We Miss You, Hudson and Kate...

If you are needing something to watch on television during the cold winter months, or anytime for that matter, you might consider an old PBS series that ran from 1971 until 1975. Upstairs, Downstairs is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British drama set in a large townhouse in Edwardian London, and that depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs."

He and I have been watching it over the past few weeks, limiting ourselves to 6-8 episodes a week. We were addicted. Although I had watched part of the series back in the day, I had forgotten most the details. He had never seen it before, and it was funny to have him say that he hesitated to watch them too often because soon we would have watched them all, and he would miss it. It was the same for Him when the Sopranos series ended. For me, it was like not being able to put down a good book.

You'll get past the fact that it isn't in HD, the color is faded, and the fact that some of the early episodes are in B&W due to a technician's strike at the time.

Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeee

Wednesday was my birthday. I spent the day fairly quietly but did go the a book store to look for some special books for our grandson, Kyle, who told me he wanted a big book about cats and dogs for Christmas. After a nice long browse in the books, I sat down in the cafe and treated myself to some coffee and a scone. Then I decided to get a manicure and pedicure. I crossed the street to the Crestwood Mall and started looking for a nail salon. It was surprising to see that the more than 1/2 the mall had closed down for lack of business. It seemed so odd. My search turned into a nice mall walk--there was no nail salon anymore--and decided that exercise was a nice present to myself.

I took the long way home (still looking for a nail salon), ran a couple of errands, and eventually ended up back at home without the manicure. Not a big deal.

What was really nice was getting calls from friends and family (and e-mails too) who wished me a happy birthday. The P-G's called from Bloomington and I was treated to a song over the phone. Someone was flat which made the effort even more special because I think it was Babers. Then Babers talked to me for a minute. Half-Pint had to translate what he said. Sweet.

Then it was out to dinner with friends. I picked Mexican food because I like that a crunchy, spicy stuff. That's about it. Good enough. No cakes. No presents. Maybe I'll get a manicure after Christmas.

I Guess I've Been Naughty

This is the most behind-est I've been for the holidays. You should see the mess here. (On second thought--no you shouldn't.) What is today, the 14th? (oooo, I just realized I forgot to send a BD card to a friend. expletive. See what I mean?)

The mood is subdued. The house is a mess.
The construction is impeding my will for success.
The oven is broken and won't get fixed soon
So if you wanted fruitcake, just change your tune.

The Christmas tree is still in the shed,
buried neath lumber, and tool kits, it's said.
It is too much trouble to bring it all in
There's no place to put it in usual stead.
"Too big," says He, "the room is too small,
tools, ladders, and boxes all stacked in the hall."
The bathroom's in progress, you may recall.

So you see why "Bah Humbug" is my general thesis?
I've just thrown my hands up, because I don't know how to end this.

-by Me

Afterthought: You know you've grown up when none of the things you want for Christmas can be bought at a store.

Green Your Holidays

Here are simple things you can do that will make an eco-friendly holiday:

Rethink the Gift Wrap
It’s time to think outside the box, for real. Not only are most wrapping types wasteful, but its been done, year after year. Break out of your comfort zone and create some great looks with reuse items found around your house.

• Bows
• Bags
• Fabrics
• Newspaper comics
• Magazines
• Decorative boxes

These scrap items can be used to make that gift even more special. They can also be reused year after year.

The Twelfth Month

I blinked, another year has passed
I can’t say we have had a blast.
Just running there and running here.

I think I missed the whole damn year!

by me

Mother's Kitchen at Thanksgiving

Typical Thanksgiving preparations in a home, in a small town, in Southern Illinois. Many family members gather in the kitchen as Grandmother does her thing.

Lighter Footstep

One of my favorite e-newsletter comes "Lighter Footstep." Everyday I receive a bit of information on how we can cut pollution of the earth. Just thought I'd pass it on.

What to Do with All Those Leftovers
Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:56 AM CST
Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the United States. It’s the traditional start of the holidays — and leftovers season. So what to do with all that extra holiday food? If you’re trying to live a lighter lifestyle, it’s a good idea to avoid plastic food containers. Go for washable, durable Pyrexware or similar oven-safe storage dishes. In most cases, you can go straight from the freezer to your microwave or oven. And you won’t have to worry about plastics leaching into your food or cluttering the landfill.

What?!

I don't believe it! Thanksgiving is next week? I'm not ready for it. How about a bit of humor to get in the mood?

"Where's Aunt Florence?"

After Thanksgiving dinner, the adults gathered in the living room to exchange reminiscences, while the children went into the family room to play. Suddenly our hostess noticed that an elderly relative was missing. "Where's Aunt Florence?" she asked. From across the room came a masculine drawl, "Oh, she's with the kids, bridging the generation gap."

-- Contributed by Florence M. Mortimer

Time Flies When You're Having...

Stress.

Warning: Parts of this post will be depressing.

11/08/08

When I signed on today, I was surprised to notice that there has been no new post here since September. So, backing up six weeks, I'll tell you that most of my September and early October was spent on the Historic Shaw Art Fair as the Volunteer Coordinator. Although we, the Art Fair Committee, work all year long on the event, the six weeks prior to the Fair is a real crunch-time. It was a great success this year. But, there was no time for me to feel the anti-climax of the sudden end of the festivities, because the very next Saturday I was vending my soaps, etc., at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. It was nice to get back to the market.

And, before the Art Fair and the Market, our "baby-dog," Greta, ruptured her ACL in her left rear leg. So, add the stress of her disability and surgery, and a suffering pocketbook. He and I were carrying her 72 pounds in and out to the yard for her business and put a strain on both of our backs.

11/11/08

To continue, we came home from the Farmers' Market and had just unloaded when I received a phone call that one of my brothers had died. Vic. (This picture was taken in the late 70s.) Vic was a Veteran of the Viet Nam war, serving in the Navy, and he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and some effects from "agent orange."

I left for California the next morning and was there for 1-1/2 weeks to be with family and help where I could.

I was home from the West for only two days when news came that one of His relatives had passed away. So we were off again, this time to Central Illinois.

This kind of catches you up. Check back in a day or so for some more cheerful news, and honey, I'm ready for that.

A Simple Sunday Lunch With Good Friends...

Some of our favorite people came to visit us last Sunday. We had a nice lunch and caught up on things. Though not nearly as long as we wished, it was good to see and spend at least a few hours with our former neighbors and friends.

Lunch was simple with some homemade minestrone soup, turkey and provolone sandwiches, and lots of fresh fruit. Of course there were cupcakes and cookies.

Babers really like the icing on the cakes. Yummmmmmm.

Half-Pint the Amazing mom relaxing.

Superstar

Spidy and Superstar

A Visit with "Ike"

On Saturday, September 13th, we were anticipating Hurricane Ike to become a tropical depression and head to St Louis. I could feel it coming. The air was still, heavy, warm, sultry. I had been checking on my friend in Texas who was in the direct path of the storm after it came ashore. And, my cousin and family in Little Rock was smacked by their rude visitor that caused death, damage to crops, and sparked gas hikes.

Old Ike blew through St Louis with 40-50 mph winds and heavy rains (4-5 inches where we live). There were flash floods in many areas that just couldn't handle the rains, the ground already saturated with previous rains and flooding. This has been the wettest year on record for Missouri. The sewers flooded, roads washed out, devastation all along the rivers that crested above flood stage and some still rising. Three lives were lost in the flash floods and one woman killed when a tree fell on her.

Last night I told Him what had been on my mind for several days. We are very lucky. Other than a few small, dead branches blown off some old trees in our yard and a slushy yard, we were unaffected. We didn't lose power. Our streets didn't flood. Our basement remained dry when others in the neighborhood suffered backed-up sewers.

We've all heard about and have seen photos/videos of the aftermath of "Ike." It seems there are natural disaster around us, world-over, everyday. And, I have to say I feel very lucky.

Booooooooorrrrrrrrrrrriiiinnnnnggg!

Yeah, yeah, I haven't been posting. So alright, already. It is just that it's so boring around here there isn't anything to say. I've been cooking, cleaning, and fussing in the yard. I've been walking the dog (and a bit more) and riding my bike more around the neighborhood--to save gas and to improve my health. There are fewer trips to the store and less running around. There is the making of soaps and candles, and getting ready for the Fall and Holiday markets. There are the neighborhood activities, National Night Out picnic in the street, block meetings, neighborhood association meetings, art fair meetings and volunteer recruiting for the annual fair. . .

He has been publishing and printing and database upkeep; yard work, repair work around the house, painting and mending woodwork. He walks and he rides bikes and is staying in shape. He has traveled to IL to help his mother.

Together we dine, read books (You, Staying Young and You, the Owners Manual) and watch TV, with NetFlix our best friend we await the new season. (The Olympics and politics seem to be dominating our evenings--blasted politics.) We go out a couple times of months with Kate'n Jim.

That's pretty much it, did I bore you too much? Even so, I'll try hard to keep in touch.

By the way, did you hear about the 83 year old woman who talked herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer that she had to get there before she forgot where she was going?

Aging and the Thermostat

I'm here to admit that we have noticed a tolerance for the Missouri summer, more this year than all our years prior. I mean, last summer most my entries complained about the heat. The thermostat was always set on 68-70 degrees in the house. I ran around the house with as little on as possible. It has been different this year. Although we still don't like the heat and humidity of midwest summers, it has been more tolerable. We keep the thermostat at a fairly constant 77 degrees with the fan on to move the air around. Interesting.

It has long been understood that elderly people are less sensitive to heat than the younger population. They perspire less and are more likely to have health problems requiring medications that can impair the body's response to heat. While I don't relish the thought of placing myself in the category of the elderly, it seems to be a fact that I cannot deny. So, I'm reminding you: Please check on the elderly during extreme heat and cold. (It'll be nice to see you.)

I saw men whom thirty years had changed but slightly; but their wives had
grown old. These were good women; it is very wearing to be good.

- Life on the Mississippi

My trip to the Natural State

I chose to drive to Little Rock, Arkansas, rather than take a train or fly. I figured that the cost of two tanks of gas in the Corolla was less expensive than a plane ticket and car rental, less expensive than an Amtrak fare (plus the train left at 9 pm and arrived in LR at 3:30 a.m.; who wants to be left at the train station at 3:30 a.m. in a strange town). Driving myself gave me freedom and an adventure. So that's what I did.

My cousin lives with her family just outside Little Rock in a small town called Alexander. They live in the forested hills called 'Diamond Hills,' so named because of the countless crystals that litter the ground. Each time it rains, a fresh supply of small crystals become apparent. Dig a little deeper and one might find more and bigger crystals. Cool.

The crystals I found in the yard were no where as big as the one shown here, but together with my cousins, we found a few small ones after a rain and I brought them home with me. I also brought home a stack of pretty rocks that are now displayed in my yard--souvenirs of my trip to the Natural State.

We spent most of our time talking about everything: when we were young, wearing each other's clothes, old boyfriends, school, yackety-yack, morning til night. It was great.

Things to do on Monday...

I woke up in an energetic mood Monday morning and decided to whip up a batch of soap after cleaning the kitchen. I was going at this with zest and was ready to start mixing the soap, when at 10:40 AM, I remembered I had a 10:30 appointment with the podiatrist (another story). I called the office, "come on over," they said, so I zipped out the door without washing my feet--sorry, doc.

Now I'm on my way back home, see, when I come across a small dog, a toy schnauzer mix puppy, bouncing around in the middle of the street just as happy as can be. No owners in sight. Other people on the street don't recognize the pup--no tags, dirty, but just as cute as can be. Well, you know me; I'm unable to pass by a stray dog.

Long story short: I spent the day trying to find puppy's owners. I took him to the Humane Society to check for chip--no chip. I couldn't leave the dog at the pound so I took it back home, gave it a bath, treated the fleas, groomed and fed him. I began looking for the owners, putting signs up in the neighborhood, posting on the neighborhood mail-list, dog-park list, etc. Greta (my 12 y.o. GS) was not happy, neither was He. STRESS! CUTE!

Before this gets too boring, it wasn't until just after 8:00 P.M. that puppy and owners were reunited but not without a lecture from me on the care and treatment of pets, microchipping, name tags with owner information, flea treatment, grooming, etc. Surprisingly, they thanked me and drove away without calling me a "nosey #*^%#@\."

Now, I'm really tired, my foot hurts, the house is a mess, Greta is mad at me, and He is lecturing. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Things to do on Tuesday: Clean kitchen, make soap.

Happy 80th Birthday!

Last Saturday we drove to Carbondale, IL, to celebrate His mom's 80th birthday. There was a lot of food and drink and all that stuff. We swam, played horseshoes, talked and ate. Not everyone was there. Some of the grandchildren didn't make it due to work, etc., so not everyone in the family is represented in the pictures.

One, two, three, four, five. Count 'em

As if we didn't watch too much TV already.

It's re-run time again and there is the constant wail coming from Him that there is "nothin' on TV," even though we have, what, more than 100 channels!? I can always find something interesting (to me) on Discovery or the History channel, or even an old movie. (He doesn't like old B/W movies.) There is just no compromise. "We can always talk, play cards, read, go somewhere..." I say. "Ha!" He replies and continues channel guide surfing.

We haven't rented a movie in a couple of years because we haven't had a DVD player. So I open my big mouth. "Why don't we just buy a DVD player? They're cheap now." Next day? I'm shopping at Costco in the DVD player isle. He is online signing us up for netflix or something like that and the first DVD should be here tomorrow. Oh Boy! something to watch on TV.

Father's Day

Fine looking men: His sons Patrick and Jason with one of His grandsons, Kyle.

Him

The Red, White and Blue

It completely got past me that Saturday was flag day. I always like to put the flags out for Memorial Day, 4th of July, Flag Day, or any other day that calls for it. His and my father were veterans that fought in WWII. His dad was in the Navy. My dad was a Marine. And, it is possible that His dad delivered my dad to the shores of Iwo Jima in February and March 1945. Anyway, He and I were both raised with great respect for the American Flag and for our fathers who, fortunately, survived combat, but lived with the pain of war the rest of their lives.

But! Flag Day isn't about wars, specifically. Flag Day was originated as a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our it, its designers and makers. Our flag is representative of our independence and our unity as a nation.

• Famous Flag People:
  Betsy Ross was a seamstress who made clothes for George Washington. In June, 1776, Washington approached her to make the country's first flag and the rest is history.
• Francis Scott Key Inspired by the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key penned the lyrics to our national anthem as he witnessed the event as British rockets whizzed in the air while our American Flag flew in the breeze
• 
  Did you Know? If you like to study flags, then you are a Vexillologist!

Flag Trivia Impress your friends with what you know about the flag.

Be Still! Will Ya?

We went to dinner with some friends last night and He forgot to wear his regular glasses, the bifocals. He was wearing his computer glasses. So, He couldn't read the menu. He ends up taking my glasses off my face and putting them over his computer glasses. Well, He seemed to read easier but it sure looked funny.

I tried to take a picture of him but he kept moving at the moment I snapped the camera. Finally, I just took a video and here it is.

I tried to make this interesting but it isn't.

Yard Sale Blues...
Well, we had our yard sale Saturday, which means there is a bit more space in the house now. I would have cleared out some more stuff but He was beginning to bring it back in. Actually, yesterday, He wore a shirt I had taken out just to prove he wears it, although, he hadn't worn it in the past five years. I know. I'm the one who does laundry. We fussed over some chairs and he won because he would have been the one to bring them downstairs--and He wasn't going to do that. He uses the chairs in the bedroom to throw his clothes on. Heavy sigh.


The rain held off but it was hot and humid. The best thing about it was we got rid of some clutter. However, I don't want to do this again anytime soon. And, heaven help me, I won't go yard sale shopping with my earnings from this one.

The More I Clean--The Bigger The Mess

Ack! We have too much stuff. The house is cluttered with lots of it. I don't even remember where all of it came from. The frogs, for instance. I like frogs but I don't collect frogs. But somewhere along the way, someone thought I did collect frogs. So, I have lots of frogs; dusty, mish mosh, not so special frogs made of glass, ceramic, wood, and plastic. But that is only one thing--don't get me started.

Our block is having a yard sale this Saturday and all the "stuff" is going. I've been busy cleaning out closets, carrying things from the bedrooms to downstairs and from the basement to upstairs, weeding out the things I haven't used in years or even seen for longer. There are clothes I've "grown out of," and His too. Out they all go this Saturday--really cheap--glasses and lamps, linens and vases, tools and appliances, shoes and nick-knacks, and books. Lots of books! There will be dishes and baskets, a tisket a tasket, lots of old photo albums (empty of course), cassettes and old movies on video tapes.

Out it all goes this Saturday for sale--really cheap--and I'll hurt anyone who tries to bring it back in.

Thanks to the American Kidney Foundation for helping with "clean-up."

It Came Back

Spring came back today. I was out in the yard weeding and looking at the flowers. Can't help myself--gotta share more flowers with you.

Short Spring

For me, it's already summer. Actually, it was summer for me starting yesterday, May 31st, with the temperature at 88 degrees and the humidity probably 200%!!! I didn't care how He felt about it, the AC was going to be turned on. So it was.

At 10 this morning, I stepped outside onto the front porch and the temp wasn't so bad. Other neighbors came out. We chatted. Theresa came out with her dogs and joined in. (She and her dogs, Rover and Ben, were ready for a walk.) She invited Greta and me to join them. Oh Gawd! hem-haw--but I needed to exercise, so okay. Long story short--we walked a three block square, my face turned beat red and I was "dewing" profusely. Greta pulled toward home panting as if she were going to collapse at any moment. I truly believe the two of us were meant to live in Alaska. Theresa walked us back home and she continued her walk. Good for her!

Me? I got into a cold shower to cool down then put on some clean dry clothes. Greta? She lapped up water as if she hadn't had a drink in days, and plopped herself down on the cool floor in front of a fan. We're wimps.

Peonies

Years ago a friend, Kate, gave me some peonies from her yard. Since then I've enjoyed an abundance the the beautifully fragrant flowers and I want to share them with you.

Did you know?

Mischievous nymphs were said to hide in the petals of the Peony thus causing this magnificent flower to be given the meaning of Shame or Bashfulness in the Language of Flowers. It was named after Pæon, a physician to the gods, who obtained the plant on Mount Olympus from the mother of Apollo. Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades. (Taken from The Language of Flowers, edited by Sheila Pickles, 1990)
Peonies are also extensively grown as ornamental plants for their very large, often scented flowers.
Peonies tend to attract ants to the flower buds. This is due to the nectar that forms on the outside of the flower buds. (From Wikepedia)

Spring Cleaning? What's That?

For the past three weeks I've been fairly (just barely, actually) busy. At least I think so. As most of you know, I make soap; luscious, organic, vegan, herbal, artisan soaps. And, I make soy candles, and now a whipped body cream--and a soy lotion bar. So doing all that and going to sell the stuff at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market for the past three weekends has kept me off my tush.

But I've been ON my tush a lot, spending hours of creative time on the computer since all that stuff needs labels and ingredient lists, packaging, etc. And, of course, when one is on the computer for hours, one needs a diversion occasionally. In my case, fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be), my diversion has been genealogy--done on the computer. Sitting. I'm addicted. I can't pull away. I've found distant relatives and have been exchanging information and stories. I look forward to it and have to drag myself away from it.

But now I have three weeks away from the Market and I need to restock and regroup. I'm limiting my genealogy time to the afternoon. The rest of my time needs to be spent on those ever lingering chores of housekeeping, laundry, cooking. Whoopee! This is day one of my "new" schedule. Wish me luck.

On the road again

I took a little trip to Bloomington this past weekend too visit Half-pint, Big Guy, Superstar, Babers and Spidy. It was a very busy weekend because we had much to do and I was reminded why we have children while we are young. I didn't take as many pictures as I planned but here are some...

Bleeding Heart Liberally

Flowers from my garden