August 25, Back to Thelma and Louise

We were up at 7:00 after all we wanted to get to Ocracoke early. But that didn’t happen right away. We made our beds, dressed and Bonnie got in the drivers seat, turned the key and nothing. It was dead, dead as a door nail. She called the cranky woman from last night and she would send her husband down when he returned. We saw a lady taking her morning walk and “Louise” moved into plan B. She put the leash on Beagle Bob and went on a fast walk to catch up. Pretty soon she was back and said the walker would bring her car over and give us a jump.

At last we were out on the road. We stopped near by Goldsboro for coffee and a pastry.
I called the Ferry and we got a 2:30 trip over to Ocracoke. We got to Swanquarter about noon and we went to see if we could catch an earlier ferry. Come to find out the lady had put us on the ferry at Cedar Island, which was several hours away. Luckily we could get on stand by here for the 1:00. We pulled some lunch out of the refrigerator and cool drinks while waiting for the Ferry. I went to get my 2 peanut butter cookies out of the basket that I had saved from JCC. They were gone. That solved the mystery of the torn napkin on the floor yesterday in the RV. Beagle Bob had become a thief, and he ate both my cookies.

We were the first of 5 in the stand by line. Luckily all of us made the connection. The ride was almost 3 hours long. The waters were calm. We went between the passenger lounge, the 2 decks and the RV. People slept in the cars, listened to music, visited and snacked, which really made the trip much faster. It was a close fit on the ferry, we had to pull the mirrors in and we had maybe 5 inches from the roof of the RV to the floor of the top deck.

Once on the island of Ocracoke, we were just 4 blocks from Teeter’s Campground. Fees were very reasonable there for island camping. Tents $20 a night, RV $25 with water and Electric, add $5 if you want sewer. Cable TV is even available for $2 a night. We pulled in and the manager was gone until Saturday. But a friend working there told us to pull into any place we could find. We quickly changed into our swimsuits and headed out once again in the RV. We first went to Ocracoke Lighthouse. Built in 1822 it stands 75 feet tall and shines 14 miles out to sea. It is the oldest operating lighthouse on North Carolina. It stands very majestic painted all white.

I was in complete awe at the houses on the island. Big, short, tall, narrow, painted, bricked, anything goes, but mainly big goes best. At 6:20 we picked Howard’s Pub for drinks and dinner. Louise ordered a Bloody Mary and I (Thelma) ordered a margarita. That was $16 quickly spent. Louise asked for a beer bubble to go with hers, and the bartender threw that in for free. WOW what a deal. Our table was ready in about 15 minutes and we were starving. I had Grilled chicken breast sandwich with mushrooms and beans and rice. She had a Sub sandwich and a beer. We decided to order cosmos for dessert, but after eating all our food, we were just too full. And maybe too plowed to drive home if we had them too! But they still sounded good.

Back home we put in the movie Analyze That with Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, after they we started another one, it played while we slept. I turned the TV off about 11:00.

August 24, Last Day at John C Campbell

All 5 of us were up early. Our beds had to be stripped and everything out of our rooms by 9. Bonnie went to walk Beagle Bob, as Rhonda carried her luggage out she ran into Bonnie who had lost Beagle Bob. However it turned out it was really Bonnie who was lost as the dog was right where she had left him. We met up with Bonnie in morning song.

Breakfast was Blueberry pancakes and sausage links. I opted for raisin bran and a banana.
Bonnie drove me to the studio, so that I could load up my basket of supplies and the sewing machine. We all had to have our wares ready to display by 11:00 in the Community room. We gave the studio a quick cleaning, and paid our material fees.

The Community Room was all a buzz with crafters sitting out their accomplishments for the week. The Music class was on stage with their teachers Chuck and Peggy Patrick playing their instruments. The kitchen class sat out piping hot bread in the Coffee room, with Basil butter, Raspberry butter, Molasses’s butter and chive butter for everyone to try out. Every class was recognized and the instructors gave out certificates.










We all lined up for the last meal at JCC, Lentil chili soup, Garden Salad, cornbread and peanut butter cookies. I will miss all the sweet tea I had there and the great food. After I wrapped up my two cookies to go, Bonnie and I said our good byes and gave hugs. We were out of there about 1:00.

I ran into the $ tree for Bonnie and picked up 2 rolls of duct tape and we hit the road. She was driving the Class B. She set Phyllis up to direct us (This is the name given to her GPS). After she took a detour much against Phyllis commands, we found we had gone in a circle. So I took over the wheel. In less then an hour we were in a rain storm. Hail started hitting us so I pulled over along the Natahala River. Canoers were taking shelter every where. We sat for a few minutes and pulled out along with several other cars. Just a mile down the road, we came to a stop. A severe storm with apparent high winds had hit. Tree limbs and trees were down every where; leaves covered the road, where you couldn’t even see the asphalt. People several vehicles in front of us were removing trees one even had to be chained sawed. I hate to think where we would have been in that had we not pulled over for the 5 minutes.

247 miles later we stopped in Statesville NC at Olde 1849 Pizza & Wing Co. Greek Chicken Pizza for me and the Athenian for Bonnie. I filled the RV with an even $50 of gas at $2.62 a gallon. Bonnie drove the next 151 miles until we found 70 Mobile Home & RV Park in Garner NC. We couldn’t find the office, so we called and the lady was quit cranky. Said she would send her husband out to find us. He directed us into one spot but it wasn’t the proper connection like his wife had told him. So he directed us across the street. He asked for $35, but Bonnie told him, we just wanted electricity and he settled on $30. We paid him, turned off the engine, shut the curtains and hit the sack.

August 23, Day 7

I was up at 7:00 and got my hair washed; David Brose the historian once again did morning song. For breakfast there were grits, cereals, bacon, scrambled eggs and apple muffins. As we left the dining hall, the cooks were grilling meats in the back. It sure smelled good.



I pretty much finished my projects in class today. The teacher Martine House was an awesome instructor. She was born and raised in France, but has lived here since her marriage 20 some years ago. Currently, her husband and one son are serving in Iraq. She has two other sons, one of whom is living in France and wants to join the French Army. She has been working with embroidery, quilting, and trapunto since 1983. Recently she has become attracted to surface design and texturing, and she uses both traditional and contemporary techniques and materials to achieve her goals. Besides techniques, she tried to bring sharing, friendship and enthusiasm to all of her classes.

When we got to the Dining Hall, the menu board told us we were having Thai Beef Salad. It was served in those beautiful white oblong platters again. It has grilled skirt steak, tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, peanuts and bean spouts. The dressing on the side was a Lime and Olive oil dressing. Dessert was rainbow Sherbet.

Before dinner Rhonda and I took her car and went to Brasstown, which really is walk able, but it was just too darn hot this week to walk that for. It was open house at the shops in Brasstown. Under a tent we could help ourselves to wines, salsa and chips, cheese and crackers, cocktail wieners, and plenty of dips. Rhonda joked about wine in a box, but that didn’t stop us from having a few glasses. One to start our shopping and one to end our shopping. Although we both came home empty handed. Well except for a bummer sticker I bought at Clayscorner for Jeremy. It says ”Bambi makes cute sandwiches.”

We arrived back on the porch 10 minutes before the bell rang. Vegetable lasagna, Caesar Salad and homemade Olive Bread was served. (I picked up the olive bread recipe too!) Chocolate Sheet cake was dessert.

Rhoda and I rode with Bonnie to the Blacksmith shop for the 7 PM demonstration by Seth Gaddis. Seth’s Mother sat next to me and was very nice to visit with. She told me Seth was born 29 years ago in a tee pee, said it was a beautiful birth. His father passed 4 years ago. Now Seth and his wife live next door to her, both of them in cabins in the mountains. Oh and Seth’s hair was longer then his Mom’s and her was almost to her waist. She is a spinner and had on a shirt she had spun with hemp from China. After the demo, 17 people brought out their fiddles and guitars and played music, we left early due to the invasion of the mosquitoes.

We all sat up and talked until right a 10, and exchanged emails. It’s hard to believe the last full day here is almost over with.

August 22, Day 6

Okay let’s just skip to the food, since most of you are interested in it anyway!
Breakfast was Oatmeal with all the trimmings, raisins, brown sugar, yogurt and cream. Besides that there were big golden fluffy Biscuits, sausage gravy, sausage patties and fried apples.

Lunch, was Spinach Quiche, baked seasoned potato wedges and the best avocado-tomato recipe. You can bet I will pick up that recipe. And once again the board was wrong, it said watermelon and it turned out to be Blondie bars.

Tomato-Avocado Salad
3-4 tomatoes
2 medium avocados
¼ c. chopped basil
4 chopped green onions green tops and all
½ to 1 c. vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the tomatoes and avocados in small chunks. They added black olives and red onion wedges that are not listed in their recipe. Sprinkle the basil and a little salt and pepper over all. Drizzle the dressing and serve at room temperature. Dress the salad as soon as possible to prevent the avocado from browning.

Vinaigrette Dressing
1 T. Dijon mustard
½ lemon
3 T. red wine vinegar
¼ t. salt
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced
¼ to ½ c. olive oil

In a small bowl whisk the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth. Continue to whisk the mixture while slowly dribbling in the olive oil until mixture thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste. Use the smaller amount of oil if you like a tart dressing.

Make the dressing a little ahead of time to allow the garlic to flavor it well. Whisk again before using.

Dinner was something I didn’t think I would like, but it was great. Broiled Halibut with Mango Chutney, steamed broccoli, wild rice pilaf and homemade dill bread. Dessert was lemon curd pie. You see in Missouri, we think fish has to be fried to be good. Twice this week I have been wrong!

Morning song was performed by JD Robinson a volunteer firefighter from Brasstown, who played his guitar. He is also a teacher at the school, teaching guitar. He asked us if we knew EDITH. One guy in the front row shook his head yes. You see he was giving us a little school lesson, mixed in with his singing. EDITH stands for

E – Exit
D – Drill
I – In
T – The
H – House

Everyone should know that. Teach it to your family and practice it. He then told us about an elderly woman who lay dying in the hospital, just before she died, she told her husband, the one thing she hated the most was when he opened a new loaf of bread and he took out the end piece and gave it to her. And with that she died. But the husband unknown to him of her passing went on to tell her. I gave it to you because it was always my favorite piece.

Morel of the story, Do unto others, as you would want them to do unto you.

After classes ended at 4:30, I went to the Print making studio to see their demonstration. It involves drawing and making a print block and using a printing press. Not something everyone has lying around the house.

At 7:00 Rhonda and I went to the Glass bead making demonstration in the Enameling studio.

Later I meet up with Bonnie in the Music studio where she was in on the jam session.

Chuck and Peggy Patrick were playing; they are so much fun to watch. They live in a cabin in the area and both teach at the school, he teaches knife making and music, she teaches basketry and music. Bonnie and I took our wine with us in fancy plastic cups. The tunes were great.

We tipped toed back to room, shortly before 10.

August 21, Day 5

No morning walk, the other 4 roommates are sleeping and I didn’t want to wake them up. I went to morning song at 7:45 and thought I was seeing double. It was Bob Monat’s look alike. Even his mannerisms seemed the same. He is a self taught artist and has a gallery in Murphy NC. Davidsfineart He started the morning by singing “Fly me to the Moon” and playing his guitar. He dedicated it to his girl friend/fiancée known as the girl in the front office. He said they did a Cold Mountain Wedding. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, you face each other and said “I marry you”, “I marry you”, “I marry you”. He ended with a Louis Armstrong song.

But when I got to breakfast I knew it wasn’t Bob Monat, because they were serving grits and he doesn’t like them. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and fried seasoned potatoes with peppers were being served.

Speaking of food, lunch was Chicken stir fry and rice. Dessert was chess pie. The menu board listed it as chest pie, but we knew what they really meant.

Rhonda and I took a break from afternoon class and walked down to see Louise, I mean Bonnie forging away in the 95 plus temperatures at the Blacksmith shop. She was 1 of 4 women in the class.

At 4:45 I was outside the Craft shop to meet up with the group going to visit Lissi Oland’s Woodturning studio. Lissiolandstudio This is a tiny 67 year old woman who does beautiful things with wood turnings. Check out her site for sure. We arrived back at JCC, very close to dinner time. It was baked pork chops and mashed potatoes. The salad was so pretty with bright cherry tomatoes peeking thought the blue cheese. The board was once again wrong on the dessert, it said warm blackberry pie and it turned out to be blueberry crunch.

Rhonda and I visited the felting studio after dinner and visited with Mary one of our roomies! Athena, who I hitched a ride with earlier in the day to the woodturning studio, was busy making a really cute wool felted pumpkin. The picture to the right is her finished product shown on the last day at show and tell.

Rhonda and I then went to the Hammer dulcimer class. Two brothers whom we meet earlier at dinner invited us to come and see what they were building. The hammer dulcimer building class may just very well be my next class to take. We ended the evening by listening to the jam session in the Community room for just a few minutes, and then it was upstairs to our room.

August 20th, Day 4

At 6:30 my cell phone alarm wakes me to the turn of a rooster crowing. Quite funny, that is until it went off again 10 minutes later. I hit the snooze button accidentally. I quickly washed and curled my hair. I made morning walk which was at 7:15, it was a beautiful leisure stroll, through part of the campus, going past my studio, the blacksmith shop, orchard house and back to the Keith house, just in time for Morning song. Today’s host was David Brose, the historian at the school. It was quite interesting to learn that the school has been existence since 1925, and founded by Olive Dame Campbell and Marguerite Butler. David himself was an interesting narrator, with his bushy mustache, his gold watch fob and crisp pressed monogram shirt, he looked like he had come straight out of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid. Come to find out, he had lived in Colorado for some time and did history research on the people of that area. We were very caught up in his stories when the bell rang for breakfast.

Breakfast included JCC homemade granola, piping hot oatmeal, sausage patties and pancakes. Of course I didn’t eat all that, that’s just what was on the menu. I grabbed a golden delicious apple from the fruit bar on my way out for snack later in the day. I walked the ½ mile trek to the studio and arrived shortly before the 9:00 am class. Surface design is the class. It was an interesting week, felting wool, burning tyvek (which is a house building material), making silk paper, dying silk, using a heat gun, and a soldering gun. It was not the creative class to embellish quilts that I thought it would be.




Lunch break was at noon, with lunch being served at 12:15. The menu was not only awesome tasting, but the presentation was beautiful. Tuna Nicoise Salad was served in a white iron stone rectangle shaped dish that was about 14 by 20 inches long. If only I had taken the camera. The tuna was in big chucks, like chicken breast and was fabulous albacore tuna. There were black olives, blanched green greens from their garden at JCC, red potato wedges, and garden fresh red and yellow tomato wedges. There was homemade crusty sour dough bread and 3 types of their homemade dressings for the salad. Dessert was a big scoop of chocolate ice cream and a moist chocolate chip cookie on the top. (Little did I know that at weeks end you can help yourself to the recipes on the table in the lobby.) I wobbled back to the studio at 1:30.


Class was over at 4:30 and at 4:45 there was a campus tour. Rhonda and I (a fellow class mate) went for the tour, after the second stop we realized it was the same path we had taken for morning walk and we ducked out and went strolling on our own, including the gift shop.

Dinner was a 6:00, Beef stroganoff was served along with peas and carrots and garden salad. As we cleared the table, Folk Orange Juice cake was served. (Tasted like hummingbird cake to me). We made it early to the Faux Finishing demonstration by Rebecca Parsons (who resides in Florida). We felt it was more of a Lowe’s commercial then anything.

When we made it back to the room Bonnie had brought the wine in from the camper and we all had a glass, along with some mixed nuts. Lights out by 10, as that is quiet time.

August 19th, Day 3

We were up and dressed by 8:02 Eastern time, back home it would only be 7:02. Bonnie took Beagle Bob for a walk. I must tell you that this week his home will be in the camper while we are in the dorm, as there is a no dog rule at JCC. The campus was very quiet. Students won’t be arriving for several more hours.

Our first visit this morning was back to Murphy TN for a few supplies. Caffeine is first on the list so we stop at McDonald’s where I get an iced coffee and a sausage biscuit. Bonnie, gets yogurt and fruit. She needs that to take with her daily medicine. On to Wal-mart for goggles and red bandannas.

By 10:00 we were at the Flea Market. We browsed for several hours. The smell of fried funnel cakes drifted through the booths. I purchased a metal strainer for BT and Bonnie found a toe ring. We searched a lot of booths for the video of Thelma and Louise to no avail. Bonnie deemed it the Sock Capitol of the world. About every 3rd booth had socks for sell, and most advertised their specialty as Diabetic socks?

Our next mission was to find some Beer for Bonnie and since we were in a dry county it could only mean one thing, “road trip”. It was a 30 miles one way trip to find the 4th liquor store open on Sunday.

Back at JCC, we registered for our classes at 2:45, picked up a mud slide cookie and a glass of lemonade in the library. Sarah called and said they had 5 inches of rain really Sunday morning, like about 4 AM early. Orientation was at 5:30 in the Community room. The Dinner bell rang at 6:10 and we were served BBQ Chicken breast, Slaw, Baked beans, Oat bread and chocolate cake. Our table had 7 of the 8 seats filled and 5 of the 7 were left handed. At 6:45 it was meet the instructor and we headed to our studios. Back in our rooms about 8, we meet our roomies, Rhonda, Mary and Jo. 2 of them are lefties, so counting Bonnie and I, 4 out of 5 in our rooms are in their “right mind”. It was lights out early as the day would start with 7:15 morning walk.

August 18, Day 2 of Thelma and Louise

We are up by 7:00 and shower in the campsites bathhouse. Coffee was enjoyed while sitting on the top of the picnic table and watching Beagle Bob run. Back on the road again. 201 miles later we pull into John C Campbell Folk school right at 12:00. The lunch line is forming on the porch, we stand in line and wait for the bell to be rung. Bonnie and I notice, most of the crowd is much older and more gray headed then we wish to confess to.

For lunch entrée we could choose from Grilled Skirt Steak and Mesclum Salad w/Dijon and shallot vinaigrette or Roasted Chicken w/olive oil herb rub, or Ratatoullie w/goat cheese and Tabouli Salad and summer salad. Those choosing the Vegetarian Fare had Grilled Portabella Mushroom Stuffed w/ Falafel and cucumber yogurt dressing. For sides there were fresh fruit tray and assorted homemade breads and rolls. Dessert was Magic Chocolate Bars and Lemon squares. Not bad at all for our first meal here!

The auction was getting ready to started. Tim Ryan one of the 2 auctioneers told us at 10 minutes before the house, Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s now time to go pee, for we are about to start and you’ll want to be comfortable for the entire auction. 2 minutes early the bidding was on. Jan Davidson, the director of JCC told us that this year the National Geography voted JCC the number one vacation sports for adults in North Carolina. You if are lucky enough your local PBS will be picking up the story of JCC on their station soon. Look for the show titled Sing Behind the Plow.

The bidding went on for almost 3 hours. I finally bid on one of the last 5 items up there. It was a really neat leather possible bag, with a real fox head on it, and the top included a scrimshaw jaw bone. However I didn’t pursuit it as far as the lady across the room. Bonnie came and went during the auction.

Afterwards we find and room, 2C in the Keith house (aka the big house) and move our stuff up stairs. We have 6 beds in our dorm style room. We even have our own bathroom, with an extra sink outside the bathroom.

About 6:00 we head off to the town of Murphy. Upon Tim Ryan’s suggestion we ate at Doyle’s Cedar Hill Restaurant. It was a little classier then the shorts and capri’s we were wearing, but never the less that didn’t stop Thelma and Louise. After they placed the napkin in our lap, we search the menu. For me it was Coconut Shrimp and for Louise it was Shrimp Linguini. Oh and did I mention it was a little pricey? LOL

We made it back for an early lights out and crash before 9:00.

August 17th, Day 1

BT and I were up early. I by 6:00 am, he at 6:30. He is leaving for a 3 day Hammer In, in Illinois, Cory is to be here at 7:00. I will be leaving for Folk School and a trip to the outer Banks in North Carolina. BT will return Sunday about noonish and leave in the evening for his annual squirrel hunt on the Current River, near Eminence MO.

I pulled out of the drive way by 7:30 and BT was right behind me. I stopped in St Thomas for a bag of ice and to top off the gas tank. A little over 2 ½ hours later and 148 miles I arrived at Bonnie’s. Off the top she asked if I would mind taking her camper so she could take her dog, “Beagle Bob”. We transfer all my goods into the Class B camper. She has several stops to make one in Ironton, and another one in Farmington. We pull over at the park in Cape and eat a bite of lunch. Finally we get to her friend Linda’s house in Cape Girardeau to leave my vehicle.

We pull out of Cape Girardeau at 3:00 and head south. On the other side of Nashville we find a Mexican Restaurant and start with a margarita for me and a Beer for Bonnie. A few more miles down the road to Machsester TN, we find Whispering Oaks Campground. She had called ahead for reservations, but he said they weren’t necessary. We see why, there are probably 40 spaces and I only counted 5 campers. We were 259 miles from Bonnie’s house.

Home again

Made it home about 4:00 yesterday, a day earlier then expected.

Details to follow shortly after some catch up time.

Thelma and Louise and O Brother where Art Thou?

Tomorrow morning begins my Thelma and Louise trip. I'm Thelma, my friend Bonnie AKA Louise is Weezy. I plan on leaving home between 7 and 8 AM. I will head to her house in Lesterville Missouri. If you don't know where this is, I'm sure your have heard about Taum Sauk Damn that broke last year. Taum From there we will go through Cape Girareau Mo to drop off her car for something, I'm not sure if it's repairs or what.

We plan to be at our 1st destination Saturday by noon. That would be http://www.folkschool.org/ known as John C. Campbell Folk Art School in Brasstown, North Carolina. There is an benefit Auction Saturday afternoon. Classes start Sunday and last through Friday at noon. I am taking an art quilting class, Weezy is taking Blacksmith. Her husband was a well known blacksmith and had even taught at JCC. He passed away May 5, 2007 from complications related to ALS (Lou Gehrigs) in May of this year. Doug would be so proud of Bonnie.

As for BT, he and Cory are leaving for Pickneyville, Illinois in the morning too, for a hammer in. They will return Sunday afternoon, when BT will trade suitcases and head for the Annual Current Rive Squirrel hunt. This is about the 37th year this tradition has been going on. Jeremy will join him later in the week. BT aka Everett, will be in good hands with his O Brother where art thou group.

The 2nd part of my trip, will be next Friday after the close of session, Weezy and I will head towards Ocracoke Island in the Atlantic Ocean for a few more days of R & R.

The only down side to this trip is that I will be computer free. 12 days without Internet. BT offered me his computer but for the few days I'd have wireless it wouldn't be worth it.

Well wish me well and I'll have a lot to report when I get back, it's now time to try to get a good night sleep for a safe travel tomorrow.

83.5 at 10:22

Brady's first day of School

I don't know about your first grade teacher
but mine didn't look anything like Brady's.







And here's a picture of the brother's hugging good-bye before school.



Brady liked school, and had no tears. All he could talk about was going to art class!

(Okay wanna know why Brady has on two different shirts on the first day of school?) It seems for the picture taking session at home, he stood next to a tree and got tree sap all down the back of his shirt and his hair.




Posted by proud Grandma!

3:48 PM at 102.9 degrees

Tuesday 8/14/2007

The Heat is on. Can you sing it? Now that the tune is in your head, can you ever get rid of it?

Last night BT and I walked to the lake after dinner. It was a good way to work up a sweat. Tonight after dinner we went to see Colten Scheulen who is 8 days old today. Then we went to Jeremy and Lori's to borrow room in their trash can. Brady had just gotten home from "Visit the teacher". Tomorrow is his first day of school. Boy do I feel old now. I can remember just like it was yesterday, putting his Daddy on the bus. I followed that bus all the way to school and cried the entire time. When he got off the bus Jeremy said Mom I can go by myself.

We did our walk a little later tonight, and it had cooled down. The horseflies are really bad and poor Bentley suffers the most. He goes in circles trying to get them off his back. He makes it to the lake before us and is swimming by the time we arrive.

The blacktop road we travel on at the top of the hill is being resurfaced. Today in two days they have made it from the starting point of Meta MO to past our road. It's no fun when stopped in construction, but it will be so nice when they are finished. They are doing the lane into Jefferson City first. Yesterday from our drive way to the quarry BT met 16 asphalt trucks.

I'm sitting here now enjoying my fuzzy navel, waiting for Cousin Mindy who is in Hawaii to come on line so we can talk via instant messenger for the first time. I am sure she has one eye on the approaching hurricane. Speaking of hurricanes, Hurricane Dean is stirring in the Atlantic Ocean. If it goes near North Carolina beach where I am headed in a week or so I will be pissed!

Thoughtful!

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately
embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and
I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body,the wrinkles, the baggy eyes,
and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives
in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those
things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less
critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for
eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that
silly cement gecko that I didn't need,but looks so avante garde on my patio.
I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have
seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood
the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if
I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets
hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding
and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will
never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray,and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed,
and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been,or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

It's a Snoopy Dance I'm doing!!!

What a hot weekend. Today at 2:00 it was 101.5, at 4:00 it was 104.0 and from there it started going back down.

Saturday BT went to Ulman to hammer with Corey and after Alex woke up from his nap we went swimming at Lona's house. Those boys are turning into real ducks. Brady now jumps off the side of the pool and goes under water. Lona showed him how to use water wings and he thought that was pretty cool. Little Alex just likes treading around the pool at a snail pace.

Today it was just too darn hot to go on the river BT said. He watched some educational blacksmith tapes most of the afternoon and I sewed on the black and white quilt. I'd love to show you a picture but it's a gift for Christmas. I'll let you know when I get a picture taken of it and if you want a sneak preview I can email it to you. Then I did my snoopy dance.

We smoked a pork roast all afternoon, if the truth were known we probably could have just slapped the thing on the concrete. Anyway, it was just like the southern pulled pork we had in the South last year. I rubbed it with spices a couple of hours before we smoked it. BT's homemade charcoal, makes the meat exceptional! I thinned out some BBQ sauce with white vinegar and toasted some potato bread buns for sandwiches. Mighty fine vittles!

Now I'm going to crash, my eyes have had enough fine work for one day.

Have a great week. I have 4 work days before my Thelma and Louise trip. More on that closer to time.

10:00 pm and 90.1 degrees

TGIF /WP

Another extremely hot day. Thank goodness I was in the building at work all day. Well except for the 10 minutes out of my lunch time to fill my jeep up with gas. It was down to $2.68, even though the posted price was $2.78. When I went into pay for it, the attendant said they just hadn't had time to change the sign.

BT is off at 3:00 on dress down wear blue jean Friday. When I got home he had his new cell phone all pretty much programed. The little boys came for dinner as their Mom and Dad had date night. BT fried crappie and french fries while I made Cole slaw. As you can see in the picture, Bentley got a bowl of ice water, just steps from where we were dining. No people food for him on the menu tonight. Doesn't he look comfortable?

After our meal, we took the 4 new water guns outside and got a big bucket of cold well water. Brady and Alex had a ball. They later rode their big wheels and the metal tractor to the barn to help Grandpa load up some blacksmith tools. BT is going to visit a friend and his shop tomorrow in Ulman, Mo.

Jeremy and Lori picked up two sleeping boys at 10.

88 degrees, 34% humidity.

Just one of my many quilts

Did you know if you go to http://www.flickr.com/ and search for osagebluffquilter you can check out my many creations?

A preview of Today

This was a fun day the boys got to swim with aunt Lona, Great Grandma Cardwell and Grandma Tappel. Just one of the last days before Brady starts school!

Shopping in the heat

I left the house before 8:45 and stopped by Eric and Kathy's to pick up their car seat to bring the new little guy home. My first stop was for a manicure and then on to the hospital. As I walked in the room, Eric was holding the baby. Such a precious little guy with perfect features and blond fuzzy hair. Did I tell you I felt like the grandma taking the car seat into the hospital. I was disappointed no one ask about me it either :(

By the time I left it was almost 11:00, on to the bank, feed store, Penney's, Old Navy, T J Maxx, Lowe's, Westlakes, Hobby Lobby and Aldi. Whew....I still have Wal-mart to go. After filling my basket with $89 worth of "stuff", I was walking out when I remembered I had forgotten to buy BT the trac phone he wanted. The Door Greeter with the Donald Duck hat on said he would guard my cart. In less then 4 minutes I was back retrieving it after spending another $143.00. Sam Walton would be proud of me today.

It was 2:00 before I arrived home and Bentley was glad to get out of his kennel. I got him set up in the garage with the fan and water before unloading my groceries. In a short period of time I had pj shorts cut out of the fabric I had purchased at Hobby Lobby, I sewed them up in what seemed like no time. Kent from Art's Pest control came to spray the outside of the house. He and I together got Bentley back into the kennel so he could spray.





Here is the salad I made for dinner.





Fruit Salad with Honey Dressing by Paula Dean

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice plus the juice 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 apple, cored diced
1 banana sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the dressing, combine the honey, orange juice, oil, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt, and mustard in a jar with a tight lid; cover and shake well. Toss the apple, banana, and avocado with juice from 1 lemon to prevent the fruit from turning brown. Combine the fruit, raisins, and nuts in a glass bowl. Add the dressing and stir gently.

Along with the salad we made Mongolian Beef, and BT tried to fix Chinese bean threads.

The evening was spent washing the Jeeps and playing with the dog. It was just too hot to do much else. BT enjoyed a dark beer on the deck while I sat in Grandma's rocker and rocked.


9:59 92 degrees and the same weather is predicted for tomorrow.............

Tuesday with a high Tempature of 101.7

It's a good thing I got up and got busy right away this morning. First a light breakfast and the cappuccino. Then I sewed for a bit. Something just told me to stop and run the sweeper, clean the house and tidy up. About noon, I washed my hair and put on makeup, something I usually save for closer to 4:00.

The little boys arrived at 1:15, and I let Alex watch the last of a cartoon show before his nap. This would eliminate all fussing about taking a nap. Then I went and let Bentley out of his pen. I got the fan out of the basement and after hosing down a spot in the garage, plugged in the fan and filled a large bowl with ice cubes and water to cool Bentley down. He laid in the garage all afternoon. It was just too hot for man or beast outside.

At 1:50, the phone rang and caller ID told me it was Norman Bond's house. However the voice was not Norman's or Barb. The guy asked how I was and I said fine, he asked if I knew who I was talking to. I said no, but I knew he was calling from Bond's. He said he would give me a hint. San Mingel. That was the apartment complex Bernie and I lived in in 1972.....35 years ago. I said would it be Jim? Yes he said. I told him I had to apologize, I couldn't remember the last name. He told me Jim Dryer. You see Jim and his wife Sandy also lived in that complex at the same time. His Dad and Norman Bond had worked together in the late 60's and occasionally he brings him up to visit. We talked about 20 minutes and he asked where we lived. I told him just 6 miles from where he was. I invited him and his Dad over when BT got home at 5. He didn't think they would be sticking around that long. It was great reminiscing old time and old friends. Jim has a condo at the Lake of the Ozarks and he would like for us and another couple that we ran around with to get together some time.


About 30 minutes after we hung up, Brady tells me there is a car in the drive way. It was Jim and his Dad. They were just making sure he could find the place. His Dad didn't even get out of the car. Now I know why I cleaned the house and my self up early. Thank goodness.

I went back to my sewing on the black and white quilt. I'm about to get all the blocks finished. I can't wait to see how many are in it. I'm not paper piecing the names and dates for it.

Brady was happy to watch TV as it was way too hot to go out. Bentley just laid in the garage all day long. Alex slept till 4:30.










BT came home to find us watching a tractor show. After dinner, they had to help grandpa in the basement for a bit, then it was computer time. Jeremy and Lori came to pick them up about 8:30.

Kathy called, She, Colten Gage and Dad are all doing great. They hope to come home tomorrow afternoon. I get to deliver their car seat to the hospital tomorrow morning. He wasn't due till the 13th, but he decided to make his appearance early.


Time for bed, it's still 86.4 degrees here!

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Click down in the lower right hand corner, and you will get a pop up to sign up for free coffee!

A way too quiet start to my morning

At 7:44 I woke up and was thinking about getting out of bed. 2 minutes later, the ceiling fan stopped, as did the AC and I rolled over to look at the alarm clock and it too was off. I got up, put on my glasses and went downstairs to the only working phone. I was told it was probably just a fried squirrel as I was the only call. DUH lady, I have the number memorized I work for the place. I drove up to get the newspaper and talked to Judy Braun, she had electricity so now I was thinking maybe it was just us. As I walked in BT said Dennis had called, he also was out. A few minutes later Maggie called, she too was out. About 9, a Three Rivers truck came up the drive way. I told Scott, the lineman I was needing caffeine, he said surely BT has a camp stove. 20 minutes later the power was restored and I immediately put it to use, making coffee, cappuccino and starting the washer.

At noon Jeremy brought the boys over before his shift at Osage Bend Picnic. After he left we got ready and went there too. Since we didn't make breakfast this morning, we wanted to eat first thing. There was no waiting, and we went right in. The boys were really hungry too, Alex ate 2 chicken legs and 2 wings, plus applesauce, green beans, corn, cucumbers and tomatoes, including the yellow one he asked for. After he ate his dessert cupcake, he asked for several bites of my raisin pie. Brady ate very good too. We then took them to the kidsville, where they played games and won all kinds of goodies, including candy. Next it was to the bingo area where Lori was working. Alex won the first game he played, he won $9.50. After a few more games, we walked around, enjoyed a lemon ice tea, checked out the country store and visited with Jeremy in the chicken frying shack. The heat was extreme and we decided to come home, it was after 2:30 by this time.

Alex went straight to his big boy bed for a nap. Brady and Grandpa worked on installing the new kitchen light, the last of 2 new ones. I don't know who enjoyed playing with the tools the most.

The light wasn't finished when Lori arrived so she sat and visited for a bit and waited for Alex to wake up. When he came down, right away he wanted to help Dampaw. Bentley even made his way into the kitchen once, but we really didn't want his help.

We enjoyed a sandwich and sweet watermelon under the new light later in the evening. Tom and his other son Christopher came over for another remnant of carpet. It seems Tom has both boys living back home now.





Oh and while I was in the kitchen taking pictures of the new lights, I just had to get one of my "Gnome on the Range"

9:22 87 degrees.

Looking for more Rusty Iron

It seems like all I have been doing the past two days is standing on my feet in the heat. Friday afternoon I drove to Loose Creek Mo for the Three Rivers annual members meeting. It was 101 on the bank's sign at 3:10. We would be working in the heat for the next 6 to 8 hours. The small white tent over our heads gave little relief when the winds were blowing hot, hot air. It was fun visiting with the customers and seeing old friends. I made it home close to 11 PM.

Today we left the house about 9 for Fulton Missouri for an auction. The trailer accompanied us in case we made any large purchases. Luckily we were able to park the trailer in the shade which came in handy for our mid-morning sandwiches and ice green tea. The fellow having the auction was selling all of his"stuff". You see he had purchased a 5th wheel trailer and was going on the road full time. He was even parting with his anvil. (Good rusty stuff) BT couldn't believe it! He could never do that. By 3 o'clock everything we had wanted sold. I don't know if I should say fortunately or unfortunately, but we left with an empty trailer.

Bentley was really glad to see us, he was ready to get out of his kennel and enjoy some ice on the deck. Later I emptied the cooler on the garage floor and he laid in the cool water and ice. He had about 2 hours of freedom before we left for church.

Church lasted an unbelievable 1 hour and 20 minutes, as the visiting priest was trying to make a point. He was very good. We of course picked LaBamba for dinner, I just don't know how we can keep on eating there, it cost us a whole $11.77 tonight and that was with my Martguerita! We both ate off the Ala Carte menu. Cheap dates I know.

Almost bedtime now, gotta get rested to stand on my feet again in the heat tomorrow as it's Osage Bends Picnic and we hope to take the grandsons.

85 degrees with 59% humidity

I'm not hiding out...yet anyway

Well for all you who have been looking at my new blog and I wasn't here, I'm back now. In my life as a partime worker, life isn't always exciting enough to write about. Monday was a routine work day. Tuesday was a shopping day and then there was the big Cole County Fair! Yippee, with the tractor pull. We got there by 6:30 after dining at home. We usually patronize the 4-H stand, but since I had the afternoon off, I thought I might as well make myself useful and cook. Besides I knew I could score brownie points with BT by cooking one of his favorite, Beef and Noodles.

We first took a stroll through the 4-H exhibits'. Sadly it has gone down over the years and hardly fills half of the building with exhibits. After visiting with our neighbor Brad, who was volunteering with the sheriff department we looked at the livestock barns. I Don't miss those days. At least they now cool the barns by dripping cold water over the roof.

The tractor pulled started about a half hour later then posted. They were running 3 rows at a time. Although I didn't always watch the tractors, people watching was another real experience. I saw several customer that come into my work. Not always a good thing. We stayed long enough to enjoy a Fair Funnel cake and see the golden moon rise about the trees. We were in bed close to our usual 11:00 time.

Wednesday it was back to work. Today, I'm off, sewing, pedicure, cleaning house and looking for BT a new phone. He cancelled his antique bag phone yesterday after they were going to raise the $9.95 bill to something like $24.99, with a $9.99 additional monthly fee and .65 per minute for calls. We are now looking into a tracfone. There are lots of options, from AT & T to Wal-mart brand.

Tomorrow is Three Rivers annual meeting, with a predicted high of 92 degrees. That is when I might try to hide out! Speaking of which is it now 97.2 here.

AND Happy Birthday Rita!!!!