That Thankful Feeling

Now that it is November, it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. A lot of people I know on Facebook are posting what they are thankful for everyday until the holiday and I think it's a nice way of forcing yourself to focus on all of the blessings instead of all of the crummy stuff. Am I doing it also? Well, no, but I still think it is a nice idea and just because I'm not posting it on FB doesn't mean I'm not being thankful every day ;)

Last year the Holidays were different with Hubby's parents having moved to Oklahoma. Peaceful, quiet and nothing burned. This year we'll have my cousin Larry with us. His wife left him, for the second time, and he felt like he had nothing in California to keep him there, so my dad (who is his uncle) flew back to California to help get him packed up and they drove back here. Larry lived here when he was a kid, so it isn't totally foreign, but he's lived in California so long, that I'm sure there will be some culture shock. He seems to be enjoying it so far, but of course it hasn't snowed yet.

My dad and Larry are not all that far apart in years, with my dad being the elder of the two. My dad now has some company around and someone to cook for him on a regular basis. Larry is an excellent cook and my dad is reaping the benefits of that talent. He is in hog-heaven because he doesn't have to cook for himself.

My relationship with Larry is different because he is a lot older than me - a grown man with kids my age to be exact. I always loved Larry even though he teased me mercilessly when I was little. There is a picture of one such occasion in which it is my birthday and he is insisting that the birthday cake is his and not mine. I of course, being the spitfire that I was, informed him hotly that it was MY cake! Funny what we remember. I can recall many of those types of conversations between us, but last Wednesday's dinner details are a little fuzzy.... He has had a couple of mild strokes, but it has left him different. Of course recent circumstances may play a part as well.He was always impulsive, brash, and boisterous. He's now more quiet and reserved and seems a little beaten down. I'm hoping that this change will be good for him and give him back his spark.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving and I'm already planning what to fix. Apparently Hubby is also, because on his day off he went shopping and picked out two turkeys - one for us and one to fix for the church Thanksgiving dinner. Last year we went simple since it was just us and my dad, but this year we'll have Larry and maybe even Chris and Stacy and the kids, so I want to do a little more. I'm taking the day before and the day after off as I have found out that it works better  that way. I can clean and do all of the make-ahead stuff that day so that I'm not a frazzled mess the next. Having the day after off is nice because then I can recover from all of the work and food from the day before.

Oh I remember last Wednesday now! We had McDonald's because parent teacher conferences were that evening. HUGE success, it was, and what a joy! Both of the boys had excellent evaluations and it is always heart-warming to hear how well your child is doing and what a pleasure they are to have in class. Our boys typically have good reviews, but still, the conferences are always something that cause apprehension. What if it's not good? What if?... you know the drill. "Anything can happen and probably will" is our motto when it comes to parent teacher conferences. That way we are prepared for the worst and overjoyed at the wonderful news that our children aren't deadbeats: they can read, write, and do math, and are not beating the living tar out of their classmates. Thumbs up - it's all good! We did have a little "attitude" trouble last year with our teen, but he has pulled himself out of it and is enjoying high school which is such a blessing. Freshman year can be such a scary, nerve-wracking time, and it is such a relief when kids adjust to it well. 

Okay, so let's see: I'm thankful for my family and friends, especially new old friends (you know who you are), and that my children are doing well in school; I'm thankful for my church family, opportunities to serve, and I'm thankful that I am able to put my talents to good use. I'm also feeling especially thankful for the upcoming holiday and the opportunity to spend a few days off with my family. On that note, I leave you with an image of last year's smoked turkey:

Hoodie Weather, Crazy Cat People, and the Warm Fuzzies

Fall is definitely in full swing here: the leaves are changing colors and the evenings are getting crisp. Of course during this time of climate transition, the temperatures swing from hot to cold like a hormonal hotflash. Hubby and I went for a ride on the new bike Saturday afternoon and it was downright hot! Then the next evening it was hoodie weather. But that is how it is here: hot one day and frost on the ground the next. Unpredictable, yep. But the trees are beautiful, and so I planned on getting a picture of the Maple tree in our front yard. It was a good plan, only it was super windy last night and most of the leaves that were on the tree are now on the ground, the street, the gutters, my neighbor's gutters...anyway, my tree is quite bare now. Instead I will post a shot I took last year at the park.

My crazy neighbor behind me has two gorgeous trees that miraculously appear as if they didn't lose any leaves in the wind last night. I'm sure if I try to take pictures of her trees she will no doubt photograph me photographing her trees and report me for suspicious activity. My kids have permission from our neighbor one house over to the North to play in the grass lot that adjoins Crazy's, and several times while out there playing catch or Nerf guns they have seen her taking pictures of them. Waiting for them to step foot on her property? Who knows, but if I catch her taking pictures of my kids, I will file a report, because that's just creepy. She's an odd one, that's for sure, and not just because of all the cats.

In all fairness, I don't feel that I can continue calling her the "crazy cat-lady" anymore. I say this because I have been feeding five kittens and Mama-cat who have moved from the crawl-space access to the carport. Actually buying bags of kitten food, not just food scraps or whatever. I found an old fleece scrap of material that I was going to do something with at one time, and put it out in the carport for the kittens. I try to do a head count every day, not easy when by some silent command they all scatter in different directions as if they KNOW what I'm doing. I worry if they are staying dry when it rains, and if they are warm enough on those chilly nights. I try to figure out ways to make their "den" more secure yet roomy for them. As if that isn't enough, now another mama-kitty has been to the food bowl and has been spotted carrying kittens into the planting bed just on the other side of our fence. Argh! These mama's apparently know a sucker when they see one. I'm going to have to start buying bigger bags of kitten food...

Recently I was asked by our youth pastor to go along on a day-trip to a mall in the city as an adult female sponsor. My teen who is in youth seemed glad that I was going to go with, and at the time I didn't think much of it. But I got asked to help with the youth lock-in this Friday (Halloween) and when I mentioned it to the family last night, I heard genuine excitement in my son's voice when he said "Awesome!" Which caused me to think back to the mall trip and realize that my teenage son still enjoys spending time with his mom and that made me feel really good - warm and fuzzy. My oldest son was much the same way until he moved away from home. Now I'm doing good to get a text! I must be doing something right, though if my boys want me to play video games and watch TV or movies with them. Good to know :) 

Because That's Just What I Wanted to Do

My go-to phrase for many of life's little frustrations is some variant of "because that's just what I wanted to do." Spilling the contents of one's purse when one is in a BIG hurry: "well, that's just what I wanted to do!" Mindlessly driving past one's turn-off, forgetting that one had to pick up kids instead of going straight home: "Ah, just what I wanted to do." Very versatile phrase, just change the emphasis to go from snarky-sarcastic to plain vanilla sarcastic. 

My husband recently got to use this phrase as he failed to negotiate a turn on a really curvy stretch of road on the motorcycle while driving to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Bikes, Blues and Barbecue shindig. He became a human lawn-dart, plunging down into a ravine and then rolling the rest of the way with the bike following behind - closely. Of course the bike stopped finally when it hit a gully, but Hubby kept going through brush and trees. He was riding with a group of firemen/EMT's and an anesthetist, so he was in good hands. Although he walked away from the wreck with a relatively small assortment of scrapes and bruises, as well as thoracic and cervical sprains, he did take a 32 mile ambulance trip to be thoroughly checked out at Freeman Hospital in Joplin. He was warned by the Paramedics that he was coming in as a trauma case and he would have a team of doctors and nurses on him like flies on... well, you get the idea. And apparently he did - he said it was like one of those medical shows on TV. As soon as the ambulance doors opened all he saw were faces and lights and equipment and everyone talking at once - organized chaos is what came to his mind. They immediately shucked him of his clothes (no need to cut them, thankfully) and checked him for broken bones, internal bleeding and head trauma, as well as punctures or lacerations. All of the guys he was with, the Trooper working the accident, and the emergency crew that attended him were amazed at his condition considering the circumstances. But that's what prayer will do for you. 

The night before the ride, Hubby's oldest son felt the need to pray because he had an uneasy feeling about it. That morning before he left, I did also, and I usually don't - feel uneasy about his rides, that is. Between the two of us, and unbeknownst to each other, we prayed over the ride. And God was with him because it was a flat miracle that he wasn't seriously injured, and by all accounts, he should have been. The bike, however is another story. It was a beautiful 2006 Honda Shadow Sabre, Titanium and Silver flames and now it is scrap metal. The insurance company was good to us, though and we were able to get enough to put down on a new bike, but more about that later. 

Meanwhile, while hubby was traveling to the hospital in Joplin, one of the other guys on the ride called me at work and proceeded to give me a very smoothed-over account of what had happened - almost like it was no big deal, just taking precautions, etc. He of course didn't know that I rarely (not never, just not usually) panic over the big stuff. I get that from my mom - case in point; when my brother had a bicycle accident that took out his two front teeth and left asphalt shoved up into his gums and him bleeding into his shirt pockets, she grabbed a wash rag, got it wet and began washing him up About that time she noticed something missing and asked him, "Robin, where's your teeth?" But I digress...

So the fireman (whom I know) begins with "Hey Dara, this is____", and then proceeds to tell me how he's on the ride with Hubby and where they were headed and where they currently are...(I'm following his meandering tale, trying to figure out what's going on) and he eventually tells me that going around a curve Hubby laid his bike down on the side of the road, which is a highly technical term for wreck. You can see how using that phrasing makes it sound pretty harmless, right? He tells me he's fine, just a few scrapes, but his back hurts a little so they encouraged him to go get checked out. He has provided me the important information that my husband is among the living and not seriously broken, so the first thing I ask is: "What about the bike?" Typical response among people who ride, although I don't ride per se, I ride with. (there is a technical term for this also, but we won't go into it because it's less than flattering and well, I'm keeping it G as opposed to PG) In the beginning the tone of the conversation, as I mentioned before, was casual and designed to minimize the situation to avoid outright panic, so his response to this question was "well, it's got some scratches" (true) and "the pegs on one side are bent and broken" (also true) and "it's a little messed up" (understatement). Later when I called him back because I got no answer from Hubby's phone (remember I had no idea about his "trauma" status), I asked him point-blank if the bike was driveable and as it turned out, no, it was not driveable at all.

Before (not ours but same model)

After

That first image is our model bike but without saddlebags, windshield, Mustang seat, and backrest. That second image is our exact bike and is unrecognizable except for the tail light. See that hole in the brush just beyond where the tail light of the bike is? That is where Hubby continued to roll. Yeah - so it was much worse than I thought. Of course once I knew what I was dealing with, I was starting to get more concerned about Hubby's condition, but he assured me that he was in good hands and they were looking him over. He gave me updates as our oldest and I made our way to Joplin and I felt better about it all. Then I started getting texts from Hubby once ER released him. His first message to me was "well, I've been saying that I wanted a Harley - looks like it's Harley time" Yeah, he's okay.
He's been pretty sore, but otherwise fine and lucky to be alive. He's got a little gimp in his walk, but at his age, who doesn't? 

I mentioned that the insurance company gave us enough to put down on a new bike, so we took a trip down to Joplin to Hideout Harley Davidson. We ended up getting a 2015 Heritage Classic Softail in Black Magic and it's beautiful. I wanted the white model (actually called Morrocco Gold) but he thought it was kind of girly *eye-roll* and since he will be driving it, I agreed to go with the blue one. Besides, I decided that if I relented on the color, the least he could do was get me a leather coat. And so he did :)

Our new ride :)

The people at Hideout are wonderful. They treated us like family and we never once felt like we were just "a sale", so I highly recommend them if you are in the market and in the area. Hubby had the next day off also, so he spent it getting to know the new bike and it is safe to say that he is in love with it. He took me for a ride on it once I got off work, and it was awesome!  ~

Mysteries of the Universe and Other Sundries

It's been really hectic the last several weeks what with school starting back up for the kids and me finishing school. I've head several side projects involving the church website and youth T-shirt design, as well. Feeling a wee bit overwhelmed. Portfolio class is my last class, and for some reason I'm finding it difficult. That could be because the class rubric says one thing and the instructor says ignore that and do this instead. Or it could be that we are having to work on the cover letter and resume - again. I just finished 6 weeks of working on that resume and I don't appreciate doing it again because this instructor says it should be different. He apparently has different opinions than the other instructor on what goes in a resume and what does not. Whatever...

Here is a picture of my kids and grandkids on their way to the first day of school. The youngest one is in 1st grade this year, and was so excited that she ran out of the house and was half way to the bus stop and waiting for the rest of them impatiently. That's her in the pink way ahead, LOL.

Just this past weekend we had some drama in our backyard involving some kittens under the house and one in the shed. Apparently Mama Cat had her babies in the shed and got interrupted moving them to under the house and left one behind. We discovered the babies under the house in the little access "well" and when they saw us looking, went under the house through a small opening at the side of the board that blocks the access hole. When we got back from our trip to Joplin Saturday we heard a kitten crying and after a little investigating, figured he must be in the shed. Actually, I should point out that this kitten was crying so loud that we could hear it when we backed into the carport and Hubby panicked and thought he had run over one. It wouldn't be the first time we've had kittens hiding in the carport. I can't figure out why cats want to bring their babies to our house - dogs live here and they don't appear to like cats very much. It's a mystery...

Anyway, we couldn't find him, so we decided to move everything out the next day after church. I literally got no sleep worrying about that kitten out there all by himself! So the next morning before leaving for church I heard him out there and went to check and he was sitting in the corner of the shed looking at me. I promised him I would get him back to his brothers and sisters and take care of things. At this point we hadn't seen Mama and thought maybe she had abandoned them. We went to WalMart after church and bought kitten milk replacer and some kitten crunchy food and then came home and tackled the shed. We pulled everything out of one half and finally found him. What a little fighter! He hissed and spat and clawed - good thing we were wearing gloves. We put him in the access well and I mixed up some of the milk and put some crunchies in with it and took it out to him while he hissed and slapped the ground with his tiny paws like a big bad "puddy tat".  When I went to check on him later, I could hear him meowing, but different so when I peeked in, I saw him and Mama reuniting. Baby was so happy to see Mama and then she caught me looking and did an amazing impression of a bouncy ball by shooting out of the well and banking off of the wall of the house and running behind me underneath the Crepe Myrtle to watch and see what I was going to do. I did the smart thing backed away slowly letting Mama know that I wasn't going to bother her baby. I felt bad interrupting their reunion, but I had no idea Mama was around. I saw her again later that night lying outside by the access well keeping watch over her babies, so now I can relax a little. Although last night we had to move the panel and turn it on end to make the opening bigger because the kittens are getting bigger. Apparently my youngest stops by to peek in on them on his way in from school and said that yesterday they were trying to go in and one got stuck with his butt out and the others trying to get in pushed him on through. Too bad I missed that, LOL!

One day last week I came home and discovered odd shapes in the grass along the side of the road and around the area of the church parking lot that adjoins our neighbor's property in the back. Very strange...they look like...crop circles! Could it be......? No, it's what happens when the guy from the church who does the mowing has a problem with the blade on the mower and doesn't notice. See the shot below? And in the background is our nature-neighbor's oasis of tree limbs and brush that has yet to be hauled off. And her mower which she uses to mow around said brush pile and then proceed to just leave out in the

weather. Smart, right? Oh well, it's her mower - she can do that. Yet another mystery.

Here is a word for the day. Use it often:

smarm·y

ˈsmärmē

 Adjective, informal

ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive.

"a smarmy, unctuous reply"

synonyms: unctuous, ingratiating, slick, oily, greasy, obsequious, sycophantic, fawning

I had occasion to use this word recently when describing an old guy calling me "Babe", and some people didn't know what it meant. But now that they do, they also know someone they can apply the adjective to :)

Nothing Quite Like It

There's nothing like getting ready for work in the morning and having the power go out...in the shower. Thankfully I hadn't gotten my hair wet yet, but it is very upsetting to be in there, naked, and here a big BOOM and then no lights, no A/C. There's that split second "Oh No!" moment, and then you think: "that was just a transformer, right? Not the electrical box exploding or anything like that - right?" Because if it IS your electrical box or something large and metal that just dropped off a jet in your backyard and NOT a transformer, then you have to plan your escape carefully. Well, it was, in fact a transformer, so then I had to race around the house and grab my stuff so that I could put my make-up on and fix my bed hair at work. Oh, did I mention that I had TWO funerals yesterday? So I'm leaving and as I'm driving down the back alley I see my neighbor on the corner is outside in his truck and he is walking towards me, the universal sign of "stop, roll down your window and have a neighborly chat". Well, stink! Here I am with no makeup, grubby hair, and here is my neighbor who reminds me of Robert Mitchum. You know, he's got those old- Hollywood looks (he really does look like Mitchum) and his wife is a perfect match for him - two timeless Hollywood-types slumming it in Kansas. At least I had my big celebrity-style sunglasses on to hide most of my unmade face. So I stop and roll down my window and he tells me he can't get into his garage. He smiles his charming crooked smile and then proceeds to become even more charming by saying that he had been sitting there clicking his garage remote and alternately banging it on the dash for something like 3 minutes, thinking his remote was bad before he went inside and found out there wasn't any power. I just totally lost it! So funny! And then his lovely wife comes out through the back gate and stage-whispers to me "he's such a dork!" and she gives him a sweet pat on the face. I felt like I had just landed in an old black and white movie...awwww!

So the rest of the day was a bit of a blur: two funerals and then I cut out of work a bit early in order to go register the boys in school; Thing 1 in High School and Thing 2 in 5th grade. Next year my baby will be in Middle School! Yikes! Am I ready for all of this? No. But I am ready to do battle over the high school class schedule. Back in the Spring we had to choose electives and type of science, social studies, & history, etc. Well, They make you choose second and third choices, and really there weren't a lot of options so you try to choose something not too awful. We didn't have a full course catalog apparently because we couldn't find info on some of the classes, but the most important thing was Art. My middle boy, like my oldest and my brother can draw and I want to see it developed. Art was not on his schedule and I was a little put out, so I will be contacting the school Monday to see about changing it. The principal was there at enrollment and as he went over it with me saw that there was already something wrong with it and when I told him about how important the Art class was to us, he told us we definitely needed to speak with the counselors and get it corrected. I'm hoping he can get in because it was the one thing he was really excited about that helped to balance out the anxiety over starting High School.

And speaking of school, I just found out two weeks ago that I am about to graduate. Back up - I just found out two weeks ago? That's kind of like saying "I don't know nuthin"...so anyhoo, two weeks ago I found out that I am two classes away from graduating - about the first part of October. I've been stewing over it since then and have come to the conclusion that I have mixed feelings about it. I'm kind of excited, but anxious too, and maybe a little sad? Although I haven't had much time for, well, anything, since I started this journey, I have enjoyed it. Then my counselor told me in September we can talk about enrolling for my Bachelor's. So now I'm thinking about that. 

So, while I stew that over a bit more, I leave you with a little visitor I found hanging out in my mint plant. I have found out that he is a stink bug - not the kind I'm used to which are more oval, black, and walk around with their rear in the air if you so much as look at them - but an Asian type native to China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan (according to Google). Well, I'd say these little guys, who also come in bright green, have adapted really well and now call North America home - and probably have for a very long time.

Sticky Songs and Laundry Debris

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I spotted an assortment of undergarments lying in the road at various points - some panties, then about a block after that, something like a tank top, then a little further on, one black sock. maybe someone's laundry basket in the back of a pickup got bounced? I dunno, but then on the way home I saw several of those colorful plastic balls like are in children's ball pits all down the street, like a McDonald's Playland exploded. I'm pretty sure this was due to the storm that blew through right around 4pm and seemed to go on all night long. At one point on the drive home, the truck was getting pelted with hail. I prayed the whole way home: "Lord, please let me get the truck home before it gets any bigger, and please keep my plants safe, mainly my herb garden because they are delicate, and are lucky to be alive anyway." Big thank you when I got home, because it quit hailing and all my plants survived that storm and the really big one that slammed us around 1am. I'd hate for them to survive me and then get taken out by a storm. Kind of like walking away from a plane crash and getting killed by a rabid squirrel three days later. Okay, so that's a little disproportionate, but you get the idea.

On the way to work today, there was a lot of debris in the road from limbs, trashcans and whatnot, but no underwear. At one intersection there were huge chunks of shredded tree scattered everywhere. The lightning was pretty bad last night, so maybe a tree took a direct hit. At any rate, the drive to work has been like an obstacle course over the last two days. And I guess we aren't done: according to the weather forecasts, there is more in store for us - woohoo!

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head for days? I do it all the time, and usually it is some commercial jingle. Like that McDonald's one where the guy is driving and drinking coffee and singing "I'm Electrified..."? Ugh - I had that one in my head for-ev-er! Right now I have Pharrel's "Happy" stuck in my head. But it's a good thing - I like that song! It could be much worse - it could be "The Girl From Ipanema"...

...and somebody somewhere just went "whaaat??" 

Elusive Hummingbird

It's been a busy week here in my dusty corner of Kansas. My middle son turned fourteen this week and I'm still reeling from the shock of that. It just doesn't seem possible. At all. :\

We took the boys to Joplin Friday afternoon  to have dinner and do birthday shopping and Saturday we painted the house. Yay - It's almost the same color all the way around now! Sunday is always a busy day with church and youth services and trying to get stuff ready for the coming work week in between all of that, not to mention any homework assignments due. (More about that another time.)

There has been a wee little hummingbird hanging around the pink lilies (for lack of the proper name) in the back yard, but every time I try to catch him with the camera, he disappears. It's not like I have to get right up on him either because I have that nifty telephoto that I got a while back for my Canon. It's like he's psychic or something. I started bringing the camera with me when I take the dogs out first thing in the morning - not an easy task - but he flits away and I got nothin'. I usually see him in the morning when it's cool, and the late afternoons or evenings when the heat backs off, so it's a short window of time. I have a hummingbird feeder, but I have never seen any around it. I think they are not fooled by it at all and these hummingbirds in our neighborhood are more refined than other hummingbirds. They have standards, and artificial nectar just doesn't cut it with them. It could be something like that - who really knows what goes on in a hummingbird's mind, anyway? But then again it's probably because it's too close to the house...

This little guy is tiny, though. I've never seen one so small before. One summer in California when my oldest son was just about 5 or 6, a hummingbird was lying on the front walk at my parents' house in the shade. His little body was heaving and he was listless, so immediately I went inside and grabbed my mom because she knew everything of course, and she would know what to do. She did. She said he was dehydrated and went inside and mixed up some sugar water and placed it in a red margarine lid and placed it near him and soon he was up and flying again. 

Looks like I will have to get more creative if I want to try to get a photo of my little friend. I think I need to move the feeder to a more strategic location also. I really do think it is probably too close to the house, but the main reason I did that was to discourage cats. So until I get a photo of my teeny tiny friend, here is one of a strange little insect on my dad's roses. I have no idea what this little guy is, but he is definitely colorful.

And there is a photo of said "pink lilies". They do appear to be some kind of lily and they are, in fact, pink, so...pink lilies they are and shall always be as far as I am concerned.

Potato Salad, Picky Eaters and Becoming My Mother

My mom was a great cook. She didn't cook fancy or anything, but everything she fixed from scratch was good. There were a couple of misfires over the years involving packaged meal starters that we laughed about over the years, but everything she made herself was awesome. You would think that I would have learned at her knee and been cooking up a storm at a young age. You would be wrong. Trying to learn how to cook from her was frustrating, and being the impatient soul that I was then, I lost interest. Why?? Because my mom never measured a thing in her life. I honestly don't know why she even had measuring utensils because she certainly didn't use them for measuring. Imagine being a 10 year old and trying to learn how to make chicken and dumplings while your mom says things like "a few shakes of this and a handful of that with a cup or so of this other stuff..." That is how she cooked. And it was perfect, even if she never thought so. 

She had to cook for some picky eaters. My brother didn't like anything with seeds in it; no onions or peppers of any kind for me and dad; and my mom was the only one who liked veggies. We gave her fits. I'm being paid back for my finicky childhood appetite with my two youngest boys, but Sully is the worst! He has a very short list of what he will eat and it is very frustrating cooking for him. I now know how my mom felt, even though I wasn't as bad as my son. I remember telling my mom that when I did learn how to cook it would be only stuff that I liked. What a bizarre comment: why would you cook something for yourself that you don't really like anyway? Oh yeahhh...you might marry someone who likes stuff you don't. And you might want to make him happy by fixing his favorite something which you hate...Nah!  What a silly thought, ha ha ha...

I never really cooked much on my own when I was younger unless I had to or when I wanted to do something special, but I always - ALWAYS - followed a recipe. Over the years, though a subtle change was taking place: I was becoming my mother. It hit me just last week when I had a craving for my mom's potato salad. I couldn't find the one of hers that I had written down, so I had to wing it. I knew the ingredients, and as I looked at them laid out on the counter, I heard her voice in my head telling me "use about a cup or so of mayonnaise and a couple of squirts of mustard...several good shakes of salt and pepper and a little celery seed..." I've been doing it all along for years, really but hadn't been paying attention. I would try a recipe and then I would improvise, then the next time I made it I didn't use the recipe but what I remembered in my head. And then it dawned on me that every time I got a recipe from a lady at church it was my mom all over again. All of those wonderful cooks at church are just like my mom - they have all of that knowledge in their heads and it's up to the younger generation to decipher their code and make it our own. Some of you, of course were paying attention all along and are fabulous cooks - I salute you!

So, here is my mom's potato salad for picky eaters who don't like onions or celery (my family) - pretty much the way she told it to me. (I'm going on the assumption that you already know how to boil eggs and potatoes):

* 5 lbs of potatoes (probably 10 or 12 medium - I buy the smaller 5lb bag and use them all) cut up and boiled.

* 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped up bite-size

* A cup or so of mayo, depending on how creamy you like it.

* About a TBSP or so of mustard - not too much, just enough for flavor and color

* A TBSP of dill pickle relish

* A splash or three of Apple Cider Vinegar or pickle juice if you don't have the vinegar

* A few shakes of Paprika

* Celery seed - pour out about a dime-size amount in your hand and that should be about right (we didn't mind the flavor of celery, it was the texture of it that we didn't like,so mom used celery seed)

* Salt and Pepper to taste

** if you want to garnish your salad, you can boil one or two extra eggs to slice up and lay on top

Boil your potatoes to tender but not as long as you would for mashing. Hard boil your eggs and let them sit in ice water for easy peeling. When everything is cooled down enough to work with, carefully mix all of your ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate. 

I have found that if the consistency is just right when you first mix it up, it will be slightly dry later after it has time to rest, so I add a bit more mayo to make it creamier and then a couple of hours later it is just right. And of course if there's not a single thing you like about celery, then leave out the celery seed altogether. 

In the event that you also don't like dill pickles or relish,  or mustard, then try omitting one or both and adding in bacon crumbles. Or just add them in anyway.

* 1/2 - 1 lb bacon cut up then fried (it's easier) and drained and mix into your potatoes, eggs and mayo, etc. 

See? Something for everyone! Potato salads even the pickiest of eaters can enjoy. Unless of course you don't like potatoes, then I guess never mind. Carry on  :)

Early Morning Warnings

I woke up at three-something yesterday morning hearing a tornado siren going off and wondering groggily if I needed to do something about it. So after a minute, I called Hubby (who was working) to find out what was going on. He answered and I said "I sure hope that siren is some kind of malfunction." He said it was and then laughed because he couldn't believe I had heard it. Well, believe it buddy! My ears are fine-tuned for picking up storm sirens - even over the a/c and locusts. I may not hear those little words muttered in another room while I am running water at the kitchen sink with the garbage disposal going, but a storm siren going off will always catch my attention. If you have never heard one, the sound is the same as those air raid sirens in old war movies and even some cartoons. Not something you would be likely to forget once experienced first hand. The worst thing about them (other than the fear that instantly grips you) is that even after they stop, you can still hear them! 

Mr. Praying Mantis eyeballing my intrusion.

Prior to that, it was a relatively quiet evening. We had deli-style sandwiches for dinner with homegrown tomato slices on them - yum! And I found a cute little visitor making himself at home in my lavender.

The lovely dead brush pile out my back door

The backyard is slowly coming together, but we have a lot to do to it still. A privacy fence would be awesome! Mainly, of course because our neighbor behind us (crazy catlady) needs to fix up her property. Although, she and some of her family did do all kinds of tree trimming and brush clean-up back in the first part of June. They even hauled some of it away. (Emphasis on some) Unfortunately the rest of it is still there. The city has recently started taking property appearance and maintenance seriously and begun issuing letters. We think she got a letter because it was a nasty mess back there. My husband and I have a bet going: he says that the brush pile will still be there in October. My position is that she will receive another letter before then, at least by the end of July, and will finish it. (but only because of the letter!) The loser of the bet has to buy the winner a regular priced drink of his or her choice at Sonic - no Happy Hour drinks or 1/2-price-after-8:00 shakes! So far it appears that Hubby is winning as she has made no additional clean-up efforts.

Yesterday we were under a Heat Advisory - heat index of 105 degrees and 49.7% humidity - WooHoo! That's the kind of heat I like: nice and thick like a wet wool blanket ;) That explains why all of the wildlife in the neighborhood was out early. The bunnies were out munching on grass (not my Hostas, thankfully) and I got chattered at by squirrels when I went to check on the tomatoes. The birds and locusts were all making a racket, and even the darn spiders were out in force - spider webs everywhere - Ack! I hate running into spider webs. Too bad those birds don't eat those spiders...

Planting Season and Periodic Slackers

Wow - has it really been that long?? It didn't seem like that long since I've updated anything here, but then school and life in general has been crazy-busy so time has flown for me. I recently had my neglect pointed out to me by two of my 4 readers (lol) and a potentially new reader a few weeks ago. So let's just pretend that no time has passed and that I'm not a slacker on occasion....

This Spring and Summer has been planting season at our house. We have planted a whole bunch of flowers, shrubs, and even a Kwanzan Cherry tree. Hubby planted tomatoes in huge tubs and I planted a makeshift herb garden of two types of lavender, Munstead and French,  Berggarten Sage, and Orange Mint. The lavenders and the mint in particular smell fantastic! The mint is especially lush and beautiful and has recently begun blooming. My French lavender has had some tall blooms that remind me of tiny Larkspur, but now the tips of the leaves are developing little purple horn-looking things so I'm anxious to see what happens. Can you tell I know nada about these things? I have no idea what I will do with them, but I love to smell them. My dogs seem to love them too because on their way past them they stick their noses in deep. I think I'm going to Google how to make lavender sachet. I'm pretty sure I can put that mint in tea and lemonade, but what I'd really like is to wear it in a little bag around my neck so I can smell it all day, lol. It has a citrusy scent to it that is soothing and energizing at the same time.

Orange Mint - shortly after planting

We also planted Hostas (which snails and rabbits both seem to love), a whole bunch of knockout roses in various colors, several peonies,  Oak-leaf Hydrangeas, Spirea, Butterfly Bush, and a Lilac. My lovely neighbor-lady to the South was gone during this time, and when she came back she said she made a little trip around our yard to see what all we had done. She has a beautiful Lilac that blooms every year and I wanted one too.

Orange Mint blooms

The sage (in the back), and the lavenders.

I'm thinking I got suckered with those hydrangeas. I told the woman I would like to have hydrangeas, but I didn't really know much about them. She told me these red hydrangeas were hardy and had beautiful red blooms and liked the shade. Well once they started blooming they were white. Okay, no big deal maybe they change later. Then I was told that depending on soil PH, certain varieties can change their color. But when the little blooms continued to stay white, and the bloom head was not in the typical round ball shape, I started Googling. I discovered what type of hydrangea I actually have (the aforementioned Oak-leaf variety) and that the blooms turn a dusty pink when they are dying, and the leaves turn red in the fall and winter - not the blooms. So, no, they do not have big gorgeous red blooms! The bloom heads are conical in shape and I don't really think they are all that attractive. So was the lady trying to give me something that would survive me, meaning that the other varieties were too finicky? Or did she really not know what she was giving me? My husband says she knew exactly what she was giving me....

Everything is growing and thriving - including the barely tolerated hydrangeas - so it appears that my plant-killing curse has been lifted. Well, except for the Purple Sedum - they all died and we have no idea what happened there. They're also known as "live-forever" - go figure! 

We have had several lovely tomatoes so far. We wanted to plant some cucumbers, but we missed the window for those, so we will have to rely on the kindness of others for those. Next year I am planting cucumbers and some peppers and then get someone who knows how, help me can peppered pickles.

The lightning bugs were out early this year. Actually, they are on time, which seems early because the last several years they have been late. The locusts (cicadas) are emerging from the ground and leaving their shells behind and have been singing for a couple of weeks now. I'll post some photos later ;)

So...maybe I'm not actually behind on my posting and am instead on time or even early and it only looks like I've neglected my blog? ...Nah! but it was worth a try! ~