Creamy Chicken Soup is Good for a Rainy Day

We had a dreary weekend with all the rain, so me and Daddy and Jasmine made this soup.
It was so good, we decided to share it with you all!

Sunday morning, before Church,
we put the chicken in the pot.

He's about 4-5 pounds, and quite comfy in his pot
with just enough water to keep him covered.


Give him about this much big salt to make him all happy!


Now, while Mommy is fixing hair, let him come to a boil,
and then turn him on low, put the lid on and go to church.
When you get back, he should be all done and good and tender.

Now get some onion, celery, and carrots and dice them all up.

You should have about two cups of each, however,
I should note that our panel of tasters all noted that
one cup of celery would be the optimum amount.


Dont be fooled by that sunshine,
as it was just teasing us!

Now put a little bit of oil in your pot
and get it hot, then add the onions.


Cook them on medium until the get all
soft and with just a little bit of colour,
then remove them to a cup or bowl.

Add a little bit of your chicken broth
to the cup, and using your boat motor,
mix them into a smooth paste.


Now set them aside until later,
and put some more oil in the pot.

Add the celery and carrot and cook on medium
until they get soft and with a little bit of colour.


Now, while all of this is going on,
have your assistant get some storage
items ready for any extras you may have.


When the carrots and celery are done,
remove them to a small bowl or dish.

Now add 1/4 cup butter to your pot and let it melt.


When it melts, add 1/4 cup flour and cook until it gets
slightly brown and you can smell that sort of nutty smell.


Now add four cups of broth from right out of the
chicken's pot to the roux and stir it until it's smooth.

Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat back to
medium, and dont forget to keep stirring so it wont burn!


Now, see how your assistant is coming with the storage stuff...


Where did she go????


Thankfully, she left a trail of crumbs so that we can track her....


There she is!
Taste testing the crackers....

Okay, now that you have your assistant focused,
add the carrots, celery, and smooth onions to the pot.

Then pull the chicken from the bones and add it to the pot.


Add as much more broth as you like to get
it to the desired consistency, and then sample
it to see if it needs any more salt.

Turn the heat to low, and cover it until it's time to eat.

While you're waiting, get a pedicure....


Okay! Who's ready to eat???

Hon's Story Time ®

Today, we will have Hon's Story Time®.

This is a great story about a great man in American history.

This story is absolutely true, so dont go asking about if it really happened, because it did!

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago.


The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind. He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path.


Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider's eye and said, "Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn't appear to be a passageway by foot."

Reining his horse, the rider replied, "Sure thing. Hop aboard." Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.


As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman's curiosity caused him to inquire, "Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I'm curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?"


The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied, "I've been around these here parts for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good." The old-timer continued, "I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need."

Those heart-warming comments touched the horseman deeply.

"I'm most grateful for what you have said," he told the old man. "May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion."

With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

Meet Me in the Stairwell

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.


I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.'
I held his fingers steady as he dialed.
I gave him the peace to say,
'Honey, I am not going to make it,
but it is OK..I am ready to go.'


I was with his wife when he called
as she fed breakfast to their children.
I held her up as she tried to understand
his words and as she realized he wasn't
coming home that night.


I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor
when a woman cried out to Me for help.
'I have been knocking on the door
of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home -
only believe in Me now.'


I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven.
He heard my voice and answered.


I was on all four of those planes,
in every seat, with every prayer.
I was with the crew as they were overtaken.
I was in the very hearts of the believers there,
comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.


I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?


I want you to know that I saw every face.
I knew every name - though not all know Me.
Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.


Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them
through the smoke and flames;
'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.'
Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.


I did not place you in the Tower that day.
You may not know why, but I do.
However, if you were there in that
explosive moment in time,
would you have reached for Me?


Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end
of the journey for you .
But someday your journey will end.
And I will be there for you as well.
Seek Me now while I may be found.
Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'


I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Catching Up!

I know I have neglected my loyal blog readers, and I hope to do better.
Today, I will try to get you all caught up on Hon Happenings since the last time I posted here.

You all know we moved, right?
Well, guess what we just received in the mail?
An application to live in this county!
That's right! Apparently, this place is so popular that people wanting to move here have to apply for that privilege! Can you imagine? Well, now that you know how desirable it is to live here, dont you want to consider filling out an application? Just let me know, and I'll hook you up!

Sunset over the lake
In other news, Saturday morning, Daddy was leaving for orchestra practice at church, and when he went into the garage, there were two solid black baby wonkies! They took off when they spotted Daddy. We suppose somebody dropped them and their Ma off during the night and now they have taken refuge in the forest behind our house. I am still trying to coax them out with some table scraps! If I get them to come out, I'll post here first!!!

Do you all remember this photo of the Weiner dog stealing tea???
Well, that dog had puppies, and then this PIG took up with them!


I guess she was stealing the tea because she was thirsty from being expecting and all that.

Some of you know who Li Ping is, and if you do, you are all very happy that she's coming home! If you dont know her, well, I cant say any more than that, but it's really good news!!!

This past Sunday, Daddy played in the orchestra for the Moriah Mass Choir Concert. It was a rockin' good time of Southron Gospel Favourites!

Here's a video of one of the songs...



Daddy got to record it because most of his music looked like this...


If you cant make it out, its says 'Tacet', which is what they write when they want you to sit there and be quiet. Dr. Satterwhite had to stop at one point and ask Daddy not to sing because his flute mic was so hot it was picking him up, and he was drowning out the soloist! Dr. Satterwhite is the Minister of Music at Roebuck Baptist Church in Roebuck, SC. He reminded Daddy that 'tacet' meant to be silent. Daddy responded that it was only for the instrument, and not the instrumentalist. They didn't buy it, so Daddy had to be tacet!

Most of the other music looked like this...


This particular number has 97 measures. 57 are rests.
So you get to play for 41% of this number, and you cant sing during the rest(s)!

They didn't need any help, anyway...Look at all these people!




About 1,000 people showed up! That probably because Grand-Mommy told everyone she knew to come see her 'boy' play in the orchestra!

Okay...I think you're all caught up!
More later!