be-musings

A while ago Scott told the story of finding the White House phone number in a Trivial Pursuit game, and trying it out to see if it was legit. It worked. Apparently CSIS called him to follow up on this phone call. It was flagged as unusual.

Now it seems weird that they would be so concerned that a "nobody" call the White House. This incident, when told by itself, seems like a piece of trivia itself. But this week I found out more.
You see, Scott was already in the CSIS database, and a repeat violation of protocol would have escalated their concern, prompting immediate response.

When he was in grade 5, one assignment was to write an essay on any country of his choice. Many of his classmates chose the United States, England, and other "safe" countries. These were the years of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain, which made Soviet nations unappealing. Of course, not to Scott, who loves conspiracies and the history of human conflict.

Not satisfied with education from books alone, Scott found the Ontario phone number for the Russian embassy and called it. They were more than happy to send him maps, tourism information, brochures. They were so glad to have someone want information (someone without a Russian accent for a change) and were extremely helpful.

The day after the phone call two men in suits came to visit at the house. CSIS. This was particularly disturbing for his dad, because he was in the Canadian Armed Forces. The government doesn't like spies or double agents.


I have married a hunted man.

Lori, this is for you. I believe you have the right product for this job (unless you've gone to the golf course lately).

1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse".

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

It was a stressful week here. It all started with Matthew. Sometimes it's hard to figure out the best way to parent a child.

You see, Matthew needed a haircut. At first he wanted it spiked, but then decided on another style. This is hard to talk about. He asked for --------- a mullet. I had to think long about that, because he wanted to look cool, and mullet said cool. So, I did it. Right now his hair isn't long enough in the back to really tell, and I won't shave the sides, so it's a pseudo-mullet.
A couple days later, Ben needed a haircut. No, he didn't get a mullet.
Scott has always encouraged the boys to express themselves and be true to their nature. But that doesn't extend to their choice of haircuts. He chooses instead to control the length of their hair, pouting if they cut it short. It has something to do with living vicariously....if he has to keep his hair short now in order for it to look okay, then the boys MUST let theirs grow long enough to wave and get in their eyes a bit. Ben told me I was absolved of responsibility in what I was about to do: give him a fohawk.
I don't think Scott is over it yet.

I know I've been absent again lately. This has been increased by the fact that I've done a couple posts on my old blog, which is no longer listed. Opops! Here is the update on my life.

Mom came a week ago, and is staying with us. She found a place to live a couple days after arriving, so phew, no more looking. That's a relief for her. She moves at the end of May.
Nathan's 20th birthday is today, and his party was yesterday. My 20th was the most difficult birthday, because I was no longer a teen. I had to be a responsible adult (or so I thought). You can imagine that if it was tough for me, having a step-son turning 20 is also difficult. I have successfully managed to pass on this chagrin to Nathan, who has said that 20 sucks because he is no longer a teen (evil grin here). It's hard to think that I'm old enough to have a child (step-son) that age, because my perspective is from having a 9 year old. But I am 2 days older than Ben and Nathan's mom, so the reality is harshly true. OH!!!!!!!!

And now a Matthew story.
Although we teach our children that its bad to lie, we tell them half truths all the time. We don't answer questions fully if they're too young to understand or if they shouldn't know the real answer. We shield them from harm this way. We do things that we don't want them to see, thus sneaking and hiding it from them. I'm talking about candies - what were you thinking about?
I have always monitored how many sweets Matthew gets. For the first few years of his life, he wasn't allowed to have much at all (if any). Because I didn't want to tempt him, I would eat my chocolate with my back turned, and a cupboard or the fridge partially hiding me. Because I didn't want to tempt him beyond what he was able to bear. Or maybe it was because I didn't want to deal with a temper tantrum.
Matthew has been taught to share candies with me. At Halloween he knows that I get some of the candy. He doesn't mind, because he happily gives me anything with nuts.
Well, for 9 years I have managed to hide the fact that I use sugar on cereal. Call me a hypocrite, but I don't want him to...yet. So, recently Matthew saw me put sugar in a bowl of Cheerios. He surprisingly asked "You put sugar on your cereal?" I thought "Oh no, I've been discovered. I made it 9 years, but now caught." 9 Years! How could he not notice before now!
A few days later, he caught me again. I thought for sure this would peak his interest in applying sugar into his own cereal, but instead he said "I'm sorry mom, but I just don't want to have sugar in my cereal." He said it like he was offending me or something. Not at all! I was thinking I get to stave it off for another month.
Now the honey is another story. Somehow he has managed to get it on the dishwasher, cupboards, every counter, computer table, floor, and many other surfaces you can't imagine. Scott and I each cleaned twice that day, and I think the dog finished it all up.

This recipe is one of the family favorites. It is similar to Embers here in town, which is deeeeee-licious. Although a pork roast seems like an expensive idea, because the meat is shredded and served in a bun, the meat extends further than when sliced regularly in a meal. Try it and you'll probably like it a lot. I would recommend doing the dry rub the night before; you could also cook it in a crock pot as long as you extend the cooking time to ensure it is fall apart tender.

Use a 5 to 7 pound pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt. Watch for sales and get a couple, then you're set and the cost is fabulous. A roast this size will serve 10-12 people. You can also buy one this size and half it before freezing.

12 hamburger buns
1 recipe Spicy Slaw, recipe follows

Dry Rub:
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse salt

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Put the pork in a roasting pan with a bit of water in the bottom (no lid) and bake for about 6 hours. If the roast is halved, cook for about 4 to 5 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.

Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.

I don't use the following barbecue sauce recipe because we use a bit of Bullseye instead, mixed with a bit of water to thin it slightly. You can determine what is the right amount for you. I like it plentiful enough to soak into the shredded pork, but not so much that it drips.

Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy slaw, or just some caramelized onions. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side, if you like to dip.

Spicy Slaw
1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1 red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrot, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar; stirring to incorporate. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Chill for 2 hours in refrigerator before serving.