Aunt Iva

Again, my talent at posting pictures in the right sequence is nil. In fact,  can't find some that I downloaded to include.

Anyway, this is my aunt Iva from maturity to youth in a family portrait. She is in the center in the back row. She lived in California leaving the small town of Halstead, KS, to live out there before I ever came on the scene. I loved to have her come and visit. We finally made it out there in 1949 and I just thought California smelled wonderful! (My mom is the girl with the big bow in her hair.)

Her husband was English. On our one and only visit my mom made the mistake of washing his tea pot. Oh my gosh! Maybe that's why we never went back. She told me once that she had a chance to invest in a new company that was to have fast hamburgers and would be called Big Boy. She declined not sure they would be a "good thing." They were a success and she said she could have been really rich if she had taken the offer!

I had to add this to compare with the early family photo above. Grandma with five of her six kids. Uncle Claude, Aunt Iva, Grandma, Pearl, Selma and Harlan. Only Lloyd had passed at the early age of fifty something. He was on the left front row in the early photo.

Family Photos from Different Years.

Aunt Edith in the 1920's

Aunt Edith in the 1940's

I don't know why this is only letting me type in the center.

There is so much I need to learn about posting.

Anyway, this woman was a dear friend of my mother's and back in the 1930' we called these friends "Aunt." She was a lovely women, always dressed  beautifully.

She lived in Texas and told us in 1960 that we better hope that if Kennedy got elected that nothing

ever happened to him because then Johnson would be president. I think she was implying

he did not have a good record in Texas!

This was a day that a stove blew up and

she and my mom were acting silly.

Newspaper

I have thought that our newspaper was smaller in width. Yesterday I was looking for an old photo of red wood trees in California. I haven't found it yet but I did find this newspaper from 1979. The whiter sports page above is our current size paper. it is eleven inches wide. The one below is fifteen inches wide. This is such a silly thing to remember but when I was a kid, I couldn't open the paper and hold both sides. I had to put it on the floor and read it that way. Naturally it was the comics: Dick Tracy,  Maggie and Jiggs and the Katznjammer Kids. Maybe Tarzan the Buck Rogers?

By the way, the photo that I saved is my dad, Dewey Russell Brown painting his fence at the age of eighty one.

The caption below reads: "September Dry Spell continues which made perfect weather for painting a fence. Dewey Brown, 1601 N. Monroe, was busy Tuesday scraping old pint off his fence. The dry spell was forecast to continue through the week, which may be good news for Dewey but bad news for those who would like to see the dust settled down and the lawns watered with a good rain."

It feels like a human interest story told with kindness and interest in a hometown newspaper.

Paper Delay

On Christmas morning I checked the porch for our local paper. No delivery. I waited to call our carrier until afternoon. The last time we didn't get one, I called her about 10:00 a.m.  She had just received the papers from the truck!

So this time I called and she was so surprised we didn't have one. The rule now is that they have to put them on the porch. We even searched off the porch. She said she'd bring one by. I told her not to make a special trip. They live quite a way from our neighborhood. "Just bring it tomorrow with Thursday's."  She said they would.

This morning Lee got the paper. I usually do. There was only one paper with a rubber band around it. I said that I thought it would be a miracle if they remembered. He opened it up and behold! Both Wednesday and Thursday papers were there.

I don't call the news office because if they get complaints, it's not good for the carrier. When our oldest was thirteen, he got his first job delivering the same local paper. Then you didn't have to put it on the porch but you did have to collect door to door. That was the "not fun" part. Luckily he got the route that was our neighborhood so he could ride his bike with the big bag of papers hanging on the handle bars. When it was really cold or rainy we lowered the back door on the Buick station wagon and he threw them from there. His dad and I spent a lot of time on the living room floor helping him fold and bag papers when the weather was wet.

I don't remember how long he did this but when he quit, the younger guy got the job. Several times they missed the porch or hit a roof. Then it was another trip for them to get another paper delivered. It gave them some spending money and I'm glad they did it. I'm not sure what they think of the whole experience but they've been working ever since.

Merry Christmas Eve

It will be quiet here. We had our Christmas the week-end of the 14th. We did go to the store yesterday. My, it was crowded. Everyone was very polite. Standing in line was a challenge because one needed to leave a lane for cross traffic.

I was doing that and saw a couple off to the side of the line I was in. I said, "Excuse me, are you inline?"  They said the were, so I told them I would hang out behind the passers-by!

Suddenly a clerk suggested I go to the next cashier over. I was happy where I was but she was insistent. The reason I hadn't chosen that line was the cart ahead of me was heaped with dozens of items. As it turned out, about $184.00 worth of stuff. I glanced over to my previous position and the couple was still there, no longer off to the side. Some completely unaware woman had stepped in front of them. I smiled at the couple and she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. About that time the man who sort of patrols the check-out lines stopped and spoke to them. (He doesn't miss much.) After a few moments he walked over to a shelf and brought them each a candy cane. It was so nice to see folks so cheerful. It was that way all over the store while navigating crowded aisles.  I'm glad I went to see the spirit was alive in the Marketplace!

Saturday

I have recovered from the breathing tests.

So today was the day to vacuum.  No nap so I may not be able to stay awake to see Eddie Murphy on SNL at 10:30.

The doctor told me these are the Golden Years. No gold here but thankful I'm still around. (By the way, he was kidding.)

Breathing

Today was the one day of the year that I go sit in a small glass box and breathe till I feel like I have no breath left. The first request is to breathe normally. How do you do that with a four inch mouth piece between your lips and your front teeth?

Then it's deep breath and blow it out as fast and as hard as you can.

Next comes breathe in and out as fast as you can (after breathing normally for a few minutes.)

In between these exercises there are rest periods to recover from possible dizziness.

Then comes a quick inhaling of a medication. Wait some more and then do it all again. I may have left out some steps. This takes about forty-five minutes. It was nice to have a pleasant technician. All of them in this department have been so nice every time I have done this routine!

Later that morning, the results were reported. No worse than last year. Good news.

And then, home for lunch and a nap.  It's tiring to do breathing exercises.

Phones

Last night I couldn't find my cell phone. This happens from time to time - but not EVERY day.

No luck. So I decided to call it from the house phone that is a bundle with out internet and cable tv. The phone in the bedroom gave me the message, "Too far from the base." So went to the base. No light. Dead. Went to the phone in the kitchen. Dead. Hmmm.

I have never liked the phone service. Every time it rains, we lose the service and hear only static.  If it didn't cost more money per month, I would cancel it. That is not good public relations for a business, in my opinion. The company brags about saving you money but that is not their main concern.

Back to the lost  phone. No way to call it from the house phone. Luckily, Lee has a cell phone that he seldom uses. We called the number and could hear it ringing in the bedroom. There it was hidden in the blanket on the bed!

Now to see why the house phone was not working. I checked the base and guess what! It was unplugged!

I'm thinking someone needed to charge their cell phone.

No Excuses

No blogging since Wednesday - no reason.

Our southern family arrived Friday afternoon and we had a wonderful (almost) two days!  We have a new holiday. It falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas when things work out that we can't be together on the actual dates. It's called Thanksmas. ( I wish the northern family could have been here too - that would have made it perfect.) But we missed them and thought good thoughts about them while eating the peppernuts they made!

We had a wonderful dinner made by one MLN. We have three with those initials in our family and this is the youngest one. An artist and great cook and one of four of the best granddaughters anybody could ever hope for. She and her sister, TAN, created the new holiday. When LTN worked shifts, we usually celebrated those big days on his day off to have more time to enjoy. Maybe that's where their idea came from - through osmosis.

I hope everyone who reads this excuse for a blog, had a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas. We will enjoy Christmas, but have already had a blessed Thanksmas.

Mom's Sayings

I was thinking about things my mom used to say.

They were "fresh out" meant there were none there.

He's not "dry behind the ears" meant he's too young to be doing that or he doesn't know what he's talking about.

That is a "tow headed boy." I thought this meant his head was shaped like a toe.

And when I was very young: "Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about."

Second part.  How to embarrass mother without meaning to.

She had a bridge club who occasionally had a luncheon. I came home one day, looked at the table and announced, "Real Butter." We usually had oleo margarine which looked like white lard. A little packet was thoughtfully provided to mix in with the white stuff to make it yellow - like Real Butter.

A couple who they played bridge with always served a dessert after they played the game. I went with them because we had never heard of a baby sitter. The delicious treat was ice cream, chocolate syrup and nuts. It was a very large serving. The older daughter of the hosts declined her portion. I piped up with "I'll eat it!" There was an admonishment from my mom at that time. . . "Mary Lou!"

Pearl Harbor Day

I  believe this is The radio that my folks and I were listening to when we heard the news about Pearl Harbor.
It was a Zenith with short wave included. Push buttons to the right of the circular display could be set to favorite stations to find them quickly. On the back was a toggle switch marked TV. The delivery guy told us that when television was available we would only have to be a screen (!) and put it on top of the radio and we would have pictures. The buttons to the left were for more treble or base tones.

I think this was around 1939. I thought the wood was beautiful and almost like a piece of furniture.

When we heard of the attack, my parents looked very serious and worried. My dad was forty-three so I think he was too old for the draft. He was also an electrician for the Kansas Power and Light and this may have been on the list of essential jobs.

I remember collecting newspapers, metal and saving grease; buying War Savings stamps. $18.95 would get a bond. In ten years the bond could be cashed in for $20.

Gasoline and sugar were rationed. I'm sure there were other things but I think there were rationing books with coupons in them.

We were all glad when it was over.     So many served. So many lost.

Errands

We had to have the van serviced yesterday which involved a time in their waiting room with the TV tuned to the HGTV channel. I learned about the Turks and Caicos Islands.

When it was time to pay, the cashier got a Scrubbie.

On to the bank. The cashier got a Scrubbie.

On the to grocery section. The cashier got a Scrubbie.

It was give out Scrubbies Day.

P.S. They were all surprised and very appreciative.

Say What?

Early today at the grocery store there were many employees in the aisles stocking the shelves. One must navigate carefully to reach something that may be blocked.

As I went down the card aisle, a lovely woman working there commented on my hat. It is crocheted and made of several granny squares. She said, "I like your hat." Thanks, I answered - "Granny squares."  She then said a nice thing that made me smile but doubt her eyesight. "It makes you look adorable."

Here is our family. Each has a crazy hat but I am the only one wearing a home made one.  Christmas, 2010.

Evening Call

We just received a call from a store's information taker about some work we had done here at the house. (8:30 p.m.)

Very high marks were given.

If only the person taking the survey could have spoken a tad more slowly. We out here in the boonies drawl and are used to less rapid fire speech!

November -Where Did You Go?

Tomorrow is the first of December. I can hardly believe that this year is almost over. The months seems to go by more quickly than usual.

Maybe it's something I don't understand about the process of aging and the passage of time.

Too deep for me.

We had one errand yesterday. My advice. Don't even try to get there from here - or wherever you are.
We are in a small town but the traffic looked like the Big City.  We managed to make it back home with no incident but I am thankful we don't have that every day!

Cat Emergency

Last week I bought three 3.6 lbs. sacks of cat food. For the feral cats somebody is feeding.

This morning there were no sacks to be found. None in the back of the van. Somebody wondered if the grocery store would be open.

He could not find a listing in the pathetic phone book that left our name out again this year. It evidently also left out the grocery store's number. I looked on the internet. Ads, shopping possibilities, specials, Black Friday stuff; no phone number.

So we bundled ourselves up, went out to the car. He opened the passenger door and there on the floor was a sack of Purina Cat Chow.

I went back in the house and he fed the stupid cats.

Too Late

I received an interesting call from the medical community where we go see our doctors.

They told me there was a recall on a medicine that I take. It was from a batch that was distributed last June. If I had any left, don't take them.

What?

I have to renew it every thirty days. I believe I have already taken those from June.

Well, luckily I guess, I'm still here.

Sunday and a Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday. We're not doing anything special.

Just glad we're both still here after sixty-seven years together.

Burners

I thought a small burner would heat up a big pot of water if it was on high.

It does. It takes about half an hour to bring the water to a boil for spaghetti.

A few weeks ago our large burner stopped burning. I'm afraid we're going to have to buy a new stove.
Replacing a burner on an old stove - probably $200. Then you wait for another to go out when you could have bought a stove for maybe $500.

We need to go shopping.

Chocolate

I like chocolate. Whenever I see a new item, I usually try it.

I think I would eat just about anything covered in chocolate.

Except mountain oysters or snails.

Remember the slogan from early television? "Nestle's make the very best CHOCOLATE!"

Impossible or Magic Coconut Pie

I decided to try the pie. The recipe is on the internet under Magic or Impossible and Bisquick.

I had the temperature as 400 degrees for 25 to 30 min. Well, it was not done - very soupy. I lowered the temp and left it in another 10 minutes.

Later I rechecked the recipe and it listed 350 degrees for 55 minutes. I had written the recipe and instructions some time ago. I don't know where I saw the 400 degrees but I remember at the time I thought that was pretty high.

Even with the error, the coconut was browned and not burned!

Non-Friendly

Usually I am a friendly person to strangers. I smile when two carts meet at a corner in the grocery store, saying, "Excuse me." Folks here wave at pedestrians as we drive down the street whether we know them or not.

Yesterday was an exception. I went to the farm supply store for more cat food. An older gentleman (but not as old as I am!) was telling a long story to two women who looked as if they would like to move on. They were at the check out line when I went in and were there when I was ready to check out. The store was not busy. As I was paying, the two women moved on (got away) and the man approached me and leaning over my shoulder said, "Do you know why the cows in Arkansas wear bells?"
Without turning my head, I said, "No."  "Because their horns don't work."

I didn't laugh. I didn't smile. I walked out.

While I was returning my cart from the parking lot, he called out, "Lady, is your husband a veteran?" I didn't answer and actually walked around the back of his van so that I didn't have go by the driver's side where he was now sitting.

Maybe he was just being friendly but it sure struck me wrong.

The Coupon

I spent a lot of time this morning looking for a coupon from Kohl's that was in last Sunday's paper.
I had cut it out  in order to buy some undergarments (panties.) I had had it on the dining room table. Then it was put in some place safe while I cleared the table before "company" arrived.

We looked, purse; pockets; bedroom table. Gone. Lost.

So Lee asked me for some scissors which are kept in our junk drawer in the kitchen. There it was. In the drawer.  After all, 15% off is a good deal.

Later we got the paper off the porch. There was another insert from Kohl's with another identical coupon.

So when it warmed up, we went to the store. I found what I wanted. Three for $30.00. Wow. O.K. I'm ready to pay. I show my Kohl's card and the coupon. The nice, young clerk rang up the sale and said, "Two twenty-seven." I'm trying to figure in my mind what she just said. Was that twenty-seven what? I told her, "I'm sorry. I didn't understand the price."  "Two dollars and twenty-seven cents. They are on sale."

I guess! The sign must have been for the silkier version on the other side of the display. Anyway, I was amazed. I didn't know you could find anything that reasonable anymore.

And they are Vanity Fair.

A Nice Visit

This evening two of Lee's former co-workers came by to see us. One fellow and his wife live in Oklahoma. The other man lives here in our hometown.

The evening was spent talking about pranks at work and trying to remember the names of all they worked with.

It was a great visit!!!

Cards

These two card were sent to us last August for our anniversary. The PBJ one was sent from the east coast (New Jersey.) The other was sent from the west coast (California.) They were both mailed the same day, August 6th. As you can see, they both have the same theme.  

One is from my sister-n-law and the other from her niece - and ours.

I just thought it was an amazing coincidence and since our day began with a temperature of four degrees F, I don't plan to get outside and do anything exciting. Maybe this week-end the forecasters are correct, it will be fifty-nine and we can go somewhere!

(If this post doesn't make much sense, I have a cold and I just don't care.)

Hats With Flowers

Today  on one of my favorite blogs, I saw a lovely hand (knitted) hat made by a very nice person for a charity. She had added a flower on the side. I had several crocheted hats I had made. A mistake was to leave one out where some puppies could get to it and chew.
So with mismatched  yarn, I mended the tear and made a flower to cover the defect.

I have made and given a lot of hats to our grandkids, relatives and friends. This is not one of my favorite patterns, but it sure is an easy one.

After I finished this, I found a picture of the original damage. (I wish I knew how to move it to the top.

Lost Day

Yesterday we were up early to go a doctor appointment at 8:00 a.m.

Came home and tried to catch up on sleep. Two days before I had slept way too long so Wednesday night I had trouble getting to sleep.

I felt like I was catching cold again. Yep! Soup for lunch and back to bed.

Up for a bite to eat for supper and back to bed.

I hope this cold goes away quickly.

I did finish the latest afghan on Wednesday. Beppo the Bear is on watch. I should take a better photo of him. He was made by my cousin's daughter-in-law. She made beautiful, wild animals back in the '80's. I added a close-up of Beppo. Beautiful fake fur and a wonderfully constructed animal.  Thank you Sara Lanning!

Measure Twice and Then Cut

We went to  a store today that sells plastic by the yard. Our son and his family have enclosed our back porch, which is screened in, with plastic for the winter for several years.

Lee told the clerk he wanted three pieces, four and a half yards  long. She cut the pieces while I looked at the yarn shelves which were not very full of yarn. I also walked to automotive and picked up a quart of oil They had been out last week but advised me that more would be in stock on the 30th of October. This was the first time we had been back to pick that up. And when I got to the "oil shelf" there was not a quart of the type Lee wanted in sight. I leaned down and waaaay in the back were four quarts. I grabbed one and moved the other three to the front.

Back to the dry goods department and the plastic cutting. Suddenly the clerk, who was writing the amount of the three bundles on a paper, said, "I think  I made a mistake."

She had cut three pieces of three and a half yards each. She was very nice but tried to convince us that we could overlap it. There still was not enough there to do the job. She had no more of that grade of plastic. More will be in the 9th according to her hand held computer. She apologized. She was very nice, but I think she was disappointed we didn't take her mistake.

Later Lee said, "If she had given it to me at half price, I would have taken it."  I don't think they are allowed to do that.

Maybe they'll put it in a sale bin and charge half price.

A Little Wiggle or A Shake

Our clock is chiming again! Lee decided to move it away from the wall to see if he could see why it was stilled. He tried to scoot the clock out but the rug was not forgiving and the clock was too heavy for him to lift.

He tried but gave up and shook the clock back to its foot print.

On the next quarter hour - it chimed!

Violet, the clock's first owner, would be so proud!

Clocks and DST

This is a Grandmother's clock that belonged to my dad's cousin. Her daughter did not want to ship it from Kansas to Washington so she gave it to me. Every year I have changed the time by turning the hands and waiting for the chime each fifteen minutes. I did not want to turn the hands backwards. I asked Lee if he thought I could just keep turning without stopping for each chime too ring on the quarter hours. He thought yes.

It worked until I had moved it ahead about three hours. Then the hands were frozen. I left it alone and went back later to find the pendulum had stopped. This happened about four more times. The last time I was able to move the hands. The good news is, the clock is keeping time. Bad news: no chiming at all. I must have stripped/broken something. I am not a happy person about my laziness.

This clock with the horses was given to us on our fiftieth wedding anniversary by our dear neighbors. So far I haven't ruined it. It has four batteries of two different sizes.

 This last clock is

one that was given to us by the realtor that sold us our house in 2007. It is not chiming anymore either.

Please stop daylight saving time to save my clocks from me tampering with them.

Here It Is - Sunday!

We are having a few warm days until we go back to the coldness. I felt a cold coming on so I used some Zycam and I think it sent the cold away. I hope so, anyway.

Yesterday I made chili. We like it no matter the outside temperature. On the packet of chili flavoring mix, I saw a recipe for Cincinnati Chili. No beans. A tablespoon of cinnamon added to the rest of the ingredients, and served over spaghetti with the beans added on top. I don't believe I'll try that one. I remember my mom used to buy a "brick" of chili. It was about the size of a pound package of butter and had meat, beans and flavoring molded together. She cut it up in pieces and put it in some water. Then we had chili. As I remember, it was very good. I also remember my dad putting a small splash of vinegar in his bowl from the small cruet on the table.

I add celery, green pepper and onions besides beans, tomatoes, hamburger and a dash of Worcestershire and liquid smoke.

Many years ago I saw a recipe for a chocolate cake that used sausage in it. What was I thinking? I made it and everyone who tried it said they could really taste the sausage and they really didn't like it. Maybe too much sausage and not enough chocolate?

This is the little vinegar cruet that was on our table about eighty years ago.

Bulb

After another light bulb burned out in the computer room, we bought some new bulbs.

Somehow it's been over a week and the new bulbs were still in the utility room and not in the ceiling fan fixture.

I "walked" the step ladder from the utility room to the computer room, got one bulb out of the  container of four and got on the bottom step of the ladder. Luckily it has an arched, angled handle to hold on to.

Sometimes a woman just has to do what she has to do.


Sign at gift shop:

A husband will get around to the task his wife asked him to do. She doesn't have to remind him every six months.

More Cat Tales

We have advanced from just feeding the cats (which I am sure belong to someone in the neighborhood) to leaving the garage door open about a foot so they can come inside. An old store bought quilt was brought in off the back porch for a soft bed after he found a kitten curled up on a cold lawn mower.

He mentioned a heater he had bought. I don't even remember it but it's electric. As I type, it is plugged into the garage outlet to warm up a garage that has the door open a foot. Present temperature: thirty-one degrees and light snow.

And to think it's sixty-three in Jersey.

Brrrrr

We woke up this morning to 20 degrees. Lots of frost could be seen on the grass and lots of leaves are falling.

Next: Snow possible tomorrow.

I'm not ready for this.

Chicken Thighs

I like chicken. Lee only likes the breast because it's white meat. I saw a recipe for thighs with very few ingredients:

Packet of onion soup mix
Bottle of Russian Dressing
Jar of apricot marmalade

I had onion soup mix. So in one of my almost daily trips to the store, I picked up the chicken. I looked for Russian Dressing. I think they must have had every kind of salad dressing made except Russian. Greek, Bleu, Chunky Bleu, Poppy Seed, Raspberry, Ranch, French etc. Rows and rows of them. I knew I had Ranch at home. I wasn't sure where the jelly and jams and marmalades were. Besides, I had orange marmalade at home. Improvise and substitute. Right?

I made them with the ranch and orange substitutes. 400 degrees for an hour or until the chicken is done. Baste often. I thought they were delicious.

Lee had fish sticks.

Oil

Our task today was to buy oil. At first Lee said a five gallon jug plus one smaller size. That sounded like an awfully big jug to me. He meant five quart plus a one quart.

Off I go to the store with the big W on the front. I found the oil but it was not in the bronze colored four quart container but the label was correct: High mileage, 10 W 40. However, there was no one quart size with the same words in the yellow plastic "can." The quarts all had the word Platinum in the description.

There are very few clerks to be seen but I saw a young man with a Harley denim jacket on. He looked like he might be a mechanic. So I said excuse me and asked him if a person could mix those two - platinum and plain. He didn't know but he probably would. After a short discussion, I thanked him and turned around and saw a clerk!

I asked him and he said they were probably out. Yes, the space was empty. He actually checked on his hand-held computer. Then he went to the back room and came back. They are out but will have some in on the 30th. He was very helpful and I was surprised to get the personal service there.

I bought the "five gallon" jug and we'll get the quart later.  This may be our last warm day for a while so we'll just wait a week when it probably will warm up again.

Sleep and Eat

I went to bed early last night. This does not accomplish anything good. I wake up about one and I'm done.  So after a couple of hours, I finally got back to sleep.

Today was they day I was finally going to make chili. So before noon, someone suggested trying Arby's two for six dollar sandwiches. Beef, bacon and cheddar. O.K.

So this afternoon will finally be chili making time.

Relapse?

Yesterday was not as bad as the first day after the flu shot but I certainly didn't feel up to normal - whatever that is at eighty-eight. I still believe that everyone who can should get them. You not only protect you, but your family.

So I slept and barely fixed anything to eat. Lee likes soup from Progresso so that's what we had.

This morning seems to be going much better. I have the tatter tot casserole in the oven. I am so glad Lee likes casseroles.  My dad would eat them but he preferred to not have all that stuff in there together. He was a sweetie and so was my mom. She was also a very good cook which I did not inherit from her!

Vote!

Last week our county sent us two enormous envelopes with ballots for a small election. We appreciate this service! We filled them out today and I decided to mail them back instead of driving to the clerk's office. After one gets there, it's about a half block to the proper desk for the return presentation. So I put $1.50 worth of stamps on each one and put them out for the mail man.

With our gas guzzler, it would have probably taken more than $3.00 worth of gas to drive 24 blocks.

Sunday Stew

I bought some stew meat and today was the day to rustle up some beef stew.
I had forgotten how long it takes me to chop carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage, dice tomatoes and smash garlic. Yes, instead of buying frozen veggies, I went all "from scratch." It took me an hour to brown the meat and chop everything else.

I remember some chef on tv saying to only brown a small amount of meat at a time. If you overload the pan, the meat will steam and not brown.

I must have done ok because it was really pretty good! Lee even asked for a second bowl. That's the first time I can remember that happening. I added some Mesquite seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, of  course. And a squirt of catsup.

There are leftovers for tomorrow.   And I LOVE my yellow cast iron pot!!

Flu Shot

Both Lee and I thought we had had our flu shots this fall. Nope. It was last year in September. I guess time compresses (or something) the  older you get.

I got my shot Wednesday. Yesterday I did not feel well at all. Barely ate anything. Drank water and slept. I told my sister-in-law I had never had anything like that before. I managed to wake up for the first half of the KC Chiefs game and back to sleep. I feel ok today.

So I decided to look in my "journal/diary/notes" that I keep to help remember when things happen.
September 20, 2018. Flu shot. Saw Dr. S.  He is retiring!"

September 21, 2018. Sick all day. Chills. Arm pain. Weak. In bed all day.

UNBELIEVABLE.  I did not remember that at all. Very scary.

So if I ever tell you something and you find out it isn't true, I'm not lying. I probably just don't remember.

A Rest from the Scrubbies

The approximate amount of scrubbies made: sixty-eight. Since the scratchy yarn arrived, I have really concentrated on making the circles. I gave nineteen away last week at the operators reunion. I was using one color to see how many I can get out of one skein. Twelve Avocado so far and there is still yarn left in that shade. We will see how many Guava, Watermelon and Icypop produce.

For a break, I decided to use up some left over yarn and start another afghan. I did five rows of blue and one of white. Then I went searching for other colors. In a sack I found two strange things - the beginnings of two more afghans. One with five rows of blue and one row of white and one just like it with red and white.  My brain must have this pattern on repeat.

Cold Front

Our drop wasn't as dramatic as Denver but from 70 to 32 is quite a shock.
The polycart even had tiny icicles this morning.

Chicken and (?) Dumplings

You know it's boring around here when all I have to write about it "what's for dinner?"

I hope it's as good as it looks. I just looked at Paula Deen's recipe. She says it takes 30 minutes to prepare. Maybe, if I had all the helpers to chop the carrots, celery and chicken. It took me a lot longer than that.

Light Bulb Change

Gee, it's bad when you can't reach your light bulbs and the ladder is a no-no for people of a certain age. So, we splurged and bought a new tool It worked after figuring out that you have to twist the handle several times to get the right configuration for removing old bulb and then twist again to put in the new one.
I confess there are a couple of things that are not described in the "instructions." I get the one for recessed fixtures, different size bulbs and extending the pole. But those two small items, center left have me stumped.

Maybe if the bulb is broken and you can stab the remains?

89 drops to 61

Our weather has been hot for September and now the start of October. If you watch the weather people on tv, it has been that way over most of the south.

So last night we dropped to 61. Just the right time to be able to open the windows and "blow the stink out" as my mom used to say.

So I got up this morning and somebody has turned on the furnace.

How to stay married for sixty-seven years: keep your mouth shut.

New Project

Since the afghan is done (yay!) I started with the next fun thing.

The Scrubby yarn came yesterday so this morning between other stuff, I started making more.

They are addictive.

Update

I got an email. My package arrived in Hutchinson at 4:00 a.m. It  has now arrived at our house. So that meant it was only a week and a day since I ordered. That is not so bad. Can't wait to make more scrubbies.

Slow Delivery

I ordered some merchandise a week ago today. The website said 2-7 days. I got a notice that it was shipped from Wisconsin to St. Louis in two days. That would put it in St. Louis on Wednesday. I was hoping it would arrive today or tomorrow.

Today the notice says October 2nd.

It's a long, long way from Missouri to Kansas.

There was a notice that a longer time was needed for orders out of the United States. Counting from the day I ordered it, it will be thirteen days.

Looking forward to it.

Ain't there a Law?

A sight seen while out on a brief errand this morning.

A young woman stopped beside us at a red light with her left arm hanging out the window holding a cigarette. Her right hand was holding a phone, tilted on its side so she could hear and in front of her lips.

It's too bad that we were in the left turn lane so we couldn't see how she steered when her light turned green.

Some days I wish I were a police woman.

The Days Roll By

Here it is Tuesday. I missed two days on the blog.  Somehow my days and nights have been switched. Awake late and sleeping during the day.

Last night I went to bed early and this morning I'm up early.

I hope to keep this pattern going.

We are still too warm for this late in September.  I wonder if we will have a mild winter or just jump into very cold days.

Still working on the afghan which was neglected while I made a bunch of scrubbies to send east.
I found the sparkly yarn online so I ordered some. It should arrive this week.

Quiet Saturday

Feeling a little "off" last night. Maybe I sat too long. But I did do my exercises.


Here is a picture of our back yard today. The one below is ten years ago. What happened?

It's a jungle out there.

Some day I'm going to learn how to put the oldest picture first.

Grrrr

Today I went to a big store that has a big W on the front - not Woolworth's.  I needed one item and luckily the door where we parked was close to that area of the store where the French Vanilla creamer is located.

I walked to the back of the store and returned to the front. I could not believe it. All the check-outs were do it yourself. There may have been three cashiers but they were halfway to the next block. So I used the self serve.

There were at least three employees chatting there. I assumed they were there to help old codgers like me scan their items. I asked one when she stopped talking if she would help me. She scanned the item and pointed where I should insert the bill. (I know this isn't hard. I can do it. I just don't work there and want them to do their job.) She put the creamer in a sack. I got my dollar bill, silver change, receipt and started to walk away.

See? It drives me nuts.

I had forgotten the creamer.

Thursday - Pigs in a Blanket Day

We were having another hot day so we didn't mind staying home. We were called by the garage and they advised one part didn't arrive. So we may get the car tomorrow.

I had stuff to make hot dogs in crescent rolls. Not very healthy but Lee likes them once in a while.

So that was about the only important thing I did today - make lunch and supper.  For breakfast Lee makes coffee and we don't eat much. That makes for an early lunch.

Oh, I did make some more scrubbies.

Talk About Luck!

I went out to the garage to go to a doctor appointment, I started the car and tried to put the van in gear. The gear shift was free floating. No reverse. No drive. No nothing.

Called Triple A. Called to cancel Dr. appt.  Called Ford garage.

The tow truck was to be here in about an hour.

Came back in the house and the tow truck appeared. He wondered how he would get it out. He would be dragging the tires.

He got underneath and found a plastic connector had slipped off the cable to the gear shift. Put it back on. It worked!

Then he followed me to the garage, came in and explained it to the service guy better than I could. I can't praise AAA enough right now.

I got a ride home in their complimentary car. We got a call an hour later. No parts till tomorrow and that will be $500 please.

We were lucky we weren't in traffic somewhere. Also lucky that we can afford it - although there go the big bucks we were going to put in the savings this month.

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

This was the name of a book, written years ago by someone who was on a tour of Europe.

This morning I woke up early, showered and dressed in clothes that I wear outside the home - not the usual, jeans or sweat pants and t-shirt. I was all prepared for my appointment with the dermatologist at 9:15!

 I don't know what time it hit me. The appointment is Wednesday.

Later: I checked the Google machine and it was actually a cartoon and then a movie, probably the first movie made from a line on a cartoon.

Wildlife

First we had dogs. Then someone gave Lee a bird feeder. Birds and squirrels arrived.

More recently cats arrived in the neighborhood. Food bowls are being set out in front of the garage door which attract ants in addition to the cats. The garage door is now left part way open after an early morning surprise of a cat shut in the garage overnight.

With easy access to the area of coolness, a snake arrived. Lee spotted him making his way under the work bench.

Maybe said snake will get rid of some of the mice attracted there by the birdseed spilled on the floor.

And the door is still open about a foot - in order to let the snake get out.

How will we ever know?

A few ants have made their way into the kitchen.

I'm not blaming all this on the bird feeder, but one wonders.

Friday the Thirteenth

So far so good today - the 13th and a full moon! Except after a long nap, I felt "nicht so gut."

Now I have recovered.

I just heard the beautiful words Champs-Elysees on television.
I remember when I saw it in a book, I pronounced it champs uh lee sees.

And I read the big little book printed after the Shirley Temple movie, The Littlest Rebel. As I read it to my folks, the work "damn" came out "dam en" and I wondered why they smiled.

You can tell there's not much going on here when I write about mispronounced words.

Fair Attendance

I hope the numbers are good for the fair. The weather has been ideal. Not too hot now and there is no  rain yet. Some showers are in the forecast.

I had planned to stay home most of the week. That didn't last long. So far someone has had an errand that had to be run THAT DAY and THAT day was the first, second, third, fourth and fifth day of the state fair. The traffic has not been nearly as heavy as I thought it would be. Maybe we have just been out at the right time - not when the folks were all arriving or leaving!

Today it was house slippers from Walmart. He wears twelves. I went in and saw so many house shoes on the racks that I was amazed. The twelves looked too small so I got size 13/14. Got home and they were too small. Maybe sizes in other countries don't match up with our big feet.

Soooo I had seen that there was a shoe drive at the local grade school, Graber, where our sons went to elementary.  I called and asked if the drive were still on and did they take house slippers. Yes and yes. I also had a pair of cute shoes that I liked but never wore so I took them too. (They said slightly worn.) Hope someone with size 11/12 can wear the camouflage donation.  . .I thought the dog hair would be less visible on that design.

Stay Alert - Be Aware

Sometimes I think we must be in the high ten most frequent customers at the pharmacy.

Today we had another new RX  for Lee after seeing our doctor. We get our medicine at the clinic where we see the physician. Through some error it was sent to a grocery pharmacy where we had ONE prescription filled over Labor Day week-end. When we went to pick up the antibiotic which we had never had before, the clerk told us it couldn't be refilled until the 18th. Say what? We had never purchased this particular drug before.

Through some convoluted error, it had been sent to the wrong place and perhaps when they saw the name, they thought it was a refill for the item we got on the first of September.

I know mistakes can be made. I sure make a lot of them. But I don't work in a pharmacy!!!

It was all straightened out but not before a lot of worrying and gnashing of teeth by the patient. (None of that was displayed before the employee, thank goodness.)

It reminded me of the time when our older son was stationed in KY. The three year old granddaughter was ill. We went to the pharmacy to pick up the RX and they gave us a bottle with huge capsules. It should have been a liquid. Luckily we looked at it before we left the parking lot and got the correct dose.

Check and re-check!

Saturday - Already?

Where do the days go? Well, partly with me napping. Some days the most minor of jobs needs some sleep time afterwards.

Today Lee brought in the mail. It included a puffy package from the north. What nice people bloggers are!! Thanks a very nice lady who knew I was looking for sparkly yarn. I'll be busy neglecting the afghan again.

The weather is ideal for the start of the Kansas State Fair here. I prefer to hunker down and avoid the traffic. We're used to our local law breakers. No telling what the outsiders will do.

Feeding the Creatures

My husband loves dogs and well, animals. He enjoys feeding them. In fact, Jill is on a diet. We have had a running battle about feeding the two dogs from his plate at meal time. I mostly lost that war. The vet told him not to do it - several times. But this time we were going along pretty well after we saw an enlargement on her flank. Thinking it might be a growth or worse a tumor, we took her for a visit to Dr. A. Nope. Just a love handle. He said there was one on the other side.

So that worked on the table treats for a  while. It has been a month, but he can't stand to see them watch him eat so he has fallen back to "bites." We think she has lost seven or eight pounds. Our son held her but I was not skillful on setting the scale so it wasn't definite.

Next, he loves to feed the squirrels and the birds by filling the bird feeder with shelled peanuts and bird seed. When we go to the grocery store, the parking lot is full of grackles (?) looking for something to eat. Last week L. threw out some French fries and the birds were strutting around with fries in their beaks. I don't know if they ever ate them or not. Since L. stays in the car while I shop, he sees all the activity.

Today when I came out, the space next to the car was full of birds. I told the bag boy that the birds have found some seeds.  I got in the car and mentioned it to L.  He had bought a plastic cup filled with bird seed and had sprinkled it out the window.

And  last, we are now feeding at least three cats who do not appear to be strays. While they eat in front of the garage, the dogs are up on the couch, looking out the window and barking their irritating barks. I wonder if the cats' owners notice their pets aren't hungry - or are the kitties eating at home too and gaining weight?

What's left? Raccoons, coyotes, deer?  I may have to put my foot down.

The Big Blue Bowl

Today was the day to make Lee's favorite - tuna casserole. I have a large bowl that I mix it in because I need a really big bowl.

So opened the cupboard to get it out. No blue bowl. The search was on. I knew that some very dear people were here last week and they cooked us a delicious meal. Now where would they have stashed the bowl?

I looked in  pantry/every cupboard. In the last lower cupboard I found it, holding a pie plate!

It's funny when you have a spot picked out for something, you think it should be right there.

The casserole is done and Lee just said, "It's delicious!"

W 2

These are hard to read but they indicated that in 1948 I earned $380.60 at Kress five and dime store and paid $14.65 in income taxes.
The next year $468.92 and the tax was$15.45.

Ah, the good old days. We didn't make much but nothing cost very much.

Surprise!

I hate to say it but for several weeks (years) our van's steering wheel had a sticky spot. I put tape on it and it looked really classy - a bright blue to contrast with the black wheel.

While PN was here, he drove the van and discovered it was sticky, even with the tape solution.

Lee told him we had been going to buy one. Off to Walmart and we had a new cover! They were going to surprise me. I got into the van and saw this cardboard between the seats. My first thought was it was one of those things they used to put in a dress shirt that was for sale. (We haven't bought any dress shirts in some time so I don't know if they still do that or not.)

I turned it over and the big red letters identified it as a wheel cover. Then I saw the steering wheel. It looked like leather! Very thick and very black.

I am very happy.

Later:

PN just texted this photo to me and asked if I wanted the blue sticky tape from the steering wheel back?

Battle of the Cookies

These are both peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips added. The one on the left was made by my granddaughter after bugging her to try the recipe I saw on the internet. . . a box of yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup peanut butter.  350 for ten minutes. (We added the chocolate chips: 1 cup.) This was the Kansas version.

The one on the right has a WHOLE package of chocolate chips! I'm not sure what size package. They were made from scratch with Crisco, peanut butter and I am assuming eggs and flour and sugar. They were mailed from New Jersey to Kansas and hand delivered by the postman. When I told him what was in the package, he said, "I'm keeping these." I managed to wrest them away.

Both are delicious, soft textured and I can't leave them alone. Thanks to Judith for her thoughtfulness and notice to the post office: Try not to Throw everything. We have delicious crumbs to put on ice cream so no big loss there.

The Visitors Have Left

We had a wonderful week with part of the family arriving last Friday, part on Saturday, some leaving on Sunday with one remaining!  It was hard to keep track without a score card.

I kept busy making potholders for the Oregon branch. The girls took theirs home on Sunday. While I was doing pot holders, my sister-in-law finished her afghan. I am waaay behind on my project!

I used left over yarn.

Happy Birthday, PN

Today is our younger son's birthday. For the first time in many years, we are with him - or he is with us! As with many other families, our children scattered to the south and to the north!

I have friends who have all three of their kids living close to them. Our two do not. Mainly because we  are in a small town with very few new jobs in their chosen fields!

So we are glad when we can all get together. This time our daughter-in-law in the northwest and their two girls could not visit but we saw the ones from the south and the birthday guy.

(Did someone leave the cake out in the rain? We have been having showers.)

Chocolate - Read the Box!

Our two granddaughters from Texas arrived with many goodies. One was a box of chocolate for me.
They know that is my favorite snack.

I didn't even open it while the family was here. I didn't offer to share. I am an awful person.

After they left, I did open it. As you can see in the photo, there are two sections of a little tray that were wrapped in foil. I reached in and took a bite. Delicious. Before the second bite, I looked more closely. There were four layers; four wafer thin pieces of dark chocolate piled on top of each other!

 Then I looked at the box. It says many things that I can't read but two were chocolate and 8 stück.   That phrase meant 8 pieces. So there I was chomping down on four of them at one time.

As you can see, I put the rest back in the tray and later peeled off one piece for a treat.

Oh, and Schnitten means sleigh or sled or maybe some other meaning in the world of Schokolade.

Read the box. people!

P.S.  Zartbitter is bitter sweet.

Saturday!

Not much has been happening here except moving some junk around and doing a little cleaning.

We have company! Part of the party arrived last night from Texas.

The other part will arrive today from Portland by way of Texas.  So excited!!!

Just wish the other three could have been here too but school intervened.  We'll be thinking of you, CSN!

Cool Wednesday

We were dreading going to the doctor appointment today because of the heat. Surprise! It was cloudy and cool all day until the sun came out later in the day. Then we went to 91.

All was good news at the doctor as we welcomed back the guy, a specialist, that Lee really liked. He had been gone a couple of years. He told Lee he looked good!

We also got an answer to a question about why our family doctor does not go the hospital when you are a patient there. He says this is happening all over the country. I guess specialists can still go but for just a regular problem you will be seen by a "hospitalist" that you have never seen before. In February my luck of the draw doctor was a very nice young man who looked about twenty. Nope. He was thirty.

This change is very strange in my opinion. I would still like to understand the rational for this. Has it
always been like this in large cities and we are just catching up? Why should we have confidence in these new persons who have never seen us before? They can read a chart but that tells them nothing about our personality or the way we react to situations.

Oh well. The times, they are a changin'

Cleaning is not Always Good

Yesterday we cleaned out the bottom freezer on the fridge. We took out the basket and really got it nice a sparkly clean.

We put the basket back in backwards.

This morning Lee was going to have a frozen waffle. They weren't frozen. Evidently putting the basket in wrong, keeps the door from completely closing. It wasn't noticeable!

I threw out two large bags of food and three half gallons of ice cream.

It's now facing the right way and the temperature is back down to 14.4 according to Lee's handy, dandy thermometer.

Another First in this journey to incompetence.

A Broken Rule

Today was a doctor's appointment with our newish doctor who is thirty and looks about twenty-one.

The instructions say, "Be there fifteen minutes before your appointment." We live very close to the clinic so there is no big trip to take. Somebody this morning wasn't moving very swiftly. We finally got there one minute before the appointment. No problem! I didn't have to sign in on one of those electronic pads that are guaranteed to be germ free. No extra paper to fill out which they usually hand out every visit. And we didn't have to wait very long until we were ushered back.

We may try this method again.

Another Day, Another Earthquake

Last Friday we had the one that everybody felt.  At 7:59 a.m. a 4.2 was three miles west of South Hutchinson, KS. There have been many small ones since but this morning about 3:45 another 4.1. I
don't know if it woke me up or Lee moving around the bedroom. He said it wasn't loud like the one on Friday that sounded like an explosion. This one just shook.

I only felt one of the twelve or so since Friday. I was sitting at the computer and thought one of the dogs bumped my chair.

Nope.  Hope the earth calms down around here.

Friday

It started out normally. This day after our anniversary.....

I came out of the bathroom, shut the door and there was this loud "explosion" sound.  I thought something had fallen in the bathroom or the toilet had exploded. I looked at the clock - 7:57.

Lee thought a car had hit the house. What it was, was an earthquake. We've had few but some were very slight. This was a 4.2. Luckily, no pictures fell or wine bottles (we didn't have any of those here) and in the garage only a tube from the yard blower had rolled across the floor. Businesses and some homes had minor damage. For a while they blamed the frequency of the quakes on fracking. However, there is a fault near here. The earliest earthquake recorded in Kansas was in 1867!

Later in the day Lee asked me to close the garage door. I did but didn't have the door into the house completely closed. Jill got out. Lee got ballistic. I called the dog. It's like talking to a brick. We did not train these dogs and they are the first ones we've had that did not come when we called.

I got in the car and Lee started following her up the street in his Jazzy. Finally she started back toward the house, seemed to be tired and we got her up on the chair. Not a fun experience.

Later:  Yesterday I made a peach cobbler. The picture didn't look so good. It kind of sank but it tasted ok.  There is still some left. And now guess who wants apple pie. Krogers/Dillons, here I come. No more baking for me this week.

Scrubbies

Since a nice blogger (CH) sent me scrubbies, I have shamelessly copied them and had six completed. She mentioned that she had given some to nurses so since I was going to see some nurses, I took the six with me to IVIG.

Three were on duty and the room was full with almost every chair taken. After it had cleared out somewhat, I asked one of the nurses how many were there today. Three but one came and relieved Christine to have lunch. So I gave each of the four a red scrubbie.

Later, the mother of one of the teenage patients went out and bought cherry limeades for everybody!
When I could get her attention, I gave her one. Her favorite color is red and she is going to hang it on her Christmas tree.

I had one left. In came one of the nurses who was off to have a baby. She had the baby with her so we all loved seeing him. Six weeks old. In four weeks she has to come back to work. She got the last scrubby.

Now, I wish I could find the yarn with the sparkles in it. They are so much more - well, sparkly!

Variations

Today was the day. Every eight weeks I get an IV at the infusion lab in the local hospital.

Today I walked up to the registration desk. She asked my name and then stood and invited me to follow her about fifteen steps to a desk in a cubicle. There a nice young lady looked at my medical cards and had me sign the electronic signature machine, put on an armband on my arm and that was it.

Sometimes they tell me to have a seat and then a person from a cubicle comes and gets me. Several times the lady at the registration desk has done the whole deal right there at the desk, arm band and all.  Other times, they have pointed the way to the where the "checker-inners" are seated.

Formerly they asked questions about black lung and if I was participating in any government studies on health issues. Other questions about traveling outside the country were asked. But not today.

Each time it is a new experience. I can hardly believe they change their protocol every eight weeks. Maybe each employee just does what they want to do that day.

Anyway, I got my paper work and went to the fifth floor. Thank goodness for elevators. I barely made it across the parking lot and it was not that hot today. (87) Back to the nineties tomorrow.

P.S.  I forgot the most embarrassing thing I did. The registration lady asked how she could help me and I told her I was there for an invasion on fifth floor. I corrected it.  I think I watch too much news.