Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Wednesday, Blue Shies, Bourges

Whatever I did worked...are you vaguely familiar with computers and their networks? I had a problem with my email outgoing messages, incoming came in ok but nothing I wrote went out, just sat there in the Outgoing Messages box and aged past due date if you know what I mean. So this morning I decided to try something (trying something is the hypothesis of an idea rememeber that).
So I powerred down the router/switch/wireless device that sits between the two machines (I use Internet Connection Sharing from my wife's laptop that is connected to the iNet by a SFR 2G lousy slow connection) and powerred it back on. THEN I HIT THE RESET SWITCH. Then I could get into the routers setup page thru my browser, not before! (That's a hint). So I went thru the Wizard found therein and saw that no settings it had specified an ICS, it was either DSL, Cable Modem, Dialup or some strange Australian connection-type. So eventually I gave up, backed out of the wizard, hit rest again just in case I had changed something basic and then tried the connection.
Now the inet was D-O-W-N. I went to the laptop HOST and checked it's connections...it was complaining that there was an IP address conflict...a ha! So back to investigate on my machine...now IT wouldn't let me examine the router at all...pointed me to the HOST instead as the manager of the box. So over to the laptop once more and enter the famous 192.168.0.1 and go to the same useless script to setup the box/router again. Soooo, out of the wizard and back and reset again. Now what? So I went into the router and changed its IP address manually to 192.168.0.2 , brilliant huh? And here I am after resetting everything, doing the complete power down routine and all that. Huh? I STILL cannot get outgoing email to work at sonic.net...here's the error message, no Sonic has been contacted and are working with me to solve the riddle but to no avail so far...it's been over a week!
Qouth the Raven:

An unknown error has occurred.

Server: 'mail.sonic.net'
Windows Live Mail Error ID: 0x80070057
Protocol: SMTP
Port: 465
Secure(SSL): Yes

So my big idea of resetting the router (Trendnet) has gone out the window as a reason for the outgoing mail problem. Shit!

It's now 8:12am and we will be going to Bourges it appears as the skies are blue and cloudless after last nights stormy look but no rain situation. Kelly wants some cloth and I want to wander the computer aisle at FNAC and DARTY to look at routers available.

Gotta bake bread today for us and clean up the kitchen after the rains which leak thru the roof seams where it meets the house next door. The @#$###@! drainline from the roof has come loose once again...thus the increased water, think deluge, and the dirty kitchen because of the rains.
Shit.

A while goes by, now I am at my favorite Bourges wattering hole Le Cujas. Inside at a table for 2, by myself as Kelly is off in another area of downtown. I order a large pression draft beer and promptly it is delivered for 5.50 Euros. Do the math American swine...1.43 X 5.50 = 7.50 or so USD. Wow, nice beer! We got up this am, rushed about the house then heqded out tothe Mondial Tissue store in the La Charite secion of Bourges. Kelly bought somematerial for a sewing project and I went off to Babou a bit up the road to buy a coupleof ceramic knives. One for Nick and one for me. Then back to pick op Kelly complaining of the price of yardage now, tres cher!

Bye for now, any ideas about the outgoing mail problem? Enter as a comment for me and I'll try it. Oh and Outgoing Mail worked before last week and no I did nothing to change it before it went south.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Monday, Blue Monday

Well yesterday I turned my kitchen over to Kelly to develop a new recipe for us. We'll call it Kelly Lute's Mexican Minestrone. Nice catchy name for one very delicious and nutricious soup. Let me say that all of the ingredients except ONE were left over from Sunday evenings Braised Chicken Taco feed with Sue and Dave. Here goes, give it a try and let me know what changes you made and how it came out.

2 whole 1/2 chicken breasts or 6 thighs
1 Qt chicken stock
6 Dried California/New Mexico Chilis, roast and cut up remove stems.
1 lg. canned plum tomatoes chopped coarsely
2 medium fresh tomatioes coarsly chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic crushed
1 can (2 cups dry) black beans
2 corn tortillas, julienned wide
2 large white onions coarsely chopped
2 Teaspoons smoked paprika
1 Teaspoon lemon juice
8 small radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 head red/black cabbage coarsely chopped
OPTIONAL: 1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh corriander (cilantro)
4 Tablespoons grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese.

Soak beans overnight or cook til just done (3 hours)
Chop the chicken into 1 1/2" pieces, fold into smoked paparika and saute in olive oil til just done.
Combine all the rest of the ingredients except the CILANTRO in a large pot. Simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hrs.
Serve in large bowls and cover with tablespoon of cilantro and a tablespoon of the grated cheese.

Easy filling meal for 4 - 6. Serve with slices of fresh bread and butter for dipping.

Did you know in the middle ages the word "SOUP" was the piece of bread to be dipped in the porridge of the day.

Have fun! Be healthy!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Lazy Day Indeed!

Warm sunshine beamed through my window at 7am sharp, the beginning of another wonderful French day. Up, dressed, brush teeth while looking out at the courtyard jungle. Last nights Mexican feast was a dream, we LOVE Mexican food and chicken tacos were the entree of choice. Our guests Dave and Sue are always easy to be with, warm and friendly conversationalists. We ate and chatted away finishing the night about 11 pm with a Glenfiddich scotch, fine and old, smooth as glass with a wee dram of H2o in it, "branch water" from the branch of the copper water lines that run through the adjacent wall.
No hangover, I minded myself, I have brakes, some Lutes don't.

So this morning cleaned up from last night, Kelly got the dishwasher running right away, we had our coffee and decided to forego todays brocantes in favor of cleaning up and doing stuff around 35. Kelly made this wonderful soup that now fills the house with lovely earthy smells from the leftover tomatoes, black beans, chicken, radish and black cabbage and onions of last nights meal...adding but my super chicken stock and seasoning. Tonight's dinner no doubt...and delicious!

I miss my family at Chris's Club, Monday nights there are precious, just precious. I sent many of the group a batch of photos of the area around Lignieres yesterday. I can't wait to get back to the scene but it will be a while, in September we'll rejoin our raucous krew.

I puttered around, cleaning my cooktop and trying to fix the reticent right front burner, it is stuck in OFF and refuses to budge, pliers did no good at all. It's supposed to go up and down and turn counterclockwise but does neither. What a pain, I USE this cooktop and one down is a real problem.

The outside to pull weeds reposition the garbage recycling cans into the bush where they hide quite nicely. Watered the plants that deserve it in the French sunshine, sat a drank a beer. Now to make a loaf of bread for dinner that is better than yesterday's debacle. Flat and deflated I must have opened the oven door at the critical time. Not good for the bread. Gotta leave it alone for the first 20 minutes or else...trouble can ensue.
Gotta go check...bye for now!