TBT: Me Age 10

Mom said, I was always bringing home strays, and here are the kittens from one of the strays I brought home.

I was walking home from school, when I saw a dirty, but fat cat in the road. I spoke to her and she followed me. She seemed very hungry and so, when I got home I fed her milk and some of the cat food we had for our Siamese, Smokey.

About that time, Mom came in and questioned me about the cat. It was determined that the next day we would bring her to the animal shelter. Mom suspected she was not fat, but expecting kittens!

Sure enough, that night, the cat had three kittens, and then she passed away. Mom, Mel and I all took turns feeding the babies and they all lived. We even had two of them with us for a while.

Falmouth 1968

The two we kept were Ebony and Endora, which I am holding.

I still look out for, and rescue critters when I can. I sure hate to see anything lost or suffering. I guess it just was in my genes, and started very early.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla’s Musings. Thanks Marla!

She asks-At what age did you feel like a ‘grown-up’? What keeps you young now?

I felt grown up at 26. I was faced with a life changing event. That was when I knew I was an adult. It was sink or swim. What keeps me young now? Easy…Savannah!

11915443_10207306395999851_4128664911584445531_n (2) 2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being ‘pass the Excedrin’) how would you rate the experience? Okay, it is a year and a half ago. We bought our Toyota Highlander. It was by necessity. Previously we owned an old 4 wheel drive Jeep, which was our winter car. That Jeep was really old. Anyway, midwinter a year and a half ago, Hubby and I drove to the grocery store in a snow storm. We got out of the car, closed the drivers side door and all the rusty metal, just fell off!!! We knew what we wanted to buy, but it wasn’t until we saw an add a few months later for a 2012 Highlander, with 8000 miles on it.

Highlander

The car was pristine, one owner, and around what we wanted to pay. But the dealership nickled and dimed us, and after getting half way home with our car, we realized they’d only given us one key fob! We called them and they claimed that Hubby had lost it! Finally they said that it only came to them with the one fob. Oh, and a new one would be $150.00 and another $100.00 to program. We quickly associated ourselves with a better and more trusted dealership, that got us the key fob for a reasonable price and programmed it for a lot less.

So although we love the Highlander, we detested the experience with the Dealership.

3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

Corn on the cob. It needs no accompanying dish. Good summer corn is a delight all by itself!

4. What’s something in your life that regularly requires you to ‘put your thinking cap on’?

Meals. Although I love to cook, I get into a rut with meals. Some days I wish we could just go out, as I get too tired to even cook!

5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

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I think I relate to that movie now, because I realize how different we all were back then in school, but how alike we were too. Full of doubt, wondering about our abilities. Yes, The Breakfast Club for sure!

6. Reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic’ are commonly referred to as the three R’s. What are the three R’s in your life right now?

Running around, as I try to can and freeze the produce we have from the garden. Rheumatology, as I am working to find just the right mix of meds to take for my arthritis. Reservations, as we will be attending an Army Aviators Reunion in the Fall.

7. What’s something you’ve learned or tried recently you can say was as ‘easy as ABC’?

We went out to Olive Garden and I tried their Minestrone Soup. I do not like Minestrone Soup, but thought, what the heck. Well, I loved it! Their soup is awesome!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I got my stitches out today and the hand is just a little sore, but really, it is all good. I now have official therapy to do with my hand, and in about 6 weeks I will be better than ever!

Life

Tuesday afternoon, I get my stitches out. Two neat stitches just under my middle finger on the right hand. I had the bandage off to shower, and it looks great. I expect that once the stitches are out, it will be easier to do my physical therapy.

As it is, I have really come a long way. I can almost open my fingers up perfectly straight, and I no longer wake with that finger locked. Really, the hand isn’t just good, but great!

I managed to can 9 half pints of Heavenly Peach Jam! It tasted so good! After that I sat down and did half of the prep work for another batch.

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I cooked  our meals, hand washed a ton of pots and pans, and got it all done by 7:30. But, I do admit to being tired tonight.

We’re having a tremendous heat-wave here in New Hampshire. Actually I think it is all over the USA. And currently, there is no end in sight.

I love the new vacuum and plan to get it out on Wednesday and completely do the house. Miss Lili is just one giant shedding machine!

Weekend Wrap-Up

  • Started the day driving 219 miles home from my sister’s home in Connecticut. Traffic was light, and I listened to a combination of music and news, but 219 miles is 219 miles. That’s a long, long way. Four hours, and fifteen minutes.
  • My new pet peeve are drivers that ride your tail on the highway. I am no slouch. I was going 70 miles an hour in a 65 mile per hour zone and this crazy driver from Massachusetts, rode my bumper like crazy. She finally passed me, only to do the same thing to the man in front of me.
  • I stopped at BJ’s just as my gas tank empty alarm started. I made a round trip on one tank of gas!
  • I also needed to renew our membership at BJ’s and the nice Customer Service Agent, told me that Hubby’s Veteran discount to our membership is automatic since we signed up a year ago. I think it is great when businesses give discounts to our Veterans!
  • As soon as I came home I peeled peaches from the yard, and mashed them, chopped the skin of 1 orange thinly, added the juice of the orange, and cut up maraschino cherries, to rest overnight in the kettle, and tomorrow Hubby and I will make the Heavenly Jam. You can fine the recipe Here. Tomorrow we will cook the jam and can it.
  • I also managed to cook homemade spaghetti sauce, which I will freeze for the winter. I toss in lots of vegetables, and some ground beef. That recipe is Here. It’s a good one!
  • I also, somehow made dinner for the two of us. Weiss-wurst, oven fries and corn on the cob.
  • The weekend was wonderful. I had 4 days with my sister and niece.

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  • The baby shower was a great success. Jinny got so many beautiful things for her expected baby, April. Just one more month.

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  • Hubby and the dogs were all happy to see me when I got back. But I must say, as wonderful as my visit was, it is good to come home to all this love!

Getting Ready

Friday found Melodie, Jinny and I going off to get a few things done.  We wanted to get a new DVD player for Mel’s house, get a few last minute items for the baby shower and have lunch at Olive Garden.  Mel and I stopped at Best Buy to get the DVD player and then we came out got into the car and watched the man next to us strap in his two girls.  Then he drove off and my sister was checking for other cars,when she spotted a wallet.  She quickly grabbed it and found no money, but all of his credit cards and his drivers license.

So she took it back to the store and we are hopeful he will return and get it back.

Lunch was great and then we came home to cook. We had one old family recipe for three layer bars, and one for Lemon Squares, that Melodie got from a friend.  We even watched a DVD movie “The Fault In Our Stars”. Now the gifts are wrapped and we are ready for tomorrow!

Friday Five

It’s a busy but wonderful weekend for me. I am down in Connecticut with my sister and her family. This includes her husband of over 40 years, their two sons and their wives, two teenage boys, one teenage girl, and twin 2 year old boys! And currently we are waiting for the birth of the latest addition to our family, as Mel’s daughter is expecting her first baby, a girl,  in a month. So here are 5 things on my mind.

  1. Babies!  So excited for my sister and niece!
  2. Love shopping for baby gear!
  3. Spending time with my family is just the best.
  4. The weather is perfect!
  5. We had local corn! I plan to take some home!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. When was the last time you relocated? Did you move yourself or leave it to the professionals? Are you happy staying put or is there a move in your future? Best thing about moving to a new city or town? Least favorite and/or hardest thing about moving house?

We’ve been here for sixteen years. I love my home, but as Savannah gets older, I want to be closer. Hubby wants to stay here, so we will for now, and I do a lot of driving. Someday, I want to move closer, where we actually are closer to the world, the shops, and my Savi.

2. When were you last ‘moved to tears’? Explain.

Oh, I am menopausal, so I cry all the time. Movies, TV shows, Commercials. Yeah, I cry all the time.

3. Do you have rules about eating in the car…any forbidden foods? What’s the last thing you consumed in your car? Your go-to car snack when traveling long distance?

No rules. I do love popcorn and tend to eat that in the car. Must remember to toss in some dental floss!

4. Share a favorite song relating to cars and/or driving.

It’s from an old movie that Gweneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis made. “Duets”. It’s a fun song, even if the movie was a B-movie.

5. What’s your most frequently visited drive-thru…Starbucks? the bank? the pharmacy? some other window?

It’s a tie between Dunkin Donuts for coffee and McDonalds.

6. “He who hesitates is lost”…would you agree? When it comes to making decisions do you generally act quickly or do you more often than not fall into the ‘lost’ category?

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7. When was the last time you got lost? Was it stressful or an unexpected happy adventure?

When I went down to Connecticut to see my Dad when he was dying. Coming home, I cried so hard, I missed my exit. After that I got a GPS.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I was thinking the other day about how people just are not nice to each other any more. I do not mean in their own circles and family, but in general public settings. Here is a good example. I was shopping for groceries and was in the Italian section. I was trying to remember the name of the sauce with no sodium (Hubby has trouble), and I had stopped to look. Well this lady came up to me and started to curse and swear, and called me every name in the book. Why? I do not know. She was rude and nasty, and guess what? I wasn’t even in her way! That’s what got me thinking about a general malaise as far as manners go. It makes me very happy that my daughter is diligent teaching Savannah manners. Without them, we are all lost.

Sevens

I decided to write a list of sevens to tackle an array of things. None of it really goes together, but it tells a little bit about me.

7 things I can do:

1. Cook things from scratch (Love to cook!)
2. Raise sweet doggies
3. Be a loyal & loving friend
4. Make people laugh
5. Write small stories for kids
6. Sing
7. Acquire useless bits of trivia (trust me. This is a curse. No one really wants to know how Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara, or what Billie Bird did every day of her married life to Florence Zeigfeld.)

7 things I cannot do:

1. Snowboard (I can barely ski on two skis!)
2. Math
3. Drive large vehicles
4. Change the oil in my car
5. Chop wood (heck I live in the woods, this is important)
6. Sleep on the ground (well I can but don’t want to)
7. Believe in myself (although I am working on this)

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:

1. Good personality
2. Loyalty
3. A good heart
4. Sense of humor
5. Blue eyes (I’m a sucker for blue eyes)
6. Strength of character
7. Sense of fun

7 things I say most often:

1. Ya know
2. Where’s Lili?
3. What do you want for dinner?
4. Sh#!
5. whatever
6. Oh, really?
7. Ya think?

7 Celebrity Crushes:

1. George Clooney
2. Jude Law, (although he is a schmuck)
3. I like Hugh Laurie for personality and those eyes!
4. Colin Firth
5. Hugh Grant (eye candy, not substance)
6. Tom Brady from the NE Patriots
7. Bradley Cooper

Moon Glow Pickles

The hand continues to heal, and in the meantime, with one hand I’ve continued to do my thing. Blanch and freeze beans, and yesterday, with the help of my husband, we began the process of making Moon Glow Pickles.

Moon Glow Pickles

pickles anyone

  • 6 quarts cubed cucumbers (ripe and yellow)
  • (cut into quarters lengthwise, peel and scoop out seeds and cube)
  • 3 large onions cubed
  • 1/2 cup canning salt
  • 2 green pappers chopped
  • 2 red peppers chopped

Put in large pot cover with water and soak overnight, drain and rinse.

Then add:

  • 12 whole cloves
  • 2 TBSP mustard seed
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 quart cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Tumeric

Cook until soft and kind of transparent. Pack in hot sterilized jars. Yield 10 pints.

So, today, Hubby and I will finish off and can these pickles. They are one of our favorites an a great way to use a cucumber that is overgrown and just sort of got away from you by hiding in your garden.