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Scenic View Landscape
PO Box 708068
Sandy, UT 84070
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What was the first name of the fictional detective Kojak?

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Recipe: Singapore Noodles

Serves 6

  • 400 grams rice noodles
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced into bite-size strips
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup sliced scallions
  • 3 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Bring two quarts of salted water to a boil, remove from heat and add noodles. Soak for two minutes or until tender. Drain noodles and set aside.

Combine curry, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.

Season pork strips with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet, then add pork and cook for three minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and set aside.

Heat remaining three tablespoons of oil in the same skillet and add scallions and ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add celery, carrots and curry mixture. Add noodles, pork, broth and soy sauce and simmer until combined and slightly thickened.
Worth Quoting

This month, some well-known quotes on the subject of family:

The family is the country of the heart.


Giuseppe Mazzini

The place of the father in the modern suburban family is a very small one, particularly if he plays golf.


Bertrand Russell

There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family."


Jerry Seinfeld

Many men can make a fortune but very few can build a family.


J. S. Bryan

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.


Ogden Nash

The family is the nucleus of civilization.


William James Durant

  

Your Winterizing Check List Before Thanksgiving
 

  • Plant pansies for spring color next year.
  • Plant spring blooming bulbs such as tulips and daffodils for a welcome sight next year.
  • Winterize the sprinkler system by draining the lines and blowing out the system, one station at a time.
  • Work on controlling slugs and snails by cleaning up areas they are attracted to, and using bait or sprays.
  • Compost leaves, dead non-diseased garden plants, and other organic matter.
  • Till vacant lots and empty gardens to control over-wintering grasshopper eggs.
  • Divide spring-blooming perennials three to four weeks before the ground freezes if they haven’t been divided in four or five years.
  • Wrap the trunks of young trees with white tree wrap to protect them from winter sun exposure from the south and west.
  • Lower the height of the mower to cut the lawn between 1 ½ to 2 inches high to prevent winter damage.
  • Apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer after the last mowing (October to early November) to help the lawn green up early next spring.
  • Cut roses back to about four feet tall to prevent heavy snow load damage.
  • Protect roses by mulching the base 4-6 inches high around the graft union.

See our photo portfolio at Scenic View Landscape 
Gardening Tips from Utah State Cooperative Extension

Serve Up Some Gratitude This Thanksgiving

Gratitude is good for you at all times of the year.Former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

As we approach Thanksgiving, we may want to remember those words. As Kennedy implies, it's living in a grateful way that has meaning. Not in speaking the words of gratitude. Too many of us wait until Thanksgiving to remember the good things in our lives. But it needn't be a one-day wonder. The power that gratitude engenders can be a great force for good in this world. As such, it should become part of our daily lives in the same way as shaking hands with friends or hugging our kids.

Gratitude, according to the Tiny Buddha website at www.tinybuddha.com, is amazingly useful. It gives us a sense of satisfaction and completion, reminding us that we do have enough. But more important, it provides us with the building blocks to experience today and build tomorrow in a state of acceptance and harmony.

The idea that our thoughts and emotions create our life circumstances is enjoying a popular revival these days. It was perhaps best expressed in 1889 by Prentice Mulford in his book Thoughts Are Things. His philosophy is that positive thoughts, including gratitude, create positive events and circumstances.

This Thanksgiving, consider President Kennedy's words and act with gratitude all year long. Your life circumstances can only benefit.

 

Surprising Stories from the World of Facebook

Using Facebook has become part of daily life for many people, but it does have its drawbacks.

Journalist David Plotz took aim recently at Facebook's iconic birthday greeting, something he felt was devoid of personal feelings. He created three birthdays for himself on Facebook, all in July. The first one resulted in 119 birthday greetings from "friends." The second, two weeks later, resulted in nine skeptics and lots of "friends" wishing him happy birthday for the second time. By the third birthday, a mere three days later, he had 16 skeptics and somewhat fewer but still significant greetings from "friends."

If there is a moral to this story, it might be not to send David birthday wishes on his real birthday, which is January 31. He’s suffered enough.

Meanwhile, another journalist, Joanna Geary, picked one Twitter update at random and was able to find the Twitter user's entire family on Facebook in nine steps, while Stanford University's Jure Leskovec found that adding "friends" isn't as random as we thought.

Studies have also indicated that:
  • Students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period got lower grades.
  • Facebook users were narcissistic.
  • Kids using technology daily were prone to anxiety and depression.

And the final moral to all these stories? Facebook is still huge, so get over it.
The Best on the Web This Month

Following are some useful links from the web that are sure to provide you with some interesting information and ways to entertain yourself:
 

Why French Fries Are Such Good Comfort Food
 By Maia Szalavitz, Time Healthland

Actually, it's not about food, it's about love. According to a recent study, high levels of salt produce hormones that reduce stress by encouraging love and social connections. The article is subtitled Fat but Happy? Hmmm.

Spoiler Alert: Stories Are Not Spoiled by "Spoilers"
In Psychological Science, Association for Psychological Science

Go ahead. Be a spoiler. Flip to the last page of the mystery story or tell everyone how the movie ends. It’s OK now. Scientists say we'll enjoy both even more by knowing the endings. Is it, as they suggest, all about the writing? Or are we just too lazy or impatient to wait?.
Some Tech Tips for the Average Joe

The world of technology moves quickly. But what if you're an average Joe or Jane who needs a little help? Following are five quick tech tips:

  • If you're browsing the Internet with Firefox, press the "/" button to bring up a search bar for the page.
  • Want to make your Facebook account more secure? Navigate to account, then account settings, and then security. Enable secure browsing.
  • Visit the websites of Photoshop and Oracle's OpenOffice to use their programs for free online.
  • For more interesting photos of friends and family, move closer to your subject before you shoot.
  • To track your spending and budgets online, sign up for a free Mint.com account. You can link your bank accounts and credit cards to this secure service.
This newsletter and any information contained herein are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or medical advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible at any time for any errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent professional advice and/or legal counsel with respect to any matter discussed or published in this newsletter. This newsletter is not intended to solicit properties currently for sale.
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