Princess Lessons

Kate Middleton aced her first (and second) royal engagements this week. Did anyone think she wouldn't?  She has had years to think about being a princess and years to study.  Kate, a level headed brunette, has studied photos and film from past royal engagements. Including  appearances of Lady Diana.   To further ensure her success, Kate has been assigned a tutor for all things "Princess."  

For her first outing, Kate and the proud Prince William  appeared in their hometown of Anglsley to christen a lifeboat.  Kate wore a beige coat, circa 2004, which had been recently re-hemmed to a more youthful length.  The Welsh people are hardscrabble folk.  It takes a lot of gumption to live in that  windblown   salt sprayed   spot of land.  Kate showed her resourcefulness by "making do" with her old coat.  With this act, she became one of the locals.. not any better than they are but ONE of them.  Then, she sang the Welsh National Anthem with gusto.  With a nod to the Royal Family (particularly her father in law to be), she wore a fascinator in her hair containing a brass button moulded with the Prince of Wales feathers.

Kate also christened the lifeboat with great aplomb.  Once, when the Queen was asked what it was like to be queen.  She replied, "I pour champagne over a lot of boats."  I don't know which royal secretary decided to send Kate out to a christening for her first duty, but I know the Queen got a good chuckle out of it.  There you are folks... I hope you got  a good look at your future Queen pouring champagne over the first in a long long line of boats. 

Cat Head Biscuits Part II

It has been chilly lately.  One way to keep warm in a cold house is to fire up the gas oven and bake.  I've baked the past two days in an attempt to warm my old bones.  This morning I revisited the Cat Head Biscuit recipe.  When I first made the biscuits, I was disappointed because they crumbled too easily. Putting jelly on them proved to be a challenge.  What I'm looking for is a biscuit that will hold a hunk of sausage, or a few slices of bacon  and jelly.   So, today, I rolled out the biscuits and baked them close together in a 13X9X2 pan. 

 I think you'll agree, they came out pretty good.   Now for the sausage test.

Ahhhhh... much better!  The Cat Head Biscuits rolled out and cut with a biscuit cutter were much more to my liking.  The biscuits are light and fluffy but still substantial.  One of these for breakfast and you'll be ready to chop some wood!  I'm not sure they are my all time favorite biscuit, though.  I think the expensive cake flour would be better used in something like... a cake.  More biscuits to come.

Travel Bug Rehab

Finding travelers - Geocoins and Travel Bugs, in Geocaches is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.  In five years, I've found and discovered 539,  the majority having been "moved" by me, not merely discovered at meetings.  Travelers are fairly personal and usually have a story behind them.  "This beanie represents my favorite cat," "I'm releasing this toy John Deere tractor because it reminds me of the farm I grew up on,"  and "You've found a  subway ticket used on vacation in New York,"  are all reasons behind some of the Travel Bugs I've come across.  I'll travel miles out of my way to pick up a traveler.


Once home, I log the traveler and print out the info sheet if it's missing.  I'll also make sure it's in a clean zip lock bag before sending it back on its journey.  My hope is that this will keep them traveling a little longer. On occasion, I'll come across a Travel Bug that is in serious need of rehabilitation.  More than the simple new info sheet and new baggie.  The first traveler to go into Chickahominy's Rehab was Kentucky Boi.  I found this scary fellow in February of 2009 in a cache I owned in Elgin, South Carolina.

KentuckyBoi 2/25/2009

This traveler was released in Florida in 2002 and it's unclear if it had it's original head at the time.  Someone along the way added Barbie's head to KentuckyBoi.. making him somewhat androgynous.  This bothered me.  After some thought, I pulled out my sewing kit, some fabric and my hot glue gun and gave this fellow a makeover! A friendlier, much prettier Kentucky Boi is still traveling after nine years and 13,500 miles!

The New and Improved KentuckyBoi 

Recently, I came across Fanny.. not once, but twice.  Once at an event  in Myrtle Beach and then again in a cache. Fanny began traveling in 2008, starting from Washington state. A sexy little Flamingo, she had lost her head and wasn't able to see where she was going. What's the point of spending all of your time at the beach, if you can't enjoy the view???

Fanny 

I knew that Fanny was destined to become one of the exclusive few to enter Chick's Rehabilitation Center for Travel Bugs.  After my initial examination, I had the perfect solution to remedy Fanny's plight.  Once again, using what I had on hand, I went to work. With a renewed outlook, Fanny is now in sunny Florida adding to the 13,000 miles she has already traveled.

Fanny on the Beach - Sullivan's Island, South Carolina 



 

Mr. Purple from Texas 

Mr. Purple came to the rehab facility via a Geocaching Event in Camden, South Carolina.  Others shunned the dirty, torn zip lock bag in favor of shiny geocoins and travelers with bling.  I tucked him into my Geo-satchel and brought him home.  Mr. Purple has traveled 20,000 miles in two years, and was definitely showing it.  He looked as if he had been thrown against a wall AND placed in a flooded geocache. Yet, he still smiled.  Fortunately, I had just what it took to make him whole again.  I think he may be my greatest achievement to date.

Mr. Purple with a Spring in His Step!