Now I remember...

Now I remember the other thing I was going to tell you about. Just a quick one and then I gotta get out to the garden.

This sweater is my latest completed croched project. If it fits, it will go to my youngest granddaughter, my little (but growing quickly) China Doll.

I think the picture in the chair was this last Christmas's picture and the one of the tall, quickly growing Lily is a picture just taken at school at her balleriana recital.

Ol' Braggart Grammy

I had planned on showing you another picture or two. A few of the new baby ducks and at the moment I can't remember what else (what ever it was is safely on the computer picture area and it will come to mind at a later date) but I was reminded of something else to show you. While my granddaughter Kala was living with me and going to college here, she entered a contest in which she had the opportunity to win $300. She dressed me with clothing of the proper color that she had in her minds eye and we went to down town Tucson. She must have taken over 100 pictures of me posing in front of various buildings, stairs, trees and such then we came home, she stayed up all night and drew with charcoal? the picture I will put on here. She had a huge mirror available and mounted the picture she drew on the mirror and surrounded it with the snap shots of her choice. Sadly, someone else took home the $300.

I Love my hodge podge room

My maternal grandmother LOVED pictures. All of us sent her pictures w/out fail. Weddings, grandchildren's school pictures, any pictures we took, we made sure there were duplicates to send to gramma. When she died, she had a suit box (I haven't seen one of those in many years) full of pictures not counting the ones she had all over her house. Guess she passed on the gene to her children, grands and greats. Seems a lot of us love them also.

The great big all blue painting is of my dad. My nephew painted it. I don't know why I have it but I like the picture and it looks just like him. I have seen him look just like that many times. Not stern, just contemplative. When my mom came to live with me she would not let me hang that picture in her room. For some reason it disterbed her.

In one of the last pictures in the big gold ornate frame is a picture of my great maternal grandfather. To the left is also him when he was about 16 y/o. To the left of that picture is a picture of BB. I believe he looks just like the old grandpa.

Don't forget to click on the picture and it will enlarge it.

My "Family" room

Yesterday I tried to upload these pictures but the site wouldn't let me. Today, they uploaded in a different manner than expected. I KNOW that computers have minds of their own.

My family room is different than most. I call my sewing room my family room. I love going in there (when I can wade through it) because every wall is plastered with family pictures. The two pictures I have on here today are on the wall of an out jutting closet. The closet is not inset into the wall like most. Anyway, on the little wall, just as you go into the room are hanging things that are memory things of the place were I was born. I had hoped the pictures on the wall could be seen but I don't believe you can see them. I was born in my grandmother and grandfathers house in Thayer, MO. in the front bedroom. The pictures were taken for a surprise gift by my sweet and thoughtful baby daughter. All 12 of my family met in Branson, MO a few years ago for a weeks vacation and they drove through Thayer and found the house and took pictures of my grand children on the front porch on their way home. (click on the pictures and perhaps you will be able to enlarge it) The other items in the other picture are my grandmothers apron and bonnet that she wore while in the garden and the hat, purse and one glove (the other is lost) that my grandma wore to my wedding in 1958. The colorful picture of the lady is one that hung in my mom's bedroom when she was a young girl. There are some "quilt" type things peiced by my grandmother and set into embroidery hoops.

Tomorrow (God willin' and the creek don't rise) I will show you the walls that are plastered with pictures.

Games people play...us anyway

My friend Charlotte mentioned in a comment about games they played within their family. It reminded me of a game another friend started some years ago. I will write about this now and won't have to think of anything tomorrow and perhaps will get into my garden earlier tomorrow morning.

My frind LINDA (you know who you are!) is from Illinois and still has family there and visits often. Several years ago while she and her Dr. Hubby were there, she went out into the pasture and gathered cow pattys. (patties?) How many I do not know but they were not quite completely dried. She packaged them up and carried them onto the plane. Hummm. I wonder if anyone complained! At any rate, that Christmas, somehow (I don't remember how) she smuggled a Christmas package under my tree (they were still living in Tucson and I in Scottsdale) and guess what was in it! So...of course, the little gift got saved until the next year and was delivered back to their house. I think we exchanged the precious Illinois gift back and forth several years in a row. The last time I received it, it was broken in half, throughly dried of course so...I glued it back together, spray painted it a beautiful pink and glued large oh so precious plastic gems onto it and it was once again delivered. I think I won. I never saw it again.

NUTS!!!

While waking up this morning and drinking my coffee I was checking to see if any of you blogger friends had paid me a visit and guess what I found. Another error. I am a very poor speller on top of being not very good at proof reading apparently. I must go over what I write each time to make sure there are no errors. I FORGOT THE TITLE!! COFFEE........COFFEE.........COFFEE..........NOT COFFE.

See you tomorrow.................Connie

Coffe & Once upon a time

I will begin with the Once Upon a Time.
Many years ago, within our family was a small rubber bull. I remember it well. I don't know where it came from or who was it's first owner but...my mom and her oldest brother got into a game I call: STEAL THE BULL. We lived in California and he lived in Missouri. My parents blessed us by always going "HOME" each summer and visiting all the family we left behind when we moved to California. How the game got started, I have no idea but the bull was always displayed right in sight, ready to be stolen and taken on a trip, either to California or back to Missouri. I don't know where the bull took up permenate residence.

Now the coffee.
My dad used to be a long haul trucker. Being an ex Navy man and a trucker, he loved his coffee (I wonder what my reason is?). In the picture you will see a heavy coffee mug w/logo. He acquired it while I was still very, very young and he was still a trucker. My OB (Oldest Brother: Note: I said oldest brother, not older brother) sent me a Peanuts cartoon many years ago in which Lucy told Peanuts? whatever her younger brothers name was that she was his older sister and would always be his older sister and there was nothing she could do about it) Anyway, OB and I, remembering that custom started stealing the cup back and forth between California and Arizona. Not to fall into routine, he once took a picture of the cup, framed it and sent it to me saying he still had the cup. Another time, he took either the picture or the cup (I don't know how this is done) and had a cup made someplace with the same logo on it, keeping the origional cup once again and sending me the copy. Another time he was at my house and simply hid the cup in my house, making me think he had taken it on another trip once again. NA NA, NA NA NA, BUTCHIE BOY, I STILL HAVE THE CUP. COME AND GET IT

One bitty blog and two fair size men

A couple of evenings ago, "Da Boys" and I were sitting on my back porch after dinner enjoying each other and the blessings God has given us. The closest to me and my camera is my son and in the flowered shirt is BB, my Baby Brother. Each of us is single through no choice of our own but God has blessed us with each other along with many others in our family. Along with these blessings, God has given us SPRING IN ARIZONA to share with each other. We often sit outside and revel in it.

GOD IS GOOD, GOD IS GREAT, LET US THANK HIM FOR OUR FOOD. AMEN.

That is the first prayer I ever prayed. I remember it well. It was not a great and spiritual prayer but it was a beginning. I can apply it to everything HE has given me today. I AM BLESSED.

Have a great and wonderful day. I plan on having one..............Connie

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go

I have been sitting here enjoying my coffee and checking e-mail and other people's blogs and the sun is heading for higher places. Not hot yet but may be. It didn't get hot yesterday and I felt blessed. For now, gotta go and get some of those weeds out of my garden before the sun dries up the ground that I watered yesterday.

Later...........The Ol' Farmer Lady

Desert Melodies

When I awoke this a.m. I lay there for a few minutes hoping that I could go back to sleep. (Seldom ever happens but I can hope) I had all the windows open and I could hear all the desert sounds around me. I could hear a Mourning Dove that has taken up residence. I think he/she likes is here because the bird has found the TV arial my son and BB erected for me. Silly birds enjoy that perch and poop all over the patio table and back porch. YUCK! I think I will be happy when there is no TV reception in 2009 as we keep being told. Not much will be missed there. I will depend completely on Netflix.

OK. Back to Desert Melodies. First the

Birds... .........................and then there are 3
Goats... across the road. Two are pigmy goats and one, perhaps
the baby is greeting the sun just as Becky's roosters do. It is a nice
sound.
Wind... we have wind here in my desert all Spring and into early Summer.
It is very nice. It keep the temperature a bit cooler.
Windchimes I have a very mellow sounding wind chime that ismade out of heavy
metel and
it looks like a pyramid on a chain that I love. My late husband and I
purchased it someplace while we were sight seeing.

And after all that, this will not be the whole content of my blog today. Charlotte, a friend of mine, had a meme that is short and takes no more time that I am willing to spend at this moment so I will add that also. Here 'tis.........

THREE THINGS

3 PLACES I GO ALL THE TIME.
GAS STATION!!!!!!!!!!
COSTCO
GOODWILL
3 PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME ALL THE TIME

DONNA
WAYNE
GLORIA
AND ALL THREE SELDOM SEND ANYTHING BUT FORWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(HOPE YOU ARE FEELING BETTER WAYNE)
3 FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT
PHOENIX GRILL ON #32nd ???? STREET in Phoenix
RUBIO'S
HOME
3 PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
I WOULD ENJOY BEING AT BABY DAUGHTER HOME
IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE THE TRIP AND SHE
PROMISED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO TORNADOS

HOME
HOME
3 TV SHOWS I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER.
REBA
THREE AND A HALF MEN (I KNOW, SHAME ON ME BUT
THEY REALLY MAKE ME LAUGH)
WFV
3 PEOPLE WHO WILL DO THIS MEME ALSO.
DON'T HAVE A CLUE. A FRIEND IN WA. STATE SENT ON
VIA E-MAIL AND A COUSIN IN AR. SENT ON VIA E-MAIL ALSO

Oh yes, and here is a picture of BB just for his girls.

Sundays wedding

I finally have the time to download (or is it upload?) the pictures of the wedding. I sat in the very back row of our little church and most of the pictures came out a bit grainy. I have enjoyed the camera I have (Canon Power Shot A400 for those of you in the know about cameras) because most of the time, in spite of me it takes very fine pictures. In this case they didn't turn out so well.

The couple that were married both enjoy music of the old time "Pickin'" varity that it came as no surprise that the wedding was planned just as I thought it might be. There was a 2 hour jam session before the wedding and then the wedding itself. There were a few love songs sung and then some of the just plain country songs. All enjoyable. It was so exciting to see the church so full that there were some people that had to stand. There was a flyer (invitation) that was handed out a week or two before the wedding that I never saw, I guess because I came in the back door from Sunday school. I didn't know that on the flyer was the request that everyone bring food because it was a potluck, just like on Saturday nights when the Marana Music Fest takes place. Anyway, it was a wonderful event and a wonderful celebration of the future life to come of the new bride and groom. I will add some pictures you might enjoy seeing.

I have these pictures out of order. Some of are of the 2 hour singing time, some are after the wedding when the bride and groom are being congratulated as everyone leaves the auditorium, the wedding itself and another one or two. Someday I am going to take the time to figure out how to make a comment on each picture underneath each picture. For now, what you see is what you get.....Connie

Time flys

It will come as no surprise to anyone that TIME FLYS! I haven't been able to post a new blog for several days because of things I had to do. A couple in our church got married Sunday afternoon. In our little church almost every one is a Senior. The couple that got married are Seniors also. What a wonderful thing for them to find each other. I crocheted a rug for them and added bath towels etc., to a large basket. I started and finished the rug in one week. I was going to take a picture of the rug and forgot. I have many pictures of the wedding and will post a few when I have some time. Meanwhile, I have to get to town this a.m. to have some maintence done on my car and then some maintence done on my teeth.

LATER GATOR!

'Nother one

Here is second favorite collectible from my Llardo group. I call it "The Old Grandfather" I don't believe that is the correct name but I like it. Notice the baby's intent it to give the mustache a yank and is being told "NO".

Don't forget that you can click on the picture to make it larger.

Collecting

Many years ago when my husband and I were not drawn nor had the money to collect anything I saw an acquaintences Llardro collection of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and various animals in a creche. I mentioned to my husband that if we ever collected anything I would enjoy having a display like that. Many years later, he surprised me with something even more beautiful See pictures. This beautiful image is called
"Flight to Egypt"

Corn bread

I have always enjoyed cooking, especially cooking for my family. I have been looking for years for the perfect corn bread recipe, have tried many and eventually become disappointed in that recipe for some reason or other. I have recently been catching a TV show occasionally called "America's Test Kitchen" and tried a recipe for corn bread they worked out. This may be the one!

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour ....and set aside

Mix into food processor:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
a dash or two of hot sauce (I put in a dash and didn't even notice it when we ate it)
blend a bit---not too much, you don't want to make mush out of the corn.

Fold in the dry ingredients
Fold in some melted butter---I didn't get the amount.
Heat iron skillet on top of stove with oil in the skillet until very hot then remove from heat. Pour batter into the skillet, smooth out and put into a 450 degree oven and bake until done. Tooth pick test it. They said to let it rest for 20 minutes but it didn't get to rest in this house.

GOOD STUFF.

Nothing, ziltch, Nada, zero,

I have nothing to share this a.m. I will try to find a picture once again that you have not seen. Hasta Manana Wonder if that is even close to correct?
Hummm. Even the blog site knows I have nothing. It won't even let me add a picture. See you tomorrow.

A-W-W-W RATS!

DURN! My photography skills let me down. I have been waiting for the best opportunity for two years to take the attached picture. The opportunity would be:

The right season
Just the right time in that season
Heading for church or town at just the right time
The best light (early in the morning
I took my camera to church with me yesterday. Was passing thru the
"Camino de Lozania" and hoped it all worked together and as you can see, it didn't. The trees are almost all Palo Verde trees in full blossom. There is a short stretch of road on the way down the frontage road on the way from my house to Tucson that is truly beautiful at this time of year. It just doesn't show up here.

By the way, I looked up the translation online because I don't speak Spanish. Camino de Lozania is the best I could come up with for the translation for Corridor of Blossoms.

No empty baskets

I thought about showing you the empty baskets along with the finished projects that came out of them but the baskets are already filled with new projects so I will just show you three of the projects that I have finished in the last two weeks when I was ill. I believe the hat on my grand daughter was finished before I got sick. The afghan I started over a year ago and the little baby sweater had not been put aside for such a long time. I started and have almost completed a crocheted jacket in that two weeks but I can't show it to you yet. I didn't like the way the trim turned out and will rip it off and do something different then I will show it to you. The baby sweater will perhaps fit a 6 month old. BB admired the colors in the afghan and when I ask if he would like to have it he accepted it with alacrity. (I am the worlds worst speller. I know many words that are not commonly used and enjoy using them but can't spell them. My little electric pocket dictionary told me, "sorry, can't help" on my first try on alacrity).

Get up and go?

My GO didn't happen with my GET UP this morning. I am sitting here sipping my coffee waiting for the GO to happen. I have been "visiting" with some of you lovely ladies and seeing what lovely things you have done in your homes and appreciating all. That is as far as I will go with my interior and "out-terier" decorating. Way too much effort. I am not a lazy person. I simply have energy that only goes so far and it doesn't cover the "pretty" things. I am content with what I have. I was sitting on my back porch with BB last night, (do you remember that BB means baby brother?) after supper last night, full tummys and a feeling of great contentment came over us both. Right now, my desert is mostly green and yellow. The Mesquite and Palo Verde trees are filled with blossoms. The air is alive with the buzzing of bees. He mentioned that there is no place in the world that he would rather be than right here on my back porch. Frequently there are questionaires that come on e-mail to fill out that suggests that filling out the answers is a way to get to know your friends better. There is always the question, "If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be?" My answere is always, Beautiful Marana, AZ. Oh, I know, it is not so beautiful in the middle of Summer when it is 110 degrees more or less and everything has turned brown, but I know that the rains will come and turn things green again for a while. My sweet late husband used to say to people that complained about the heat, "Yeah, but you don't have to shovel it!" We lived in CT., CO., & IA for periods of time. We know about ice and snow. Fortunaty, the times we lived in those places, we knew the time was limited and we enjoyed getting to know the area. Another "fortunately", the Lord chose to take him home when we lived in MY desert. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

Try, try again.

I tried earlier to set up Friday's post but the picture part of the blogspot wasn't working. Here goes again. Wish me luck.

HAH!. I slipped the pictures in. The first one is the very young Palo Verde Tree. This tree is unique in that is has all green trunk and branches. The second two pictures are of a Creosote bush that is almost gone to seed. The blossoms have all turned to what will be the seed and looks like tiny puff balls. The next two pictures are of a creosote bush that is not that far along yet. Has about half blossoms and half puff balls.

That is all until tomorrow. Gotta go pick up my yarn. I have been milking goats, feeding chickens and ducks and the goats, (Becky is at a garage sale her church is having to earn money for the kids to go to camp) watering my garden so BB can pull some more weeds and erect some more supports for the tomaotes and peas. Now, time to rest for a while.

Too much too soon

Finally, yesterday, I started feeling better and regaining some energy. True to form, I went out to the garden to water and pull weeds. I believe I worked out there for about an hour. Most of the rest of the day I was inside playing with yarn. It was such a beautiful day that when I was expecting BB to come home I started walking to meet him. I used to do that when my husband was alive. I have the Bible on tape and every day my husband would call me when he started home and I would put on my walking shoes, my walkman in my ears and work my way through the Bible. Amazing how the Bible comes together when you "read" it every day. Anyway, last night, I started walking and walked about 1/2 mile before my energy was used up. I sat on a large utility box to wait for him. Or Bob (son-in-law). One neighbor was on the way out and saw me "getting dusted" as she said in an e-mail. Finally another neighbor saw me and stopped and took me home. Thankfully. Very thankfully. This morning my body is telling me I did too much too soon. I think today I will have to take it easy once again. Meanwhile, I will try to find a picture you haven't seen.

The picture is of my back porch. I didn't want a large back porch. This one is just right.

Emptying baskets

I didn't know a cold could wreak such havoc on an OLD PERSON! I have been "under" for...this is the 11th day. I know I will be better someday but meanwhile the weeds have taken over my garden.

BB brought home a GODSEND, as he called it, last night. The night before when he was here I was describing how Martha Stewart poled her green bean plants. It involves a tripod of
6 ft. tall bamboo poles, string and anchors for the string, all of which allows the beans to climb. He found in a pile of trash where he works, a whole bunch of PVC pipe that had been used for something and was no longer wanted. He believes it has a value of appx. $60. (We a are very wastefull sociaty, we Americans) At any rate, he was excited about his find and when he arrived, he immediately started pulling weeds and erecting tripods. He put the two he built over the top of my volunteer tomatoes. When he got the garden ready to plant this spring(tilled it) there were many cherry tomatoes that had fallen to the ground and had never ripened because of the onset of winter. The volunteer tomatoes are taking over my garden. I am happy about that, home grown tomatoes are one of my favorite things.

Oh yes. Emptying baskets. I can seldom sit with my hands folded and do nothing, even while I am very ill. (That did happen a couple of days while I was the most ill) So...I sat and decided that I would finish projects. I never tie into to something and work until it is finished. I do something for a while and then move on to something else. I NEVER SAY BORED! (Baby daughter says, "Mom, that sound like a little A.D.D kicking in) I just keep doing different things all day. I have so much to do that interest me that bored simply doesn't enter into my mind. I have several baskets (perhaps 7-8) with ongoing project in them. While I was so ill I decided that I would try to get some of those finished. It takes less energy to do what is in front of you rather than go find new things to do. At any rate, I have been emptying baskets. When I have more energy I will take pictures and show you what I have finished.

I just added a picture for you. BB was playing with my camera last summer and took this picture. Not a very interesting picture I know but it is one you haven't seen. It is taken from my back porch. You see the OLD PERSON walking from the garage. There is a cloths line my son-in-law put up for me shortly after I moved in. I have always hung my clothes out to dry whenever I can. This OLD PERSON is and old fashioned person.

TERRIBLE, AWFUL......................

TERRIBLE, AWFUL, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. I don't know if I have all the words in there correctly or the right sequence (Clif and Kala would know) but that is this day. Couldn't go to church. I think it is the first day I have missed church in over five years if I were in town. Nasty cold, nastier cough, wondering if it is turning into pnumonia. I have had pnumonia 2-3 times and understand that once you have it, it is easier to get it again.

All you sweet and wonderful ladies are always putting in the prettiest pictures of your home and what you have in it. I decided that I will put in a pictre of my new (kinda new) pillows. I bought them at a thrift store for $3 each. Perfect pillows for my bed, perfect colors and the price cannot be beat. I believe decorator pillows are sky high in price these days. Click on the picture to make it larger. I would go in there and make use of those pillows right now but I can't breath well lying down.

Poor pathetic me.

Busy, busy, busy

I have finally found relief from most of the yearly doctors appointsments. One of those was in Phoenix. I still go to the same eye doctor the day I take my tax information to the tax lady up there. So...I have been doing some catching up 'round here. Always the weeds in my veggie garden and then I got involved in cleaning and sorting the garage. Our church has a yearly yard sale and looking around my garage I found things I haven't used since I moved here over five years ago. BIG JOB. No time for blogging. Yesterday I came down with a cold!! Big surprise to me for I almost am never ill. So I spent yesterday doing small thing inside.

A couple of days I saw a Roadrunner making tracks across my property. I seldom see Roadrunners around here. I caught a couple of picture before he/she left the area. In one, the bird was almost out of the view finder before I got it snapped. They are really fast. The other is a pretty good picture.