(6:01 PM EST)

(-1*F......wind chill -18*F)

(listening to a rerun of "Mash" on the boob tube)

  In winter an old codger's thoughts turn to thoughts of soup......I was considering getting delivery Chinese food tonight because they make some really good soup......this time of year I often get Egg Drop soup......but then my mind shifted gears....and thoughts of my youth intervened....

  now I know that most people, especially boys, never get over their mom's home cooking..but in my case I could show numerous opinions of others......my mom was a double threat in the kitchen, both as a great cook, and a great baker as well....her style was what would be referred to now as comfort food..but I have always referred to it as rural farm food, with a definite influence of  German/Polish style  her best soup was split-pea with ham.....we sometimes didn't use a spoon, but would rip off a piece from a fresh baked crusty bread, and dip it in the soup.......So I got to thinking and thought:

1) I have canned split-pea soup in the panty....not as good as mom's but not bad

2) and had a loaf of crusty bread that I got at the bakery in my local food market.....again not as good as mom's but very good

So I recreated one of my favorite winter meals from when I was a whippersnapper...........now one of her best meals was homemade soup, and fresh baked crusty bread.....and IMHO 

  As to "Mash" i especially enjoy the middle episodes.......Trapper and Blake gone....Potter and B.J. there and Burns still there....and that's what is playing tonight
(8:46 PM)
(-3*F...windchill -25*F)
(Haydn "The Creation)
  I mentioned below pranks......I live for  the well planned and executed plank......but I never claim any authorship......or any involvement in one at all......and was never caught red handed as it were
  Now I am reminded of one 50+ years........the resident assistant on the second floor of the dorm I lived in was a real putz, now I lived on the first floor so I didn't have to deal with him....he was going to be gone for the weekend and some of the second floor guys decided to stuff his room with crumpled newspaper.....now that's one I'd never do......not creative enough....but they ran out of newspaper....it barely was a foot deep....even then I had a rep....so I called the local newspaper and asked if we could get a bundle of old newspaper for a dorm project and dropped the college's name....the response was we usually charge for the old paper but since it's for a dorm project we'll give it to you..and the rest is history........but I got blamed anyways.....and when questions I told the truth...that I hadn't stuffed the room.......well he never did ask if I was involved in any way
  One of the funnier incidents was a prank I had nothing at all to do with......throwing buckets of water off the roof of a 3 story dorm......really not creative.....but I got called to the Dean's office anyways...my response to the accusation was ...you gotta be kidding me....that's not my style......his was....well if you didn't do it you can probably find out.....I already knew but he never ask me that...and then he said talk to them, and tell them that's not acceptable behavior...so I left and was walking across campus, and realized two things 1) i was followed 2) there coming toward me was my friend from Maine that I have mentioned before.......I told him what was going and he agreed to help so I put my arm around him and talked quietly...he had nothing to do with the prank.....then he got called in to the Dean's office.....he related that he just said........did you really think that he wouldn't see the tail....