Saturday, November 30, 2013

Catch Up

Greetings!

It's been a week since I posted, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and that other holiday is just around the corner!  I am still focused on Thanksgiving however.


These are a bunch of wild turkeys (taken through a screen door) that used to come in our back yard all the time when we lived in Missouri.  I remember the first time I saw them, how excited I was!  I'm an ex-city girl, remember??   I did feel sorry for them though, hoping they wouldn't end up on someone's table on Thanksgiving! 


Oh yeah, this is a better picture!  I can remember our little Calico cat creeping up on them like she was going to make a big kill!  It was amusing to watch.

We spent this Thanksgiving with our friends Kathy and John again.  This is our 3rd year in a row.  I think it has become a tradition now!  Kathy loves to cook and so who am I to turn them down?  Besides, none of us have any other family in Oklahoma, so it's kind of a "misfit" dinner.  Ha!  This year there were 7 of us "misfits", and the dinner was supurb; I told Kat she had outdone herself this year.  We had turkey, meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, dressing, mixed vegetabless, cold slaw, brussel sprouts from my garden fixed with bacon and garlic, 2 kinds of sliced cucumbers, deviled eggs, homemade cranberry sauce, hot rolls and about 6 different kinds of pies and desserts!  I may have missed something, but you get the gist of it!

And I ate most everything without guilt, even though I've started my Lipitor for cholesterol.......bad timing on the doctor's part!  ha  All in all, we had a great dinner and afternoon, visiting with new friends - a young married couple, the girl from San Diego - and old ones, and giving thanks for our blessings.  Wonder what Christmas dinner will bring??????

I hope you all had an equally fine Thanksgiving.   Until next time, take care.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Wheels ~ A Fine Ride

Greetings!

Since I've been having trouble with my legs and hips and back, and can't walk like I used to, I decided I needed something to get around the "grounds" with.  And what could be better than a GAS powered golf cart?!


 
 

 
 
I found the ad on Craigs list and we went for it.  It involved about a 70 mile, one way, trip, but we saw lots of new countryside and had an enjoyable drive.  The cart was being sold by 2 teenage brothers who now want to buy a pickup!  I got $100 off the asking price and about 1/2 tank of gas in the deal, so not too bad.  It even has a "hitch" so I can pull my garden wagon behind for when I'm policing the litter on our roads, or picking up branches, etc. in the yard.  So far I've ridden it up to the mailbox a couple of times and around the yard.  It's really been too cold out to go "cruising"! 
 
So, if you're having trouble getting around like you used to, consider getting a gas golf cart!
 
I love it!   Until next time, take care.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Laughter in the Kitchen

Greetings!

Happy Veterans Day to all those brave men and women who have served and are serving in our country's armed forces.  They are truly the most unselfish persons we will ever know; putting their lives in harms way to ensure our freedom!  I pray God will keep them safe.

Now, I want to share a good laugh with you.  Some time back I decided that making a full fledged cake was way too much for my husband and I, so I bought a couple of Jiffy cake mixes.  I thought a half a cake (or less)  would be just right; save us from eating cake for a week or more, not to mention all the calories.  

So the other day I decided to make one of those little devils!  And here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Now just in case you can't tell how "big" it is, check out the next picture!
 



I baked it in an 8 x 8 pan, so obviously it should have been thicker than that!  I'm telling you, we laughed so hard it hurt.

My advice is to check the expiration date on the box before you make one!  This one had expired more than a year ago, and it's no secret the leavening agents were kaput!

So we got brave, put some chocolate frosting on it, and had a "thin" piece.  Then it went into the garbage!  LOL LOL LOL  Oh well, it's always fun to have a good laugh!!

Until next time, take care.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Color Day

Greetings!

The other day I took my camera and went crazy taking pictures of the Fall colors.  But much to my dismay, the colors don't come out as bright and vivid in a picture as they do to the naked eye.  I suppose if I had an expensive camera they would, but my little point and shoot does what it can.


This is practically sitting at our driveway, looking down the STEEP hill and up the other side steep hill!  And down in the bottom, in the flat part, is Winter's Holler.  Our friend Bill lives in the holler, on the left, just passed the puddle you see, and raises "show chickens".  He supplied us with hens for egg laying at one point; has chickens running loose all over his place!  Anyway, the colors at the Holler are pretty bright and beautiful!



The three trees in gold and orange are in a pasture we pass on our way to Webbers Falls/Gore/I40 area.  They were beautiful also.


 
This great display of the reds is at the end of our driveway.  Mostly Sumac, and they provide the best red color in all the areas.
 
So, I have more but don't want to bore you.  We need to move on and start thinking about the big Thanksgiving feast!  Our friends Kathy and John invited us to their house for the feast -- this will be the 3rd year in a row we have gone there.  It is so nice to have friends like them (no blood family around) when you don't have blood family around, and there are always others there who have no family also.  Gives you the true meaning of Thanksgiving in my opinion.  And we always have more food than is necessary!  :)  Love it.
 
I know my children and grandchildren will have a big get-together and I wish them a grand time.
 
Until next time, take care.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Special Day

Greetings!

Today is my favorite #2 daughter's birthday!  She is 48 today; and catches up with her older sister who is also 48 (until November 27th)!  How's that for being busy?  :)

I wish I had a picture of her, but alas, I haven't got one that's on the computer, and I'm not savvy enough to know how to copy one from the old "snapshot" kind.  I'll just say she is a very beautiful young woman, with a great figure - still, after having 5 children , lovely dark brown hair (I wonder if there is any gray in it yet?) a great Mother, a hard worker, and a health food and exercise nut!  (She doesn't get that from her Mother!)

I love you dearly my Karen, and I salute you with this post.  I hope you continue to do well in life.

Until next time..................

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

My Day

Greetings!

This is my day to be egotistical!  Today I am 69 years old; or young, however you want to look at it!
I had a grand day, with 12 or more Birthday Wishes from friends and family on Facebook, and a telephone call from my #2 daughter.  That was a real treat, as we don't talk much on the phone any more.  AND, I had an early supper in Muskogee at the Rib Crib, one of our favorite places.  I had deep fried shrimp and pulled pork, with seasoned fries and cold slaw and iced tea;  it was/is my favorite meal there. 

The only sad part is I didn't make myself a birthday cake, so there will be no cake and ice cream tonight!  I do have some ice cream cups I could have with an animal cracker though!  :)  Oh!  One cool thing I did this morning was look through my Baby Book.  I found all sorts of old pictures of me from about 2 on up; one with my Grandma and Grandpa, which I dearly love; one with Santa Clause; and one sitting on a stuffed horse!  Also found that I was born at 6:16 p.m. on a Sunday (1944)


On the way home I stopped and took these pictures.  Someone did a bunch of clearing and brought these places in to view and I just love them.

 
This building is tin, with some concrete and electricity inside.  I have no clue what it was used for.
 


 
This building was a barn I'm sure, well worn and weathered.  These building were all covered with trees and underbrush up until a month or so ago.   So good job of clearing to whom ever!

So, that's the end of my special day.  I hope I have many more, but next year will be a big one for me!
And I thank God for giving me these years and all the blessings I have.

Until next time, take care.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Just More Stuff

Greetings!

Well, I found the pictures I was looking for to put in my last post!  So here they are, and I'll say Welcome October again!


I know the shadows are bad and it's hard to tell what these are, but one is a witch (on left) and the other is a ghost!  I saw these cute little things in Dollar General for $1 each and couldn't resist!
 


That's the extent of my Halloween decorations!  Like, no one will see them anyway!!  LOL

Oh, and last post I did pics of my new Jeep; and now I have a pic of my new Jeep and my Old Jeep.  Which I kind of gave to hubby, but still enjoy our fair weather rides!  The "old Jeep" is a 1974 CJ 5, and we had the engine rebuilt this summer and new brakes and what with the other things already done, it should keep running for another 40 years!


 
 

 
 
A week or so ago we took a little road trip to Porter, OK to an Apple Orchard (and peaches too).  For 4 years I have been concerned that I never see an apple tree in a yard!  Coming from Washington state where apples are a main crop, it was hard for me to accept.  So I went on line and found some apple orchards.  This one was very nice, with a huge "market" area and mazes and stuff for kids.  I bought (I think) a 1/2 peck of Ruby-Jon apples - a sweet/tart apple, a 1/4 peck of peaches - the last picking, some onions, a cantelope, and a bottle of Honey Mustard dressing.
 

 
 


 

 

 
 
Well, the peaches are gone - husband ate them; the cantelope is gone, the onions are gone and with a few apples I had on hand, I froze enough for 3 apple cakes and 1 pie.  Pretty sad..........but it was a fun day trip and only cost $18 at the orchard; we stopped at Golden Corral for early supper on the way home.   And speaking of restaurants!  We found out that 2 of our favorites succumbed to fire!  The Rib Crib will open again soon, and our Mexican place is moving across the street from the old place,  and will open when redocorating is done!  We love to go out to eat as you can tell!
 
I also went to an art show in Checotah, where my friend Kathy was showing some of her art work.  That was very interesting; all kinds of photography, oil paintings, jewelry, wall hangings, etc.  She got orders to make some of her items -- kind of custom work I guess you would say.   So it was a good thing.  And, I went to my friend Judy's sister's funeral this past week.  That was a sad thing, but also a good thing.  Jo, the sister, had cancer of the pancreas and the journey was not long.  She was/is a strong Christian and I admire her handling of the situation.
 
Now, I think that brings my life up to date!  One more thing; I found this quote that I really, really like:  "I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!"
 
Have a great weekend and I'll see you next time................