Happy New Year

The visitors left after helping us do many things.

Wish the other family could have been here too!

Visitors

This morning started with doughnuts from the new doughnut shop. Somebody said get two dozen. We overruled that order and got one dozen plus a cinnamon roll. I think next time I'll just get cinnamon rolls. It was really good!

Lots of coffee and we were ready to watch the Cowboys. Dang, it was a nail biter. Even the Chief's fan in New Jersey was a wreck.

Another visitor arrived from the east this time. It was so good to have cousins meet again.  Our family is not large and we're spread out, coast to coast with a few in the middle.

Wish we were geographically closer.

We were happy to see the Chiefs win and set some records! Amazing, but the defense needs some work.
However, the long run by the large lineman was a miracle. Too bad he couldn't get into the end zone but it was close!

A Daughter and Her Dad

I've tried everything to turn this photo.  The little rotating arrow only makes it grow so large that it won't display. So, please tilt your head to the right.

This is our oldest granddaughter on the left and her dad at about the same age. 

I see a strong family resemblance.

This is a Hat

Yesterday I saw a free pattern for a hat on the internet. The claim for the easy peasy project was that it could be made in thirty minutes.
 Since I was going to be at the hospital for about four hours, I grabbed some yarn, a hook one size smaller than they suggested and stashed them in a bag. My gauge is usually larger than it should be using the hook that they suggest.
At one o'clock I arrived for my infusion. After I was hooked up and there was no blood to mess up the yarn, I started the hat. It kept getting bigger and flatter. When it was time to leave, it was the size of a large pizza pan. I don't know what in the H E double toothpicks went wrong but I know that I was frustrated. After whining to my sister-in-law, I started doing the frog stitch - rip it, rip it. In my dismay, I forgot to take a photo of the large circle!
So this morning I started over. This time it went more smoothly but the designer's estimate on the time for this project is not correct for me. I have always said that I was one of the slowest knitters in the world. Not to brag. Just to state a fact. Crocheting has always been speedier. Well, I started in about 5:00 a.m. and with only a few interruptions, I finished about 8:45. Using a double strand slowed me down (excuses, excuses.)
In addition, the pattern called for one more row. I tried it on and one more row meant that it would have been down over my eyes in front and over my collar in the back.
So this is one of a kind. I doubt if ANY of the grands would wear this one.

I think I'm stuck with it.

A Chiefs Fan

This is my dear sister-in-law who lives in a far away land called New Jersey. She loves the Chiefs and got several gifts with that theme.

This one was a special surprise from her nephew in Texas who had a hat autographed by Ken Jolly. She wore it everywhere yesterday and today. She and I talk and share our loot on Skype every day. When my husband and I were married, she was only eleven so I have watched her grow up!

We love Skype. Now if we could just figure out why I can't call anyone, but they can call me!

Merry Christmas, Judy.

MN Second Christmas

This was the last Christmas on Harrison Street. As I remember, MN really liked riding that horse.

We moved the next February to a larger house that we bought for $12,788.  We stayed there for 45 years.

 I think this is the last Christmas memory for this year! MN and PN with lots of packages.

MN's first Christmas, 1959

Mike and  his mom in 1959. We were more excited than he was.

This was our Christmas card in 1960.

In 1961 PN had arrived. He was four months old and not looking too happy. A dear friend, Jack Reed took this picture for our Christmas card.

Christmas 2000 on Wheatland

Two little granddaughters were there for this one.

And their mom and dad, of course with Chip looking on.

Christmas, 1931

This is my husband with Santa. He would have been one year and one month old. I imagine his pick of the toys would have been that snazzy race car.

Christmas 1969

Back when I could get down on my knees, I must have been thinking about picking up the wrapping papers.

Another Christmas Photo of Joy

I'm not sure of the year (maybe 2006) but it was the year of the pink pajamas and an excited MLN.
(We like those initials. Four of us have those initials but none are "juniors."

When I used to "Dress Up"

That is a Christmas photo of mln and MLN. I am wearing a skirt with wreaths all over except they were not traditional Christmas colors. PN would have been in the photo if his dad had not taken such an excellent picture of the front door.

Christmas Memories

This was a year when I got knives and a new phone with ear buds.  I notice that Santa has very thin legs.

Sparkly Scrubber

Yesterday the mail brought several Christmas cards but one envelope was extra thick and artistically decorated.
What I found inside was a scrubber, (or scrungy)  that is too pretty to use!

For the photo, I threaded Santa's hanger through the center and placed it back where Santa, from the same blogger friend, hangs all year long - in my line of sight when I am at the computer.

 I may give in and use it. I have never seen that type of yarn, thread or fiber here. It has much more sparkle than the picture shows.  Thanks, Far Side!

Christmas 1967?

 Do these boys
looked thrilled over the robe and pj's their mother made them for Christmas?

I don't think so.

Christmas 3 about 1977

 

HHS in 1947

Gone but not forgotten.

Christmas - 1969

Knit dress, crocheted vest. I was at it even 49 years ago.

Cookies are not in at Aldi's

These are our second favorite cookies for Christmas. Aldi's tells me they are waiting for them to come in.

So I saw these and they are completely different - very thin and with a hint of anise. They do not come as pictured with a filling but they are good with a little Happy Cow cream cheese spread on them!

Christmas in Kentucky

This was 1997 ( I think! )  You can't see them, but the yard was full of trees. That is our second granddaughter on the steps.

The only place I ever saw a drive-through where you could purchase alcoholic drinks. Don't drink and drive?   Never heard of it.

Figi's Free Fudge

When a customer places an order with Figi's that is more than a certain amount, they can receive free fudge.  I chose the fudge to come to our house instead of the house of the receiver of the gift.

It is tasty. This container is four inches across. You can't go wrong with fudge!

Weird Wednesday

I woke up early so I knew that there would be a nap in my future.

After lunch of delicious German potato pancakes with fish sticks and a vegetable, I had to take a nap.

It seems to me that the last time I ate those pancakes, I had a long nap.

Better than sleeping pills.

German potato pancakes

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1⁄4 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp black pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1⁄2 cup onions, finely chopped
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

1.    In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onions.

2.    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

From 1982

This is a photo of our two sons, age 21 and 23 while they were enrolled in ROTC at Kansas State.

The guy on the left decided computers were for him and he became one of only a few who were qualified in a certain section of that science! (I wish I could remember what it is.)

They guy on the right went on to join the air force and served in Desert Storm. We in the family are now fans of the A-10. We were so glad when that war was over.

You  can imagine that we are proud of both of them. Each of them married great women who gave  us four granddaughters - two in each family.

The only draw back is that they live far, far away!

Thought for the Day

I was looking through a drawer today and found a small clipping with that title: Thought for the Day.

It was from the Hutchinson News in an unknown year. On the back was a list of their subscription prices.  Three months delivered to your home cost $39.42. Now that charge is $85.10. Is that inflation?

But back to the thought.  It is a quote from Joyce Cary, an English author who lived from 1888 to1957.

"It is the tragedy of the world that no one knows what he doesn't know - and the less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything."


A very interesting thought.

Peppernuts

About a week ago our younger son and his wife sent us a large box of peppernuts. These are made from a recipe my aunt in Halstead, KS, gave to me. They have been made and eaten for at least eighty years around our house. The recipe is huge - twelve cups of flour, anise oil and other spices. You can imagine the labor involved in changing all that dough into small cookies the size of a large marble.
We rolled them out in long "snakes" and then cut them. It's an all day process.

They were disappearing at an alarming rate, sitting on the dining room table, so I moved them to the china closet. We both knew where they were but I stupidly thought, "Out of sight, out of mind."

Today  I went to get one after only eating a couple the day they arrived. There were thirteen left in the large bowl.

I took one out, ate it.  Let's just say I was a little ticked.

Merry Christmas!

Chili

With high temperatures in the low 30's and today it's 23 so far, we thought chili sounded good.
I made the grocery list and took off. Among other things we needed I got all the chili fixins - tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, kidney beans and hamburger.

It was not a good experience at check-out. I still let the cashiers ring me up instead of all that self-service they provide. I unloaded the cart and the last item I took out was a large jar of dill pickles. I didn't make it onto the belt. It hit the edge and then hit the floor. Glass, pickles and juice were all over.

I was embarrassed. The bag girl told me that yesterday somebody dropped her bottle of tea. "It happens."

After I got home, I started the chili. No McCormick packet of chili powder and no chili powder on the spice shelf. BUT, there was a packet of Taco Mix.

Someone said the chili was good. I asked if it was too hot. "No, it was good."

He'll never know because he doesn't read this blog.

Pearl Harbor Day

I remembered it is Pearl Harbor Day after I wrote the previous post. Since I have missed a few days, I guess it is ok to have two posts on one day.

I remember listening to the radio with my folks. We did that a lot back then to hear the "soaps."  One Man's Family, Lux Radio Theater, Ma Perkins, Aunt Jennie's Real Life Stories, The Guiding Light, Fibber McGee and Molly, Red Skelton, Bob Hope,  Inner Sanctum, Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
Those are the ones I remember.

However on one Sunday we heard a news bulletin. These were rare then - not "Breaking News" every hour. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. Ships destroyed and hundreds of service men killed.

It was very scary for a ten year old. My folks remained calm but I knew it was very serious. I wondered if they would bomb our country, state or town.

The next morning at school we heard President Roosevelt speak to Congress. (Each room had a small radio that was usually used to hear an educational program.) I do not remember if there was any discussion. We were in a room that was split down the middle - half fifth grade and half sixth grade.

Later there were paper drives, metal drives, saving grease and buying war stamps at school every week. My folks wanted to buy bonds so they let me bring $18.75 to school to purchase a book of stamps. Then I licked them, filled the book and they took it to the bank to get a regular certificate. In ten years that would return $25.00. I've forgotten how to figure interest, but it sounds like a pretty good deal. And we felt we were helping the war effort!

Our janitor at Roosevelt Grade School was Mr. Welles. We bought him a money belt as a gift when he entered the army. Sadly, he was one who did not return. Everybody had a relative or close friend in the service. Women went to work in the factories building planes, tanks and jeeps.

In less that four years it was over. Britain, Russia, Canada, called the Allies, managed to defeat the Axis: Germany, Japan and Italy, in a truly world wide war.

When it was over, I was fourteen, had my driver's license and we drove up and down Main Street, Hutchinson, KS, honking and cheering. It was the closest thing we ever had to a traffic jam.

Fur Coat Weather

I think this was three year old me in my white fur coat, muff and boots. Mom had a black fur coat and I thought it was called seal skin. Is that even possible?

Such incorrect items for today's world. I guess I was thinking about the weird stuff going on with "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Santa Baby."  We were so innocent.

I know times change and we need to make progress but some changes are very strange.

Memories

Our oldest granddaughter has asked me join a site that suggests subjects to write about - memories from your childhood or just life in general. They send a topic every week. You can write about it, choose from their library or pick your own subject. Then your kids or grandkids or relatives can read it if they want to.

The emails are supposed to arrive once a week but in a week and three days, I've had three  topics! I think it will slow down because they promise the next one won't be until Monday, the 10th!

One of them was about favorite toys from your childhood. This was not one of my favorites but it is the only one I have left! Obviously it is for a baby. Can you imagine turning a baby loose with those strings, collapsible celluloid and tiny bells? Safety, people!

Obviously I survived it. Wonder who made the dent.

43

Today there was coverage of honoring George H. W. Bush. There is something calming about seeing the respect shown to him. RIP, President Bush.

December has Arrived

We haven't been doing much. Eating some leftovers and throwing some out.

At the store I saw these boxes of Ritz crackers. Cute with the little design. I need to remember there is no truth in advertising. On social media there were several photos showing how they manage to photograph ice cream without it melting. (It's not ice cream.) They separate the pancakes with card board circles so the pancakes won't sink down. Then they apply motor oil for syrup because it won't soak in to the pancakes.

I should have known those crackers wouldn't look like the photo. Their press must have been worn out by the time they made this box.

Yellow Snow

The morning after the snow storm, I went out to get the paper. It is always on the porch which is very helpful!  As I looked down at the door mat covered with snow, I also saw that it was sprinkled with yellow.

Seems odd a dog would come up on the porch but there it was.

Sunday

We had a mini blizzard today. Blizzard means strong winds blowing a lot of snow and limited visibility.  We had all that but at the end it was only about three inches of snow. It could  have been much worse.

I'm glad the snow was limited!  We did not get out of the house and it is very cold - 27 F.

Christening gowns

I saw a beautiful baptismal gown on another post and remembered this one of my mom. That skirt is so long you could lose the baby in there.

Space Station

Two evenings this week I have watched the space station fly across Kansas. Our son who was here, keeps track of these things.

When it was completely dark it was brighter than the brightest star we could see. However tonight it was dusk and was the only thing visible that looked like a star and moving right along!

The technology that got it up there and keeps it going is amazing.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Day with the folks from the south, Texas, that is. We all wished the people from the north, Oregon, could have been here too!

Wonderful food brought with them included our daughter-in-law's homemade noodles, cheese olives and loads of other stuff! We had a great time and a delicious meal. The ladies who came to visit did all the work. I, of course was so tired after watching them, had to take a nap.

We are thankful for our family but sorry they live so far away in two different directions!

What It Was, Was Football

We have a favorite team - the Kansas City Chiefs. Last night was the best football game I have ever seen. They were down 13 - 0 and came back.  They were down more points later and tied it up. Each kicker missed a point after. There were way too many flags thrown.

But, talk about exciting. The first 73 yard pass that I witnessed on tv (or anywhere) was thrown by Patrick Mahomes. The other quarterback was no slouch either - Goff and his team were very strong.

Sadly Mahomes had at least two interceptions and a sack but he really showed guts or maturity or something and kept on keeping on. Sadly the Rams won but it was the highest scoring game in NFL history. . . . 54-51.

As to the title of this blog - if you have never heard Andy Griffiths recording with that name, it was on a record album of his stories. We listened to it in Russell, Kansas, when Lee was on a mid watch at a small airport! Let's see, we spent two years there and left in 1954.

It's been a while.

I wonder if it's on YouTube.

P.S. I guess I was so excited that I did not fall asleep after the  late game. I was awake all night. It's time for a nap.

Quiet Sunday

Watching football and fighting congestion. Ugh.

I also made another ear warmer. The blue one was the first attempt. The red one came out better. I saw this on the internet and when I went to the site for the free pattern, I got a message that it was not a safe site so I backed out of there.
I took a photo with my phone and copied it. I am not selling them and the design belongs to someone else so I think I'm legal.

Midi Blouses

At another location on the World Wide Web I saw a picture of a young woman wearing this type blouse. So I looked in my Picasa file and here was my example.
The woman on the left is my mom in her teen age years and the woman on the right was my aunt. She died of pneumonia at age 22 in 1922.

There were fads and fashions oddities in all periods of history!

Warmer

After several cloudy and cold days with a tiny bit of snow, we were back in the sixty's today.

Typical Kansas ups and downs on the thermometer.

New Stuff That Makes Life Difficult

We have a big tv that we've had for a long time. There are so many things on it that we do not use.

Someone pressed a button and got Closed Captioning turned on while the sound was still available. I had sometimes wished for that option. Then I would know what someone is saying who speaks very softly without my having to turning up the volume.

Well, it was on and we had no idea how to turn it off. We couldn't find the book for the tv so I called our local provider. They were glad to help after I gave them a lot of info. When they wanted the numbers on the back of the box, I gave up, thanked the helper and hung up. Lee found the book for the tv and on page 36 the procedure was explained.  Woo Hoo!

But wait. It showed the control that came with the television - not the control for Contour!

Then the search was on for the control that came with the tv. Lee never throws anything away but this thing is hidden somewhere, probably for good.

I hesitantly started selecting buttons and found one that said "set up." Nope. Finally one showed a menu. That button was not labeled "menu" however.

I found the option and turned off CC!

Whew.

Cold Monday

We stayed inside today. I don't know if the temperature got above 25 degrees.

We had some more snow but it still didn't not cover the concrete - just the grass.

I took a nap - as Judy, my sister-in-law, says; what an exciting life we lead!

I am within four rows of finishing my current afghan. I think I'll call it "Am I Blue?"

The middle section is one skein of ombre yarn called Surf. The package says it makes stripes.

I'm not sure how that works yet

Flag

I put the flag out after sunrise.

At almost sundown I mentioned bringing it inside. L. said he'd do it.

About 10:30 I thought I should check the closet where we keep it. No flag.

I went out and it was all wet. Rain/snow flurries.

So now it's drying. I'm sorry we left it out after dark. The yard light was on so it was slightly illuminated. Glad no one took it away!

It Takes All KInds

I really believe in the goodness and kindness of most people. Sometimes the news makes it seem as though there is a lot of evil in the world because in  past times, bad news sold papers - and radio and tv news seemed to give big headlines to awful things.

On a smaller scale and in a land far, far away there is a story to tell. A lovely woman that I know offered to donate an item to a cause for people suffering from disease.  There was a choice of two. The woman (I want to say "creature") who asked for the donation exclaimed, "I Love This! I'll keep if for myself and donate the other one."

The maker of the other beautiful item quickly said no, that one is for someone else. So the greedy one only got away with one donation.

I wonder how people like that can sleep at night - or live with themselves.

The people who donate are blessed and renew my faith in the human race.

Snow Showers

I woke up at 7:00 and when I opened the door to get the paper, I saw snow. The weather people were calling it snow showers. Later we had enough to cover the plants and grass. The concrete never was covered. I wish all snow would be so considerate. Driving would be easier all winter.

This year the pampas grass didn't get trimmed so we had this bent over sight today.

Vacuum Bags

Thanks to a friend who shops online, we have new bags for the vacuum cleaner. They were hard to find locally and when I tried to find them online, they must have been lined with gold dust. Barb found some at a good price!

So I used the vacuum today. Why does that tank seem so heavy?

If I could have one wish, I think it would be a cleaning lady.

Surprise!

I was told I had a surprise coming from the east by someone who was supposed to keep it a secret. She didn't tell me what it was but she did say when it would be here.

I have a triple frame with two grand nephews and a grand niece on display. They are so handsome and from what I hear, they are really good kids.

Thank you so much, Missy and family! The pictures are on the mantle!

A Quiet Sunday

I had a good night's sleep after going to bed early and waking up about 6:30 CST. I honestly do not see any difference in my reactions to the change in the clocks. We do not keep a strict schedule here.
I guess I don't see any change because we eat when we are hungry and not by the clock.

It always made me laugh when the farmers said the time change confused the cows. Really? It seems to me a person could just milk the cows at the same time of day as the day before. . . just ignore what the clock says. But maybe that's too complicated.

The main thing is that our granddaughter in Oregon country has her fifteenth birthday today. We miss them so much. It's hard to believe they are growing up so fast and so far away. Her sister was  thirteen on July 4th. Two teen agers, twenty months apart! Happy birthday to Miss Emma!

 Lots of people our age travel; flying or cruising. We are just limited in that now. We used to drive there (!) and have flown there a few times but now we're home bodies. I'm not "happy" about it but one has to adjust to circumstances.

Rock Em Sock Em

This started out to be about cursive writing. I found these two letters written to my dad from our sons at a Christmas probably about 1969. I really wasn't sure that they were taught cursive in grade school. So here were two samples.

Then when PN mentioned the robots, I knew I had a photo of them but it is MN playing with them!

Visitor

This is a picture of our older son and his mother. He came and visited. Finally got a picture. There might be a family resemblance if I let my moustache grow.

Halloween

Our Halloween present came yesterday from the south - you didn't know about presents on Halloween? Well, we consider it excitement when one of our off springs visit! The older son had business in a nearby city so he was able to come over here.

Of course, we put him to work immediately. Replacing light bulbs that burn out too soon and hanging the bird feeder that managed to fall down in a wind storm (?)

So nice to see him and we wish the rest of the family could be here - both from the south AND the north.

Quizes

On social media there are some strange quizzes. I saw one yesterday that was a test to see if you could recognize cursive letters.

Say what?

I guess in some places they are not teaching cursive writing but has the younger generation already forgotten how to write cursive? Or were they never taught? I don't know when this change started.

Anyway, here is one of the symbols given along with four choices. ( I forgot to write down the choices but see if you can recognize this letter?)

I got 49 out of 49. This one really puzzled me but since it was multiple choice, I was able to eliminate the crazy choices.

Tucson

Today I wore my Tucson sweat shirt to the grocery store. The cute little cashier said, "I like your shirt.." This shirt was given to me by my daughter - in - law when they lived in Arizona. If I remember correctly this was before any grandchildren were on the scene. And the oldest one will be twenty-eight in December.

The shirt has held up well.

More Memories

Later we put in a real pool (1978.) In later years we had to put in a new plastic liner. I think this is a photo of that new liner. We really enjoyed the pool until one year while we were using a new treatment, it turned green! What a mess that was. The more I realize now how dangerous it can be for little kids to succumb to "dry drowning," I am glad we didn't get this until our guys were in their late teens.
Many years later we thought about filling it in but discovered that would be more expensive that building it in the first place! When we sold the house we were told that having a pool would not be a good selling point. We were so lucky. The first person who viewed the place wanted it to give swimming lessons. He was a coach at the high school and he bought it for our asking price!
How lucky can you get?

Childhood Days

This is our younger son and a neighbor girl. He grew up to be a computer guy and she grew up to be a movie star! What a fun neighborhood we had. At one time there seventeen kids on our side of the street in six houses! Never a dull moment. No sidewalks were built and we were they only ones who wouldn't let our kids ride their bikes in the street. Very mean parents. They probably did when we weren't watching. However, the kitchen was on the front of the house so I could look out and see the street!
I remember frequent squabbles and disagreements but mostly they all played and got along. I hope they all have good memories!
We even had an above ground  pool for a while. For some reason, my husband decided we didn't need it and took it back to Sears. He told them he was there to test their return policy. They took it back.

Not Quite Halloween -

But the Christmas balls are out at Lowe's!

More Crochet Stuff

I used to think the little dress was a pot holder but I think it's too small. There is also a crochet chain stitch on the back for hanging it on a hook.  The ball on the left is meant to be used as a dish cloth. I tried to count stitches and duplicate it. The results are on the right. It didn't work out - I think I used a treble instead of a double stitch.
I have no idea who made either of these originals.

Infant Dress from 1917

This dress was given to me by my birth grandmother. I met her late in her life and she gave me several things that had belonged to my birth mother. Both her daughter and my real mother had passed away and through a happenstance, the birth grandmother and I crossed paths. We met and had several visits. She outlived two of her children and died at age 97.

At first I thought this dress was hand embroidered There is no label at the neckline and no sign of there ever being one. The more I look at it, I believe it may have been embroidered by machine. Did they even have machines to do that in 1917?

Later: After Googling the embroidery machine, it was invented very early in the 1800's and finally became perfected about 1846. Who knew?