The Harvest Ham and the Blizzard Turkey

An hour ago I returned from a trip to Champaign and the grocery store to purchase the necessary items for our Christmas dinner and brunch the following morning. I had carefully gone through all the ads and determined which grocery store had the best values and I had my list in hand.

Now we have had blowing snow in the last day or so and parking lots are icy and slick so I was taking my life in my hands. The last thing I needed right now was a broken bone but the groceries were necessary so I braved the elements and persevered.

Up and down the aisles I went, sometimes repeating myself for forgotten items, crossing them off my list as I went. At last I was finished and headed to the check out counter. Half my groceries had been scanned when it dawned on me that I had gotten whole turkeys and not turkey breasts. Now I was getting two, one for our dinner and one for my daughter in law. Too late to return them to the meat department. So now what do I do? I could use the whole turkey for our dinner but Michele wanted a breast only.

And then I thought of Phyllis, the originator of the Blizzard Turkey and the Harvest Ham. Oh I wish you could hear her tell the story of the ham but you will have to trust my memory for the jest of the story. You have to know Phyllis to really appreciate this because no one can tell it like she does  and it is so like her. Her husband is a farmer and of course is busy morning to night, especially during harvest time. Now Phyllis is a woman who thinks ahead and, as she tells it, she goes to Sam's Club and buys a big ham and has them slice it. She also buys several loaves of bread and a big jar of mustard. Then she clears off her table and lays out a multitude of bread slices...slap a piece of ham on each, squirt on some mustard and top with more bread. Toss each one in a baggie and into the freezer they go. Every morning her husband grabs a bagged sandwich and maybe an apple for dessert and off he goes for his days work.

Our elevator during harvest

Every winter when the turkeys go on sale Phyllis buys a big one and pops it into the freezer. Then when a blizzard swirls across the country and the snow is blowing around she puts that turkey into the oven and says the smell of that bird make her feel warm and happy. That is a Blizzard Turkey and I now have that extra one I bought today safely in my freezer awaiting the next blizzard in G'ville.

Recipes and Socks

What is it about both recipes and socks that cause them to disappear, one somewhere between the washing machine and the dryer and the other from our memories?

How does one sock somehow entwine itself in the corner of a fitted sheet to disappear for weeks or cling to a sweater, now put away for the summer, only to reappear next fall? So the question is, does one save those left and lonely socks for the future just in case the mate should appear? Should there be a small drawer for the sole survivor to wait? Is there a website somewhere where lonely single socks can find a new
mate?

I write a page for my quilt guild's newsletter every month that features recipes. I usually try to use ones that have come from fellow quilters  that we have oohed and aahed over at the various gatherings or groups. I also receive several email newsletters that offer good ideas. This morning I spotted a recipe for a cake that I have made for my family long ago in the past but had forgotten about and it started me thinking about many old recipes, long forgotten and lost (like the socks). I remember treats my Mother and Grandmother used to make for us as children but have no recipe for them. What about the chicken and dumpling recipe I made for my kid when they were little? How could I forget that. I made it multiple times.

So, when all the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season is past and winter makes it's presence felt here in G'ville,I make a pledge to myself to delve into those piles of paper, printed from online, all those recipe cards stuffed in various boxes, and the collection of books in a dining room cabinet. I am going to find as many of those old time, favorite, and remembered recipes as possible and find a way to preserve them for the next generation. Maybe I will build a cookbook for my grandkids so they will never have to wonder whatever happened to that recipe for.......

A Little Spot of Ground

This little town I live in is in the middle of nowhere. It is exactly the type of village I always thought I would never find myself living in. I grew up in a city and loved it. Here there is only the elevator and a scattering of houses existing side by side with the railroad track. Years ago those tracks carried passenger trains and evenings at dusk we could see the brightly lit cars with people going somewhere. Now those trains are a thing of the past and only grain and work trains fly past.

I find myself feeling lonesome at times for the hustle and bustle of a city but mostly for the people going about their busy lives. My husband is somewhat of a workaholic, being years past the normal age of retirement, but still walking across the street to work every day. This is good for him, as he wants it, but for me it brings aloneness too often. In nice weather I seldom see him until almost dark. My sons are all grown and busy and even the grandchildren, now grown, have busy lives of their own...and this is as it should be.

I have friends and often drive to town to visit and sit and sew with them but a person can't do that every day. I remember ny mother in law telling me years ago how her garden made her happy. Now I certainly do not have a green thumb and know little about gardening but in my front yard is a small spot of ground that I have claimed for a flower garden. Last year I planted bulbs and enjoyed the tulips, daffodils and early crocus this spring. Now as I walk along the side walk I see the two red plants Dennis and Michele gave me for Mother's Day and the beautiful hanging basket of lavender petunias that came from Mike. I have added flowers of yellows, purples, and whites. On the porch are barrels filled with dark purple flowers and greenery.

This afternoon, feeling somewhat alone, I spent a couple of hours sitting on the ground pulling weeds. Oh, the violets and weeds will return and they have almost sprouted up at the end where I started but I had a lovely afternoon. My little spot of ground will never be worthy of a picture or praise but my mother in law was right....it is a joy!

Our Golden Girls

Sitting at my computer this morning, reading email, I happened to glance out the window and saw our Golden Girls across the road where my husband Leon was working at the grain elevator. I must get a picture of the three of them together but above is one of the youngest, Morgan, who is two,  taken in AL at the beach this spring. The legs and feet belong to my middle son, Gary.

The oldest Golden actually belongs to Brad my oldest grandson who received her as a gift after the loss of the family black lab years ago. Brad, now grown and off on his own, left Carmela with his brother and sister and parents and she is now the family dog. Carmela is now getting older and has slowed down considerably. She still rides up to work at the second elevator every day in the back of Dennis's pickup but she now has to be helped into the bed of the truck, not able to leap up herself. Every night finds her beside Brian's bed where she guards his sleep. On weekends, when there is no formal work to be done, she walks up to Galesvilles to visit me and I find her at my back door hoping I will supply a treat. I call her our gentle giant as she is a big dog but gentle as a lamb. Even the thought of losing her, which I know we will before many more years, brings me to tears. I will miss that dog terribly!

The middle girl is our Maizey, who is now three and still somewhat of a pup. She came to us after we lost our Penny at the age of 12. My husband  Leon said no more dogs. It is too hard to lose them. Knowing him well, I waited a year and then was lucky enough to find Miss Maizey. He complained and growled around the house for about 2 days and then fell in love with her as I knew he would. She now goes to work every day with him and is in the pickup if he even mentions a "ride". The other day he waited for her to jump up into the bed of the truck and she stood patiently waiting beside the door until he figured out that she prefered to ride inside the  truck with him and not outside. Of course he opened the door and in she jumped.

So now, all three Golden Girls are outside in the sunshine, Carmela lying in the sun watching the younger two ones frolicking and jumping around. All three have their summer haircuts, done by Brad, to keep them cool and cut down on fleas and ticks (these dogs all spend time in the woods) and he has left a tuff of hair at the ends of their tails, making them resemble three lions. Sometimes I have to check the color of their collars to be sure which is which at a distance. As soon as coffee time at the elevator is over and the guys head home the dogs will also  follow but they will be back and of course I keep that jar of treats full for the next visit!

The Annies

March 7th already. Where does the time go? Last Saturday the Annies met. I had promised to explain some on my groups so I guess that's as good a place to start as any. The Annies started out as AAA, Addicted Attic Annies. Now where did that come from? I have no idea. You know how it is when a bunch of quilters get together and ideas start to flow? I think it had something to do with being addicted to old fabrics (repos) often found in attics. However it started, it is now simply the Annies.

We are a group of Civil War fanatics gathered from the membership of several small groups with the common love for doing swaps and using exclusively Civil War fabrics. Some belong to the larger local guild and some don't. But...get us together at the once a month gathering and time flies as we have show and tell and swap blocks and ideas. We started out serving coffee and tea but now do a full brunch each time. So now the recipes are also swapped. Well, what is better than good food and quilts?

Here are a couple of quilts from last Saturday's Show and Tell.....

There were oooooh and ahhhs when Joan showed us this top. Knowing her limitless stash I doubt there are two pinwheels alike in this quilt. And Joan does her own quilting so this will soon be quilted and bound.

Carol's wallhanging got us into all kinds of trouble. We already were starting a new swap this month but when we saw this, the hands went up, "Oh why not. It's an easy block. We can do two can't we?" It's kind of an inside joke that when someone brings a book to share we automatically raise our hands and soon we have a book order going. Or a fabric order or a second swap going.....

Before we know it, it is after noon and time to head on our way home. We scurry out the door but know that the first Saturday of the month will soon come again and the Annies will be together again!

February 26...A Quilty Weekend

My favorite type of weekend....Quilty !

Friday I drove the 20 miles to Champaign and met with friends to "sit and stitch". This is an informal bunch who try to get together every Friday, Illinois weather and family events permitting, and sew, gab, and perhaps do some shopping later in the day.

Many take their machines but some prefer to do hand work such as binding. We arrange tables in a sort of a square circle so we are officially a sewing circle? Most have one of those little Gem machines so we have electrical cords snaking all over the room and fabric is flying.

My friend Gail was working on the binding of a baby quilt (upper right) to be sent to England for a new baby, born very early, but now at last home with family. The blocks came from a swap we did in local guild several years ago. I think I have a pile of those blocks somewhere but don't they make a cute baby quilt? Maybe when I dig into the "closet from hell" I can find mine?

Saturday was the date for the Land of Lincoln Quilt Guild, our regional state guild. We met in Decatur and had a fine day. Breakfast snacks at nine followed by the board and business meetings, then a catered lunch and finally a nice program. One of the highlights is always "show and tell". I seldom have much to show but yesterday I took the completed top of the flag quilt (upper left) which I finished on Friday. Now, I realize a top is not a finished quilt but it is now at the point I can turn it over to Sue, one of our more than capable long-arm quilters.

I bought the pattern at another LLQA meeting about a year ago and after showing it to my Annie's (Civil War) group we decided to do it as a swap. We bought a common background and drew names for which sets of three alike blocks we would do for each other. Each swapper did her own star section. I did my star section like the pattern showed using a light background but when I put it with the rest of the quilt, it looked awful. So, I got a bottle of fabric dye and tried that...still awful. I knew I would never be happy with it the way it was so I redid the section using the common background. Thank goodness we had purchased enough!

Today, Sunday will be catch up day for me here on my corner. I have two sets of minutes to write and send out, two pages of recipes to be written for newsletters, and my house is a bit of a mess. Oh by the way, I have committed myself to doing the Farmer's Wife quilt...insanity? There is a blog doing this and four of us have been bitten by the bug........

February 18...Time to Quilt

It's been a while since I last wrote in this blog. Every morning, with my first cup of coffee, I write to my quilting group, the OddOnes (another story for another day) and they hear much more than they ever wanted to know abut my life here on the corner. It seemed redundant to repeat the same so I have decided to dedicate this blog to my obsession, quilting. Being the ripe old age of 72 and already possessing more fabric, patterns, kits, and ideas than I could possibly ever finish I have dedicated this year of 2012 to finishing a few on my older projects. Now I know myself too well to believe that I will not start any new ones but at least I am going to try to combine the new and the old.

Located in my quilt room is the "closet from hell". In this same closet are three humongous tubs filled with kits, numerous BOMs, sets of swap blocks, fabric packs for projects, unfinished tops, unfinished everything you could think of. On top of the tubs is even more. One is in peril merely opening the closet doors. I opened said same doors and pulled out an unfinished quilt started about 12 years ago. I started doing it in thirds and had the center finished, the first third partially quilted and the last third pieced only. It combines both piecing and applique.This will be my first project to finish. I surely was a novice back them because there are some glaring errors. I had to laugh at myself when I noted I had quilted the first two thirds clear up to the edge. Now, how did I think I would join those two pieces? Obviously there will be some unquilting happening. I'm making progress but will say I would not do another quilt this way. I honestly don't enjoy hand quilting except on small pieces. Evey day I am thankful for the wonderful long arm quilters we have nearby, without whom I would never have finished quilts. Someday in the not too distant future I may be able to post a pic of this quilt...finished at last.

The quilt top above is one from a swap in my Annie's group, a Civil War bunch who meet once a month and do swaps using only Civil War fabrics. I took these blocks to a recent retreat and got the top together. Oh how I love these retreat...what motivation from stitching with friends.

Today, give yourself the gift of time to spend quilting or doing whatever your passion is.......

School Dayz

It's that time of year again and yesterday as I glanced out my bedroom window early in the morning I saw the yellow school bus go by on the road just outside town. What memories that sight conjured up for me and what realizations of how times have changed, at least in my household.

All three of my boys rode one of those yellow buses, and mostly with less than enthusiasm. How busy were those mornings trying to get three active boys up, dressed, and fed, ready to go before 7 am. We live at the end of the bus line and for some reason were always first on in the mornings an last off after school. Perhaps because one of the school board member's children was at the other end of the line? As soon as my oldest was 16 and had the cherished driver's license the bus stopped no more in front of my house.

But, before too many years, in the flash of an eye, or so it seems, the grandkids were starting school. Both Moms worked so Granny Care developed. Five eager (?) faces would appear at my house just before 7 am for breakfast. I like to cook and it was such fun to do a good breakfast for the little ones. I had a third grader, a second grader, a first grade and two in kindergarten. They would gather around my dining room table eagerly anticipating bacon or sausage plus eggs or whatever the fare of the morning would be. They still tell the story of passing the plate of bacon by shoving it across the table.... unfortunately the plate fell off the other side of the table and the dog had a good breakfast that day. Some days if we were very organized, we had time for a
story. Soon they would line up outside to wait for that yellow bus. I can picture that still.

Today, one granddaughter is off to college almost 4 hours away, living in a dorm, the other will remain at home and study at the local junior college. The oldest grandson has graduated from the University of Illinois and has a wonderful job. The other two boys work in our family business so I see them more often. It's amazing but they still come to Gran's house looking for food. I guess some things never change!

There Aint no Flies on Me...

First I guess I should appologize to all bug lovers for all my unkind thoughts about wishing to cause the death of such critters but they simply give me the shivers. If they would stay outside where they belong we could co-exist but when they enter my space, they are doomed if I can possibly arrange it. Oh I know they have value and are part of the chain of life but not mine! So sorry bug lovers but.......

Isn't that an old song? "There Aint no Flies on me?" Somewhere down deep in the recesses of my mind. I can hear that tune.....

Well, maybe not on me, but for some strange reason my house has been full of flies the last few days. They are on every window in the house....hundreds of them. I can swat 20-30 at a time and go back an hour later and there are more. These are not the attic type flies (big ones) but normal sized house fly looking ones and not the kind that buzz you when you are trying to take a short nap ...they seem to be trying to escape and I sure wish they would do so. This is a new experience here in G'ville.

This has truly been a strange year for buggy things which I must admit I do not like.

Earlier this spring my house was inundated with little ants. They came from nowhere, even in the bathrooms and bedrooms. Now I have been known (in the far distant past, of course) to have done a little snacking in the bedroom but surely never in a bathroom. So... what attracted these little critters here? I heard it was all the rain with wet conditions awakening them from the ground. Well maybe, because one day they were suddenly gone.

First it was ants earlier in the spring and now flies....wonder what is next?

Well, I should never have asked what is next after the ants and the mysterious flies. What was next came in the form of a very large, very black, and very hairy looking spider which greeted me as I entered the van to head to my Monday afternoon volunteer job at church. Now I'm usually pretty good at killing these things but with tissues in hand I struck and missed. It dropped to the floor and I was unable to get it as it crawled under the floor mat. I ran into the house for Raid but only had some for the darn ants. I pulled the mat out of the car and sprayed almost a whole can in the direction it had taken. I briefly saw it emerge and slide down where the brake pedal enters the van. Now what could I do? I had to get to church as Pam, who works with me on Mondays, was missing today and I was the only worker. OK be brave...I made it there with no further sightings. I sprayed the heck out of the van again when I left it and carefully checked all surfaces when getting back into it. I bought a BIG can of Raid at the local IGA and really saturated all areas again when I got home. If that thing lives it will be a miracle but I won't ask again what is next.........

Humility or Vanity?

I attended a quilting retreat this week and what a joy that always is to me. Three days of constant sewing with good friends, no phones ringing, no dishes to wash or meals to prepare. Lots of time to read, enjoy the beautiful garden, sip coffee and visit. I am seldom ready to return home and face the realities of daily life although I sure miss my grandkids when gone.

One of the few downsides to retreating is the loss of my wonderful, oh so private, bathroom and shower. Dorm style living always reminds me of the years I spent as a nursing student living in a dorm and sharing all facilities. Private times never were! Shyness simply wouldn't work in large bath areas used by an entire floor of students.

One night this week I headed to the smaller bathroom to take my nightly shower. I was armed with towel, washcloth, soap and shampoo. With a tightly locked door behind me in that small room, I began to disrobe....in complete privacy, right? I carefully lay my clothing on the provided chair and turned to pull the shower curtain and adjust the water. There, in front of me, was an old woman who obviously bore no resemblance to the real me. Now who, with any kindness, would position a large mirror on the door of a small shower area? As I looked with shocked eyes I could see the face looked familiar, but the rest? Now how could all those changes have occured so suddenly? You will be spared a more graphic description of what my eyes beheld but suffice it to say......"OH Good Heavens. Look at that old woman!" There is a lot to be said for clothing...loose clothing...hiding clothing.

Well, that old woman is still with me but I will chose to be kinder and more gentle with her. I think maybe in time she will fade into the background and the real me will return. But...I do promise myself this, to look carefully into any shower room and avoid that big mirror, just in case she might return.

Lasts and Firsts

I read several yahoo groups on a daily basis. Well, maybe it is more accurate to say I scan them and focus on subjects that seems to perk my interest. I read a couple of cooking ones, one that organizes housework, one that focuses on Diabetes, one for quilters, and one that plans for Christmas twelve months a year. Now, obviously I am not that organized but I like the daily small challenges and even do some of them...I do have a shiney sink most days and my bed is always made. Yesterday a post from a woman caught my eye. She was talking about how she was sad because her child was graduating from high school and she was facing all the lasts that go along with that. As I read about her last prom, her last PTA meeting,and other lasts, I realized that in a way I am doing the lasts also. I seldom reply or post to these groups but felt compelled to write to her. I wrote that I too had done all the lasts with my own three boys and was now doing them with the last of the grandkids, my two grandgirls. I guess to be perfectly honest I wasn't all that sad when my boys finished school and moved on to adulthood, Raising three boys can be a challenge at times. I wouldn't miss the last call from the school principal, the last driving ticket, the last D/F slip from school, etc. If you're a parent you understand. But, grow up they did, as they must and should. All of a sudden I had time to do the things I wanted to do and believe me I jumped in with both feet. Before I knew it, I had daughters in law and the grandkids began to arrive...five of them within six years and the firsts started again. First birthday, first tooth, first steps, first day at school, first school program, and so many more. And the wonderful part...I didn't get the calls from school, the arguments that are a normal part of raising kids. But if you think for one minute that you worry less about your grandkids than your own flock, think again. For all the joy they bring, they bring worry too. Now my last two will graduate from high school in a few weeks and we will finish with the lasts and start again with the firsts. For, before I know it, there will be weddings again and new babies and all the wonders that a new generation brings. I only hope I am healthy enough to enjoy every last and every first that is yet to come.

My Quiet Little Town.....

Now, I live in one of those tiny towns that you can pass through and never notice. We are here because our family business, a grain elevator, is located just across the street. How I got here in the middle of the night, is another story for another time, but here I have been for 46 years now. We raised our family of three sons here and now the grandkids are almost grown too. G'ville has changed little over the years. Oh we've had a few people move in and out and of course lost many of the old timers. We, who were the young newbies, are now the older crowd. But, coming from a background in a college town with all the activity that offers, G'ville was a very lonely place for a twenty something with three small boys. But I got busy with family and helping in a new business and time has seemed to fly. School functions with the kids, going back to school myself, a part time job, friends, and occasionally working at the elevator kept me busy. As my family grew and left home the grandkids arrived and we repeated all those activities. Now the last two will graduate from high school in a few months and head off to college and my world will once again become quieter. As I was sitting at my computer this morning I glanced out the window and suddenly realized that this little town has all sorts of activity that I was missing. I think maybe we have to have some age to appreciate the smaller things. I know during those twenty something years I had no time to notice the small things around me. Outside my window there is all sorts of activity going on....for example that old blackbird (not my favorite bird but...) What does he know that the fat robins don't? They pick in the yard looking for food but he stays off to the side poking through a pile of leaves under a roadside bush. Are the bigger worms there? On the bird feeder a cardinal is seeking the favored seeds. Now those brilliant birds are always a joy to spot, but have you ever noticed they seem a bit selfish, squawking at the little wrens who want to share a perch on that feeder? His mate sits quietly on a pine branch. Doe she have to wait until he is filled? Scrambling across the split rail fence is a pair of squirrels. Are they courting? Maybe an old married pair? Will they have babies this spring? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to jump from tree branch to tree branch with such agility? All of a sudden all birds take quick flight and the squirrels leap for higher branches. The golden girls have invaded my yard. In our family we have three Golden Retrievers and in this small town with no leash law they are free to run and play together. One dog is older, at twelve years of age, and the other two are one and two but they all play as if there are youngsters. Like children they seem to meet early in the morning to play together. Yes, G'ville is a bustling little town.......

Looking for Spring

The older I get the less I tolerate the long cold winters of the Illinois prairie. Long ago I loved spending hours outside building a snowman or a snow fort in the yard, never too cold not to beg for just another hour to play. Then came the walks on a snowy day with a good friend or special beau...soft flakes falling on face and hair. Later, the fun of small children, themselves delighted with a snowman in the front yard, getting wet and cold but warming up with mittens and scarves dry and warm from the clothes dryer. ready to go again. More fun with grandchildren, but maybe I will stay inside and man the dryer for those wet mittens and scarves. I'll have hot chocolate for you when you can stand it no longer. After all I'm a grandma now.

Now. at 71, I don't find the same joy in a snowfall I once did. Oh I can still appreciate the beauty of soft flakes but also the cold seems to seep into my bones and I find myself earlier and earlier doing my spring ritual, looking for the first signs of springs arrival.

I will admit to waiting anxiously for that old groundhog to make his prediction. This year he did not see his shadow so that meant spring would soon appear? What happened to him? Perchance he is aging also and forgot his duty? Whatever his excuse he bungled it this year.

This has been an unusually long hard winter here on the prairie with many snowfalls and blustery winds. We live seven miles from the nearest small town and the snowplow slowly makes it's way out to us. Blizzard conditions, which have occurred all too often this year, sometimes require a bulldozer to break through the drifts along the open roads.

But two weeks ago, while sitting in front of this computer, I glanced out the window and saw the first robin to make it's way to G'ville. What a fat robin, searching the ground for any hint of food. He must have spent the winter in a warm and plentiful spot. Ah, spring is coming. Early in the mornings I can hear a hint of birdsong outside my still dark bedroom window. Soon that song will wake me at dawn every day.

So I grab a coat as it's still below freezing this morning and go outside to do my final search for signs of spring and yes, there just outside the front of the house is the confirmation...green sprouts are making their way up and out of the ground. Last fall I planted a multitude of spring bulbs and they are showing tender sprouts in the still cold ground. Soon there will be daffodil's, tulips, hyacinths and the tiny crocus. Then I will know spring has arrived. I will look back fondly at some of the events of this winter of 2011 but ahhhhhh just smell that fresh air.

Body Building Gramma

Now, I'm a 71 year old Gramma and body building is not something I have considered at my age but I have recently reconsidered. A few days ago I watched Dr. Oz on TV demonstrate using cans of food as weights during exercising and it suddenly dawned on me, "I've been doing that for years", and you probably have too.

Have you ever thought about those trips to the grocery store? Every item purchased is lifted by you several times....every can (big or small), every bag (frozen or not), every box. Think about it.......

1. into your cart
2. onto the cashiers scan area
3. back into your cart (now in bigger heavier bags)
4. into your vehicle
5. into your home (ugh - load up those arms for fewer trips)
6. onto your shelves and into the fridge or freezer

And if you drop an item, count that as a deep knee bend or squat.
Wow...check out those biceps. You are weight lifting and at the very least body toning.

I'm tired just thinking about all that lifting and straining...maybe a short nap? After all I have worked out today.

Marking Time

Today is New Year's Eve. It will be a quiet celebration here on the corner of Dirt and Burt. I no longer need the festivities of a party, dancing, noise makers, and champagne. I will be quite content with a nice dinner and my warm bed at the usual time.

This is the time many of us will make our long lists of resolutions, all those promises we make to ourselves as the old year becomes new again. Although there are certainly many things I would like to promise myself (and then act on) this year I have resolved (oops is that a promise?) not to look back with regrets on less than stellar accomplishment, hoping to change... but to look forward instead. If, as Dr. Phil says, the past is a predictor of the future, I may not lose all that weight and finally reach goal. I may not exercise every day, I may not keep my house spic and span. And, oh worse of all, I may not use up all that fabric sitting on the shelves of my quilt room. I may not even get into the closet from hell and finish all those projects.

So today, on the last day of 2010, I chose instead, to remember all that I am thankful for. Of course family is at the top of that list but as I sit every morning and read email I am also most thankful for friends.

Last evening the OddOnes (now that is a story in itself for another time) met for dinner out and then back to Joan's for dessert and chatter. We usually spend out evenings together working on our individual projects but last night we seemed content to simply spend time together. How comfortable we all are with each other. Over the years we know each other's joys and concerns. If ever anyone "has my back" it is the OddOnes (yes I will explain that name sometime). I belong to other newer groups but these are my "homeboys"or more correctly "homegirls". We have been together since?????? Well, many years! They saw (yes, saw, through the many pictures I bored them with) the birth and growth of my five grandkids. They read my email posts every day and seem to tolerate my daily ramblings. Obviously they realize how fortunate I am to have five such remarkable grandkids...grin! And if I ever need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on,,,the OddOnes will come running. I know that like I know the sun will come up tomorrow on a new day and a brand new year.

So, let's raise our cup (mine is coffee) to the coming of 2011 and to family and friends. Thank you for being mine!

Christmas 2010 - The Day After

Christmas 2010 was wonderful as always. The entire family, including dates (the five grands became nine), joined us for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts. We had a houseful and a packed living room with paper flying. NO..we are definitely not a picture perfect family. We are more like Charlie Brown. And speaking of Charlie...I forgot to get a gift for Michele's Charlie and got scolded for it . Now, Charlie is an almost 1 year old steer that Michele adopted and made a pet when he was a newborn and had to be bottlefed several times a day. He is now almost grown but follows her around the yard like a puppy. Being a rather large puppy his head butts (affection) have put her on the ground more than once but she is certain he is sorry afterwards. She buys him special apple treats...a good life for a steer. I always have treats for the various dogs and kitties under the tree but somehow forgot Charlie. I guess Charlie will forgive me. Christmas morning we had brunch and following that I declared the kitchen closed for the weekend.

One thing I will do next year to make life simpler is NOT bake all that stuff and make so much candy. I thought it was so smart to lay it all out on a table in the family room and provide bags for everyone to fill and take home. I baked for a week. It is all still sitting there. Nobody filled a bag. Guess I will fill freezer bags with an assortment and stick them in the freezer to be gotten out a little at a time to send over to the elevator.

DIL Michele has declared her house a "NO Cookie Zone" and Beth and Kimberly are always on a diet (skinny girls already...could that be why?). The guys...Brad, Brian, and Kevin don't eat many sweets. I need some little ones who love sugar!

Darn and I was really in the mood to try baking some of those cool cupcakes everyone raves about and they do on Food Network. With me trying to eat in a more healthy way it's only Leon and while he loves desserts he can only eat so much. Perhaps I should watch less of the Food Network and more of, oh let's say The Biggest Loser? Why wasn't I so fascinated with this cooking and baking thing when I had kids at home or the grandkids were little? Why now that they're grown and gone? Maybe because I now have time to do other than the washing, cleaning and other chores all busy Mothers have. Sometimes it seems to me that things are turned upside down. When the kids were young and full of energy I was too busy trying to keep up with the essentials to do the extra things and now the time is there but.......

Time Flies

My wise grandmother always told me how time sped up as we grew older. I would smile and think to myself, "I sure wish it would hurry cause I want to be 16, or I want to go shopping this weekend, or I can't wait to be out of school for the summer."

One of the small groups I belong to writes emails to each other on a daily basis. We have an inside joke among us...."It's that day again." Yes, I have reached the speedy time of my life. Now how did that happen so fast? Do you remember that old song, Turn Around, often played at weddings? Oh how true that is. At last, time to be out of school, time to marry, time for babies, time for school again, time for grandkids, time to grow older. It seems I no more that wake than it is time to prepare for bed again and those darn Monday's roll around all too often. As a matter of fact Christmas is only two months away and it seems I just put the decorations away from last year.

If I looked at this in one way I could become depressed thinking life is rolling by as in the blink of an eye but I chose to think of it another way. Yes, the once auburn hair has many touches of gray now, the once smooth lines seems to sag a little more every year and even the bones seem to ache at times but blessings have come with those changes too. My time seems to fly because I have filled it with much...five grandkids who I have been blessed enough to have been part of their growing up years, three sons now grown and responsible men and fathers, a husband of 51 years still healthy and active, oh so many friends, and so many things I want to do that I can't find enough time. So if there is a moral to these ramblings it is to take a little of that precious time, look at what you really have, and spend it with the people who really matter.

Fall Nesting for this Old Bird

We've had our first frost warning out here on my corner and I think there was actually frost on the pumpkins on my front porch early this morning. With fall still in all it's splendor around me I am aware that winer is not too far down the road waiting to charge in and take control.

Cooling temps, falling leaves, and brillient colors begin the nesting instinct deep within me. Perhaps in a previous life I was a Mama bear and am now readying myself for hibernation? For some reason I feel driven this week to dive in and organize in my sewing room. Now you don't have to be a quilter to understand this but if you are a crafter of any type you will know of what I speak.

The piles have gotten too high. There is literally a path down the center of the room. Oh, if I had a camera and posted a pic you mght be shocked (unless you are a crafter and then you would chuckle). Earlier this week I opened the door to that closet from you know where looking for something and now the door remains open and I must deal with all that is inside there. First on the aganda is all those magazines I had to save cause I might want a pattern out of them? Probably not! The weight of them has bowed the closet shelf. OK pull them all out and while sitting in front of the TV go through them and pull out any patterns you might really use. The stack reached over 3 feet high. Finish a hand full or two and immediately take them to the dumpster...gone. Now for those of you who say, "Whoa, recycle"... out here on my corner in never never land we don't have recycling available. The gas I would burn taking all those magazines to the nearest town with recycle bins would negate the effort. I will sooth my conscience by remembering that we used to burn all this type of material and at least we don't do that anymore.

Wow, I now have 24 inches of closet space available for what? Maybe old newsletters that I must save from my quilt guild? Maybe for those books I absolutely won't get rid of? Maybe I can donate some of them. If I moved the stacks them off the cabinet tops I would have room to display all that Civil War fabric ( my new fav). So...am I simply rotating stuff? No, the closet door will now shut but I will leave it open and perhaps continue this mission and get down to those 4 large tubs filled with blocks, UFOs and other essential that I saved for what reason?

Time flies....

Wow, how could these weeks have passed so quickly? What happened to August, September, and now half of October? It has been a busy time here on my corner with harvest coming so early this year. We were blessed with good weather and a plentiful harvest for the farmers but at the same time that meant long hard hours here at the elevators.

I no longer work at the office managing the scale and paperwork. My job is feeding the workers at both elevators. So my day starts the night before with planning the next days meals. Bright and early I am up frying bacon, ham, or sausage and eggs for breakfast sandwiches which are delivered across the street. Two lunches must be prepared...a full meal for the guys here who have enough help to take turns actually sitting down to a meal...and a second meal to go up north to the second elevator that requires food that can be held in the hand while they work. After the two meals are loaded in the car, I deliver across the street first and then head north.

Back home to clean up the kitchen and put away any left over food...usually little as these guys have very healthy appetites. Now the rest of the afternoon is mine to do with as I wish...well after a trip to the grocery store or other errands are run. Little quilting has been done these last months and I have missed my small groups. My dining room table is piled with crockpots and all the necessities of cooking large meals.

Now it is over and the last load of beans has been delivered here and I am getting back to my normal life. I can return to the small quilting groups, go on a fabric shopping binge, start cleaning that messy quilt room, but guess what? I miss the activity that goes with harvest. Miss the fulfillment that goes with doing a job that supports my family. At 71 it still feels good to hear someone say,"Job well done". Of course the job will be waiting for me next year and I pray I am still blessed with health and can start "work" once again.

Another quiet day here on my corner. I can hear the whine of the grain vac as the semi's are loaded across the street at our grain elevator. We moved here in 1965 and things have changed a bit. No longer are small pickup trucks and wagons used to bring grain in to the elevator but now it is semis. My three small boys are now grown and have married with families of their own but I have been blessed to have them all live within a mile of us.

Who is the "us"? My husband of 51 years and Maizey our Golden Retriever and SkatterKat our calico kitty.

What will today bring? A meal to cook for Leon and my grandson Kevin who works with us, laundry to do, the usual tasks that make a house run somewhat smoothly. Maybe even a chance to get into my quilt room and sew a little? Well, I guess I would have to clean off that cutting table to be able to work. Then...the decision of which UFO to work on first.