Gone Walkabout

new blog site

2010-07-08T11:48:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder... Gone Walkabout has moved. Our new address is:

http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com

Moving On Up -- My Blog Has a New Address

2010-06-01T06:00:00.005-05:00

My allowed amount of photo space on this blog has maxed out. Not really sure what happened since it made a fast jump from 45% to 99%... and didn't change a bit when I deleted off a bunch of old posts with photos and videos.

Whatever.

So I've started a new blog at http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com My first post will be today -- 1 June.

This blog will remain up.

I'll be transfering in the blogs that I am following to the new site and hope everyone that is currently following me will add me on at my new address.

Guest Blog: Himself "Old Soldier"

2010-05-31T06:00:00.015-05:00

This is something Himself wrote a few years back. I thought it was appropriate for Memorial Day.

Teri

I feel subdued today... No, thoughtful is more accurate.

Visited an old soldier today--one I hadn't seen since 1979; Command Sergeant Major Luis Esparza. Upon finishing up the SF training in '78, he was my first boss--one I didn't like, and one I set out to make his life miserable. I was SUPPOSED to go to a Special Forces A-Team, but for some reason I got stuck in a staff job at Battalion level...not something a certain Tall-Good-Looking-Hard-as-Steel-Green-Beret was SUPPOSED to be doing! Nope! I was meant for the coveted A-Team.

(All this from a 20 year old kid with one year in the service--me--doing this to a soldier who came into the army in 1949, was the highest rank an enlisted soldier could be, and who had two wars under his belt.)

With this attitude, I set out to do all sorts of little things to mess with him--like put my nearly 600 pounds of barbell weights in front of my clothes storage locker so he couldn't inspect it as Sergeant Majors do. My imagination for such juvenile things had no limits. Myself and my partner-in-crime Brad would get hauled into his office while the rest of the Battalion staff grew hushed, and we would then get our butts chewed--again. He would yell & yell, and end up with an animated, "Now, got OUT of here!!".

Such memories...

But as of late different memories come to mind. I thought back that after each well deserved chewing-out, if my retreating form happened to turnaround to glance back at him, I saw a much softened look about him usually accompanied with a slight smile. Then it hit me--tho I suppose he had full rights to throw me out of his unit, he was somewhat fond of me despite all my youthful arrogance, and perhaps he was remembering another young solder of 1949. And then it hit me...

...he cares.

Caring can go both ways. Thru the old SF soldier list I found out that now70 year old CSM Esparza had a quadruple bypass surgery recently. Tho from North Carolina he had surgery in Nashville and recovering at his daughter's home here in Clarksville. Then a strange thing happened--the Lord whispered in my heart, "Go see him". I thought, "ME?!" Why, he won't even remember me. And if he does, unless senility has set in he will remember what a PITA (pain-in-the-...) I was. But the heart-felt thought wouldn't leave. So I did see him today...and when I walked into his daughter's home, I was greeted with a--"Oh, I remember YOU!"

Didn't know whether to continue into that home or turn around and RUN!

After that? I sat down and visited with a whole new perspective. Here was a man a fraction of his former size and presence--brought on by a number of ailments that age and diabetes can cause. But in this old soldiers eyes I still saw something larger. Something from before.

Now that we were both retired, I suppose that make us equals. But ya know, a part of me still felt young--like I didn't know anything compared to this man who has been thru so much. 3 hours later we were still trading pictures and stories and memories and, well...life. And when I left this time? I got a different type of send-off...

..."Come back again sometime..."

That meant the world to me. And I will.

D.

PS--The A-Teams came later--after some much needed lessons and growing up of a certain young soldier. Once again, in God's perfect timing, He put me where I needed to be. Maybe for both of us...

Before and After: Office Bookshelves

2010-05-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

Thought I’d show off my shelves I made over. These are the ones I did back in March when I was working on my books.

They started off at basic black metal shelves that came from the old hospital here in Clarksville. When the new hospital was built what wasn’t taken over was donated to the Habatate for Humanity ‘ReStore’ shop. (I love that place!)

To start I sprayed two coats of Rustoleum metal primer. I think that first coat looked pretty cool… I’m going to remember that look for a later project!

Then came three coats of Vespar paint from Lowes. I took time to let each cure up before putting on the next coat.

Here’s the finished shelves; in my office and loaded up. I even have space to work with!

Bonsai Class - Kabudachi Maple

2010-05-27T06:00:00.007-05:00

At the bonsai show last month I took a class in the kabudachi (clump) style. We used maples there were from seeds brought back from Japan many years ago and is a somewhat rare variety in the US. I was surprised at how easy with was to do!

We started off by selecting our trees to use, they were seedlings of various sizes. Each person picked whatever ones they wanted - in an odd number. I picked out seven.

This is what we were going to recreate.

Our teacher Bjorn has apprenticed in Japan under a bonsai Master. The guy is GOOD!

This is how the base has connected into one tree over time.

You work the dirt out of the roots of you little trees and cut back any heavy or excess ones. After that, you arrange them roughly in the form you would like. Usually smaller ones circling a larger seedling tho you can have a grouping of similar sized trees also.

Then you wire it together. In a fairly short amount of time it will grow together and become one tree. How cool is that!? Then you have to wire each tree and gently bend it into the shape you desire.

My tree at the end of the session…

Questions and Answers from the Comments

2010-05-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

“Accessories from My Travels”
Lindy said: Your collection is beautiful even without the memories, but your door is gorgeous! What kind of wood is that??
Teri answers: Spanish walnut. We love the grain on it.

“Mount Kenya Safari Club”
steviewren said: It sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Was this your first time to visit Kenya?
Teri answers: Yes it was. Himself had been there in ’98. We’re hoping to go back in a few years.

Good Eats: Savannah Tea House in Nashville
Ethelmaepotter! said: Can't remember which of your blogs it was: the new bird in the neighborhood - did you get it at Blue Spring Gifts in Pleasant View?
Teri answers: No, I picked it up at the Target in Clarksville. I’ve seen similar ones at Blue Springs tho. Too cute.

“May Renovation: Front Porch (Before)”
Kathy G said: How long have you lived in this house?
Teri answers: Almost 2 years. There were sooo many things that HAD to be done, I'm now finally getting to do things that I WANT done.

“Lunch with the Ladies”
Karen said: That looks like it was so much fun! I love fresh herbs, but have a hard time keeping them alive. :(
Teri answers: Herbs are basicaly weeds and a lot from dry climates. Too much care can kill them more than neglect. Find a place with not great but well draining soil (most HATE wet feet) in a sunny location. Inside herbs are not going to make it… no matter what. Fine to have them in for a bit but they really want to be outside.

Noteworthy Blogs

2010-05-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

More of my absolute favorite blogs from this last week.

This one makes you think about your words and actions when “nobody is listening”.
http://singleandsane.blogspot.com/2010/05/always-and-everywhere.html

What a wonderful way to get a young person’s attention! LOL
http://alittlebirdietoldmeso.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-i-knew-i-was-grownup.html

Too funny! I need to do this with a couple of my bonsai “victims”!
http://etsyhighdesertdiva.blogspot.com/2010/05/fakin-it.html

This is SO one of my future projects! I have a bunch of pane windows from Best Friend.
http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2010/05/good-looking-glass.html

Sweet and fun photos of a mama and her baby.
http://chamfronstud.blogspot.com/2010/05/jamaica-and-lucia.html

LOVE it!!
http://dailyvitaminsea.com/fish-folk-art-in-rockport-maine/

Herbs - A Dilly of a Lunch

2010-05-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Herbal classes have started again at Diann’s Greenhouse and my first one of the season was a luncheon class featuring ‘dill’. Every dish – from appetizer to dessert – used dill. We had Herb Dip, Cucumbers in Dill Cream, Herb Soup, Herbed Salmon with Asparagus, Dilled Garlic Bread, Dilled Celery-Asian Pear-and Nut Salad, Dilled Lima Beans with Pimiento, and Lemon-Dill-and Pistachio Sharing Cookie.

Here’s some photos of the class and a recipe for you to enjoy.

Diann and her well prepped kitchen.

Add caption

Herb Dip.

Herb Soup.

Students preparing their salmon.

Loaded with herbs.

Or more subtle.

Getting the salad ready.

Dilled Celery, Asian Pear and Nut Salad.

Cucumbers in Dilled Cream.

Dilled Lima Beans with Pimiento.

Dilled Garlic Bread.

A beautiful tablescape.

Even the centerpiece was made from herbs.

Enjoying the meal we prepared.

DILLED CELERY, ASIAN PEAR, AND NUT SALAD

1 ½ Tablespoons sherry or Champagne vinegar

2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons minced savory

2 cups thinly sliced celery

¼ cup coarsely chopped dill weed

1 medium unpeeled Asian pear or Bosc pear – cored and cut into thick matchsticks

½ cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts, cashews, or nuts of your choice

Whisk together the vinegar and mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk rapidly as you pour in the oil in a slow stream. Just before you serve, toss the savory, celery, and dill with the dressing in a large mixing bowl, and then gently toss in the pear and nuts. Mound the salad on individual plates and serve.

Lunch with the Ladies

2010-05-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

For years I have been a member of the Ag Extension service “Extension Homemakers” groups. For many years I was involved with the one on my TN county but dropped after the extension agent in charge of it started turning it into her own political and spiritual forum (we were actually told that it wasn’t good enough to be a homemaker – we must also be part of the county’s political fabric. And we received lessons on ‘reaching the “goddess” within us’. Wow!). Anyway, I dropped out of my club. It was a bitter decision because in the past there had been great classes and I’d even been named “Young Homemaker of the Year”.

After not being involved for quite a few years my friend Kathy invited me to her KY Homemaker club. Seems there are quite a few from Clarksville who have started coming to KY clubs where being a homemaker is still a great thing. So about 4 years ago I joined her group – Country Pals.

Each month we have a lesson that relates to being a homemaker. It might be on cooking, saving energy, health issues, KY or US history, a craft, home maintenance and so on. Club members take turns presenting the lessons (there is a training session the month before).

May was my turn. The subject was culinary herbs.

Alrighty then!

I had 14 ladies make the journey from KY to my house. They brought a monsoon with them!

I had a blast teaching them. The lesson plans supplied by the extension office are really good and I added in my experience with growing and using herbs.

I brought in a selection of my herbs to accompany the lesson.

With herbs, it’s so much better to be able to see and smell “basil” than to just be told about it.

Then I fixed a lunch for everyone that used herbs in every dish except dessert. The menu was:

Caprese Salad (Basil)
Sample of Carrot Ginger soup
Pork loin roast with Herbs de Provence (Lavender, thyme, basil, bay)
Corn with dill
Minted peas
…and three types of bread: Rosemary bread, French bread toasted with garlic, basil and sundried tomatoes, and a plain French bread with olive oil and rosemary & parmesan.

Dessert was an Angel food cake (bought at an Amish bakery) with tangerine glaze.

Himself was my sous chef, dish washer, and photographer. I really don’t think I could have done it without him!

And we sent the ladies home with a small gift of an herb plant for their gardens.

Good Eats: The Anvil in Ste. Genevieve, MO

2010-05-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

On our way home from our Missouri trip, Himself asked me where I wanted to stop for lunch. That didn’t take much thinking… as we were only a few miles from the Ste. Genevieve exit. I quickly said I wanted to lunch at “The Anvil”.

As a very small child, my family lived a couple years in Ste. Gen. It was then that our family acquired the taste for a food of local tradition – German Liver Kniffles (Dumplings).

Yes… liver.

At least two restaurants (The Anvil and The Old Brick) have them on their menu. I’ve heard one of the local owned grocery stores has them in the frozen section (I’ll have to check that out some time!). You’ll see them at every social and church picnic. You love them or you hate them.

And I love them! As a child I would beg Mom to make the labor intensive dumplings for special events like my birthday meal. As a teenager I was known to drive down to get some for myself. As an adult, I’ve made them a couple times… and would much rather go to my now favorite restaurant “The Anvil” and order them. They are a side item. I order 4 sides and a side of green beans. Plus one of their fresh homemade desserts.

What’s the German version of “Bon Appetite”?

This trip had a surprise for us. We parked in front of the restaurant – scored a place right near the door. I glanced up and noticed a group of older (than me) ladies laughing and talking on the benches by the entrance. As I open the truck door I was looking down for my purse.

And I froze. Who’s voice? I know that voice! I was already grinning as I looked up and watched my aunt telling a story to her girlfriends. So caught up in the telling of it, she didn’t even notice me. I got out and stood at the curb looking at her for a bit. Don’t think she even took a breath. So I interjected into the conversation with “Don’t believe a word that woman says!”

About eight heads whipped up in shock…Aunt Mary’s being one of them. Next thing she is laughing and slapping her leg (so much like my great grandma), then jumps up to hug me. When she finished laughing she introduced me to her friends (and Himself when he came around). They had just finished their meal and were heading out. We visited a bit and we went in for our meal.

Figure the odds of meeting up 25-ish miles from her home and where my parents live as we headed back to Tennessee!

Oh…Himself had the grilled pork loin for lunch…

Teri and her Aunt Mary in front of "The Anvil".

The decor is very simple. The exposed brick wall dates back at least two forevers.

German Liver Kniffles in all their delicious glory! Jump back... it's lunch time!

Liver Dumplings “Recipes of Old Ste. Genevieve”

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. liver

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine

• 3 cups flour

• ½ cup ground pork (I use a thawed brat or two, with skins removed)

• 1 Tbs. chopped parsley

• 1 tsp. chopped basil

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• salt/pepper to taste

Process:

• Grind liver (This may be done in a food processor – this will happen quickly!)

• mix with chopped onion and ground pork.

• Add the flour and eggs, along with the parsley, basil, salt/pepper, and milk to make a stiff batter.

• Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water – add a Tbs of oil to keep dumplings from sticking – turn heat down so that water is barely simmering.

• Put some of the batter on a flat plate, and scrape with a spoon 1 Tbs. amounts into the simmering water.

• When dumplings rise to the surface, they are ready to be removed and drained (about 12-15 minutes).

• Heat 2-3 Tbs of butter over medium heat and gently sauté the dumplings in the butter for about 4-5 minutes.

• Serve drizzled with the remaining pan butter and some chopped parsley sprinkled over them.

Liver Dumplings are very versatile – they are often served with sauerkraut or in either beef or chicken stock as a soup – or you may like them best with a “gravy” of onions and bacon, gently sautéed together and served over the dumplings on noodles. Whatever way you choose to serve them, I think you’ll be surprised at how good they are.

Salud! at Whole Foods - Greek Mezes

2010-05-19T06:00:00.005-05:00

You know how I enjoy cooking classes. Himself is a pretty good cook too and enjoys hearing about my classes. So I signed us up for a couple class at Whole Foods.

The class taught the preparation of Greek “mezes” – finger foods. Very similar to Spanish tapas. As you’ve probably figured out by now (since this is my third Greek foods class!) we are very fond of this cuisine.

We did 8 dishes – Manitaria Yemista (Stuffed Mushrooms), Lakerda Politili (Marinated Ahi Tuna with Olive Oil), Favakeftedes Me Kapari Yakhni (Lentil Rissoles with Caper & Tomato Sauce), Eggplant spread, Khaloumi Cheese with Olive Oil, Keftedakia (Small Meatballs), Spanakotiropota (Spinach & Cheese Pie), Loukoumades (Honey Doughnuts).

The recipes were pretty straight-forward, though one gave Himself pause… the marinated tuna was a ceviche (raw ‘cooked’ using the acid of citrus). ‘Cooked’ is a loose term, as it still has the look and texture of raw. I, who likes sashimi, looked forward to trying it. Ahi is one of the raw sushi I like. Himself however, was not so eager. Gotta give him credit though. When it was served up, he ate his portion.

It was on the night of the start of rain that flooded Nashville. There’s usually about 5 ‘helpers’ working with the instructor… that night, only 2 could make it in and one of them left a house that was close to being flooded. He said he’d rather be out having fun than sitting at home being miserable since there was nothing he could do about it. (From the phone pics he showed us and knowing how bad it got, I just know his house was lost.) Because there were fewer assistants, we all pitched in and did the things that needed to be done. It was one of the more fun classes I’ve taken, as everyone was interacting and talking more.

Each couple did a different recipe and we all floated around to take a look at what the others were preparing.

Here are a few photos from the evening and one of the recipes (it’s the one we put together).

Busy in the kitchen.

Khaloumi Cheese with Olive Oil

Me plating the Khaloumi.

Preparing the mushrooms for stuffing.

Ready to go in the oven.

Stuffed Mushrooms.

Eggplant Spread

The Ahi marinating in lemon juice.

The Ahi after it has been flattened.

Sauteing the meatballs.

Himself helping to mash the lentils.

Each person fried some of the doughnuts.

Instructor Merijoy taking one of the spanakotiropota out of the oven.

Spanakotiropota.

Doughnuts just starting to cook.

Hot and yummy!

Glazing the doughnuts.

KHALOUMI CHEESE WITH OLIVE OIL

½ pound Khaloumi (or Halloumi) cheese, cut into ½ inch strips long ways

2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (chopped/torn to small fingernail size pieces)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (preferably Greek – which is stronger in flavor than Italian or Australian), plus more for serving

1 lemon, halved

Pita bread, warmed and sliced into strips.

Arrange pita on serving tray so it’s ready for the cheese.

Brush cheese with olive oil and place onto a medium hot coated sauté pan for 2 minutes on each side OR until lightly browned. (Don’t have too hot or will brown before getting ‘melty’.) Do only about 4-6 strips at a time because it can quickly get away from you.

Transfer hot, browned cheese onto pitas. Sprinkle with oregano, lemon juice and a bit of additional olive oil.

Enjoy while still hot!

OPA!!

Noteworthy Blogs

2010-05-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

I’ve been out of town and am just now catching up on my blog reading. Here’s a few of my favorite posts from the last week or so.

This has got to be the cleverest and most attractive solution to hiding a cat pan I have ever seen!

http://www.recapturedcharm.com/2010/05/contest-answer-what-in-world-will-this.html

A lovely tribute to a man who was part of the fabric of his community.

http://ethelmaepotterweneverforgother.blogspot.com/2010/05/heart-and-soul.html

I love these mailboxes! I’m trying to think up a modification of this I could use. Some redneck would most likely smash it if I tried it on my mailbox.

http://dailyvitaminsea.com/sea-shell-covered-mermaid-mailbox/

Another one of Laura’s beautiful watercolors.

http://lauratrevey.blogspot.com/2010/05/summer-container-garden.html

OK… this could ruin a diet for a day!

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2010/05/banana-upside-down-cake-with-chocolate.html

CUTE! What a great gift idea and so easy to make.

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/05/easy-and-elegant-craft-jeweled-stemware/

Sweet thoughts from a mother to her daughter.

http://www.findingmyamerica.com/?p=762

Ummmm… this is on my “to try” list also. They sound so good!

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/05/in-the-kitchen-with-monika-kotuss-orange-ricotta-breakfast-dumplings.html

Learning to Build a Dry Stack Wall

2010-05-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

While in Missouri for Mother’s Day, Himself and I took on a project for my Dad. We learned to build a dry stack stone wall.

Dad had hired someone who said they had experience in building stone walls. Yeah right. It didn’t take too long before a section fell down. Dad has just recently had heart surgery so he couldn’t fix it himself as he normally would. That is where we jumped in. Building a dry stack wall is on my “to do” list for our house, so being able to have Dad teach us was a great opportunity!

It didn’t take too long after we started to see why the section had fallen...the base stones were all slanted – and even worse, slanted to the outside. As Himself poked around on the stones it was obvious that more areas were going to come down. And soon!

Next thing Dad knew, Himself was ripping down more and more areas. Then he started digging in a new base. After watching a bit, Dad decided the best thing would be to pour a concrete footer to set the base stones on (the yard has a pretty decent slope). So now I learned out to mix up ‘Quickcrete’. Easy!

Over the next few days we worked on the wall. Himself did the heavy work of digging and moving stones. I selected each stone to be placed in and put the small ‘chinks’ in place to fill gaps.

We didn’t get the whole wall done (having no idea it would evolve into such a large job we hadn’t allotted enough time), but we did fix the areas that would have fallen (about half of the wall). Another quarter of the wall is low and I will do that when I go home sometime in June. The final 25% is a higher area that you can’t see from the road and Himself will finish that when he gets home from his next trip.

Now I’m looking around MY yard for places I might want to put in a wall…

I don’t have a lot of photos, as it’s not a good place for a camera to be where big rocks are being flung about!

Before AND After! Left is the portion we'll redo later and the right is what we did.

Building supplies.

Placing a cap stone.

Close up of the wall. This one isn't going anywhere!

Strawberry Fields

2010-05-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning Himself and I, Best Friend and son (Pirate 2) all headed out to pick some strawberries. Mmmmmmm…

We do this every year. This year was what I consider perfect picking weather… cool, overcast and slightly breezy. We got a lot in a short amount of time. I brought home 3 gallons (1 gallon will go to my neighbors up the hill) and I gave Best Friend 3 gallons (on top of the 5 gallons she picked). She makes the BEST strawberry jam and is always giving me some. She also gives me some for my Dad (yes Dad… you’ll have some fresh jam soon). And she keeps her elderly neighbors in good supply too.

Don’t you think I have some great looking strawberries?

Best Friend with some of her berries.

Mutant strawberry!

Starting a new bucket.

Quality control tester.

Junior QC.

Certain buckets didn’t get filled very quickly…

H&S Strawberry barn.

My bounty.

And Best Friend’s…minus 2 boxes that were in her back seat.

Grilled Wild Alaska Salmon with Strawberry-Cucumber Salsa

The strawberry-cucumber salsa that tops these moist, flavorful salmon fillets is delicious served on its own, too, with a few tortilla chips for dipping. For the marinade, substitute cranberry juice for the strawberry juice, if you like.

Ingredients

Salmon

1/2 cup strawberry juice from concentrate

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon roughly chopped ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Zest of 1 orange

4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets

Salsa

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow bell pepper

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

4 large ripe strawberries, hulled and finely chopped

Method

For the salmon, whisk together strawberry juice, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, ginger, salt, pepper, and zest in a wide, shallow dish to make a marinade. Add salmon and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Meanwhile, put cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, honey, lime juice, oil, salt, black pepper, ginger, and strawberries into a medium bowl and toss to make a salsa. Set aside. Prepare a charcoal grill.

When charcoal is hot and has a coat of ash, spread the coals to create an even heat source. Grill salmon fillets, flipping once, to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes each. Top each fillet with some of the strawberry-cucumber salsa and serve.

Flood Clean Up in Clarksville, TN

2010-05-15T06:00:00.029-05:00

We left for MO on the 6th, as the flood waters were still coming down. Riverside Drive (where many of the earlier photos I posted were taken) reopened to traffic on Sunday night.

We drove downtown a couple days ago to see what had happened to our city. It was amazing.

Himself pointing to the crest levels of Clarksville’s two great floods. His top hand is pointing to the 1937 mark and his bottom hand is pointing to the high water mark of 2010.

When we were downtown on the 3rd, the water was just touching the tires of this truck. Himself is showing the high water mark.

High water mark on a Riverside Drive building.

A flooded bank doing business out of this RV.

High water marks on a local restaurant.

Cleaning up.

Washed away river bank.

Hardware City was hard hit. This is the type of store that was CRAMMED full of every sort of thing you could ever want. They are asking for volunteers to help empty the store and sort the merchandise.

Himself and I will be going down next week to help

The river crested above the dark band on the bridge support.

High water mark on a truck at the Two Rivers office complex. Himself said it was about 9’. Parked next to it was someone’s Jaguar.

Restaurant cleaning out at the complex.

High water mark is just below the red band near the top of the ATM.

Coin and jewelry shop cleaning up.

Shoney’s hauling out their ruined furniture.

Andy’s Pharmacy doing business out of the building’s garage while they clean up the shop portion.

Everyone is trying to help with the clean up. Here is a farmer’s water tank being used to wash out a parking lot.

And the fire department is using one of their tankers.

A Special Mother's Day

2010-05-14T06:00:00.036-05:00

My absense from blogging was because I made a trip to my family’s home in Missouri for the Mother’s Day weekend. This Mother’s Day was a special one because of Little Bird… my sister’s first child and my mother’s first grandchild.

We all got together at my Mom’s house for supper. Little Bird is big enough to sit at the table with us, tho not big enough to join in the meal – Mexican Stack-Ups. Her dinner came from a jar. (Bleh!) I guess by next year she’ll be able to handle spicier foods.

Here’s a few pictures of our day.

Little Bird

Watching Grandma open her presents.

She loves to look at EVERYTHING!

Little Bird and her Mommy.

Three generations.

Shed Update (April Goal)

2010-05-04T11:09:00.002-05:00

The shed is nowhere near being finished. Three quarters of April I was with my family in Missouri and Himself did not get back to TN until 24 April to help with the heavy stuff. That just didn't leave much time to get a lot of work done.

And now the flood has hit and we will be helping with clean up in town. That is more important than a messy shed.

But we are progressing on it. Thru the month of May I'll work in the shed when I can.

But it sure looks better than it did the beginning of April!!

One more flood photo -our land.

2010-05-03T21:57:00.001-05:00

This shot shows our area. The wooded area at the bottom left is our propery. The water at the end of the road to the right is normally a field. The road ends in the cul-de-sac I showed earlier. The row of trees in the water is the western boundery of the river.

Monday photos of the Clarksville flooding.

2010-05-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

We got up early today and went downtown to see what had happened overnight. UF-DA!!! Major flooding and the water was still rising!!

Sunday - bridge high water marks

Monday - even higher

Sunday - road near our house (we are on the other side of the creek)

Monday

All the rest of the photos are along Riverside Drive between Commerce and N. Second St.

At Main St and Riverside Dr.

Looking north from the pedistrian bridge at College St.

And looking south.

Briggs Clothiers. Thankfully our friend had moved earlier in the year!

Some Midas customers are NOT going to be happy!

Two Rivers office complex from the Sonic parking lot.

Arbys

Hooter's at Two Rivers.

Shoney's on North Second and Riverside. The flow is from the Red River.

Intersection at Riverside-North 2nd-New Providence-Kraft St.

Hi-Lo on Riverside.

McD's on North Second. They were moving things out while we were there.

This semi went over to the flooding motels and helped people get their cars moved!

Service bay at a car dealership next to Sonic.

Harbor Freight Tools in the Two Rivers complex.

O'Charlies

New China

Tire shop next to O'Charlie's. Waste Management was trying to round-up their dumpsters.

Nothing they could do but watch.

River near our house.

Tennessee Flood Outside Our Door

2010-05-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Perhaps you've seen on TV the news of the flooding in middle Tennessee. That's right where we are.

Our home has had about (guessing) 10-12 inches in the last 2 days. While we are on the Cumberland River, we are on the high side of it and look across at the flood plain. So it's been no real problem except for some gullies cut in our driveway. Minor stuff.

Here's an autumn photo of the river as seen from our deck. You can see how high the flood plain is from the river bed.

And here is the same view with the flooding. That ridge of rock is the top of the bank!

Here's another view from the other side of the valley from our house.

We left for church early to drive thru downtown to see how it was there. This is big turn-bridge on Riverside Drive. It is usually at least 10 feet lower.

And here's a closer shot about 5 hours later.

Still rising.

On Riverside Drive looking south at the "smokestacks".

A car dealership on Riverside. He was moving his cars out of the lot.

The back of the Riverside Conference Center. Just past it is the Ingram sand lot. The water was already over the bank there and into the property.

The entrance of the old Fairground/soon to be marina. As we went by there were a group of men huddled up talking and pointing...

...at their equipment down near the river that would soon be underwater! (Taken from the Zinc Plant bridge). The park was almost completely flooded.

This is the parking lot in the back of the old Two Rivers mall. When we had gone thru 5 hours earlier the water was just at the edge of the parking lot. Now it is over a full parking row.

Himself at a popular fishing area on the backside of Clarksville Base on Ft. Campbell. We've never seen the water over the bridge...never mind that far up the road!

The picnic area of Lake Taal on Ft. Campbell (behind the stables). Check out the logs that had floated in!

The park from the top of the Lake Taal spillway. That is normally a nice little creek.

Flood waters tearing over the spillway.

Not today...

May Renovation: Front Porch (Before)

2010-05-02T06:00:00.021-05:00

It's not really a "porch". My grandmother would have called it a "stoop". But whatever you call it... it needs help!

I love my front door. We had that put in shortly after we moved in. The wood is walnut.

From ground to top the porch is 20 inches high. The first step up is 8 inches, the second is 12!!! Seriously!! What were they thinking?

A good power washing is in its future...

This little table just does not work. I'm thinking something with a bit of height would be nice. (The old boots are going to be repurposed as bird houses.)

And this has to be hid!

The lights stay but I've got to get that pollen cleaned off. We installed these shortly after we moved in. This style is the direction I want to go with the house.

The fossil stays too but I want to make it a nice accent. (BTW, it is a Lithostrotion collected in Montgomery Co., TN. We have a lot of these around here, tho not usually this big. We have our 'secret' location where we can find these grand daddy corals.)

I'm not going to do too much, because in the future we are going to build on a nice full porch. But I want to make my entrance attractive and welcoming.

May Goals - Curb Appeal

2010-05-01T06:00:00.006-05:00

Our property is large... over 5 acres, with about 2 acres of cleared land that is considered to be the "yard". I use the term "yard" loosely because it's closer to being pasture than yard.

Very little landscaping or care has been done, so we are playing a bit of catch up. There's a lot of work to be done. I messed around a bit last year but didn't do much as I wanted to see what I'd be dealing with thru every season. Early work included widening the driveway entrance and enlarging the upper parking area (where guest park). Ripping out a lot of overgrown shrubs that had been planted in areas far too small for their mature growth. Planting my daylilies, irises and daffodils. Laying out some mulch.

Other than that, I've been doing a lot of planning.

Now it's time to put some of those plans into action before the HOT Tennessee summer hits.

Because I don't do "hot".

We are going to work on is our 'curb appeal'. Whatever one sees from when they pull into our drive and continuing all the way up to our front porch. This will include:

the mail box area,

the driveway itself,

the areas immediately around the north...

and east side of the house (that is where the butterfly garden will be)

and finally this front area and the porch/stoop.

Go Brown!!

2010-04-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

I ordered a computer from Dell this month and I was told it would ship NO EARLIER than 26 April and no later than 30 April. That was perfect because I was going to be out of town thru the 23rd with family responsibilities. The Dell rep promised it wouldn't ship any earlier.

Low and behold, I get a call on my cell phone on the 23rd from Fed Ex saying they had attempted delivery THREE times and now had my parcel at their Nashville location! So now I have to go pick it up SOON -- 40 miles away!! I told her I would go down and get it Monday, which she said was fine.

OK, I understand that it isn't FedEx's fault that Dell can't ship when it agreed to. (It had shipped on the 19th!!!)

However, when I got home there were three sticky labels on my front door dated 20, 21, and 22 April. Terrific. Just advertise I haven't been home to an intruder!

So Monday Himself and I head down get it. Couldn't find the location by the directions given to me by the person I spoke to earlier so I called the 800 number.

Uh... "Undercover Boss" producers, I have a suggestion for you of a company that NEEDS to have Boss Man see what is going on!

That 800 number is the worst I have EVER called. After almost 5 minutes of a computer telling me it did not understand my response, I finally get a real live human. Glory be! But my happy is very short lived because she tells me the office is closed on Monday and I need to go tomorrow.

Hissy fit commences.

She agrees to have it redelivered on Wednesday before 5:30pm... in consideration of the trouble they had thus caused me.

Now Wednesday comes. And my computer does not.

Checking the tracking number on the FedEx web site, I see it had been put on the truck at 6:30am-ish and taken OFF at 8:01am!!!!

I call the wretched 800 number again and speak in pig Latin until it transfers me to a human. Only took a couple minutes that way!

Had to talk to two people before I found out that the driver had taken it off the truck. Why? Who knows!

Another hissy fit is pitched. This one bordered on a conniption fit.

So the station manager promises to bring it to me personally on Thursday morning - early.

Next morning at 9:30 am-ish he phones and says he is "on his way" for the 40 minute drive up. Perfect! I have to leave the house by 11am for a lunch date and even if he pokes coming up I'll still have a half hour before I have to leave.

At 11am I tell Himself to go to the lunch date without me...

FedEx dude shows up at 11:30am-ish. Two hours to make a 40 minute drive.

Maybe I should rent him "Cast Away".

"First thing it's two minutes, then four, then six, then the next thing you know, we're the U.S. mail."

Then he presents me with a rather beat up box. Steam starts coming out of my ears at that point. I made him stand on the porch until I had started up the computer and made sure it was alright.

And I didn't rush.

Fortunately the computer was fine, I signed his delivery paper and sent him on his way.

In the future if I have a shipping option... I think I'll be asking for UPS!

Good Eats - Savannah Tea House in Nashville

2010-04-29T06:00:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week Himself and I were doing some errands in Nashville when we came across this little restaurant called "Savannah Tea House".

I was hungry and cranky, so it was decided it would be a good place to stop.

It was a very good place to stop... So cute inside and the food was wonderful.

We started with our tea selections.

I had 'Pralines and Cream' and...

...Himself had 'Ginger Bounce Rooibos'. Both were excellent.

For lunch I had chicken salad and Himself had the tuna salad. Starving wolf that I was... I forgot to take a picture of the entrees! Take my word for it, it was good!

And to finish off the meal we splurged and had dessert. Himself had a "tuxedo cake"...

...and I had a cheesecake. We were not disappointed.

If you're in Nashville it's worth trying out. Here's the web site for more info and directions to get there.

http://www.savannahteacompany.com/home

Guest Blog: Kristen Welch - Heroes Don't Always Wear Capes

2010-04-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Vincent

This was originally posted on the Compassion bloggers web site. It's a beautiful post about how much your sponsorship means to your sponsor child.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I sat in a crowded, dank space and listened to the rain water dripping.

I squinted in the dark and leaned in to hear the quiet voice of Vincent, a sponsored child, living in the heart of Kenya, in the middle of Hell, known as Mathare Valley. He was an orphan, a child thrust into adulthood too soon, leading his family of siblings, alone.

He answered our questions with a kindness in his eyes, eyes that lit up when we asked about his sponsor. He said his sponsor’s name in a revered tone and told us words he’d memorized from his last letter. Someone in our group asked if he had a copy of a letter.

He sat on the edge of his couch/bed and reached behind the thin, tattered sheet that divided a small sleeping place and pulled out a much loved, worn letter from under his blanket. Vincent held the paper and grinned as he held up a picture of his sponsor, lightly touching the edges, pride evident on his face.

In that moment I realized the significance of sponsoring a child through Compassion International. Child sponsorship is a small part of our busy lives, but in many ways and circumstances, it is a child’s life. Without sponsorship and the concern and involvement of Compassion, Vincent, in his words, would probably be dead.

In my busy American life, child sponsorship was a dedicated $38 that I didn’t even miss. It was an occasional letter and maybe $10 for a birthday gift. Maybe. Sponsorship was something I did without thinking about every week or even every month. It was another thing, albeit good, that was on my long list. But I couldn’t help think how insignificant it had been to me: a few letters a year, little prayers whenever I remembered …

In many ways, child sponsorship was like an ending for me, something that made me feel good about myself, my contribution, a check off my list. But it is a beginning for a child, a new chance.

Seeing child sponsorship from both perspectives changed mine as I watched Vincent cherish his letter. It came alive to me in that tiny shack. In his soft voice he spoke sincere words I’ll never forget. They echo in my heart: “I pray for my sponsor. I pray for him every day.”

Vincent’s sponsor is a blessed man.

It was something we heard every time we asked a sponsored child about his or her sponsor. They would run and get their letters and say, “I pray for my sponsor.”

If sponsorship rescues a child from poverty, that makes a sponsor a hero.

It’s time I started acting like one.

Bonsai Show

2010-04-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

April was the spring show for my bonsai club. This one is mostly for the club members, tho it is open to the public for viewing. It's held at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville.

Here are a few of the trees that were entered this year:

Amish Plant Auction

2010-04-25T20:23:00.001-05:00

Last year Best Friend went to a plant auction in the Amish community north of here in Kentucky. We've been planning for a year to make it in '10. I'd made up a list of what I wanted for this summer's yard work so I would not get distracted.

Yesterday was the day!!

Despite the fact we had severe thunderstorms (and a nearby tornado!) there were a lot of people there.

There were Amish folks who came in many kinds of conveyances...

...and "English" with their autos to buy trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetable plants.

It was held in an open pavilion about the size of 2 gymnasiums. At either end there was a platform where plants were being sold. There were so many plants being sold so fast it was crazy.

Plants were on pallets that were wheeled up to the auction area. There would be a line of 4 or 5 pallets waiting for a turn. They were steadily brought up to the auction area by Amish boys. I was impressed at how responsible they were and how hard they worked with no attitudes.

There were so many beautiful plants being sold.

I'd look over what was in the line-up, then head to the other end of the building to check out what was there. I must have trotted 5 miles yesterday going from one to the other.

Some prices were crazy good and some were crazy bad (you could get it cheaper at Walmart or Lowes!). Since I've been pricing out what I wanted, I stopped bidding on a lot of things. All in all, I think I did pretty good.

And it was as much fun to "people watch" as it was to bid on plants.

Here's what I came back with:

Seven 5 gallon azalea bushes for $8.50 each.

Twelve 1 gallon forsythia bushes for .50c each!!

Two smoke trees for $8 each.

One patio peach tree for $15.

Two hanging petunia baskets for $5 each.

A BUNCH of herbs for about $2 each.

Ten upright mystery flowers for .75c each. I gave half to BF and she gave me half of her cascading mystery flowers. So now we can make several planters.

Plus 4 birdhouses for only $5 each.

So pretty soon I'll be doing some planting! (Gotta finish with that shed first!)

Waiting out the storm - boy style

2010-04-24T22:05:00.001-05:00

Himself, Best Friend, BF's Sweetie and I went out to a plant auction in "Amish Land" today. Just before we got home a storm blew into town. The Pirates called to 'inform' us that the tornado sirens were going off and we had BETTER be home soon!! Best Friend told them the bad weather was to the north of town but to get into the downstairs bathroom (which is in the center of the house under the stairway) and wait for us to get there... and yes, we were going as fast as we could.

I was the first one inside and this was what I found... "tween" boys idea of how to ride out a tornado warning...

Bring the X Box game, a radio, a blanket, some munchies, the dog and her food all into the little bathroom.

You can see how their priorities lay... LOL!!!

Noteworthy Blogs

2010-04-23T06:00:00.004-05:00

I've not been online much the last couple weeks, but these are some of my favorite blogs from recent postings:

I appreciate Selena's thoughts on how frugality is different for each person. What is valuable in one person's life should be the guide to how you do and do not spend your money/resources.
http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/2010/03/frugality-checks-balances.html

Too funny!! I've met those angry hornets Layla talks about! The whole post is a delight.
http://www.theletteredcottage.net/2010/04/working-out-kitchen-switches-and-new.html

Another laugh... some people are just too stupid to be living outside a padded room.
http://www.thefiftyfactor.com/2010/04/look-before-you-leap.html

A great idea from Quinn and one I practice constantly.
http://qupfromtheashes.blogspot.com/2010/04/planed-spontaneity.html

A wonderful post from Michael, who is sweet tho he'd rather you not realize it.
http://heycabo.blogspot.com/2010/04/both-ends-of-bubble.html

This is just too cute! I'll be making several for my yard.
http://darningdiva.blogspot.com/2010/03/diy-bird-bath.html

Mount Kenya Safari Club

2010-04-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

"The up country Mount Kenya Safari Club has been a Kenyan tradition since American movie star William Holden fell in love with its blend of romance, history, and extraordinary scenery and bought it with friends in 1959. ... Its casual elegance harks back to earlier days as a private club, when its roster of celebrity members..." -- 1000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz

Ever since Himself stayed here during one of his military trips (yeah... rough life, eh?), I've wanted to see the Mt Kenya Safari Club. So when planning our trip 2006 Kenya trip I looked into staying there.

OUCH! That idea ended up being more spendy than I was willing to do; tho in hindsight I realize I should have done it. Seriously... what was I thinking? But I digress...

Second best option was to book lunch.

In "the old days" one "dressed" to dine at the Mount Kenya Safari Club and according to my guide books the tradition continued. So we brought jackets and nice slacks outfits to wear for our meal.

I wonder how old the info in those books was? Or was there just an invasion of Huns that day? But let it be said, we were almost overdressed. That is sad. THE reason to come to the Club is the elegance. If you're not going to partake in the atmosphere... book somewhere else!

However, the experience provided by the staff was wonderful. The level of service had not been backed down a bit. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The dining room was lovely.

And the view was impressive. That's Mt. Kenya - the highest peak in Kenya at 17,057" (the second highest in Africa). In 1998 Himself climbed it to the summit of Pt. Lenana at 16,355".

After dinner we walked around a bit. This is the back of the main lodge of the MKSC.

Back inside, this is one of the sitting rooms. They were very elegant.

Back in '98 Himself was allowed to play their piano and they allowed him to do so again while we were there.

At the "equator". I don't think that is really where it is but it makes a photo op for the lodge. (According to Google Earth, it's about 2' south of the equator).

Paper Tiger Update

2010-04-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

FILING - Well, this one hit a speed bump. Some family responsibilities of a serious nature needed to come first. However, everything has been sorted thru and culled. All that remains is to drop each piece of paper into its very own file in the file cabinet.

IDEA NOTEBOOKS - This hit the same speed bump. I have some small rose colored totes that I've sorted the clippings into and will get them into their respective notebooks as time allows.

CARDS - Yep... had more than Hallmark... And I am now down to 2 small file boxes: one has general note/thinking about you cards and the other has every other type you can imagine - with dividers to keep them organized. AND I won't be buying Christmas cards this year. I have enough 'leftover' cards from the years past to send out to everyone in 2010 (might even have some leftover!). What remained filled a gallon zippie. These went over to Best Friend for her to pick thru with instructions if there were any left they were NOT to come back to me!

BOOKS - That is done!!! My shelves are painted and filled with my books. As I shelved, I culled thru the books and have several boxes to donate to various places.

MAGAZINES - They are pretty much done. I go thru them when I'm relaxing or waiting on something. Of course going thru them adds to the filing and notebook pile. LOL

So all things considered, I'm fairly happy with what I've gotten done up to this point. Systems are in place and organizing is being done.

And that is what I wanted to accomplish most.

Projects for Home and Yard

2010-04-17T06:00:00.005-05:00

My monthly goal project has been working so well I've decided to expand the idea to some other areas I'm having trouble focusing on -- doing some room renovations in our home and working on a few landscaping projects.

I'm going to work on a specific area of my home every month. And I'll have a project in the yard every month thru October. They may not be a big project, but it will be a complete project. That should bring about some serious progress.

April is kind of the 'kick off'. My goal of cleaning out the shed spills into my project areas. I want to make the shed area cute on the inside and out.

This area could be very cute with a window box and a bench...

How do you like that pile of "stuff" around it? The wagon wheel came from Himself's family homestead in ND, the dark tubs are planter boxes for my new Asian style arbor (you'll see that when I work on the front walk next month), the deep sink is the one I took out of the laundry room - I'm going to repurpose it as part of my planting bench that will be behind the shed, and the metal leaning at the corner is the rest of the arbor.

And can't you just see a row of lilacs blooming along here? That will sure look better than my arbor pieces, wheelbarrow, and trash can! LOL

Guest Blogger: Himself - "Lost and Found"

2010-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Since cleaning and organizing the shed is my April goal, I thought you might get a chuckle at this story Himself wrote a while back. It shows you what I'm up against...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

‘Lost and Found’

This month, instead of writing about some exotic place we have travelled to or some weird thing I’ve done, I’m going to write about a common thing—probably familiar to all families one way or the other: Collecting things...and then losing them!

In this phase of our lives, Teri and I have decided to ‘downsize’. For men and women that can mean different things! A woman will pull everything out of everywhere, and ‘start paring down’—having two like items in her hands and deciding which one needs to go. Then follow through get rid of it. A man? He usually decides to get rid of/buy something in two circumstances; when it is time to buy a bigger (and cooler) item, or when he can’t find the old one. In this family the latter is usually the case.

And Teri finally got sick of it.

In Teri’s ‘clean fest’ she started at the top of the house and worked down. Me? I stayed out of the way. (My ‘den’ was an exception—outside of asking me to tidy it up, she says that my stuff can ‘sit there until our Lord returns for all she cares...’) Finally Teri worked her way to the garage. Uh oh... Guy Territory. But then I got to thinking, “Man...I haven’t managed to find the ol’ so-and-so item this entire year. Perhaps I will just LET Teri go for it...but keep an eye on her in case she grabs something important that she might want to get rid of.” (Men, we understand ‘important’!)

Most things in a garage have a place. Sort of. But some items are small enough that they just get lost in the shuffle. Like screwdrivers. And perhaps socket sets—at least certain socket sizes. No matter how much you promise to ‘put it back where it belongs’, you don’t (at least I don’t). “But,” you convince yourself, “it isn’t that big a deal because how much can a new screwdriver cost?” Especially at a yard sale! So you go out and get another. Over time something happens--you end up with more screwdrivers than a sane man can want. But you still lose them. You console yourself that ‘hey, look around, I’ll be able to find at least one!’ And you do. Good enough.

Socket sets? Not as cheap as lost screwdrivers. The three sizes you use most disappear one by one, or worse--roll into some part of your vehicle that you can’t get into with adult size hands. By the third socket gone you can’t stand it anymore so, after convincing your wife that ‘you just CAN’T have a socket set with the three most important sizes missing!’, you head whistling to the hardware store or down to the nearest yard sale.

(It’s best not to start whistling until you are out of her hearing range.)

Well, as happened here this summer, there came that time when Wife wanted to do that thorough garage cleaning I mentioned. To convince Husband ‘he was helping’, she had me lift the heavy stuff while she sorted and organized everything else...and in her sorting she finds every blooming screwdriver and partial socket set. Teri? She is subtle. She just piles up screwdrivers and sockets into neat little piles that get bigger and bigger and waits for me to notice. When I do, there is nothing to say. The whistling is over...

Teri, being practical, contemplates which yard sale she can dump some of these excess items on.

Trying to justify myself though, I asked her, “Is there ANY thing that women seem to have lots of lying around the home? You know--things that can get out-of-hand and that seem to multiply like rabbits? Perhaps items that even get passed around between woman to woman at social events or family gatherings?

Teri thought for a moment & said, “Tupperware”.

Thinking about it, I must say that I have seen more mismatched Tupperware rotate in and out of homes than any other item known to mankind...

...including screwdrivers.

A Letter from Our Sponsored Teacher in Kenya

2010-04-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

Just received this letter from Kenya. It was from the teacher we sponsor at the Galilee School (see my blog post from Oct: http://teri-gonewalkabout.blogspot.com/2009/10/connect-with-teacher-from-kenya.html ).

It's such an easy way to make a difference...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dear Teri

I thank Almighty God who has granted me this chance to write to you this letter. I hope you are doing well together with your family.

First of all I am grateful for the support you are offering us and we trust in God to bless you and give you long life.

I am happy to let you know that our form four students of last year (2009) performed extremely well. We are proud because our school was one of the best school in our Division and we appreciate because you also contribute to its good performance. Our teachers are also dedicated and working tirelessly to see that the students perform well. We trust and believe that this year will be just marvelous.

We are heading to the end of the term. The students (1-3) are doing their end term exams while the form fours are preparing for their first mock exams.

Our music students have also started to rehearse this is because we will have music festival when we open for second term and just as always. God has hot deserted us we hope for the best.

Lastly, let Almighty God bless and guide you together with your family.

Be Blessed
Madam Eunice O.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The below photos were taken in the school Eunice teaches at. The programs are working to improve the school. The first photo shows unimproved class rooms. The second shows new class rooms.

New Sponsor Child - Mairiamu thru Compassion

2010-04-11T06:00:00.004-05:00

Last summer in the magazine Compassion sends to its child sponsors, there was an article about a boarding facility for Maasai girls who had run away to escape female circumcision and an early age (11 to 14 years old) marriage to a much older man. Not only that, these girls dreamed of being allowed to stay in school and maybe even have the chance to go to university.

If you would like to read the article, it will take you a few 'clicks' to get there but it's worth the effort. Go to: http://www.compassion.com/sponsordonor/compassionmagazine/default.htm On the left side of the page is a column. Click on "Compassion Magazine". When it expands, click on the Summer '09 edition. It's a PDF so it will take a moment to open. Once open, it is page 8 of the PDF file.

We had just ended our sponsorship of a Maasai girl with another organization due to some "discrepancies" in their operations. So when we read this article we knew we had found a way to help a young girl with an organization that we fully trust.

I called Compassion and requested to sponsor a girl at this place the girls call "the rescuing center". Apparently I was not the only one, as there were no girls needing sponsorship. So I requested to be put on a waiting list.

The other day I had a wonderful surprise when I opened my mail box! In it was a sponsorship packet for a girl from the school. And in a confirmation that this was indeed our new sponsor child... her birthday is the same day as my sweet little Hanna's birthday! (Different year, of course).

So I'd like to introduce you to Mairiamu (mah-ee ree ahmoo). She will be 12 years old in August. She has 5 siblings. Her favorite activities are volleyball and other ball games. Her school performance is above average. She regularly attends church and is in the choir.

I look forward to getting to know her!

Photos - South of the Border

2010-04-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sorting thru more photos. This time I'm working on the shots from a mission trip in '06 to central Mexico.

Best Friend and I worked with "The Children's Corner"; a place where the children could be entertained while their caregivers were seeking attention at the medical clinic we had set up.

Here are some of the beautiful little faces we got to spend our week with.

Bonsai Classes - Cascade Juniper and Repotting

2010-04-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

March was a busy month with the bonsai club. Besides our monthly meeting (which had a repotting demonstration) we had the booth at the Lawn and Garden show and two workshops. The workshops are fantastic!

The first was the "Beginner Bonsai" class. This year we did a cascading juniper.

When we all arrived, Dave gave a lecture on junipers and the cascade form. After our lunch break we went to the workshop where we selected our tree... a very shaggy little juniper that Dave and Barb had already repotted in a tall bonsai pot.

We snipped and hacked and wired and twisted.

And by the end of the two hour hands-on portion, we each had a nice little "baby" bonsai.

The next weekend there was a repotting workshop. Owen invited everyone to the nursery where he works to work on our trees together. The club provided bonsai soil. They also had a few tools & wire if you didn't have your own (not that it was really necessary as I have found the club members to be extremely generous in sharing both their knowledge and supplies).

The day was perfect - sunny and warm, with a cool breeze. I didn't think to count but I believe there were about 15 members who came.

I brought 2 trees - a 'windswept' juniper and a small form of holly. Both little trees as I still need to purchase some larger pots for my taller bonsai. It was a pleasant couple hours working on trees and chatting with other members. Owen worked the group, making sure everyone had the supplies they needed and offering help and much appreciated suggestions.

Here are my trees before repotting--

And after.

Salud! at Whole Foods - Greek Easter Feast

2010-04-05T06:00:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday I was back down to Nashville for another class at Whole Foods (Green Hills) cooking school Salud!. This time it was a hands-on class called "Greek Easter Feast" taught by Merijoy Lantz Rucker.

Oh my!

We did a spring greens Greek salad, avgolemono soup, roast lamb stuffed with greens and feta, roasted potatoes with garlic, lemon & oregano and a cheese & honey tart.

First course was the Greek salad. Merijoy explained in Greece they are all about seasonal cooking and the early greens of this time of year are a special treat.

Next we did the avgolemono soup. This is one of the reasons I took the class! It's one of my all around favorites and I wanted to learn the trick to making it.

This is the trick... you have to "temper" your eggs with hot broth to slowly bring up their temperature without ending up with 'scrambled' eggs.

Then you stir and stir and stir.

Next we observed the preparation of the lamb

First was the stuffing. Here someone is trimming and slicing the 'rainbow' Swiss chard.

The all the greens are sautéed until tender.

The lamb already stuffed and being tied to go into the oven.

A little bit later and the beautiful roast is done. Merijoy is slicing after letting it rest about 10 minutes

And here is the roast, with the stuffing and a pan juice reduction for a sauce. SO good!

With a side of roasted potatoes (recipe follows).

And dessert was the tart. It's not a sweet dessert, which I enjoyed. It would be really good with fresh seasonal fruit. We made 2 types of tart.

One was a large tart using a tart pan.

The other was individual tarts with hand shaped crusts.

I preferred the large tart as there was more filling. But these small ones sure are cute!

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon, and Oregano

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup good olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, toss and roast for about 10 minutes more, or until the potatoes are golden brown, crispy and cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh oregano and serve.

Movie Review: "How To Train Your Dragon"

2010-04-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Last night I went to the movie with Best Friend and the Pirates. Pirate 1 and I both like dragons and we've been waiting to see "How To Train Your Dragon" -- in 3D of course!

I was a bit cautious as this is made by the same ones who made "Shreik"... and I personally think there is too base humor in the "Shreik" movies that is not appropriate for kids. So it was a pleasant surprise that there was very little off color humor in this movie. (In fact, I don't remember any.)

It was a fun movie. Animation is good, the 3D effects are quite good. There's a scene with falling ash that it looks like you could slap it away from your face! How cool is that? The one thing I thought was funny is all the Vikings have a Scottish accent!

I can recommend this one for children. It appeals to both boys and girls (the Viking woman are TOUGH). If Hanna was old enough, I would take her to see it.

Might just have to get it for her when it comes out on DVD!

April Goal - Operation Clean Sweep: Shed

2010-04-01T06:00:00.004-05:00

I'm taking my decluttering and organizing show on the road. A very short road. More like a driveway. My driveway.

April is my month to tackle the dreaded shed. I'll also be doing some work on the garage as there are shed and yard things in there too.

Last December when Himself brought in the yard things for the winter, we hadn't gotten the shelves built to put them on. No vertical storage space means that every little bit of floor space gets stuffed full. Stuffed full floor space means I can't reach the shelves we built in the back of the shed to put away things from the garage.

Did you ever see the TV show "Clean Sweep"? In the show, the Clean Sweep team would descend on some lucky person's home and remove EVERYTHING from 2 rooms. An organizing expert (Peter Walsh) would help them get rid of the junk and then organize the things that remained. The building expert would make nice storage units for the things to go into. The designing expert would make it all look good.

We're going to "clean sweep" without the expert help. Empty -- create storage space -- cull junk -- bring back the remaining things and put away in their new home. Oh yeah! (And once the shed is done, I can get the extra stuff out of the garage!)

Stayed tuned to see the organizing ideas I've found put to use!

Noteworthy Blogs

2010-03-31T06:00:00.003-05:00

Shopping With Pirates

2010-03-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Two Fridays ago, I took The Pirates shopping. Usually when we do this, it's for something cool like a bicycle, or walkie talkies, or games for the Wii. And they are quite enthusiastic.

However, this time there were many groans and much dragging of feet. Because we were clothes shopping. And not just any clothes... we were looking for suits.

You see, The Pirates were conveyed the honor of being invited to be Congressional Pages on the floor of the Tennessee legislature. Their mom invited me to join them for that day. I couldn't since that was right when I'd planned my trip to Missouri (my Hanna Time). But I requested the privilege of getting their clothes for the day.

(side note: these two are growing like bad weeds and their dress suits were more than a wee bit snug.)

I should have known something was up the way my dear friend chuckled...

Pirate 1 is 12 and a HALF (must not forget the half) and is slim built size 12. He also isn't very concerned with clothes... at least with dress clothes. Any color is fine as long as it is khaki or blue.

Pirate 2 is 10 and a QUARTER (not just 10) and is an athletic built size 12. He on the other hand is the future cover dude of GQ magazine. This young man is not afraid of color... in his shirts. Pants must be black.

Silly me... I thought we'd just be-bop into Target at 4pm and come out with spiffy looking boys. HA!

There are pitiful few dress clothes in the sizes of 12 and 14. One would think with Easter only 2 weeks away there would be plenty to chose from. And one would be thinking wrongly.

Let the boy torture begin.

We started out looking for a shirt, figuring we could build the outfit around that. Their Mom and I started looking thru the shirts and as we pulled out ones to try... there were no boys around to try them on. Found them over in the skateboarder shirts. Pirate 2 starts to get interested and is soon rooting thru the shirt selection. Pirate 1 slid over to hide in the greeting cards, from where he is promptly retrieved and told to find a shirt. After a good 30 minutes of trying various combinations and a check in the shoe department, we take the few (very few) approved selections and check out.

Next stop -- Dillards. I like Dillards. I had great hopes for Dillards.

I was hugely disappointed.

First, their selection in the 12 & 14 sizes was just a limited as Target. Well, they did have a nice tie selection. Second, the only clerk working the floor in boys was an idiot. She didn't know her department and really didn't seem to want to figure anything out.

And at this point, we had pirates in rebellion. Oh they do not like having the fit of their pants checked!

Tough.

Again, I take the very few things we found and head to the check out.

Next stop -- Belks. This is not one of my favorite stores but I'm starting to get desperate! Once in the boys department I remembered why they aren't my favorite store - the selection was the worst yet. However, they were having a HUGE sale on dress jackets. And thank you... there was a navy blue one that fit Pirate 1 and a black one that fit Pirate 2. Score!! Now we wait in line for 10 minutes at the only open check out...

Before Belks, we swung into a shoe shop that hereto before had been a good place to get these two boys shoes. Not any more. The Pirates are at the awkward between child and adult sizes and there was nothing to be found.

By now, we are ALL melting. Feet are tired, nerves are frayed. A quick run thru of our purchases showed we still had not found shoes for either boys and Pirate 1 still didn't have slacks.

So we head across the road to Kohls. Nada for shoes. But we did find the slacks and belt.

Our one last hope was Payless Shoes. And beauty was, it was located next door to the movie theater where we were going to see the 8:15 pm showing of "Alice In Wonderland".

I head in with what were now two walking attitudes. We were met by a bright-eyed clerk who asked if we needed help. I pointed to the slumping boys and said "I need some dress casual shoes for these two." She briskly led us the proper section and soon both boys were trying on shoes. The attitudes didn't faze her at all. They each found a pair - and on sale too - that they liked! YES!!!

I thanked the lady for her patience and help. She smiled and said, "I have 2 boys - 10 and 13". I laughed and said "10 and 12".

(As the line from "Sleepless in Seattle goes:

[at airport watching Jonah be obnoxious]
Sam: "He's 10".
Victoria: "He's good at it.")

We JUST made our movie...

You know, these boys owe their mom a really nice Mother's Day.

In fact, every male out there owes their mom a really nice Mother's Day; because as my friend said, "Welcome to my life!"

However... as you can see from this photo, it was worth the effort. Aren't they a handsome pair of young men!?

Movie Review - Green Zone

2010-03-28T06:00:00.003-05:00

While I was in Missouri, my parents and I went out for a movie. This time we saw "Green Zone". I'd had hopes for it since I really like Matt Damon. But those hopes weren't met. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. Just "meh".

I found it predictable in its "there are no WMD in Iraq" theories. Five minutes into the film you can figure out where it's going and the course is straight and narrow.

If you like this sort of movie... I'd suggest waiting until it comes to the Red Box.

Little Bird Time - 7 months old

2010-03-27T17:04:00.003-05:00

Just back from spending a week with my family in MO. Part of that visit is what I call my "Little Bird Time". Who would have thought having a baby niece would be so much fun!

I only get to see her about once a month and she changes so much between those visits. This month when I came up the stairs I saw a baby who was sitting up on her own. And when she smiled there were 2 teeth in that grin. Wow! When Himself gets home he won't even recognize her! Last time he saw Little Bird was at Christmas.

The early part of my weeklong visit, Little Bird was fighting her first honking head cold. She was feeling bad enough that on Monday we all made a trip up to her doctor. Little Miss did NOT like getting her ears cleaned out so he could check them. She might have a cold but there is nothing wrong with her lungs! Nothing else wrong with her either and we left with the doctor's advice to treat the symptoms and ride it out.

Poor baby. Even tho she felt absolutely cruddy, she tried so hard to stay happy. It was pitiful to hear her little whimpers after a round of painful coughing. But as soon as it passed, that sweet smile would come out.

However, my Mom (who takes care of Little Bird during the day) informed me that Little Bird takes her medicine just like I did - badly. Little squirrel can whip her head around fast to avoid the medicine dropper. But Mom outfoxed her by mixing it in with her peaches. Good thing a stuffed head affects your sense of taste or else those peaches would have probably been spit out!

By Thursday's visit I was greeted with bright eyes again. And on Friday she was ready for some serious playtime. I delayed starting my drive back to TN by two hours so I could sit on the floor and hear baby laughter. We had a grand time wrestling around and playing with toys.

BTW... guess who now has Little Bird's cold? But you know what... it's worth it for just one of those baby laughs!

At My Fingertips

2010-03-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

Some of my "clutter boxes" are full of papers: pages I've pulled from magazines, brochures I've picked up, and articles I've clipped from various sources. At this point they are useless to me because they are just stuffed in those boxes. I have no idea what I have or if they even apply to my current life.

So that is one of my big projects in this taming my paper tiger. Going thru those papers and throwing out the ones I no longer need/want and making accessible the information I want to keep. The main way I'm organizing them is in project notebooks.

The largest notebook (a 3 inch binder) is for my home remodeling and landscaping. I bought dividers with write on tabs and made sections for each room of the house and for each project I'm going to work on in the yard. If I can fit the idea onto a piece of notebook paper, I glue it on (fast and easy). If it's a large page or a brochure, I put it in a page protector.

I have a similar sized notebook to hold my hobby/crafting ideas. I'm starting to think perhaps I'm going to need a separate notebook to hold my photography ideas and tips in.

I have another notebook that holds clips that relate to my "Remodel Me" goal. Hair styles I like, clothes I like, ideas for using accessories, "best" make up and skin care products, nutrition information and so on.

There are notebooks I keep correspondence from my sponsor kids (7 notebooks), writing buddies (1 for all of them), and 2 sponsored adults. There is one that I keep things from my mission team meetings.

I like the notebooks because they are easy to carry around without papers falling everywhere.

I'm using a little different method for organizing my recipe clippings. For this I'm using a heavy duty accordion file. It has 12 sections to sort with. My categories for this are: Meat, Eggs, Pasta, Grains, Starches, Veggies, Soups & Stews, Breads, Fruit, Desserts, Drinks, and Misc. That's as much as I'll be doing with my recipes for a bit. I've something planned up for a later goal...

Keeping on, keeping on!

2010-03-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Still rolling along with my goals from my 12 Goals plan.

"Clutter Free Me" - I'm doing constant tweaking now. The upstairs stays in good shape and I'm refining small areas like the tool box or the cleaning kit I keep under the sink. My office downstairs is always in a state of flux, as I go thru the "clutter boxes" I stashed in the garage and tackle projects like my bookshelves. Garage & shed wait their turn at being decluttered and organized... which will happen when Himself comes home. Too much big heavy stuff for me to be fooling with.

"Remodel Me" - Diet is going... Everything I've lost has stayed off, but I've hit a plateau on losing. My fault because of attitude. However, I'm working thru it. This time I'm learning instead of quitting. The organized closet is terrific and I've only worn a T Shirt in public a couple times - and those were when I was going to be doing some loading or unloading of stuff. When you work... you gotta wear a working shirt!

The bifocals just did not work out. Between getting a splitting headache every time I wore them and just not liking the way they made me see, I sent them back and got a pair of single vision glasses and a pair of prescription reading glasses. At this point, I have no issues seeing the computer with my normal glasses and what little reading I do outside of my books/magazines at home can be done with the normal ones too... even if I have to stretch my arm a bit! For serious reading, I'll slip on the reading glasses. Oh, I did have them checked and was told they were exactly as they should be.

"Taming the Paper Tiger" - Egad! It is worse than I thought! I have been doing some heavy duty sorting just to get some sort of control. I have a box with "official" papers (receipts, instruction manuals, etc), one with "home ideas" & recipes, one with letters from my sponsor kids, one with photos I run across, one with "office" papers (notebooks, note pads, envelopes, etc). I've done some culling with the sorting - enough to fill a bunch of small trash bags. But all in all, it's a LOT less than I started with. I will be able to finish by the end of the month.

Himself will be home soon. They are at the end of their cod fishing season - now working on the "state" fishing catch. It takes 10 days - roughly - to go from Adak, AK to Tacoma, WA. He's going to be so surprised out what I've gotten done. He doesn't know about the laundry room!

Noteworthy Blogs

2010-03-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've started following blogs of others and have come across some really excellent blogs. Some make me laugh and some have caused me to cry. There are some that share fantastic ideas for decorating or great recipes. Some have made me think about things in a way I never had before.

I decided that there are posts too good not to share. So I'm going to start showing off posts that I've particularly enjoyed each week. I hope you enjoy them too.

This joke tickled me. I can just see it... can't you?
http://majorityoftwo.blogspot.com/2010/03/irish-humor-for-st-paddys-day.html

This one made me laugh out loud as I was reading it. What a hoot!
http://www.thefiftyfactor.com/2010/03/graveyard-garage-sale.html

Fantastic photos! I'm certainly not as hardcore as the photographer she shared. This is the one that inspired me to post some of my photos from Kenya.
http://chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com/2010/03/amazing-photographs-captured-by.html

I want to go to this beach!!!
http://dailyvitaminsea.com/driftwood-beach-on-jekyll-island-ga/

Here's the one that made me cry.
http://heycabo.blogspot.com/2010/03/pretty-again.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HeyCabo+%28Hey+Cabo%29

And one that made me laugh... especially since the writer is near and dear to me.
http://offthecuff23.blogspot.com/2010/03/okay-so-i-ran-over-squirrel-today.html

Cooking at Ingredients - South of the Border!

2010-03-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm sad.

Tuesday night was my last class - at least for a while - at Ingredients.

For our final night we did Mexican. Lana shared a few extra recipes with us. She demonstrated her salsa, Enchilada Pie, Mexican Brides cookies, Candied Orange Peel, and Pan De Elote. Plus she shared how to make taco seasoning and homemade tortilla chips.

If you'd like all the recipes, visit:
http://ingredientsclarksville.blogspot.com/2010/03/mexican-cookingdemonstration-class.html

Lana and Nick

Her fantastic salsa. Nick said he could pretty much take care of that bowl himself!

Enchilada Pie.

Mexican Brides cookies. They are so tender.

Candied orange peels... one of my favorite sweets.

Wouldn't this make your guests and family feel special?

Pan De Elote

16 oz can creamed corn
1 c bisquick
1 egg, beaten
2 TBL melted margarine
2 TBL sugar
1/2 c milk
4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease 9 x 9 square or round cake pan, combine corn, bisquick, egg, margarine, sugar and milk. Mix well, spoon 1/2 mixture into greased pan, cover with chopped green chilies, cover with 1/2 of the cheese, spoon remain batter on top and add remaining cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Out of Africa - a photo safari

2010-03-17T22:27:00.006-05:00

I'm going thru some of my photos from my trip to Kenya in 2006. I took over 3000 photos during the month we spent there. I need to cull out a bunch and get them in a photo book.

And while I'm culling, I thought I'd share a few of the 'keepers' with you.

What is most precious?

2010-03-13T10:59:00.004-06:00

I found this little story on another blog and I've been thinking about it for many days.

Which would you rather have?

********************
A wise, but poor, woman who was crossing the mountains on foot came upon a precious stone and placed it in her pack. The next day she met another traveler who begged her for something to eat.

The wise woman opened her bag to reach for some bread, and as she did so, the sun's rays caught the gemstone, and the hungry traveler gasped with delight, saying, "I'm very poor. Won't you give me that stone?

The wise women did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the jewel could provide him security for the rest of his life. But after a few days in the mountains, he reversed his trail, and went back in search of the wise woman.

Finally, he found her. He handed her back the stone. "I know this gemstone is terribly valuable," he said. "But I return it in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. Let me have whatever it is within you that enabled you to give me that stone."

Double Vision

2010-03-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

Well, I am typing this with... bifocals.

It was just too hard for my almost 48 year old eyes to read any more. A couple years ago I broke down and bought a small "business card" magnifier to keep in the truck so I could read the road atlas. If the light wasn't bright I just couldn't make out the towns with light grey ink. When it got so that reading a book was difficult I finally broke down and got the bifocals.

I hate them.

First thing I noticed was it feels like I have smudgy fingerprints on the bottom of my glasses. Ugh! Then I realized I could no longer look clearly at my feet or anything else in about a 3 foot circle around me. If I drop something, I have to step backwards to get it in the "far viewing" portion of the lens. As I move forward to reach for it, it goes out of focus. And I'm having a very hard time navigating stairs - especially going down.

And to read, I can only see a quarter of a page at a time thru the bottom part!! I have to move my head up and down to read a page or view a photograph. I feel like a bobble head doll as I read. And that stupid line cuts right across my normal reading plane leaving me with "double vision" images until I raise my chin to bring it into the near viewing range.

Seriously?? This is how these things are supposed to work??

I have a 60 day "try it" return guarantee... if there isn't some major adjusting of myself to these things, I'll be going back for single vision glasses and a pair of reading glasses! Bifocals were supposed to improve my quality of life -- not decrease it.

We'll see how this goes... (No pun intended!)

Cooking at Ingredients - Viva La Italia!

2010-03-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

My second demonstration cooking class at Ingredients in downtown Clarksville was on the theme of "Italian". Lana presented four recipes again. The recipes were "Italian Stuffed Bread", "Marinated Mushrooms", "Fried Italian Ricotta Balls", and "Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta". You can check them out at the shop's blog: http://ingredientsclarksville.blogspot.com/2010/03/italian-cooking-classdemonstration.html

Marinated Mushrooms

Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta

OH MY!! They were all good but the Stuffed Bread and the Ricotta Balls were WONDERFUL!!! These will be making regular appearances to my table. MMmmmmmm...

Preparing the Stuffed Bread

Italian Stuffed Bread

Just look at that melted cheese!

And now the Ricotta Balls are being prepared.

Perfectly golden brown

Oh my...

Fried Italian Ricotta Balls

2 1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix these 2 ingredients together

Crisco or vegetable shortening, heat for frying.

Mix first 5 ingredients together thoroughly.

Drop 1 TBLS of dough into oil. Watch because balls go from golden brown to burned in seconds. Roll hot balls into cinnamon and sugar blend.

Serve warm.

Another Taste of Spring - The Amish Way

2010-03-10T10:31:00.003-06:00

North of us in Kentucky there are many Amish folk. It's not unusual to see buggys on the road or farmwork being done with teams of huge Belgians.

When you see the plowing being done, you know that soon there will be farm stands selling flowers, veggies and crafts. It's so much fun to spend a day out driving and getting produce from different farms.

Three Year Blog Anniversary!

2010-03-09T21:20:00.003-06:00

I'm late to my own "blog-birthday"!

On the 7th of March, 2007 I wrote my first blog post. Never thought I'd actually keep at it. I'm one of those people who would write 5 or 6 entries in a diary and then forget it.

Now not only am I writing fairly regularly - I'm having a wonderful time reading other people's blogs.

Wow.

A Taste of Spring

2010-03-06T07:02:00.001-06:00

I have truly enjoyed having a snowy winter this year. I've made snow men, thrown snow balls, and taken tons of beautiful photos. But now I am done with winter weather.

Because it's March and that means Spring. The crocuses are blooming and the daffodil leaves are 5 inches high. Tulips are peeking out. And I'm seeing some mystery bulbs coming up too. Don't you just love flowering surprises!?

Yesterday really gave me a case of "Spring Fever". I spent the day at the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. Oh my! I am so ready to dig in the dirt. The show is held at the State Fairgrounds (which I heard yesterday has been sold for development!! How sad it that!!!). There was building after building of landscaper displays, flower shows, garden clubs, and booths selling yard pretties and gardening equipment.

Some of the landscaping displays had ideas that I will modify and use in my yard.

I have several display stones in my yard and I love this presentation. I know just how I'm going to use the idea.

This rustic pergola is perfect for our fire pit area. And I shouldn't have too much trouble finding the cedar logs in areas they are bulldozing for building on. Have chainsaw... will cut!

This idea with the logs will work for up there too. When they eventually rot, it's cheap (free) and easy to replace.

Isn't this the cutest little display idea? I'm seeing something like this in front of my shed.

I just love this sweet little sitting area. I have several places where I could use this idea.

This fountain garden is a bit European formal for my home but isn't it elegant?

This checker board of ground cover mosses is such a neat idea. It can be modified to so many different designs.

There was a lovely orchid display and 4 or 5 booths selling them. I love orchids but don't think I could keep them alive. I have to settle for silk orchids and photos.

Another display was of beautiful and unusual floral arrangements.

This one was different!

This tropical arrangement made me want to book a cruise to Hawai'i!

Now this feels like SPRING! I could do something like this. The base is a wide clear bowl. Then the blooming branches and tulips are in individual clear glasses set in the bowl. I think the flowers were held in place with clear glass stones.

Pretty as a picture!

Traditional. Love the orange and purple.

This one makes me think of an old abandoned farm house.

Love the orchids and feathers!

This one caught my eye.

And I just couldn't resist snapping this photo! No one was going to tell him what not to do!!!

Where Did THAT Water Come From!?" - Laundry Room: Before and After

2010-03-04T21:20:00.005-06:00

My Dad came down on the 25th to help me remodel my laundry room. He's great at that sort of stuff. I was just going to put in new adhesive floor tiles and paint and hang some art. Easy...right?

Naiveté is so peaceful...

Bright and early Friday morning I hauled everything out of the room and thought I was all ready to go.

Dad came downstairs and looked over the situation. That's when he mentioned we could pull out the deep sink which would make painting and flooring easier. Well alrighty then! I headed off to find the proper wrench so he could undo the drain pipe. Only took him a few minutes and the deep sink was setting out in my office. How cool is that!?

Oh no... there was water dripping...

The cold water cut-off valve was dripping onto the floor. Twist it a bit tighter. Still dripping. Since it was a very slow drip we stuck a bucket under it to deal with later. Good to go!

My happy bubble was popped when Dad told me I had to pull off the baseboards to lay the flooring. -sigh- That is when we noticed that the previous owners had used THREE different baseboards (in a 10'X10' room)... and had left a 2 foot gap where they ran out. (They've done some real hillbilly stuff to this house which I keep finding with every renovation I do.) Now I had to go buy enough baseboards to match the largest good section - and stain it to match.

We took down wire shelving that had been put up with the darnedest assortment of screws you ever seen; there were some big holes in the wall. But that's OK; I went out to the shelf in the garage and pulled off my tub of joint compound.

It sloshed when I moved it. Hmmmm... that sounded bad...

Dad confirmed it.

Now I had to buy baseboards and joint compound. So we made our first trip to Lowes for supplies I hadn't anticipated. When we got back to the house, Dad filled the holes and we called it a night.

Saturday morning we started painting. There was a silver lining to my cloud. No baseboards means you don't have to tape and a floor you're going to cover means no drop-cloth when you paint! However, you do have to wash down the walls and tape around the door.

I used paint from Lowes - "Dahlia" from the Valspar Eddie Bauer collection. It's a golden honey color. Very Tuscan. I like it even more than I had hoped! With Dad doing the cutting in work and me coming behind with the roller, it didn't take too long to get it finished.

Next step was to put the floor tiles down. Again from Lowes I used the self adhesive 12X12 tiles. The color is called "Sand Stone" by Crystal. They look like limestone (go figure how they named them!).

The first step to installing tiles is you have to clean the floor. As I scrubbed behind the toilet, I felt... wetness...

Oh no... there was a water puddle...

It didn't come from the leaky sink valve. Further investigation found it came from the base of the toilet tank. Yet more investigation revealed that the toilet had seen it last days. Time to call the plumber... which was easier said than done. I reached the answering machine. I left a message to call back. A half hour later no call. And no answer when I rang them back. I finally got thru over an hour after I made my first call. (I was so persistent because it was Friday afternoon and I wanted to get on their schedule for Monday.)

Dad removed The Puddler. No tears about that since it was on my "replace in the near future" list. Outside of the toilets in my Mom's kindergarten classroom, that was the lowest toilet I'd ever seen - 13 inches from seat to floor!

After we finished washing the floor we put a fan on it and called it a day. Beside, we needed to go to Lowes...

Not so early Sunday morning we started again. The ol' bones were starting to get tired.

Taking the baseboards off does give you a fudge factor for cutting, so that's a good thing. We got busy laying the tiles and soon we were done except for the edges where we had to start cutting. I measured and marked, Dad cut and brought them back. We clipped right along.

Then I noticed Dad giving the door jam the stink eye. It's not too long before he said that has to come off too. He wanted to cut the bottom so we could fit the tiles under it. So while I was sitting in a chair giving my poor knees a break, he pulled the door jam down. Sooner than I was ready to start again, Dad had the jam down - nails of every imaginable size pulled - and the base trimmed.

By the end of the day we've finished the floor, reinstalled the door jam, put the new baseboard down, and my knees were saying very ugly things to my brain. I was so happy that we didn't need to go to Lowes!

Monday morning we're up and at it pretty early as we expected the plumber at 10am. Dad went downstairs to check on something and the next thing I heard was "Te-RI!!!!!"

Oh no... there was a water pond on the floor...

During the night that innocent little drip............drip...........drip.......... drip had turned to drip,drip,drip,drip,drip. The bucket overflowed and kept overflowing. We cleaned up whole bucket of water off the floor. I was so worried that those newly laid tiles were going to lift up. But they didn't!!

We put the fan back in and waited for the plumber to show. 10am came and went. I'm used to service people being late because they under estimate the time it takes to drive way out here. But at 10:45am I was done waiting. I called the office and got their receptionist chickie on the phone (the one who took the hour long break Friday afternoon). Me: "Good morning. I'm wondering when I can expect the plumber out for my 10am appointment?" Chickie: "Oh! I forgot to call you. He's out sick and won't be there today. I need to reschedule you for tomorrow."

Have you ever wanted to reach thru a phone to smack someone?

I rescheduled for 8am - the first appointment of the day.

I went back downstairs to let Dad know the situation. We moved the washer, shelf and deep freeze back plus a few other things. We also came up with a way to cap off the leak. Wasn't elegant but it worked.

From there we decided we deserved a break. We got cleaned up and took in a movie and dinner out. Nice...

Since just about everything was now new in my laundry room, I decided to replace the deep sink. The old one was scratched up and pretty tired looking. So on the way home we made a stop at - guess what - Lowes! Once back home, Dad reinforced the legs so it wouldn't come apart on me. Then we called it a night.

(If a Lowes rep reads this... I think I deserve a customer appreciation coupon about now!)

Tuesday morning the plumber showed up bright and even a bit early. He installed everything I needed installed, changed out some parts in all of the cut-off valves (my preventative maintenance) and left me a happy camper. Worth every penny not to have to do that stuff ourselves!

Shortly after that Dad headed back up to MO. I am SO appreciative of all his help! I love my new laundry room.

What do you think of the before and after shots?

BEFORE:

The south wall where the washer and dryer hook up. Notice the 5" missing piece of baseboard in the corner? You can also see the brackets for the hanging wire shelves that I'd already taken down.

Mini toilet and the filthy floor that was under the sink supports. There's the rest of the missing baseboard behind the bucket.

AFTER:

The east wall as you come thru the door. The paintings are all original pieces we have collected in our travels or from friends living overseas. The rug you can just see the corner of used to be in my kitchen. It works better down here.

South wall. A bit more needs to be done - I've got to spray paint the TP holder metalic black and put some sort of backing on the candle rack next to the dryer (the rack will hide the ugly behind the appliances). The flower arrangement belonged to my grandmother. The painting is from Home Goods. Only thing new is the shelf my laundry goods are on!

Nice new 17" toilet and new deep sink. Still need to hem and mount the sink skirt - which is made from a flat sheet (I'll hem it this weekend - I just wanted to show how it will look). The basket is from Bosnia where Himself worked in '03 and stores extra rolls of TP. The crock came from Himself's family home - a homestead farm in ND. The mirror is a hand-me-down from my Mom. The three hanging shelves are all ones I used in my other home.

North wall. My repurposed bookshelf will hold extras of canned and bottled foods. Above the laundry bin will be a 2' section of wire shelf that I will be able to hanger dry clothes on (it was still tacky from the black spray paint when I took the pics). My clothes baskets will be stored on top of the freezer.

Reality TV Too Close To Home

2010-03-03T21:30:00.007-06:00

Tonight while I was channel surfing, as I crossed the Discovery Channel, two words stopped me instantly with a wrenching feeling in my stomach.

"Alaskan Ranger"

In the next instant I was seeing an old friend as he told about surviving the sinking of his ship in the Bering Sea on a program called "Mayday! Bering Sea".

I felt sick. For the next half hour I watched with tears streaming down my face as that friend, Jim Madruga and another, Chief Ed Cook, told about that terrible night. Easter Sunday of 2008.

My upset was more than just seeing my friends tell their stories with such pain on their faces. You see, I was there too. Not right where the ship went down but close to Dutch Harbor coming thru the storm between Unalaska Island and Akutan Island on the Independence - the ship Himself works on. I heard the radio chatter as other ships who were closer and able to respond dropped what they were doing and headed off to help search.

It wasn't much easier to hear it 2 years later.

I was surprised to learn that one of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers volunteered to stay in the water while the chopper left so there would be one more place onboard for a survivor. Unless you've been there... you can not imagine what the Bering Sea is like when it's storming. That man is a hero. No question.

If you would like to read my blog on I wrote about that night, it's here:

http://teri-gonewalkabout.blogspot.com/2008/05/alaskan-ranger.html

Third from left - Chief Dan Cook, lost at sea. Second from right - engineer Jim Madruga - rescued.

Guest Blogger: Himself - “A Woman Named Grace”

2010-03-02T15:18:00.005-06:00

Please enjoy this story my husband wrote about a happening during our trip to Kenya.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sometimes things happen that you can’t anticipate. This happened to Teri and me at a most unusual time—when we were broke down alongside a road. Actually, we weren’t even on a road; we were in the middle of nowhere in some semi-desert scrubland in the Rift Valley in Kenya on our way to see a Maasai child we sponsored thru Compassion International.

In the more remote places in Kenya, you don’t drive on a road—you just drive. And it usually isn’t you driving. You are driven by a Kenyan assigned to a vehicle who seems to know where he is going, at least in theory. Good thing he knew--I swear we passed the same anthill and wildebeest herd a dozen times! Driving along the bumpiest terrain I have ever been jostled along, we rode along in our Land Rover hanging on tight.

Too dry for mosquitoes, the land was prime for dust. No matter how clean you started out, you arrived at your destination dusty. Not that ‘your’ family would notice—they live literally...in the sticks. Their African huts were made of sticks, grasses, ashes and cow dung. (In some of the drier areas, you can’t even get mud...hence, sticky cow dung which helps hold things together.)

Moses

Besides our driver, we had a Compassion representative named Jim, and an older man named Moses who had been our driver to see another Maasai child from another organization. Though a native Kenyan, Moses was a city boy who had never been ‘out there’ seeing such stuff. He indicated he wanted to go—stating that ‘it was like being on vacation’ being out in the wilds at the bottom of the Rift Valley. All we had been requested to do was to pay his employer Moses’ daily wage of $7. We did.

Somewhere along all this we broke down. Great... Don’t recall just what went wrong but soon there were Kenyan butts sticking out from under the vehicle. All of them saying the Swahili word for, “Hmmm...” Not a good sign. Teri and I? We found us an acacia tree to sit under to get out of the sun. Once cooled off we would walk around looking at exotic rocks, plants, and things that slithered. Off in the distance we saw a small family settlement called a ‘boma’--an enclosed camp of Maasai natives and their animals—(Maasai families slept with some of their animals right in their hut.) From this boma we would occasionally see wide-eyed curious kids—but they mainly stayed hidden and would not come near us.

Running out of things to look at I fished out the soccer ball that we were to give our Maasai child, ‘Ntikoisa’. Compassion rep Jim was all for booting it around with me because one, soccer is a bigtime sport for these people, and two, he was as bored as I. A city boy also, he left fixing the vehicle to Moses and the driver, who were still going, “Hmmm...” Teri? She watched Jim and me for a moment...then her eyebrows started going up--which is ‘hmmm...’ for her. Why? Because nearly every bush on the ground had thorns. Informed by Teri that, ‘if ONE thorn punctures this brand new soccer ball, an American AND a Kenyan would be in trouble’; Jim looked between Teri and me. Recognizing the universal sign of ‘woman-with-hands-on-hips’ as trouble already arrived, the soccer ball was soon put up!

After awhile Teri noticed a Maasai woman who was slowly approaching our broken down Rover. She had being walking ‘back and forth’ for some time, finally stopping a good distance away—watching us intently. Teri had watched her just as intently. Then Teri waved. That was all it took and soon she and her infant son were over to visit. A short time earlier help had arrived from the nearest village and with the help also came the headmaster of the Compassion center. He soon found himself translating as these two woman from two different worlds...shared.

This Maasai lady explained that she had seen our crippled Land Rover and had felt helpless to do anything that could assist us. Initially seeing only men from the distance she was afraid to come closer. She then explained that she did the only thing she could—she prayed for us. However, when she saw Teri wave and realized there was a woman with the group, it was then alright for her to come over. Their talk continued on to families, children (including the baby she had strapped to her side), goats and husbands.

Too soon the village mechanic had the Rover fixed and it was time to move on. But before we left, this woman removed a beautiful beaded bracelet from her arm and, catching Teri by the hand, slipped it onto Teri’s arm with the words “remember me”. With the same words in return, Teri removed the bracelet she had put on that morning and gave it to her.

As the Rover chugged back to life, Teri quickly gave her an additional present for her husband... a red baseball cap. It was something he would proudly wear because he had been honored. As we drove off, this Maasai lady full of grace waved good-bye.

This woman’s name? Grace. A woman named Grace. Fitting.

March Goal - Tame the Paper Tiger

2010-03-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Month Three of my 12 Goals for 2010. I am really pleased at how this is working for me.

This month relates back to my January decluttering goal. A very large and ferocious tiger lives at my house. While March is better known for his cousin (In like a Lion...), this March the Paper Tiger will be going out like a lamb.

In my earlier decluttering, I did not mess with anything "paper". Any and all paper was stuffed in a box and put on its own pallet in the shed. It was already planned to be done later.

It's now later.

There are the old files to go thru and new things to be filed. Some papers I won't be dealing with in a traditional file folder way. I will be making notebooks. Ideas for our home and yard remodeling. Ideas for my crafts I do. A personal notebook to keep "Remodel Me" notes and ideas in. A home record notebook. All paperwork will have a place it belongs.

Books are paper. I'll be going thru them with a heavy hand. I just purchased book shelves at the Habitat for Humanity "ReStore" shop. They're ugly now but repainting them is a March project too. I'll keep ONE shelf worth to list up on http://www.paperbackswap.com/

Magazines are paper. I'll go thru my back issues and pull pages I want. Those will go in a file or notebook. The spent magazine will be tossed in the recycle bin.

Cards are paper. I have more greeting cards and note cards than a Hallmark shop! Those will be sorted, culled and the keepers put in file boxes.

My head hurts just thinking about it all. But it's going to happen and it will be a good thing when it's done!

Just gotta keep telling myself that...

Remodel Me Shopping Trips - A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-02-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

One of the fun things with having a "remodel me" goal was I got to go shopping for my improvement items. How fun is that!?

Here's a few of the things I picked up.

Tunic from Lane Bryant. It's a darker red than it shows.

Found this top at TJ Maxx. Love the hematite beading.

Picked this up at Lane Bryant. The diet is working!

Needed something cute to wear with jeans.

My old Birks were one of the shoe pairs that hit the trash. Too beat up. This is their replacement.

Another replacement. I tossed my beloved black slip-ons this fall. All the shoes are from TJ Maxx.

I was just TIRED of my 2 casual black purses, so I replaced them with this one. Again... TJ Maxx.

Ahhh... my syrups for my Eiro shakes. Most of them I get at Home Goods, tho I've found good ones at World Market too. I have Almond, Amaretto, Hazelnut, Honey Vanilla and Cherry.

Accessories from My Travels

2010-02-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

Now that I have my clothes and shoes in order, it was time to look at my accessories. Even tho I have some lovely pieces I just didn't use them very often. Guess I didn't need them with my T shirt, jeans and Nikes. So it was time to pull all that out too.

I quickly noticed most of my accessories are things I've picked up when I travel. In thinking about it I realize when I travel I feel more saucy. Likewise I am attracted to the vibrant "pretties" I see in the various cultures. Every one of them has a memory attached. It is time to start using them!

USA

*Silver necklace from Natchez, MS. Mom and I went on a week plus some "Chick Trip" down the Natchez Trace. In Natchez we stayed in a casino hotel - great rates, cheap food over at the casino and free tokens to use in the casino. I bought this necklace using the money I won during our stay. Can't beat free jewelry!
*Raku pine sprig pendent from Austin, MN. Himself has family in Austin and we visit there each fall. There is a great local art gallery in the mall. The prices are unbelievable and the work excellent.
*Art glass pendent from Lynch, KY. This piece was made by a glass artist and was donated to a mission organization to sell in their gift shop. I went on multiple mission trips to this coal mining town and always picked up some sort of art glass as a memento.
*Zuni fetish bead necklace. One year Himself and I took a 5 week road trip thru the SW United States. This necklace was from a Native American shop.
*Beadwork necklace from Austin, MN. Another example of the lovely artists in Austin.

Kenya

*Maasai bracelets. We sponsor a Maasai boy through Compassion and when we visited him, I was given these bracelets as a gift.
*Rings. The lower ring was made at the Kazuri bead shop, a women's self help organization. The upper ring is made from cow's horn. I picked it up in a street market.
*Bead necklace (far right). Purchased from a vendor at Fourteen Falls. It's made of seeds from the "Jacob's Tears" plant. Not only did I get a cool necklace, I got a great photo of the vendor too.
*Dyed bone beads (far left). Himself bought this for me at Amboseli.
*Maasai seed beads. This necklace is long and heavy. It easily wraps double. It must have taken the lady forever to string all those tiny, tiny beads.
*Copper ankle band. More street artistry.

Ethiopia

These were all purchased in the Mercado in Addis Abeba.

Tanzania

*Malachite necklace from Dar Es Salaam.
*Black and white bracelet made from cow's horn. Done by a Maasai lady.
*Copper wire bracelet. Made by a street artist.

Guatemala

*Jade necklace from the Lake Atitlan region. Purchased from a formidable street vendor! -LOL-
*Jade ring.

Mexico

*Silver necklace and pendent from Guanajuato. The last day (tourist day) of a mission trip. Best Friend and I were having a grand time shopping. We did pretty well on paring down our Christmas list that day. But this pretty pony stayed with me!

By way of Madison, WI - Nepal

Himself and I stopped in Madison on the way home from one of our trips to see his family. What a cool town. We found the walking street that is lined with local art studios, international shops, and international restaurants. One of the shops was a fair-trade shop with things from Nepal. Himself bought this scarf for me.

Kenya

Made by ladies at the Nanyuki Weavers. This is another women's self-help group. This scarf was COMPLETELY made on the premises... from the raising of the sheep, shearing, dyeing the wool with natural plant dyes, spinning, and weaving. An amazing place.

Mexico

Also from Guanajuato. Such a beautiful city - I really want to get back to it some day.

Ethiopia

One of several scarves I bought in the markets of Debre Zeit and Addis Abeba. The selections were mind boggling. So beautiful.

I have even more accessories (more scarves and jewelry, purses, etc) but because I've never used them, they are put away containers in the shed. As I come across them when we organize out there this spring, I'll bring them in to add to my now-being-used collection!

Cooking at Ingredients - It's All Greek!

2010-02-26T06:00:00.003-06:00

Recently a fantastic culinary shop that opened up in Clarksville. It's called "Ingredients". http://ingredientsclarksville.blogspot.com/ They have started offering cooking classes. The first series was cake decorating (I think). Didn't pay much attention as I've already done that.

But this month they offered an international food series... Now THAT got my attention! There are 4 classes being offered: Italian, Mexican, Greek, and Polish. I immediately signed up for the first three. I can't take the 4th because it falls on the same night as my bonsai group meeting.

Tuesday night was Greek night. The class is demonstration and was very informative. The teacher prepared 3 recipes and brought another for tasting. There was eggplant spread, Greek salad & dressing, and spanakopita (spinach pie). It was sooo good! Much lighter in both texture and flavor than I've found in a lot of Greek restaurants. Ya know, sometimes you can just add too much stuff to a recipe. Then you lose the original goodness in the flavors.

If you are interested in the recipes, Monica has them posted on her blog site.

But here's one to whet your appetite!

Eggplant Spread

4 medium eggplants
1 clove, garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Bread or crackers for serving

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Place the whole eggplant in oven. Bake 1 hour or until soft, turning occasionally. Remove when eggplant is soft and wrinkled. Let cool.

Remove the peel, cut in half and remove the seeds. Chop in a large bowl. Add garlic. Whisk slowly adding the oil and vinegar. Continue until both the oil and vinegar are completely blended.

Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving with bread or crackers.

Seaglass Surprise in my Mailbox

2010-02-25T06:00:00.003-06:00

In yesterday's mail I found a sweet surprise. A bundle of sea glass sent to me from Maine by Lili. Check out her fun blog at http://fearlessnesting.blogspot.com/ She and her husband are potters. They make beautiful Raku pots and pendants. Lili also makes wool felt purses that are just CUTE!

Wouldn't you love to open an envelope and find this in it?

And how did she know purple and green are my favorite colors?

Thank you so much for the gift Lili. You rock!

A Closet Full of Clothes and Nothing to Wear

2010-02-24T08:43:00.001-06:00

I've been in a clothing rut. It was easier to grab a plain T shirt out of my drawer than to figure out what I could wear out of my closet.

So one morning I took time to pull everything out of my closet and try them on. I was pleasantly surprised that a few things that had been a bit too snug were now fitting! As I hung things back up, I culled a few pieces that I know I am no longer interested in. Things that were a touch snug but will soon fit (Yippee!!) were hung to the back of the closet in a clothing bag. And the things I won't be in for a while have been put up in a tub to be stored until I drop a few more BMI points.

(BTW, those velvety hangers on the market now are fantastic. I very highly recommend them.)

So what remains in view are the things that fit, look good, and make me feel good.

The same was happening with my shoes. I would just slip on the old comfy Nikes instead of the other shoes in my closet. OK, now what's that telling me? For some reason I don't want to wear the others. Granted... a few are sandals/clogs and it's just too darn cold to be wearing those. But why not the other pairs?

So I put on each pair of shoes and wore them around the house as I did my normal routine. For the most part, it became apparent quickly why I had been shunning them.

If the fault was with my wide foot and not the shoe, I dropped them in a box to be donated to Soles 4 Souls www.soles4souls.org/ If the shoe itself felt lousy...well, it just got dropped in the trash basket. What was left were shoes that fit well, look good, and made my feet feel good.

Like with the clothes, the reason I had not been using them is because I didn't know what worked and what didn't.

Problem solved!

Salud! at Whole Foods - Culinary Knife Skills class

2010-02-23T09:58:00.002-06:00

Back in September for our anniversary "date day" Himself and I went to a culinary class at the Whole Foods store in Nashville (Green Hills). The class was one of the "value meal" classes on making lentil soup. It was great fun and I was hooked!!

Last Saturday I took another class through them. This one was on culinary knife skills. This has always fascinated me - how can they do slice-dice-chop like that without taking off a finger?!

We met at the bright and airy cooking classroom upstairs from the store. Each of the 12 students present had a packet of recipes, an apron, and waiting on us in the kitchen area - a chopping block full of veggies and an 8" chef's knife (we were also told to bring our own chef's knife if we had one).

I had just purchased a Swiss made 6" chef's knife in St. Louis, so that is what I brought. Isn't the color fun!? The store owner promised me it was indeed a serious knife and said to try it. If I didn't like it he would give me a full refund.

We practiced on a lot of vegetables that afternoon.

Then we broke into 4 teams and used what we had practiced on to make a meal for the whole class. The menu was Salad with Classic French Vinaigrette & Warm Goat Cheese Croutons, Old-Fashioned Vegetable Soup, "Escalope de Poulet Aux Champignons (Chicken with Mushrooms), and Molten Chocolate Cakes.

I was on "Team Chicken". In the preparations my contributions were slicing up more mushrooms, and then preparing the mushroom sauce.

Oh man it smelled so good!

Team Soup was busy with their area with stirring and simmering.

Team Salad had more chopping to do. The lettuce was beautiful.

There was a tray full of ingredients for the dressing.

We learned out to make an emulsion so the vinegar and oil don't separate.

The ramekins of chocolate cake batter were ready to go in the oven...

....as soon as the croutons came out.

Then it was time to plate the meal.

Yes... it was GOOD!

The soup a meal in itself.

And the molten chocolate cake was pure bliss.

If you are interested in cooking, you might want to check to see if you have a Whole Foods store nearby that offers the cooking classes. http://www.wholefoods.com/ Actually many nicer grocery stores have started offering classes. I know in the St Louis, MO area the Dierberg's chain offers interesting classes. It's worth looking into!

My Personal Fuel Additives

2010-02-21T21:45:00.002-06:00

In working on my "Remodel Me" goal for this month, besides my diet - one that concentrates more on portion control and healthy eating choices - I have also begun to take dietary supplements. I figured I'll accept whatever help I can get! What I am taking is based on my own research and I am NOT making any sort of recommendations to anyone. I believe a person should take a look at things themselves and make an informed decision as to what is right for them.

These are the supplements I personally am taking:

A basic multivitamin without iron (getting iron is not an issue for me - carnivore that I am). I personally think the RDA standards are low, so I take 2 tablets a day.

Glucosamine chondroitin - This has proven beneficial to Himself (who after 22 years jumping out of airplanes has more than his share of achy joints). I know it's beneficial because when he's taking it properly he complains a lot less about his knees! So I'm going to give it a try to see if it works for me. You see, some people it helps and some it doesn't. Kinda like Aspirin - Tylenol - Motrin. What works for one person might not for another.

Co Q-10 - Recommended for cardiac health. When you're overweight that is something that bears thinking about.

Chromium Picolinate - Thru experience I've found I drop weight off faster when I take this twice a day. It helps to metabolize sugars.

Fish oil AND flax oil - both are needed to get the recommended benefits. Fish oil has 2 of the omega-3 oils one needs and flax has a different one.

Vitamin E - First, one should buy the variety labeled "D" as it is much better. Good for the immune system.

Antioxidants in the form of "Eiro". It's the 'flagship' product of Eiro Research. (This is the company that makes the tasty weight loss shakes I've been using). It's a liquid product and one takes 1 oz a day. And it tastes pretty good. Kinda plum-not-quite-prune. http://www.eiro.com/EIROproduct/

A Note to "Tiger"

2010-02-20T07:47:00.000-06:00

Your days of The Golden Boy are gone. You may play a mean game of golf but that's about all it seems you do well. Other than that, you're a self-centered control freak who is grasping to keep a house of cards from collapsing. The carefully manufactured persona in an elaborate role playing game has been exposed.

Your so-called press conference was such a sham. No... it was a SHAME. As in "shame on you".

Shame on you for timing it during the Olympics to take attention off of the competitors. It's been 2 and a half months of silence since your "accident". Couldn't you have kept you mouth shut for 10 more days?

Shame on you for staging such a contrived forum for your little press conference. Seriously!

Shame on you for even making an apology "to the world" for your infidelity. You're not that important. If you want to apologize to the world, apologize for dragging all this drama on for months and months by giving slow feeds to the media to keep it going.

Good-bye Eldrick Woods... you're no longer a tiger...

You have got to be kidding!!!

2010-02-19T06:00:00.002-06:00

-------(CNN) -- There was no profanity, no hate. Just the words, "I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" scrawled on the classroom desk with a green marker.

Alexa Gonzalez, an outgoing 12-year-old who likes to dance and draw, expected a lecture or maybe detention for her doodles earlier this month. Instead, the principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, called police, and the seventh-grader was taken across the street to the police precinct.

Alexa's hands were cuffed behind her back, and tears gushed as she was escorted from school in front of teachers and -- the worst audience of all for a preadolescent girl -- her classmates. -------

When I read this news story on CNN my first thought was that the world truly is going ever-loving mad. Or more aptly... ever-loving STUPID.

Seriously here - how can anyone start in motion the action that ends with a 12 year old being cuffed and hauled to jail for writing on her school desk. If this ignorance had existed when I was in school my senior photo surely would have been a mug shot!

Why not just give the kid some Ajax and a scrub pad? Really ticked off at her? Let her scrub the whole classrooms desks after school. But don't freaking arrest her!!! The ones who need to be cuffed and hauled off are the administrators and school board who implimented this brainless policy. But I guess there isn't a zero tolerence policy in that district for being an idiot... just for being young and thoughtless. It's bad enough that kids have to defend themselves from bullies their own age. It's just too much when the system becomes the bully.

Things like this are why good teachers are exhausted (check out this blog by one of my favorite bloggers http://sci-teach912.blogspot.com/2010/02/tired.html ). Some are even leaving public schools or teaching altogether. And things like this are why scared parents have started homeschooling or slashing their budgets to afford to put their children in private schools.

-------"There is zero intelligence when you start applying zero tolerance across the board," Clayton County, Georgia, juvenile court judge Steven Teske said. "Stupid and ridiculous things start happening."-------

February Update

2010-02-18T07:35:00.003-06:00

My January goal of "Clutter Free Me" continues, as that is something that is never truly done. Life brings clutter. So large and small tweaks are a constant thing.

To empty out my office in order to make it functional quickly, I shoved everything loose into boxes and put them on pallets in my garage. So this month I have been taking one box at a time to sort when I have time and the concentration to do it. I've gotten 5 done (we're not going to talk about how many boxes are on those pallets...).

Yesterday I made a run to Lowes and Walmart to pick up the things I need to redo my drab laundry room. I'll post before and after photos when I'm done.

While on that shopping run I went by the local Habitat for Humanity "Restore" shop (one never knows when a treasure can be found there) and I found 3 metal bookcases for a song. Only problem is they are black. So there's another redo in my near future. There will be before and after shots of those too.

This month's "Remodel Me" goal is coming along nicely. New routines are going into place, changes are happening, habits are being formed. I will continue writing about them this month.

2010 has been the year of the snow for Clarksville, as it has been for much of the eastern US. I don't recall having this many snows in the 24 years we've lived here. I think we have had five snow falls. We've had a couple deeper ones (I can remember a couple times getting 10"-12") but not as many different fronts coming thru. Personally, I have enjoyed it. My only frustrations with it have been the canceling of activities I wanted to do. But I can understand others frustration - those who have to go to work in the stuff. A dear friend was in a wreck that could have been tragic because of black ice. By grace he was fine but his car was totaled.

I spent a week at the beginning of the month with my family in Missouri. Had a great time. Spoiled little Hanna as best I could and according to Himself I have "ruined" her. How? By activating the Home Goods shopping gene! LOL He doesn't know the half of it... ;-D

And speaking of Himself, he is now safely tucked into a harbor somewhere around Atka, Alaska. That's in the Aleutian Island chain. The ship is processing cod - big ones from what I hear.

As the saying goes - "... and that is the rest of the story".

Guest Blogger: Himself on Haiti

2010-02-17T08:40:00.002-06:00

Himself writes a monthly column for his hometown newspaper. It's called "Rambling With 'D'". It's a bit of this and that, quite often observations he's made in his travels. In light of the January earthquake, his latest article is about something that he experienced when he was in Haiti years ago.

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“To Care a Little”

I’m sitting in my clinic on a ship anchored near the island of ‘Atka’—part of the Aleutian Island chain. Looking out my porthole I see a world of mountains, snow and water. Oh—and a tree. This island has one visible tree. (One LOST tree!) Though pleasant enough to look at, this scene is a world away from what I am used to.

To help deal with the isolation, wife Teri keeps me up on ‘news from back home’. Her daily emails mention everything from her latest home project to local town happenings to world events. With no radio, TV, or Internet, I don’t hear much from ‘outside’. We do have a small printout of ‘news’, but it mainly deals with sports and finances. Few details. No pictures. Concerning the small bit of world news in it, I have to get clarification from Teri to understand its significance...or its scope.

I was going to write ‘Part Two’ of Russia this month, but with another area of the world in the news and on people’s hearts, I will pause on Russia one month to write about a place closer to us, but in a way even further. Haiti. From what I have heard thru Teri, it dominated the news for weeks. As it should have. You have seen what I haven’t—TV news flashes & newspaper articles galore. I have a single picture from an old newspaper someone brought aboard that was already a week old when it arrived. I cut out a picture of an elderly male nurse from America comforting a young Haitian woman who needed comfort. The picture is priceless. It reminds me to...pray.

I mentioned Haiti being ‘closer to us, yet further’. That is a comparison to other countries I have visited. I didn’t think that was possible until I went there for a month in 1995 as part of the UN Peacekeepers. Up until then I had been in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. I had see places that were poor—some because the actual available resources were scarce, and some because war had reduced the people’s very hearts to poverty. To almost no hope. (That is the worst type of poverty...) Haiti, though not in an actual war, was both. And ‘just a stone’s throw’ (so to speak), from our American shores. Until I went there, I didn’t know.

In the midst of tragedy seen on TV, yet another sad story isn’t what I have to share—but a story of comfort. And dignity. Of a Haitian woman who had little and was about to lose what little she had. Her name was Sonya, a 40-ish Haitian woman who was fortunate enough to get a job ‘as housekeeping’--cleaning our UN Peacekeeping tents & bathrooms daily. A thankless task in that sweltering heat, it was a job she did with efficiency & dignity. Finishing her daily tasks, she would give a quiet ‘thank you and goodbye’ before returning home that evening. Early next morning she started all over again. And at a rate of $7 per day, she was grateful.

I first noticed Sonya in a roundabout way. While working, I noticed she was ‘hiding something’ during her work—favoring her left arm. Turns out she had fallen two weeks earlier and cut her elbow. I didn’t notice at first because she covered up her injury for fear of losing her job. The military unit we replaced—in a hurry to leave--neglected to treat her. It got infected. Badly. By the time I noticed, losing her job was the lesser problem--I feared she would lose her arm below the joint. Being all Haitian workers had been ‘signed over’ to us from the other unit, I inquired what was to happen to her. I got the impression she would be released and another housekeeping woman brought in. Just like that.

It was incomprehensible to me that this could happen—to release an injured worker without even trying to help. To be ‘just left’ like that. What must she think? I admit I don’t understand the legalities, but there had to be something we could do for a worker who had so little, and nothing to fall back on. And now, knowing her name, Sonya wasn’t ‘just a worker’ anymore, she was...a person. A wife. A mom.

Without asking permission, I determined to treat her injury once a day. With no authorization for an anesthetic, I took a brush and scrubbed this deep wound while cringing. Sonya? She would occasionally wince, but outside of that, she was stone faced. Yet calm. I don’t know how she did it. But no matter—I scrubbed and scrapped and rinsed, giving her strong antibiotics at the end of each session while explaining things thru a translator. And I prayed.

Fearing the worst, in two weeks there was a remarkable turnaround--the deep wound seemed to clear and healing tissue started to fill in. By now Sonya’s hide had been punctured from injectable antibiotics and her diet included oral ones. Many bandages had been used--subtly, as this wasn’t supposed to be happening. Sonya, with impassive face, gazed off into the distance through it all.

Then I noticed a change. It was in her face. More—it was her eyes. As treatment came to an end, Sonya watched me wrap her elbow one last time, and then looked up to my face. In her eyes I saw...gratitude. It is like something else had been healed. Her faith. That someone noticed. That someone...cared.

Shortly after this I returned home to Tennessee. Before leaving I asked thru a translator if I could get my picture taken with Sonya. I found out Sonya’s English was better than she let on--at the mention of ‘photo’, Sonya’s hand whipped up to her head wrap as she exclaimed one word, “Oh!” Then I heard one other word—“Tomorrow!” Well, tomorrow came, and Sonya, even though it was her day off, showed up in the cleanest & whitest rough cotton dress you have ever seen. Her best. She also gave me a beautiful wooden mask her husband had carved. It was all she could give. She then stood next to me for our photo together—me smiling, she with that steady & dignified look of hers. But if you look carefully, you can see something else in her eyes.

Hope.

Be Mine?

2010-02-16T15:05:00.000-06:00

I had a surprise in the mail today. A Valentines card from Himself! He had mailed it on the 8th, the day they docked in Akutan for a few hours. A week is good time from Akutan to Clarksville! (The mail goes out when the seaplanes can make it in. And it's been stormy lately.)

I love fishing floats! Himself has brought back one for me and always is on the lookout for more. So this card is just perfect! In fact, I'll be framing it to go in our bedroom. I think the artist has done a wonderful job catching the soft light on the floats.

"Beachcomber's Dream" by Bruce W. Nelson ( www.takugraphics.com )

In our almost 29 years together, we shared very few Valentines Day together. When Himself was in the army it seemed Feb was always the month they were out in the desert. Now Feb is the middle of cod season and he's up in the Bering Sea. But in 2004 he was home - just back from working a year in Bosnia.

That Valentines Day I found myself kidnapped! That morning he ran a couple errands and then after lunch he came into the living room carrying our small suitcase. All he would tell me was that we were going somewhere.

We drove into Clarksville, turning into the Hachland Hills B&B. Hmmmm. This was owned by Phila Hach, a local chef celebrity. (I'd been here a couple times for a cooking contest I'd finaled in).

We drove past the 'main house' and down to a little cabin.

The "Honeymoon Cabin"...

Now I knew what his morning errands were! Inside the cabin were flowers, chocolates and a bottle of "bubbly" (sparkling grape juice).

He'd even brought along my beloved cat "Hanna". (No wonder she hadn't been causing in trouble that morning... she wasn't at home!!)

There was a fire blazing in the fireplace. That is where Hanna had stationed herself. She was no dumb kitty!

He had even brought marshmallows and roasting sticks.

And made tea for us from water boiled over the fire. That gives it a really interesting smoky flavor... good with black tea, better with Earl Grey.

Dinner that night and breakfast the next morning was up the hill at the Hachland Inn. It was prepared by "Ms. Phila" herself. It was so good!

Phila Hach

No Disney for me!

2010-02-15T06:00:00.004-06:00

One of the blogs I follow had a posting about Disney shows called "Why Does Disney Hate Parents?" http://sci-teach912.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-does-disney-hate-parents.html Oh that pushed some buttons on me.

I have always loathed Disney because of that... someone HAS to die (or be dead before the opening credits roll) for it to be a Disney. What sort of sick garbage is that?? (OK, it was pointed out that "101 Dalmatians" had both human and dog parents intact - but the whole show was based on the plan to MURDER the puppies. Great childhood memory, huh?).

My detesting of Disney reached a crescendo when I was 16. I was tasked to take my 5 year old sister to see "The Fox and The Hound". Opening credits - Mama Fox running with Baby Fox in her mouth. Hounds baying in the distance. I thought "Oh s***!" I look over at my sister. Kids aren't stupid...there were tears flowing down her cheeks already. I gathered my things to leave the theater but she wouldn't go. Refused. So there we sat. From Mama Fox dying off-screen to "Why can't we be friends anymore?"

When we left the theater it looked like I had been beating her. Tear streaked blotchy face. Swollen eyes. Bawling.

Must have been what my parents thought too because their first words as we came thru the door (she still sobbing) was "What have you done to her!?!"

My reply - "I am never taking her to another d*** Disney movie again!"

And I haven't.

My sister is now 36 and has a beautiful 6 month old daughter. And I will never take Hanna to a d*** Disney movie either!

Clan Hanna Photography web site is back

2010-02-14T15:01:00.002-06:00

I'm putting up some of my favorite photos. If you'd like to take a look, go to:

http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/default.aspx?id=160763&mp=V3

MY snow list

2010-02-14T08:34:00.002-06:00

They've gone and done it again!

The "S-word" has been uttered!

And wouldn't you know it, I needed to make a grocery stop to replenish from being out-of-town for a week. I'm beginning to think there is some sort of correlation between my being out of milk and white stuff falling from the sky.

Pulling into Wal-Mart's parking lot was a scary thing. First... it was parked up to the very end. Never a good thing. Second... people who were leaving the store were coming out with brimming buggys. Oh joy... So I started what the other cars were doing and became a land shark...cruising the parking lot looking for someplace that wouldn't require a 15 minute hike to reach the front door.

I think God took pity on my aching bones (have you ever noticed that older docs never say you can't tell the weather by your aches?) because I scored a parking spot just 5 spaces from the front door.

Joining the thundering herd going in the door, I glanced at some of the buggys in the checkout lines. Every one of them had at least 2 gallons of milk. That helped me to decide where to start... in the back of the store where the milk is. The clerks were filling the milk shelves almost as fast as they were empting and I snagged my 2 gallons (when in Rome...). Thankfully I didn't need or want anything in the next 3 jam-packed aisles... beer, toilet paper, diapers.

But that got me to thinking about what my "it's going to snow list" would look like. Definitely NOT the standard Clarksville sundries of milk-bread-beer-diapers-lunch meat-toilet paper.

No, I decided my list would look more like this:

*fixings for hot chocolate
*steaks to grill (what a hoot to grill while it's snowing!)
*a couple of fresh veggies to go with those steaks
*a can of sweetened condensed milk to make snow ice cream
*safflower seeds for the bird feeder to keep the sky rats out of it
*sweet feed for the deer to keep them out of the bird feeders

Now THAT'S a proper snow shopping list!!

Movie Review: Crazy Heart

2010-02-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

While visiting my family in Missouri we decided to see a movie. Possibilities were: "Dear John" (not this time), "From Paris with Love" (not in this lifetime!), and "Crazy Heart".

"Crazy Heart" has been cleaning up in the award circles for best music, with a lot of nominations too. And Jeff Bridges has won several awards: the Screen Actors Guild awards for best leading male, LA Film Critics best actor, Golden Globe for best actor in motion picture drama - to name a few. And he's been nominated for an Oscar.

With this kind of notice, we decided to see "Crazy Heart".

Good choice.

Jeff Bridges plays the lead roll of "Bad Blake", a country music performer/writer living on past glory in a downward spiral of hard drinking and hard living. His prodigy Tom Sweet (played surprisingly well by Colin Farrell) has hit the big time - a fact that adds to Bad's resentment of the world. But when Bad meets Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her young son, he begins to see his situation is due to his choices... and that he can chose to change.

The music of "Crazy Heart" is fantastic (as the multiple awards and nominations attest). I'm sure Nashville is prepping for a resurgence of interest in country music. Bridge's "Bad Blake" had a definite feel (and look) of Waylon Jennings, which isn't surprising since The Outlaw could have been an inspiration for the character. Both Bridges and Farrell did their own vocals and did a very nice job with them.

I like a movie that doesn't leave you feeling depressed and hopeless. If I wanted to feel cruddy, I'd just turn on CNN. I want to feel better when I leave the theater...not worse. I want a movie that moves along. A movie that I can't tell you how it's going to end after seeing the first 15 minutes. "Crazy Heart" covered all those bases.

When it comes out on DVD... I'll be buying it!

BTW - I hope that Jeff Bridges gets the Oscar for this one. He deserves it. Smashing performance!

bareMinerals

2010-02-12T10:21:00.004-06:00

In my "remodel me" goal, looking good when I go out is part of the plan. For years I'm worn minimum make up because I just didn't feel like taking the time to do it or even to learn to apply it well. Eyes and lip gloss was all I bothered with.

A few years ago my sis introduced me to bareMinerals make-up. http://bareescentuals.com/ At the time, it was just about the only mineral based powder make up commonly on the market. What interested me was that she said it was easy to use, didn't have a lot of additives, felt light on your skin, and was easy to use. Did I mention she said it was easy to use? :-D

So we went to the boutique that sells it and had a make over. It did seem to be something I'd like, so I bought a start-up assortment.

And it went in my drawer. There it has sat for at least 2 years.

So the beginning of the month I pulled it all out. The seals hadn't even been broken. And I couldn't remember what each product was and what to do with it. -SIGH- Fortunately the web site has videos on how to use it. So here I am... sitting in front of the computer (which isn't so bad because the light is great) with the "how to" video playing and the make-up mirror next to me... trying to figure this out.

Round One took me over an hour to finish my face. But it looked pretty good.

In the 2 weeks I've been using it (every time I go out) I've got it down to about 10 minutes to apply. Not bad. I suspect as I become more comfortable with it I'll become even quicker.

So here's my opinion of bareMinerals--

The Good:

*Easy to blend. Even with my inexperience I'm not having a problem with "make-up mask".

*Covers my dark circles and uneven skin tones well.

*Stays on well enough.

*Natural looking.

The Bad:

*Seems to accent fine lines in my skin. I'm working with facial moisturizers to see if I can work out this issue.

*It's NOT water proof. If it's going to rain... you'd better have a compact to touch it up!!!

All told... I like it. I've noticed that now there are a lot of other companies carrying similar products. That in itself says there must be some merit to it.

To those who text while driving...

2010-02-11T20:59:00.002-06:00

If you text while you are driving, you need to watch this. If you have teens who are drivers and who have a cell phone, you AND your teen needs to watch this.

Have you watched it? All the way thru?

When I saw that tiny scene with the baby's unblinking blue eyes... I was filled with a terrible white-hot rage. Because in a flash I was seeing those beautiful eyes of my sweet precious little niece. (See yesterday's blog post).

If you know me or perhaps will know me in the future, this is a warning to you.

If I EVER hear or hear of, you texting while driving... you will face the wrath of Cerberus.

I am not kidding.

Snowed In

2010-02-10T11:38:00.006-06:00

I'm up in Missouri visiting family and having my Little Bird Time. It's been a great visit. One that has been extended by nature... I've been snowed in for the last couple days. It's not so bad right around here but the small country roads that are part of my drive home aren't in the greatest shape.

I've had a lot of Little Bird Time this trip. I was even able to spend a day shopping with her and her mama (my sister). I can see I'm going to have a little shopping buddy whenever I come up!

The shopping gene has been activated! What a happy little Home Goods shopper!

MINE!!!