Friday, July 31, 2009

What a Mixed up World!






















I am sure when God designed the world and the way it was going to work He made it perfect. But I have trouble understanding why some things are the way they are.




For instance: When we are young, healthy and full of ambitions and we would like to travel, explore the world, enjoy everything and just have fun, we can't because we have to work, feed our family, and take care of lots of other responsibilities. We also don't have enough money to do all of those things!



But when we retire from working we have more money and the time to do all of the above mentioned things but our age keeps us from enjoying all of them. Sometimes our health is not good enough to do them. So we sit at home with our money and can't go places and have fun.



If it could be arranged so that we could go all the places we want to, have all the money we need to do all of the fun things while we are young, healthy and unencumbered with family requirements that would be ideal! I don't know how we would manage to do our work after the retirement age but God would have known how to do that!


It is sad to see someone retire and think they are set up to start having fun and then their health goes bad.



I am not criticising God's method of running the world--I just don't understand it!


Some people are lucky enough to have good health and are able to go and enjoy life after retirement but others are not so lucky. Those are the ones that are shortchanged!


Sorry, God, Help me understand why.





Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Greedy One!

Ford is on the left



When Ford was a small boy probably about 5 or 6 his Mother had made a pie for their dessert. She cut the pie into pieces and they each had one and she set aside one for their Dad who was not home at the time. Ford said that he wanted the piece she set aside for their Dad instead of his piece. His Mom said, " Ok, but all the pieces are the same." Anyway, he exchanged his piece for his Dad's.



A while later Ford said he wanted his piece of pie. His Mother said, " you had your pie." Ford replied to her that, "No, I had Dad's piece, now I want mine!"



I don't think so! He was very greedy and wanted more than his share!



I am sure he didn't get it!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Another mystery



Another thing many of you may have never seen, or heard of, is a tea ball. That is what the two items in the picture are. One is a large one and the other is a smaller size version. The larger one was used for a teapot or pitcher; the smaller one was used for a single cup of tea.


I used to buy Constant Comment Tea a lot. I love the spicy and orangey tang it had. I had a friend who told me about it because she said her mother used to make it for anyone of their family who was sick. It is really a treat whether you are sick or not.


I also am keeping my tea balls. I might make myself some Constant Comment tea if I get sick--or even if I don't get sick!


By the way, I checked out pickled pig feet yesterday at the grocery store. I didn't buy any. I like them but not at $4.69 for a small jar!


Some day I may have a dumb minute and break down and buy a jar! But I will have to really be in a dumb mood! I have not checked the present price of Constant Comment Tea yet. Maybe I won't want to buy it either.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

What is This?



Many of you will have no idea what this thing is! I know because I used one many years ago.



It is a darning egg. It was used to put into a sock when you darned holes. What? You darn socks? Yes, I did a lot when my kids were little and got lots of holes in their socks. They were not quite as comfortable after they were darned but they were wearable and had no hole there after it was darned.



I remember as a child my mother would let me take old socks that had too many holes to darn any more over into what we then called nigger town! You would be in trouble now if you called it that. The black people would buy the socks like crazy--maybe for only a nickle or a couple of pennies. We were thrilled to get a few cents for a "holy" pair of socks! I don't know how they managed to darn all the holes that were in the socks but back then I didn't care--I was just thrilled to get a few cents , and they were thrilled to get the socks for their children.



I am keeping my old darning egg. Who knows, maybe I will need to use it again some day in the unforeseen future! I sure hope not but who knows what the future will bring?

Monday, July 27, 2009

Daddy's rainy days




Some of my Dad's Rainy days
My Dad used to work for the State Highway Department as well as for the City Street Department at times in his life.

They did street and highway maintenance so when it rained they could not work. This was back in the times when, if you didn't work you didn't get paid.

Texas has a lot of rain during the spring and even in the winter at times. So many days Daddy had to be off work because of rainy days. He had a family to feed and when the money didn't come in it was hard to make the money stretch for groceries and rent.

I can remember worrying about it when he could not work even though I was just a child. I would think will we have enough to eat? Somehow we always had enough to eat and managed to get by. Then later on he was on a salary and got money anyway when he couldn't work. Those were bad times for us.


Nowadays most people don't have to worry about missing work except for when they want to be off for a personal reason. Times are much better now, exccept for this recent downturn in the economy when so many are out of jobs.

I think people should protect their children from the reality of when they are having bad times. Children do worry about their family. It doesn't help the matter for children to know how bad things are. I know this for a fact because I remember I worried about us not having money for food.


I do hope the economy turns around soon so little children do not have to worry about their family and they can get on with just being a kid and having fun!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Home Made Lye Soap





Pieces of homemade lye soap.



A batch of lye soap cooking in a large pot.









My Mother used to make lye soap. It was not a very good smelling soap but she declared that it really made clothes whiter and cleaner than bought soaps.

I don't know the exact recipe but she used grease, bacon or any kind of fat and put a can of lye in it and cooked it for a while. I used to save my bacon grease for her to use. When she had enough grease on hand then she would mix up her batch of ingredients for a pot of lye soap.
It was sort of an ugly tan color and I can't even describe the smell of it, but it was not perfumed at all. It was just cut in jagged uneven blocks which she would chip up when she added it to the laundry water. I think maybe it might have been less expensive than bought soap in the beginning but as prices rose she finally did away with her soap making. It was easier to just buy soap at the store.
I didn't grieve over that at all. Bought soap smelled much better! I have not seen a piece of lye soap for ages. As I said, I am not grieving over it!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Outdoor Toilets

Ford coming out of an outdoor toilet



My wallpaper border.





My pictures on the wall.









As a Child I remember one place where we lived that we had an outdoor toilet. I have vivid memories of that horrible place! It was smelly, stinky, ugly and not a very nice place to do anything in!


It was usually dirty, and always smelly. You didn't ever want to look down into the hole--not a pretty sight! We used newspaper or a catalog page then for toilet tissue. That is not the most comfortable way to treat your behind.


My Aunt Lizzie was cleaning her outhouse once and as she stooped down to pick up some paper off the floor she got a bite from a snake which was hiding under the paper. That event certainly added to my aversion to outdoor toilets! I only have bad memories and thoughts about them.


Now I have a modern, clean and pretty inside bathroom. What decor do I have for my bathroom? Of Course, outdoor toilets! I have a wallpaper border with pictures of outdoor toilets; I have pictures of outdoor toilets hanging on the wall.


Why would anyone want to transfer images and memories of such a horrible relic from the past into a modern pretty bathroom? Beats me! I can't explain it!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Cheese Dip















Many years ago probably about in the late thirties, I remember a cheese dip that my mother used to make. She had gotten the recipe from someone she knew and she made it for us. We didn't call it a dip we just called it that "cheese stuff." But now that I look back I know it was a dip. We never dipped chips or anything into it but we used to spread it on bread or crackers. We loved it.
I have looked many times on Google for a recipe like it but I have never found just what I thought was the same. I really don't remember the exact ingredients that she used except for Velveeta cheese and a small can of condensed evaporated milk. She put the cheese and milk in a sauce pan and melted them together. After that I don't remember what else she put in it. Seems that maybe she put chopped up pimentos in with it.

Whatever, it was delicious and we ate it like pigs (remember I said there are a lot of pigs out there!). At that time we had never heard of dipping potato chips or any kind of chips into any kind of dip. But that was really the beginning of chip dip! We just didn't know what to call it then.

I would really like to find the exact recipe for that dip. If any of you know a dip like that please tell me.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Lana Turner



Lana Turner as a baby.



Lana Turner grown up












I always thought that Lana Turner was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen (along with Pattie Bess Lummus)!


I also loved her name. So when I got pregnant I said right away that if I had a girl I would name her Lana something. I decided on the Kay part later but it definitely was going to be Lana.


In her later years someone started calling her (my Lana) Lana with short A accent (sounding like Lonna). She liked that and so she mainly goes by that name now. Most people call her Lonna. Whatever she goes by now her name is Lana like in banana. She can't change that! I still use her whole name when I talk to or about her--Lana Kay. Carla, Brett and Amy call her just "Kay" all of the time. I guess plain Lana was not good enough for her, she wanted to be fancier!
Lana Turner has not been the perfect role model but I still think she, and her name, are beautiful.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More About Pigs




Speaking of pigs, which I did in yesterday's post, I am reminded of once when I was shopping at K Mart.

I had found all of my items and was checking out. I had a jar of pickled pig feet on the counter with my other things. The checker saw it and she shivered all over and looked at me strangely. She put a plastic bag over her hand and used it to pick up the jar of pickled pig feet. She said I can't even stand to look at it much less touch it! I laughed and said to her that she didn't know what she was missing by not eating pig feet! She said she didn't see how anyone could eat such stuff as that.

I love pickled pig feet. I haven't had them for ages but now that I am reminded of them I am going to look the next time I shop and see if I can find some. I used to buy them at K Mart all the time. My K Mart closed up not too long ago and now I can't go there. There is one about 15 miles from me but I never drive that far unless it is necessary.

So if you haven't tried pickled pig feet, please do so--you will love them!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Pigs!






















If there is anything I hate worse than seeing good food wasted I can't think of what it would be!



I hate seeing people pile up their plate with huge helpings of food and then eat about half of it. That means a lot of good food goes to the garbage can when there are people starving all over the world. Not only that but think of the money spent for that food. I like my money better than that!



When I have something that I can't finish or don't really want I cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge and eat it later. I know you can't do that at a restaurant but why not take smaller portions and then go back if you want more? It drives me nuts to think of how much good food is pitched into the garbage can. If everyone would just be a little more saving on their food they would be surprised at how much money they could save.

I realize I am probably blowing my breath into the wind because most people do not think as I do. They don't give a second thought to throwing away what they don't want. The answer to the whole thing is just don't take as much on your plate and go back for seconds if you want more.

It seems to me that they are afraid that there won't be any left for a second helping so they want to be sure they get all they want with their first helping! I am perfectly content with anyone taking a large helping, as large as they want, if they eat it all. Just don't leave half of it to throw away!


I know I am not getting through to most people but I still like to get on my soapbox and tell it like it is! A lot of people are pigs! Sorry, but that is the way it is!

Monday, July 20, 2009

This is gross!

Peeling sunburned skin

Note: If you don't like gross things you may want to skip this post!


Pictured above is sunburned peeling skin. That was a source of delight for my kids when they were young. They loved to peel off the skin from a sunburn. The bigger the piece of skin they peeled off the more excited they got!

Once in a while when we were out in the sun for a long period of time one or more of us would get a sunburn. After a few days the burned skin would start to peel off. My kids would have a ton of fun peeling that skin off. They would get Ford, or whoever had the burn, down on the floor and the fun would begin. They had contests to see who could get the biggest piece of skin off in one piece. It sounds gross but they loved it!

The worse the burn the more fun they had. I guess it was a small price to pay for so much excitement and fun for the kids.

I think now they would gag at the idea of such a thing! But back then it was just their cup of tea, so to speak!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Macho Man

Cherrie is the third from left in the front row

When we lived on Reed Street we had neighbors who lived behind us on the street that ran behind ours. Our back yards met in the back between our lots.
Our children played with their children a lot. They had girls near the age of my two girls and they also had a younger brother.




Once when they were at our house playing something came up about the age of their parents and us. I asked how old their Dad was and Cherrie, the oldest girl said he was 29. I said, "Your Dad is just a kid!" Because Ford was several years older than he was.


Cherrie pondered that for a moment and the she perked up with, "Well, My Dad has three kids and you only have two!" I said, "Yes you are right!"

I guess she thought he was a macho man because he had three kids and we only had two!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

My Fickle Appetite



















My perfect breakfast





Another good breakfast.







I have a strange appetite! One morning I wake up and everything sounds good to me and I can't decide what sounds better. Other mornings I wake up and I don't even know what I want to eat. I lie in bed for quite some time thinking about what I want to eat. I get an idea of something and then I think, I don't really want that. I usually end up eating something that I really don't even want just to fill up my stomach.


Why, if something sounds good one day, doesn't it sound good another day? If I have anything around like cake or pie or cookies that is what I eat. If I don't have any of that I end up eating cereal, toast, or maybe fruit if I have some.


I don't have a problem with my supper because I make something and that is what I eat. Breakfast is different. The choice is so broad for breakfast. Not that I always have a broad choice of items here but I usually can find something to eat. If nothing else I open a can of biscuits and cook them and make gravy to go with them or maybe open a can of tomato juice and have that with them (some people might say, "Ugh."). That is one of my favorites!


When it is just one person to make something for it is easier because if I am unhappy with what I have I can only blame myself and I don't have to apologise to someone else.

I am sure that if I had someone to make it for me I would always be happy with bacon and eggs! That is what my Mother had every morning of her life. She had to have her bacon and eggs and biscuits or toast. But the drawback there is having to cook it. I don't always want to fry bacon the first thing when I get up in the morning!


So I grab whatever is handy and easy to fix. But I am not always happy with it! There again, I can only blame myself if I am not thrilled with my breakfast!

Tomorrow morning I have nothing in the fridge ready to eat. So I know I will rack my brain trying to think of something good! In spite of all said, I have not lost a pound of weight so I am somehow getting all of the calories I need--and more!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Kenny Rogers





I would love to go to this but there are a couple of reasons why I won't go. Number one is because I don't have anyone to go with. Carla does not like Kenny Rogers and I am sure she would not want to waste her time going to it. Number two is because of the cost. I would pay $38 dollars to go see God or Jesus but not Kenny Rogers!



So I guess I will just put in a couple of CDs and listen to his music at home. I love to hear him sing. I know he is not an ideal role model but I still like to hear him sing. I lost count of how many times he has been married!



He used to be with a group at one time before the First Edition called the New Christy Minstrels. I have always liked his singing.



However, I like my money a little better so I will hang on to it and just use my CDs to hear him sing!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pure Texan!




Once when we visited Texas my sister, Sara, decided that she would come back to Indiana with us and stay for a while. She had just lost her boyfriend in a car wreck and was very unhappy at that time. She thought a change might help her feel happier.


So she packed up her clothes and came back to Indiana with us. She stayed a few days and decided to try to find a job. We went to several places looking and she decided on a waitress job at a small restaurant. She signed an application and was supposed to start the job in a day or so.


So on that day we took her to the restaurant to start the job. It was a part time job. It was not a fancy restaurant but was a decent looking place.


After we dropped her off we returned home. After about two hours the phone rang. It was Sara calling and she quickly said, "Come get me!" I said, why? What happened?" She said, "Just come get me!"


So we got in the car and rushed to the restaurant to pick her up. She was crying and said, "I am not going back ever to that place!" I asked why she was so upset. She said the guy who owned the place was teasing her the whole time and calling out, "Yahoo," Texas style. He made fun of her and she took all she could take. I am sure the man was just teasing her but she was in no teasing mood at that time.


I asked her did she ask for her two hours pay and she said "Shoot no, I just wanted to get out of there."


So that was then end of her waitress job. Actually, she only stayed for a few more days in Indiana and then she made her way back to Texas. I begged her to stay longer but she had her mind made up she didn't want any part of Indiana! The picture above was made about in 1951 which is near the time she came here for her visit.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

White Rock
















Back when I was just a kid Mama and Daddy often wanted to drive around on Sunday afternoons. One of their favorite places to drive to was White Rock Community. White Rock was a small community where they knew a lot of people.



Hickory Grove Cemetery was near there and my Mother's and Dad's family were both buried in that cemetery. I can understand now why they would want to visit the cemetery but back then I could not understand why anyone would want to go to White Rock or Hickory Grove. It was the dullest and most uninviting place you could imagine!


They had all day singalongs sometimes and my Mother and Dad loved to go to them. Everyone would take lunches and the event would start about 9:00 or 10:00 AM and then at noon everyone would put out their lunches on the long tables set up and share them. That is the only thing that attracted me--the food!


I remember once when we went to an all day singalong one lady with an extra loud voice was singing along and then the song ended and everyone stopped singing except this lady with the loud voice. The song was "Turn Your Radio On." She was not paying attention to the songbook and after everyone had stopped singing she started out on another verse and kept right on singing, "Turn your radio on...." at least for a couple of words until she realized that the song had ended. She was very embarrassed, as anyone would be.


My sister and niece and I braved the old memories and went to White Rock a couple of years ago and visited Hickory Grove Cemetery. It was as dull as ever. Only this time we could leave when we wanted to. As kids we had to stay until our parents were ready to leave. We did feel a moment of sadness as we stood by the graves of our grandparents and uncles. But thankfully, we left the sadness behind as we drove out of the cemetery gate.


I will probably never go to White Rock or Hickory Grove again. It is one place that does nothing for me (except hold the bodies of a few relatives).

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Poppy and Garbo


















" Garbo"


"Poppy"


Maybe you know who Poppy and Garbo are. They are Ford and Mary Ruth. "Poppy" and "Garbo" are the names that our and her grandchildren gave them when they were little.

I think Garbo was started when Mary Ruth's first grandchild tried to say Grandma and Garbo was what came out. So Garbo stuck until this day and Mary Ruth is still "Garbo."


I know that Jennifer, my first grandchild, was the one who started calling Ford "Poppy" but I can't remember the details about it because Poppy does not even start to sound like grandpa. After the other grandchildren came along they just went along with Jennifer's name for him.



It was kind of cute when as little kids they called him "Poppy" but it isn't as cute when a 37 year old woman, Jennifer's age, and a 36 year old man, Brett's age, call their grandpa "Poppy." However, it sounds lovely to me because it reminds me of Ford when they say it. They often refer to "Poppy" about things that come up in our conversations.



It is sort of like when little kids named Bobby, Tommy, and Jimmy are still referred to as Bobby, Tommy and Jimmy after they are grownup men--kind of out of place! I have a nephew whose name is Bob, or Robert. I try to call him Bob but a lot of the time Bobby comes out.


Maybe it makes them feel young again!

Monday, July 13, 2009

No Chocoholic!

My Grandma Gregory

Can you believe that there has ever been anyone in this world who didn't like chocolate? Well, there certainly was--my grandma Gregory. We called her Ma and my Grandpa was Pa.
She would not take even the tiniest bite of anything chocolate. She really didn't like much of any kind of candy but she would nibble on peppermint sticks and a little bit of taffy. We used to make taffy, the kind you pulled and stretched until it was the brightest golden yellow.
At the time I did not think of that (her dislike of chocolate) as strange but now that I look back I think it was very strange. Because I was so used to knowing that she didn't like it I just never thought of it as anything out of the ordinary. Everyone likes chocolate, in candy, in pies, in cakes, or most any kind of dessert--except Ma.
I never see candy canes that I don't think of my grandma and remember that she did like them. Ford also liked candy canes, but he liked chocolate too, very much.
I would hate to think that I could never have chocolate again but it wouldn't bother me too much if I never had candy canes again!
chocolate

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Garage Sale Find

Puppy similar to the one I saw at a garage sale




The strangest thing I ever found at a garage sale was really not for sale. I was at this sale and the lady that was taking care of the sale had a box by her side with the cutest little puppy in it. The dog was alert and looking around but he did not move from his spot at all. The lady told us that he had been hit by a car and was paralyzed in his back legs. He was so cute and pitiful looking that I wanted to cry.



She said that she knew she had to take him to be euthanized but she just had not been able to bring herself to do it yet. The puppy didn't seem to be in pain but he could not move at all with his back legs.



I can still feel the pain of seeing that little puppy lying there until this day. He was such a sweet little dog that I can understand why the lady had not taken him yet to be euthanized. That has been probably 35 years ago but I still remember that cute little puppy and how I so wished I could do something for it.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

How I Met Ford

Picture made Summer of 1943


Most of you already know that I met Ford at Barrett's Roller skating Rink. He was in the service and was stationed at Camp Maxey. Most of the soldiers came in to town for their entertainment and there was not much entertainment in Paris except for the skating rink or maybe a movie.

I went skating a lot back then and so I happened to meet Ford there. We started skating together and he taught me a lot about skating ( among other things!). All I could do before I met him was just skate forward and not too well at that.

He taught me to skate backwards and also several kinds of dance steps. He could skate circles around anyone there at the rink! I thought he was the cat's pajamas!

Anyway, we skated and dated for about three months and then we got serious. He was going to be shipped to an army camp in Taylor, Texas and we were worried about being apart. So he said, "Well you could go there with me." I replied that I couldn't unless we were married. He said, "That is what I meant." So that was my proposal.

We got married about a week later and I went to Taylor, Texas . That is when I got the apartment at Rip Torn's grandmother's house. We stayed at that apartment about eight months and then he was shipped to New Jersey and on to Europe soon after. I was at New Jersey for about a month before he was shipped out to Europe, specifically, to Germany.

So we met at Barrett's Skating Rink and--as the old saying goes--We have been going around together ever since! That is until he died nine years ago.

That all seems just like yesterday but it has been 66 years ago. How time flies! I am just waiting until I can see him again in Heaven because I know he is there!


Friday, July 10, 2009

My unaccomplishments

















I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but as yet I never have--not only have I never been there but I will probably never go there!


Back in the sixties we had friends that were going on a cruise to Hawaii and they begged us to go also. There were two couples, friends of ours, that were going. But we thought we didn't have the money and really we didn't. We could have got the money some way to go but we had the kids then and we decided that it was an unwise thing to at that time.


Now that I look back I regret that we didn't go. The other couples had a ball and I am sure we would have too.


Anyway, the opportunity never came up again so I have to say I have never been to Hawaii.


I envy Nancy and Lannie of their trip there and they will never have to say they didn't see Hawaii. We have been all over the US but never out of the country except for Canada and Mexico.


I did make a trip to England back in the early seventies but not with Ford. I went with a church choir and it was not the same as a family trip.


So, Nancy and Lannie, treasure and enjoy your trips now because you will not have to end up like me, saying you wish you had gone but didn't!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pattie Bess Lummus Pattie Bess Lummus



Junior Favorite, Pattie Bess Lummus



Drum majorette, Pattie Bess Lummus







































Pattie Bess Lummus was my idol when I was in high school. I thought she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I still think that.




I was never close friends with her but I worshiped her from afar! She was one year ahead of me in school and she was the most popular girl in the whole school. She was the Drum Major and I idolized her!




Until this day, not many days go by that I don't think of her and remember how pretty she was. She is now deceased. I never saw her after I got married and left Texas for Indiana.




One incident that gave me great pleasure was one day I was with some of my friends and I did some little motion that was funny and Pattie Bess happened to be looking my way. She really got a laugh out of my little thing I did--I can't even remember now what it was but I do remember that she saw me and got a laugh out of it.




I have my school year books and I often look up her picture and look at it and remember her with pleasure. She never knew of my passion (not sexual) for her but it was there!


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

My First Kiss! WOW!

Rufus Cunningham (nicknamed "JUG")
Above is a picture of Rufus Cunningham. He was the first boy that ever kissed me. What a kiss! I was inexperienced and had never even been out with a boy before.
I can still feel the tingles and thrills that went flying down my spine when he grabbed me and planted a big, long kiss on my mouth. After that I lived for the next kiss I could experience. I did not date Rufus for very many times but he introduced me to the world of romance.
Rufus was a senior and I was a freshman. So he graduated long before I was out of high school. I looked him up on the Internet some time ago and found that he then lived somewhere around Dallas. At this time I do not know if he is living or deceased. But I still remember that exciting first kiss he gave me! Apologies to Ford, who also thrilled me with his kisses!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Update on my Garden























Two views of my garden



Above are two views of my garden. It is doing great. I got one small ripe tomato off a plant a few days ago. It was really ahead of time because there have not been any more at all. I am so eager for them to start ripening. I live the whole year waiting for juicy red, ripe tomatoes from my garden. I have never bought a tomato with the taste that equals the taste of my home grown ones! I might add that I also have a few small squashes that will be ready to pick in a few days. I love them almost as much as I do the tomatoes.





I am going to plant my garden at the first of May from now on. I usually plant at the end of May because we often have frosts during the month of May. One year I lost all of my plants from frost and had to replant them. This year we did have some frost but because I had the plastic bags around my plants they were protected enough that the frost did not get them. So I will do that from now on. I am going to have ripe tomatoes much sooner by planting at the first of May. I took the bags off after the plants were up so high and the danger of frost was gone.




I wish I could share them with all of you but, as you know, that would be impossible. So you will all --except Mary Ruth--have to eat your puny little store bought, tasteless tomatoes! Sorry!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Backyard Fun!




















Brett and Lana Kay making a fire

Last week on Wednesday night we had a pit fire in our back yard. Brett brought his fire pot over and we burned up a lot of old wood that I have had for years on a rack in my yard. We started the fire about 7:00 PM and the fire lasted until about midnight. Then the wood was all burned up except for one log. Brett took that log home with him to burn later at his house. So my wood rack is now empty.


You may think we are nuts with it being summer and with your temps being as high as they are. It was much different here. We usually always have a little cold spell around the fourth of July. It was in the sixties here and also we had a little mist a few times while the fire was going which made it feel cooler than usual. We never had to go inside because of the rain but I did get my hair a little wet. The fire felt really good with the misty rain and the low temps. I sat outside from about 7:00 PM until 11:30 PM. Lana Kay and Brett made it until Midnight. Then they also came in.


Brett said he makes a fire a couple of nights a week at home, when it is cooler and not too hot.


I really enjoyed having the fire. It reminded me of when we used to camp and have a campfire. I never get to do that anymore.


It was too bad that Carla Sue and Tony could not come over and join us but they had to go to work the next day so they did not come over. It was just Brett, Lana Kay and me that had all of the fun!


NOTE: If you have noticed that my posts have not been on at 12:30 every day as usual it is because Blogger is having trouble with the scheduling system. They said they are working on it and hope to have the problem solved soon. So I am now just manually putting my blogs on. (Big job!)


Sunday, July 5, 2009

Free things!

Becky DeShong



Becky DeShong was a classmate of mine in elementary school. Her dad was a big shot with the Chevrolet place in Paris back in the late thirties. I don't remember or I may have not ever known for sure just what his connection with the Chevrolet Company was. I want to think maybe he was the owner of the business, or at least the top man in it.



Whatever, I know that they were well off people who may have not been rich but they did have money. As I look back on the whole thing I think I know why they were well off!



I went to her house once after school and she showed me her collection of her hobby things. She combed magazines for the little ads that offered free samples of everything from lotion to soap to many other things. She would send for anything that was free. Then the postage cost was little to nothing and most of the samples were sent free so all it cost you was the stamp to mail your envelope or even post cards sometimes.


She had tons of bottles of lotion, creams, soap bars and I can't even remember all of the things she had--all obtained free except for the one, two, or three cent stamp used to mail the coupon in.



I am sure her dad didn't send for free samples but he did probably instill in her the idea of getting what you could for free! So I think that is how they became well off.



I tried my hand at doing the same thing but I soon tired of it--which is why I am not now well off!



I seldom see things offered for free now in magazines. And if I do they require extra postage to get them. So by the time you pay 42 cents for a stamp to mail it and include the extra postage they charge you aren't getting anything free!



Oh how I wish the olden times were back, when you could get good deals on a lot of things. There just aren't many good deals going on anywhere in this day and time. I wonder if Becky DeShong is still living? And if she gets any good deals now.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

What a Bummer!

What she goes through for her pretty teeth!


Carla Sue had a dentist's appointment for last Monday. It was for 7:30 in the morning. She arrived on time and was ready for the work on a crown she was getting put in.


The nurse got her all seated and the dentist gave her the shot to numb her mouth. After a few minutes she was ready for the work. Suddenly, the power went off and the dentist could not do the work. They waited a few minutes and still, no power!


So there she was all numbed and thick tongued but nothing could be done. She said in the slurred diction of an inebriated person, "Whamigonnado"?
The nurse replied, "Reschedule!"


So, reschedule is what she did. She was very unhappy about the whole thing but she said she didn't really blame them. It wasn't their fault.


She went to work and her coworkers laughed at her because for a couple of hours she slurred her speech and could not talk in her regular fashion.


It was really an aggravating thing to happen because she had taken a couple of hours off work for the appointment and now she has to take a couple more hours off for the rescheduled appointment. What a bummer!



Friday, July 3, 2009


Happy birthday to all of my nieces, son in law, daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren that have July birthdays. There are a ton of them.


I suppose you think I lied in my post yesterday when I said I would have one on most days.
I didn't really lie, I just did not make it for earlier today. But I will put this one on now.

I got Lana Kay to the airport this morning--at 6:00 AM, I might add!

Her flight left at 7:00 AM and she was supposed to get to Boise about 4:00 this afternoon.

She did get home, a little early, about 3:45. That is accounting for a two hour time change. The flight actually took about seven and a half hours. Her flight was smooth and uneventful. She called me as she was waiting for Carter to pick her up at the airport.


You can bet I was back in my bed by about 7:00 AM and sleeping again by 7:30 after I took her to the airport! I slept until about noon. It is the first time I have slept until noon since three weeks ago before the company came.

It was strange to wake up to a quiet and peaceful house again. Don't misunderstand me, I did enjoy their visit but it is just that it was strange to be back again to my old routine.

Back to the birthdays. Jordan, Jennifer's girl, had a birthday yesterday, she is twelve years old. Jala also had a birthday yeterday. Jennifer, has a birthday on the fourth. Jennifer used to think that all of the hoopla on the fourth was because of her birthday! Jana, Debbie, and Carter have birthdays on the sixth which is Saturday. Carla Sue and Lisa have birthdays on the 22 of July.


So that is the list of our July birthdays. I wish each and every one of them a very happy birthday. Since there are so many I am including all of my wishes in this post for them.


I am now going to go into the kitchen and work on the leftovers for my supper tonight! I have a ton of them. Some of my family are not fond of leftovers so we had new meals most nights. But I did not throw away the left overs . They are safely tucked in my freezer in the garage, They will all be eaten and enjoyed!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! And Happy Birthday to all of the July people!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Hooray, I'm Back!

One of our blow up mattresses

It seems as if I have been gone for ages--well, not really gone but out of circulation.

Lana Kay is still here but the rest all left a few days ago. Lana Kay is leaving Friday--at 7:15 AM. (UGH). I have to take her to the airport to be there by 6:00 AM. After that I will be all alone again. I will be terribly lonely for a few days until I adjust to the different atmosphere.


This has been one busy place for almost three weeks. The kitchen table has been the busiest. If we weren't eating we were playing cards, reading papers or just sitting there talking.


I love having the kids all here and I would like it permanently except for one thing--my money situation. It is OK for about three weeks or so but after that I need HELP! We did not eat like kings but we did have what we wanted for the most part.

The last few days since Carter, Jake, Josh and Rachel left on Friday it has been very quiet around here. Brett and Carla Sue have been here every day since then but it is not the Grand Central Station that it was last week.

We had blow up mattresses in almost every room in the house. The shower was running most of the time and we went through hundreds of rolls of toilet tissue. But it was fun!


I have been thinking a lot about my blog and about ideas for new posts. I have a few new ideas. But I have written about 450 posts and have used up most of the experiences of my lifetime, at least the ones I consider good enough to write about.

I will try to get something on most days from now on. If they are not very good then I guess you will just have to find someone else's blog to read.

I am glad to be back at writing and hope I can continue it for a long time.