Friday, August 29, 2008

Birthday Complex

Ok,So I have a birthday complex.I always have.SO I know it should be a day to celebrate my arrival into this big bad world,but to me its not.My Mama said Ive always been like this.There are pictures of my screaming and crying at birthday parties and what not.Its always a depressiing time for me.Dont get me wrong Ive had some great ones,ten,14,21 and 25 are great ones I remeber.This year,Monday,I even get a freaking National Holiday.Brings whole new meaning to the words Labor Day,dontcha think?Ive had some not quite so fond memories too.When I turned 16 Princess Diana died.Freaking died.When I turned 24 my friends threw a small supisre party for me where everything was pink.At that time I detested the color,Im still working on that complex.Others have been great.25 found me shaking my butt on the bar at Coyote Ugly and being all fine and skinny for me.Then shortly after I found out I was getting Levi.Talk about being 25 forever.Thats when I knew Neil was the one too.He cleaned up my puke.Not jsut a few drops,But I hurled all the way from downtown Memphis,all over the side of his dads Tahoe.Bad,very bad.My Mama always made me my favorites.Like chicken divan,asparagus casserole,and banana split cake.I dont know what my deal is.Im always down for a few days before hand,day of I sob and after Im better.Like an emotional purge or something of the sorts.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Southern Proud

I am a southern woman.No,I am not a lady,yet.Maybe I'll never be.The Southern way of life is a world to its own.As is life in Cali,and the North.Ive traveled far and wide in this wonderful country of ours and met some wonderful people.They all are hospitable,and maybe feel a bit sorry for me,when I bust out with Im frum Missippi.I traveled to Cali,via Minneapolis.My friend told me to wear flip flops on the plane and a denim Jacket would suffice.Ok,fine I thought.I had only a 30 minute layover on the trip out there.The pilot came on and said it was 22 degrees and sunny.HOLY SHIt,thats cold to me.But apparently to the locals it was a warm day in Feb.I stepped outside the airport to smoke before my 4 hr flight to Sunny Ca and froze.You hear me?I froze!I called said friend and cussed her for her rediculus idea that flip flops in Minnesota in Feb was a good idea!On the way home I dreesed for success.I had on 2 shirts,tennis shoes and my Carhardt coat.This time I had a 4 hr layover and decided to take the train to the Mall of America.I stood shivering in the line at a pizza place and the man behind the counter with a thick Italian accent asked me if I was ok.NAW,I said Im freezin'.He asked me where I was from,Ms,I told him.The man gave me a side of unasked for,but welcomed,pasta to warm me up.He told me if I was ever up North again to look him up.That random act of kindness I shant forget.Down here in Dixie our blood is thin! Very Thin,so we can withstand hot summer days,where you can see the humity rising up on a July morning.In 99 in my 65 day Army stint,in SC,there were folks passing out from the heat.I didnt understand,to me this was lovely weather! I guess you adapt.We recently helped Mama move and she had hired a guy from CO to help.He and his wife had just moved to Ky so she could get her Masters.We got to talking about food,my fav subject,and I mentioned turnip greens.He looked confused and said he ate turnips.Neil alughed hardily at him,and siad you're eating the wrong part,you eat the greens and leave the trunips for the deer.In Philly in a great lil Italian deli,I got a marriage proposal.Based on my accent alone.Not b/c of my jet lagged,no sleep or made up looks.I told him my husband might not appreciate it.lol.But he was very nice and seemed to be facinated with my country ass.We do things diffrent down here.We drink sweet tea.In Iowa,I asked the waitress for a glass of sweet tea.SHe brought us a glass with a spoon in it and pointed towards the sugar.Down here you can buy large tea bags at any grocery and most convient stores year round.Not in Philly in March you caint.We looked.But I will say this for Yankee Mama who gracuoisly opened her home to me,the woman can make a better pork loin than ANYONE.Southern or not!like I said I go where the lodging is free,and I have friends all over the country.I made them Yankee's pimento Cheese and Granny tore it up!I'm proud of that.I think we can all learn from each other with just a bit of open mind.We all do things diffrently,but most of the time towards the same goal,survival.The SOuth is very Clanish,thanks to our deep Scottish roots.We're warriors,we're arrogant about our way of life and most wouldnt have it any other way.Yesterday on the way back home after picking up Sams daughter from School I saw a beautiful sight.There was a HUGE rebel flag flying in the breeze.Its near an old cemetary,that I didnt have time to peek at,but its georgus.Right there in the middle of a bean feild is an ode to heritage.I pulled up and men were working on building a cuopla on the top a gazebo that serves as a memorial.We got to talking,Its on private property,but there have been compalints about it.I have no compalints,b/c Im educated about our histroy.To me it is not a symbol of oppresion and slavery.But a symbol for those men who wanted independance much like our fellow Americans against king george.Not saying Linclon was a tyrant by any means,but jsut that we all have our history.In Texas they have been under numerus flags,including the Confederate.They now have just a lone star.A symbol of independance.I voted in Ms to keep the confederate flag on the state flag.Not b/c Im racist,but b/c Im proud of my heritage.I love everyone,as a Chirstian should.My point is,there are wonderful folks on this great America,and maybe we just need to be a bit more open to accepting that!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

THe Gravatational Pull between a Woman and a Man.

The great cowboy poet/singer Chris LeDoux sang,"Aint't nothing better,baby,aint nothing worse.Study after study nobody understands the gravatational pull between a woman and a man".That bout sums it up.Nobody flat understands this need for the opposite sex.Some say its concertated by God in the garden of Eden.True,but Adam and Eve only got to pick each other.There are thousands od lonely hearts out there.I met Neil on Eharmony.com.He was my first match,and we just went for it.The more our communcation got on the site,I found out hed been in band in high school.BAND,for cryin out loud!I may have been a geek,but not a band geek.I almost quit talking to him after that.Snobby I know.But I hadnt heard his voice yet,nor seen his pitcure.SOme say looks dont matter.BUll.THey do.But the man of your lucid dreams dont look like George Clooney neither.I was like a lot of women,kinda looking for a husband.No matter the tough facade,I wanted happily ever after dammit.Yeah,I was self sufficent,but something was missing.That friendship that your girls cant provide,b/c youre not sleeping with them lol.That intamacy.Well,as a couple of weeks progreesed Neil and I talked on the phone and OMG.He has the sexiest voice ever!And I had seen his picture too.Not too shabby there either.I was more atracted to him after he became one of many ppl they matched me with 29 demenions of compatability.We met in a parking garage in downtown Memphis.Not the most ideal setting for the love of my life to walk in,but he did.We met for our first date,and both ordered the same thing to eat,lol.I was 24 and waaay past,"i'll just have a salad,thanks."Im a big girl,so I like food,inlcuding messy ruben sandwiches from a pub.There was great chemistry from the start.Our first date found us holding hands,making out in the rain,and him telling his buddy I was hot.Its been up hill ever since.Fast forward 2 1/2 years and we are living the dream.That dream meaning 2 kids,mortagage and living an hour from his nearest realative.I had resigned my self to never meeting my country boy with brains.A freind told me Id be a long time searching for him.Wrong.I'd just been looking in the wrong places.Brings to mind another country song....By Don Williams...We have a friendship with depht Ive never had with a man.a few feamles,yes,but never a man.He loves me,and I love him.Pure and simple.Yeah,we swqaubble someitmes.But honestly,who hasn't looked at their husband and thought,I hope you go first,lol.He cuts the yard,adn I wash his drawers.He makes the money and I try to spend it in a way that benefits our family.{him too}We have tons in common and tons of diffrences.It gives us stuff to talk about,and stuff we can learn from each other.THere is a strong pull between us and it just gets better as time moseys along.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Purple thums and a stinky house...

Why might I have purple thums and a stinky house,you may be wondering?Its all my mother in laws {MIL} fault.ANd Samantha's...
The other night I cooked a bag of frozen purple hull peas with supper.For you non pea eaters,youre missing out.This small beady pea is divine!The ones I had in the freezer were already,grown,hulled,blanched,bagged and frozen.they came from Sam via her MIL.Man they were good.Levi and I tore them up.Neil and Jake ate their normal portions.I added a bit of smoked hawg jowl and salt and let em rip.mmmmm.
So,yesterday,while visiting the Grands {neils grandpartnes,I've shortend their names},my MIL and FIL met us there to see the boys.{neil was sleeping}.I commented to her about the peas i had cooked the night before and asked her if she had anymore in the garden.SHe has a HUGE one behind the other Grands house,across the road from them.She said there were a few,and I was wlecome to come pick them.Ok,fair enough,I thought.Free food,we'll eat!mmm.She taught me a few weeks ago how to blanch and bag,so I wasnt scared.Thinking there would be enought for a "mess".We set out for the grands.There was a ton of peas in my mind,but she informed me they had already been pretty much picked over.We got to pickin'.Its 90 degrees,finally cooling off around here,and nary a breeze for a while.I didnt care.I was on a mission to further become the ultimate domestic godess.If that ment pickin peas for my men then so be it.
After picking them,we sat down on the shady back porch to enjoy a glass of water and a smoke.I was talking to Nanny about Vicksburg.{thats where I was born,and still have various family members there}.I was telling ehr some of what I knew about the seige and about Fort Hill.And that I cant wait to share it with Neil in about 6 weeks when we head that way.We were just chattering when MIL pops up with hmmmmm.
When she says hmmmmm,aint no telling what she might say.She is one of the smarted women I know.I swear she could build a house with a tooth pick and a tarp.If she puts her mind to do it,then dangit it gets done.NOW,most of the time.She and my FIL have a neat dynamic.they are eqaul in their 30 year marriage and treat each other with the ultimate respect.I dont see them get gooshy too much,but Hell I guess when Ive been married that long,Neil will know how i feel with out too much petting.lol.They are a great team.Anyway....
HMMMMM,after much face scrinching and eyebrow lifting trying to figure out how to read the farmers almanac,she informs us that it said TODAY was the day to plant late beans.I asked her where exactly she planned to plant them,she siad we'd have to dig up the purple hulls.Theyve played out pretty much anyway....
I should have kept my mouth shut then and there and simply nodded.Like I said I have a bog mouth...So I said,Ok,lets do it.She hemed and hawed about pullin the phulls and tilling it up and finding the seeds and just what seeds....Not to be detried when I had readily avaliable ppl to babysit,I volunteered for the job.During a breif stint in the Army,I learned to not volunteer for anything.dammit if I had chosen that moment to let the pot Id smoke use those brain cells.So next thing I know,she and I are pullin up plants.Im talking 4 long rows of dense foliage.It came up rather quickly to my novice garndener suprise.Then FIL tilled.Man the boys had a ball rolling around like pigs in poo.the dirt was soooo soft and flaky like a buscuit.Levi even put his little face in it a few times.blekkkkkkk.
then it got time for us to plant.she has an effective but redneck rigged way to do this.Sher has a sting tied to 2 tomato sticks and you walk a straight line and unravel it.I told her i couldnt walk a straight line sober,but then was reminded this was MY idea.No point in arguing the truth.So I learned how to make a straight line.then came the ingenious was to dig a hole.You rake the sharp edge of the hole along the still strung line.Easy Peasy.Then you plant,2 seeds at a time a hoe witdth apart.Wha La,I am a gardener.But I tell you what,and told her too,that if I had been in the garden all summer I just might get sexy again.SHe told me she HAD been in it all summer to no avail.lol.
Then came okra and cucumber picking.I dont care for okra unless pickled { i know not southern!}.She picked it and just tossed it into a bucket.After the 3rd and final attmept to get me to take home cukes to Sam I gave in and agreed to bring them to her.Then MIL said a wonderful thing...theres enough to make a small batch of dills and I have just the stuff.Yay!It hought my own pickles.My Mama and memaw have never had any dill luck.I was determined!
So along with the [peas,I brought home cucumbers,tomato's and some squash.and some basil and dill and sage.All grown in MIL's garden.
THis morning I made my first batch of pickles ever.She had givne me a bag fo DP mix,but i noticed it was not enough.Being the Domestic godess that I am,I had all the ingrediants listed on the bag,including tumeric.Who has freaking tumeric and ground dired mustard?I DO!So I added to my recntly pickling lime soaked cukes.they were crucnhy and colorful since i had added food coloring to the soak.Into the jar they went while the mix simmered.the okra too since crystal freaking loves pickeld okra and its about the only way I eat it.I now have 11 jars sitting on my counter.They are sitting in a brine that is yellow.not gonna tell you what THat looks like,lol.
Then came the peas.I shelled about half the freds sack i have of them before Levi got too curious and I had to put them up for now.But bed time is soon.
This quest Ive been on has truly made me feel connected to my sisters of the past.They HAD to do this for their families.Im jsut trying to save a dollar.Which is about what you save per jar if you break it all down.But to me theres nothing better than homeade.Grandad like the preserves I made him too,btw.Good thing he aint go not teeth,b/c they would have for sure jerked them out.Poildent be dammed.Theres still so much to learn,and Im trying to be a willing pupil.

Friday, August 15, 2008

I am the grill Master

Ok,so being a girl has its perks.Im all for equality in gender and race and all that crap,but....There are some advantages to having a decent cup size or skinny ass.I have the decent cup size ,but my ass needs a back up warning.{or so my uncle told me when i was a child of 14,lol.}Neil has been the best husband in the world lately and i wanted to show my appreciation to him.He works nights,so on his day off I let him sleep until 6:30 pm,so he could get some rest.I hit the grocery store after picking up Jake from school.I wanted a Paula Deen esque feast for my man.What better way to do that than with Meat and taters.I got some strip steaks,and bratwurst and baking potato's and some romanine for a ceasar salad {i sooo reccomend Krafts Ceasar vinegrette.I normaly make those myself,but for ceasar,I aint smooshin anchovies,aint happening}.There were 3 bags of Kingsford on the retrashed patio and I was determined to grill for my man.I have NEVER in almost 27 years had ANY luck with a grill.Its a man job,like pumping gas and hauling out the trash.So I built my coals in the pyramid shape and doused them with the teeny bit of lighter fluid I had.We normaly have too much of that and no charcoal.go figure.I neglected to inform ya'll that the wind is blowing at hurricane force gust,even though it was a georgus and cool day round here.So I start the fire,or so I thought.I had cleaned out the grill and with Jakes watchful eyes and arms we scraped the remnats of dinners past.Got it all good,right.Wrong.The fire kept going out.I managed to hunt down another smidge ina bottle of lighter fluid and douse the charcaol yet again.When I lit it,I could have sworn My bushy brows would never grow back.It flamed up with a big whoosh that scared the shit out of me.But alas it still didnt catch.then being hte resourceful southern woman that I am,i went hunting for sticks.We southernors like hickory flavor and I just so happen to have a tree int he back yard.I knew green sticks wouldnt burn,so I dug around thru the poison ivy for dry branches.{nother prodject for a later date is buring all the dang weeds and over gorwth int he back of our yard so we can actually enjoy our mature trees that line our back ditch}.I d=found some sticks that I hoped were hickory,or at least would burna nd I tosed them in.no avail.I got them abck out and lit a dixie napkin and threw them in.and then what to my wandering eyes did appear but FLAMES.flames and the smell of burinign wood and napkin.Hell yeah! so like any grill novice I closed the grill in hopes that the fire would beigin roaring and I could grill my man his steak.uh uh.not happening.i considered the finger nail polish remover and even gas as another igniter since the hunt for more lighter fluid turned up emptyhanded.so I said screw it {notice one of my favorite sayings?}and opend the grill and resigned myslef to broiling the steaks,,which is what I had to do the first time a while back when I had this genious idea to grill for Neil.I only learn things the hard way,cant ya tell?well after I sat down and fired upa marlboro the wonderful scent of fire burned my nostrils.The fire was cathcing!So using some redneck engenuity,I laid an outdorr chair on its side to blcok the bottom of our handy half rusted out walmart grill,and turned it around so the flames were not in direct contact of the way the wind was blowing.Yall,I had fire!hosuton we have ignntion,and no other flamable fluids were needed,thank goodness cuz im thinking finger nail polish remover would mess up my whole hickory thang.a while later tha brats went on.They didnt take long.THen the cavalry called,his name is my father in law.i didnt even ask him whats up,I blurted out my seemingly failed attempts to be a she woman and he laughed at me.he gave me some good pointers,a bit too late of you ask me.But hey any help helps and Neil didnt have to know I contacted another grill master for help.lol.So I went and woke him up finally.I wanted to wait till he was coherant beofre putting our cheap thin strip steaks ont he grill.He got up at the thought of me burinign down the hosue or singeing my brows.{it owuld just save us 4 bucks so i didnt have to get em waxed for a while}.He came outside and stracjhed his head and looked at the grill and sleepily replied htat my fire was ready for the steaks,but owndered why there were sticks smoldering in the grill.I told him it was for flavor....So the steaks went on and I sent him in to get the salad ready and Jake to wash up.Then the steaks were ready and the monent of truth had arrived.OMG to me they were good.Neil was impressed at my first true attmept to grill anything sussefully.We didnt get ecoli or anything and jake informed me that my Brats were as good as Daddys.COnsidering that Neil is truly the grill master around here,I took it as a compliment.Its not something i will be doing any time soon int he near future.I learned truly why women stay in the kitchen and gossip and guys drink beer outside and talk about guns.I know in a pinch or sever PMS craving I can grill,but we all have our places in this family.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Back to White Trash in 2 days Flat.

Ok,So Neil and I and Jake worked our butts off this weekend in the yard and house getting it spic and span.What a waste of time!We scrubbed our patio,and carport.Hauled off dried grass so long it could have been hay for numerus gerbals all winter{Neil hates to mow and I itch for 2 days when I do.}He drilled holes i the bottom of a yard sale toy box so water would drain,and we'd have a place for the outdoor toys.We had them all the riding toys neat and lined up beside it.Ciggeratte buts picked up and beer bottles disposed of in the tub that the crepe myrtle came in,Im using it for an under the patio table trash can.The dishes were done,my vintage Homer Laughlin bowls washed by hand and everythign else that aint dishwasher safe.the Lr had been vacumed after Neil fixed the dang thing.{We bought a Bissel Heatlthy home with money from a wedding gift,dont waste that money,Get a DYSON.Its a mood point here,I dont wanna talk about it.}Floors wer mopped,windows cleaned.All for what I ask?Not a dam thing.All that hard work was over the weekend.Today is Wed and we're back to white trash around here.The toys are strewn everywhere,the LR and Kitchen floor look like Huuricane Levi hit it with a smashed tube of Ritz and banana to boot,and the patio...lets jsut say,the smoke butts are back ont he ground and gerbal fodder is all around again.I feel like i caint win.So now I say screw it,Ill just join em.keep the dishes done so DHS cant get called,cut the grass when we can see it at the window line and let Levi treck his mayhem and whatnot all aroundFOr those of my friends who are clean freaks I pitty them,lol.Bring on a good mess well earned any day.As for me and my folk we will live in Chaos,cuz no matter how hard we try,it siwrls aorund us like the Roadrunner clouds from Tv.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Busy Bee's.

In January of last year {07}.Neil,Jake and I moved here to this tiny map dot of a town in TN.Neil is from about an hour south of here,and me Id never even been here until the day we bought our house.I was 5 months pregnant with Levi,and very hormonal.We picked this town b/c everyone we inqiured to saod they had great schools.They do.Pop almost 4,000.Small.One grocery store,few mom and pop resturaunts and a train station is this towns claim to fame.When we drove thru I cried.I thought it was awful.We drove past a few houses for sale.Then we pulled into the driveway of the house that would be our home.We instanlty loved it,just from the outside.The realtors met us here 30 minutes later and an hour later we had a verbal contract on it.Then the paperwork began.It was the only house we actually went inside,but like I said,we fell in love with it.It was brand new,a blank slate,and we were home.Then we moved in.Much as I'd like to say we got to work,we didnt.We painted Jakes room first,so he'd feel special.Then we had a painting party witht he inlaws to get levi;s room done.Its a pretty baby green.THen 3 days before I went into labor with Levi,I had to have my kitchen done.Talk about Nesting in phycho mode.I wanted ti DONE.This was thursday.On Friday and friday night Neila nd I finished it.Yes I was climbing in chairs,bout to pop,but dont tell my Memaw,and Neil tied one on.you can see his pianitg near the celing get progfresivly worse the drunker he got.We had fun.Next day we went fishing,next day Levi made his apperance.Then the painting stopped and makingi it homey stopped too.I had picutes on the wall,and photos up,but other than that it was a creamy buuilder flat paint.The yard,well,it got mowed and that was it.But then I got another post pardum hormonal surge and wound up with a UT orange bathroom.Folks either LOVE it or just nod.THen there was the living room and hall way.It needed to be the same color.So after 2 diffrent colors on various places in diffrent lights,I finally picked the third color.with one exception.I love RED,but neil said no red,so the entry wall,just to break up the applebutter color,is a burnt orangish rusty color.Neil lives with it and I love it.I call it my mad wall,cuz I got pissed at my sister for soemthing shed done to my mom.HTe outside still looked like white trash lived here.Then spring came.Ahhhh spring.I didnt want to have to mow the front flower bed this year,so off to lowes I went and bought some cheap hedge bushes.and mulcha dn other various things for a flower bed.Neil gave in and we made a flower bed up front.but every time it rains,since we have yet to instal gutters cuz we're poor,the mulch washes down the driveway.We had a party over here one night mainly on the back patio in early March.But we were disappointed in out jar light off the back.So we tried to figure out just how to light it.Now there is a French bistro esque street lamp on the back patio.Im so proud of it.Neil did good.Are yall seeing a pattern here?My idea's and shopping and Neil has to do the dirty work?poor guy.He dont mind keeping Mama happy though when she has a burr under her saddle.Then yesterday he cleaned off the carport and thatnks to HGTV ingentuity we now have our fishing poles and weedeater hung on bike hooks and our yard tools on a 7 dollar rack from lowes.Im not one to spend a bunch of money on outdoor stuffcuz we flat dont have it.So I hit the celarnace plant rack at Lowes in hopes of bringing back to life bushes and plants that are 3 bucks or less.ITs working so far.ANd then I dug up some cannis from Sams yard they were just mowing down.I kept a few and gave a whole bag {i dug with a sppn and kitchen knife none the less} to another firend.It was free plants all around.They are planted at the end of the carport near the 3 dollar hibusicus bush i got to plant in memory of my fornds 2 babies she lost.Theres a swing set in the back yard.Yep it coming together.We took our balnk slate and are making it our home.It already is home to us,we just want to more comfy.THe fron yard next spring will get day lillies near the 16 dollar crepe myrtle I HAD to have.Its called Natchez,its a MS thang I guess.I hope it thrives.There are other prodjects we want to do,like a shed and fence,but for now those have to wait.But I will be digging in a yard near you for free plants...just wiat and see.I dont want the yard of the month,but it sure beats looking like white trash lives here.Have a good un.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Watermellon Rind Preserves

SOoOO in my constant quest to be a true domestic godess Ive been making jam and jelly recently to take advantage of the summers bounty.Ive invented my own jam and jelly recipes.I made delicious strawberry,succesfully.Ive made orange maramalade,NOT succesfully.And lately Its been watermellon stuffs.To me there are few things better than a big ole slice of sun warmed,fresh from the patch watermellon.mmm.So I made watermellon/grape jelly.It was just WM but it never set and was too sweet,so not to waste anything after amking homeade grape jelly I added the rest of the juice to the pot.It gave it some wang at the end and is kick ass on a bisciut.Even the Whopping kind.{think canned you have to whop on the ocunter to open,but dont whop too hard,or you will have dough all over the kitchen.Thank goodness for the ten second rule.}.So,this time at the request of Neils aging grandad,I made watermellon Rind preserves.It truly is a pain in the ass.Specially since Ive never made it before.Not to waste,yet again,i hacked upt he watermellona nd cooked it down for jelly juice.we hacked,peeled,adn diced watermellon hide.I followed Grandads half cocked directions and said a prayer.Welp after cooking the boiling cauldron of sugar and rind it didnt quite look thick enough,so I took off the top and cooked some more.About 2 hours.By now my house smells like corn.Neil came up with that and we're sticking to it.Fonked up my whole house.Apparently one of the airvents that permeates the house is over the stove.this can be useful when waking up to cinnamon rolls or makeing homeade air freshener with cinnamon and cloves,but not so much on WM preserves.SO then after consulting with MY grandmother,I decided it was time to jar em up.I had let it cook so long I could have made hard candy.I had very little syrup left to pour over the now almost candied rinds.So into jars this small batch that took forever to make went.Upon opening a jar,its so thick you cant hardly scoop it out.Its like taffy texture,but not creamy.Think stiff sugar.We will see today if the fruits of our labor,I got neil to Help since it was HIS grandad who asked for em,if he likes them.I guess the women who thought of this had to use EVERYTHING they had.I guess Im blessed that I can toss my rinds into the tree line and make a sweetish supper for ants and other varmits that like watermellon.THe dog,we learned does NOT.I guess its all lessons learned.