Whew....the past couple of weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. As some of you know, my only sibling has taken it upon himself to rid mom of pretty much everything: all of her money and almost everything of value she owned. For several months she has had no means to pay her bills or buy food. She had been living off one leftover meal a day that one of the neighbors brought her and living like a pauper after an entire life of working...then ending up with nothing. I'd been hinting at her coming to TX for a long time but there's no pressuring her. She is independent, proud, and there was no way I was going to compromise that or her dignity by pushing her into it. It was a decision she had to make on her own. She called me a little over two weeks ago and asked if I could come get her and move her down here from Northern VA. Two days later I was on a plane to do just that. Got her here after a horrific drive in a dilapidated old U-Haul truck and she was in love the second we pulled into the driveway. It took about 3 seconds for her to feel comfortable and at home. Tracy and I have since then made sure that she has everything she needs to be happy and she's happier than ever, loving the environment, the patio (which she now calls home), and the scenery....oh and the food I've been cooking for her 
Now to the part about the message. She has never owned a computer or a cell phone but had friends that have clued her in on Internet sites like FB and a few others which don't exactly have the best of reputations. Needless to say, there was a very negative impression she had about forums and newsgroups. When we got home I opened the thread I posted about the situation and she was completely blown away by the outpouring of support from all of you. Literally, she was standing here crying as I read the replies to that thread. It was pretty amazing that so many people whom I've never met showed so much support for the situation. She asked me to convey a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you for all the prayers, support, and well-wishes. It all meant more to her than I can possibly express.
Now to the meal. One thing she asked from me is to cook some nice stuff for her once in a while. Gee....no doubt that this was gonna happen We have had several really nice meals but I've just been too bust to take pics of them all and document them. This one however I did manage to take pics as I went and it came out really well. Meatloaf was a staple growing up but it was kinda boring and not one of my favorites. I've started making them my way recently and have a whole new attitude about them. She asked for it one night last week so I did. A taste of home...Southern comfort food. Simple, well prepared, and delish.
She asked me to get this pic if I could. Was a bit tricky at 85 miles an hour. Had do duck between a couple of 18-wheelers and hope to get the shot without smashing into anybody
Getting it all together. A pound of 80/20 CPB ground beef, a pound of my sweet Italian sausage, bread crumbs, celery, red bell pepper, one egg, bread crumbs, and some seasonings.
Mix it all up and loaf my meat. Seasoned with a sprinkle of my beef rub.
Onto the Hy Fyre at 200* running pecan.
Mom had never seen a smoker at work nor had she ever seen TBS. This was quite the experience for her.
At the 90 minute mark I basted with a glaze I made using beef gravy, beef broth, rum, and another dose of my beef rub.
She loves green beans but for many years it's only been from a can. Did some fresh beans for her in the steamer with homemade bacon crumbles.
Meatloaf all done and ready to slice. Pulled at an IT of 165*.
Sliced and looking really good. Hey Eric (
SmokinEdge
) do you see something really pretty here??
Plated up with some homemade sour cream, garlic, and chive mashed potatoes, beef gravy, and the beans. Weather is finally cooling down a bit so dinner on the patio.
Here ya go David (
DRKsmoking
) and Jim (
JLeonard
)
And mom chowing down.
Yes folks, it's been quite the ordeal but mom is happier than she's ever been. Nice surroundings, people who love her and care about her, good food, and a fat dog to dote on. After months of not eating she is now starting to gain some much needed weight and her strength is coming back in a hurry. Happy, healthy, and loaded with everything she could ever need or want. The original plan was to sell her house and move her into an assisted living facility (her request) but after being here a week we all talked about it and decided she would rather stay with us for as long as we can care for her....which does not take much. She is still very independent and pretty much takes care of herself and is a dream to have around. We've had a few friends over and all have fallen in love with her. Now she feels even more grounded here having friends and not still being in a holding pattern waiting to move again into an assisted living facility. Within less than a week of signing the listing agreement to sell the house, we got two solid offers, one of which has been accepted and closing is next week....for more than $35K over what we were willing to accept. That is a HUGE win for her and when closed, it will give her a sense of having something again after a lifetime of work then ending up totally broke. Life is good and God is smiling on her!!
I've rambled long enough. Thanks once again to all of you who showed such an amazing outpouring of love and support. SMF remains the absolute best forum on the planet and it's because of you all.
Robert
Now to the part about the message. She has never owned a computer or a cell phone but had friends that have clued her in on Internet sites like FB and a few others which don't exactly have the best of reputations. Needless to say, there was a very negative impression she had about forums and newsgroups. When we got home I opened the thread I posted about the situation and she was completely blown away by the outpouring of support from all of you. Literally, she was standing here crying as I read the replies to that thread. It was pretty amazing that so many people whom I've never met showed so much support for the situation. She asked me to convey a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you for all the prayers, support, and well-wishes. It all meant more to her than I can possibly express.Now to the meal. One thing she asked from me is to cook some nice stuff for her once in a while. Gee....no doubt that this was gonna happen
We have had several really nice meals but I've just been too bust to take pics of them all and document them. This one however I did manage to take pics as I went and it came out really well. Meatloaf was a staple growing up but it was kinda boring and not one of my favorites. I've started making them my way recently and have a whole new attitude about them. She asked for it one night last week so I did. A taste of home...Southern comfort food. Simple, well prepared, and delish.She asked me to get this pic if I could. Was a bit tricky at 85 miles an hour. Had do duck between a couple of 18-wheelers and hope to get the shot without smashing into anybody
Getting it all together. A pound of 80/20 CPB ground beef, a pound of my sweet Italian sausage, bread crumbs, celery, red bell pepper, one egg, bread crumbs, and some seasonings.
Mix it all up and loaf my meat. Seasoned with a sprinkle of my beef rub.
Onto the Hy Fyre at 200* running pecan.
Mom had never seen a smoker at work nor had she ever seen TBS. This was quite the experience for her.
At the 90 minute mark I basted with a glaze I made using beef gravy, beef broth, rum, and another dose of my beef rub.
She loves green beans but for many years it's only been from a can. Did some fresh beans for her in the steamer with homemade bacon crumbles.
Meatloaf all done and ready to slice. Pulled at an IT of 165*.
Sliced and looking really good. Hey Eric (
SmokinEdge
) do you see something really pretty here??
Plated up with some homemade sour cream, garlic, and chive mashed potatoes, beef gravy, and the beans. Weather is finally cooling down a bit so dinner on the patio.
Here ya go David (
DRKsmoking
) and Jim (
JLeonard
)
And mom chowing down.
Yes folks, it's been quite the ordeal but mom is happier than she's ever been. Nice surroundings, people who love her and care about her, good food, and a fat dog to dote on. After months of not eating she is now starting to gain some much needed weight and her strength is coming back in a hurry. Happy, healthy, and loaded with everything she could ever need or want. The original plan was to sell her house and move her into an assisted living facility (her request) but after being here a week we all talked about it and decided she would rather stay with us for as long as we can care for her....which does not take much. She is still very independent and pretty much takes care of herself and is a dream to have around. We've had a few friends over and all have fallen in love with her. Now she feels even more grounded here having friends and not still being in a holding pattern waiting to move again into an assisted living facility. Within less than a week of signing the listing agreement to sell the house, we got two solid offers, one of which has been accepted and closing is next week....for more than $35K over what we were willing to accept. That is a HUGE win for her and when closed, it will give her a sense of having something again after a lifetime of work then ending up totally broke. Life is good and God is smiling on her!!
I've rambled long enough. Thanks once again to all of you who showed such an amazing outpouring of love and support. SMF remains the absolute best forum on the planet and it's because of you all.
Robert
.
