God Bless America! 6-30-2019

Thoughts and Quotes: The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival…with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore. You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.
           John Adams, letter to wife Abigail, July 3^rd, 1776, Philadelphia

Yes, I know I've posted it before, but we need to be reminded. At my age, I can remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in class. I remember the pride we felt, just being Americans, citizens of the greatest country on earth. Now many apologize for our country (though millions are striving to live here), and I also remember the pride we felt as a nation of people who worked hard to be self-sufficient, taking care of ourselves and our neighbors in need. Government handouts wounded our pride. Now the trend seems to be how to work the system to get as many freebies as possible. Abe was very wise when he said:

At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? — Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the Ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! — All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
                                                     Abraham Lincoln

And then in the comic strip, Pogo so wisely said, "We have seen the enemy and he is us."

And think about this: 

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”  Alexander Fraser Tytler

My weekly fun read - Dying for a Drive by Susan Harper

This is the first in a series, so I'll see if the next book is better. If not, I'll move on.
Click HERE.

My weekly salad - Audell's Broccoli Salad

AUDELL’S BROCCOLI SALAD

Salad:

4 cups small pieces raw broccoli florets

1/2 cup raisins or craisins

1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup cooked bacon torn in pieces

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Thoroughly mix dressing ingredients and pour over.

Toss and chill.

And I had my Sunday afternoon nap. Kitties loved it. So did I.

The Summer Bucket List: I've added a few items.

Have a summer tea

Have Christmas in July - I copied this from My Special Girls Up North. They do it every year.

Plan a one-week staycation

The Pepper and Pals Report: It seems I've caused some confusion about kitties by posting too many photos. 

I have two indoor kitties - Pepper (a feral when injured, but stayed after recuperating)

Stormy (a feral who came to me when she was trying to abort a large dead kitten and stayed after recuperating)

Outdoor feral kitties: Clockwise starting with Midnight (the black one), Ginger, Flower, Fred, and BJ

Midnight (Pepper's sister) is the mother. She had only one kitten first, and that's BJ. Then she had Fred, Ginger and Flower.

Midnight and Ginger have disappeared.

Flower (who looked like a skunk when he was a kitten) lets me pet him and wants to be an indoor kitty, but Stormy won't let him

Fred comes occasionally and is very shy - won't let me near him.

BJ, who keeps having litters who disappear. I caught her in the trap once but had to release her because I forgot the vet is closed on Thursday afternoons. Now she's trap-shy. She had a litter of five and only one survived because she decided to become a house cat and ran in the door every time I opened it. She is Veronica - more on her later.

Then BJ had a litter of six who disappeared. 

Now she's had a litter of three and two are gone for sure and the other (Sweetie Face) a maybe. I haven't seen it for two days.

So I have two indoor - Pepper and Stormy; two outdoor regulars - Flower and BJ; one outdoor occasionally - Fred; and one maybe kitten - Sweetie Face

My friend Nancy adopted Veronica so her Pocket (boy kitty) would have company. Those are the two I showed last week which probably caused the confusion. Veronica (named for Veronica Lake) is the kitty who kept running into the house, and Pocket is not related to any of the others.

I've had eight kitties spayed or neutered (including my neighbor's cat, with her permission), but BJ (the only one left) MUST be caught. If Sweetie Face doesn't show up, the trap goes back out.

Time to Get Busy: I keep doing tables and meals and taking photos, but I haven't worked on my books in over a year. I tend to stick with the familiar and shy away from the unknown. I don't know how to do the books, though I have twelve dinners for the first theme dining book ready to go; nine for the second theme dining book ready to go; and all fifty-two photos for the tablescape book ready. I just need to refine the tea book. 

You know that I believe in signs from the Universe and from those who have crossed over. Yesterday I dropped into the local Chinese restaurant to pick up food for lunch and here's my fortune from my cookie:

My books are mostly photos, not words, but I got the message. I'm on it starting 7/5.

I'll keep in touch, even if it's just to say "Hi".

GOD BLESS THE USA

PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY

ENJOY YOUR JULY 4TH HOLIDAY

WATCH SOME FIREWORKS

HAVE A PICNIC OR BARBECUE

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Summer is Here! 6-23-2019

Thoughts and Quotes: One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.  Henry David Thoreau

Start a summer journal and take lots of photos to remind you of the golden days when the snow flies.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  William Shakespeare

Attend a play in the park.

Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.   Henry James

Serve lunch or tea under the trees.

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.  F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Update your goals and make the second half of the year a new beginning.

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.  Sam Keen

Put up a hammock.

Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.  Langston Hughes

Take a walk in the rain and sing about it. It's okay; Gene Kelly wasn't much of a crooner either.

Time for Fun: Here's my Summer Bucket List.

Take a Sunday afternoon nap - often.

Read a "just for fun" book each week.

Make a different salad every week.

Visit a farmers' market.

Picnic in the park.

Dine al fresco.

Enjoy a root beer float.

Take an evening stroll.

Buy some flip-flops.

Watch a "summer" movie on TV.

Have friends over to play games.

Make a new flavored iced tea.

Give the car a thorough cleaning.

Write a letter to an old friend.

Grab a friend and go to the mall - eat in the food court.

Make cards. 

Watch fireworks on the 4th.

Browse a bookstore or the library.

Make a chiffon cake or two or three.

Crochet some doilies - embroider some dish towels.

New summer door wreath.

Feel free to use my list or make your own.  Here are some suggestions:

Click HERE.  Or HERE. Or HERE. Or HERE.

Tasting: I've been very busy eating. In the past couple of weeks, I've been to Rosie Jo's, Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesday, Alice Irene's, Texas Roadhouse, Beth's Bake Shoppe, Ms. Gilmore's Tea Room, a cookout at a retirement center, the Senior Center, Taco Bell, and McDonald's.

And here are the photos of the food from the overdue Cinco de Mayo lunch; see the 6-2-19 post.

Then I invited some friends to afternoon tea.

This was the Spring tea. Made it! and two days to spare before summer. I made some rather unorthodox food this time.

Salami-pickle rolls, veggie sticks in Ranch, ham and pineapple wrap.

Almond cookies, Cranberry-pecan cookies, Brickle bread.

Raspberry scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam.

Radish and butter, Cucumber and cream cheese, Egg salad tea sandwiches.

Chicken Salad on Biscuit crusts

Lemon Glazed Cake

Banana mini-trifles

Russell Stover French mints

I used the dogwood dishes for spring, and now they're gone, along with the pepper dishes. Told you I was going to declutter.

Thrifting: The retirement home where I attended a cookout is in Marionville (the home of the white squirrels). We had a tour - never too soon to decide where you're going to be if you have to leave your home. I really liked it there. They have a thrift store and a library, cloth napkins at each meal when you graduate to assisted living. What more could a girl desire? Of course, I had to visit the thrift store, and found these fun little treasures for 25 cents each.

I used this one aleady - the chocolates for the tea.

See - they're all small.

Things that Grow: Just brought in cucumbers, cherry and Roma tomatoes, turnips, peas. I have lettuce, but didn't need it right now.

The Pepper and Pals Report: BJ brought in three kittens, a white and gray spotted, and two gray. One gray is already missing.

They're already destroying the flower pots. An early litter had already mangled this tree, so oh, well.  The screens are sun resistant, so I can see them, but they can't see me and get spooked.

Stormy didn't like her cat post, so she gave it to Pocket and Veronica. They think it's great. They started exploring immediately.

Isn't Veronica a lovely little lady?

She and Pocket are so cute together.

Of course, Stormy just can't seem to relax.

The regular janitor (possum) has disappeared, so his supervisor has taken over - ill-mannered guy; he eats with his hands.

Sometimes he sends his helpers. One looks normal. . .

And the other is definitely different. I hope he doesn't get teased.

Time to Celebrate: This week I hit a milestone. My blog has now been viewed in 100 countries. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't a clue where some of them are located.

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belgium

Bolivia

Brazil

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Czechia

Denmark

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Guatamala

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Jersey

Kenya

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Latvia

Lebanon

Lithuania

Macau

Macedonia

Malawi

Malaysia

Malta

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Morocco

Nepal

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Palestine

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Thailand

The Netherlands

Turkey

Turkmenistan

UK

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates (Dubai)

USA

Uzbekistan

Venezuela

Vietnam

Zimbabwe

I'm trying to declutter, so my posts will be few and short for awhile. Don't give up on me.

WORK ON YOUR SUMMER BUCKET LIST

HUG YOUR KIDS

PLAN A TROPICAL VACATION

STAY HYDRATED

USE SUN SCREEN

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Frozen Pie Error, 6-2-2019

Thoughts and Quotes:  It is the month of June,
                                        the month of leaves and roses,
                                        when pleasant sights salute the eyes
                                        and pleasant scents the noses.
                                                          Nathaniel Parker Willis

The Error: I left out a step in the Frozen Chocolate Pie recipe, which is to fold in the Cool Whip. I've corrected it now, so if you use the drop down menu, you'll get the corrected version. 

This has been a busy, but unexciting week. I'm working on organizing my closet, and since I rarely take anything out, this is a project long overdue. I call Joey and tell her, "Let's go to Branson - I need some black slacks." Well, no I don't. I started my organization with black, and found thirteen pairs of black slacks like I buy at Branson. Granted, some of them have kitty snags, but most are new or like new - two pairs with tags still on them. This is utter nonsense, as I'm sure you'll agree, so the purge is on. I've finished most of the black, blue, navy, green, and yellow things, so I'm on my way. But first -

Theme Dining: A "little" late, but we're celebrating Cinco de Mayo on June 4. I have the table finished.

The gold and orange bowls on the left are for salsa and guacamole. The yellow pepper is for sour cream, and the basket is for chips.

For ripe olives and pico de gallo

Trivet for water pitcher.

MENU

You've seen this food before, but here it is again.

Chicken Enchiladas (recipe is on the drop down menu under Entrees).

Hearty Spanish Rice (recipe under Entrees - Spanish Rice).

Chile Relleno Casserole (recipe under Sides)

Fiesta Salad (recipe under Salads - Bean Salad)

Salsa, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Ripe Olives, Chips, Sour Cream

I might add a taco soup unless it's a hot day. If not, I'll remove the soup coups.

Dessert dishes - remember the tea set I bought for $3.60?

I found some dessert plates which will go with it. And then I found a large plate for serving.

The black and white on the tea set brings it together.

Of course we'll have the usual Galopita with grapes and oranges. This has been my Cinco de Mayo dessert for years because it reminds me of flan, but easier to make. About a year ago, I learned that it's actually Greek. Recipe is under Desserts, Other.

Twilight Zone: Remember what happened last year when I decided I wouldn't decorate the graves in 2019? Here's a reminder.

All my grandparents are in the cemetery north of Springfield. The paternal set (Grandma and Grandpa) in one place and the maternal set (Granny and Pow) in a totally different area. It's a really big cemetery. Hang with me - this is rather long. 

When I moved back to Missouri, I discovered that my father didn't buy headstones for his parents. I don't know if they know what's going on down here, but I knew that if they do, my grandmother would want a headstone. So I ordered stones for both of them. How else would I know where to put the flowers?

When my grandparents lived down on Bull Creek, there was a flagstone walk leading from the driveway to the front door. It was bordered on both sides by lots and lots of daffodils. My grandmother loved those daffodils.

When I was preparing the vases, I was trying to decide what my Grandma would like. I settled on yellow flowers, remembering how she loved the daffodils. And I was thinking that I should have purchased the flowers in the spring when daffodils were available.

I finished the paternals and drove over to do the maternals. As I was walking back to my car, I was wondering to myself whether they knew that I had decorated their graves, and if they knew about the headstones, and if so, did they really care? I looked down and saw this. Yes, it's a daffodil. Not real, of course, but a silk one which blew there from someone's grave. A sign? I like to think so.

So, I decided to do only Grandma's grave this year. Brother Bill and I took a basket of pink roses (didn't find those daffodils). I told him, "Unless a daffodil or a pink flower blows into my path, we're not doing any graves next year." 

Then Bill wanted to go see Granny's grave which is in another part of the cemetery. I told him that he just wanted to see if I'd get another sign this year. We looked and looked for the grave, and finally had to go to the office for a map. I always look near the wrong tree.

I was walking in front of Bill, looking all around, and he said, "Look what you missed," and he was holding up something pink. It was two layers from a silk pink carnation. They must have blown right behind me. 

I said, "That does not count. That is not a pink flower." And he said they should count because they're pink. And I said that it had to be a pink FLOWER or a daffodil, not a part of a flower. And right then two bouquets of beautiful silk pink flowers (the kind that are all hooked together) blew over and landed right at my feet. I think my jaw dropped. I looked like a crazy fool, standing there in the middle of the cemetery with my arms spread, and looking up at the sky shouting, "Okay! I got the message!"

So Grandma gets decorated in 2020. I think she likes the pink. And if someone told me this story, I might not believe them; but I swear it really happened. 

Tasting: We were near Cracker Barrel, so we decided to have lunch. And we'd each like a gold star for restraint.

And I brought part of my pork chop home to the kitties, and we both ate only one corn muffin, and Bill took two home.

Thrifting: I stopped on the way home and bought only one little plate with purple flowers for $2. Red Racks is getting high priced. Goodwill is better.

The Wild Things: Now look what was in my back yard one morning. She walked right by the cat without even a glance. Kitty is a sometimes visitor.

I have friends who live in Minnesota, and their friends had this visitor - I prefer Miss Turkey.

Thank You: To Nancy for a belated (my fault) Mother's Day dinner at the restaurant of my choice. I chose Bellacino's for their wonderful Cuban sandwich and great French fries.

Busy week ahead - everyone is picking on me. I just noticed a leak spot on my family room ceiling; my auto insurance went up $130 a year for no reason; and I just realized that my auto registration card says Expiration 5/19/2019. When I renewed it in April, I got new plates, but somehow I didn't get a new registration card, and none in the mail. Life's little bumps in the road.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK

MOST POOLS ARE OPEN

START THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO DO/BUY FOR FATHER'S DAY

USE SUNSCREEN

AND STAY HYDRATED

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE