I Made Gravy Tonight

Daddy called it "white cream gravy"...although Mama always used milk. As a truckdriver, he ate a lot of slop across these United States. He did not like brown gravy. He wanted "white cream gravy" even on hamburger steak. I thought of him while making my little dab of gravy this evening. Mama was a good cook. (I say "was" because she doesn't cook much any more. She's reached the point where very little tastes good. She doesn't want but a bite or two of meat. And even when I cook something and lightly salt and pepper it, she calls it too "spicy". I know she doesn't eat it.)

Back to the story. Mama was a good cook. Daddy went through a point in their lives when he criticized everything she cooked. He ate a lot of bologna sandwiches for awhile. When he questioned her about it she replied that he griped regardless of what she put in front of him, so why should she waste her time cooking. Snicker. He hushed until...

Daddy ate gravy every day that he was home. Breakfast, lunch, supper...gravy at least one of those meals just about every day. You can't make a little gravy. Mama got tired of making it every day. So...Mama put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Next day, she'd stir in a bit of milk and heat it in the microwave! Bwahahaha. One day, she started making it fresh again. Because...

She said Daddy sat at the table one day dipping a spoon into the bowl and pouring the gravy back in the bowl --- spoonful --- pour back in the the bowl --- repeat. He said, "Shirley, you used to make decent gravy. You can't make it worth a damn any more."

I asked Mama what she said to him. She replied with a great big smile, "Nothing. I just started making it fresh each time."

I love having those flashbacks of their lives.

Daddy died in 2000 from ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease. He wasn't ill much at all in his entire life. I remember a crick in his neck when we were little. One of his BFFs, another truckdriver, walked in the bedroom, pulled his pocket knife out of his pocket, and offered to cut the crick out. I know my eyes turned the size of saucers! At 69 years of age he had no medical problems (except his memory). He took no medications of any kind. Taking only a daily injection of Vitamin B12. Yep. That's it.

In the middle of making my dab of gravy tonight, I looked at the clock...6:46. I called Sam and said, "Let's go outside." During the weather segment, the meteorologist informed us that at 6:48 the space station would be crossing the sky...WNW to ESE. We looked up and around, eliminating one planet after another. (THEY were awesome in their own right!) Finally, I saw it, "THERE!" We watched it as it traversed the sky - about 5 minutes Sam said.

Then I went back into the house and finished the gravy.

Poor Baby

Last month as I left Decatur for home, I stopped at Isabel's. She'd been to the doctor that day for her MMR vaccine. During the exam prior to the vaccine, the doctor noticed her ears were a bit red and wrote a prescription for amoxicillin. Well...when Jonathan was little, if he had so much as the sniffles, the doctor would not give him the vaccine. This is why:

This was Monday. She is feeling better. The spots appeared on her face first, then her torso. They are disappearing in the order that they appeared.

I thought she might have had a reaction to the amoxicillin. Her great-grandfather, her Pawpaw, and her mother are all sensitive to penicillin.


We are going to Colt's house this weekend. His dad called and asked us to come. They are moving to a bigger home! We are to keep Colt occupied (my job) and keep his Mommy from lifting anything (Sam's job). Colt's baby brother is due April 3... (OH! Erin and I talked today. She wanted to know when we'd seen Isabel last. Sam saw her last at her January birthday party. I saw her on the February 17...the day of the vaccine. So we're safe to see Colt and be around pregnant Erin.)

Me? Dag-nabbit! While I was flossing my teeth tonight, I flipped off a crown! A week after the Longview dentist sent me home with it, it came off while flossing. I went back to have it "glued" back on. RATS! Tomorrow is Friday. I know that THAT dentist is off on Fridays, and I think the dentist I currently use is off too. Sam told me to clean it up good (remember, he's a retired dentist) and leave it out on the counter to dry. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to put some vaseline in it, dry the "stub" real good, then stick the crown back on. I'll call and set up an appointment with the dentist I'm using now to get it glued back on. @#^(*&%!!!!!

Another Trip

Sam and I drove to Lake Jackson to visit Jonathan. When he invited us, I said, "Sure! As long as we can stay through Monday night." We had a wonderful visit. Monday morning Sam and I went to visit our old office. Well...my old office, because he worked in the field. Many people are gone and there were several new faces...my boss...former boss...was out of the office.

Then, Tuesday morning we headed to San Marcos. Yet another business related seminar. After this one, the THIRD in less than 30 days, I have nothing scheduled (business related) until fall. I meant to get a photo of the courthouse in San Marcos since I got photos of the Texas capitol building and the courthouse at Decatur...but I forgot.

However, I did get a photo of the watermelon paint job on Luling's water tower!

We were gone a full week. I was so glad to get home!

Carol called yesterday about going to Lee Gardens south of Gladewater to see the daffodils. We decided to do so after church today. You can read about the garden here: http://www.daffodilgarden.com/daffodils_home.htm




I thought this was funny! I think it's someone with the gardens parked there to tell other people NOT to park there. LOL