Explorer or Traveler?

I heard someone say that if you know where you are going, it's traveling and if you don't know the destination, it is exploring. I think I have done a lot more exploring than traveling...

"The Quickest Way...

"...to die," someone said, "is to be born." This always makes me think of people who are afraid to live. They never do anything because they are so worried about dying. A new study done in Great Brittian, suggests that people who exercise are younger on a molecular level, than those who don't.
BTW, is it wrong for a paramedic to say to an anxious patient (after a thorough exam), "The bad news is, you are going to die, (pause) the good news is, not today."

Nothing

I don't have anything in particular to blog about. Had a good shift at work today. A little crazy, but nothing I can be specific about without getting into trouble. Well I can tell you that we had a SB that went to a 1st degree, then a 3rd degree, then Afib, then LBBB and finally a STEMI! I did come home to find that Suzy left me the most fabulous roast beef, potatoes, rice and carrots. It was so yummy! Well worth waiting for and made me so glad I did not stop somewhere for supper before getting off work at 10.

How to Make Yogurt

Here is a pic of my yummy yogurt. this is about 3/4 of a gallon of
whole milk. It turned out nice and sweet. You can make it with
any milk, whole, 2%, 1% or fat free. It is so easy and CHEAP.
Make a lot and then substitute it for any recipe that calls for
buttermilk, sourmilk or sour cream. I used in a recipe for Lemon
Pound cake that turned out quite nice. Got the idea for the pound
cake from a Statesman article about a lady who uses pound cake
for her Petit Fours.

2 quarts milk
¼ cup yogurt

Let yogurt come to room temp.
Pour milk into a pan and place over a medium heat. Scald. This takes about 30 minutes or until the milk reaches 200°F. You will know the milk is scalded when there is a film across the top. I never used to use a thermometer and it always turned out just fine. Be careful not to burn the milk. Once scalded, allow to cool to lukewarm (135-140). If the milk is too cold, the culture will not grow and if it is too warm the culture will die.
Pour milk into glass or ceramic bowl, stir in yogurt and set bowl in a warm place (120) for 8 to 12 hours. If you don’t have a warm place, heat your oven to warm, turn off and then place bowl in oven overnight. Some gas ovens are perfect for this as they tend to stay warm. Refrigerate the finished product, which will stay fresh for 1 to 2 weeks. To make thicker, pour into several layers of cheesecloth in a sieve and place over a bowl.

More Funny Medical Director Stuff

Every Friday our Medical Director sends notes for the week, but he always tries to keep a little humor mixed in with the serious. No offense, CC.

This was taken from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office publication “The Point of View.” In a murder trial, the defense attorney was cross-examining a pathologist. Here’s what happened:
Attorney: Before you signed the death certificate, had you taken the pulse?
Coroner: No.
Attorney: Did you listen to the heart?
Coroner: No.
Attorney: Did you check for breathing?
Coroner: No.
Attorney: So, when you signed the death certificate you weren’t sure the man was dead, were you?
Coroner: Well, let me put it this way. The man’s brain was sitting in a jar on my desk. But I guess it’s possible he could be out there practicing law somewhere.

Marble Falls 100 Club

Tonight the Austin Travis County EMS Bike Team got another award. This was a plaque in recognition of our ride from NYC to Roanoke. Susan is a commander, that is why she has a blue uniform. Mark's fancy duds are because he is a member of the Honor Guard.

Palm Tree

Here is the palm tree. Stuck in the ground with lots of good mulch and dirt other than what came out of the hole. It looks absolutely fantastic. The picture dosen't do it justice. I hope to add other green things around it. Suz dropped by a couple of Agave plants and another flower. I will throw those in when I figure out where I can put them that I won't regret later. Tonight, S&P also brought by the big grass clumps from their driveway. The grass isn't exactly Pampas grass, but I plan to put it along the side of the house so as to block the view from the neighbor to the south.

New Year

No, I didn't make any New Year's resolutions...officially. But I have planned out several posts over the next few weeks. Today is a picture of a new project. Later in the week, I will publish "How to Make Fresh Yogurt." After that I am starting a once a month winner of the "You Called 911 Because ????!!" I will not violate HIPPA for those posts. Until then:

Here is a pic of the hole I shaved in the ground to accommodate the beautiful palm Suz dug up out of their yard. At least I was encouraged when I got to the bottom and found roots from other plants. This soil is so compact I was worried about trying to grow anything there. When I get the rest of my dream deck built, this little tree will be the beginning of a lush, year-round green spot. This spot will require little watering and yet not be overly flammable since it is close to the house. Yes, I tested this palm. I struck a match to one of it’s apparently drier leaves. It wouldn’t light. So then I lit about 5 matches at once and held them there until the leaf caught fire. But as soon as the matches were removed, the fire died out. I’ll publish the palm pic tomorrow.