Pizza with Jalepenos requires love!

Well it was a typical Saturday night in our home. Me and the wife and kids rented us a movie and ordered a couple of pizzas. Nothing fancy just a small local joint that's not very well known. They make a descent pie for southwest standards. It most likely would be the horror of any east coast person but hey it kept us and most importantly my lovely wife from having to cook. Years ago I worked for Little Caesars for a couple of years and learned how to make what I thought was a descent pie as well. One of the things I love on my pizza is jalapenos. However caution must be taken by the pie maker. Usually jalapenos are kept chilled on the make line were the pizzas are put together. They are many times also kept in the same vinegar that they been in since the factory. Now here is where caution on the pie maker must come in. When applying the jalapenos you can't just dip into the container and throw them on the pie. If you do you pick so much jalapeno juice that the pie might end up too hot to eat. Now I know what I'm talking about I can eat some of the hottest salsa in the Southwest and not even blink an eye. So you pie builders out there apply those jalapenos with love!

The Joys of Spring!

All I can say is that I absolutely love spring. I just recently got back from an extremely enjoyable camping and fishing trip with my family. The good fellowship around the campfire and being surround by wonderful creation stirred the soul and recharged all of our batteries.
Don't get me wrong camping is hard work especially if your using a tent. However it makes you truly appreciate the simple things in life. When done without a fancy RV or Pop-up it reminds you that all your really need in life is a place to lay down. Something to eat and drink and a way to bathe and clean yourself up. It truly brings you back into touch with profound truths.
Modern conviences make life easier, but they don't necessarily bring true happiness. Me and my family had a great time. We caught a ton of fish. One night we had a old fashioned fish fry and the meal was absolutely delightful. The blue gill were biting so good you could have caught them on a bare hook. If you've never tasted panfish cooked southern style, then you need to! Our freezer is filled with the white flaky fish and I'm looking forward to having another two or three fried with some fresh squeezed lemon juice.
The lake itself was gorgeous with its crystal, clear, calm waters. Here in the southwest winds are usually a problem but not this trip. It was truly a delight. I'm already missing and yearning for another chance to go back. If you have the chance this spring or summer take your family camping or fishing. Get away from the hustle and bustle and get out into the wonderful outdoors.

The Biggest Snowflakes I've Ever Seen

We had an awesome snow fall today here in El Paso. It started off as a steady rain. Then it moved to a sleet. Finally within a few minutes it was snowing. I mean comming down. Some of the flakes looked as large as half dollars! They were absolutely huge almost surreal looking. Within I'd say half an hour we had like an inch on the ground. For El Paso it was pretty neat. Hopefully some more will come our way before too long.
For people in the southwest its so exciting. I guess if you have to experience it most of the winter it can be a drag. Especially having to shovel it from your driveway and sidewalks. Or drive on slick icy roads. I guess really its just like anything. Once you experience something fairly regularly it becomes the norm. Eventually it can even become bothersome. Sort of like our 300 days of sunshine!

The Media and Not So Common Sense

What a fiasco we had today here in the Southwest. Talk about totally jumping to conclusions and over reacting. Common sense definetely played little or no part in the actions of many county and school officials. The forecasted weather called for a severe storm to hit southwest Texas and New Mexico. The potential for significant amounts of ice and snow was there.
However before the "storm" even arrived or a single snowflake fell every school district in El Paso closed for the day. The media had hyped this "storm" up to such a degree there was even a noticable increase in people shopping and stocking up on common items. Now I see nothing wrong with being prepared for the worse. This however has to be tempered with a bit of sound knowledge and good judgement. Its no wonder that when a major emergency or storm does strike most people fail to react in a positive way. Hopefully the decision makers and media in our local area learned a thing or two today about jumping the gun. Hopefully they also realized the powerful affect they have on the masses. Hopefully they'll also remember they are stewards of the peoples trust!