of granola in my suitcase. We are going to do all kinds of hanging out, hiking, drinking beer and coffee and tooling about together. Oh my gosh, that girl is such a sweetie that she is flying me out there as my Christmas/birthday gift. Best gift ever!

These flowers are from the past year, my gift for you to gaze at and enjoy while you think happy thoughts!

list girl

Salad and I are back together. We couldn't stay parted for long. Salad completes me. Here is a picture of yesterday's lunch. The salad included iceberg lettuce, field greens, chopped red peppers, left-over grilled chicken, tiny tomatoes, and feta cheese. For the dressing, I sprinkled fig balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little sugar. That's it. Toss and enjoy!

This is a plant called "string of pearls." I love it very much. I got it eight years ago when I was visiting my buddy Jean in St. Louis. Jean is a dear person and my gardening mentor. Anyhow, she had this plant growing in a vase of water and, when I went berserk over its loveliness, she gave me a snipping. The snipping is still growing strong, and has spawned many babies, this snippet being one of them. So precious. 

I am continuing on my organizational quest. Now that most of my closets are cleaned out, I am moving on to lists. For years, I've wanted to be a list person, but the thought of making the list of everything I need to do always made me fall asleep, no matter what time of day it was. Ugh. Exhausting. But, exciting news, last Monday, I finally made the list. It has 58 items on it ranging from paint the living room to trim Jamiewoo's paws. Yay! List made. I already did thirteen of the items, though two, I added to the list after doing them just to make myself feel like I was making progress.

One frustrating item was call Verizon to get a better cable/phone deal. I have a horrible history with such things, so why did I bother? The first call with Kristen lasted an hour. We agreed on a deal, only she was going to call me back to confirm. Unfortunately, I missed that call, because it was an hour before scheduled. So I started all over again with Miss Porter the next day. After another hour we had a deal. I only had to go to the local Verizon store to pick up my box to activate the new deal, which would save us fifteen bucks a month. I go to the store and, of course, the order is messed up and the new gal Corrina has to re-enter it, promising me the same price. The box is installed, only the HD doesn't work and the price on our confirmation email from Corrina is not only way above Miss Porter's price but more than we were paying originally. Aaaargh. Guess what I will be doing for at least an hour tomorrow? Oh well. I'll write the call on my list, so I can cross it off afterwards. That's something.

Saving Mister Banks is a must-see

Quick post because I need to leave for yoga in seven minutes, but I wanted to recommend the movie Saving Mister Banks. Oh my heavens to Betsy, it is fantastic and you should not miss it. QG and I went to see it last weekend and I expected it to be good, but it was way better than that. I have not seen a movie that wonderful since Mud the summer before last. As you might know, the movie is the story of P.L. Travers and her negotiations with Walt Disney over the movie Mary Poppins, based on her book. The movie expertly weaves the story of her childhood with her battle with Disney over the tone and substance of the movie. Honestly, I was softly crying through half of the movie because it was so very touching and the acting was superb. See it, and tell me what you think.

bread and jam for lunch

As a rule, I am loyal to salad. I eat it every single day for lunch, and often for dinner, too. I do this to be healthy, but also because I love salad. Only this afternoon I got the lettuce out to make my salad and thought... Yuck. I couldn't even look at it without cringing. Apparently, salad and I have been spending way too much time together lately. We need some alone time to sort out our relationship. So, I lunched with my old flames PBJ and homemade bread. It was bliss. We are in the crush stage. Who knows happen now with me and "S."

I have been baking lots of bread lately. Nothing beats bread warm from the oven when it's freezing outside. It is simple to make. This is adapted from Jim Lahey's recipe in his book, My Bread. Here's how:

Put 3 cups bread flour, 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Stir it around. Add 1 and 1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon cool water mixed with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Mix well into a slightly gloppy (moist) dough. You may have to add a tad more water. Cover with plastic wrap or a plate and let sit for 18-24 hours until dough is about doubled in size and bubbly on top. (You may use 2 cups bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat. If so, use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon yeast.)

Coat a cotton or linen tea towel with flour then sprinkle it with cornmeal. Pull the dough up out of the bowl and form it into a ball, folding the edges under into an oval. Place this onto the center of the flour/cornmeal-laced towel. Cut a few slits across the top. Gently cover with towel edges. Let rise for two hours. 

You will need a heavy, covered baking container to bake the bread in. This can be crockery, clay, or enameled cast iron. I use the clay pot shown here. I wet it down with water before putting it into the oven. Thirty minutes before the two-hour rise is completed, put the pot into the oven and turn it to 475 degrees. Thirty minutes later, take the pot out of the oven, remove the lid and quickly, yet gently, place the loaf of dough inside and replace the lid. Bake it for thirty minutes, then take off the lid and bake it for about fifteen minutes more, till golden brown and crusty. Cool on a wire rack at least fifteen minutes before cutting. Put loaf cut-side-down on a plate and cover with towel as you use it. Cover with a bag by end of second day if it is not gone yet.

steps and missteps

This morning, Jamiewoo the Wonder Dog didn't amble downstairs from her nest on the living room couch until eight. She usually pops up at six. So, there she was, ears askew, little nose quivering, when I opened the back door to let her answer nature's call, as is our custom first thing. She put two paws onto the patio, turned around, and came back in. "ungh uah, Little Missy," I told her, "It's been twelve hours. Get out there. You can do it." This time she got all four paws onto the snow before dashing inside to cower against my legs. Oh Drat. I had to bundle up and walk out there with her to prove she would not freeze to death. She wisely peed the instant her paws hit the grass and we both dashed back into the house for hot coffee. (Okay, me coffee; her kibble with hot gravy, the next best thing.) Radio Dude said it was minus three with the wind chill factor. Minus three, people. In Dallas. Today. That's all kind of wrong, any way you slice it. Too cold to go out.

So I skipped yoga class. I light some candles and settled in to work on an editing job beside the space heater in my office/craft room. Only, the candles got me thinking about my camera, Agnes, and how pretty the glow would be on film. I'm easily distracted. I took a ton of pictures trying the self-timer, since it was low light, to avoid blurriness. I recently read about this technique. Only when I put the pictures on my computer, most of them were absent. I realized I'd been pressing the video button, not the self timer. And I hadn't even done that correctly, so my efforts had accomplished nothing whatsoever. Time for emergency measures: the owner's manual to figure out the self-timer. Why do we so often resist finding the answer in the most obvious place? At least, I do. Anyhow, here's one of the shots. Even though I missed the best ones, I learned something. That's the important part. Life is a journey of learning step by step. Now on to that editing job. Stay warm!

Shoe lovers rock!

Lauren is now safely in Rio! She made it to her new apartment with all five maximum-weight suitcases in tow. Mid-pack, I was looking at her massive amount of junk strewn about and realized that most of it boiled down to clothes, shoes, and books. I was about to judge, but, upon reflection, had to admit that the bulk of my most valued possessions are clothes, shoes and books. Oops. That's my girl.