Category: My Family

Without a family, one seldom thinks long term

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Rule 1: to be happy, marry the right person

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Laura and I have very fond memories of the USC and UCLA rivalry, because in 1969 it was our first date. We were high school seniors and as such my pockets were virtually always empty,I was very excited about  tickets arriving  from both schools for THE big game. I needed only a little money for gas and a couple of meals at Bob’s Big Boy on Colorado Boulevard and I was set. So, I borrowed the family car, dipped into my frugal collection of coins and off we went. The rest as they say is history.

No relationship is perfect, even the very long married will tell you that, but what they will also say is that they remember the good times and celebrate in big ways and small the special events in their lives as a couple. Three years ago, I  wrote about a particularly long lived couple married over 80 years and what they attributed to their mutual long living attraction and love. Laura also  blogged sweetly about the date… so what’s a guy to do?

Not every woman would enjoy a football game on her first date with a new guy, but fortunately, Laura did and maybe that has been the secret of a long relationship… mutual interests, positive shared experiences and the joy of just being around the other person.

Thank you, Laura for everything.

Roger

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and what is in your turkey this year?

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Thanksgiving is one of the few universally enjoyed holidays in America and the ‘turkey’ is the star. Americans so love this bird that even Benjamin Franklin lobbied for the turkey rather than the eagle as our national bird! Although I do enjoy a plain bird with stuffing, on special occasions there is so much more we can do! I have prepared turkeys in all sorts of ways and there is nothing like a large bird to open the eyes of all the men gathered around! My oven limits what I can cook and a 44 lb was my largest. The size of the bird is one factor, but the flavor of many birds is quite an experience.

There is the  TURDUCKEN and it’s many variations. The bird within a bird recipe goes back hundreds of years and I think the record goes back to medieval France with 15 birds in one recipe. This year, we will prepare a simple bird for our Thanksgiving, but during Christmas time while everyone is home it will be a Turducken with a twist. This year we will use: a turkey, a goose, a duck (2) and a chicken along with a wonderful stuffing for each. Obviously, the turkey stuffing will have sausages, including everyone’s favorite… ‘pheasant sausage!’

Is it time to make it yet?

Roger

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scan me baby!

"My wife Laura's MRI brain scan"

Have you ever wondered what makes your wife tick?

Over the years, I have made it my life’s work to try to understand the complexities of the female minds in my life. Admittedly, I need all the help I can get. Albert Einstein offered the following amusing quote:

“Some men spend a lifetime in an attempt to comprehend the complexities of women. Others pre-occupy themselves with somewhat simpler tasks, such as understanding the theory of relativity.”

Recently, Laura had the opportunity to take some students down to the  MRI Lab at UCSB and had herself scanned! Laura was happy to find that she was ‘normal’, but we could have told her that! However, I thought she was quite the ‘student’ to continue her investigation into herself!

It is all so impressive to me,

Roger

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remember veteran’s day

-- enjoying Chateau Kristin on Veteran's Day --
-- enjoying Chateau Kristin on Veteran's Day --

Before our daughter Kristin redeployed to Iraq, Kristin and I started the process of making a wine that would be ready to consume on her return… and there it sat until now. I had promised to open a bottle to ensure that it was developing along acceptable lines and waited until she had returned … it is a bit dry but nice.

So, I offer a toast to all my family members present and past who have carried arms in service to our country… and especially a thank you to my daughter Kristin (Iraq) and her Uncle Jim (Afghanistan)… and to all the men and women in in our armed services… thank you.

Roger Freberg

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it is all about books

find fun books.... is just fun!
finding and searching for books.... is just fun!

Abebooks.com is one of my favorite on-line sites for… yes… books!  Recently I found two books that were amusing. The first book is a look into how and why alcoholic beverages developed around the world and the importance of various berries and grains as well as honey. The author, Patrick McGovern travels the world to see exactly how various civilizations produced beers and wines… “Uncorking the Past” is an excellent buy for those interested in how things all began.

My second book is a simple cookbook from 1908 the Rumford Complete Cookbook by Lily Maxworth Wallace who went on to write through the 1940’s on cookery and etiquette.  Rumford — as many know — makes baking powder including the ‘Clabber Girl” brand familiar to those here in California.  One can already see the trend towards recipe simplification, cost  reduction and minimization of preparation time. However, the book is fun in that it covers a wide variety of subjects not addressed in many cookbooks today… for example, how to properly bone a fowl.

see you on the internet!
see you on the internet!

Roger Freberg