Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Last Day of June and Meghan's Birthday


Have you ever noticed that some adults just never grow up? And, so it is with my oldest daughter Rachael here with her son Holden. Looks like Holden has a new wagon, complete with some creature comforts as well. Her caption on Face Book was that "nothing is too good for my baby!" Hey, isn't it suppose to be my job to spoil him, lol.


And while my oldest was jamming herself into a kiddie wagon, my youngest daughter was stuck in a real jam, a traffic jam on the Ohio Turnpike. She was coming home from a Saturday wedding located on the far side of Indiana. According to her a semi truck ran off the road but the trailer part of it was blocking one of the lanes. No one injured, thank God, just an hour wait in this heat. If you notice she got the traffic in front of her as well as the traffic that was behind her in the side mirror.

My day here at home was pretty uneventful. I manage to do as little as possible. I figure I work myself silly 6 days a week and when Sunday rolls around I keep God's Sabbath, just as His Commandments tell us to.
I did do one thing though, I set up my new Keurig coffee maker that I bought about a month ago. I absolutely love it! I bought Rachael one the same day and she has been using hers and loves it too. When I babysit I treat myself to a cup or two, and here is a hint, I use the same little coffee cup 2 times. I get double use instead of throwing it away after making the first cup. Just open the top and close it, press BREW and there ya go.



A week ago Saturday we celebrated my youngest daughter Meghan's 34th birthday at Nagoya Japanese Steakhouse in Port Clinton. Unlike everyone else, it was my first time eating there. Meghan throws herself a party by inviting family and friends. Two years ago she had it at Mona Moi in Port Clinton and had about 25 people show up. This year the crowd was kinda lean since so many people had multiple commitments. But 3 of her very best friends came and it made it more intimate. Even her sister couldn't come, the biggest disappointment to her.


In the picture above is the crowd, starting on the left with her school chum and very best friend, Mary, then Meghan, second from right is Adaire and her husband Steve.


They seated us around a big habatchi grill. We put Meghan in the center. The waitress took our orders for beverages and Mary and Steve ordered sushi for appetizers. I have never had sushi either and Steve gracefully offered me one of his but I told him to just cut my off a bit since I didn't want to chance wasting it if I didn't like it. I like salmon, and this one had salmon, but I am not a fan of raw fish either although it was tolerable, I don't think I will be going out of my way for it anytime soon, lol.


I shy away from having my picture taken, and that is me of course with Meghan. At Mary's insistence I agreed to it. I asked her if she knew how to operate my camera and silly me, it is what she does for a living, she works for a photography studio. Where is my mind at times, I look at myself and I look tired, more gray and old.


A couple of grills over was a bridal shower and the gals all looked like they were having a ball.


Our chef, and what a messy blur of a picture I got of him! I forget his name, it was on his shirt too, darn! He was so nice and could throw an egg in the air and on it's way down to the grill he would crack it open with the sharp side of his cleaver. He did that about 5-6 time. The fried and chopped fine eggs went into the rice. He also had a good sense of humor, and had us laughing pretty much all the time he was preparing our food.


Veggies, yummy!!!!


Fried Rice, also way too yummy for words!!!!!!! I could have made my meal just the rice alone!


He told me to get out my camera and had them dim the lights so I could get a pic of the flaming onions, oh, so good!


The onions went in with the veggies. This meal was smelling so good, the whole restaurant was smelling wonderful. I am thinking "what took me so long to come here?" and wishing Roger was still alive to be here and enjoy this place and their fine food. He loved good food and eating out.


Huge fresh scallops, and by this time there was shrimp added to the grill, then chicken and steak. I should have taken a photo of the plates when they were filled with the food, but by that time we we so busy eating and believe me I was famished, all I had all day was a piece of toast that morning and my stomach was chewing on my backbone and yelling, "will ya please feed me!"


This is the last picture I took. The chef was pitching small bites of chicken and patrons were catching them with open mouths. This pic is of Meghan just before she got her flying piece of chicken. I did get one of her catching it but it was rather unflattering and I'm sure she would kill me if I posted it, so I leave you to your own imagination. One thing I do wish I had gotten a photo of and that was the front of the restaurant. I never gave it a thought before going into the place, and when we came out it was brewing up a nice dark batch of storm clouds and the big raindrops had started. I just made it to my car when it started to pour down the rain. I definitely give this place 5 stars and hope to eat there again. Nagoya is located up outside of Port Clinton on the peninsula of Catauba on Lake Erie and there is so many beautiful spots to take pictures. It is one of many tourist sites and the people depend a lot on the summer tourist trade for their living. Of course there are boats/yachts and a lot of very wealthy people who live up there. Meghan knows her way around there because she use to tend bar at the Catauba Island Club and lived in Port Clinton. She is a security guard/alarms operator at Davis Besse the nuclear power plant (run by First Energy) located down the road in Oak Harbor. She carries an M-16 rifle and is a sharp shooter. Yes, she is my dare devil and is the one I wrote about a couple of posts ago....trying out for Survivor. She is one reason my hair is gray and I'm looking old. Her "bucket list" has included sky diving, driving to New York alone to see the sites, doing a November Polar Bear jump in the lake with 2 friends. She has run many marathons and done a lot of traveling. No moss grows on her........Happy Birthday Meghan, and many more. Love you! Mom ♥

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The ABC's of Me




I am at a bit of a loss as to what to post about today, so, I thought why not do a list of things about myself so you get to know me a bit better.......here goes.......

A = ART......I love art. I took 3 years of it in High School with the intention of becoming a commercial artist. (Above is one of the pen and ink watercolors I saved from school).

B = BLUE......My favorite color.

C = CHRISTMAS, CHOCOLATE, CROCHET & COUNTED CROSS STITCH.....My favorite holiday, my favorite flavor & two of my favorite hobbies.

D = DAUGHTERS, DOGS......I have 2 daughters, I have 2 dogs, love them all.

E = EGGS, EMBROIDERY......over light please or deviled, love to do embroidery.

F = FORGET-ME-NOT......My favorite flower.

G = GOD, GERMANY......GOD, can there be anything more awesome, I think not! Germany, the country where I was born.

H = HUGS......Something we all need from time to time. I married into a family that liked to hug and so I pass them on when I can.

I = ITALIAN FOOD.......My favorite food.

J = JANUARY......Month I was born in.

K = KNITTING......I love to knit.

L = LOVE......It is what life is all about, you won't find inner peace until you can love others. I try to make my life revolve around love daily.

M = MACRAME......Another craft I can do, has been years though :)

N = NURSING......My profession.

O = OTTER, ONIONS......My favorite wild animal & love onions.

P = PIZZA......My favorite Italian food.

Q = QUILTING......I love to quilt!

R = READING......I love to read, especially mystery books. I have tons of books, all subjects.

S = SEWING......I love to sew.

T = TEA, TOMATOES......One of my favorite beverages, and another food I love.

U = UNDER WIRE BRAS......I detest them, talk about torture!

V = VINTAGE......I like vintage things.

W = WINDOWS......I hate to clean windows, but I like looking out clean ones, go figure, lol.

X = gonna skip this one cause I haven't any idea what to put down, and I sure hate x-rays even though they are a necessary evil for diagnosing what ails ya.

Y = YORKSHIRE TERRIER......My favorite dog breed.

Z = ZUCCHINI......Love this healthy veggie, it can be fixed so many ways. We always raised a big batch in our garden.


Well, enough about me. How about you? Let us all hear your ABC's ♥



 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Trying Out For Survivor


I don't think people normally dress in anything but normal clothes to interview for the Survivor television program, but my youngest daughter Rayanna Meghan thought if she did the unusual she would stand out and have a better chance of being selected. Last week the team from the television show Survivor was at Kelly's Island and she tried out. I believe she said you get 60 seconds to plead your case on why you think you should be chosen to be on the show. She and her friend Mary made the cave woman dress and Mary's daughter Chloe made the bone necklace. The Billy Bob teeth, heaven only knows where she got them. She made sure she had fake eyebrows on, so to have a uni-brow. She went speaking an English accent, and had a poem all memorized. One line, "Survivor is so easy even a cave woman could do it!" I guess there was a news channel there from Cleveland and they pulled her over and interviewed her. From what she told me everyone was looking at her and of course she had everyone laughing their heads off. No one ever did see what she really looks like, or sounds like for that matter. (Below is the most recent photo of my gal, sorry kinda fuzzy). They will either call, email or mail the people who have been selected.

 

I will let you all know if she gets chosen......where this gal is concerned, life is never boring, lol.

Spring Flowers, Memorial Day, Holden, Trapping & Strawberries




Aren't these beautiful, the color is fantastic.....more about them later.......


I have never been one to envy anyone. I have never found it hard to be happy for what others have and I have always tried to be content with what I was blessed with. I have never been a "high maintenance" woman. But when our weather remained cold for so long and we had frost way into May I was beginning to feel different about the envy thing. All these lovely blogger friends had flowers galore, and they were getting veggies from their home gardens already. Here now, we are 3 weeks or so into June and being hit with hot weather. Gardens are just now getting started. Corn in the fields is not knee high yet, but should be by the 4th of July. As it seems to be these past several years, we don't gradually merge into the hot temperatures from the warm. We don't get but a day or two of warm weather and BOOM! we are in sweltering heat. I have never been a fan of hot weather. I can be content with temps into the 70's. During that time I did take some pics around here. Our cooler Spring was good for the early flowers and the trees that bloom.


 Love my creeping phlox......



This started out as a small single plant. Look how much it has spread over the years. Love it!




I was so thrilled to spy out this huge patch of wild violets over by the row of Norway Spruce Pines on our property line between me and the neighbors.
 


While everyone else was enjoying tons of blooms on their lilac bushes, mine was a bit of a let down. I have to trim that thing way back soon.


But the apple trees were loaded with pretty delicate blossoms. Too bad they never seem to bear any fruit, even though my husband always kept them trimmed and sprayed in early Spring. The apples are always about the size of crab apples. We have 3 apple trees.


I don't know if you can see it or not, but right smack dab in the middle of the ivy on the house was a robin's nest. My husband always kept the ivy trimmed back to prevent it from getting up into the soffet and in the attic. For several years he trimmed it back into a heart shape. I posted on it somewhere in the past. But I went to trim it back, got disgusted and began ripping it off of the brick. "I don't have time for fussing over this!" I said to myself and was close to tears, not because I was feeling sorry for myself, but because I had planted that vine years ago and my husband had warned me about what a pain in the butt it would eventually be and I didn't listen to him. All these years he fussed with it because I just had to have that vine. He should have kicked my butt for even planting it. Now the brick is a mess cause the vines send out suckers that cling to the brick. I tried a couple years ago to pressure wash the brick where he trimmed it back and the pressure of the water will remove the black from the colored brick. Now it will be years before it wears off. Or, I guess I can try and use tweezers and my fingers to work it off.......but last post I told you about the bumble bees.....that became a whole new ballgame!



Then around Memorial Day the American Legion Post 83 at Sandusky Ohio dedicated a memorial to the area Legion Riders who were members of surrounding posts. My husband's name was added to the list of veterans who served and belonged to the group of riders.


That's my youngest Rayanna Meghan getting a photo.


There were several thousand bikers who were veterans and members there for the dedication.


 On either side of the motorcycle center slab was 2 pillars with the names of all the men who had died. My Roger, I miss my guy.



We plan to go back again for better pictures. It was so crowded and with people moving back and forth it was hard trying to get a clear shot without someone obstructing the view.


Grandma, get my out of here, nap time is over!


And then of course one high point in May was our little Holden walking without benefit of holding onto something. He was standing by the ottoman and the next thing we knew he bravely took off across the room. He has a mop of unruly curls! I love my grandson. He is a high point in all my days :)




And then there has been the fun of setting the live trap to catch one of the varmints that has been digging up the place. This ground hog was just a baby compared to the grandpa one I saw the other day. I called my brother Michael and he came and turned it lose down by the river. He wanted to set it free over at the reservoir, but I told him no, the res was just too close to here and I just knew it would find its way back. The poor thing had it's nose rubbed sore from trying to get out of the cage, and Michael said as soon as he opened the door it was gone in a flash. The trap is set again, but so far no grand daddy ground hog has been caught. As you can see, they seem to like carrots. I just hope I don't catch a skunk. That would be the last straw! And now for the berries........


And don't they look yummy!!!!! After I got done babysitting for my grandson on Tuesday, I stopped at a local strawberry farm and picked up 6 quarts of home grown berries. Every year I put some berries in the freezer for winter and this year was no exception. Strawberries are my very favorite fruit and I don't need sugar, short cake and whipped topping to enjoy them. I think I ate a quart while I was cleaning them up. Hard to believe they were $4 a quart and $1.65 per pound if you picked your own. Trouble is I have sciatic nerve pain from all those years of nursing and it is next to impossible for me to get down on all fours and pick berries. I use to though. I would take my girls and they would peter out on me in about 15 minutes, well, at least once they ate more berries than they picked they would want to go sit in the shade, lol. I would pick 24 quarts back in those days. Then for 2 years I had my own berry patch here at home. I loved it, and got 10 gallons one year. They were the sweetest, best berries.


Well, I am kinda caught up here. It is already past midnight and when daylight arrives I will have an all day job of yard mowing. It is suppose to be a hot day and by Sunday even warmer. I have not had time to do any kind of yarny things, but will keep you posted when I do. Dear blessed friends, I hope you all have a wonderful safe and sound weekend and get to do what you love. God watch over you all, until next time, as always, love you ♥

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Honey, I'm Back!



 WOW! I can hardly believe it has been almost 2 months since my last posting, but, my dears it was not an intentional absence. Yes, I have been pretty busy, but mainly my internet was down for awhile and then I decided to not continue with my provider and several weeks later made the decision to go with someone else. Today I was hooked up again for new service and so here I am. I have never gone so long without internet, and frankly I have missed it. One never knows just how much you miss something until you do without it for awhile. Of course there are always negative and positive sides to everything and a positive has been that I have managed to put a nice dent in some of my obligations right here around the house.



We (my brother Michael and I) have been cutting down the dead ash trees, all 26 of them. We still have 9 more to go and he comes over when he can, on his days off. I have told him to not make those trees a priority on his off days, just fit me in when he can, nothing needs to be set in stone on the calendar. Frankly I am sick of picking up the sticks. They are so brittle now that a good wind brings them down off the trees. Before we started with the chain saw, it was nothing for me to spend a good hour and a half picking up sticks before I could even mow grass. Then with every tree brought down there comes the picking up of all the sticks again. Three times he has spent a day cutting and the days after that again I spend pretty much all day picking up sticks. I even get down on my hands and knees, (the best place to be to pray for an end to all this tree/stick business). So far we have spent 3 days, here and there, dealing with brush and a bonfire to be rid of it all. The main logs will be transported to my daughter Rachael's house and sawed into firewood for her to burn this winter in her fireplace.


 I did finish up the shell baby blanket that I mentioned in my last posting. I have not done anything in the yarn or material department since then. I cleared my living room area of all the yarn totes and brought them back into my hoard of stuff in my sewing/yarn/craft room. This room is a fright, and heaven help me, I know it seems to stay straightened up about 5 minutes and in a blink of an eye it becomes someplace one would have to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find their way out. My computer is in there as well, and I felt the need to apologize to the tech who hooked me back up to the internet. "I'm so sorry you have to work in such a claustrophobic space, but this is my room and my hoard." He just laughed, and of course in my mind I was thinking, he is a man, what does he really know about the creative woman!


 Anyways, it is good to be back in business again. I have truly missed all of you and know darn well it will take me ages to catch-up on all you darlings whose blogs I follow and that I consider my friends. I hope and pray you have all been doing well these past weeks, and I know as creative as you all are that you have not been idle and have been doing so many interesting and good things. I will return with news of more things I have been doing. As you can see by this last picture, I have a major ground hog problem, this is just one escape route under the privacy fence out back. Over where we are cutting the trees they have tunnels and holes big enough for one to twist an ankle in.



But not only these guys digging holes in the yard and under the fences, but also I have ground squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. I have been feeding the birds and so along comes these stray cats! This place has become a regular wildlife preserve and I can't even leave the garage doors open for fear that those little squirrels and the chipmunks will get into the insulation and walls. I have been ripping the ivy off of the house and discovered a nice nest of bumble bees, not the honey bees mind you, but those big black and yellow fuzzy ones.....yeah, I got stung, on the back of my neck, and I thanked God that at least it wasn't a swarm. They didn't like it that I was disturbing the ground nest under the mulch up next to the garage. I also miscalculated the number of steps coming down from the ladder, yep, I missed the last rung and fell right smack dab into the shrubs, twisting my right knee in the process (thank God I didn't fall on the bee's nest). Lucky I didn't break a hip, lucky that Kodak moment was not witnessed by anyone passing by. The shrub did survive, heck, it manages to make it through tons of snow piled on it, so what was a 200+/62 year old woman gonna do to harm it, ha! So, now I have a bum knee and neither ice nor Motrin seemed to ease the soreness. So, as you can read, I have been doing all sorts of crazy things. I hope you didn't give up on me. I know "ALL" of you are special to me. Love you all, always, God bless each and every one of you ♥

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THAT THE ONES YOU LOVE ARE LIFE'S MOST PRECIOUS GIFTS~