Baking The Devil's Dogs: How To Celebrate Your 90-Year-Old War-Hero Grandpa

I just wanted to post some pictures from my grandpa's 90th Birthday Celebration.

I also wanted to show off what my mom and I made for his birthday.

It's a selfish post this week.

Anyway.

My grandpa, you may or may not know, is one of Those Guys who did amazing things in his life.  He even has a book on it:

His biography, "Conversations with Marco Polo: The Remarkable Life of Eugene C. Haderlie" is for sale on amazon.com, if you're interested in reading more.  Or you could just ask me for my copy.  I've already read it and have had my fill of feeling inadequate.

Anyway, mom wanted to do something special for his 90th birthday since he did the whole War-Hero, Scientist-Extraordinaire thing.  I recently got her hooked on the online cook/blogger/photographer/gardener/allthingsdomesticgoddess The Pioneer Woman.

So, we decided to tackle her recipe for Devil Dogs for my grandpa.  He has the sweetest sweet tooth--even at 90.  And personally, I feel as though if you've arrived at the ages that are multiples of both 9 and 10, you're allowed to eat as many sweets as you like.

If you haven't clicked on the above link that will take you to that recipe, be prepared for a picture-documentation of the party's festivities starting now.

Thick, thick (not Thich Nhat Hanh) frosting

That was a bad buddhist monk pun, if you hadn't caught on.  Then again, this recipe certainly made me live in the moment.

Anyway, skipping past the process of mixing and baking the cake batter, mom and I were delighted at our success in re-creating Ree Drummond's recipe.

We began piling them on, and I had the brilliant--alright, alright it was cheesy--idea to frost his initials on the mini cakes

Note:  the very necessary glass of wine next to the baking site.  When baking for family events, it's good to be prepared.

Gorgeous!

Even Woo had a problem staying away from the packed food and goods readied to be taken down to Monterey.

Either she's pulling a new yoga pose for pugs that I don't know about, or she's snooping.

"What?  I wasn't...I mean...what? I'm CUTE."

I think grandpa enjoyed the cakes.  At least, I made sure to bombard him with it.  He had no escape.  You might think that it was because he was in a wheelchair but honestly I doubt it--he can move fast in that thing and it's frightening trying to outrun him.  I just know a man with a sweet-tooth is easy to bamboozle with a tray filled with cake.

My Grandpa (aka Hell on Wheels), the Devil Dogs, Joanna and Me

Anyway, we celebrated, we ate, we laughed, we cringed when he got grumpy and didn't like us fussing over him and we went home.

Ah, family.

One last thing, though.  I got to hang out on my grandma's memorial bench.  

Why is it when you try to wear black to minimize the boobs they just get bigger?

If you're ever hanging out around Hopkin's beach in Monterey (basically right across the way from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the many things my grandpa has had a hand in oi...) you should come on by and say hi to Aileen Elizabeth Watson's bench.  It's got a great view.  

No, I don't mean me.

Although I'm pretty schnazzy.

Ok.

I think that's enough self-exhibition.  For now.

-Beryl

WOO UPDATE: Remember how I mentioned Woo was running amuck (for once) in the local dog park?  Normally she's an anti-social dog, who prefers the company of humans.  We were so excited to see her run, which again looked like a strangled attempt and double-dutch jump rope for dogs.

Anyway, mom decided to take her back to the park and let her "run wild" again.

But, mom made a mistake.  It was raining and Woo wasn't having it. 

Mom decided to walk forward, yelling encouraging words back to the dog she thought was right behind her.  Several minutes later she looked back and saw this:

I'm not sure exactly what she's trying to convey with this look...but perhaps....

A Moment of Silence: Photos From Japan

In case you haven't seen the levels of destruction in Japan, here are the images I came across earlier today.  It is unreal.

I don't know how else to convey this other than just not talk about it and re-post the photographs.  I've given credit to the photographers, so I hope I'm not infringing.  But, please let me know if this is a no-no in online land.  It's always good to know the rules I'm breaking.

Ship Asia Symphony breached, Kamaishi. EPA/STEPHEN MORRISON

Rikuzentakata, SHIHO FUKADA for The New York Times

Otsuchi, YOMIURI SHIMBUN via Associated Press

Kesennuma, KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

Kesennuma, SHIHO FUKADA for The International Herald Tribune

Natori, KYODO NEWS via Associated Press

I am very aware that California is due for a big earthquake and also located on the Ring of Fire, and not just in the cool Johnny-Cash-Song kind of way.

This week, if you haven't already, please take the time to arrange for yourself and your family a simple earthquake-kit.  We all learned as kids growing up in California to duck and cover, stay away from windows in case of glass shards breaking over you, etc.  But, I also know that it's easy to forget the basics.

My family keeps a supply of earthquake food, batteries, water and medicine just in case of emergency.  So, for those of you who don't know what an Earthquake Kit looks like here are the basics, as laid out by Ready America's kit recommendations:

Water, one gallon per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and/or sanitation.
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.
Radio, battery-powered or hand crank 
Flashlights and extra batteries
First Aid Kit
Dust Mask, to help filter contaminated air 
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (if auto-gas-lock is not placed on household gas lines)
Can opener for food (if non-perishable food is canned)
Local road maps
Cell phone, with chargers, inverter or solar

Also, here is a more in-depth article on how to use your cell phone as a tool during an emergency:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2319595_use-cell-phone-as-emergency.html


-Beryl

p.s. For those in need of a laugh after all of the heavy news, here is a WOO UPDATE:


Mom took her on a walk a few days ago over on the Navy Base of Alameda, which if you didn't know existed, please feel free to brush up on your Alameda geography with the last post concerning the abandoned Navy Base.

It was deserted and quite lovely with the green clover everywhere.

Woo also apparently loved that she had the space and freedom to roam around without any other pesky dogs trying to socialize with her.

So she went galloping--and I mean that in the pug-sense; i.e., it was not so much as a gallop but more of a lolloping-circular movement akin to a potato rolling down a steep hill.

I don't know why but this picture just makes me laugh out loud.  I think it's because running just looks so wrong when she does it.  But, she was enjoying herself, which makes all the difference.

The Meaning of Life: A Function

So, you might have noticed the above header icon for this blog.  A while ago, when I had first been exposed to CalculusandI'velostyoualreadyhaven'tI? I was delighted by the visual that math can provide   for patterns.

You might have noticed that I love visuals.

You might have also noticed that I love patterns.

You might have also also noticed that I use patterns and visuals to create comedy.

You can see why math was an obvious route when I first got to college: Why not learn the official rule book for patterns?  There is a "rate" to comic timing.  Why not learn the rule book for comedy?


My Love for Humorous Visual Patterns Didn't Quite Make It Into the Third Dimension

Well, when I got into Multi-Variable Calculus (i.e., 3D Calculus) that failed.  It failed because the patterns became more or less like any other in-depth study; so wide-spread and detailed that my basic understanding and desire to only understand it in a basic way kind of thwarted my goal.

Anyway, while flitting out of math and feeling all blue about it, I remember someone telling me that the meaning of life is the summation of all your experiences, not just about hitting pointed markers in life.

I've never quite forgotten it.  And as a sort of joke I decided to take that theory literally and put it into mathematical terms.

That's when I came up with this.

This Is Your Life On Math

It's ok if you're not following this.

Really, I am not going to test you on it.

I just wonder if I have actually found a way to mathematically describe the meaning of life.  A while ago I had been working hard on a function for sense of humor and then comic timing by taking the derivative  of a sense of humor, but apparently some Swiss Mathematician had already beaten me to it.  I will say this, though--mine was pretty close to his, in a sort of I-used-the-letter-B-and-you-used-the-letter-H-to-describe-the-same-variable" kind of way.

I'm still bummed about that.

I Don't Want to Calculate The Meaning of My Life

Anyway, if we were to graph a life using the above formula for the function of life, then this is mine up until Summer, 2009.  It is because of this that I have decided to not take the next step and "add" up my life experiences thus far.  

Intriguing, no?  

Next week:  The Buddhism and the Four Golden Rules of Buddha!

-Beryl

Woo Update:  There are no words.