Memory - 3

This is a picture of me on a tricycle. It is staged at the photographers, but I certainly DID have a great trike at home. Our house was organized in such a way that I could ride round and round through the rooms in a circle if all the doors were open. Mother would play Billy Goat Gruff with me when I would ride under the ironing board.

One day I inadvertently rode my trike down the basement stairs. There was a landing half way down where the stairs changed at right angles. I arrived at the bottom of the stairs still upright on my trusty trike, none the worse for wear.

Right there at the bottom of the steps, if you turned left, you would find the big bin for keeping potatoes. Every once in a while we would investigate to be sure there were no rotten potatoes, as they would spoil the whole thing.

There were also lots and lots of shelves for the glass jars in which my mother spent many a long day canning tomatoes and green beans. Because of the war (I suppose I was 1o by then) my dad had a victory garden. We had a super abundance of tomatoes, especially. I would go with him early in the season to help. He had a small man-pushed plow. He made it into a small girl-pulled plow that the man guided. The trouble with being patriotic and having this victory garden was that everyone in our small town was doing the same thing. When the produce came in, you literally couldn't give a tomato away.

Dad solved that problem by taking the harvest to Madison to the back door of restaurants and selling them the sweet home produced fruits of his labors. I can even remember the clothes that I wore on these excursions. I both admired him for his chutzpah and was humiliated at having to make these inquiries at the back doors. It did instill in my being the idea that nothing should be wasted.

A side issue of this was that we would often be eating in the kitchen and be entertained by the sound of an exploding jar of tomatoes in the basement. Then would follow the clean up. We could never eat enough tomatoes to catch up with the shelf life of the jars.

I wish I could figure out how to make the tomato sauce that my mother made. It was slightly sweet with a touch of lemon. Fantastic, but not easy to duplicate. Perhaps it cannot be duplicated because nostalgia has added to the memory of its taste.

Take care.

tah dah!

Naomi has way too much time on her hands, so she decided she would change her blog appearance and I should do the same. Please check her blog out. The link is here on mine.
I actually got to the gym for some rudimentary excercise, but I faded fast. It will take me a bit to get my corpuscles up and running at top speed again. I was disappointed that Fred wasn't there so that we could delve further into the great spider mystery. Soon.

As to the ingredients for my egg salad, they change every time, and I just throw in a bit of this and that. Plenty of finely chopped up onion and dill pickles, a bit of dill pickle juice and lemon juice, some horseradish and REAL mayonaise, none of this diet stuff. oh, yes.... mustard, salt and plenty of pepper. Onion powder. Hmmmm. AND, OF COURSE, HARD COOKED COOLED EGGS mashed up. Whatever else occurs to me. But I like it very tasty, not bland. I love it so much that I don't make it very often because I would eat too much.

This next week I have the book club at my house so I have to start planning our repast. We have come so far that we do variations on the pattern set by Fran. I will probably do the deviled eggs, muffins, sugar free jello. All according to pattern. Carol figured out the greatest topping for the jello. She threw cottage cheese in the blender and let 'er rip until it got to the consistancy of whipped cream. Very tasty and healthy. Yahoo. If I change my menu I will be sure to let you know!

How do you like the new look of my blog? Certainly plain enough. Hmmmm. I'll have to see.

Take care.

tah dah!

Church Bazaar

Because of the state of our health we had to miss our church Bazaar this year. There are certain things we especially missed: the great soup and the egg salad sandwiches. I found myself attempting to make a great soup, and although it didn't measure up to bazaar standards, it was pretty good. Today I boiled up a dozen eggs and made egg salad sandwiches. I actually like my recipe better than almost any other, so that was satisfactory. Now we have to forgo the great pies, lefsa and other goodies. All to the good for little ole diabetic me. George would eat them all, but he is supposedly on a diet.

I love it when men go on a diet. 15 pounds off the first week, no problem. "What have you been moaning and groaning about?" they ask their wives. "Dieting is a snap." Then they get older and get that belly and there is no longer the glibness about dieting. The law of flab has caught up with them. We try not to snigger into our hands but it takes great restraint.

We are looking out at the great weather. Sun makes such a difference. There are still some trees that have kept their colorful leaves. We're feeling better, the weather is great, our spirits are soaring. Wahoo.

Take care.

Memories - 2

Okeedoakee. I'm deep into remembering the basement. I have my studio in our basement, but it is such a different animal than the basement of my youth.

That basement was a wonderful place. Cement floors and unfinished walls were divided into various rooms. The great furnace was endlessly fascinating. It was filled with coal, the ashes had to be cleaned out periodically, and it was controlled by a simplistic little lever in the dining room wall just above.

Dad used it to melt lead in a long handled deal. Then he would pour the lead into molds to make lead soldiers. Now there is so much fuss over lead, but we didn't know the perils of that substance at the time.

I think I was about fourteen when I remember his taking a lump of iron and heating it in the furnace. He held it in a plier and put it as a red hot lump on an anvil. He hammered it, heated it anew and hammered again, until he had fashioned a knife. It took a long time to get it just right and to his requirements.

Now he had a hunting knife blade attached to an elongated piece. He cut circles of thick leather and threaded them over the elongated piece to make the handle, topping it off with a bolt that he told me was from his son-in-law's submarine. It was a hunting knife. He incised "L. Vick" on the side of the handle and gave it to me. It is one of my most valued possessions. I realized that people could make things for pleasure, but also for use. I must admit I have never actually gone hunting or used my knife, but every time I look at it I know the pleasure of being singled out for a gift. A gift that I had seen made from start to finish.

Take care.

Memories-1

I was six years old during the summer of 1936, which was one of the hottest summers on record. We moved cots to the basement and slept there, as it was long before the advent of air conditioning. We took most of our meals down there as well.

I have in my possession this creamer. I was responsible that summer for breaking the sugar bowl that went with it. It is interesting that I keep it, even though I still feel ashamed of my uncontrolled actions that caused the sugar bowl's demise. Nobody bawled me out or anything, but I felt a deep regret that now there was only one of the pair left. So I keep it as a sort of penance and a remembrance of the fun of living in the basement.

Conversely, the winter of 1936 was the coldest and snowiest for many years. One day I walked home from school and got stuck in the driveway. The snow came up to my waist and I could not get out. Eventually someone heard my cries and rescued me. My brother made many tunnels through the yard and would pull me on my sled through them all. They were not really tunnels, but more like halls in the snow, as they had no ceilings.

Be prepared for more memories, as I am in a remembering mode. I hope I trigger some memories in you. Take care.

The Great Big Spider Mystery

I do not have a picture yet for this story. I hope to be able to include one at a later date. I have a note on my computer that says "Fitness Spiders." Lynette swears that when she comes in to open the gym early in the morning, she turns on the lights and huge (saucer size) spiders skitter across the floor, racing to hide. I tried to do some research on the net for this story, and the experts say that there is no such spider possible in Minnesota.
However, several other members swear that they have seen such spiders in their barns. There is even a rumor of such a huge spider that is PINK that has been seen. At present we think that the pink spiders stay in the beauty parlor that adjoins the gym. That would seem to be segregation because pink is a feminine color?
Someone else says she presently has such spiders in the outbuildings of their place.
To date, no one seems to have been able to catch one of these spiders. Freddy makes unmerciful fun of Lynette for having such a phobia of spiders that she sees one spider and magnifies the size by 100 percent merely because of her fright.
I come down on the side that I agree that Lynette sees something of the size she reports, I just doubt that it is technically a spider.
I have been forced by ill-health to be absent from the gym for a bit, so I am not too up to date on this controversy. Can someone bring us up to date?
Take care.

fair weather friends?

Does this picture satisfy better? Hmmmmmmmmm? Both George and I are struck down with coughing and fever. Not fun, but we go to see the doctor tomorrow. hopefully he will have some magical elixir to help us out.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time in my awesome recliner as I start to cough the minute I lay down flat. I do wonder how long the recliner will survive this overuse... oh, well, I can always go hunting for another one. I have been missing the fun at the gym, but I am trying to be a wise person and stay home until I feel better for sure.

Now. Send me an upbeat comment not a belly-aching one. I need positive vibes! Take care.

woe's me

Just thought I would include this sprightly picture to make your day brighter! My kids would recognize the scarf and realize that I have a sore throat. I really do not feel as bad as this picture would indicate, but I can't resist the drama!

I discovered a new book store yesterday in Alexandria. The Cherry Street Book Store. Heaven. I spent three hours there perusing the many volumes and sitting in a very comfortable leather chair. Coffee available. Heaven.

Then I came home and realized that I was getting sick again. sigh. I had had a sore throat the night before, but by the morning it had disappeared. I sighed with relief only to be reattacked later. I should have remembered my mother's dictum: 24 hours without fever before you go out. Oh, well. I now have several books that I got yesterday to entertain me. And, with some chicken broth, I should feel better soon.

Y'all, take care. Luckily the bug will not attack over cyberspace.

Encouragement...

This is a painting of mine that Fran has. It gives us encouragement as we see the plants going into their winter sleep. Spring will come.

I have a friend who does not seem to value her art. She often says that it is just a piece of paper after all. I try to convince her that the paper is not the point. It is the part of her soul that she places on the paper that makes it worthwhile.

The truth is probably in the middle somewhere. I get freedom in my painting by thinking that it is, after all, only a piece of paper. If I screw up, I can start over. It is, after all, only a piece of paper. But then, after the painting gets started and is complete, it is so much more than just a piece of paper. To me it is a sort of miracle. I start out on the clean piece of paper, make some marks and add color, and it becomes something that has not been before. Great fun.

During the last year of his life, when Paul Klee knew he was dying of scleroderma, he painted over 1200 paintings. He just went at it hammer and tongs. One of his paintings looks like a kid with a brown grocery sack over his head. I've thought about the tragedy of that painting. How that must have been how his face felt to him. His face had become a hardening mask. If one does not know the story of his life, the painting is still interesting. Think... He painted over three paintings, on average, each day. It encourages me to just let it rip. Eventually, you will have the courage to let your soul out and onto the paper. Then the paper becomes a painting. And a painting is much more than just the paper. A painting is a life.

Take care

wow! a pair of fours!

Another case of putting a picture in just for fun. This is a picture of an acquaintance of mine. I don't even know which of the girls is my acquaintance, but it's a great picture!

I read over my blog to see what all the fuss is about. What I MEANT to say is that it is hard to know when to stop painting on any particular painting. When the PAINTING is done... but what I did say was something completely different. Sorry about that. Maybe it was my subconscious taking over, as I have had a hard time getting into the painting mode, and perhaps I am pondering whether just to pack it in and sit in a chair and read. Sob, sob. Nope. Not quite yet. Too much to do yet.

We went to the play at the AAAA Theatre in Alexandria. Carol Jean picked me up, we met Karen for a bite to eat at the new Bella's, and then separated. Karen plays flute in the orchestra, and Carol Jean and I had seats P3 and P4 Left to see a rendition of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

Right away we could see the awesome set. It was designed by Roxanne Sorenson, a fellow artist, and constructed by Quincy Roers. Stellar.

Because I am "hearing challenged" I was concerned about sitting 3/4 of the way back and on the side. The accoustics and sound system was such that I heard 99 percent of all that was said. Fantastic. And the acting was surprisingly good. The main characters were as good as one might see in any of the big city venues. Pete Woit was Pseudolus. His character holds the play together and sings several solos. Excellent. Joe Korkowski was Hysterium and he stole the show. Fabulous acting and good singing. I must say I was surprised at the quality of the production. Hats off to the director, Merlin Peterson.

Watching Joe become convinced that he was "lovely" as Pete had him dressed in a dress was hysterical. The realization of his loveliness that shone from his eyes was so much fun. We had a lovely night out thanks to the Quad A Theatre!

Take care.

When action is best - or not...

I am including a picture just because I like the looks of my blog best when I have a picture included. This is a painting that I entitled "You, too." It belongs to Naomi and Tony as a gift from Tony's mom.

As an addendum to the question that I posed to you in my last blog, when is it best to act and when is it better to contemplate and wait a bit? The most difficult thing about painting is when is the painting done? When should one quit? That is a sort of corollary to the question I posed about life - and collar bones.

Sometimes the need for immediate action is obvious. Someone gets hurt right in front of us and we are obligated to assist. But sometimes the need for playing a waiting game should be obvious. When a teenager gets in to trouble, should his parent rush to assist him/her, or let him/her stew in the difficulties to learn that there are consequences to actions. It is easy to rush in too soon. We all have needed the wisdom of Solomon during the growing up years of our children.

Now, I have the luxury of worrying about whether it is time to stop painting... the painting is finished.... or not???????? And the endless little things related to health issues. Should I go and have my symptom checked out or wait awhile. Hm? Each thing should be decided on its own merits is what I have decided. Hopefully we all make the right decision. Take care.

customs

There are various differences in the treatment of injuries in each country. When we were living in Brazil, John broke his collarbone. I wish I had the patience to hunt up a picture of how he looked after his treatment. He had a full torso cast with his arm also encased at a right angle to his torso. For many weeks he existed in this manner, unable to do much of anything except walk and sit. As I remember it was his left arm, so at least he could write as he is right handed. It was a major health issue.
When we had returned to the States, he once again broke a collarbone playing football, I think. He went to the doctor and returned in just the same state as when he went. They had done NOTHING to the boy. I went and inquired as to what the treatment was. They said, oh, it would heal itself, but if I was not satisfied with that, they could rig up a sling that he could wear.
I was simply amazed at the difference in the treatments for the same injury. The collarbone did mend itself and all was well.
The trouble with the Brazilian treatment is that it affected so much of his boy-life. It kept him from sports and any other activities. Even sleep was difficult. Amazing.
When no treatment was probably the best way. At least, it seemed to work perfectly later.
I wonder if we complicate matters in other ways, when if we would just wait awhile, things would correct themselves. What do you think?
Take care.

Yeah, right

That's four comments? Two people chatting back and forth? C'mon. The comments were entertaining, however, so I'll allow it this time. Right.
I am doing more and more things as I feel better. Drove to Battle Lake yesterday for a board meeting. Sat through the board meeting! Ate lunch and chatted with my friends and drove home. Went to the doctor in the afternoon. Came home exhausted and fell asleep in the comfy recliner for three hours. Oh, yeah, I'm really frisky!
I looked up the word "chatelaine" which describes a type of adornment worn by women who were heads of households or castles (!) to hold the household keys or instruments needed for needlework, etc. So it would be more romantic, perhaps, to call my deal a chatelaine. The lanyard is a nautical term for the neck rope used for the suspension of a whistle. I do have a whistle I could suspend on my deal, I suppose, but for what purpose? To defend myself from the ravening hordes at the gym? When they get out of hand I could blow my whistle? But who would come to rescue me? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM? Who?
Well, enough nonsense for one day. Hope to get to the gym this morning to laugh with the hordes of hula hoopers there. After my illness they have at least stopped pestering me to try the hula hoop. I must be thankful for small favors.
Take care.

wow

Six comments! I'm absolutely agog.

I forgot to tell you about something from the stay at Lake Anna... in Virgina. One of the women who was there was injured in a waterski accident. She wiped out and hurt an already chancy hip condition. So for most of the time she was hobbling around with crutches. Her name was Gina, I thought, but it turns out it was Jeanna. She works with horses and had some stuff with her put out by Mane and Tail called Hoof Maker! It can be used by people like me who have disappearing fingernails. I've griped about this for many a long year with no help in sight. THIS STUFF SEEMS TO WORK!.... I haven't been able to find Mane and Tail products locally, but I found Farnum Hoof Saver at Fleet Farm. We'll see if that is as good. I am so excited. If any of you know where they have Mane and Tail products locally please let me know.

It's so much fun for me to read Fran's memoir of her life. I suppose she was 12 years old before I would have any chance of remembering anything of our family life, so her memories are very cherished by me. I will try to start writing to match her assignments. We'll see the differences that occur! Fun.

Take care... and remember the magic of four.

Hallelujah!

Well. I am busy losing things. yesterday I lost my favorite turquoise ring. I carefully surveyed the entire main floor of the house. No ring. I then went to the gym and complained loud and long about it. I got home and tried my best to remember if I could possibly have lost it in the car or in Alexandria. It was a bit loose on my finger so it might have dropped off. I decided to look around the house once again... and, there it was, innocent as a new-born babe next to the stove. I must have taken it off while cooking for fear it might slip into the komla.

I decided I better call Karen w and let her know as I had complained loud and long to her. I called and she said, "Oh, I'm so glad. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would show you where to look.. both for the ring and for your swiss army knife." Wow. I had been praying for the same thing, so I was encouraged.

That made me decide to look for the knife again. I had given up on that, as I had convinced myself that the suitcase was clean as a whistle and knife-less. I had had a niggling sensation the last couple of days that I should look in the shoes that I had had in my stuff. I show you above a picture of my Birkenstock with my swimming shoe stuffed inside. i took them apart and looked in them thoroughly... and THERE WAS THE KNIFE. Hallelujah.

Wow. It's hard to express the joy that I have. I can now snip threads, file fingernails, unscrew screws, cut open packages, etc., etc. without having to look for tools. I am a happy camper.

Take care and give glory to God for his attention to the little stuff. Hallelujah fer sure.

Book Club Books

As my loyal readers know, I belong to a book club. The last two books we have read were extremely fun for me. Fun isn't just the right word... rewarding might be better. The first was "Broken for You" by Stephanie Kallos. This was a first novel for the author... but she certainly hit the jackpot as far as I was concerned. One of the things brought out was the care with which the Nazis in WWII kept records of the confiscated possessions of the conscripted Jews... and the raw destruction of the Jews themselves. The novel is a tour de force.

The second was "Astrid & Veronika" by Linda Olsson, also a first novel. A very interesting read, but not quite the tour de force of the other. It gave us lots to talk about, though.

We are now reading "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author. This is a novel that I like, although some of the others by this author are not favorites. The conversations we have around it should be a blast.

Take care.

Hollow Head

Well, the magic of four is pushing me to blog even though my head feels hollow. So I will tie up a few loose ends. I think Karen l thinks Karen w gives me a hard time because it seems worse in print than it is in person. We tease each other loud and long at the gym and I love it. The exercise I get at the gym is sometimes (!) minimal, but the belly-laughs are great.
I was all dressed and ready to go to the gym this morning when I realized I didn't have a car at hand and it had gotten late. George had an early dentist's appointment. I would ordinarily have called Karen w but the time had gotten away from me. (All this fuss when the gym is only four blocks from my house. For pity sake,,,, why don't I walk?)
I am trying to get used to Naomi living on the West coast again. She has some entries on her blog, so check it out.
The hollow sound from my head is drowning out all thought, so sayonara. Take care.

lanyard

I'm not even sure that is what this affair I wear around my neck is called. I remember making a deal like it from plastic strips at girl scout camp when I was young. You could put a whistle on it for use in games... or whatever you wanted. Now they are offering them as mementos of places. I had one I liked with two pens on it that I lost in the airport shuffle of taking off my shoes, jackets, purse, etc., etc... and finally the lanyard. I didn't put the lanyard back on for some reason and it was lost.

At book club I was roundly roasted for wearing my Yorktown lanyard. I had never really thought of what it looked like, I only thought of its utility. I have now made one from black grosgrain ribbon. Black should be chic, right? Can all those Parisians be wrong?

I find that it is a great thing to have a pen at hand during the day. I suppose I have at least 200 pens collected around the house, but when there comes a sudden idea or the thought of something I need at the store, having a pen around my neck is a great stress reliever. I don't have to start the hunt for a pen or pencil... it's right there, around my neck.

I have also discovered that I don't think much about how things look as long as they are utilitarian. I'm sure that is a character flaw, but at 77 I am not going to worry about that particular flaw. There are many others that take precedence. Not being able to hula loop is surely more serious. Or my aversion to dusting. Or.........

Another thing that I had on my old lanyard was the adorable small Swiss army knife that George gave me last Christmas. I knew I couldn't go through the airport with a knife so I tossed it in my suitcase... the one that was to be sent. No can findee. I am desolate as I loved it. It had a tiny scissors that I used constantly, and a small screwdriver. I will have to find another one.

Enough, already. Take care.

The magic of four

It was that fourth pathetic comment from the last blog that got me off the dime! The picture is a showing of the only artwork that got accomplished on the trip to Virginia. I was addressing the envelope of the card for Matthew's birthday - with the ubiquitous marking pen I wear on the lanyard around my neck - when I realized I had printed "John" instead of "Matthew." Hmmmm. So I constructed this concoction to mask my mistake.

I think back to the times when my mother would call me Anna first. (Anna was her little sister.) Then Fran. (Fran was her older daughter, my sister.) Then, finally, Loretta.. my actual name... which everyone used to designate me even though it was really my middle name. I have a long and checkered tale about my name which I won't bore you with here. (Do I hear sighs of relief?) I advise you all to get a name and then stick to it.

I managed to complete the talk on Chicano/a art (sometimes it's called Chicana/o art... you can chose which you like the best.) at the Art of the Lakes meeting. (In Spanish a woman would be Chicana and a man, Chicano.) It is such a large and varied subject that I just managed to touch on a bit of it. But I did it. That's the important thing. People were complimentary.

I get tired quicker after my health adventures of the summer, but I seem to be able to do very well in a slower and more measured way. Well, remember the magic of four! Take care

Well, my body's back....

No. That's not me behind the boat, but dear Matthew a few days before his 6th birthday. We spent a a few days at beautiful Lake Anna in Virginia. Quite a different experience from camping out in Northern Minnesota. The "kids" rented a house with three full baths... just to give you an indication of the size of the place. The culture shock was great! A horde of young kids (Under 13) and old kids (Under 45) and young old kids (Under 85) had a ball together. Lots of water skiing, tubing, just riding along to shout encouragement... and then our marathon watching of "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All in all a wonderful few days of fun in the sun.

We got back to Yorktown on Sunday, the day before Labor Day, so we had time to do laundry and rest up after our vacation.

Now that I have pictures available for posting, I feel so much more like chatting. As we always say - nice to go, but great to get back home, too. I'll share more pix as time progresses and the grey cells in my brain allow! Take care.

Last Gasp from the East

I am all packed and ready to go. As usual, I get all ready and then come down and sleep in the recliner, just like I do at home. We are starting to the airport at 3:45 am. sigh. We should get home in the mid afternoon tomorrow if all our flight connections go well.

Matthew has been celebrating his birthday for several days now with all kinds of meals out and parties. The big party is tomorrow, but we will have to miss it as we will be winging our way home. All is going well with him and we have had lots of fun with his gifts. We gave him a microscope and an owl and several other small gifts one of which was the movie "Charlotte's Web" which we watched tonight. Friday night is pizza and movie night. Fun. The star gift so far, I think, is probably a pair of remote controlled helicopters which he is having a ball flying. He has gotten the gist of it already and they go zooming around the 20 foot high living room like real zoomers. Fun.

Thanks for your comments. I will be back at a more reasonable rate after I get home. Take care you darling people you.

Tuesday

I have nothing much to say, but I will try to say it in an amusing fashion.

My cell phone works in a highly suspect fashion on the east coast. What I do hear is interrupted by static and spaces, and the calls automatically quit after just a bit. I heard (in this bizarre fashion) from Karen W. She says the trip to Mpls was awesome fun. Not only hearing and seeing Joyce Meyers, but going shopping and having slumber party time with the girls. Such fun. Joyce Meyers is a woman who speaks on TV and has her own conferences and broadcasts each day. She's great. I tuned in to hear her this morning and got a good word.

I also heard from Naomi. She heard from John, and they were surprized to realize that they were both in Mpls. That is the joy of the cell phone. It is always the same phone number no matter where you are. They didn't have time to get together, but at least they breathed the same air. John is gone for the week to North Dakota and Naomi just finished attending the wedding of a friend. She will soon be back in Portland.

All those of you out there whom I love... take care!

Thursday

I haven't figured out how to do pictures on this computer, so you will have to wait for those until I get back to my own stuff.

I forgot to mention that I sat through a Lord of the Rings Trilogy showing at the lake. Wow. Five of us sat glued to the set for the whole thing. Such fun.. and then I had the additonal plus of watching tennis when I got here. I tell you, I am a world class couch potato. I will REALLY need the gym when I get back. I was going to say that I was BECOMING a world class couch potato, but I think I have arrived.

Took Matthew to the bus this morning. I am to put stew in the crock pot this afternoon. You understand, it is all ready to go.. all I have to do is turn it on. I have a rough life.

I am envious of those of you who are heading to the cities for Joyce Meyers. Have a blast. I can watch her here each morning... so I see the announcement of the get together in St. Paul. You lucky ducks, you. I will expect a detailed account when I get back.

Take care.

State of Virginia

We are happily ensconsed in the great family home of our son and family. We had fun at Lake Anna, two plus hours away, for a few days with lots of waterskiing and boating of every kind. i don't suppose I have to mention that I didn't waterski, but to relieve some of your worrisome minds... I DID NOT WATERSKI. It was tempting, though. Everyone was either trying or succeeding or using a tube.. but us old folks, we kept our heads, and stayed in the watching category.

Beautiful territory. Brought back memories of the first time I waterskiied as a teen-ager. It took me two days to succeed, but I kept at it until I got up. I am amazed at the patience of my cousin who also kept at it until I did succeed. Thanks again.

Naomi et. al. have successfully completed their trek to Oregon. Happy that they had a safe trip. Now it is to get busy and find a job! Ah, the energy of the young.

Youse guys need to comment, now, so I have encouragement to keep posting! take care.

Tuesday

Last week this time we were at the campground in northern Minnesota. Today we are getting ready to fly to the State of Virginia. The rapidity with which we can change our spot on the earth is amazing.

A few years ago a pastor recounted his trip to speak to us at a pastor's wives retreat. He had flown from the State of Washington to Minneapolis, hired a car and driven to central Minnesota, all within a few hours. His location was completely changed so quickly. He could remember when, as a child, his father would hitch up a team of horses and they would travel several miles into town, do some business, and then travel back home. It might take them the whole day... but during that time, they had an opportunity to look at the nature around them, talk to each other, and think about things. Life at a slower pace had many advantages.

When do people have an opportunity to just THINK and PONDER? So many people seem to be constantly connected to some form of technology. I don't even know what all these plug in things are called. Of course, there's the phone. The cell phone is a wonderful invention, but some people find it impossible not to stay "plugged-in" every minute of every day.

I have always been a "ponder" sort of person. So much so that I would drive my spouse completely crazy at times wondering what in the world I was doing! Hard to explain that you are just thinking as you stare into space.

Well.. off to my day of packing and getting ready for a trip to the coast. Talk to you as soon as I can get to a computer. Might be a few days. Take care.

double oofta

Okay. We had a wonderful few days camping and are home. Lots of work for just a few days, but this view should give you a small taste of why we go. Naomi and Tony are here overnight to say good bye before they move to Portland, Oregon. The sun is setting on an era.

Now, George and I are setting out on a trip to the state of Virginia to see John, Beth and Matthew, so we have to whip ourselves into shape by EARLY Wednesday. When I say early, I mean early. We have to leave the house about 3 am and travel to Fargo. Embark for Chicago and then Richmond... on stand by, yet. So you can see why I call this double oofta.

More another time. Take care.

The picnic

We are at the Foster Street Beach in Chicago. Both Dianna and Mary are about to go swimming. The others of us are just content to look at all of the other people at the beach, take in the skyscrapers in the distance, and veg out. Wonderful. The thing I liked best about it was not only getting to know these members of my family better but also to take in the wonderful vista. Wow. To think this is right in the city of Chicago.

Today is Saturday. It is raining. We are preparing for our camping trip to Northern Minnesota. I will attempt to take pictures of our camp to share with you. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Everybody around here needs rain so I hesitate to hope for a rainless week, but I hope for some rainless days, at least. We'll see how it goes. It will all be wonderful because the company will be the thing that makes it so.

I was so amused by Karen's telling me about her encounter with Izzy and Enid at the super market. She looked up and there was our blogger and his girl friend in the living flesh and pink t-shirt in Alexandria, Minnesota. Note Izzy's comment on the last blog. Izzy is large even here in Minnesota. Izzy is hard to miss. I still have difficulty wrapping my mind around what his impact must have been on the Japanese kindergartners. We are glad you are back, Izzy, and await your blog from Texas. Thanks for your comment! Hi to Enid, too.

Off to the packing. Take care.

Millenium Park

I have a sort of foggy remembrance of this spectacular fountain and the great park which leads up to the ART MUSEUM. Fantastic outdoor restaurants and statuary. As it was a very hot day, I was too eager to get inside to fully appreciate it. Ahhhhhhhhhh. Air conditioning... and ART. Now we're in the right place.

Naomi and Steve took very good care of me that day in Chicago. We looked at paintings and other forms of art until I was obviously starting to fade away, and then they steered me to a restaurant. A lovely restaurant right in the museum. We were waited on with all the obsequiousness necessary in a first class place, and by the time we were done I was ready to rock and roll once again! Not only were the waiters attentive, but the food was also good. Great!

We saw some great art and about four pm my eyes started to glass over and we headed back to the el and the bus. Fantastic day. Thanks to you, Steve and Naomi, for your great care of moi. I had a blast. And we had another day to look at art in the galleries! More yet! Wow.

Take care

Would you believe it?

This is a photograph of my picture in the 1956 yearbook from Roland. I am listed as the English, Speech, Journalism and Dramatics teacher. As I remember it, I did everything but sweep the floors. Five preparations, plays, newspaper and yearbook. I think I took care of the library, too, when it was also a study hall.

The kids were great. I looked through the book and had very distinct memories of many of them. What a wonderful bunch!

Memories are great. They enrich our activities in the present. I think one has to be careful not to become enmeshed in memories to the point that one has difficulty returning to the here and now. I can remember my mom taking photo albums from dad because he would become too involved in them and not be able to return to the present. This was when he was about George's age. It is rather interesting to attain ages that compare to the ages of your memories of your parents.

One of my clearest memories of mom and dad in Florida is their reclining in their recliners watching TV. They would both be asleep, so I would turn off the TV, which would wake them up and then they would protest that they had been watching a favorite show. The show was no longer on, though, and they would laugh at themselves. What a picture of us, now, that is. We in our recliners, watching TV. We have become our parents. It's inevitable, I think, if one lives long enough.

I do have one claim to fame, however, that is mine alone. I have a rowdy group of friends at the gym. They will never let me lapse into the past! Right, girls? See ya soon! Take care.

happy day

Life never ceases to amaze with its twists and turns. One day this week I received a visit from a student I had over 50 yeats ago! Turns out that she and her guest were also graduates of St. Olaf College. Naturally I took them down to the Coffeehouse Art Center and we had a picture together. Carolyn also has a connection to the MaeSae Lutheran School in Tanzania where Naomi and Tony spent three months recently. The connections are amazing. We all had much in common.

I was amazed at how much Carolyn still looked like her highschool yearbook picture. Because I taught in Roland only one year, their junior year, there was no picture of me in the year book. I can testify, however, that I do not look much like I looked back then. I should dig out a picture from that time for you to compare. I was so saddened not to be able to attend their highschool reunion in early June because of my health adventure, but her visit to me was very invigorating. It was amazing how many things I recalled from that one year.

Fran: do you recognize the jeans I have on in this picture? That is your green paint spot on the leg! The jacket is one that went with the dress I had for Naomi's and Tony's wedding up at Scenic State Park. The T Shirt is one Naomi had in highschool.

The necklace is a style statement that I have recently adopted from memories of my teaching years. I never seem to have a pen when I need one although I am sure I own about 2000 pens which are distributed around the house... so I have begun wearing one! Along with a marker for marking down dates IMMEDIATELY on my calendar and the nifty small Swiss Army Knife I got from George at Christmas. You never know when you might need a small scissor, a screwdriver, a toothpick or a tweezer. Many times a day I use one or another of the instruments I wear hanging on my neck. I feel it is a method of minimizing frustration. At my age that can only be good.

Take care.

At the beach!

This is the fabulous Foster Beach in Chicago. It is quite a contrast to the Lake Moses access, or throwing a stick to JYY at Moon Lake. I especially like the skyscrapers in the distance. Do you recognise them, Karens?

This is where we had our great evening picnic in Chicago. Both Mary and Dianna went swimming. As the note from Fran pointed out, Dianna is a rabid athlete! She has even encouraged her mother to begin swimming, biking and running. The swimming part I can document! Kudos to these valiant ladies! Steve goes at it in his own way. He is a dedicated walker! I really liked the atmosphere of the city, and the beach sealed the deal.

Of course, the art stuff didn't hurt, either. We took buses and the el to go to the art museum. I managed all the walking and returned to the apartment happy and ready to lay in the movie sac chair which is not difficult to get out of at all. The second day Andrea and Steve picked us up and drove us to a spot in the city where there was a gigantic art store. I DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING!!! One of the high lights of the trip was my control. It's interesting when you have all the supplies you need at the present moment and the only thing you want they don't have! Wow.

Then we began a series of visits to art galleries. Wow. I loved it. We stopped for lunch and visited more art galleries until my energy level bottomed out. Andrea drove us back to Dianna's apartment. I went in and took a nap to prepare for the above mentioned picnic. One of the best parts of my trip was getting to know my relatives better. They are the bomb!

I thank God I was able to enjoy this trip and have the energy to do all of the things we did! The memories I have are the greatest. Thanks to all who provided the wherewithall.

Take care.

All relaxed!

This is a picture of me on the movie sac chair that Dianna had in her apartment. What a fabulous chair. It is covered with corduroy and fits the sitter perfectly. Both Naomi and I became fans. It is also so large that it would take up the better part of any room you decide to put it in. Fantastic but large!

I am slowly recovering from the trip. I have painted a bit, read a bit, done a bit of acrostics, cooked a bit, cleaned a bit ( a very little bit), and slept a lot. George has a very painful leg - from the hip to his foot - so we are trying to find out what to do about that. Tomorrow he goes to a doctor that his doctor referred him to, to look further into the causes of the pain.

I received a phone call from Caroline (Carolyn?) in Iowa. She will be dropping by for a chat tomorrow, too. She was a member of the class that I taught mega years ago in Roland, Iowa. I was planning to attend their reunion but had to cancel the plan when I had my health adventure. I hope to get news of their get together from her and catch up on old times.... It is always a surprise to realize how old the times are getting. Ooofta. Take care.

What fun!

As we walked down the street in Chicago, there was the road sign that heralded the beginning of Route 66! Friends of Naomi's are going to take a ride on Route 66 (or what remains of that historic Route) for their honeymoon, so we took this pic to show them where to start!

Chicago is a beautiful city. It has great buildings, along with a gorgeous lake shore with at least four open public beaches. We looked at the art in the art museum, ate at a fancy dancy restaurant in the museum, and when I started to fade, made our way back to the public transportation. We were furnished a great apartment by family, and I was glad to get back and collapse in a heap. I expended just the right amount of energy. I'll tell you what we did the next day tomorrow!

Take care.

spooky

Ok. Now I'm spooked. The last remark on the last posting is so idiotic I hope it is a joke. On the off chance that it was made seriously, I'm spooked. Yes, spooked. All bread is baked whole and then cut. In Brazil it was cut by a machine that had a saw blade for each slice set the length of the loaves. The loaves were put in the holder and then the blades vibrated through the bread and cut the slices. The loaves remained stable and were put into plastic bags made the right size. The only trouble with the machine at our super market was that one of the saw blades was gone, so always the loaves we got of sliced bread had that one large slice about 3/4 of the way down the loaf.
Whatever.
I'm having a surreal day as I get ready for my trip. I screwed up the taking of my medications (you do realize that older people - ok, OLD people - spend their lives calculating which medications to take when?) so that at 4 am I was taking medications I should have taken at 9 pm the night before. Sigh. I suppose that I will therefore take the medications I should take at 9 am this morning a bit later. Whatever.
I am filled with whatevers this morning.
Clothes all packed, medications all measured and included, books and puzzles in the big bag, all systems almost ready to go. Now, hopefully, I am also ready to go! Wahoo.
Think of all the new things I will be able to comment on after I return. Be prepared.
Take care.

From Scratch

Today at the gym! I was taken aback by the remarks of a lady that she couldn't find Texas Toast for sale in the grocery stores. I had no idea you could actually BUY Texas Toast as such. Why not buy uncut bread, cut it thick and make your own? The idea was met with amazement by the others in the gym.
Evidently I lived too long in Brazil... or I'm just too old. The idea of making something simple from scratch is such a novel idea! Not. I still make almost all the food we eat from the real thing. I make my own spaghetti sauce with venison, tomatoes from the garden, etc., etc.. and we eat simple basic natural stuff.
I feel pretty wild when I buy the rotisseried chickens and manage to get three meals or more from them. Soup, cream chicken on biscuits, sandwiches, etc. Is it because I was raised during the hard years just after the depression or because I lived in Brazil where everything was bought in its natural state from guys in wagons riding around hawking their wares? The "super market" cut its sliced bread with a machine that had one saw missing so there was always one slice ready to be Texas Toast! The trouble was I didn't know what Texas Toast was at that time. I do love it now when I eat out, though.
I really love making stuff from scratch. With all the cooking shows on TV, I thought maybe everyone else liked it too. Who knew? What say you?
Take care.

HOT WEATHER!

This is a very blurred image of the acrylic painting called "Where's the Note?" which is of a bottle washed up on shore. It is one of the first that I painted and the one that Ben chose.

It is hot enough today that it would be fun to dive into the water for a little cool off period. We have an airconditioner in the bedroom window and several fans distributing the cool air around the house. So far it has been just fine. With the onslaught of HOT weather we are expecting, we will have to see how it goes.
I am trying to figure out what to do first to get ready for my trip to Chicago. Nay and I are riding the rails from Mpls. I am leaving all of the details to her, but I have to decide what to wear, etc. Just think of all the news I can give to you after I get back.
Wow. I am REALLY looking forward to my time in the museums seeing the paintings there. I am sure there are other things that will happen, too, but the art museums are always on my list of favorite places to go. More tomorrow. Take care.

Getting reacquainted is great!

Cherie, Sarah and Ben came to stay. It was so much fun. I told Sarah she could have this painting which she admired and inscribed it to her. Then I told Ben he could pick one, too. I will include that one tomorrow. I also gave one to Cherie and she bought one. I will include those in the days ahead.

We shared all sorts of memories of Peter John. He was George's nephew and Cherie's husband and the kids' father. He was the person who owned the Indonesian shirts that I made into quilts for the two kids. They have them and loved them, so that is GREAT. A nice sweet deal all around. We are becoming more and more acquainted. Sarah is going into 10th grade and Ben into eighth. Of course, I loaded them up with tons of books that I thought they might like to read, as well.

Now I am getting geared up for the trip to Chicago. George and I went out to the golf club this morning. I was a cheer leader and the taker of some photos for John. The golf club is such a jewel he wanted to show the folks in Virginia what a golf club could look like. I weathered all the strenousness of driving the golf car and taking some pictures. I did not try to golf. It was already hotter than a pistol even though we went at 7 am. I had a blast, though.

Take care and don't get too hot!

Good Heavens!

As you know, I start my day playing a few games. One of them rewards me with the chance to receive a jewel of wisdom if I should win. Ok. I won. This last "jewel" was definitely phoney baloney in my book:
"One that keeps one's mouth shut keeps one's life, but one who opens wide one's lips shall have destruction." Right. That's such a crock. If I kept my mouth shut, the whole bunch at the gym would go home unamused by my scintilating wit... or witlessness, I don't quite know which. That saying must have been written for a downtrodden woman who is abused at home. I am definitely on the side of saying what is necessary. I think of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy's daughter. Someone said that if what a person was saying was unkind or unnecessary, not to say it. Alice said, "That's great. Just don't sit next to me." I am very loosely quoting all this as I am too lazy to look up the exact quote. But you get the picture.
I don't advocate unkindness, or untruth, but lively conversation is so much fun. Wahoo.
Peter John's widow and kids are visiting us today. They are the kids I made the quilts for. I have recovered from my two days at the art workshop. Now, I'm rarin' to go! Take care.

Yup, well

I'm going to be out of touch for a day or two, so I had to post something for anonymous to read with her morning coffee for one of the days, at least!

I play games each day on my computer. I have a ritual I follow. First, plain solitaire. Then Spider solitaire. Then two kinds of mahjong. Then on to my day. When i win one of the mahjongs, I am rewarded with a saying. The one I got today was too great not to share.

"Some people are at their best asleep." I would hate to think that was true of anyone I know. I can assure you, if I know you, you do not fit into this category. I would hate even more to think that i fall into this category. It's best to remain in ignorance, so if I do, for pete's sake don't tell me. Just let me wonder.

Welcome back home, Karen. I hope you had a great trip. Take care.

Time Marches On

Way back when I would awaken at my daughter's apartment in Olympia, Washington and look up at this view. I was entranced by all of the angles. It amazed me how long I could gaze up and dream. It is a painting that infuriates a friend of mine because the edges are not parallel to the edges of the paper on which it is painted. I try to explain to her that because of the placement of the bed, that is the way that the view looked and just exactly what made it entrancing to me. Nope. She can't stand it.

Is that what happens to us as we go along in life. Do things that look entrancing to one look out of whack to someone else? Infuriatingly so?

Some things are so infuriating that they drive people to bombs in order to right what seems out of order. That is, perhaps, a leap of reasoning, but i wish people could just chill out and stop blowing each other up. There are so many strange and wonderful ways to look at things.

Perhaps in heaven we will be allowed to stand together and look at things without the wish to blow people up for disagreeing with us.

My friend and I have managed it... so far.

Keeping me on my toes!

That "anonymous" is such a slave driver keeping me at my keyboard!
I worked at the gallery in Battle Lake yesterday from 10 am to 8 pm, with an hour out for supper from 6 to 7. It went great! I was able to do all the stuff required even to using the credit card machine flawlessly! Those machines are quite a quandary at times. I once dropped to the floor and begged a customer to please write a check so I didn't have to continue to try to operate the machine. That was at the old "Point of View" gallery. I never could make that machine work. It was something about the speed with which you swiped the card. The owner could always do it, none of the rest of us ever could. So....... I was greatly relieved when the card machine worked without a hitch yesterday.
George came up at 6 and we went to Stella's for supper. I had a prime rib au jus sandwich which was great. George had Thai Chicken salad. It's a new place where the old R and R was. Quite an upscale Italianate sort of place with outside dining possible.
What I really like about working at the gallery is meeting new people. The tourists are at it hot and heavy, and I sold quite a bit of art to people from Omaha, Nebraska and Seattle, Washington. What fun.
Okay, anonymous. Have I fulfilled my duty? Take care.

try # 3

Ok. So this is an uncropped copy of a painting, etc., etc.. it is absolutely the best that I can do at the present moment. I finally transferred the photo from Windows Photo Gallery (which for some reason I cannot access from this post) to my desktop. THEN I could manage to upload it. The painting is really much better than this photo of it shows. Too bad. I wonder who bought it. A guy used to come in the gallery quite regularly to admire it and I hope it is he who finally succumbed.

Well. Off to beddy-bye. Take care.

One Potato

OK. I am trying to find a picture of the painting of the tomatoes and a potato. I am not having any luck doing that. I will find it after I finish writing this blog, and then include it later. Karen W. wants to see it as she cannot remember it and it is the one I just sold in Battle Lake.

I am feeling good today. I had a rather invigorating day yesterday and lived through it, so I hope that tomorrow will go well, too. I am working up at the Battle Lake gallery. That is always fun. It is such a beautiful place with all of the fabulous art work. Any of you who want to could come to visit me. That would be great! After we have had a talk and you have purchased hundreds of dollars worth of art (right) you can stop next door for an ice cream cone at Granny's Pantry. They also have coffee and 100's of styles of candy. Well, maybe not 100's... but MANY for sure. And those great waffle type cones, etc......

I try to make it a rule that I never darken the door of that store as it is WAY too tempting to little old diabetic me. But the rest of you will find it heaven.

I'll get back to you with the potato. Take care.

Yippee

What a morning it was at the gym! It was my first visit back in a month. I managed to go around the circle once and a half, so I felt quite successful. While we were chatting and exercising, a motorcycle pulled up and there was Jim, back from his trip to Alaska. Coming to greet us all before he even went home. He looked slightly stunned. Sort of vibrating from being on his bike for too many hours for too many days... but he was home in one piece. I presume he went for a bit to eat at Mac's and then home for some shut eye. It was so great to see him!

I am feeling rather good. I am slowly building up my strength day by day. My incentive is the great trip to Chicago at the end of the month. Wow. I will work two days at the Gallery in Battle Lake this week. Then the next week I will assist at an art workshop there for two days. The worst part of everything is George is undertaking to drive me around. Poor boy will have to go fishing while I am at the gallery, etc. What a burden that would be! Right? Right.
Take care.

Batteries are too low.....

I was going to take a picture out my window to the world and my camera informed me that the batteries are too low. Seems about right. These last few weeks I have felt that way and my camera has finally caught up to me. So - I will take out the batteries and recharge them and then be perfectly able to take pictures again!
I feel the same. I need to recharge my batteries. I have my spirits back up to feeling zippy, but I definitely need to recharge the power! So -- back to a bit of walking, perhaps playing a bit of golf, going to the gym, laughing a lot... etc.
We heard bad news this week. One of our friends was found dead by another of our friends. What a shock! When you get to be my age, it shouldn't be such a shock, but I always felt a lot older than this friend, so it's a bit like seeing the handwriting on the wall. Our hearts are with her family.
So back to recharging my batteries. Got to keep going as best as I can. Yowsah. Take care.

Happy Fourth!!!

Hats Off to Old Glory! I am not intending to do anything in particular to celebrate the day. There are lots of things going on in each small town. Tonight we will watch the fireworks from our house. Each year they seem to get bigger and better. Lots of work goes into it, to say nothing about money. The town loves their good fireworks. I am hoping to be back up to par by next week, and back into the daily grind. We'll see how it goes!

Oh, yes, I can relax today and watch tennis from Wimbledon. They have had so much rain that the play is hard on the participants. Nadal has been playing a match for 90 some hours. As he is an impetuous Spaniard it is taking its toll on him. Another two players hit three balls and had to retire from the court. Another two finished off a match in lightening because it was so close to finished. Not a good idea. I have never seen such a collection of umbrellas... "guardachuvas" in Portuguese. Literally "guard against rain" which seems more apt than "umbrellas" which would be to shade someone from the sun, as parasols are for the sun, too. Oh, well.

Have a Happy Fourth and remember the troops! Take care.

Another mystery

Ok doakee. I wrote a whole blog and somehow it disappeared before I could publish it. So here goes once again. This is a picture of George's ingenious solution to sprinkling the garden. He gave it a good soaking last evening. Of course, we had a nice soaking rain this early morning! Some sort of law? whatever.

I am missing my cohorts at the gym and hope to get back soon. Today I go to the doctor to find out the news about the state of my carcass. On Thursday I have book club in the morning and a visit from Cherie, Sarah and Ben in the afternoon. Cherie is the widow of George's nephew Peter, and Sarah and Ben are his great nephews. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time might recall the quilts I made of Peter's shirts for these two kids. (You can check it out on the blog for 6/5/06) I am so excited to have finally had those quilts delivered to Cherie by Fred and Chad, George's nephews who visited last week. If you are still following along, I know you are completely confused. Deal with it!

By now you realise that I really need to get out more! I will try. Hope to see you soon!

Take care.

I'm baaaaaaaack!

It seems to me that that sentence was included in some sort of scary movie... but the truth of the matter is that I woke up this morning with a smile on my face, feeling as though I was back. I have had two months of abysmal health, but I definitely feel that I am back to being me. Some might question the efficacy of that, but I am extremely glad.

I am still weak and need to get my stamina back, but my brain feels clear and my spirits are up. Wahoo! Yesterday I had a colonoscopy, which those of you who have experienced it know is not the most pleasant of medical procedures. As they semi-sedate you, it isn't too bad. The worst part for me is the stuff you have to drink getting ready for the procedure. I HATE IT. But it's in the past, now, and today I feel great.

It's great when food tastes good. The simplest food now is like food for the gods. During my struggles with antibiotics, I had a terrible time eating anything and keeping it down. Now all of my wonderful taste buds are serving me well. Yippee.

Take care and stay well!

Whew!

We have had a fantastic week. Daughter Nay came to visit for a couple of days, Son John and Grandson Matthew came so they were all here together for a day, then Nay had to leave. Nephews Fred and Chad came to visit and caught John and Matthew, so we were all together for a few hours before J & M had to leave. Fred and Chad and George got to go to the airplane show in Alex together on Saturday before they flew away. It was awesome. Chad is a computer wizard so he tuned up the old HP until it is much faster, so that was great. Well, really, what a fabulous week.

I was feeling enough better that I could enjoy all the hoopla, but both George and I have spent the day with our feet up resting. We are recovered from all the joyousness. Only the thrill of it remains. Wahoo.

The motorcycle guys sound as though their trip just gets better and better. We will be overjoyed to see their safe return in the weeks to come. By the end of this week I hope to be able to get back to the gym. I am feeling stronger by the day. Take care!

The Open Road!

The news from the adventurers is all good. They are having the time of their lives. The information that I have is from Sunday. They went to a hot springs spa earlier in the week and Freddie highly recommends it! All his aches and pains were gone. He said his shoulder has hurt for months but since the spa he has had no pain.

One thing is, Jim likes to drive faster than Freddie. Since it is Freddie that is on the phone with this information, we probably should take it with a grain of salt. It will be fun to hear all the tales they will tell when they return. Jim supposedly went to a gambling casino and Freddie didn't. Right. They have seen a Big-horned Ram and say the roads are good. About like 82 from Evansville to Alex. Since we all have heard horror stories of the trips to Alaska by car, it is good to know that they have improved the roads.

We will be oh so glad to have them home safe and sound! Take care

A Few more pills...

I'm basically putting this picture in from my birthday party at the gym to encourage me to keep on taking the antibiotic pills that so disagree with me. The baloons and cake were provided by Karen W. And we all enjoyed it. I can't say that I did much gym work, but it was so much fun to be back! That evening I found myself at the emergency room, which leads me to think one should be sure to have fun when the opportunity presents itself. I think I have now exhausted the lucky double seven pictures.

I have two more days of these horrid pills and then hopefully I will begin to feel a bit better.

Does anyone have a picture of the "take-off" of Jim and Fred on their motorcycle road trip? Send it to me by e-mail and I will post it on this blog. They are going cross country to Alaska on their Harleys! They are not computer savy, so we cannot hope for an e-mail from them, but whoever hears from them, please let me know how it's going. I was going to go to their send-off but wasn't able to as I was busy taking pills. Sigh.

Take care.

Tulips

Karen W. suggested I give you a peek at the darling tulips that Colleen gave me. Karen delivered them for Colleen so I haven't had a chance to quiz her on the way they are made. I can, from personal experience, tell you that they taste great! There were originally six!

This is how I imagine them being made. Colleen is being visited by her granddaughter and this is a great entertaining way to occupy children. I think you would get white chocolate (the kind you can buy to make almond bark) and tint it with food coloring. Then get the molds that you can buy at craft stores and long sucker sticks. Voila! Fill the molds, attach the sticks, let them harden and you have a darling flower. In the jar is colored rice in a beautiful shade of green. What a wonderful project! And yummy, too. What more can be asked?

I am making a profession out of taking antibiotics that basically disagree with me. I am working hard to get the whole ten days of this medication taken along with all the myriad other medication necessary to my continued well-being. Each hour I chow down a pill, I eat a bit and hope I won't be nauseated. etc., etc. I have finished six days now, so I am into the home stretch. Wahoo. One of the tulips was nibbled on yesterday to mask the bitter taste of a pill. I will try to keep the others intact but I don't know, chocolate is chocolate and has a seductive pull. Yum.

Take care.

Rhubarb

Okay. Admit it. Some of us LOVE rhubarb in stuff in the spring. Rhubarb strawberry preserves or pie, rhubarb cobbler, rhubarb pie covered with glorious meringue.... Great. There's something about this fantastically sour stuff that combined with other stuff makes everything fabulously tasty. I have actually seen people eat a sour rhubarb stalk by itself with gusto. I will not go that far, but I am extremely fond of all the sauces, etc. It's hard now because of my diabetes and the fantastic amounts of sugar that all of this tasty stuff requires. I wonder how the sweeteners work? Any ideas?

This fantastic work of art was perpetrated by Karen L and her husband Jeff. She started in and then he got fascinated by the project and did a lot of the heavy and detailed work. As I understand it they made a mound of sand, applied a rhubarb leaf, poured on cement and let it dry. Then the tricky part which I do not understand and ta-da! The finished product. Hats Off! It is going to be a GORGEOUS bird bath. I am blown away by the beauty of it.

Have a beautiful day! Take care.

More birthday stuff...

Ok. I'm doing a tango with this site. I was already into doing this blog when I somehow hit the wrong key and it just evaporated. I am going to give you a wonderful recipe for egg stuff that Carol Leah served at our last book club in place of deviled eggs. It's great so here goes... I will try to get it done this time.

Chili Egg Puff

10 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 pint cottage cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

1 pound Monterey Jack Cheese ( I presume shredded)

2 four ounce cans of diced green chili

Beat eggs until light. Add all ingredients except cheese and chilies. Blend with beater. Stir in cheese and chilies. Pour into 9/13 buttered baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until center is firm and top is brown. about 35 minutes. You might check with a knife in the center for doneness... Makes 10 - 12 servings.

She says you can double it or halve it.

Yum. Yum. Take care.

More birthday!!!

As my birthday present to you I will give you the recipe I got from one of my book club buddies, Carol Leah. It is absolutely luscious and was her variation of deviled eggs! She couldn't face making deviled eggs again, Fran, sorry. But we did have sugar free jello and a muffin variation!

CHILI EGG PUFF

Lucky Double Seven

Yesterday was my 77th birthday. Karen W. brought balloons and made a cake and we celebrated at the gym. Such fun. Barby wasn't there or Colleen, but the rest of the usual suspects came. I have received GREAT cards and gifts. I had a wonderful start to the day.

Later I got sick again with the diverticulitis and went to the ER in Alex. Why do I always wait until evening when the clinic is closed. Sigh. I had a big art show to go to also, and had to miss it. Sigh. A variation on the old saw about the best laid plans, etc., etc. from Robby Burns. "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." I'm neither a mouse nor a man, but the idea is still valid!

Anyhoo, After receiving the attentions of all of the nurses and doctors at the ER and many rather invasive and uncomfortable X-rays and CT scans, George took me home at 2 am on June 9. I learned that they send the results of the CT scan to Australia to be read there because they are up and at it during our night. Our radiologists will look at it today!

The lucky part was that I made it, I guess. I'm ready and rarin' to go into my next year. Actually I'm not rarin' ... More like whimpering. But I hope that this experience teaches me not to be too exultant about what I am going to do. Stay flexible. It is also teaching me to appreciate every little thing that comes my way each day. My great family and friends. Wahoo. All in all, I loved my lucky double seven birthday. Thank you, one and all. Take care.

small things

You will have noticed that the pictures of paintings included in my blog lately are rather crooked and not nice and neat. The reason is that I have not yet figured out how to use the cropping tools in my new computer stuff. Woe's me.

Think of the small things and how important they can be. I just noticed lately that some manufacturers of clothing are including a printed label right on the fabric at the top inside back of a shirt. Several advantages to this can be mentioned. One is that you won't ever have that embarrassing label standing back up into your hairdo that the lady in church reaches over and tucks in. I imagine it also saves the manufacturer lots of money once it is set up to operate. A small change we all appreciate.

The tiny improvements often have the most impact on us. Just think of safety pins, velcro, paper clips, ziplock bags, the list is long. And those small things which have become antiques like bobby pins and hair pins. Does anyone use those anymore? Whaddyathink?

Take care.

Tuesday Morning Blues

I again include a painting trying to counteract a down day. I was doing so well and then opened some doctor's bills. They had yet to be sent to Medicare and the supplemental insurer so they were large. My reaction was so strange. I felt like crying and I got cold and I basically fell apart. George was not at home so I got out my warm quilt and sat down and tried to get it back together. The reaction was so far from what I should have had that it scared me, but it also interested me. I am way more emotional than I used to be. I presume that is part of my present illness. I will have days of strength and days of weakness for awhile... then slowly (hopefully not too slowly) I will have strong days most of the time. Today has turned out to be a day for rest and recovery.

Yesterday was a great day of conversation and reunion with dear friends. Book club is the greatest. Since our last actual book club get together one of us has lost her husband and one of us has had a health emergency. We had a chance to talk with no holds barred. We have such a wonderful friendship. Hats off to friends.

Back to resting. Sigh. Take care.

Monday Morning Happiness

I am feeling good this morning, so I decided I should have a picture on my blog! This is the painting I chose because it is another of those that is hanging on the wall in the kitchen of the house featured on Naomi's blog. I DO like to paint pears, apparently... or fruit? Anyway.

I am warming up the bathroom preparatory to taking a shower. One of the absolute pamperings that I love is being able to heat the bathroom to a ridiculously hot temperature. I am especially cold blooded since being sick so it is even nicer. One of the things about living in a less developed country is that some of the things that many people take for granted you have learned to really appreciate. It is called "reverse culture shock." It is culture shock that you have as you move to the "foreign" country - but reverse culture shock as you come back home. There were many examples of this that we noticed.

I remember being shocked at the amount of carpeting we had in American homes. Now we have a high degree of hardwood floors, but 30 years ago everything seemed to be carpeted... even the CLOSETS. I thought it was so decadent until we went out and priced floor coverings and discovered that carpeting was the cheapest way to go and we carpeted our own closets!

And hot water running freely in all of the pipes. And soft toilet paper. And usuable paper towels that actually were soft and sturdy. Wow. And fine flour so I could make an Angel Food Cake. All of the differences were really minor, but built up one on top of the other until I felt completely overwhelmed with the sybaritic pleasures of the American home. I soon adjusted, but still understand that the best test of a place is living there for a while so that one looks past these surface things to the inner life of the place. That's where you find what's real.

Take care.

Coffee

One of my loyal readers suggested I might talk about coffee. Actually, one of the other loyal readers has an extensive knowledge of coffee around the world, but i will nevertheless proceed from my own perspective!

I dug out two coffee cups from a set I bought in Brazil. The small cup is for cafezinho and the other for cafe com leite. AS I UNDERSTAND IT ( I put this in capital letters as my understanding may be severely limited!) The Brazilians take the coffee beans and, instead of roasting them, they char them. Then they turn them into a dust that looks a lot like cocoa. It is absolutely essential to the drinker's health that the coffee that is produced from this is thoroughly filtered. Hot water through coffee in a filter to a coffee pot. This very strong brew is put into the small cup and two or three teaspoons of sugar are added. A small spoon used for the purpose of stirring in this tiny cup WILL stand up. Many of us became absolutely addicted to this brew. It would certainly get you UP for the day and rarin' to go.

The second way to use the coffee produced in this way was to make cafe com leite. The coffee put into one pot, hot milk into another and the two added simultaneously into the larger cup. Then one could add sugar or not as preferred. Fantastic. Fabulous. Absolutely addictive.

I have through the years made something called a "milky drink" which is an ersatz version of cafe com leite. Heat a mug of milk in the microwave to boiling, but not over flowing. (That in itself is a trick!) Add a heaping teaspoon of instant coffee and some artificial sweetener, and voila... a pale imitation of cafe com leite.

The pots from Mexico work very well in making this coffee, but it is to get the Brazil coffee that is the trick. I hear that there is a coffee in the stores now from Brazil but I wonder if it is roasted to accomodate us or charred and typically Brazilian. If it is just in the bean, I wonder how we will process it. I will report more as I discover more.

Take care!