Chili When It's Not Chilly

As I mentioned yesterday, it was 58 degrees for a high with a slight breeze. Somebody decided that chili really sounded good. I was so tired from walking from the parking area to the hospital event, that I begged off going to the store for supplies. We had sandwiches for supper.

This morning we made a quick trip for McKesson chili mix, onion, green pepper and celery, beans and canned tomatoes.  The most expensive thing on the list were the vegies from the salad bar. Lee insists that is easier than chopping them yourself but I think they are a little high priced. They had to pay someone else to cut them up!

We came home and I made the chili. It really smelled good and we ate it for lunch. I add a small shot of liquid smoke and Worcestershire Sauce.  It tasted great.

I checked the thermometer and the forecast. It's 84 and will be 91 by Wednesday.  I may freeze the rest of the chili soup.

Multnomah Falls - Oregon

One of two places I'd like to be today. In Oregon seeing younger son and family. The other place is in Texas, celebrating Oktoberfest with older son and family!

Instead, I'll go to the HRMC to celebrate all the babies born since the hospital was known as Grace Hospital. The oldest registered visitor is three years older than I am so maybe we can share some memories!

More later.

Well, I went to the event and it was only fifty-eight degrees. A slight breeze and I wished I had worn a sweat shirt instead of a light jacket. Many people were there with toddlers, babies and some with canes. They announced the oldest person there to have born at a Hutchinson Hospital was ninety-seven. Then they announced several who were in their 80's. I heard my name announced with the last name starting with a B instead of an N. I only saw one person that I knew and she recognized me but had to tell me her name. In my defense, we had known each other in quilt guild twenty years ag and she has lost approximately two hundred pounds. It was so nice to see her!

Since I had registered, I received a stainless steel cup with the hospital logo.  A very nice gift.

Old Stuff

I guess I'm thinking about antiques lately, since I seem to be one.

I saw a reference to a cast iron door stop made by Hubley. The dog is a Boston Terrier. They made many breeds of dogs. We have one that I can remember my folks had when I was a kid. It's really heavy and there is a seam down its back. An antique dealer told me once that a seam meant it wasn't authentic. Research today says if the seam is tight, it is original. Our seam is tight unless that is an opening filled with years of dust.

So the upper photo shows our door stop and the lower photo is the one shown on Google.
The paint is chipped but that means it has been used.

Refrigerator Bowl

This bowl belonged to my mom. I always think it was from the Jewel Tea man but I can't prove that!
In the 1930's and 1940's Jewel Tea employees came around the neighborhood selling much more than tea. He was a real traveling salesman.

I once saw a bowl exactly like this in an antique shop window. Wow! We have two sons. I'll buy this one and can leave one to each grandson from their long gone grandma.  I went inside and saw the price.  $50.00. I almost asked them if they would like to buy mine.

Needless to say, I still have just the one bowl. I seldom use it. The lid does not make a tight seal and I don't want to accidentally drop and break it.

If you cannot enlarge the printing on the bottom, it says: Universal-Cambridge, O.
Oven Proof  Made in U.S.A.
THIS PATTERN WILL NOT FADE.
Below that the printing is faded (!)  but it looks like PermaCal

I love old dishes.

P.S.

I should have Googled it first! Here's what I found. A description of a 3 qt. mixing bowl but the design and stamp on the bottom are the same.

"This large, heavy ceramic mixing or serving bowl was made by Universal Potteries which operated in Cambridge, Ohio from 1934 through 1954.

The Woodvine pattern with a green branch with red flowers and green leaves was probably made in the 40s or 50s.

On the bottom there's a stamp with Universal Cambridge Oven Proof, Made in U.S.A., This pattern will not fade it is permacal, and in the center National Brotherhood Operative Potteries. Imprinted is 3 qt 6 oz. It measures 8.75" across and 5" high."

I also love Google.

Found It!

I have been looking for socks that do not have binding elastic around the top. In other words, anklets for women. My husband told me to buy diabetic socks. The ones I found were "tall." They came half way up my calf. I guess that doesn't matter because I wear slacks/jeans/sweat pants most of the time.

I kept thinking that surely there were some anklets somewhere.

Today I was sent into Orscheln's Farm and Home Store to buy forty gallon trash bags. "They are on the far wall about half way down and you have to reach up." o.k.  As I walked along the east "far" wall, I checked out the merchandise. Suddenly I saw a large assortment of women's socks. There they were: black anklets made for diabetics. I do not have that disease but I don't like tight elastic around my ankles.

So I picked up a bundle, found the trash bags and checked out. When I got home and took off the label, I discovered they were made in this country. I'm not opposed to trade with other countries, but it is so unusual to find anything marked Made in the USA.


I remember a joke from Spanish class. A man who could not speak English was in a store looking for socks. He kept looking around and the clerk couldn't tell what he was looking for. Suddenly he said, "Eso si que es!"  The clerk said, "Why didn't you spell it in the first place?"

That Spanish is pronounced  S O C K S.

Puzzles

I usually try to do the puzzles in the newspaper. Crossword, Word Game, SudoKu and best of all, Cryptoquip.

The last one is a sentence or two made up of letters standing for other letters. It reminds me of a code. Today the clue was B equals W.  There were only two B's in the whole thing.

Here is the puzzle:

BGPQ CK NKR MRSSKMY EYZVPW BGYPQ IPZVYZM MGKRUC MPN QK YPJG KQGYZ OYIKZY OYC? "EURQYW WPJGQ

I finally solved it. Here is the answer:  (many times the answer is a pun)

What do you suppose German wheat farmers should say to each other before bed? " Gluten Nacht."

I finally figured out the WHAT and the WHEAT and that got me started. Maybe it's a time waster or maybe it will keep my brain active. Let's hope.

Fog

We had thick fog this morning.  I woke up before it was light and it was very cool - 50 degrees.

The fog left but the clouds remained until afternoon. After the Chiefs won, I had to nap.

A very uneventful day.

I did see the full moon rising.

Ka Boom!

Watching tv in bed we heard a loud crash. Something hit something. The dogs were both in the bedroom and they didn't seem overly concerned (?) I was concerned!

So I got up to check and see if a cane had fallen over in the bathroom. Nope.

Looked in the other bath room (en suite, a new word I learned this last year) and there it was - the suction cup handle that worked just fine in the shower. It is handy to have one if you feel the need to be steadied while you pick up the soap you've dropped. It is equipped with small warning colors of red when it is loose. They were green this morning. So what happened?

I'm just glad it wasn't a burglar dropping one of his tools.

Flu Shots

Be sure and get your flu shot.


One day of misery is better than two weeks of the flu.

Three Minutes Too Soon

A certain fast food restaurant advertises breakfast all day. In the dim, dark past  you couldn't get breakfast items after 10:30 a.m.

So last week somebody had a yearning for a cheeseburger. In we drove and ordered. "Sorry," said the voice over the speaker, "we don't serve lunch till 11:00 a.m."

I looked at the clock on the dash. 10:57. Three minutes.


Ohhhhh Kaaaay!  We went home and ate something that was probably better for us than a cheeseburger.

"I Feel Badly"

No you don't - unless you are trying to feel a surface or a fabric with your fingers and you are unable to feel the texture.

When you have sympathy for someone, you feel bad for them.


The grammar policewoman is alive and well in my head.

And don't get me started on lying down.  Today I lie down, yesterday I lay down, many times I have lain down.

Today I lay the book on the table, yesterday I laid the book on the table and many times I have laid the book on the table.



There. I feel better.

Errands

This morning was all errands - a yearly trip to the dermatologist with a freezing of a skin tag on my neck. Lee says that really burns. The doctor says, "She's tough. She didn't even flinch."  I didn't feel any burning so I said that maybe my nerve endings are dead.

A trip to our frequent place, the pharmacy, to pick up two refills.

A trip to Walmart for more yarn and sweet tea. I know, it's not good but neither is Coke!

Then a stop to get my hair cut at the drop in place - cheap too. You can sign in on line but they changed the format and I can't get it to work for me. It won't accept my password so I guess I'll have to start over. They gave me a card with instructions. Duh. Now I'll have two accounts there.

Home for lunch with a Sub sandwich. After all that, a nap.

And this afternoon it hit 90 degrees. The last hot days of summer!

Lost photo

I will never understand Facebook. My sister-in-law posted a picture of an afghan she made with some "stripe" yarn. It never showed on my form of Facebook. I can't find it anywhere.

So, I am going to try to post it here.

What do you know? She does beautiful work. We kept thinking we were buying variegated yarn but it actually says "stripe" on it. 

We need to pay attention.

The Brain - or the Mind

As I get older, I find that recent things are easily forgotten. Old memories pop up frequently.

Maybe that's why "older folks" talk about things that happened years ago. They can't remember what happened yesterday.

Anyway, Lee was watching an old movie when I walked into the bedroom. The scene was in beautiful technicolor with Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte on a hill above the surf. The words  'island in the sun' popped into my mind and I said it out loud. I asked Lee, as I always do, "What is this movie?" He looked at me - sort of like, what are you asking me for?

That was it. I do not remember ever seeing that movie but evidently my brain did.

I

Voting by Mail

I just called the county clerk and made arrangements to vote by mail in November. We did that during the last general election. In the spring primary I voted at the big voting place on the fair grounds. No waiting but a really long walk for Lee so he didn't go.

We want to be counted so now we can mail it in.

The sad part about voting in a red state or a blue state is that if you don't vote with the majority, you're vote goes nowhere.  I do think the electoral college is outdated. An opinion on a tv talk show stated that it was put in to keep slavery (?)

 I need to research that opinion!

Throw back Thursday

This is a picture of a flowering tree at a place called Dillon's Nature Center in our town. I don't know what kind of tree that is but the flowers are beautiful. Since this photo was taken, there were many improvements made and a wonderful play area was built for children. I hope they were able to keep this tree!

A Sign

Several months ago our clinic introduced the latest in check-in technology: a form of an iPad that you could use to fill out all the information they want at each appointment. I guess this is necessary to keep their files updated.

When I saw this notice at the receptionist's desk, I doubted it. Germs cannot live on the surface. Really?

So yesterday I saw for the first time the person in charge reach for a damp wipe, presumably anti-bacterial, and wipe down one of the orange pads.

Interesting.

Fair - Day Four

The Kansas State Fair is a big deal in our town. We are about in the center of the state. Early on there was a fight over where to hold the fair. Some wanted it in the capitol, Topeka. I don't think location was the deciding factor but I'm glad they placed it here.

On the other hand - We got out  early this morning.  About 8:30 we left to run some errand that HAD to be done.  Bird seed and dog food; a prescription that had mysteriously run out, and a dentist bill that we were waiting to see how much our insurance would pay on. ($1.45 on a much larger bill!)

We were fine until we got to the pet store area. It is not far from our house, on the east side of town. The highway comes through there and the direct route to the fair grounds goes just a few blocks from home. So we saw lots of out of county cars, trucks, trailers etc. all headed west.

One reason there were so many cars on a Monday - the gate is only $1.00 unless you have a Dillon's grocery discount card. Then admission is free.

We made it home and may not leave for another six days.

Time Flies

Yesterday, Saturday, seemed like a busy day. I actually mopped the kitchen floor, did some redding up.

I heard that term when I was in grade school from the mother of one of my friends - Janet. I think Mrs. Bidstrup was Swedish, I had never heard that word used. She used to say she was going to red up the kitchen.

So with Google's help I found out that it is an old term, possibly Swedish, that means to tidy up.
My husband's maternal grandmother was from Sweden but I never heard his mom use that term.

Another term that I hadn't heard in a long time was monkey around. A politician used it saying, "Monkey up" but my dad used it to tell me to keep my hands off something he was working on. "Don't monkey around with that" or "We were just monkeying down at the shop." I understood the last example to mean "hanging out."

Languages are fascinating. I loved taking Latin I and II, Spanish for six years in high school and college. My plan was to teach it. Plans don't work out sometimes but I have enjoyed hearing it spoken and trying to translate with very little success.  Three years of French were thrown in there too but it wasn't my favorite.  Later I took some German at a night class at a junior college. That was fun and I was able to use a tiny bit of it on my one and only trip to Germany in 1989.

I think languages should be started for kids in the early grades...basic phrases. That's when they can learn that part the most easily. Maybe they do that now. I've been away from the education system for a long time!

Oh. And now there's Babel!

Cooking for Two

In our house this sometimes means two different dishes.  I needed to assemble the Chicken Tetrazinni. Somebody else suggested chili. So this was ready to simmer and to go in the oven by 10:30.

Ah.  More leftovers.

I did have a little bit more chicken that I needed so I put some in my tiny food processor and had chicken salad and crackers for breakfast. Many years ago I would never have thought to eat anything for breakfast except bacon and eggs, cereal, pancakes, waffles etc. Then a wonderful teacher at Graber Elementary told us limited thinkers that if the kid would like some leftover pizza, that is much better than no breakfast at all.

That widened my menu options.

More Preparation.

Since I didn't hava success with the Stuff Pepper Soup, I thought I would try Chicken Tetrazinni.

I fixed the chicken yesterday morning but have yet to assemble the casserole. I guess I need to consult with the other eater in the house.

I did. He requested chili.

Later: He decided on pizza. (I told him after the long trip to the grocer, I was too tired to make chili tonight. I offered frozen dinners but Ken's Pizza was the final choice.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Today it's cool - er and some showers. Thank goodness we are not having the excess water that has hit Pratt and Manhattan.

I saw a recipe for soup with all the ingredients for stuffed peppers. They said it was easier.

It was like making any soup with a lot of cutting up of giant red and green peppers. I thought it was delicious. My husband said it was ok but it wasn't hot enough. Usually he complains something is too hot so I had it on simmer on the stove.

Evidently simmer isn't quite hot enough.

Labor Day

A day to give thanks to all the people who for years struggled to win minimum wage, safe working conditions, a five day week and vacation time.

My dad was a strong union man - IBEW #304 in Hutchinson KS. He was an electrician who climbed poles before he was promoted to foreman on a truck.  When it stormed, he was called out in whatever terrible weather caused the outages.

He was a great dad and I hit the jackpot when he and my mom picked me out at the hospital nursery!

In this photo he is third from the right with the WIDE cuffs on his overalls. His name was Dewey and the called him Dude - not from shortening his name but because he was so neat in his appearance, even at work.

The picture is at the NW corner of Second and Adams streets in Hutchinson. They called it the shop. I'm not sure what the big round tank behind them was for. There seems to be a framework above it - not a clue!

Anyway, thanks to all the men who worked, joined unions and helped get some better conditions at their place of employment.

Back to School

It is the time for school to start - the day after Labor Day. I understand that now it starts at various dates in August.

In this photo one of these young guys does not look to happy about the event - whenever it began in the year 1968.

The First

This is the day to write checks.

I keep thinking it sure would be easier to do that job on the computer. We did that while we were in TX but somehow decided not to do it when we moved back to KS.

I wonder why.