Now Is The Time ... for zucchini recipes!

August 30, 2012.

In going through some extraneous miscellaneous materials a half-hour ago, I found, from a County Cooperative Extension Service, four pages of zucchini recipes, thirty-four recipes! 

Being one of the many zucchini-loving people, I almost jumped off my chair ~~  zucchini pancakes, zucchini cake, zucchini casserole, zucchini relish, zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini, baked zucchini, sauteed zucchini, and then come a few ethnic dishes made of zucchini. All I can say is, "Yummy!"

More about zucchini ~ another little instance of synchronicity, coincidence, whatever you want to call it, happened to me today. These little events happen quite frequently. Before I found those recipes, I had an early lunch which I made from scratch: onion, carrot, zucchini, green pepper, a small red potato, the most important ingredient was the zucchini ~~  all of them braised in butter in a covered skillet. Must I repeat?  YUMMY! 

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Today is an overcast sky with winds from Isaac the Hurricane, but still no rain here. The weathermen have told me in private on the radio, that we may have some rain by one o'clock, but HAH! as my sister Auntie Reg says so often, "They lie!" 

I just stepped out on my itty bitty front porch to look all around at the sky, and saw many little dark clouds with a little fluff around them, floating by at a non-slow pace. The Isaac wind is blowing through all of the trees and bushes, making them wave strongly to me. 

I felt one eensie weensie raindrop that floated from one of those passing clouds, but it isn't sprinkling, as yet. That single drop was probably meant for someone in Tennessee.  

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A few evenings ago, I watched a movie on the VCR player, thinking that I would watch half of it and then go to bed, but it was so interesting and very moving, that I stayed, glued to the story, until the very end of the movie. It is a true story that began in 1919, about a young woman who was very strong, and devoted to her husband. He, though, was a rambler, never seeming to want to settle in one place. He was forever wanting to go farther north. He wanted to discover new things, and be a fur trapper, and since she felt that wives go along with their husband's wishes, she gently gave in each time he wanted to go farther north. 

The name of the movie is Silence of the North, and the woman who told the story was Olive Fredrickson. There were so many events that happened to them, it was almost unbelievable, but I believe every word of it. Some were so sad, and tragic, but she kept going forward with him. I thought surely that the ending would be awful, but I must say, it did turn out to be all right. 

The female role was played beautifully by Ellen Burstyn, and filmed in the actual places in Canada where these events took place. If you like movies, please do rent or buy this movie and see it. But bundle up with your winter coat and boots, because so much of the movie is in the very cold places! ~~  Just kidding, of course, about bundling up! 

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I'll see you at the Corner Post!

Unknown Home Video, No Label At first, but NOW There Is!

August 3, 2012.

Yesterday was quite busy.  I cooked a couple of things for my meals/snacks, then spent a while on piddly things, yesterday afternoon, straightened up some more of the living room, and had my supper. Realizing that I had earned some relaxation time, I put a home video into the TV set, that had absolutely no label at all. I didn't know what in the world was on it. But, of course, I just had to know this minute! 

I turned it on, sat with bated breath wondering what I'd see. The first item was a beautiful baby with brown hair, a crawling baby, recently learning to crawl, and then a few minutes later, I heard her Mommy's voice urging her on. I thought I recognized at once, the baby's face, but the sound of Mommy's voice made me very sure of the baby's identity…  It was Esther!

(She was one of my beloved grandchildren; whom I saw being born! What an exciting experience it is to see a child being born...               Something never to be forgotten.)

Then that little episode of her crawling was followed by another episode of a later date, and many more. Most of them were of Esther and her eight-year-old sister Naomi playing: Naomi carrying her (all older siblings think this is the greatest of pleasures!), reading books to her, showing her the pictures, keeping her nearby, sort of like a shepherdess herding her sheep, trying to coax her to say 'book', 'dog' and other words, and keeping the baby’s attention.   

Then there was the Christmas Tree being decorated by Uncle Joe who came to visit his sister and nieces. Esther by that time was 'helping' for a few minutes, then coming very close to the camera, wanting to 'smile for the camera', without knowing how to say that, then doing a puzzle of large pieces, but that was too boring. So Uncle Joe finished the rest of the six-piece puzzle!  

Next Scene:

Here comes a birthday cake for Uncle Joe, and his opening up his presents. After that, there were a couple of birthdays later on in the springtime. There was a joyful Birthday Party for Naomi with six or seven girlfriends. Esther was in her high chair, enjoying watching so many people! And then, of course, there was the Birthday Cake with the lit candles for Naomi to blow out! ~ and some of them just wouldn't stay 'out'. ~ "Mommy! Are these Trick Candles?" 

The rest of the movie was of Christmas Day; Mommy, Naomi, Esther, Daddy, adolescent step-brother Joey, everyone having a good time looking at all the presents that Santa had left around the Tree. Such a lovely morning of opening all the presents, taking turns so that everyone knows what each received, then the next round of taking turns opening. Next comes the awful mess of torn wrapping paper scattered all over the room. Clean-up time comes afterward.

That was a most wonderful video, and it was such a delightful surprise for me last evening! Now I am wondering why, oh, why, was there no label on it? Being very curious, I just had to see what it was!

There is now a label! 

I’ll see you at the Corner Post…

Blueberry Picking in New Milford; Snakeskin.

July 15, 2012.

Someone in the family was making something with blueberries, and said the blueberries were rather tart. I am no expert in these things, but I wish to give my opinion. I apologize if I am wrong.

I feel that the blueberries were tart because they weren't fully ripe. They look so gorgeous, and it appears that they are ripe, but as they get riper, they lose some of their solidity and are likely to get squashed in the pail or basket. The more ripe they are, the less sugar you will need. But completely ripe or not, blueberries are so delicious and so full of beneficial nutrients, that we are fortunate to have them to eat. They are one of the best foods ever.

"Pickin' blueberries, pickin' blueberries, ... "   is a song, I've heard Bill and the kids singing it. The song is full of fun. He wrote it for his children in nineteen-ninety five.   

Picking blueberries is really a lot of fun if there aren't any bears about, or rattlesnakes to watch out for. When my siblings and I were growing up, our parents took us with them to pick blueberries. We were living in Springville, and we went to New Milford about 45 minutes away, up in the open hilly area where there were many wild huckleberry bushes. They were called huckleberries, because they were wild and not cultivated, and also somewhat smaller than the current cultivated blueberries.  

Rattlesnakes, and some bears, live there in the hills. We went up into the 'wilds' on crooked little paths, up and down little inclines and declines, toward the plentiful blueberry bushes. We were told not to wander away from our parents. We began to pick berries, and we found they are quite easy to pick. You just pick the larger dark blue berries and not the lighter colored, or even green ones that hadn't begun to ripen yet. They grow in small clumps on the twigs with leaves. 

We were having our fill of blueberries as we picked. My Dad and my Mom had bigger pails than we did, and when our little pails would become halfway full, we would dump them into our parents' large pails. (Our pails must have taken a long time to get half full, with our eating those yummy berries!) 

When it was time to go back home, as the cows' udders were getting filled, we began 'trekking' those curvy, rocky, little paths way down to the car. All of a sudden, my Dad tripped over an especially unsmooth path, and some of his berries happened to get onto the ground - imagine! He felt so bad when he spilled them. We all tried as best as we could, to pick most of them up, and then went on home. 

During the next few days, we had blueberry pie, and my Mom made a small batch of blueberry jam. We even had blueberries with milk, in a bowl. We squashed the berries with the tines of a fork, poured some milk over them, and the most beautiful color appeared! We always liked that magic! 

Those were the days, weren't they, of having delicious food made with several kinds of berries that we picked. We found blackberries in our woods, and we would gather so many for our Mom to make some canned blackberries, or jam, or even jelly, for the winter. 

There were also some red raspberries which were so tasty, and black raspberries which were known as 'black caps'. I loved those the best! We would squash the black caps in a little bowl, add milk, and there was a good color! I thought it was even more fascinating than that of blackberries! The flavor of squashed black caps with milk is very delicious! Or any kind of berry, for that matter!

We found some gooseberries on the hillside pasture on our little Springville farm, and picked them. There weren't many wild bushes of those, so we didn't make jam or jelly with them. One day I was picking some of those gooseberries and suddenly I noticed a snake skin lying in the bush, which startled me so much! I thought at first that it was a snake. No, it was just the skin of the snake, that comes off when it has outgrown its skin. Did you know that this happens? It was quite a surprise to me. 

I'll see you at the Corner Post...

Dinosaur Bones; Orphaned Elephants and Orangutans.

July 11, 2012.


This afternoon a little past two o'clock, my son phoned me saying that he and his family  were suddenly thinking of going to the Pink Palace Museum to see some dinosaur bones in an exhibit, and when they thought it all out, they would let me know for sure.  A few minutes later, a phone call came through to me -- they said that they would pick me up just before three o'clock. 

I was doing something, and excitedly dropped it, and got ready to go. I knew it would be good to go to the Pink Palace, as I'm always ready to go to a museum!

We saw huge skeletons of dinosaurs. The meat-eaters had very large heads. The plant-eaters had much smaller heads. There was also a very small dinosaur that had big feet (paws?) that somehow made me think that the animal could have been very docile. 


At one point, we saw the largest bone in the world, which is a spinal vertebra. It was very interesting to see all of those bones put together as skeletons. Some bones were made of some kind of plaster poured into fossil forms, to help to fill in the spaces. Some of these dinosaur fossils were found in Patagonia, in southern South America. 


Twenty-some years ago my sister and I went on an auto trip out west and saw some fossil digs. The digs were covered with shelter of a wall and roof to keep the elements from disturbing the archaeological research. That trip was quite interesting and informing. 


It was difficult to pull ourselves away from the dinosaur exhibit at the Pink Palace, but it was decided by the parents that we would see the IMAX show in the same building. I do like to see IMAX shows, very much. 


The IMAX movie would be shown just after four o'clock and lasts forty-five minutes; it is about orphaned elephants and orphaned orangutans. The name of the show is Born to Be Wild. The movie alternates between the baby elephants and the baby orangutans to show 
the comparison between the same age groups of these animals. 


It takes a long time for these orphans to 'grow up' enough to be out in the wild on their own.

It turned out to be very moving to us, and I choked up with tears and cried a little, about eight  to ten times throughout the show. Those little baby elephants were so helpless and so innocent, as were the orangutan orphans. 


The people taking care of them were very loving,  caring, devoted. There were men who were with the baby elephants 24 hours a day, sleeping in the same little room that each elephant was. 


There was one scene in which the very young elephant was unable to relax and go to sleep, because he or she remembered how his mother had been killed by thoughtless poachers. 
The male caretaker would pat and caress the elephant, and talk quietly to it to help it to relax, and the man put a large blanket over it as it finally lay down. Then the man went to bed in his own little cot in the corner. This was one of those moving events that made me cry. 


The loving tenderness and thoughtfulness of the caretakers different little episodes sometimes made the tears come. This movie Born to Be Wild, is well worth the time and money to see it. Please do. 


There were about fifteen or twenty elephants in one group. Baby elephants love to play, and the caretakers did that too. They would invent games that they and the orphans would play, like running after the several soccer balls, for instance. 

The orangutan orphans were treated and cared for, like human babies are. The mothers in the wild always take very good care of them, holding them to their warm and motherly bodies all of the time when they're babies, and play with them so much of the time. 

After the 45 minute show, we went outdoors, and it was raining quite hard! I had brought my umbrella -- it was in my handbag. My son had left his in his vehicle, so he used mine to go to the car and retrieve his umbrella. We had some fun in getting out through the rain and into the car. Two of the girls decided to dare it, and ran in the rain to the car. A lovely summer day it was!


And it was also such a surprising end to my day! I am so happy to be invited to go with my family. 




I'll see you at the Corner Post...

'A Strange Dog in our midst'; Five Dogs in the Kitchen.

July 3, 2012.

 

I was planning to take it easy today, as I was a bit tired after a very busy weekend. But I needed to do a load of my laundry, so I did that, washed my dishes, and spent some time with my computer.

About 4:30, Jennifer phoned me and said they were all planning to go out for dinner this evening, wanted to know if I would like to join them. Of course, I said YES. I do enjoy dining out, but more than that, I enjoy spending time with the family.

She came to pick me up around 5 o'clock, and took me to their house.

Bill and Melanie had been at Tim and his friend's place, to help move their furniture out of one little apartment into another small apartment, and they would bring some of the things to Bill and Jen's to store in the attic for a while. We waited for them to come home and shower because of the awful heat of today and moving furniture and loading it into the trailer that Bill had rented. 

While we waited for the showering to be done, we were experiencing a fifth doggie in the kitchen, because the friend's puppydog, Lily Rose, came for a visit. It was quite interesting, to see eleven-year-old Princess, and nine-year old Lily, and good ol' Lucky, Jennifer's dog, and Em's young dog MoJo, welcoming and investigating the personality of Lily Rose. 

Lucky, the manager of Bill and Jen's home, barked relentlessly because Lily Rose was 'a strange dog in our midst', and yet he was very much interested  in Lily Rose. Lucky didn't put up such a fuss when Em's dog MoJo came to join the canines for the wedding weekend. I think that was because MoJo is 'a man', whereas Lily Rose is 'a nice young lady'. There are many things to consider when one is introducing a strange dog to the earlier canine residents of a home. 

We were engaged in the actions of these five dogs  for quite some time. Then Bill  and Jen decided to have Lily Rose outside in the back yard, and the other four dogs to be in the kitchen while we were gone to have dinner. 

Showers over, we finally got into two vehicles, three of us in one, and four of us in the other vehicle. We went to a restaurant close by, and got out of the cars to enter the place, when it was discovered that they were just then closing up for the evening. DRAT! 

We got back into the autos, and drove another mile or so to another restaurant, a Mexican one. We spent a lot of time looking the menu over, and chatting, and having a great time, and then finally we all were ready to give our orders when the waitress came back. Bill was having such a grand time speaking Spanish to the waitress. She could hardly keep her laughter hidden when he would say something in Spanish, I noticed. He did know many Spanish words, though. His accent may have been a bit off...

We had to wait for quite a while, but we were drinking our beverages, and reminiscing, chatting, teasing a bit, and just truly enjoying each other's company. There were seven of us, Tim and his friend, and Melanie, Emily, Jen, Bill, and I. We enjoyed the camaraderie so much. As I said, I love being with the family.

Our food finally came, and it was very good food, different, and so tasty. We were in no hurry to eat and run, so we leisurely dined and conversed. It was very nice, and I am so glad I said 'YES' to Jennifer!

It was almost 9:30 when we arrived back at the house. Then Jennifer said she would bring me right home while the men were unloading the trailer into the house. I said goodbye to Emily because she is leaving for Atlanta early in the morning. I'll see Melanie a few more times before she goes back to Pennsylvania. Tim and his friend, I hope to see now and then during the rest of the summer. 

My eyelids seem to be getting a bit heavier, and that is a signal for me to go to bed. So good night, all, and happy dreams to you. 

          I'll see you at the Corner Post...

Awake In the Wee Hours; "Scribbler's Disease".

June 28, 2012.

Restless leg syndrome, or hunger pangs, or something else kept me from falling back to sleep. I got up, thought I'd spend time in the kitchen. I had a half cup of leftover dinner, then a couple of small cookies,  then later, a drink of water. I've had some experience with bad nights. I know the routine.

I went to the computer to check my emails. A few were sent after I had gone to sleep, so I went through them. Decided to check out Facebook, and I saw a bit of conversation where someone mentioned "Scribbler's Disease." Hmmmm. Never heard of that before. What is that, and when did it come to be? I thought about it for several minutes. I thought it might be people always jotting things down in their notebooks, or making lists of something, like 'things to do'.

I do think that I have that disease, as I make notes all the time, about this, or that, and wondered how long I've been doing this. Oh, yes, I think I know just when I first showed signs of that.

At the age of seventeen, I was working as a filing clerk in a large insurance company. We had to work with small cards with the names of insured people on them, and would file them in the narrow drawers of a filing cabinet. You know, somewhat like the library cards that were used many years ago to show the names and authors of all of the books in a library.

It was a tedious job, but I did like filing things in alphabetical order, and I did like reading all sorts of names. When I came across a name that was unique, humorous, or strange, I would write it down on my list. For instance, there was one that was Rhainey Knight; and then Thunder Jackson; and James Jimmijam.

Something that was to me very unusual, I wrote down and kept. There were so many names that took my fancy. One name, truly, was Ethel R. Shitty. I don't think I shall ever forget that one. I have no idea whatever became of my list, but I wish I had it now.

When I hear someone mispronounce a word or use it in an odd way, I like to write it down. I have a list somewhere of quite a few of that kind. I don't ever mean to be unkind and mocking someone's pronunciation, it's just that I have this disease. I really can't help myself. I do not tell on anyone who  makes these mistakes. After all, we all make mistakes. We're human.

Well, it's been a couple of hours, maybe I'll fall asleep now. Back to bed I go.

G'night.


I'll see you at the Corner Post...

At the age of 17, I was working as a filing clerk in a large insurance company. We had to work with small cards with the names of insured people on them, and file them. You know, somewhat like the library cards that were were used to show the names and authors of all of the books in a library.  

It was a tedious job, but I did like filing things in alphabetical order, and I did like reading all sorts of names. When I came across a name that was unique, humorous, or strange, etcetera, I would write them down on my list. For instance, there was one that was Rhainey Knight; and Thunder Jackson; and James Jimmijam. Something that was to me very unusual, I wrote down. One name, truly, was Ethel R. Shitty. I don't think I shall ever forget that one. I have no idea whatever became of my list, but I wish I had it now. 

When I hear someone mispronounce a word or use it in an odd way, I like to write it down. I have a list somewhere of quite a few of that kind. I don't mean to be unkind and mocking someone's mispronunciation, it's just that I have this disease. I just can't help myself. I try not to tell on anyone who makes this mistake. After all, we all make mistakes. We're human.  

 

My Sister and I Took An Auto Trip; Visiting Relatives.

June 18, 2012.


We wanted to visit an elderly aunt and uncle who are not feeling well, and also our brother whom we hadn't seen for a few years. We also wanted to see a few of our friends from the past, and some more of our relatives.

Our trip was done by auto, with my sister driving, and a good driver she was. We traveled in several states, namely Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Ohio seemed to be quite flat. West Virginia was very mountainous. There was road construction and repairs of routes in every state, it seems.

Since I enjoy riding in automobiles and watching scenery as I ride, my head was almost like a revolving door, or it felt as if it were on a swivel, while I was looking on both sides of the road, trying to see everything. I like seeing fences, houses, trees, clouds, animals, old barns, bridges, cattle grazing in open fields, churches, railroad stations, quaint buildings, and so many other things. I appreciate that my sister drove the whole time.

Our first stop was in Maryland, and we were so very happy to see our aunt and uncle. They are in their middle eighties now, with some medical problems. A few members of their family ~ our cousins, came to the house to see us, as well. That was very pleasant. Another uncle and his good friend came to visit at that time too, and it was a grand sort of reunion for a few hours.

When our visit with them came to an end, we went 'on the road again' and visited my sister's good neighbors from many years ago. They, too, are quite elderly, and she was so glad to see them. The four of us went to have real crab cakes in a seafood restaurant. I have never before tasted such good food as
those crab cakes.

We saw relatives from both sides of our family, and more cousins, in Pennsylvania, at our brother's home, and two of his daughters. That was an exciting and happy day.  My sister and I stopped to visit her sister-in-law, too; that visit was short, but so sweet.

By this time we were up in central New York and stayed at my daughter's house for a couple of nights.
This was also a very happy stop, with my long-time neighbor from years ago coming to see me. We did manage to see almost everyone we had planned to see.

We were on the road quite a few days, and we feel that our 'mission' was accomplished.