Crackpot Tuesdays

Photo by Taste of Home


Here it is folks. Crackpot Tuesday and the verdict is in but first.......the recipe. Mr. C chose: Saucy Italian Roast. Another meal I was more than thrilled to make as it is only 9 ingredients. Less if your family is like mine and mushrooms are a fungus that remain outside growing on cool moss covered stumps deep within enchanted forests.

The family gave this four and a half stars. Not surprised as the gal who submitted this recipe to Taste of Home is from Montana. I need not say anything more.....

I had several epiphanies this past weekend and have come to the conclusion that I am

A) a donkey and
B) a donkey on crack





I can explain. Have you ever worked with horses? Let's start in the round pen. When you have a young colt and are starting to work with it you start in the round pen if you have one. It's a controlled environment but if you have a horse that decides to push the boundaries like I did.....then you have to get resourceful and put electric fencing around the top of the round pen to keep the "mustang" from thinking it can jump over the top! Now take that same "mustang" and watch how every time you bring it into the round pen it has to check to see if that electrical fencing is still juiced up. Once it gets reacquainted with the "hot" fence it respects it and keeps it distance but danged if it doesn't have to check each and every time it comes into the round pen!



Now, take me.....the donkey on crack. I have a few good days. I'm feeling my oats and wowza I feel good! Du na na na na na na na, like the way that I shouuu-uuuld. Hey! Maybe that electrical fencing (we'll call West Nile) is not in place! Maybe, just maybe I'll test the boundaries and go flying over that fence that has been keeping me penned in. I run round and round and round and then.......I take a flying leap! Only to find myself sitting on my hiney in the mud wondering how in the heck I got there cuz I WAS FEELING GOOD! And dang.....that fence is still there.



Which brings me to my next ah HA moment. The Master. The Trainer. He keeps yanking me back! Let's go from the round pen to the trail. You don't want to keep a young colt in the round pen. They get bored so you give them a little change in scenery. You let them go out and about a bit but you never just give them their head. You are always giving them a task. You want them to think..not react. Any horse if you don't give them a task on the trail, their mind will start to wander and they stop using the thinking side of their brain and decide that everything looks like it is a lion ready to attack and so they spook easier or they see greener pastures and want to go and munch. To keep them focused on you, the master or trainer, you give them a task to do and then you let them walk for a bit "on their own" down the trail and then you call their attention back to you and you give them another task.



So, back to The Master. He lets me walk along the trail for a bit but then my mind starts to wander and I see some grass off in the distance that looks a lot like chocolate which I'm addicted to and I take off crashing through the bushes and trees and once again.......The Master has to yank me back to the trail. If I'd just learn to put blinders on and look straight forward I wouldn't stumble so much....but alas.......I'm a donkey.......on crack!