Gone Gone Gone been gone so long!

Many happenings, events and bad ju-ju have kept me from posting on my blog. The first and for most being our Internet provider, they are the bad ju-ju. We hope to remedy this situation by the beginning of the new year. We are switching to a different service entirely!! I am using the Internet at the library where I use to work for this update, it is sooooo fast! Oh how I long for this kind of connection!! While country living is good most of the time; for Internet, pizza delivery and house calls for repairmen it SUCKS! So soon I will be back with news, views and opinions! LOL Nah Just the same old same old! But with pictures!!!
So to all Merry Christmas and a VERY Happy New Year!

No more worries :-)

I've decided that enough is enough! I want to enjoy the holidays!!!! So while I have some gifts in the making I'm not going to frazzle apart with angst of not getting it all done. Ours will be a smaller family celebration this year as #1Son and his wife D are in the middle of another career change so will be unable to make the trip home and TheOther#1Son's girl K is deep in her studies and hospital nursing work that she will also not be making the trip to Kansas. We will be five (I guess really it's six, since DD is pregnant) for the Christmas celebration in our home! DD and her husband R, plus baby "Chiquita"(DD has an app on her phone that keeps her informed with a weekly comparison chart on the  babies growth, this week was baby banana, so her husband nick named the baby "Chiquita"), and TheOther#1Son will be here for a longer stay as he will be in a semester break.
I have been relaxing my holiday decorating and baking agendas in the past few years, with age comes wisdom, not much wisdom, but some!! I still do lots of decorating just not non stop day after day, I spread it out a bit more and decorate just in the mornings for a few hours. With baking I've cut back on the number of cookies and goodies and concentrate more on the actual Christmas meal, making it more gourmet and a real elegant affair!
TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart does most of the Christmas shopping ON LINE! That really makes the holidays more enjoyable for us, as we both hate crowds and the limited number of places to shop. Anna, our German Shepard loves all the UPS deliveries as she usually gets a doggie biscuit from the delivery driver!
I want to wish all a Happy Thanksgiving! TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I will be feasting at my brother and sister-in-law's table! I'm bringing the mashed potatoes and a squash bake!

TWO WEEKS till Thanksgiving!

TIME TO GO INTO PANIC MODE!!!!!

 

I have so many ideas for christmas gift giving and so little time to complete them all!!

How does this always happen? We even got an extra hour this past weekend, what did I do with that hour????? While I have been leisurely working on one of the gift ideas I wasn't feeling rushed..... until I seriously looked at the calendar today to see when I would need to do some grocery shopping for my part of the turkey day feast and said "OMG two weeks ~~~~ding, ding, ding, it's only two weeks till Thanksgiving!!!"
While I do love a little late night sewing I don't like to have to stay up to complete a project. I make one mistake after another and come to hate whatever it is that I'm making. So I guess it's time to get in there (my sewing room) and not come out till I've got some gifts completed!!
Later gator!!

Done and (piecing) Done

A table runner I piece from scraps shared by my quilting BFF.
Title: Wildcat Victories

 

Jelly roll strips of 30's prints, this will be a crib quilt for my
grandbaby!

I have plans for the table runner, it was made specifically for the center island in my kitchen. With fall colors on the top for November and then if I flip it for December, it's backed in a green stripe, I can use for Christmas too!!! I was thinking on this piece ;-D All of the hand quilting I did while watching my Kansas State Wildcats win some close and not so close football games. I poked my fingers several times on the OU game, but the Cats prevailed!! I hand stitch a lot during football games it relieves the tension for me. I <3 college football!!

On the crib quilt, I'm not sure yet what I want to do. Should I machine quilt or should I send it to a friend with a long arm machine and have her do the quilting????????

 

And lastly I'm still plugging away at the house blocks but finding I have very few novelty prints small enough for the window piece, a 5/8" square! What I do have, I'm repeating the item, in the little window more than I'd like. The windows have morphed into a bit of an I-Spy block! I can just see the grandkids some day playing find the   ?   in the window!! I just love the scrappy look of these little blocks! I guess I'll have to send out an SOS to my quilting BFF and see if she can add some variety to the windows. 

 

A new critter! ribit ribit

 

Meet Jeb or Jed, I haven't decided yet! But he's the new doorstop for my bedroom door. The fabric is very vintage, it's cut from the painting smock my mom made, for me, when I started kindergarten! That's OLD!

My great grandmother use to make these back when I was in grade school, or maybe junior high, that parts a bit fuzzy, but she sewed up several for all us grandkids. My mom found a few of our frogs still around the house and decided to create a frog menagerie of her own, but couldn't find great grandma's pattern. So she tried her hand at drawing her own, but wasn't quite satisfied with the outcome, I did a little searching on line and found one that looked pretty similar so made copies of the pattern and we both went about sewing a frog with personality. Mom's are so much more expressive she added tongues and put a bug button on the tongue, plus felted toenails and then like me added a hat. These were so fun to make and I can see sewing up a few more in a bit smaller size, for a bean bag toss game, for the grandkids, someday.

 

Busy Busy Busy~~Not

While I have been somewhat busy I also have not had anything to post about~~I think I've had writers block! ~~~~~~~~ I'm sure it's the time of year, nature slows down, so do I!  Autumn is so colorful, cool (it's been down right cold we've already had our first frost), and reflective. Plus lots of other stuff to do to get the outside ready for winter. Winterize the pool, put away the outdoor furniture, bring in plants, harvest whatever is left of the underwhelming garden produce, mostly peppers! Oh but we did get a pretty good pumpkin crop, before the freeze, approximately 20! So while we did get some produce from this years garden it's just no where near our past garden output. So sad :(

I have been sewing, sewing, keeping the machine humming making baby gifts for DD! I want to take a photo of the crib quilt, that I made with the 30's prints. It was the jelly roll one that my friend and I each started while she was here visiting. It's all pieced and ready for some batting and backing then quilting! I may try to do it myself or maybe send it to a friend with a long arm machine, I'm undecided! I want to take a photo outside in the sun, but whenever I think I should go out and do it, I get side tracked and forget, then it gets cloudy!! hummm I really need the dry erase board hanging around my neck to write down what I'm doing so I can remember between here and there!!!! lol

 

I'm writing this post from the coffee shop where I just paused to have lunch. I'm in town today running errands, shopping and goofing off!!!!!!! So better get on my way, finish up and treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte for the drive home! :-p

 

A birthday treat!

Margarita cheesecake with a strawberry sauce!

Yesterday was my birthday!

TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and TheOther#1Son took me out to dinner at a favorite restaurant!

We had a great time, good food, and lots of relaxed conversation.

I love quiet dining, plenty of time to digest and enjoy the company of family!

I can shout it out "I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER"!

 

 

 

 

 DD made the announcement this weekend! She and her husband R are expecting our 1st grandchild! Due date is April 2, 2013! I've known for a few weeks now but was not allowed to say anything until the end of the 1st trimester. That was this past week so... WoooooHooooo!!! I've been busting at the seams (like the sewing reference there ;) ) keeping the secret, just sure it was going to burst out if anyone asked. I've got a poker face!

I have plans to sew lots of baby things but will wait a little longer as they have plans to find out the baby's sex.  I'm thinking it's a girl.....just a feeling.... But I made it and now I can let it slip into any conversation! If a strange asks "How are you today?" I can reply "Great, I'm going to be a grandmother!" I'm so excited, I'm smiling all the time just thinking of that little bundle of baby that I'll get to nuzzle and smell it's sweet little neck! I've been waiting for this day since I found my first gray hair. Many "grandparent" friends assure me it's even better than having your own kids. I loved being a mother.........so a greater joy...I can't wait.

A piece to tide you over :-)

I have plans to use this block as a pillow on my thirties print quilt. I got the block in some fabrics I purchased at an auction, the block was hand appliqued and almost done except for two of the leaves, they were basted in place. So to adhere those and tie them all together I machine blanket stitched around all the leaves in black thread. I [heart] the blanket stitch on my Janome 6500 and use it whenever possible~~it's the main reason I bought the machine, plus I love the needle up/down button, the knee lift, the needle threader, the auto thread cutter, the array of decorative stitches, the ............. Ok I'm in love and it shows!!!!!!!!! hehehe
Today my BFF is coming for a long weekend visit!!!!!!!!! It's been a year since we've seen each other, too long :(   But we'll make up for it!!! ;-)  talk talk talk!!! We're attending the crafts fair in Hillsboro, KS on Saturday! It's so fun and so inspiring to see all the craft pieces!

A quiet beginning!

~~~~A little fog~~~a little mystery~~~~

 

I've got a few projects in the works and hope to have pics to show soon.

 

Just needed a change...

While I love my original choice for background, ~I'll probably go back to it soon~, I just wanted a little change!

 

I [heart] hot buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys!

 

So when I found this background it was yummy perfect! Do you have a favorite Jelly Belly? I did a google search to find out the most popular flavor and it's been very cherry for many years. But hot buttered popcorn has interrupted cherry's reign! Woohoo! HBP Jelly Bellys have been on my Christmas wish list for many years and my children all know this and usually put a bag of the sweet goodness in my stocking! From there the JB's go into a jar in my sewing room and sit on my work table beside my sewing machine so I can suck and sew! I like to let them sit on my tongue for awhile to prolong the enjoyment then chew and have the flavor enjoyment without the hassle of popcorn kernel coverings in between my teeth!! My favorite pairing with the HBP JB is an equal amount of root beer flavored Jelly Bellys. What a concept a snack and a beverage all in one little snack package! LOL

 

We had a great weekend with TheOther#1Son and his girl K! Saw a movie, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, ate great BBQ ribs and sweet tater fries at Hickory Hut BBQ, did a little shopping for back to school clothes for the college boy, played Monop, Monop, Monopoly (inside joke) and enjoyed the general relaxed family time that always just happens! All these events while gray skies let rain fall and fall and fall! We received 2 and a quarter inches!!!

It's Monday and it's good!

Yes it's a Monday and the weather is beeeauuuutiful! We're still dry, really dry.... even with that wonderful inch of rain last week on Monday! It's going to take many, many more inches, but the lower temps make all the difference! Light breeze, from the east south east with the high temperature to only reach 85! That-- is my kind of weather and low humidity!!! What's really amazing is the evenings are really cooling off, down right blanket weather with some good snuggling for extra warmth!!
Yesterday, TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I enjoyed a picnic for a late lunch. We broke in the Wine and Cheese Cooler Tote DD gave us for a joint Mother/Father day gift! It features two acrylic wine glasses, two cotton napkins, one hardwood cutting board, one stainless steel cheese knife, one corkscrew, one "Life's a picnic!" bottle topper and space for three bottles of wine! Pretty upscale for us! It raised the level of our picnics to Ooh-La-La!! But space for THREE  bottles of wine!!!! That's an all nighter!!!!!! We'd have to pack a tent too! LOL Our picnic location is always on our land in one of several locations. 1)Up, on an eastern hilltop, under a mulberry tree, with a 360 degree view of the surrounding prairie, this is a good location for non windy days. 2) Down by the creek under a willow tree, so amazing when the creek is flowing, it feels romantic and is my favorite. 3) On the northern most boundary of our property under a line of oak trees and the farthest from everything with the best chances of seeing wildlife. Our picnics are an escape from all the to-do's that plague homeowners on weekends, and it takes several repeats of "Oh I suppose we should get back and finish ....fill in the blank before it gets too late". Then we pack up the picnic, fold up the blanket and return to the real world. Thanks again DD for the picnic tote!
It's the first day of back- to- school for two of our grown children! It's deja vu! Always brings the bittersweet memories of their early days back! How did all that time get away from me? Before I get weepy on this glorious day I just want to wish them both a great school year and semester, respectively. DD is a high school math and engineering teacher and TheOther#1Son is a grad student on his second year as student and Teacher Assistant, with plans on going all the way to a PHD in mathematics. There will be many more first days for both and a time for me to remember those long ago first days, of pictures, new school supplies and shiny smiles, with a few tears (from me) as I continue from a distance to send them out into the world.

Aww.. Relief!

It's finally happened, some relief from the heat, just this past weekend, and now some rain! I just went out and checked the rain gauge an INCH plus .10! With about .01 to maybe .02 of the collection amount as bird poop! We have a mockingbird that enjoys the view from the rain gauge with it's butt over the collection spout! I usually collect the rain amount in a used water bottle, for watering my African violet that sits in the kitchen window. The bird droppings make for an interesting look to the collection, bad to look at good for the violet!!! This is such a welcome "shot in the arm" for the garden, yard, trees, pasture, ponds etc.!!!
I've been reading more lately and not sewing as much. Though I did make a small "something" a little over a week ago and have gone on to make many more. Sorry I can't show it as I have close family members that follow my blog and what I've been making I've decided to use for Christmas stocking stuffers! I will take photos and post, maybe with each of the recipients, after the holiday!
I did find an interesting idea for a super quick quilt that I want to try very soon!
Link below:

http://www.heirloomcreations.net/sewing-tips/the-jelly-roll-1600/

It looks fun and I have lots of 2 1/2" strips I'd like to use, the problem though is my strips are not all 40" in length! That could take some serious math!!!!!!!! We shall see!
[Note to Jean; What do you think, is this something we could do when you visit in Sept? If we each purchase a jelly roll of our choice we would have the cutting already done for us so all we'd have to do is sew and chat. It would be easy and mindless so we can talk, talk, talk while we sew!!]

Hope it's raining where you are!!! I'm going to clean house and bake some chewy, raisin, walnut and date packed oatmeal cookies!! TTFN! (tah tah for now)

P.S. The books I've been reading The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans! Coming Spring of 2013 book 4 in The Walk series. Not my usual style of read but very enjoyable.  A quote from the back jacket cover "an unforgettable series about hope, healing, and the meaning of life."

A GOOD Memory

I hope you all don't mind if I do some reminiscing but I have the need to share. When I was cleaning the house up yesterday, Friday, it reminded me of the routine of my youth, for Fridays. Mom always did her grocery shopping on Fridays, so we girls, my sister B and I, helped with the chores of washing and drying the breakfast dishes and vacuuming. Usually around 10a.m. all was in order and we would head out to the grocery store. Where my brothers were in this mix I don't remember, I'm the oldest in a family of seven children, 3 girls the rest boys, so I'm thinking they were probably along for most trips or stayed at the home of their friends. Staying at your friend's house while your mom ran an errand was pretty common place back when I was a youth. The conversation always went something like this:
Mark: "I have to go Mom just hollered for me."
Gary: "Where do you have to go?"
Mark: "To the store."
Gary: "Let's go ask if you can stay at my house!"
Mark: "Ok"
Gary: "Mom can Mark stay here while his mom goes to the grocery store?"
Gary's Mom: "Sure but you boys go outside and play and take your little brother with you, and NO Mud!" If some action was not stated to be off limits then it was usually interpreted that it was Ok to do that action!!!!!!! Oh yea you remember, your defense statement!
"BUT, you didn't say we/I couldn't insert action here! Classic defense, never really held up against Mom logic though! Still used today by youth! I really thought my youngest son could grow up to be a great defense attorney he could twist any situation into a "It's not my fault because you didn't say I couldn't do that!" ~~~~~~~~~~Any who back to shopping. Mom bought groceries at Boogaarts, a chain no longer in existence, but one that had been my father's career choice since I was born. He worked his way up through the ranks, to become store manager, it was long hours, but had a few perks from my point of view. He would bring home overripe produce, I loved all the great seasonal fruit, leaky gallons of milk, dented cans, moldy cheese, crushed boxes of whatever, etc. you get the idea. So while you may be thinking EWW that's disgusting, it was a bonus to our large family. While some of the dented cans could be marked down and sold back then, if the label was missing it came home to us and was always a ?????? experience opening the can and finding a way to use whatever was inside!! The store received credit for the damaged goods and so instead of trashing it,  my father could bring home the "goodies" to us. But even with these occasional goodies, Mom still shopped once a week on Friday. At the store we always felt like celebrities.  Everyone knew us! Staff AND customers.   Small town folks love to talk, so it always took at the least an hour to shop with all the visiting that Mom would have to do. When we reached the checkout, Mom's carts..... yes it took two most times (I always pushed one) would be unloaded onto the belt and sacked into approximately 12-16 paper sacks and once again loaded onto two carryout upright carts for transport out to the car! The total for this shopping trip...... are you ready for it.......... $100! A lot then, but with bread at .19 a loaf it seems so cheap now!!
Well I'm going to stop here but in a later post I'll have to share more of my grocery store years experience, we helped stock shelves after hours, (lots of fun plus free samples of Brach's candy) and when I was 15 I started working as a checkout clerk.  My first after school job!

Sold the girls!

It's a mixed bag of emotions...we hauled the heifers to the sale barn last week for the Thursday sale, now the pasture looks even sadder :( :(  TheManWhoHoldMyHeart had favorites in the herd and it was hard to see the friendly ones go, the skittish one not so much!! No longer can we use the phrase 'till the cows come home!! But, it had to be done sooner than later (usually the last week of September), the dried up pasture grasses were just not supplying all the nutrients the cows were needing and the forecast was dismal for any good rains, soooooo...
Last Saturday night the skies looked promising for rain but what we got instead was a prairie fire! The lightening was SO bright and snake like in the sky, the air was hot, no wind, just an eerie calm. TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I were sitting on the front porch watching and waiting for the storm to roll in, when we both noticed an unusual glow in an area where there were no town lights in the distance. When a flame of red caught my eye I said "oh my that's a fire ( I probably used more explictives but will not repeat them here, lol) we should call the fire dept.", but the hubs thought we should try the scanner first and sure enough someone had reported it and trucks were being called up! We got in the pick-up and drove to the top of a hill, a mile from our place for a better look. It was two separate fires off in the distance about 6 miles from us. Lightening continued to flash and strike all around and I was worried that more dry pastures would catch, but thankfully no. We did get a splattering of rain .10 so I'm guessing that may have helped keep the fire danger down.
This summer is "brutal" and I'm so happy to see August, 50 more days till fall!!!

Sewing history! Way back to 1968!

So let's take a little trip back in time to where it all began~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fall 1968, I was excited to be in junior high, seventh grade, attending class, by changing classrooms for each subject with a 5 minute hall passing period in between! My classes, P.E., Math, English, Social Studies, Science, Vocal Music, Art and wait for it ............Home Economics.!!! Oh yea with Mrs. Jean Keller a very patient and understanding teacher! Cooking was fun, but sewing was the best! After the initial basics and demonstration sewing pieces we had to produce, our first real project,  a gingham apron! I choose a moss green gingham fabric, I think at the time it was probably called "avocado" green! lol I still have that first apron in my collection today, with the iron on patch still in place where I accidentally cut a V into the skirt, with my shears, while trimming up a thread or seam I don't remember now. But none the less it was devastating to me at the time! After that apron the sky was the limit! I loved sewing and still do! In the beginning it was all clothing, with some dabbling in stuffed toys, pillows, and fashion accessories.
I think a list would be useful here:

• peasant tops, blouses, summer tops
• a-line dresses, shift for pep club
• prom formals, halter dresses
• numerous shirts for my high school sweetheart (also known as TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart), some with embroidery or satin trim on the yoke, pearl snaps, or made of warm plaid flannel. He loved the shirts!
• My wedding dress! I'll post a picture of it soon. ring bearer pillow
• maternity clothes, I was working at a fabric store at the time and whatever clothing I sewed for display I got for free
• baby bibs, blankets, towels and washcloths, oneies, sleepers, etc.
• for my daughter, many dresses, corduroy pants with matching tops, overalls, night gowns, p.j.s
• a Barbie wardrobe for my cousin, Amiee and my DD
• orange and black tiger striped p.j.s for #1Son
• numerous aprons
• Halloween costumes; a blue bunny, a witch, a pirate, Glenda the good witch, a vampire, a zombie, a Jedi knight, Morticia from the Addams family, I'm sure there are a few more but that's all I can remember without going through the photo albums 

Then in 1993 a sorority sister (that sister is my BFF today) introduced me to QUILTING! It was a small wall quilt that she taught me to make, an Easter decoration!  And as the saying goes the rest is history!!!!!!!!

This is the piece where it all began!

100 degrees at noon

I think that says it all!!! On our way to 105, really, I'm not sure it will stop there, since we are at 100 already!  For the next seven days our highs vary between 103 to 106!!!! Radio news reports this summer as the driest since 1956, that's the year I was born! Yikes! But I remember too that the 50's were also a time of river flooding in Kansas. What extremes!!

I've been coping in my air conditioned, darkened cave-like home, watching movies, reading, sewing, or surfing the net, but it's wearing thin. How much longer?????   I really miss being outdoors or having the windows open connecting me to the outdoors. I want to scream, so..... since I live in the country~~~ I suppose I could!! But that would just give me a headache, humm... so no screaming. Just resign myself to get through another  hot day and stop watching the weather forecast it only burns me up, twice!! Once at the forecast and second out in the heat. Even so I could handle it a bit better if it weren't for the drought too! Heat AND a drought. We will be selling the cows early because the grasses are in such poor shape. The crops, garden, yard, newly (I use that term loosely as most have been planted for a number of years but still on the young side) planted trees and shrubs, and potted plants are also on the decline, so sad. We water but the heat trumps it all!

I feel better sharing, letting it out, sorry to unburden on you my blog readers, but I really needed to vent. So to redeem myself just a little bit I'll share a recent picture I took of the tablecloth I bought to make our dining experience a little more "country summer" inviting. Doesn't it just say fried chicken at grandma's house!

My Entry :)

              This is the purse I made for the Sew Sweet Purse Palooza 2012

THE DOODLE BAG

I'm happy with the fabric choices and the size of the bag, just not quite sure about the handles. I bought them purposely for this bag pattern but now well..... I guess I'll keep'em and see if they grow on me! It was fun to sew, but sometimes I thought the directions were a little difficult to follow, very few diagrams, I like illustrations!! I'm a visual person that's why I love following tutortials from some of the blogs I follow they have great VISUALS!!! I got my purse creation in under the wire as today was the last day to submit an entry! The competition is steep, you are allowed to submit 2 photos of a purse and when I and TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart finally got my entry to post there were 650+ entries so that means approx. 350 purse entries!!!!!!!!!! Lots and lots of GREAT bags!!!

I took a little break while DD, TheOther#1Son and his girl K were visiting over the 4th of July holiday and following weekend. We had lots of great family time, swimming, playing board games (played two new ones called "Ticket to Ride" and "Zombie Dice", very fun!), grilling, and visiting! While DD was here we even got in some sewing on her Corn and Beans quilt! We placed the blocks up on the design wall and gave it a good look at and decide it needed something????? DD thought blue so she cut some blue pieces and I sewed them together and YES that was it! What do you think?

 

Still Hot, But I'm Coping~~~~~

Still 100 degrees+ day after day and from the long term forecast it will be for at least 2 more weeks!!! AGH! Last evening though we did have CLOUDS! It was such a mystery where ever did they come from?? Just north of us, in the same county, the little town of Barnard, got 8 tenths of an inch of rain and some small hail, we got clouds! Oh well it did cool off, into the 90's sooner than usual, which is always several hours after sundown, so that was a plus.
So... to keep my insanity, opps I think that should be sanity, (both do apply sometimes depending on the project),.....I have started sewing on a new handbag,  or purse, or tote, or pocketbook, whatever you call it but definitly not a clutch since it's much larger and has handles. I bought purple leather handles when I was up in Cedar Rapids, IA in September visiting my dear quilting buddy, Jean and attending her guilds quilt show.  She too bought the same handles in red and has completed her purse many months ago! The pattern is ps008 Bow Tucks Tote, designed by Penny Sturges. It's taken me several months to find the fabric that "feels" right for the project, and for me fabric selection is a huge decision!! I bought my fabric in Concordia, KS at Fabric Essentials a quilt shop I hope to return to many times in the future, as this was my first visit and the fabric choices were overwhelming!  The fabrics I choose are from a recently released new line from Andover Fabrics, titled Flower Doodle by Kim Schaefer. I purchased 3 coordinating prints and pulled the black and white lining fabric for the bag from my stash. I'm very happy with the colors and itching to get back to the machine, so I will keep you posted as to my progress and post a picture of it when it's completed. Hopefully very soon as DD is coming for a week long visit on Tuesday and I'd like to have it done so we can do some Corn and Beans (I've posted photos of the block in previous posts) sewing while she's here.

The scenic view from my sewing machine!!! NICE!
It would be much better if it weren't so droughty :-(

I'm melting! Melting! Oh - what a world - what a world!

'Ohhh - you cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh - what a world - what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!? Ohhh! Look out! Look out! I'm going. Ohhhh! Ohhhhhh...'.

Yep! That's me I'm the wicked witch, that's exactly how I feel in this heat, WICKED!
I just spoke, on the phone, with the ManWhoHoldsMyHeart and he had just looked up the upcoming forecast for the holiday week, MORE of the same!! 107 today, tomorrow 110, then 109, then 102, 101,.... If only body fat would melt in these temps, good could come of such an evil! Bawaahahaha (you know that's my evil laugh) Ahhhh!

Ok I must move on if I keep on this subject I shall truly go insane! Last week when a front came through and it was a cool evening, ~~~~~~~~wavy lines indicate dream state with distant memory ~~~~~~~~~~~~ha ha~~~~~~~ I baked!! Three loaves of banana bread==2 with walnuts and one with chocolate chips, mixed up two batches of cookie dough==one chocolate chip with coconut and oatmeal that I baked just cookie sheets of  said cookie, the other a whole wheat snickerdoodles still in dough form in the freezer. And a Cherry Pie! I asked TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart what he would like since I was in a baking mood and he said "cherry pie" then he proceeded to stretch out on the couch for his after supper, evening power nap, just resting my eyes snooze (our days start early here the alarm goes off at 5:20 AM)! So I made a special cherry pie with his name on it!!! I couldn't wait for him to wake up later and ask "So what did you decide to make?" and I replied "Oh, there's a pie in the oven with your name on it!!!!!!!!!" Hehehe
It was great! I get my jollys in little ways!!!!!

The little dark spots on the pie are from the vanilla sugar I sprinkled on top. They are seeds from the vanilla bean. I also made some homemade vanilla (just cut a slit in vanilla beans and drop in a bottle of good vodka) with beans too!

Belated Father's Day Wishes



TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart         TheOther#1Son
                 and Anna

We had a great weekend! TheOther#1Son came home to give both his parents a little special treatment! He was on his way up to Wisconsion on Mother's Day, so this was some belated TLC for me and for his dad, on Father's Day weekend! His additional mother's day treat for me was that he washed and hung his own laundry on the line!!!! He was packin' an extra large laundry basket that overflowed and a large duffle!!! XD
We had fried chicken (he loves chicken legs), mashed potatoes, gravy and corn for supper on Friday evening when he arrived. On Saturday morning he and I made corned beef hash (a father's day tradition), eggs and toast with a side of catalope (it was only fair, needed to be riper) for breakfast. It was a hot day so we spent time in the pool and sitting on the deck under the umbrella consuming cool beverages and talking. I made cold chicken sandwiches for lunch, yummy! :P  For supper TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart grilled steaks (on his new charcoal grill) along with garlic bread,  I made a fresh greens salad (the lettuce was from our garden), mushrooms in garlic butter and red wine to top the steak and I reheated the lefover mashed potatoes! We tried to stay up late but the heat, the swimming and the sun made us crash early.
Sunday morning I made a breakfast sweet treat from puff pastry and cherry pie filling and we ate that out back, on the deck, along with fresh hot coffee! Nice morning! TheOther#1Son had to leave at 11 but didn't get away till noon, he needed to get back to Manhattan to his office to study and plan for this weeks classes. He's in the masters program for mathmatics, with his eye on a doctorate degree!!
TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart also had cards and phone calls from DD and #1Son, both live many, many miles away so their visits will have to wait for future dates. We have the best kids in the whole wide world, I'm so glad they're OURS!

Second chance

I've had these photos saved on desk top for a few days + a few more, finally getting them posted and written about, directed purposely to K, TheOther#1Son's best girl! Last year when she graduated from KSU and had to leave Manhattan for nursing school up in Wisconsin, and TheOther#1Son had to move also to a studio apartment, they no longer had a balcony to grow their potted plants, that they started earlier in the spring. So we inherited a tomato plant and various other potted plants :) But it was a hot dry summer and the hopeful tomato blossoms only yielded a few small tomatos and then died. (I think the roots cooked in the pot) Well they jokingly said they would have to rethink leaving any future grandkids with us as we "killed their tomato plant". I think though the above photo will help to redeem our image as caring grands!! The above flower is also one of the plants left in our care and it has not only lived over the winter, it has grown so well it had to be divided (yep it flourished in our care! wink, wink) with a portion returned to the original pot and the division portion planted in a second larger pot!!!!!!! So.......are we back on the list K? I'll bet we got moved to the TOP!!! XD

First sighting of the season!

LIGHTENING BUGS
Woohoo I love seeing lightening bugs across the grassy areas of the pasture! Last evening TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I took a walk after sunset down the driveway and there in the low lying areas were the little twinkle lights of summer!!! I look forward to their appearance every summer season, it takes me back to being a kid and chasing those glowing little bugs around the yard and trying to catch a few. We use to place lots in a jar and just watch it glow then release them later! Also and this one I'm not so proud of now, was where we use to catch and pinch off the glow part and place it on our ring finger to show off like a sparkly ring. Soooo sorry to all those lightening bug ancestors :(
Another favorite is the cicada! I just love the evening BUZZZ of those guys. While I haven't yet heard their sound, my cousin living in the eastern part of the state, has, so I'm hopeful our time is coming soon. It's really helps that our trees in the yard have grown taller to draw more closer to the house, better to enjoy while sitting on the back deck!

***the first cicadas arrived on July 5th****

June and the Full Moon

It was #1Son's 29th birthday on Monday!! Happy Birthday again #1Son! It was great visiting with you sure do miss your face though! Did you get your DQ cake?
It's still dry, dry, dry here and I'm getting very concerned, for the grasses, in the pasture, needed to feed the cows. The grass in the yard crackles under my feet and usually that doesn't happen until late July. I'm trying to keep positive about our rain chances but it's really hard, too many promising cloud banks have come and dissipated right before they reach us or just miss us only by a few miles! Then factor in the winds and you have extra drying out of the soils, especially in the garden, where plants were just watered with costly rural water,(we don't have a well) the previous evening. I think we need a rain dance!!! When we would camp with the kids, they use to dance around the campfire chanting "We don't want rain, baaaa!" Back then our tent and years later our progression to the pop-up camper were both magnets for drawing in storms!!!!!!   I guess maybe I'll have to dig the tent up out of the basement and set it up in the yard!!! See if it still has the old mojo!
Yesterday I cleaned and vacuumed in the basement. It was cool down there so vacuuming up dead rolly pollies was not to bad. But oh do we have the stuff. Our stuff, the kids stuff, stuff from when they were kids, stuff from their college lives, stuff, stuff, stuff!! TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart said we should have a garage sale. I said would people really come all the way out to the country for a garage sale? I don't know........ I've been hauling bags out from time to time to the thrift store, but it doesn't look like much of a dent has been made or a free space created anywhere. I guess I'll have to think about that, I really don't want to box it up only to have to unbox and display at a city location so as to get more traffic. If only I could get a tornado to carry away what I want to get rid of and still keep the rest, that could work!!!maaahahahah that's my sort of evil laugh!!!!!!!
Oh and my reference to the full moon it just rhymed with June so I went with it!! But seriously hasn't the full moon just been so gorgeous! It lights the countryside up, you can see for miles! You can also hear the coyotes howling so close I'm just sure I should be able to see them with the moon so bright, but nada, they're pretty sneaky!

TWO projects---completed this week!

Yea for me! I like DONE!! Most projects and that covers a multitude, get dragged out or forgotten or worse go out of style!! I have a few quilt projects that the colors coordinate to houses I no longer live in, (insert a very red face here). I'm so bad.......hehehe But these two look great and here's the biggie.... I even like them. Sometimes the vision in my head and the results are not the same! Anyone else?? So without further ado...... drum roll...... I present my newly paint sunflower mailbox and my fresh white kitchen curtains!

Belated Mother's Day wish!

Me and my Mother (of seven)

     I was enjoying my Mother's Day weekend so I didn't get this photo or my post up before the celebration day of Mothers.

 Saturday evening TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I took Mom out for dinner before attending our niece's high school graduation. It was a small graduating class, without a special guest speaker, so a pleasant evening of pomp and circumstance then an open house at my brother and sister-in-law's home. Lots of great food (prepared by my sister-in-law & nephew), visiting with family & friends, and congratulations to the graduate on her many achievements

(she received 7 scholarships in varying amounts)!

On Sunday morning TheManWhoHoldMyHeart prepared and served sourdough pancakes, fresh strawberries and Kona coffee sent over from the Big Island, part of the Mother's Day gift from #1Son.

I also received cards, gifts and phone calls from our three children!!
 I Love being a MOM!

So to all Moms out there in blogland a belated "Happy Mother's Day"!

Tis the season!!!

These two were visitors on Thursday morning and again on Friday morning, right outside our bedroom door! She wasn’t much interested in his stuff on Thursday, but on Friday they made whoopee out front, up on the driveway!

After this early morning wake up call, he belted out his gobble gobble right outside the screen door and we were sleeping with the glass door open!!! We decided to get up and have coffee out on the front porch. Well let me tell you all the birds were in a feathering the nest mood!! Pairing up and mating flights everywhere. We should have lots of “tweetering” all around in about a month. It was a beautiful morning, light winds, just the right temp and clear skies! So thank you turkeys we had a great early morning!

STRAWBERRIES



A FEAST FOR THE EYES........THEN OUR MOUTHS!!!
FIRST OF THE SEASON

Flip Flops & Flowers

I still like to call them "thongs" just to make my kids squirm! XD  Especially the youngest he would exclaim "MOM they're flip flops!" I'm sure the mental image of his Mom in a thong was pretty appauling,... disgusting,.... um..sick---it is to me now too, so let's move on. But growing up in the 60's that's what they were called, so I sometimes let it slip and go back to my childhood summers of rubber thongs! Hehe The styles and colors now for flip flops are endless and the tutorials for creating your own are out there if you google it! I've had two styles I've wanted to try bookmarked for a while and finally got around to creating my own yesterday, aren't the knots cute, not so much the feet... and I love purple!!

 Do these look familiar K? We made a pair, with a different fabric and flip flop selection, for TheOther#1Son's girl K when she was here back in March. I also tried another style with ruffles attached to a triangular fabric piece but they just looked wrong so I scraped them. These are also really comfortable, the only tweaking needed is a better way to keep the knot on the underside from pulling through as they wear. Still contemplating that design flaw.... I am keeping this pair for wearing in the house, sort of as summer slippers.

Now for the beautiful spring bouquet, of fresh cut flowers,
setting on the kitchen island!

Just gorgeous and the kitchen smells wonderful.  ENJOY!

MAY DAY! (If you catch 'em you get a kiss)

So happy to see May! Does anyone out there still deliver May baskets? I'd like to but living in the country makes it hard to sneak up on anyone, plus all the people I'd like to send May baskets to live too far away!! Long ago when I was in kindergarten I helped some neighbor girls deliver little paper cups with pipe cleaner handles, of candy, to unsuspecting neighbors. We had such fun!!!!!! Only once since then do I remember a May Day delivery. Who was first I don't remember, but who got caught I remember that! Any guesses TheOther#1Son????? Our neighbor across the street, Shirley, left some Star War toys no longer used by her son, on the porch for our Star Wars addict! So either he put a cup of candy on her porch or she put the Star Wars toys on ours first, as I said I just don't remember, but I do know who got caught and who got a kiss!! Sometimes us more mature women are thought to be slow, but we can surprise!!!! ;-)
*******************************************
After speaking on the phone with #1Son about the above May day happening he said he remembers some tears from TheOther#1Son when he got caught by Shirley! Is his memory correct? Or has island living turned #1Son's brain to poi???? Please comment TheOther#1Son......

Where are the April showers?????

It's still pretty dry here and our total for the month is roughly 2.5 inches :(
TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart has planted all the vegatables in the garden and has already began to use his new watering idea for the tomato plants. It's a form of drip irrigation! I'll have to get a picture and show you, it's pretty clever, he's been a soil and water conservationist for almost 33 years so he does have a few tricks up his sleeve. While he's not as extreme as a tree hugger, he is a land lubber, haha!! We both believe in protecting our natural resources for future generations. We talk windbreaks, no-till, and terrace farming just to name a few, of the soil conservation practices, that have become common vocabulary, for us and our children, as they grew up. I'm so darn proud of him for all the years he has devoted to conserving the plains, and providing for his family, while ensuring a future on the land for generations to come!! I <3 The ManWhoHoldsMyHeart!

These are his girls, all heifers, that make The Wandering Star Ranch
 authentic for about 7 months out of the year!

Man it's a HOT one, like seven inches from the midday sun!

Do you know the song?? I know you do DD! Here in the middle of Kansas it will feel like seven inches from the midday sun again today! We set a new record yesterday with 95 degrees and today is setting up to be the same, so I imagine another record will fall, as well as myself!! I thought I was melting yesterday, so today I have closed the house up (around 10AM) and will ride it out with the ceiling fans and iced tea. Yesterday I had left the windows open and at 4:30PM the dining room thermostat showed the room to be 93 degrees! I knew it was warm, but seeing that made me go back to lying on the couch and reading, where movement was minimal. It was difficult to think of what to have for supper, so I opted for coconut shrimp(already breaded in the freezer) that I heated up in my electric skillet. For a side, I chopped up some green onions and red pepper into a casserole dish with a pat of butter and cooked in the microwave, added some leftover white rice and sliced toasted almonds, mixed and heated all together. For some other cool sides, marinated asparagus and a corn relish made from leftover corn-on-the-cob. Pretty yummy for a hot girl in the kitchen! Interpret how you will!! We finished the evening out on the porch in the rockers after the sun went down! aahhhhh

Sitting in a coffee shop!! and lovin it!!

My blog entry today is from downtown Salina, at Mokas Bakery and Bistro! Woot Woot I've always wanted to be one of those people sipping coffee and just surfing the net! Sure I've been here before for coffee, but hooking up with a laptop, that's a first! ok so once again, this shows how lagging I am in the tech world but I'm making baby steps and it feels GOOD! We just got the laptop at Christmas, our home PC was TheOther#1Son's and he wanted it back at college. I have also experienced the ipad, DD has one, issued by the school system where she teaches, and I have to say it's awesome, I would love to have one of those someday!! What's really great about hooking up here for Internet is that it's so much faster than our home connection and of course the great coffee, I'm having caramel coffee and I just finished off a key lime cupcake (vanilla cupcake w/cream cheese filling topped with yummy frosting and sprinkled with coconut). Time for a second cuppa, be right back........Ok I'm back. The place is filling up, the large round table near me is full of (older than me ladies) didn't want to say "little old ladies", having coffee and just chatting away. At the table right next to me a business attired young man, and lets face it anymore most men are going to be younger than me. I'm even older than TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart (by four months) he always reminds me that I'm the "older woman" , I prefer today's name a "Cougar"!! Haha Farther away from me there is a young couple in a booth, a table of four hmmm possibly older men, two girlfriends in a booth,  more couples at high top tables, etc. Nice crowd, the aroma of coffee, Sirrus XM coffee shop music, and me here in the corner booth sipping coffee and enjoying my morning!

Just on the edge...

While some of Kansas got tornados, we received some marble size hail and not quite an inch of rain!
I know-- lucky huh?? Well........, that's not really the way we see it! While I don't want to get wiped off the map with a tornado, we, TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart and I love watching storm clouds build out on the horizon. We are in awe of the lightening flashing in huge branches across the sky and the boom of thunder as it builds, rumbles, and crashes in a loud crescendo! Oh yea that's what the rocking chairs on our front porch are all about, getting the IMAX view of the storm!! For several years now the storms have been lacking as we are in a dry cycle and most of the promising radar formations either split and go around us or just disipate before they reach us. So, for the most part we've been limited to enjoying sunsets from the rockers, very satisfying, but we'd love to mix it up with a good Cumulonimbus incus (look it up) cloud formation, they build upward right before your eyes! So, while storm chasers are out there seeking the thrill, we'll be here waiting for it to come to us!

Gray Day :-( Needs some color :-)

Check the close up photo of the lilac bush.....see it?? 

I spy with my little eye a HONEYBEE!!!

Yes almost in the center of the picture, the yellow dot is the worker bee's leg covered in pollen!

Pretty amazing!! I tried for several minutes, at least 20 or so really, to get the perfect picture of a bee with pollen covered legs, on a flower. They are fast workers, by the time I got the subject bee in the lens and focused it moved on to the next flower. Also the tiny screen on the camera was hard for my "old" eyes to get a good view of the bee and snap the picture! So I was really pleased with the results of this particular photo, the colors, the bee and the clarity came together nicely!! Enjoy!

My Addictions

Yes, I have a monkey(s) on my back!

 COFFEE AND DARK CHOCOLATE!!

Together or apart! But together they make my eyes roll back in my head! XD

I started drinking coffee many years ago, but it became an addiction in Devils Lake, ND in the mid '90's when Paul Johnson and his father Dan opened The Liquid Bean! It's still there today and going strong, even without my support! No surprise it's got atmosphere, great eats, wonderful personnel and of course Great Coffee! We began buying beans and grinding our own coffee at home, for our daily cuppa at about that same time. Plus we switched our usual coffee pot for a thermos pot, that way the coffee stayed hot without sitting on a burner/warmer and getting that burnt taste. We stayed with that mode for years, until TheOther#Son presented us with a Keurig apparatus. (that's a whole nother story that I may or may not share someday!)  ;-)  We've been using it for several years now and oh what a great fresh brewed single cuppa coffee! The k-cups are spendy though, so we have gone to an eco-cup that allows you to fill your own similar style k-cup with a ground coffee of your choice. I'm a couponer so I usually get some discount on the bag and we have done the math (wink wink to TheOther#1Son) and found that we get a great cup of coffee for about $.20!!

Dark chocolate has more recently become an addiction, about 2 years. My 2 favorites are Lindt dark with chili, and surprisingly enough Hershey's dark (the cheapest of most dark chocolates). My favorite chocolate chip for cookies is also the Hershey dark chocolate chip! Back in February I found a recipe @bakerella.com for Dark Chocolate Chip Comfort Cookies! OMG They are amazing, what's so surprising is they also have peanut butter in the mix and I was pretty sceptical, while milk chocolate and peanut butter is good, (yea like a Reese's) dark chocolate seems too refined to go with peanut butter! But Noooo it's soooo yummy!!! I made them twice in a row because we couldn't stop, even my Mom likes them and she says she does not like dark chocolate!

So I've come forward and admitted my addictions.....what are yours?????????????

It's always something----

Now the digital camera is protesting, I know our pictures were not that interesting but come on!! The lens will not recede back into the camera, it makes the noise but nothing happens and just holds a fuzzy picture. So we are debating what to do.... it's only 2 1/2 years old, but I suppose in tech years it's centuries!!!We don't like the just dispose of it society fix, so I'm guessing we will first opt for sending it in to see what the cost/prognosis is. I'm old enough to remember fixing something was always the first choice, in a series of repair steps, for appliances, clothing, etc. I do miss buying a brand because it was dependable, golly gee but I am getting old I sound like my grandma!!!! Might as well I'm also beginning to look like her, soft facial hair, extra chin, arms that keep on waving after my hand has stopped, just can't get into the roll down support hose with cotton dresses!! Maybe, the cotton dresses though come summer! I WOULD like sewing some cotton prints into something cool and comfortable to wear, except on windy days that would be disturbing to all.... seeing my granny panties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hehe I think a dress, in the evening, after a shower, when some relaxing is in order, but not quite ready for jammies yet! That might be doable! When I was pregnant with DD the summer of 1980, I wore one particular dress everyday for 2 straight months!!!!!! Look it up we had a record breaking heat wave of 30-40 something straight days of 100 degree temps, in Garden City, KS. The dress was a brown paisley print with the elastic gathered bodice, a style that is making a come back now! You buy the yardage needed to go around your chest, plus seam allowance and then sew one seam add some shoulders straps and volia' your done!! I was sooo tired of the dress that I threw it away when I came home from the hospital =D But now I really wish I had kept it for a project of some kind for DD. I also sewed a few halter dresses that I wore in the early marriage years that put a devilish twinkle in TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart's eye and brought a dimpled grin to his face. One particular warm evening, I put the kids to bed early, put on his favorite halter dress, some albums on the stereo, cooked supper and we dined by candlelight and danced! It was so romantic!!!XXXX......................... Yes, maybe some cotton summer dresses ....but let's get real I'll need some hidden support!!!! LOL

Meet the Mousers!

 The 3 girls! (back to front) Bogie, Beth {she's mama to all} and Buffy!

 Bogie and Beth!

 Dom Rocko, the only male, sort of (neutered)! He's on Kitty Krack!! CATNIP in the garden!

It's just too funny to watch him roll and get all gaa gaa! TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart had to move the catnip plants out of my herb garden and into the main garden where the cats can roll and roll without flattening the rest of the herbs! 

Beth has been with us since 2003, had her first litter of kittens in '04 of which Bogie and Buffy joined our country collection! They matured and had litters of which we were able to find homes for all! On the second round of litters, I said while I love the kittens, it's time to get them fixed. Oh and Beth's second litter gave us Dom Rocko of which he was the only one to survive so he had all the mama's milk he could hold! Thus he was a little butter ball and TheOther#1Son was so sure he would never walk as his little legs stuck out to the side and he would just slide on his little belly!!!!HaHa That's where  his name came from he looked like a mafia boss ;)

As I mentioned in the title they are great mousers and all lovin' the scratch behind the ears, on the back, under the chin, etc. very friendly!!!!! On a fun fact note--- Dom Rocko and Anna are the best of buddies! When Dom was in his butter ball kitten phase Anna, also in her german shepherd puppy years, use to carry him around in her mouth, just like mama Beth!!!!! It was so funny! Dom Rocko still likes to rub against Anna when she lying around and Anna will give him a lick on the head if she thinks we aren't watching, doesn't want to damage her I'M the DOG image!!

Willow of whom I've named the blog after is our only inside cat, she and her brother Xander were the only 2 kittens left in Buffy's last litter that we were unable to find homes for so I caved and we brought them into the house! We had just buried our beloved house cat "Sunshine" of 16 years, that previous spring and I said "No more!"
 Zander and Willow we're a very cute pair and lots of entertainment! Xander was also a sewing cat!! He passed in '09 of a digestional problem, so Willow has adjusted and relishes in her position as director of the house staff!!!!!!

The signs of Spring!

The bees are a buzzin'-- - - --- --

                                 The ornamental pear tree is really keeping the bees busy!!
TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart is a bee keeper, so he really enjoys watching his bees thrive and buzz with excitement at the arrival of spring flowers! The honey is sooooo delicious!! It's one of the food items TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart loves to slather on! I think I mentioned once before that slather is one of his most favorite words and he uses it as often as possible! Hehehe
More spring pictures to come! I'm lovin these above average springtime temperatures :-)

Baking Lesson

Peanut Butter Twists

TheOther#1Son and his girl K wanted to learn how to bake PBT while here on spring break! What do you think? I give them an A++++++++      I did cheat though and mixed the dough up in the bread machine, so next time I think we will do some kneading, everyone really needs to get the satisfaction of kneading by hand. Kneading lets you work out frustrations, clear your mind and get a good arm workout leaving you feeling refreshed and rewarded with a great bread treat. The recipe we mixed up made approx. 36 twists, but we had no trouble eating most of the first tray while still warm with the frosting barely set, and the peanut butter filling still gooey, uummmmm.

These rolls are a close replica to the ones that use to be served in my high school lunchroom. Russell High School had the best lunch ladies, who made the best school lunches!! Everything from scratch and extras if you told them how much you liked whatever the entree was for the day. Fresh rolls most days so when the smell started wafting through the school your stomach was growling in anticipation!

I'm sure by now I've got you licking your computer screen, so stop! Just come on over and I'll see if I can turn out a pan of rolls in a few hours and we can chat while we wait!!!

Friday Morning Coffee [_]p

It's suppose to look like a mug of coffee [_]p in the title! Can you see it?? Squint your eyes!!

I awoke to a beautiful spring morning, we've had rain now for 4 days (1.52"), but this morning..... glorious sunshine. So I woke TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart, I dried two deck chairs, he got out the cushions, I made the coffee and we sat out there, sipping coffee in the sunshine! The air was so fresh and the birds were singing lots of different tunes. I could identify a few, robins, meadow lark, black birds, turtle doves, pheasants, quail, and TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart thought he could hear prairie chickens! Nice Huh! We probably sat out there for almost an hour, then the breeze began to pick up, cooling things off just a bit too much. Now it's partly cloudy with fluffy,low gray clouds.

Oh I must tell you what I got to do yesterday! TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart had taken the day off to hit the sale barn and price/buy cows! So while he was there I went to the library, picked up some books on herb gardening, canning, bread baking, meals for 2 cooking and a fiction book. Then to the mall to buy earrings for my nieces who recently got their ears pierced and get to remove them this weekend since it will be the end of the initial 6 weeks waiting period. I found a cute card of 9 pair at Claire's. Looked around some at Penney's but no great sale prices, I really don't care for their new retail style of always low prices. It doesn't feel like "Woohoo I got a good deal, look at what I saved!!!!!" So I went to Sears and found a really nice winter coat-eggplant purple with a fur trimmed hood, for $25.00! In fact all the winter coats were $25! I also found a sweatshirt style jacket w/pockets to wear around the house (I layer a lot) for $5! So then TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart called and said he was ready to be picked up from the sale barn. After I picked him up we ran a few more errands, THEN since we were so close to Petco I said we should go in and play with the ferrets for awhile! Usually they are sleeping and don't acknowledge your prescence, But I guess something about my voice sounded like I was a ferret's friend so they woke and wanted to play. One of the pet handlers opened the enclosure and I got to hold one that looked a lot like the one we use to care for (Hobbs, he belonged to #1Son) and grew to love so much. #1Son lived in Hawaii and still does, but was not allowed to bring a ferret to Hawaii so Hobbs lived his last years with us!!! Oh they are the most smellest pets But oh what personalities!! So anyway we played with both ferrets for about 20 minutes then said our goodbye. I would really really love to have another, but when Hobbs died my heart broke all over the place, I'm even tearing up now writing about him and that was in May of 09'. He had a tumor in his mouth and we (the vet and I) decided it was time to put him to sleep, so I held him for his last 40 minutes, then took the little box home and we buried him up on the hill under the mulberry tree. I've always been tender hearted but maybe old age is making me feel emotion more deeply or it's that damn menopause again! So playing with ferrets at the pet store lets me laugh and remember all the funny antics of that very special little ferret!!