Fall Vacation

Hi! We've been traveling the last few days starting off in Lake Jackson and Bay City. We went to Bay City for Sam's mother's 95th birthday on Sunday. But we got to visit with Jonathan Saturday evening taking him out to dinner. He looked good! I have a few photos on my camera, but no way at this time to get them to the computer...that will have to wait until we get home.

I haven't taken many photos at all on this trip, just enjoying myself. I'll fill you all in on everything when I get home. South Padre Island, Mexico, etc.

Right now we are resting in the camper in Fredericksburg after an absolutely delicious dinner in a German restaurant. I'm going to have to remember to start taking photos of the meal when they put it in front of me.

Later!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We don't have anyone coming to the house. Jonathan is working his new job in Lake Jackson so he can't come up. Then I found out that Joey and Marilyn had other plans and so did my mother. We seldom know about Sam's kids' plans until the last minute, so he said, "Let's go out to eat." Suits me! We will probably go to Luby's in Longview...I still want dressing. ;o) If his son with girlfriend and daughter with husband decide to come over, we'll all go out to eat!

I did cook one day this week. First:

OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 pound butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teapoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; add to butter mixture. Mix well.

At this point you are supposed to stir in 1 cup raisins. I divided the batter in half. In one half, I stirred in 1/2 cup raisins. In the other half, I stirred in 1/2 cup or so of sem-sweet chocolate chips. ;o)

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungeased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Store sealed.

I forgot to take photos while mixing and baking. And you won't find a photo of them being eaten. IF I had enough left to take a photo of now, I would.


For supper that night, I made chicken and dumplings. I've never made a good homemade dumpling. My drop dumplings always just cooked apart and we had chicken with 'thickening.' So, I've always cheated using cheap canned biscuits or flour tortillas cut into strips. Until...Cooking With Friends...the cookbook the Friends of the Daingerfield Public Library compiled and had published.

This recipe was submitted by Harthia Bockman who got it from her Aunt Lena Leach. Aunt Lena - I called her that too - lived across the road from my first husband, Ron, and me while we lived in the last house that we rented from Aunt Lena's niece. Tying into an old friendship, I am excited to have Aunt Lena's recipe for dumplings. I am going to post with more accurate measurements than "enough flour to make a thick dough"...

The cookbook calls this "Tim's Favorite Chicken and Dumplings." I am going to call it:

AUNT LENA'S DUMPLINGS

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted shortening or oil (I need to fess up...I use lard)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3-4 cups flour

Mix dough ingredients until very stiff. Pour out onto floured board and knead in enough flour to make the dough less sticky. Roll out in thin layer. Slice into strips. Drop dough strips into boiling broth. Continue to boil. After you have all the dumplings in the broth, turn it down to a low boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Taste test a dumpling to make certain that they are done. Here, the recipe says to add a stick of butter and 1/2 cup milk...I did not - see note about the lard. ;o) Add chicken and let simmer a few minutes.

I boiled a whole fryer in enough water seasoned with salt and pepper to cover adding chopped onion, celery, and carrots. When the fryer was cooked, I took it out to cool and picked the meat off the bones. I used only half the meat for my pot of dumplings.

I guess you can put anything in this that you want. I had a portobella mushroom that had to be cooked so I diced it and added it to the broth. We liked it...

I Washed My Cell Phone...

...back in April. I came in from subbing at the high school and jerked my black slacks off so that I could wash dark clothes. Pulled on a pair of shorts...put the clothes in the washer...went out back to water plants. Ten minutes later, I slapped my pocket...no phone. Moan. My Motorola Razr drowned...mouth-to-mouth resusitation did not work. That slim little phone had all sorts of features...but no mouth! At the Verizon store, I let the cute little girl talk me into a LG...she said it got better reception. After months of yes it is better...no it's not...yes it is...NO IT'S NOT!... I haven't dropped that many calls since we moved here in 2004 and had Cingular.

Sam and I went to Longview yesterday to buy me a Motorola...A Moto 755 I think. Purple. Oh! Yes! So much better than black - my only two choices. Sam asked, "Why purple?" I said, "Because black is boring." ;o)

After Olive Garden, he headed west on the Loop. He wanted to look at the Toyota 4-Runners again. We test drove one back in August when it was soooo hot. Amidst their tearing down and remodeling, we located the same salesman we talked to in August in a portable office building. We drove a white 4-Runner with leather seats (I wanted to go back to cloth - it's not hot in the summer or cold in the winter), then for some reason Sam wanted to drive the Sequoia...too big for what we need. The 4-Runner will pull the motorcycle trailer. We have a Ford diesel pickup for the camper...so...

We were talking about not wanting leather and the other froo-froo stuff so the salesman looked up another 4-Runner...dark gray with cloth seats...and it had the trailer hitch. Dark gray wasn't exactly on our list of favorite colors...but hey, this was the year-end clearance. It drove just like the white one with leather seats...So, remembering that we went to Longview for a new cell phone and to eat at Olive Garden - this is what I drove home last night:

Um...wanna buy a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL? less than 109,000 miles at the moment...well kept...serviced regularly...

Nostalgia

I just got back from visiting My Messy Thrilling Life. Brin, poor dear woke with with half of her peanut butter and honey sandwich under her face and the other half smeared down her coat. LOL How many of us have fallen asleep and woke in a mess or in an embarrassing situation. I'm waving my hand in the air and can't believe I'm about to tell you all.

Sam and I were married 11 years on July 19 this year. Back when he was courting me from 320 miles away, we spent quite a bit of time on the telephone - long distance. Our phone bills combined went into the hundreds of dollars...I kid you not. I, however, was the smarter (cheaper) of the two. I would call in the morning before he headed off to work to wish him a good day. He called at night and the marathon conversations would be on his nickel...hahaha...if only!

One night, he was whispering sweet nothings in my ear. All of a sudden I hear, "Sherry. Sherry!" Woke me up from a sound sleep. I was so mortified. We air-kissed good night on that one. (The photo is us pulling KP duty Thanksgiving two years ago at his daughter's.)

Changing gears...I found an audio cassette labeled, "Jonathan." I've been sitting here listening as I type and realized that I had stopped typing while listening and had a tear sliding down my cheek. Apparently one day, his daddy and I heard him cooing and starting taping him. I continued for several months catching him in heart rending infant sobs...even now, nearly 25 years later, I wanted to run in, pick him up, and let that crying baby nurse. (Sorry Jonathan, you shoulda skipped that part.)

As he got older, he and I even sang together...The Lord is my shepherd, I'll walk with Him always. Always, always, I'll walk with Him always. Jonathan just kicked in on the always part, but he did participate.

Jonathan, I know you check in here every other day or so. Remind me to play this for you next time you're here...I know you probably don't have a cassette player. Your daddy's voice is on the end...just a few words...

For those of you who don't know me that well, Jonathan's dad (Ron) died in 1996...right after our 25th anniversary and a month and a half before Jonathan's 13th birthday. It was hard. God took care of us.

Arkansas Apple Pie

When Carol and I were on our way back home after picking up the sewing machine in Mena and after the delicious homemade coconut pie - oh, and lunch. ;o) , we stopped at a roadside stand and purchased some locally grown Arkansas apples: Jonathans and Arkansas Blacks. Jonathans can be eaten 'out-of-hand' and baked. We were assured that the Arkansas Blacks would make a good apple pie.

The flavor of these two varieties was extremely similar. Sam said he couldn't taste a difference, but there was a difference in texture. They cooked down a bit more than I like, but still had a little tiny bit of 'bite'...just not much.

I always use at least two different varieties of apples using Granny Smiths as one of them. I don't like a smushy apple pie...that's like pouring a jar of applesauce into a crust, baking it, and calling it an apple pie. That's not an apple pie, that's an applesauce pie.

I had found a new recipe for apple pie and decided to try it with these apples.

First, start with a good crust: My Recipe Here

Pie Recipe
Peel, core, slice your apples...I use one of these to simplify things. Some slices I cut in half, some I don't...varies the amount of cooking and some of the apple slices will have a bit of a 'bite' to them. The recipe called for 6 cups...I used 8. Pour the apples into the bottom crust. Make a lattice top and cover the apples...crimp the edge of the crust.

Now, combine 1 stick butter, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer stirring until sugars are dissolved. Add a bit of cinnamon here if desired. Pour this over the lattice top completely covering the pie.

Put the pie in the oven on a rack below halfway down. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 25-35 minutes. If the edges are not overly browned, cook another 10 or so minutes...you want that bottom crust completely baked and not doughy.

(The two smaller apples are the Arkansas blacks.)

Library Open House

I worked today. Hard manual labor...IMHO. ;o) The Daingerfield Public Library is getting ready for an Open House tomorrow (Saturday, November 14) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the current building.

Earlene's mother had doctors' apppointments so I filled in for her. Another Friends member showed up this morning and we started 'cleaning house.' Earlene hates to throw anything away. So, we do it. Of course, we try to catch her when she's gone to do the dirty deed. ;o) What didn't need to be thrown away, we moved to another member's unoccupied office building. Harthia lets us store the donated books that we save for our yearly book sale in her building...along with anything else we need to stash to get it out of the library. (Our library has no storage space and the work area is out for all to see.)

We had another Friend to come help this morning. Then, about mid-afternoon, we had plenty of help to finish cleaning the shelves, straightening books, and setting up the silent auction items. Chairs and the sofa were rearranged to facilitate 'flow' space. Tablecloths were spread. Coffeepot and other items were staged for tomorrow. When I left at 5 p.m, the ladies were sweeping, running the dustmop and vacuum, and getting ready to mop.

If you're in town, drop by to see us between 2 and 4 p.m.

Willcox & Gibbs

She got it! This may be the oldest sewing machine I've ever touched. We drove to Mena today and picked it up.

I could hardly get the photos for her polishing on it! ;o)

Riding the Talimena Drive

Sam, Elton and Carol (Sam's brother and his wife), and I drove to Mena Arkansas last Friday. We got to town a little too early for lunch so just drove around a bit. Carol spotted an estate sale sign. Sam nicely followed the signs, turned around and parked right out front. Carol didn't find anything to die for, but would you believe that Sam pointed out a couple of items to me...the first I passed on. It was a really good buy, a nearly new Osterizer blender for $10, but I don't use the one I have but maybe once every six months. I passed on that. Then he found a Rival saladmaster still in the box for only $4. I have my mother's but just had to have this one. My justification is that one of the 'kids' may want it. This 'new' one is a bit different from Mama's...I think a different brand. (This is similar, but not exact to either one that I have. Mama's does not have the white coating on the base.)

After lunch, we started out on the Talimena Drive stopping at Queen Wilhimena Lodge. We also made a stop at the fire tower. A sign said that it was open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after lunch, weather permitting. Well, weather wasn't permitting. Carol was so disappointed...she did so want to climb it.

The colors were just about gone on top of Rich Mountain, but down the hillsides - breath-taking!

Best of all, Carol spotted this beauty in an antique store. She had to have it. Since we were in a car, she passed. Before we left the store though, she got a business card. This morning she called me to ask when I was available to go back to Mena. Then she called the store, bargained with them a bit. We go back to Mena in the morning!

BTW, it is a Willcox & Gibbs. The patent date is July 4-71 (That's 1871!) We thought the bobbin was missing. Over the weekend, I did a search on its value (Found only one with a cabinet and it was pricey!) and sent Carol what I found. When she got a chance, she researched the history of the machine. It doesn't have a bobbin. It does what is called a chain stitch. Not as stable as a machine with the bobbin. But advertised as running silent.

Sunday Morning Ride

I had a wonderful time! The Longview L.O.H. (Ladies of Harley) met in Longview today for a ride. Sam rode with me to Longview - it's about 40 miles. Then he went on his merry way and a wonderful group of ladies babysat me. They are so patient and gave me many pointers even to tell me where there was a good parking lot near me where I can practice going slow and turns. I was put behind the road captain in second place.

I do pretty good until I slow down. That's bad...LOL I can stop decently - have a tendency to sneak up on the stop sign and am working on that. I got thumbs up several times towards the end of my ride. Starting up from a stop is no fun at all, especially if a turn is involved. I'll get there though. I did ride solo for a few miles. The ladies were going to continue their ride by going around Lake o' the Pines, but when we passed within a few miles of my home, I rode on home...they knew of course.

Sam said that he'd not been home long when he heard me. He was waiting in front of the garage when I pulled up. I now have over 500 miles on my bike having put about 143 on it today. ;o)

Stuff

I purposely have not posted anything the week so that I could keep my first anniversary blog give-away up front (top) and center. Quite a bit has gone on this past week.

My views of the election: Bummer

These photographs are from my property.

The neighbor's horse enjoying the day. MOF, this is the only thing that neighbor has that doesn't bother or irritate us.

When we first moved in, Sam caught their son skateboarding on our front porch. When Sam opened the door and startled the kid he said, "Oh, I didn't know anyone was home." Yep, raise your eyebrow here.

Their two big dogs are never put up and come onto our property to do their dirty work: poop-piles not two feet from the front porch, new shrubs dug up, $200 pool cover clawed and torn. The little dog yaps at us when we are in our yard. We have ten acres - he yaps at us even if we are on the back corner. Gimme a break! After the two big dogs killed another neighbor's little dog, I called to let them know that my son was coming in with his dachshund and would they please put their dogs up for two days/one night. Nope. Sigh...

These two big oaks are the same variety. Look at the green leaves! (That tree lost half of itself when the storm from Hurricane Rita passed through.)

We have leaves falling all winter into...

This went on all winter last year as Sam wanted to see how much trouble it would be to not cover the pool. Talk about a nuisance! When the skimmer basket gets full of leaves, water can't flow so it gurgles and burps until you dump the basket. Thirty minutes later, you've got to clean it out again. I kept asking him even through January and February before the catkins (blossoms) started falling in the spring to puleeze cover the pool. The cover is still not on the pool...

Clouds behind the front this Thursday.