Hilarious Harold The Hitchhiking Fly by Kieto

Hilarious Harold The Hitchhiking Fly by Kieto

Part 1 : Hilarious Harold

Some flies have it, and some flies don't. Harold had it. Why, amongst his fly friends, he was the funniest fly flying around any garbage can anywhere. He told jokes wherever he went and other flies would laugh so hard, they nicknamed him, Hilarious Harold.

One fine day, he decided to visit his Hispanic fly friends behind this local Mexican restaurant he had gone to for years because of their fine garbage that consisted of salas, burritos, enchiladas and tacos. Because he hitchhiked wherever he went, he knew what cars always went in that direction.

He flew into this car as he did many times before. But this time, the guy who was driving was wise to his hitchhiking shenanagans. The man declared, "Alright Mr. Fly. Out of my car!" And he shoosed and he flooshed, and even picked up a rag to hit him to get him out of the car but it was to no avail.

So the man said, "Alright, you want to play games? I'll show you games!" And he rolled up all the windows and said, "We're going to Cleveland, Ohio!" And off for Cleveland, Ohio they went.

The fly got really scared because he had never been to Cleveland, Ohio and flew up onto the dashboard and cried, "Please Mister! Don't take me to Cleveland, Ohio. I don't know anyone there and I will be lost." And the man said, "Sorry! You're too late!"

So the fly thought for a moment... stood up and started telling jokes.

How do fireflies start a race?
Ready, set, glow!

If there are 5 flies in the kitchen how do you know which one is the American Football player?
He's the one in the sugar bowl!

How do you keep flies out of the kitchen?
Put a pile of manure in the living room!

What did one firefly say to the other?
Got to glow now!

What goes "snap, crackle and pop"?
A firefly with a short circuit!

The man started freaking out and pulled over to the side of the road about 300 feet to where the fly was going anyway and yelled, "GET OUT! GET OUT NOW! GET OUT OF MY CAR! YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY. IF THERE'S ONE THING WORSE THAN HAVING A FLY ZOOMING ABOUT YOUR HEAD WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING, IT'S A FLY WITH VERY BAD JOKES!"

With that, the fly flew out the now opened window and visited his friends behind that Mexican restaurant and enjoyed buritos and enchiladas all afternoon.

Part 2 : The Family Reunion

Hilarious Harold the Hitchhiking Fly had a family reunion to go to one weekend in June and saw a car headed in that direction and flew in the window. The car was making a left so he flew out the window into another car. This particular day, it took him about a dozen cars to reach his family reunion which was held in a barn in St. Charles County not far from where I live but that's another story. There were plenty of horses and cows and other barnyard animal junk to keep everyone entertained and fed the entire day.

He noticed that they had set up a little stage with a microphone. He asked, "Who is the stage for?" To which everyone replied, "It's for you Hilarious Harold! You're going to entertain us!"

He was happy so he started letting them fly (the jokes that is)!

Which fly makes films?
Stephen Speilbug!

Why did the firefly keep stealing things?
He was light fingered!

Why were the flies playing football in saucer?
They where playing for the cup!

What is the difference between a fly and a bird?
A bird can fly but a fly can't bird!

Why did the fly fly?
Because the spider spied 'er!

They all clapped and laughed. After the day was coming to an end, all the flys shook wings and said their fond farewells. Harold flew out to the road and saw a car getting ready to get on the highway. He flew in the window and into the backseat and fell asleep.

When he awoke, he didn't know where he was. Nothing was familiar to him. He had slept the entire night and the driver had driven straight through to Cleveland, Ohio! And he knew no fly in Cleveland, Ohio. He had never been to Cleveland, Ohio!

He saw a Chinese restaurant and flew behind it where he met a gang of Chinese flies. He tried to ask them how to get home to St. Louis, but he couldn't understand their lingo. So he took a chance and flew to the Greyhound Bus Station and hopped a bus back to St. Louis.

What will happen on Friday? Will he make it to St. Louis? Will he be reunited with his loved ones? Only time will tell. Well... two days. Can ya wait that long?

Part 3: Heaven

Hilarious Harold arrived in St. Louis at 3AM and took no chances by hitchhiking home but flew back to his home in South St. Louis in the Italian section of town known as the Hill. He had to stop every once in awhile because he became a bit overweight. That's what happens when you hitchhike everywhere instead of flying to where you have to go. He was warned so many times by family and friends.

About few blocks away from his home, there was an Italian restaurant with their dumpster full from the night before. He stopped off to feast on some ravioli's, spedini's, a little braciole, a salciccia and a chicken mudega.

As he sat back, he noticed a half full, or half empty, all depends on how you look at it, bottle of Merlot Red Wine. He flew into the bottle and started drinking away when he heard a tremendous noise and felt a boom and a jerk knocking him into the wine. He tried feverishly to escape but couldn't because he was too fat.

It was the trash man dumping the contents, including Hilarious Harold The Hitchhiking Fly and the bottle of Merlot he was in, from the dumpster into the garbage truck. The driver started the trucks compressor squishing and squashing everything into what looked like a suitcase shoveling it to the front making more room for more trash. Poor Harold was knocked unconscious.

Hilarious Harold The Hitchhiking Fly was never heard from again and there wouldn't have been anyone to tell this story except for me who just happened to see it all go down. Before you start feeling sorry for Hilarious Harold The Hitchhiking Fly, the bottle of Merlot he was trapped in was a bottle of Duckhorn Howell Mountain Merlot (1994) $69.95.

W h a t - a - w a y - t o - g o !!!

Yes. Harold was squished and squashed after the dump trump compressed the garbage from that dumpster that early morning in June behind the Italian Restaurant.

After making his early morning run, the dump truck pulled into the landfill where ton's of trash and garbage laid strewn about in big heaping piles. The driver of the garbage truck pulled up to a pile, pulled a lever and the back of the truck began to dump the contents, including Harold and the squashed container in the shape of a compressed suitcase he was in, onto the ground.

When he woke up several hours later, his head was spinning like a top on it's final spin.

"Was it the vino? Was I knocked out and what happened? Where am I?" he thought to himself. He didn't know, and was certainly unaware of the situation and surroundings he found himself in. He laid there for a little while until his head stopped spinning. He could barely move.

All of a sudden, something caught his eye. He saw a ray of light and he thought he must have died. He remembered a fly friend who had a near death experience and said that if he woke up and saw that there was a ray of light to follow it and he would be in Heaven.

So he worked himself around and began crawling towards the ray of light. Up one way and down the other. The closer he got to the light, the brighter the ray of light became.

He just knew he was going to heaven because he had been a good fly all his life. He felt a breeze so he knew he was getting closer to the source of the light.

But, 'What was that smell?' he thought to himself. It was aromas he had taken in many times before. And the closer he got to the opening, the stronger the aroma became and the brighter the light became.

On the final push to get out, he stood up, shook his wings and his head and when he focused his eyes, he looked about and as far as the eye could see were ton's and ton's of garbage strewn about. Truly a paradise to a fly.

He thought to himself for a moment, got down on one knee and said, "Thank you God. Thank you for bringing me home to Heaven."

Then he took off and flew all around his new home. He ran into flies he hadn't seen in years and made tons of new fly friends. No one would tell him where he really was because to all of the flies, this was... Heaven on Earth.

And there he lived happily ever after until he drank some bad wine.

Moral: Live God's gift of life the best you can and you too can have a bit of Heaven on Earth. Oh... and stay away from bad wine.

The End

visit kieto.com for more fun!

Big Dill Pickle and the County Fair by Kieto

Friday. May 22. 2009

Hi ya! Got plans for the weekend with Monday being Memorial Day? I don't either. But Monday, I will be sending out a special ezine in tribute to our men and women who has served our country. God Bless our service men and women!

American Idol is over and Kris Allen won it. I will keep the same Blog for America's Got Talent if anyone is in having some fun with that. :) Congrats to Mary who guessed pretty much right on throughout the season and Sue, Skipper, Kerry, Margee, JoM and me too for playing along. ;) It sure did fly by quick.

Let's start the weekend off with a good laugh. Well, I hope it is good for you.

This is one of my all time favorites. I read it to my Mom yesterday morning and she got a big kick out of it. Hope it does the same for you. This story is called...

Big Dill Pickle and the County Fair by Kieto

Big Dill Pickle held the record for eating the most foot long submarine sandwiches in Harrietsville, North Carolina each year at the County Fair held in July for twenty years. Each time he won, they gave him a one pound, 6-inch Gold Medallion of a submarine sandwich on a chain, which he wore around his neck with pride.

He would never leave his house without wearing those twenty Gold Medallions he won each year. The Gold Medallions became so heavy that he walked bent over most of the time. He soon needed a cane just to walk around and hold himself up so he wouldn't fall over.

The County Fair record was eating 6, foot-long submarine sandwiches in 5 minutes. There was no one around who could beat him because he would take the entire sandwich and just shove the whole thing in his mouth.

On those sandwiches were mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, pickles, tomatoes, ham, beef, baloney, headcheese, American cheese and lettuce. It was amazing to see him shove those things into his mouth each year at the county fair.

On the 21st year of the County Fair, people who had heard about Big Dill Pickle came from miles around just to see him in action. This year, it looked like no one would challenge him because they knew they couldn't beat him.

But at the last minute, a lady named Pinky Pickle, no relation but some rumored they were first cousins, entered the contest. She knew she couldn't win but she was just hungry, loved submarine sandwiches and always had a crush on Big Dill Pickle.

The starter of the contest made the announcement. "This is a contest between Pickles it seems with Big Dill Pickle on my left, and Pinky Pickle on my right! Let's get it going!"

Big Dill Pickle wore his Gold Medallions with pride. With one hand on a submarine sandwich and the other on his cane holding him up, the starter of the contest shot his pistol in the air.

Pinky Pickle just took her time and was savoring each bite making sure she chewed and swallowed and enjoyed each morsel. People standing around just laughed because they knew who was going to win it.

But just as Big Dill Pickle was finishing up his first submarine sandwich, his cane snapped in half and he fell face down into a big bowl of mayonnaise and couldn't get back up because of the weight of his medals around his neck.

Pinky Pickle just kept eating away and was halfway through her second sandwich when the gun went off signaling the end of the contest. She won and no one could believe it! They were all stunned.

A bunch of men went over and helped Big Dill Pickle out of the bowl of mayonnaise and when they wiped it from his eyes, he was in shock.

"I've never lost before and I don't even like mayonnaise!"

Big Dill Pickle stayed very calm and cool though and showed he had some class and wasn't green with envy. And, he didn't want to be a sour pickle either.

At the Awarding of the Gold Submarine Sandwich Medallion Ceremony, Big Dill Pickle, being helped up by several men, walked to the microphone and said:

"I stand before you humble and dazed,
After falling in a bowl of mayonnaise,
I've won this contest for twenty years,
And I lean before you without any tears."

"The weight of this gold pulled me down,
And made me look like a silly old clown.
But don't be sad for me I declare!
Pinky Pickle won this contest fair and square."

With that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and helped him to his chair. Walking to the microphone, she wiped a tear from her eye and said:

"Big Dill Pickle ain't no clown,
Nor should he be wearing any frown.
He gave it his best,
But never the less,
The medals he wore brought him down."

Everyone applauded and they presented the Gold Medallion of the Submarine Sandwich to her, which she took off her neck and placed it around the neck of Big Dill Pickle.

"You're my hero," she said. "And I think love you!"

As he tried to stand up, the weight of the medals again took over and down he went falling face first into the stage breaking his nose in three different places making him look like Carl Malden.

From that moment on, he only wore the Gold Medallion Pinky Pickle gave him. His back improved greatly and never needed a cane again.

They courted for a few months and then were married. They opened a sandwich shop in the downtown area and after ten years, had seven kids. There was Spear, Gherkin, Kosher, Sweet Mix, Half-Sour, Hoagie and little Baby Dill.

Dill and Pinky Pickle and their seven kids lived happily ever after. Dill never ate a submarine sandwich like he did for years at the County Fair because it was important to teach the kids good eating habits. By the way, they named the sandwich shop ... Pickles!

Moral: It doesn't matter if you win or lose; it only matters if you stay cool as a cucumber.

The End

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Our Friends

Kieto- Your BBQ article was very good. i shall view your info and hopefully make some butt-kickin ribs for the holiday. Thanks again friend. Sincerely,Oona

Dear Kieto, Thanks for all the tips for BBQ ribs! Wish I could eat more of that right now, but I have my Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow night. I have lost 14 pounds, and some of my clothes are fitting nicely. Your concerts sound like a gift to the audience and to Christ,. It's wonderful that the guest group sang "I Love You Lord" with you. What a great experience that must have been. God bless you from the South Texas Grillmasters, Mary and Frank Aparisi, "Tony Aparisi", "Rescu-Pup", and "Monkey".

I am glad you enjoyed them. It's always nice to have other views about something most of us love. I'm sure many will have the pits fired up over the weekend and Monday. Kieto

GoodMorning, Nice in NJ,for change! Picked up today-Dr. appt. in Princeton, Thurs. Spend nite at sons. (closer) Had bloodwork for this Dr. Hope report is better. Hope Mom is doing good,too. Hi, Nina,Glad you are feeling better. Good reports help. Kieto, So glad for your job, your concerts ,etc. Busy is good for us(keep out of trouble)(ha) Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes from my friends.'tilnext time God Bless and Love, Marion

Glad to hear fro you Marion. Mom says hi and says she is trying to beat this cold she has. And she takes her DanActive everyday. ;) Kieto
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See ya Memorial Day Monday!!

Mother's Day Tribute

Hi ya! Mother's Day is coming up Sunday. After church, I am going to
spend it with my Mom. That is if she is home. When my brother is off
work, she likes to get out so we'll see.

If you are having your family over, it may be a good time to share my
Mother and Daughter song/video with them. Here are the YouTube links.


1st Mother and Daughter Video


2nd Mother and Daughter Video

Also, here is my Mom's video I did some time ago.



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The Recipe

My Mom makes a great Tuna Salad and come to think about it, I've never
ran a recipe for it. It's Spring! So let me spring it on ya! Let's do
it!

Fresh Tuna Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 fresh tuna steaks (about 8 ounces each)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced unpeeled Granny Smith apple
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely slivered fresh basil leaves
4 good inner radicchio leaves, for serving cups
Toasted bread

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear
the tuna on the first side for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn
with a spatula and sear for 3 minutes longer or until cooked to your
preference. Let the tuna rest for 5 minutes.

Flake the tuna into 1x1/2-inch pieces and remove to a large bowl. Toss
gently with the celery, apple, and scallions. Season with salt.

Fold mayonnaise and basil into the tuna. Serve in radicchio cups with
toasted bread.

Buon appetito!

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Our Friends

Regarding Monday's Recipe, Pasta Primavera!

since i always tell you when you send bow wow recipes, I thought it only
fair I say YEAH BABY!!! now yer talkin'! Judy

I am going to fix this tonight. I know Mike will love it. Nancy in Va

I am so glad you liked the recipe. It's a great recipe any time of year.
Kieto

Willie The Weather Monkey by Kiet0

One night in late October,
When I was far from sober,
Returning with my load with manly pride,
My feet began to stutter,
So I lay down in the gutter,
And a pig came near and lay down by my side;
A lady passing by was heard to say;
"You can tell a man boozes,
By the company he chooses,"
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

This weather forecaster we have here annoys me because he never gets it right. This time, he must have watched the other news channels because he was right on with this storm we had the other day. I wrote this story a few years ago in his honor.

Willie The Weather Monkey by Kieto

Willy is a monkey! Everybody knows it! Everyone had seen him at one time or another at the city zoo. He was famous and had been the major attraction there for many years. Sometimes, it was almost like he was human. He danced and sang songs, like, 'Fly me To The Moon' and That's Amore' just to name a few.

Before being captured and taken to the zoo, he was in the jungle of deepest Africa. Willie was a great poker player but quit because there were too many cheetahs. Then he did a stint as the jungle comic which prepared him for his life at the zoo. Willie told people jokes and he was a real hit. Another talent he had was throwing darts. The trainer set up a dart board at one end of the cage and he would just fling them darts and hit bulls eyes all day long.

Folks in the crowd would yell out, "Willie! Hit a 20!" And without hesitation, he would hit a 20. "Willie! Hit a 14!" And without hesitation, he would hit a 14. He would hit any number they would request.

The trainer got an idea one evening after watching the weather report on the 10pm news. The next day, the trainer painted different dart boards with different weather forecasts. He thought to himself, that the people who gave the weather reports on TV never got the weather predictions right anyway, why not let Willie try.

The trainer set up the dart boards in the cage. One board had snow; another sunny; another cloudy; another rain; another partly cloudy; well, you get the idea. Then there was the dart board with the temperatures on it.

Once he got them all set up, he gave Willie the darts and asked him, "What's the weather going to be like today Willie?" And Willie took a dart and threw at the dart board with snow on it. He then asked, "What is the temperature going to be Willie?" And Willie tossed the dart to the ring that had 30 degrees.

And each time he was pretty much right on. It was uncanny to see this happen. It was truly uncanny! And what a crowd he drew from this new talent! Thousands would come to see him predict the weather.

One of the owners of a local TV station had seen him in action and decided to hire him and fire the old weather forecaster. Willie was given the new name of, 'Willie, The Weather Monkey'. His darts and boards were to be set up at the station. And each night on TV, millions tuned in to see him predict the weather.

On his very first day on the job, his major debut on television, he was introduced. Willie took the darts in hand tossing the first. It landed on sunshine and the second landed on 80 degrees. The news broadcaster announced that that would be the weather for tomorrow.

Sunshine and 80 degrees!!! WOW!!!!

The next day came and the city had 14 inches of snow and the temperature never got higher than 25. People were running down the street in shorts and t-shirts. It was quite a disaster. When people demanded an apology, none was given because after all, "He was just a monkey," the owner of the TV station shot back! "What did they expect?"

Willie sure did make a monkey out of a lot of people. Willie was sent back to the Zoo and had many great laughs with all the other animals. Especially when he re-enacted how he took aim and threw the darts at the wrong weather dart boards. They would all go bananas! They made him honorary mayor of the zoo because... "Willie Monkey see, Willie Monkey do!" There is only one thing smarter than a monkey who can predict the weather and that my friends is a spelling bee. Tee hee!

The End.

Hi ya! I missed ya wednesday. Thought it was tuesday. I changed the American Idol Polls. Click Here for the Polls.

We're down to 11 and Mary got it right again in the blog. Check out the blog - Click Here.


I got some great news yesterday that perked me up, and then a let down last night and missed 2 friends birthday get together. Happy Birthday Maria and Chip. Sorry I missed your party.

First, I got a call from a guy who was referred to me who told me he needed me to take over his business website updates, maintenance, etc. and was going to stop by and give me all the details. They were supposed to be here at 5pm.

I waited and waited and around 9:30 last night, he called me, apologized and then told me his company was downsizing. Sign of the times, eh?

But this is fun friday so let's laugh a little and forget about all that other junk.

A man was walking down a long corridor and turned into the door to his left. Where is he? (For the answer, look below the Our Friends Section.)

Johnny Boy is in class, and the teacher says: "Johnny, come up to the board, and tell me the verb to walk in the present please"

" I walk ........ you walk ........ he walks ......."

"Quicker Johnny, quicker!" shouts the teacher.

" I run, you run, he runs, they run!!"

OK. How about this one.

One day, Jimmy Jones was walking down Main Street when he saw his buddy Harv driving a brand new pickup.

Harv pulled up to him with a wide grin.

"Harv , where'd you git that truck?!?"

"Tammie give it to me" Harv replied.

"She give it to ya? I know'd she wuz kinda sweet on ya, but a new truck?"

"Well, Jimmy Jones, let me tell you what happened. We wuz drivin' out on County Road 6, in the middle of nowheres. Tammie pulled off the road, put the truck in 4-wheel drive, and headed into the woods. She parked the truck, got out, threw off all her clothes and said, 'Harv , take whatever you want.'

So I took the truck! "

"Harv, yore a smart man! Them clothes woulda never fit you!"

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Need a easy and quick recipe that will serve 4 people? Here's a super fish fillet recipe. Let's do it!

Baked Fish Fillets Made Simple

1 1/2 pounds grouper or other white fish fillets
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place fish in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, onion powder, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; drizzle with butter.

Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Buon appetito!

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Our Friends

this (Beef and Noodle Casserole) sounds so good.. ty for the recepie. i saved this to my files and forgot i still have it. but im going to make this soon. ty agin Carolyn

No problem Carolyn. That sounded like a winner to me. Kieto

Thanks for the update on Marion and Jeanne. They are fighters and sound like they are both lots of fun. Will keep praying for them. It would be fun if we all lived closer and could have a get together to meet – guess we’ll have to do it when we all get to Heaven! LOL Take care. Lisa & family & kitties in So CA

Well, here's another update on Marion.

Hi, Just checked last ezine and it said see you Wed.Hope all OK in St,L, Went to hosp. 7AM for bloodwork. Then to Diner-took friend. I ate 1 egg and paid for it ,Better now. Digestion causes me as much problem as C. Had to take water pill. You can see I'm having a great day(ha). I am still grateful and Blessed. At least I'm moving around. Hello Mom, Glad you got out for awhile. 100 -that's a lot of ye ars. Right now 90 is plenty for me. Be careful. Love to youand K. Marion

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A man was walking down a long corridor and turned into the door to his left. Where is he? In the door frame on the left side of the corridor. DUH!

See ya Monday! Promise!!

Frozen Fruit Pops

Monday. March 9. 2009

Hi ya. First off, my Uncle John and Aunt Dot and family thank you for your e-mails of condolences over the loss of their son and my cousin. I forwarded each one to them. It was a tough week. Thank you for the prayers. They did help.

I sang Irish tunes last week at St. James and Irish/Italian at St. Ambrose for 3 different tours. I have two this week. Being out of work, I feel so blessed being able to do this to bring in extra money. It's not much, but it helps.

We have a new member of the Kitchen Club. That's Paul Digregorio. Welcome Paul and hope you find the Kitchen Club fun and entertaining as well as informative. I take great pride in that section of my web site.

Mom is 88 as you know and yesterday, she took a ride up north with my brother to a very special birthday party. This lady turned 100 and when Mom was a little girl, this lady stood up for her at her confirmation.

I also finished Mother and Daughter Number 2. Just in time for Mother's Day, huh. I hope you like it. Check out the Our Friends Section for comments from people who have seen it. Put a face with the name of the people who have been in the Our Friends Section one time or another. It is located at:

Mother and Daughter 2

For you American Idol fans who don't go to our Blog, I have a page set up with 2 polls on it. I will be updating it as the weeks go by. It is located at: http://www.kieto.com/american

The American Idol Blog:

Leave your comments on the blog. When it gets down to 6, we will have some fun guessing.

I wish you the very best week!

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The Recipe

Are you ready for Spring? Well, this will help you and also put a smile on your face. Let's do it!

Frozen Fruit Pops

3 cups grape juice or fruit punch
One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
Twelve 3 oz. paper cups
12 wooden sticks

Mix juices and sweetened condensed milk with a wire whisk. Transfer the mixture to a container with a pouring spout. Put the paper cups into a square pan and fill the cups, almost to the top, with the juice mixture. Put in the freezer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour remove the cups from the freezer and place a wooden stick in the middle of each "pop". Return to the freezer for 5 hours. To serve, peel off the paper cup. Frozen pops will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks if kept in a plastic bag. Makes 12 pops.

Buon appetito!

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Our Friends

I just watched the 2nd video and have tears in my eyes! When I sent two photos to choose from I had no idea you would include both. My mom got in a car accident yesterday and though the car is totaled, she is fine except for bumps and bruises. I’m sending her this link right away and I know she will have tears in her eyes as well. I can’t thank you enough. It is just as beautiful as the first and I LOVE seeing all the faces in the videos – many with names I recognize from your newsletter. Thank you so much, your work is beautiful and so is the song. Lisa & family & kitties in So CA

Thanks so much, Kieto. Your song is just as good as it was the first time, and I love putting names to faces! I bugged Wendy to send you one of her and Kati! Skipper

Wonderful, wonderful, Kieto. Thanks. Wendy

And this from JEANNE AND Marion. Please keep them in your prayers.

WELL, I'M HOME, BUT IT MAY TAKE ME AWHILE TO GET BACK TO SPEED ANSWERING MY EMAILS AND JUNK...GOT HOME YESTERDAY AT 4:00 PM.. THE SURGERY WENT WELL, I HAD NO PAIN, AND AM HAVING A TOUGH SIT HERE, THO, TRYING TO LET EVERYONE KNOW ALL IS WELL...THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE CALLS, FLOWERS, CARDS, AND JOKE PARAPHANALIA ON BOOB JOBS...LOVED THOSE THE BEST...lol...I WAS ALLERGIC TO THE DYES, AND PAIN MEDS, AND MY BODY IS ONE BIG RED BLOTCH, BUT WITH ALL THE OTHER THINGS GOING ON, ALL IS WELL...YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A GIFT FROM HEAVEN, AND I COULDN'T WAIT TO COME BACK ONLINE, BREAK OUT IN A SWEAT, AND TELL YOU ALL JUST HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE TO PRAY, AND THINK OF ME... LOVE YOU ALL, jeanne

Hi, Hope all OK in St.Louis. NJ is fine- I'm lousy(diverticulitis strikes) Missed ezine. Hello Mom. Have great weekend. Love, Marion

Beef with Acorn Squash and Potatoes

Monday. October 27. 2008

Hi ya! I started playing the Ave Maria composed by Gounod at my concerts up her on the hill in St. Louis, Mo. For many years, I've done the one written by Bach at weddings and funerals and special Masses.

Years ago, when I had my TV show, I went to the St. Louis Cathedral and took a collage of shots with the Blessed Mother (statues, paintings, etc). The music I used was the Ave Maria by Gounod sung by Karen Carpenter. Her brother played the piano. It was so awesome to me then, and is so awesome to me now. I get so choked up hearing it. We really lost a talent when she passed.

In anycase, I thought I'd share it with you. It's a great way to start off the week.

Copy and paste this into your browser.
It's on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j76EYSvV_8k

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The Recipe

I sent this out in 2006 and made it Saturday. It was great!! Serve this with your favorite vegetable, like corn or peas, along with a glass of your favorite red wine and you will be more than surprised. Let's do it!

Beef with Acorn Squash and Potatoes

2 pounds lean beef, such as round, cut in cubes, about 1 1/2-inch
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch pieces
3 to 4 medium red potatoes, cubed in 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, quartered and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 package dry mushroom gravy mix
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

If you don't have a slow cooker, or crock pot:

In a pot, season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the meat. Remove and set aside.

Saute the squash, potatoes, and onion for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the mushroon gravy mix, diced tomatoes, the beef cubes and all the spices except bay leaf. Add a half cup of water and stir. Add the bay leaf and cover.

Put the pot in the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Buon appetito!

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Our Friends

In response to Ruth's asking for help in finding Classmates.

Hello Kieto, I sure hope Ruth finds her friends. I tried to Google some of the information but got nowhere without the last names. I thought I would only find a few listings for a "Nita" along with "American Airlines" but boy was I wrong! Maybe if Ruth remembers the maiden names it would help her find marriage announcements, which would give their married names. Perhaps she could get a graduation list or picture (with names) directly from Weaver Airline School? I couldn't find one online. If she has the time, she might Google their hometowns along with their first names and read through the thousands of listings hoping their last names appear and jog her memory. Not very fast, but it might work! I wish I could help her more. I will pray for her health to improve! Lisa & family & kitties in So CA

Thanks Keith, I'll do a little more digging too. Maybe someone else will think of a contact. Thanks to Lisa. Ruth the Valley Gal

And in response to Sammy Snickersnack...

Sammy is one of my favorite stories, Kieto, and I'm enjoying it just as much this time as i did the first time! A good sign, huh? Hey, is there a prize for getting your riddle correct? that must be my first one ever! skipper

i'm looking forward to the end of your great story kieto. Oona

I was gonna send it out today. HA! I can't wait either and I wrote it!!! hahahha. Kieto


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See ya Wednesday.