I made my man happy!

 We went to the store yesterday.  Cliff used to stay in the car and read or just play around on his phone.  Now he needs to come with me.  I do fine getting what I want, but I have trouble one way or another as I'm getting checked out, and it's embarrassing.  We use a credit card now because I don't have to reach in my purse and get money out.  Even then, I like him with me just in case.

I always tell him to get anything he wants in Price Chopper, and he usually finds something.  This week it was pot pies.  Then he saw some pimento cheese, which he loves.  I told him to get it, but he said the price was too high.  I told him we have plenty of money to get whatever we want to eat, but he refused.

This morning I though about his love of pimento cheese and thought, "Maybe I have what I need to make some."

I always look for any recipe first on Allrecipes.com, so I found one that had a solid five-star rating and had everything I needed to make it.  It was so easy I couldn't believe it!

Here's the recipe:

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese      8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 half-cup mayonnaise   1 (4 ounce jar) diced pimento, drained

1/4th teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne powder

Put all that into a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.

Cliff had a sandwich for breakfast!  Don't tell him, but I think he still spent almost the same money as he would have spent if he'd bought it at the store.

 

Everything is harder now

Since I messed up my latest blog, I decided to come to this one, which ended in 2008.  Once in awhile I do miss "talking" about something.  Since most of my friends who followed me here know that I have dementia of some kind, I'm sure if you notice a mistaken word (or worse) from time to time, you will know why.

Here's a strange thing.  I totally stopped playing my guitar and singing at a certain point; I just didn't care about it any more.  Last July, a nephew asked me to sing Bobby McGee, my favorite song (except for all the hymns I love, of course), but  I couldn't do it.  I didn't even know the first line (busted flat in Baton Rouge waiting for a train).  Cliff told me I should sell my guitar if I couldn't use it, but for some reason I just couldn't do it.

On Sundays at church the preacher would ask me to sing, but I knew that when I picked up my guitar, I wouldn't know an A chord from a C chord, so I really couldn't do it.

Then one day I decided to write down the words to Bobby McGee.  With a little help from my husband, I managed to get the tune back.  Most of the time now, I can sing that particular song without the lyrics in front of me.  

So I decided to try some of the old hymns, found two I loved, and sort of put them together and sang them at church.  I couldn't believe I got through it, but I did; of course, I did have the words in front of me, but I made a decision:  Every morning I would spend some time with my guitar, singing hymns.  It's the best decision I could have made!  I have three hymn books with shaped notes from three Church-of-Christ congregations, and I use them all, although the one from my Grandma Stevens is pretty hard to read:

Notice the bottom line is 1940

Grandma's church was "Zion Church of Christ".

I start my day happy now, and all those songs are words of life.  

A rewarding day!

Cliff and I went off in search of some shade trees today.  We ended up at Colonial Nursery, south of Blue Springs.  I figured they'd be a little pricey for us, but surely we could afford a couple of trees.  I wanted fast-growing trees with a little size to them.

I'm impressed with the people at Colonial Nursery every time we're there:  they are so knowledgeable and helpful.

Turns out we landed right smack in the middle of a 25%-off tree sale!  We came home with two Autumn Blaze maples, and a Chanticleer Pear tree, all of them at least ten feet tall.

We also got a start of Pampas grass.  I've always been fascinated with the stuff.  I realize that in some places it's considered an invasive weed, but I'll take my chances.

All of that for less than $100.  I love a bargain.

To make a good day even better, we'd no sooner gotten home than the propane man arrived with a boom truck and moved our tank.  So that unsightly thing is no longer ten feet away from my deck and hot tub.

As icing on the cake of a wonderful day, I checked in with my sister and she's feeling pretty darned well.  She'll see her doctor tomorrow afternoon, but I expect only good news from him

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Tags: trees, home sweet home

musings from the trailer house

My sister went home yesterday, and her son and daughter-in-law are going to stay at least for a couple of days with her.  She'll see her doctor on Tuesday. 

Cliff's sister Charlene and her husband are here for the weekend.  They've spent lots of weekends here lately, and since they are our favorite guests, we're glad:  They accept us as we are, we're comfortable with them... and they're so much fun.  We no longer call the extra bedroom the "guest bedroom".  Oh no, we call it "Pat and Charlene's room".  They leave a few clothes, toothbrushes, and so forth, here.  It's their home away from home.

Their last visit, they were here getting their farmhouse ready for its new tenant.  This time a funeral brought them.  They say this will probably be their last visit for awhile, and that makes me rather sad.  I guess we'll have to go visit them in St. Louis... but they haven't bought their hot tub yet!  I don't know if I can survive without my morning soak in the hot tub.

Of course I jest, but it surely is a wonderful way to wake up, with all those jets massaging my back, legs and feet.

The chemicals drive me crazy, though.  Not that it's time-consuming, adding them; because it isn't.  But I'm always wondering if I'm doing everything right.  Some things are to be added with one pump running, some with two pumps but no aerator running, whatever that means.  Oh, and if you use the wrong chemicals it can mess up some of the workings... and that's not covered in the warranty.  Cliff says, "Don't worry about it; if we have to get it fixed, we will."

Charlene and  Pat love the hot tub and have intentions of buying one for themselves before too long.  I told them that perhaps by then, I'll know enough about these pricey chemicals to be able to advise them.

I have cinnamon roll dough rising in the kitchen.  Yesterday we had biscuits and gravy.  I cook like that when our favorite guests are in residence, but I do remind Cliff not to over-indulge.  And he listens to me pretty well. 

Life is good.

Tags: hot tub, Pat and Charlene

Hello, from the hospital

I brought my laptop with me when I came to spend some time with my sister in the hospital, figuring to play some big band music I'd put on a CD for her.  Imagine my delight when I realized I had Internet access here!  I created a station on Pandora which I named "Bing Crosby Radio" and added Glenn Miller and similar names to the roster.  As I type this, I'm hearing Bing Crosby sing "On The Sunny Side of the Street".  Maxine isn't hearing much, because she's taking a nap in the chair.

She's eating adequate meals; this morning she was able to stand at the sink and brush her teeth.  So far, so good.

So when she's taking her little naps (usually right after her dose of pain-killer) I've been educating myself on polyps.  I've learned that the procedure she had is called a laparotomy.  I've been instructed on these websites that anyone who has a family member with a history of polyps (that would be my sister) or a family history of colon cancer (one of my dad's brothers) should start having colonoscopies at age forty.  Hmmm, I'm twenty-four years late.  But as soon as we get Maxine home (four to seven days after surgery), I'm scheduling my first colonoscopy.  Once that's over, I'll schedule one for Cliff.  Our doctors have been telling us for some time we should do this, but it's taken this little adventure to really push me into action.

So, that's what's up with me and my sister.

Tags: Maxine, colonoscopy

Spammed!

Am I the only person in J-land who keeps getting spam comments in my journal?  This hadn't happened in a long time, but now I keep getting what appear to be "bot" comments on old entries.  As soon as I discover what's happening, I block that user and delete all comments they've made; next day, they're back with a slightly-altered screen name.

Grrrr.

My sister's surgery

I asked for prayers and positive thoughts for my sister a few days ago.  Her surgery was this afternoon, and she seems to have come through with flying colors.  The surgery didn't last as long as we expected and there were no complications.

I still appreciate all prayers for her fast recovery and healing.  She deserves it.

Tags: Maxine

My Sidewalks

A regular reader wanted to see pictures of our sidewalks, so I rushed right outside and took a few pictures.  Keep in mind that the ugly propane tank in back will be moved (we've already asked the company to do so, and are patiently waiting) and we'll have grass in the spots where now you see pasture-grass, weeds, and/or mud.  Probably not this fall, from the look of things.  But hopefully next spring.

Tags: home sweet home, sidewalks

fact or fiction?

I received an interesting email yesterday, one of those that sent me running to Snopes.com, because it sounded like something made up by someone.  And it probably is, but right now there's no way of knowing. 

I'm sure some of you have received it also:  It states that on or about October 5, Joe Biden is going to step down from the Democratic ticket citing health reasons, and will be replaced by Hillary.  To read the thing in its entirety, click HERE.

It will be interesting to follow this one, since Snopes gives its authenticity an "undetermined" rating.  To me, this means it might possibly be true.

This has already been one of the most interesting and unique election years ever, and that would really shake up the mix!

What do you think?  Will it happen?

Tags: election, hillary

It's a great day for a motorcycle ride

Cliff and I left home around nine this morning, thinking perhaps we might ride to Versailles and maybe say hello to some of his relatives.

Once on the road, we realized we hadn't dressed warmly enough; I had my light motorcycle jacket on without the liner, so it was pretty drafty.  Cliff had nothing over his short-sleeved shirt.  Still, we figured as the day wore on, it would warm up.

We took blacktop roads we'd never traveled before, and half the time we didn't quite know where we were.  We did know that as long as we went east and south, we'd end up close to our destination.

However, when we came out near Sedalia, we decided not to go any further away from home.  It was noon, and would have taken another hour to drive to Versailles.  And I was cold!

Sedalia has a beautiful city park we love, so we had our picnic there before turning toward home.  By the time we were on the road again, the temperature had climbed to a pleasant 75 degrees.

Tags: motorcycle ride, Sedalia, corn harvest

Another one Edna sent

Edna is on dial-up, so she can't watch many of the videos people share; she can only watch those that come to her as a download.  I got this one this morning from her, and I knew it had to be on Youtube.

Sure enough, I found the clip, which is almost nine minutes long.

This little boy impresses me with his intelligence as much as with his piano-playing.  What a gift of gab the child has!

Tags: Ethan, Jay Leno

seen in email from Cliff's cousin, Edna (I claim her as my cousin, too)

Subject: Thanks        

I just want to thank all of you for your educational emails over the past year. 
Thanks to you, I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I can't enjoy lemon slices in my tea or on my seafood anymore because lemon peels have been found to contain all kinds of nasty germs including feces.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pass-time while driving alone is picking your nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot)

Eating a Little Debbie sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of Trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom. Yuck!

I must send my special thanks to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas..

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda & Singapore and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

Have a wonderful day...

Oh, by the way.....
A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Tags: email funny, edna

It's been a decent day

Cliff and I rode the motorcycle this morning.  Oh, not very far... just to Higginsville, where we window-shopped at Kleinschmidts, bought some essentials at Orschelns's (where it's peanut days and you can stroll around the store shelling peanuts and dropping the shells on the floor), and ate at our favorite Pizza Hut.

Of course, any motorcycle trip with Cliff that takes you through a farming town involves cruising the back lot of every tractor dealer to see what sort of used tractors they've taken as trade-in.  Cliff will ask questions like, "Is that Oliver a diesel?"

Sheesh, how would I know?  I'm just glad I can tell an Oliver from a John Deere.

Granddaughter Natalie spent the afternoon here and had a ride on Blue; she's so out of practice, though, that he kept trying to take over.  Not a good thing.  I imagine part of the problem is that nobody rides him except me, so he's become somewhat a one-person horse.

I called my sister this evening to make sure her scheduled surgery is still a "go".  I'd appreciate prayers on her behalf:  she's eighty years old, and has never had any type of surgery.  In fact, she doesn't even take blood pressure meds, or any other  prescription drugs.  She has some polyps that were too difficult to remove during her last colonscopy, so they're doing the surgery to get those.  The doctor assured her that they aren't suggesting, or even thinking, that she might have cancer; they just want to get this problem area fixed so nothing becomes cancer.  Next Tuesday is the day.

But I'm sure Maxine is nervous, because I certainly would be.  I have one sister, and she is very special to me, and to everyone who knows her.

So pray for her peace of mind, and for her continued health.

Tags: Higginsville, motorcycle ride, Maxine

I rode my horse

The weather just now is so perfect, it almost defies description.

Big, full moon in the mornings when I'm soaking in the hot tub.

Crisp air, with temperatures in the forties to start.

Blue, cloudless skies.  Highs around seventy in the afternoon.

So of course I saddled Blue yesterday after Cliff left for work.

It was a good ride.  I was amazed to see the corn has turned from green to brown, looking ready for harvest.  I had my camera, and figured I'd share the autumn landscape with my readers.

Except that the battery was dead.  The battery lasts so long on my little camera that it always comes as a surprise when it finally needs re-charging.

Just take my word for it, it's a wonderful world out there right now.



On another note, the last of our concrete was poured yesterday.  Now we can buckle down-knuckle down to living in our new spot.  Oh, there are minor things we still need to do, but those will be out-of-pocket expenses.  Things like planting grass and getting the propane tank moved to a better location.  Cliff is in the process of laying out boundaries for our yard.  Oh, and I may plant some tulips today.

Tags: What a wonderful world

Hummingbirds, still around

My thermometer reads 48 this morning.  As cold as it is, though, the hummingbirds still come to the feeders as soon as there's light in the east.

One of the myths about hummingbirds is that you have to bring the feeders inside or they won't migrate to Mexico for the winter, and they'll freeze.

Another myth is that they hitchhike to Mexico on the backs of geese.

For a list of hummingbird myths, go HERE.  (Some of these seemed quite ridiculous to me.)

To learn more about hummingbirds that you dreamed possible, go to Hummingbirds.net.

I had never watched these tiny creatures until this summer.  I have to say it's been a real experience, watching them drink the sugar-water and fight over it.  Just goes to show, there's always something new to experience if you keep your eyes open.

According to those websites, my little friends will likely disappear around October 15.

Tags: hummingbirds, myths

Klondike Park

When we headed home from St. Louis on Labor Day, Charlene and Pat thought we'd enjoy Klondike Park.  As I've mentioned before, the country south and west of St. Louis is amazing.

There was a steep trail going up to an observation area which Charlene said they'd never taken time to use.  I love going to the top of hills or mountains, just to see what lies below.  So we began our trek.

The view was fantastic.  This was one of the best thirty-minute off-the-road site I've visited.

By the way, if you google Klondike Park, you'll find it's very common for people to rock-climb (despite signs saying "no rock climbing") and fall, injuring themselves.

Tags: Klondike Park, St. Louis

My son is a genius

Check out my son's comment on the last entry.  (Woodmotorsports)

I did what he said to do.

My TV works just fine in that mode, thank you very much.

I'm not sure what we do next, but our next-door neighbor works for Dish.

I'll bet he'll know what to do.

Tags: television, audio, dish

Sheesh

I turned on our television a while ago, only to learn it has NO SOUND.  "Mute" isn't on.  It isn't a Dish problem, because the little TV in the bedroom works.

Something tells me it isn't going to be cheap to get a plasma TV worked on.

It's about two years old.

Wish me luck.

Tags: television, piece of junk

We're getting a sidewalk now.

No more wet grass clippings and mud tracked into the house!  Woo-hoooo!

Tags: concrete sidewalks

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