Life On A B-I7

This recipe uses similar ingredients to the Baked Beans recipe but it does not use BBQ Sauce or Molasses, the result is surprisingly different. This recipe yields 5 or 6 Joes. Most people if they are hungry are going to want 2 of these babies!

Ingredients

• Butter and Olive Oil for sautéing the Onions and Green Pepper
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 large Italian Sausages, casing removed
• 1 Green Pepper chopped
• Medium Yellow Onion chopped
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2/3 C Ketchup
• 1/2 Can Guinness
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
• 3/4 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Sauté hamburger and sausage, drain.
2. Sauté onions and green pepper using butter and oil, add garlic at the end of the cooking time.
3. Light charcoal
4. Combine meats in Dutch Oven and add remaining ingredients.
5. Cook using 10 coals on top and 5 - 8 coals on the bottom

Cooking time is about 30 minutes, but could be longer to reach desired consistence. If mixture is too moist, add corn meal to thicken.

Serve over toasted Potato Buns.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 85

What happens to each of us stems from our destiny, that is, what was meant to be. Whatever has befallen you, has been prescribed for you. Your job is to look into it and find that which was meant for you to see.

America Has Become A Crime Family

This is what happens when you put a crime boss in charge of your country.

”Don’t you get it? America’s new foreign policy is basically this: Don’t kill people there (the Middle East) kill them over here (South America), in your own time zone. It’s classic advice: Shit where you eat. That’s the new Trump doctrine. It’s not in any way about stable democracies: it’s about spheres of influence. Russia can have their sphere of influence, China can have theirs, and we get South America. America is no longer the shining city on the hill, it is merely just one of the five crime families, splitting up the territories.”
—Jon Stewart

I wouldn’t take medical advice from Jon Stewart but when it comes to political insight, it’s hard to argue with his analysis.

I had to really coax Polly to give me this recipe. This is a recipe that you can make in cast iron (my preferred method) and works well in the campground. It tastes even better in the wild than it does at home. There is an homage here for my Irish friend. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble picking it out. I’ve always had a bit of a beef with the Irish because they keep the good Guinness in the homeland and they send the shitty Guinness to America. I suppose in a lot of ways we deserve that.

Ingredients

These ingredients are for starters, once the beans come up to temperature in the cast iron, you can adjust the ingredients to suit the flavor profile you are shooting for.

• Pinto, Black, White and Kidney beans in the can, rinsed and drained.
• 3 or 4 Kosher Dogs cut in medallions
• 1/2 can of Guinness
• 1/4 C Molasses
• 1/2 C Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Yellow Onion cubed and sautéed with 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• Dash of olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
• 1/4 C of your favorite BBQ Sauce

Ya, that’s a lot of ingredients, but nothing good comes easily, even in the campground.

Directions

Mix and cook. It doesn’t take a bunch of charcoal, just a few cubes on the lid and a few underneath. If you want to add more protein, Sauté some nice sausage sliced in the diagonal and add to the pot wile simmering.

Using a Kitchen Aid stand mixer is the quickest, easiest, and most foolproof way to make pie crust.

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) very cold water
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) very cold unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups (11.25 ounces or 319 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

It’s best to use ingredients straight from the refrigerator. Slice the cold butter and freeze it for 5 minutes is recommended. Mix the water, vinegar, and ice mixture and keep it refrigerated while you measure out the dry ingredients.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter all at once and beat on low until the mixture has the texture of a coarse meal for about 3 minutes. Add 6 tablespoons of water from the water-vinegar-ice mixture and beat until the dough clumps around the paddle.

If the dough seems too dry, add more liquid from the ice water mixture 1 teaspoon at a time.

Quickly knead the dough into a rough ball then divide the dough into two even halves, forming them into a flat disc. Wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a small disc. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Why Write

You have to be crazy to want to write. I have a natural instinct that makes it feel like I have nothing to say. The doubt, that I have nothing to say, presents itself as a daily struggle. The question is, why do it. My answer may not be completely satisfying to any ear but my own, but simply put, I am compelled to do it. If I don’t take the time each day to write, I feel like something is missing from my day. So, in the final analysis, I just do it.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 84

Prepare as best you can. When the time comes to put your preparation into action, be content with what comes next. The best you can do is acknowledge that the result is in the hands of fate. The ultimate result of any endeavor is never exclusively in our own hands.

The Written Word

What is the most amazing invention of the human mind? The written word. Without the written word, all knowledge would come down to matters of opinion, matters easily lost in translation, translation literal and translation that becomes altered due to the vagaries of time.

The written word brings beauty into our lives. Think of the great poetry and the effect it can have. The written word brings joy. Think of the great novels that have been written to entertain us. The written word is the basis of all scientific knowledge. Without the written word it is unlikely that science could have become as important to modern life as it has.

I try and read a book every month. Only 38% of Americans read one or more books a year. Conversely, 62% of Americans do not read a single book in the course of a year. These statistics are from two independent studies completed in 2023. Let’s go read a book America. It’s important for our health, and the future of our country.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 83

Do not regret what has happened. Recognize that what has happened cannot now be changed. To desire change, to have regret is a waste of energy, a waste of life. Practice gratitude for everything that happens. You cannot see reality without gratitude.

Welcome 2026

For a very long time (since I started this blog) I have avoided letting it devolve into a “personal clearing house” for grievance or a forum for “over-emoting,”

I’ve decided it’s time to modify that perspective — just a bit.

What is the point of publishing a blog if not to allow yourself to be honest with the world, and give the world a chance to better understand who you are.

I’m not talking about bitching or complaining, I’m talking about expressing yourself. That is a notion that does not come easily to me, but I have decided that it is time.

None of us live forever. There comes a time when we naturally should begin facing what the end of our existence looks like. To put it another way, we begin to face not only what we want to take into the next life, but what we would like other people to take away from our existence in this life.

That is something that is up to both of us. My goal is live the best life that I can. I am going to continue to grow and develop as best I can. The rest is up to you. No pressure. If I have offended you or you don’t want anything to do with me, I respect that. Stoic thought has taught me that we all have our own agency, our own reality. That means that I can only be concerned with my actions and not your actions or perceptions.

Where does that leave us?

Quite simply, this blog is shifting ever so slightly. Where I would have said to myself in the past, “I can’t share that,” it’s probable that now I will go ahead and share. Please don’t think I’m in this to change minds, I’m not. I’m responsible for me and you are responsible for you. It’s that simple. I’m taking agency for myself when it comes to sharing my journey on this blog. I’m not going to “emote” unnecessarily, but I am going to allow myself to speak to you from my heart where before I might have said to myself, “that is too personal to put out there.”

Why am I doing this? I am doing this for me. Please keep that in mind if you dip in here and read something that leaves you bewildered or confused, or you simply disagree with. Think of it as my attempt to open up a deeper understanding of myself, and share with you at the same time.

Do You Believe in God?

Do you believe in God? It doesn’t matter.

At times I’m not sure that I do, yet I believe that God resides in everything. It is our job to learn to recognize that reality and appreciate that truth. Appreciation is not about religion or any form of worship, it is simply about recognition and what you hold in your heart every moment. If you can appreciate God in all that you see, you will be incapable of harming your fellow man, your fellow beast, or your planet. If you can stand on this ground and look out at all that is around you and see God in it, you will see with clarity what is right and what is opposed to that which is right.

Here is a Baul song which provides a beautiful example of what it means to see God in everything. The Bauls are the roaming minstrels of India, they do not practice their belief in temples, they practice it on the street, in song.

My soul cries out,
Caught in the snare of beauty,
Of the formless one.

As I cry by myself,
Night and day,
Beauty amassed before my eyes,
Surpasses moons and suns.

If I look at the clouds in the sky,
I see his beauty afloat.
And I see him walk on the stars,
Blazing within my heart.

Conversation

“If you are in a conversation with yourself you can be in conversation with the world.” —Suleika Jaouad

Always be asking yourself questions. Always be seeking new answers from within. If you can do this honestly and with intent, you will form the capacity to listen and ask questions of those around you. You will have the ability to listen and ask questions in a way that brings you closer to others and at the same time closer to yourself.

Zohran Mamdani

I just listened to the most amazing inauguration speech I think I have ever heard. Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered an eloquent and inspirational address to the people of New York. He seemed to be speaking unprompted off the top of his head, but it was beautifully composed and delivered. Only 34 years old, he exhibits the wisdom of a much older man. The brilliant part of his speech was the leadership he promised he would deliver. I can’t wait to see what he can do for the people of New York. He may just be the future of politics in America, a refreshing departure from the cynicism we have been enduring of late.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 82

Welcome to 2026

Everything does not happen as we would like. Stop trying to change what has happened, or wish something different had happened, simply say to yourself what happened was what was meant to be. You cannot change the past, all you can do is change how you look at it. Doing so will allow your life to flow much more smoothly.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 81

Be prepared for failure. Do everything you can to ensure success in your endeavors, But in the final analysis, success or failure can be in the hands of others, not yours. Have a plan if failure is your reward. That plan should be focused on how you can more closely focus on the goal with Gods guidance. Recognize that failure is often part of a higher power or plan that is sending you a message telling you that you didn’t have it all figured out.

2026

It’s time to welcome 2026. Here are my goals for the coming year…

I want to… Ride across the country one more time. I want to say that I have completed the cross-country trifecta. I want to feel that accomplishment. More importantly, I want to fee the joy that experience will bring to me.

I want to… Take care of my loved ones. Especially the one closest to me. She deserves that best and I am going to try my utmost to give her all that she deserves.

I want to… Honor my body and thank it for carrying me through this life. I want to give it the gift of good health. I plan to do that through the practice of Tai Chi for a healthy body and mind.

I want to… Meditate daily. To do that I plan to adopt TM as a daily practice. I think that is the right form of meditation for me. If that turns out not to be the case, then I will find the form of meditation that is best suited to me.

I want to… Write just for me. Write daily. The introspection gained by this practice is helping me become a better person.

I want to… Continue writing here. Building this Blog provides me tremendous satisfaction, not to mention the gift of self-awareness.

Naivete’

Mirriam-Webster Defines Naivete’ as

The quality or state of being simple and sincere.

I define Naivete’ as

Only listening to yourself or only listening to those people you’ve been told to listen to.

I think my definition can easily be applied to many of the elected representatives currently sitting in Washington D.C.

Heirlooms

I recently wore this tie tac and ring to a memorial service. There were a lot of attendees of my generation. I did not observe anyone else wearing a tie tac. I guess tie tacs have gone out of style.

I recently started documenting some of my Father’s memorabilia that have been in storage since his passing a few years ago. The tie tac and the ring were among the items I retrieved. I was happy to give them a public viewing. Wearing them made me feel a connection to my dad. He would have loved to have been there. (The service was for someone he admired.) I was glad I could be there, and in a small way, have him there with me.

The tie tac is a replica of an ANA Airlines 747. The ring was one my Father picked up in Indonesia on a business trip. The back story on these pieces has been lost to time, but I’m still glad I have them to remind me of dad.

What’s in a Name?

Adding your name to a memorial named after a great man does not make you a great man. It makes you a small man. Not only small, but vain. Vain beyond the normal bounds of what could reasonably expected of a vain person. The only person that would do such a thing is someone that, in their heart, knows they have done nothing to deserve such an honor, but desire it anyway. Recognition of greatness can only be granted by others, not self-awarded. The honor can only be granted after serious evaluation of a person’s actual accomplishments.

Jack Wilbur Adkins

When WWII broke out, Jack was of draft age but he was deferred from service initially because he worked at the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Washington. At that time, Boeing was building the B-17 and Jack was working on the assembly line. The B-17 was instrumental in winning the war in Europe, later the B-29 would play a major role in winning the war in the Pacific. As soon as the war ended, Jack was drafted to allow active-duty soldiers to return home as quickly as possible. Jack was stationed in Japan and served in the U.S. Army Occupation Force. He was assigned was to a cryptography unit. His duty was to encrypt outgoing messages and decrypt incoming messages.

After his tour he returned to Seattle and the Boeing Company. His military training helped him get a job off the assembly line as a tooling inspector. Jack went on to serve the Boeing Company for the rest of his working life. He ended up managing Boeing’s Commercial Contracts Administration department. Jack enjoyed entertaining company guests in the family home. Jack was a gracious host as was Helen. Growing up, all of the children were privileged to meet a variety of people from different countries and backgrounds.

Helen Marie Adkins (King)

Helen was an excellent cook. She was ahead of her generation when it came to the skill of preparing healthy and nutritious meals for her family. I recall that the only way to get an illicit treat after school was to eat toast or breakfast cereal, which I did in large quantities (when no one was looking). I’m sure she knew what was happening because she did all the shopping, but she looked the other way because it was better than other options. She was a gracious hostess and a tidy homemaker. When her children got a bit older she was able to start working outside the home to fulfill her desire for a career. This was not until the two oldest children, Noralee and Christine, were old enough to watch over their little brother — which they did occasionally but not too often… Helen worked as a secretary and was very good at that profession. Later, she became a Real Estate Agent and enjoyed the opportunity that gave her to meet people and help them into a home.

Helen Adkins Orange Rolls. This is a very special treat that Mom would make. As a kid, this was one of my favorite things that she made.

Dough

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1/2 C warm water
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1-1/4 C milk
• 1/2 C butter
• 2 eggs beater
• 5 C flour (or a little more)
• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 1/2 C butter softened (or a little more)
• 3/4 C sugar (or a little more)
• grated peel of two oranges (orange part only)

Directions

• Dissolve yeast in warm water (105 to 115 degrees). Add 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
• Scald milk (180 degrees) add butter and stir to melt. Pour into a large mixing bowl and cool to lukewarm (105 to 115 degrees).
• Stir eggs and yeast mixture into the large mixing bowl. Combine flour and salt and slowly add to egg, milk, yeast mixture, add flour until it becomes too stiff to stir.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed any remaining flour in by hand. (It may take slightly more then 5 cups of flour to being the dough to the correct consistency.)
• Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for about one hour.
• Punch dough down and refrigerate covered for another hour.
• Place dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a thin rectangle. Spread filling mixture evenly over dough. Roll up and cut crosswise into 3/4” slices. Place in muffin pans.
• Let rise until double. Bake in 375-425 oven for 10-15 minutes.

I handed out this recipe card to all the guests at Mom’s Memorial.

Sharing

Be careful not to overshare. Whether it be with a partner or a friend, oversharing can hurt a relationship. Never delve in to details of a past relationship unless there is a clear path and purpose to doing so. Make sure the person you are sharing with has given you express permission to go on that journey. Oversharing makes you appear needy. No one has time for those who constantly project needy.

Possibility

Once you learn to restrain your desire, anything becomes possible.

Unrestrained desire clouds the mind and confuses reality. We are unable to look at the world around us and see possibility because we are focused inward, on ourselves alone.

Thank You

“Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us. Your warmth, kindness, and joy have made this experience so much more special. With so much gratitude to you…”

One could not ask for a higher compliment. I’m humbled. Of course, we can’t always be in a place that allows us to exhibit this kind of persona. In all honesty, it was the people around me on the journey in question that helped to bring out these traits that were so kindly attributed to me…