It’s always useful to know where a friend and relation is, whether you want him or whether you don’t. ― Winnie the Pooh and Baked Crispy Chicken Legs with Fingerlings & Peppers

Our phone rings a lot. There are days when I’d like to throw it in the lake and others when I’m glad I have people who care enough to take the time to call. Yesterday, was the the former. Calls rolled in like waves crashing against the shore. One after another, each requiring my attention with one seeming to link to the one coming in after it. By 5:00 I suggested to Rick he get me out of here before I began to unravel. The errant device was left plugged into the wall forced into submission by it’s power cord. Yea.

The amount of scam calls we receive seems to be on the rise as well. A woman left me a message last week stating not only had I won $5,000,000 but I also could claim a new car if I returned her call. Immediately I told Rick to move the Fusion out of the garage and slap a for sale sign on it, our new Porsche was moving off the showroom floor and headed in our direction.  Do people really fall for these ridiculous calls? I would suppose had I called back I would be asked for personal financial information or money. As quickly as we block one number they call back under another. Infuriating. We’re on the “do not call list” about as effective as taking an aspirin for a gunshot wound.

On my Facebook page people in our area gather to discuss events and goings on in their lives or what’s going on in general hereabouts. Yesterday they spent some time commenting on the fake calls coming into their houses as well. Makes you wonder if there isn’t some way to regulate this, but I guess if you live in a free society that umbrella embraces a lot of freedoms some not as desirable as others.

A man was bothering my mother. Mother carries on a love affair with her phone, racing to answer whenever it beckons. In a way it is a life line for her bringing in news of what is going on in her community, what friends near and far are up to, and family who are at the heart of her life. Try as I might it is difficult to keep her from picking up when unwanted calls come in resulting in more of the same once they realize someone is answering.

I asked Rick, my muscle, to call the man back as there was an actual number to be retrieved off of my mother’s call list.  Rick is a lovely sweet human but when called into action is the “pit bull” of the over fifty set. Getting the man on the phone he began asking him questions rather than the other way around. Suddenly the man became irate and disconnected the call in mid sentence. Rick was disappointed. He said it was like training for a big fight and having your opponent take a dive after the first punch. I believe this is a guy thing.

On another note, we didn’t have the winning Power Ball ticket. This is equally as surprising to me as not having my new Porsche parked in my garage. As a matter of fact we didn’t match one number. Truth be known I find the thought of managing that amount of money terrifying. My children, each of them, offered to take over for me should my ship come in any time soon. Both of them know me well enough to know that I would give most of it away. How much do you need? Really? How many shoes can you wear, or toilets can you flush? I’m always interested in these huge mansions with fifteen bathrooms. Do you rotate? Imagine having to keep fifteen bowls clean and sparkling? No thank you. I love my house so would want to stay here. It’s cozy and in the woods and makes me happy. Probably I would travel. That is something I would love to do more of. I must admit I would like a plane of my own to do it in. Commercial airline travel gives me hives these days. Last year I flew to Phoenix. I spent most of the trip pressed up against the lady  next to me with my knees practically under my chin. Sadly, the most exciting part of the trip was being handed a bag of pretzels with 5 small twists inside. Yes, folks, they actually gave me something to eat with my tomato juice. Film at 11:00.

Another downside of winning the big money would be the spotlight pointed directly on you. People would be oozing out of the woodwork with schemes, ideas, requests. Begging and pleading would ensue. Everyone would know your business. As it is our lives are basically transparent these days. You can find out what color underwear a person is wearing by going on Google. For myself I keep as much as I can of my life my own. Someone told me recently there are satellites listening for “key words” and people monitoring our moves at the bank, the convenience store, or wherever a camera has been mounted. Not long ago I received a ticket in the mail. Enclosed with the citation was a picture of me clearly in distress going through a FastTrack while crossing a bridge on my way home from the Bay Area. Not a particularly flattering picture as I was terrified, it was pre-dawn, rain was sleeting down, and I wore nothing on my face but, well, skin. I certainly couldn’t deny it was my face staring back at me. Also I couldn’t deny I was going through a FastTrack area without a pass. There were circumstances in my defense. Yo soy innocente!  That morning the rain was coming down so fast it was bouncing back up and meeting the next round of drops on their way down. Semis were passing me on all sides with my little car dwarfed in between their mammoth visages. As they passed their tires flung gallons of water on my windshield making visibility nearly impossible. I would have pulled over but I couldn’t see well enough to do it safely and I was on a bridge. Sooooo I moved forward and before you could say “snap” there I was being caught in the camera’s lens. I threw myself on the mercy of the court, which in fact I did. I wrote a letter explaining my situation and miraculously they excused it. Wow, there’s a vote for the squeaky wheel theory if I ever heard one.

Well, enough conspiracy theory for today. I made this chicken last night and it was one of those dishes where you want to lick your fingers when it’s gone. Yum.

Crispy Baked Chicken Legs with Fingerlings & Peppers

2 chicken leg quarters, skin on
1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

Vegetables

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 finglerling potatoes, cut in half
1 red onion, chunked
8 large mushrooms, chunked
10 small red, yellow, and orange peppers, seeded and sliced in half
1 1/2 tsp. dill
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place vegetables in bowl with lid. Add olive oil and seasoning. Shake to coat.

Spray 9 x 11″ baking dish with cooking spray.

Gently slide fingers under skin of chicken. Divide 1/8 cup of soy sauce between the two legs, rubbing in with fingers under the skin. Sprinkle 1/2 of the dill and other seasonings beneath the skin. Place legs in center of prepared dish.

Pour vegetables around legs but not on top. Pour remaining soy sauce over legs and remaining seasoning.

Place uncovered in oven for 45 mins. stirring vegetables twice during cooking time. Increase the heat to 400 and continue cooking 15 mins.

Serves 2