Sunday, November 30, 2008

Mickey, the Traveler














Mickey, our psychotic dog, with all of his other faults, was a very good traveling dog. He would lie on the seat between Ford and me and you never knew he was there.



When we stopped for gas, to eat or use the rest rooms we would let him out of the car and he would run around until he found his spot and take care of his business. Then we would let him just run around free for a few minutes. After that he would hop back into the car and snuggle down in his place and never bother us until time to stop again.



I always had water and food for him in the car and he was a very good traveler--less trouble than children are.



He was a much traveled dog. We took him to California, Arizona, Texas and lots of camping trips.




Somehow, when we would get within a few miles from home he knew we were there. He would get very restless and excited, and try to see out the windows. We never figured out how he knew when we were nearing home. It was as if he had some extra sense that enabled him to know where we were. He would get frantic by the time we drove into our driveway. You didn't have to wonder if he was glad to be home, he showed it.




Mickey has been gone for a long time but I still think of him often and remember how excited he would be when we were on a trip.



Saturday, November 29, 2008

Ever Get a Song Stuck in Your mind?



Have you ever got a song--one you didn't choose--stuck in your mind?


Sometimes I awake in the morning with a song on my mind and can't get rid of it. Usually the song doesn't fit in with my mood or plans for what I am doing that day. But it is there and I can't stop singing, or thinking about it. Even if I don't verbally sing the song it goes on in my mind anyway.



Other times maybe I go to bed at night and a song pops into my brain and I mentally sing it all night. If the songs matched something I am doing or am going to do it might make sense but most of the time it is some weird song that has nothing to do with my thinking or actions.



Can you explain that to me? It is so annoying. I have put in a CD and played it to get the stuck song "unstuck." Sometimes that works but most of the time when the CD finishes playing my mind goes right back to doing its own thing.



As I said in a couple of posts back the mind is really a strange thing. It is as if my mind has a mind of its own and I have no control over it.



The next time I find a song stuck in my head I hope it will be one I like because it is going to be there for a few hours whether I like it or not!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Just a Plain Old Tuna Sandwich, Please!

Tuna sandwich and Hot tuna casserole












After the big turkey dinner yesterday I am ready for just a plain old tuna sandwich. I love tuna--in a salad or a sandwich. However, I cannot stand any kind of dish with hot tuna! There is something about hot tuna that turns me off! Many people love Tuna Noodle Casserole, or some other hot tuna dishes but I cannot tolerate hot tuna.


Tuna is one thing that people either love--or hate. My husband could not even stand the smell of it when I opened a can for myself. My brother-in-law can't stomach tuna in any fashion. But others love it, hot or cold.


I make my sandwiches with the tuna salad. I cut up pickle, celery, onion, boiled egg and Miracle Whip and mix it with the tuna. Then sometimes I toast the bread, sometimes not or if I have buns I use them for the sandwiches. That is good eating!


Tomorrow I may just make tuna sandwiches for a change and then eat the turkey leftovers later.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!





This roaster is 57 years old and has had a turkey roasted in it at least once every year--sometimes twice a year.

It was originally bought for sterilizing baby bottles and it was used just for that the first year. Then I started using it to roast our Christmas and Thanksgiving turkeys. It is a very large roaster, at least the largest size available.

You can't see it in the picture but the inside of the pan is really discolored and worn. It doesn't have any leaks but I think every year there may be one!

We have had so many delicious turkey dinners that I almost feel as if the pan is lucky for us. I am preparing to roast another turkey as I write this for our Thanksgiving dinner. My family will be here, at least the ones who live here in Indiana.

As long as that roaster doesn't spring a leak I will continue to roast turkeys in it!

Happy Turkey Day to all of you!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

NUT CRACKERS




Four kinds of nut crackers

I wrote a while back about hunting for nuts in the fall. Now I will write about the hard work of cracking and picking out the nut meats.

There are several kinds of nut crackers. The first one, and easiest to obtain, is just a plain old hammer. You have to watch out for your fingers with the hammer! Also, the hammer usually breaks up the nut into smaller pieces, which is fine for cooking nuts. But if you want larger pieces for eating as a snack then you might want to consider using one of the other kinds of nut crackers which allow you to pick larger pieces.


I use all four kinds of the nut crackers depending on what size the nuts are. Also, for black walnuts or hickory nuts the hammer is almost a must. But for the softer shelled nuts such as pecans, almonds or English walnuts the other crackers are fine.


My nut cracker for this year was my Brother-in-law, Cotton. He picked out all of the pecans they gave me. I really appreciated that. Pecans are my favorite nut anyway. I like the others but pecans are still my favorite.










Tuesday, November 25, 2008

My Grandcats



Pictured here are my three grandcats. Aren't they lovely?

Actually, I have four but the other cat is not in this picture. These cats are Frank, Illford and Jet(standing). Unfortunately, Smokey , the one not pictured is not very well at this time. She is 16 years old and is not expected to live much longer.



These cats were born to a stray cat at my daughter's house and she sort of inherited them. She did not really set out to have four cats. There were four in this stray bunch but one came up missing and they never knew what happened to it. So with Smokey and the new three she ended up with four. My daughter is a cat lover so those cats are lucky that she took them in. She had them neutered and gradually converted them to tame cats. They were kind of wild in the beginning but after a time they became more domesticated.



She spends a fortune on cat food and cat litter. But she loves the cats and they are assured a home as long as they live!

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Story about our dog, Mutt

I apologize for this poor picture! But it is Mutt.


I wrote a story about Mutt, our dog, some time ago. We had him right after we came to Indiana to live back in 1946. We didn't have him very long because he got distemper and died. But we got very attached to him even in that short time.


I don't think my sister-in-law was so attached! He chewed up her Easter hat. We had all gone out to eat after church and Mary left her hat lying on the coffee table. We had left Mutt at home.


When we returned home we saw the whole living room floor littered with something--it was so chewed up that we couldn't even recognize what had been chewed up until we examined it closer. It was Mary's hat. Mary's mother had bought the hat for her. Mary cried a little about it.



We felt terribly bad about it and we offered to pay for it but , of course, Mary would not hear of that. It was a very regrettable thing to happen but nothing that we could help.


Mutt was a lovely little dog but he did things that were not so lovely sometimes!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Rocker from the Past

This little rocker was bought in 1953 by my Dad for my daughter, Lana Kay, for a Christmas present.

In December, 1953, my Dad came to Indiana to visit us. He spent Christmas with us and then we drove back to Texas for a visit. That way, my Dad only had to ride the train one way to come here.


We spent Christmas with him and he bought presents for us while he was here. He bought this rocker for Lana Kay--55 years ago. Of course when our next daughter was born she got to use the rocker when she was little. We have hung on to it for all of these years. Our grandchildren have used it and it has just been a normal decoration in our home for many years. It has never been put away or hidden.


At first it had a little ball on a string that you pulled and it played a song. I can't even remember what song it played now--maybe Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. But some time ago the string broke and it couldn't be played any more. I still have the ball and maybe sometime I can get someone to fix it back with a new string.


I still love having the little rocker sit in the corner of my living room. It is a reminder of those pleasant times of so long ago and of my beautiful Dad who has been gone for a long time.




Saturday, November 22, 2008

JFK Assassination--1963

Forty five years ago today John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. We went to the assassination site a couple of months after that. That seems so long ago when I think of it now.

We drove along that same street that Kennedy's entourage rode; We saw the grassy knoll which has played so much a part of the whole story; we saw the book storage window through which Oswald supposedly fired the bullet which killed Kennedy. Will we ever know the complete truth about that story? Most of the people who might know the truth are now gone so it is remote that we will ever know any more than we know now.

We lived through a really big thing in history--many without realizing it. Now we have lived through another big thing in history--the election of a black president. All we can do is hope that Obama is half the president that Kennedy was.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Solvang, California



Back in about 1965 or near then we went on a trip in our motor home to California. We traveled down through most of California with our friends Smitty and Margie.


In southern California there is a little town called Solvang. It is mainly a tourist town. Many gift shops line the streets of the town. In one of those shops we bought this little cuckoo clock. I have kept it all these years in a curio cabinet in my living room. It is a charming little clock about a foot tall. I actually have not kept it wound up and running all this time but it has been there for us to look at and admire, and to remind us of our trip to the quaint little town of Solvang.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

THE SEARS TOWER IN CHICAGO

The Sears Tower

We visited the Sears Tower some years ago and I see it every summer when I ride the bus to Texas. It is a beautiful building, especially at night with the lights on it. The building has 110 floors and is 1,450 feet tall. It was completed in 1974 and was the world's tallest building until it was surpassed in 1996 by the Petronas Towers (1483 feet) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.



We went in the tower and to the top of it on the elevator. It is kind of scary to stand on the top floor and look out the windows. I felt very shaky and almost queasy. I stepped back away from the windows after a very short look out the windows. I didn't like the feeling!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Little Country Church in Michigan



This picture was painted by a lady in Michigan who lived near a place where we were camping.


I walked down this road and very near the church. It was a beautiful little church. I wanted the painting because I felt that since I was there and saw the church it would mean a lot more to me. I think we paid about $50 for the painting.


I have it hanging in my dining room and I look at it often and remember being there and walking near the church.


The glass of the frame got broken on our way home and we had to have it replaced. It has been hanging in my dining room ever since we came home and hung it there, about 20 years ago.


The lady who painted it is probably not, nor ever will be famous but her painting has brought me a lot of enjoyment for my $50.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Disney Land


















We went to Disney Land in about 1965 and again in 1975. These pictures are from our 1975 trip. We went with friends who lived in Los Angeles at that time. These friends had a lot of discount tickets and even some free ones, so we had a ball.


Don't we look great with Goofy? We also had a picture with Mickey Mouse and some of the other Disney characters.


Back then the prices were much more reasonable than they are now. We had a good time and didn't empty our pocketbook! The food prices were also a lot lower.


It is a shame that the prices for amusement parks had to reach such a high level. So many children will never get the joy of seeing and doing all of the fun things that are there for them. I am proud that we did get to take our children for all of the fun before this time when we now probably couldn't afford to do it.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Camping in a Motor Home

Smitty, Margie and Ford in front of our motor home.

Back in about 1977 or near then, we bought a motor home. We drove to Richmond, Indiana to buy it. It was brand new. We had looked at some used ones but most of them were junky and dirty so we decided to get the brand new one.

We never, in all the time we had it, got more than about 7 miles per gallon (Thank God we don't have it now with the high gas prices).

We really loved the motor home and it was an ideal way to travel but as for being any cheaper to travel with, that was a joke. We had to pay every night we stopped at KOAs and other travel parks at least about $12 or more per night to stay there. And it was more if you hooked up to the sewer and electricity facilities.

After having it for about three or four years we found that we could travel in our car, stay at motels, and eat in restaurants cheaper than we could drive the motor home.

Even though we loved traveling in the motor home, it was very expensive. Not to mention that even if we didn't go anywhere and let it sit our driveway we still were spending about $7 0r $8 hundred a year for taxes, license and insurance.

After a few years of taking that beating, we decided that we had had enough and we sold it. That is when we discovered that we should have gone with the used motor home. We lost about half of our money because we had to sell at such a low price. If we had bought the used one we probably could have sold it for about the same amount we paid for it. We went with a pop up camper after that.

Now I don't camp any more and I sold the pop up camper several years ago. I loved the years we camped but it was a lot of work and it was not very cheap! Now I am happy to lie down in my bed at night and not worry about packing up all of the camping supplies for a trip home and then a couple of days cleaning up a camper and getting things put away. That is for young people!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Hunting Pecans and Walnuts












A black walnut in its shell(left) . Out of its shell (right).


I remember when I was a kid and even later after I was married, we used to go hunting in the fall for pecans or walnuts. We could always find a lone tree somewhere that seemed to belong to no one--although I am sure it did--and we would pick up enough nuts to last us for our Christmas cooking and even after Christmas. Pecans were harder to find because usually someone else would get there before we did and take all of the nuts.


The walnuts, black walnuts, were easier to find but they were much harder to use. They have a thick shell covering them and it is a job getting that shell off. Then even after you got that off there is the regular shell that was really hard to crack. So you really had to work for the nut meats of them. They also stained your hands with a brown or greenish stain that was hard to get off.

We also a few times found Hickory nut trees. They are also harder to crack and pick out than pecans but they are a delicious nut to use for cooking, or just eating.

We once found a black walnut tree that was just along the side of the road. Most of the nuts fell in the road and cars had run over them and got a lot of the outer husks off, leaving the walnut free of the tough outer shell. That made them much easier to crack. We went to that tree a couple of years to get our supply of nuts for the winter. Pecans are much easier to crack and pick out the nut meat than are the walnuts.

I have a supply of pecans for this winter because my sister gave me about four pounds of them all picked out and ready to use. I treasure them because I love using them for cookies, salads and other things I bake. I have not had a chance to go nut hunting for many years. I would not have any idea where to go now to look for them. But I do remember how much fun it was to go and find a beautiful tree somewhere with many nuts lying underneath waiting for us to pick them up!




Saturday, November 15, 2008

More on Our Weird Minds



Following along the thoughts of yesterday's post I will write today about things that make your mind go blank.


I have several things that I cannot get to stay in my mind, names of people and places that for some reason will not stick in my mind.


One name I can never remember is the name of the doctor who took off my cataracts. It is a simple name and I can see no reason for not remembering it. I drive by his office almost every time I go anywhere. Once I decided that every time I drove by I would look at his building and say his name. I did that for some time and I finally got so that I could remember it each time I went by. Then for some reason I stopped doing that and soon, within a matter of a few weeks, I again could not remember his name. Even now I cannot remember his name and I will have to look it up in the phone book to tell you!


Another name I have trouble remembering is Gene Roden, the funeral director in Paris, Texas. Can a name be any simpler than Gene Roden? Yet I never can remember it. My Mom and Dad and my sister were buried from that funeral home and I can never remember that name.


I also had a teacher when I was working on my degree back in 1975 that I dearly loved. She was my favorite teacher but I cannot to this day remember her name without looking it up.


Joplin, Missouri, is another name I can't remember without looking it up. We have driven through Joplin and stayed there many nights at a Motel 6. Joplin is not such an unusual name to remember, do you think? However, I never can remember it .


Can you explain to me why I have these unusual quirks in my mind? I really would like to understand the way my mind works. I am sure a psychologist or a psychiatrist might be able to tell me why I can't remember these things, but he would charge an ungodly price to tell me! So I guess I will just go along wondering about it until I die!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Our Weird Mind!

One of my brain crashers

The mind is a strange thing! I have things that are stuck in my mind and they pop up every so often.


Everyone has special occasions or events that come to their minds at times. But I have things that are not anything special or spectacular that regularly come to my mind. I do not know why they have any significance or reason to stick in my mind.


We once stayed at a motel in Missouri on our way to Texas. It was not a motel of any great importance or any special features. However, I find myself remembering that motel very often. The kids swam in the pool there and that is all I really remember about it.


Another thing that comes to my mind often is a Waffle House in Joplin, Missouri, that was next to the Motel Six where we stayed many times. We ate at the Waffle house and it was a nice little restaurant but it was nothing out of the ordinary. I can't even remember anything special about it. There must have been something , even though I can't remember what, that made it stick in my mind for all of these years.


What is it that causes these things to come to my mind? I don't know of anything that triggers them. Just suddenly the idea will take over my thoughts, what ever they are, and I begin to think about something that comes from my past.

The mind is a wonderful thing and it is terribly-- or wonderfully-- complicated. I try to figure mine out sometimes and begin to get so confused that I give up.


Someday I may discover what it is about those places that make them so ingrained in my thoughts. But for now I just think about them when they pop into my mind and remember them pleasantly for a moment. Then I go back to my present thoughts until my past thoughts pop up again.












Thursday, November 13, 2008

"DALLAS"--REMEMBER?

Sara, me and Ford







Ford, Me and Sara








In 1982 my sister, Sara, and her family and Ford and I visited South Fork Ranch near Dallas.




Recently the "Dallas" crew met at the South Fork Ranch for a reunion of the cast and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the TV show "Dallas."




According to the reviews in the newspaper the event was a letdown. Instead of the 2000 they had expected to attend there were about 4000. The fans paid prices of $100 to $1000 for the tickets with the $1000 tickets giving more access to the stars of the show, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy and others. Many fans were angered because they were not given access to cast members as they had been promised.




Jason Hardison, the events executive producer, said he was broken hearted about what happened and felt like the fans were cheated out of what was promised them.He said he is working on how the fans can be reimbursed. He said they deserve that.




The failure of the party was blamed on the blatant lack of competence of the owners of South Fork.




We toured the ranch in 1982. When we visited none of the main stars were there at that time. It was a beautiful ranch and a lot of spectators were there. I like being able to say, "I've been there and done that!"





Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Aprons

A more modern apron

















Patterns for fancy aprons


In the years past no sane woman would go into her kitchen without her apron. It was partly to protect her dress from food stains and partly to look neat and clean.


I remember that my mother always wore an apron when she cooked. Some women wore stylish and fancy aprons and others just wore a plain apron to protect their dress.


Once when I was just about three or four, we were visiting a neighbor and the neighbor was into a job of cutting up some meat and had gotten blood on her apron. I looked up at her and I said, bluntly, "Mrs, Seiferman, your apron is dirty." Of course, my mother was embarrassed to pieces. She was telling me that I should not say such a thing. Mrs. Seiferman said, "Mrs. Caffee, that is the truth-- my apron is dirty." They say, out of the mouths of babes....


I made a number of aprons when I was filling my hope chest but by the time I got married aprons were becoming a thing of the past and I really never wore them much at all. But I do remember having fun making them and dreaming of wearing them in my future.


Sometimes a woman would just tie a dish towel around her waist to protect her dress and not bother with a fancy apron.


Now with clothes so easy to wash, I never worry about staining my clothes, I just cook without any apron at all! With all of the fantastic washing products there is something to take out any kind of stain!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

VETERANS DAY

















Today we are honoring the men and women, who died for our country in WWI.


This day was formerly called Armistice day. After WWII it was changed to Veterans Day--without the apostrophe by the decision of the US government, although both spellings are grammatically accepted. November 11th, 2008 will mark the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day.


Many will celebrate the day by pausing for two minutes of silence at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th Month. This is a sign of respect for the roughly eight million people who died in the war.


We should say a silent Thank You to all of the courageous people who made it possible for us to be here today in our lovely and precious country!

Monday, November 10, 2008

You Can't Go Home Again

One of my old homes from my childhood.
My Mom and my sisters stand in front.


I recently visited my old home town of Paris, Texas. My niece drove my sister and me around over the town looking at our old home places. We saw some of them but they were hardly recognizable. The surroundings of them had changed and the houses had gotten old and dilapidated and were nothing like when we lived in them.

Several of them had actually been torn down and were no longer there. I longed to go into some of them and see if they looked the same inside--of course they wouldn't, because someone else lives in them and nothing could be like when we lived there.

The old saying that You can't go home again is true. Because even if you did go home it would be totally different so you couldn't call it home.

So all I can do is look at my pictures and remember my old homes because, sadly, I know that I can never go home again.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Paris, Texas--The Abattoir

An abattoir or slaughterhouse


Abattoir is a word that I seldom see, or use for that matter. It is the same meaning as slaughterhouse.

When I was a kid we used to live across the road from the city abattoir. Paris, Texas had become a cattle and farming center around 1845 and was the site of the first municipally owned and operated abattoir in the United States.

I can vividly remember the terrible smells that emanated from the place when the wind was from a certain direction. The burning of wastes from slaughtered animals caused the smells. Other times if the wind was not blowing from that direction then we smelled nothing.

I was unable to find out if Paris still has an abattoir but I am sure it must have. It is a place where farmers or anyone can have an animal slaughtered for processing.

In fact, in an earlier post I told of my parents two hogs that they had raised to have our meat for the winter and just before butchering time they became sick with erysipelas and had to be euthanized causing a total loss of their meat for the winter. My Dad took those hogs to the city abattoir to be euthanized and destroyed.

I think the use of the word abattoir has mostly been replaced by slaughter house. I still recall vividly the bad smells that came from the City abattoir across the road from us.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Cicadas or June Bugs?















These are the skeletons of Cicadas. I found them on Google. I think that the bugs we used to call June bugs were actually Cicadas. We used to see the skeletons all through the summer sticking on tree trunks or on bushes. The shell is what the cicadas are developed in.


Google says they are 17 year locusts though there are many different varieties of them.


I can remember in the hottest part of the summer hearing the sounds they make. It is actually the mating call of the males--the females do not make the sound.


The pictures above are exactly what we used to see when I was a kid. They were all over the place. So a lot of cicadas were out flying around. I can vividly recall the loud sounds they made--it was sort of the background noise of summer in our part of the world.
Cicadas do not bite or sting, are benign to humans and are not considered pests. Many people around the world regularly eat cicadas: the female is prized as it is meatier.

I am not sure that cicadas are in the part of Indiana where I live. I can't remember ever hearing them here or seeing the skeletons around anywhere. But I can sure remember hearing them when I was a kid!

Friday, November 7, 2008

ON THE BOARDWALK IN ATLANTIC CITY








The man in the blue pants is Ford.

At left is the boardwalk in Atlantic City.

We went to Atlantic City in about 1990 with our next door neighbors, Dave and Judy.

We walked on the boardwalk in Atlantic City as the old song goes. We also went to Trump's Taj Mahal.

Atlantic City is fun but not nearly as much fun as Las Vegas. There are not as many casinos as in Vegas. We spent about three days there in Atlantic City. I would choose Vegas any time over Atlantic City! But it is nice to say we have been there--done that!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Indian Summer




Indian Summer


We are experiencing an Indian Summer right now in our part of the country. It is unusually warm and has been for about a week. We had our squaw winter, a heavy frost and some cold weather a couple of weeks ago.



They say that Indian Summer is a period of abnormally warm weather after the first killing frost of the season.


I really look forward to Indian Summer every fall because it is the last thing resembling summer of the year. Summer is my time of the year and I treasure every moment of it.


I looked on Google and it said that Indian Summer can occur more than once in a season--and some years we don't really have one at all. I don't really remember ever having more than one a year in my lifetime.


I think Indian Summer is talked more about here in Indiana than it is in Texas, or the south. I never remember hearing of it until I came to Indiana to live. However I have come to treasure it much.



Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Pill Popper

Our psychotic dog and Daughter!

Back when my youngest daughter was just in her preteens she had a sinus infection which caused a drainage in her throat causing her to be nauseated in the morning. The Doctor prescribed some pills for her to take--I think it was Dimetapp. She took them for some time and her sinus infection got Ok. However, she was afraid if she didn't take the pills she would get it back. So we humored her for a time and kept getting the prescription refilled.


Then I got serious about it and told her that she had to get off those pills. She was adamant that she needed them.

One day she took the last pill and then threw the bottle away. Then she told me later that she needed more pills. I said, "Where is your bottle with the number on It?" she said, "I threw it away." Then I told her that we had to have that bottle with the prescription number on it.


So she was upset about that. I said, "You did it to yourself." So even though I could have called the doctor and had him write another prescription I told her that is it--No more pills. After that she did fine without the pills. I am sure that she was just hooked on the idea that she needed those pills. I believe that many people are taking things that they don't actually need, they just think they do!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Panning for Gold at Sutter's Mill

We once panned for gold in California. We visited Sutter's Mill, the place where the 1849 Gold Rush started.




Unfortunately, we did not find any gold--at least not any nuggets. I did collect a small bottle of what might be gold dust. The bottle is about two inches tall and about 3/4 inches around. I never had it checked to find out if was really gold dust but it is shiny like gold so I figure it is the real thing! In the picture it doesn't look as much like gold as it actually looks in my hand. It looks as if it is colored beads but it actually looks more gold colored than in the picture.



Panning for gold is a hard job and not really much fun unless you find some nuggets in your pan. You have a rounded pan about the size of a pie pan. Then you scoop up a pan full of water and mud and swirl it around until most of the water is out of the pan. Then you look in the mud to see if there is anything like a gold nugget in it. As I said we didn't see anything that remotely looked like gold! The dust in my bottle was just some of the mud left in the pan.



We went with friends who knew all about how to pan for gold and they showed us the ropes. We spent a couple of hours doing that and then decided that we were were not lucky enough to get rich so we got out of the mud and water and went to our motor home and cleaned up--still poor!










Monday, November 3, 2008

Happy Birthday, Lana Kay!














Then, and Now

Today is the 57th birthday of my first born child! I can't believe it has been that long!
Lana Now lives in Boise, Idaho. I get to see her once a year when she visits here in Indiana for usually, two or three weeks during July. She is a 5th grade teacher.

I would dearly love it if she lived nearer me and I could see her more often. But I do treasure those two or three weeks when she is here.

I hope you have a very happy birthday, Lana, and live to have many more of them. It has been a delightful 57 years for me. Happy birthday, dear daughter!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

ANOSMIA--LOSS OF SMELL AND TASTE








I did some research and found that the medical name for the loss of smell and taste is Anosmia. Unfortunately, I must have that condition. If I ate the onion and the peppers in the pictures above I would feel the hot burning from them but not get the actual flavor of them!


Several years ago I noticed when I ate peanut butter I could not get the flavor of the peanuts. Immediately I thought, I must have got a bad jar of peanut butter!


Later, I bought another jar of peanut butter--a different brand. But I found the same problem with it, I couldn't get the flavor of the peanuts in it.

Gradually I discovered that there were other things I could not taste as well or get the flavor. I still can taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter and hot but just can't get the flavor of specific things in my food.


Mind you, I have not lost my love for food, but I have lost the ability to get the full flavor from most of my food. I guess that there must not be calories in the flavors because I have not lost any weight!

Some foods still taste very good to me such as mashed potatoes and gravy, noodles, most meats, and desserts. But I long for the taste of onions, garlic, cinnamon, peppers and a lot of other spicy foods that I used to love.


I can compare this condition to the way you feel when you have a bad cold and can't taste your food as well. When your cold goes away then your taste comes back.

I am a food enthusiast so this has been very unpleasant for me to have this happen. However, I am adapting to it. I have considered going to a specialist but that would involve a lot of money--which I don't have!

So I just use my memory when I eat and try to imagine that I taste those flavors while I am eating. When you see me skinny and sick looking then you will know that Anosmia has gotten the best of me.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

An Apology to my Mom

My Mom on her 90th birthday

It was pointed out to me that I may have slighted my Mom in yesterday's post! Never in a million years did I mean to do that!

I loved my Mom just as much as I loved my Dad. I may have made it seem that I loved my Dad more but that is not true. I don't know why I wrote the post the way I did. My Dad was a great man but my Mom was also a great woman--and I do apologize to her, if she somehow knew what I wrote. I loved her dearly just as much as I did my Dad.

Once more,Mama, if you read my post I didn't mean it the way it ended up sounding!