I Won a Door Prize!

I went to Women's Garage Party at the Harley Shop in Longview this evening. http://www.theharleyshopinc.com/ This was their first time and it was a great success. We were divided into four groups and went to four stations...finishing with a fifth station to fill out a survey. We were shown the Harley's, appropriate riding gear, parts department told of several things that can be done to make 'your' Harley a better fit for 'you,' and how to pick up a 500+ pound bike. I did it! I've been wanting Sam to lay my bike down and let me try to pick it up...well, not pick it up, but set it upright. My bike is another 200 pounds heavier though. I still need to give it a try.

AND!!! I won the big door prize! They gave away two t-shirt celebrating May as Ladies Month. Then a basket with a bag that can be worn over the shoulder or clipped to the belt loops on a pair of jeans, a pair of shades, a disposable camera, a photo frame, and a doo-rag. YEAH ME!!

On to more sedate things...this is what I've been working on with the ribbon yarn.

Rats, the cables don't show up very well. This is the first time I've ever attempted cables.

And, look at this. I read someplace that when doing stockinette stitch, that the purl side looks looser on the right side. Mine does. Look just above the ribbing at the thick and thin rows. I am now making a concerted effort to tighten the purl stitches and make looser knit stitches. The stitches closest to the needles are more even. I am NOT going to ribbet what I've already done. I am still learning how to knit...and I am extremely proud of what I've accomplished so far.

This Week...

Not much has been going on around here. Too much rain to get on the motorcycle...which I haven't been on mine since last fall. The weather has been so odd...cooler and wetter than a normal May. But, hey! This is northeast Texas! So...it really is normal.

Returning from the Aggie reunion in San Antone I found these in bloom.

I've been cooking. For a week now, I've been thinking about banana pudding...made of course with Nabisco 'Nilla wafers. The recipe is on the box. The only thing I do different...the recipe calls for 3 eggs separated. You beat the yolks into the pudding and make a meringue with the whites. I use two whole eggs. Whisk them with the milk for the pudding. Instead of meringue, I top with Nilla wafers.

Do you like spaetzle? I do. Sam doesn't care for it. But I found a recipe in Emeril Lagasse's book From Emeril's Kitchen. Sam like this better than the original.

Creole Mustard Spaetzle

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, then add to the flour, whisking until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the mustard and the oil and mix well.
Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl; set aside.
Bring 4 quarts water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil in a large pot. Pour half of the batter into a colander and with a rubber spatula, force the batter through the holes into the water. Cook, stirring, until the dumplings rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a long handled slotted spoon to the ice bath. Repeat with remaining batter. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the remaining 1 tablespoon mustard and swirl to blend. Add spaetzle, parsley, and lemon juice and stir to mix. Cook until spaetzle is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

My recipe for plain spaetzle comes from a 1950 Mennonite Community Cookbook.

Spatzlein (Little Sparrows)

1 egg 1 cup water 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt

2 quarts boiling water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Beat egg throughly. Add water and beat until well blended with egg. Mix flour and salt and add to liquid. Beat until smooth. Bring salted water and drop spatzlein into water. To do this, tilt bowl containing batter in a position that it can be cut with the edge of a spoon as it purs over the edfge of the bowl. The spatzlein should be an inch long and 1/4 inch in diamter. Cook for 3 minutes after batter is all in the water. Drain in colander and top with brown butter. Makes 6 servings.

I have a double boiler. The top portion has holes in it similar to a colander. I hold the insert above the boiling water while I mash half the batter through the holes. After 3 minutes, I ladle the spaetzle out and into a bowl. Then mash the remaining batter through the holes in the double boiler insert.

You can serve these with plain butter or herbed butter.

Adios Vertigo

I forgot to update about the vertigo. It's gone. I did take Benadryl. Tried Dramamine but within 30 minutes I had to go to bed to sleep it off. Next time I can't sleep I know what do. LOL Thanks to all who were concerned about me.

God bless!

A Pair of...

Okay. I understand a ...

...pair of socks. I mean, after all, there are TWO socks. Two separate generally matching entities.

I don't understand a...

...pair of slacks. I mean, who would wear two 'slacks'? Yep, two legs, but one waist, one back, one front, one butt, etc. Oh, wait...a butt is a pair of cheeks isn't it? ;o) But still, why a 'pair of slacks'?

Oh, well. Not worth losing sleep over.

But this is what made me think about it...I completed another pair of socks. I finished the second toe on the way back from San Antone yesterday and grafted the toe closed with a kitchener stitch.

They are made with Knit Picks Peruvian wool sock yarn. Yep, hand wash...lay flat to dry.

I'm Baaack!

And you didn't even know that I was gone. I know. I'm sneaky.

Sam and I went to San Antone...San Antonio to you non-Texans...to a yearly reunion with the guys from the Texas A&M class of 1958, 5th Group. Thursday night we gathered at a Mexican restaurant on the River Walk. A few years back, we took one of the tour boat rides. It was really, really nice...if you ever have the chance, be sure to take it. This year, we visited then ate, then visited a bit more. Friday most of the guys went golfing while the women loaded up in a bus provided by one of the men and took a trip to San Marcos to the outlet stores. I'm not much of a buyer, but I enjoy the shopping aspect! Since Sam doesn't golf, he did go with us, but he went off on his own.

Saturday we went to Randolph AFB to the Officer's Club for lunch. It is always nice and the food has always been good.

Sam and I both enjoyed the visiting and renewing acquantances.

5th Group

Squadron 14

Okay, the guy on the phone...in his defense, he received word that a friend is near death.

We got rain while we were gone! Our rain gauge wasn't set up so we don't know how much, but just 20 or so miles north Mt. Pleasant got over 6 inches, and within 10 miles south of us at the Jenkins community a 5 inch rain gauge over-flowed.

Our pool cover was full. I set up a water hose siphon yesterday evening...and it's still flowing. That's a LOT of water!

More Yarn and Flowers

Remember the French hollihock from the other day? It's gone. I forgot to show it to Sam. Another one also succumbed to the weedeater. I did see one in with the bluebonnets...so it's safe.

My deitz lily is blooming. Just one pretty little bloom so far. If you look closely, you might see another bud or two. Lest you think that I have a green thumb...this deitz lily is the same age as the first one. They are on either side of a 'walkway' leading up to the front door. The first one is planted under the shade of the redbud...the other gets shade from the house. In that same bed is this... a mountain laurel. It's not only in the wrong bed, but also the wrong soil. In northeast Texas we have acidic soil. The mountain laurel grows fabulously in the Texas Hill country...in 'sweet' soil. Whatever I do to the soil for the mountain laurel is counteracted by what I do for the azaelas which love acidic soil and are in the same bed! Now. I plead complete ignorance. My question is why was a mountain laurel even available to the purchaser in my area of Texas? Never mind. I know the answer to that. Because people like me will buy it! I've been meaning to move it for two years now and set it off by itself so that I can lime the soil...hasn't happened yet though.

On to another lovely subject...yarn. When we were in Lake Jackson, Sam sat out in the 4-Runner enjoying the heavy misty rain while I ran into Hobby Lobby. Y'all go check your HL stores! This one had a yarn sale too. I was better prepared and also knew that Sam wasn't necessarily waiting on me...we were waiting on Jonathan to call so that we could set up a time to meet and eat. So, I shopped. Once again, each skein was $1.99...one of the original prices was $7.99! Great bargains!

And, here's my Knit Picks order. Mostly for sock yarn, but the package of yarn is for a sweater. All of these were on sale too, though not at quite the reduced price as the above yarn. Check out KP at http://www.knitpicks.com/ .

The friend, Laura, who taught me to knit also order enough sock yarn for three pair of socks for herself. I get to teach the teacher how to knit socks! ;o)

This is just too precious not to share.

Friends vs Texas Friends

Another charming e-mail...

FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Always bring food.

FRIENDS: Will say 'hello.'
TEXAS FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss.

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Call your parents Mom and Dad

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Cry with you.

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Will spend hours there talking, laughing, playing dominoes or cards, and just being together.

FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowd's backsides that left you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Walk right in and say 'I'm home!'

FRIENDS: Will visit you in the hospital when you're sick.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Will cut your grass and clean your house then come spend the night with you in the hospital and cook for you when you come home.

FRIENDS: Have you on speed dial.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Have your number memorized.

FRIENDS: Are for a while.
TEXAS FRIENDS: Are for life.

The only difference for me...NO WAY would my dad permit me to call friends' parents anything but Mr. and Mrs.!! Even if they asked me to.

Kamakaze Bunting

What a shame. I found a dead Indigo Bunting on the front porch this morning. Evidently he tried to fly through a bedroom window. There's nothing that could've been done to prevent his unintentional suicide, but it's still sad.

It's not unusual to hear a thump and realize that a bird has tried to fly into the house. This is probably only the second dead bird that I've found in five years that I would pretty much bet died from hitting a window. In our master bath, we have a corner with a window on both walls (above the jacuzzi tub). Many, many times I've heard a bird hit one of those windows knowing full well that it intended to just fly through.

For a few springs running, we had a Taninger attack his reflection in my sewing room window. It would've been funny except he would start around 6 or 6:30 a.m. ...when we were still in bed. We eventually saw the female in the redbud tree just outside that window. She would sit and preen and ignore the amorous attention of the bird on her side of the window. I could imagine hearing her say, "Um-um! Look at the good looking hunk over there. My, my, my. I sure wish he'd give me a whistle." Then her boyfriend would attack him. LOL

Before going to bed at night, we made sure to shut the sewing room door so that we couldn't hear the fighting.

Gi, how's 127/77? That's the highest I've caught so far...

More Flowers

First, I checked my blood pressure yesterday afternoon...108/69. So that's not bad. I found some 'exercises' on WebMD for vertigo...sit on the bed....turn your head to the right...lay down to the left...sit up...look to the left...lay down to the right. Each time you let the swimming head ease up between each move. I did them right before going to bed. I was so sick feeling at first, but this morning I haven't felt bad at all. Of course I haven't bent over either!

It is a beautiful spring day! Temps are rising a bit each day but we haven't had to turn the a/c on yet. For the past two or three months our electricity has cost us $55 or so dollars. We could use a whole lot of that!

Yes, I still have bluebonnets even after the freeze before Easter. I am so very proud of my hostas. I planted six. Only three came up. The first year I thought I had duds...little did I know that each year they would get bigger ...and bigger.

My irises are in full bloom. The lonely purple iris is laying on the ground though.

The last variety of daffodils are blooming. Aren't they such dainty little things?!

This is a French hollihock.

I've found two or three volunteer plants. Unfortunately they are all in the yard at the edge of the designated flower bed. I need to keep Sam off of them with the mower which means that I have to :

1. Show them to him.

2. Do the close trimming around the house.

3. Show them to him again before he gets on the tractor.

4. Enlarge the flower beds.

5. Show them to him again. ;o)

Honestly, he's not really THAT bad. But close...

I have a hanging fern that I can't water. Earlier this spring, every time we walked near the front porch, a bird flew out of one of the baskets. I found five pretty blue eggs. Sorry, but I have been known to destroy eggs left 'on' my front porch...the mother bird poops everywhere and when she cleans the nest, she drops the baby poop everywhere too. I paid really close attention to the mama bird and finally saw her plainly. A bluebird. So, the eggs stayed. I don't know how many babies there are...but aren't they just so ugly that they are cute?

Remember the pear blossoms? I hope that the limbs are developing enough (after the severe pruning - and that is a gross understatement - that the trees received a few years ago) that I actually have enough to make at least one batch of preserves. Oh, and a few to put in the dehydrator would be nice too!

Movies

Knowing with Nicholas Cage.

Don't waste your money.

When the movie was over, the entire theatre was so quiet you could've heard a pin drop. Then I heard, "Well, I wasted my time tonight." I think that was pretty much the concensus of the entire audience.

So, let's talk about good movies! Tammy/Tisme commented on my last post about Jimmy Stewart. She liked Harvey. YES! I remember Harvey. Especially the last scene when the gate swings open all by itself. You just KNOW that Harvey walked through!

Other Jimmy Stewart movies I love:

Rear Window

Cheyenne Social Club

The Shootist (He was John Wayne's doctor)

The Flight of the Phoenix

How the West Was Won

The Man Who Shot Libery Valance

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

It's a Wonderful Life!!!

Probably many, many more!

Gi, Thank you for your concern about my vertigo. We have a blood pressure cuff for Sam (his BP is a 'little' high). I've never had any problem whatsoever, but I do check it every so often. This was definitely inner ear problems. When Mama had her major bout with vertigo, the doctor told us that there was nothing that could be done. A couple of days ago, I found out that there is now something available...a manipulation of the hairs in the inner ear, then wear a brace or collar or something for 24-hours to keep your head as immobile as possible. If it hits again...I'll definitely check into treatment.

I have more flowers blooming, but no photos yet. Sorry. My small sampling of yellow and purple irises are blooming as are my last variety of daffodils. Such pretty delicate blooms. I'll try to remember the camera this afternoon and post tomorrow.