DADDY, YOU ARE MAJOR CONNECTED!


A follow up to my "Daddy" post:  Sitting with my daddy at the computer, I wanted to share with him the little story about him and his pictures. With this step, he could now be considered an official member of the WORLD WIDE WEB. People might recognize him the world over; from here to Singapore! And, I promise you, he puzzled over that statement and finally said, "Goodness Gracious Alive!" I nearly fell out laughing. Do I know this fellow, or what? Even with all of the aggravation that is simply part of living life, he brings me blessings.

"GOODNESS GRACIOUS ALIVE"

My daddy's favorite saying, liberally used his entire life.

It was one of those all purpose sayings called up to communicate

miraculous happenings, utter disbelief, displays of rank stupidity, horrors beyond understanding, impending doom, or fury that was bigger than a Buick. No doubt, that anger was usually directed to one of us kids. His tone and inflection gave a clue as to how we should interpret. We were experts in this regard, and, could pretty much determine who needed to run and who could stay. But, that particular saying covered all the basic issues and was a prelude to any action on his part. Bystanders beware.....

At almost 91 years, with advanced dementia, he lives here at our home. Even with a weakened body and diminished reasoning, his presence is huge! Our job here is to entertain, manage, manipulate, and care for him the best way we can. Sure, he gets irritated with us but understands that we love him.       

Recently his condition deteriorated with agitation and discontent escalating. He would start his day (or middle of the night) as if ready to subdue a couple of grizzlybears. Clearly, irrational and uncooperative; angry and a danger to himself. I could also add, mean and hateful! I begged his doctors to change medication, add something new to the mix...something experimental maybe. If not for him, perhaps for me? Meanwhile, he was a relentless terror. One of his doctors casually asked if we had tried melatonin. I could barely suppress a chortle of contempt. Imagine, joking around with simplistic remedies when we had a full blown crisis living La Vida Loca over here. And, things worsened; medication was totally ineffective. On a less than stellar day, with a smirk for the clerk, I bought melatonin. Mixed it with ice cream and gave it to daddy. No expectations.

Within a few days, his entire demeanor changed. He relaxed. Used his inside voice. Refrained from biting. Laughed. Gave us all hugs. Who could imagine the improvement. Now, I am not recommending this for anyone. Why this worked when nothing else did...who knows. We are just grateful that it did. And, thank God for this profound blessing via GNC!

GOODNESS GRACIOUS ALIVE!

LOOKING GOOD, DADDY

WHAT IN THE PLUPERFECT DO I HAVE TO WEAR!


That is the question.....................


The big guy and I were invited to a client's reception last month; an event that I looked forward to attending but, my oh my, what in the world would I wear. No matter that I have a closet full of clothes. When I need to get myself put together, the dilemma is always the same.


Oh, what pressure it is, fixing oneself up! This has been the same hymn I've sung; second verse for the past some odd ages. But, I am now ready to move into the hallelujah chorus. So this is how things laid out.....


One thing for certain, my closet contains several black dresses... your basic one long sleeve types, short sleeve ones. and various combinations of black tops and skirts. My favorites are the extra stretchy ones....no explanation needed. I have always heard that every woman needs her little black dress. So, ok...but then what!


Never being one to enjoy anything, "as is," I decided to consult my treasure trove of fabric remnants, trim, salvaged buttons, etc. This is my stash of "go'in to use for something, someday, somehow." This prize of possibilities is safely stored in an old dilapidated box hidden under the guest room bed. I don't like the prying eyes of my household peering into my private places and, perhaps, asking something like, "Ye gods! What in the world do you have in there?" That is less than encouraging and could potentially be the start of a fight.


OK, so tossing fabric in and out of the box I found some interesting silk with a colorful graphic design of butter-flies. A couple of yards to work with and a snippet of trim and beads scattered here and there and I had a wrap in the making. A flurry of fabric and my Singer purring, that black dress wasn't meant to be unadorned.


An hour or so later, it was finished. Added a piece or two of jewelry to complete the look. Pulled out the trusted old  black pumps. Fluffed up the hair a bit. Put on an extra heavy coat "Red Hot Lightening" lipstick and then, I heard the magic words.....

WELL, LOOK HERE NOW,.....

LET'S GO MAMA.

SHUT UP AND RIDE!

MY FAITHFUL PARTNER HELPS WITH SELECTIONS....AND WHAT A GOOD EYE SHE HAS FOR STYLE!


THE SEWING BASKET IS READY

WELL, DON'T ASK ME TWICE!

Slap You Silly Jalapenos

"SLAP YOU SILLY" JALAPENOS!.......

Almost any day, anytime, you will find a bowl of these sweet and hot little dickens on the menu over here at the bunkhouse, halfway house, filling station, cheap hotel, dormitory, B & B, waystation, or whatever our blessed home is for that moment. But, if you like jalapenos, don't delay it takes a day or two for them to set up and get frisky........

First you need a can or jar of sliced jalapenos (pickled)....size is not really important. We use a gallon size because everybody here loves them but you decide.

Drain these babies and find a container with a good fitting lid that will hold them. Now, bear with me because I have never used any kind of measurement on this preparation, nor will you once you get the hang of it. With that said, let's go....on the bottom of the container, put about 1/4 inch layer worth of sugar. Then, about an inch or two of the drained jalapenos followed again by the sugar. Keep going like this until you reach the top. Cover and give a good shake. Put in refrigerator. For a day or two, give it a shake when you think of it. Once you see that the sugar has settled into the jalapenos and dissolved....get ready to be slapped silly!

If you get into these you might want to try a few extra ingredients, like a sliced onion, garlic clove, thinly sliced carrot....or maybe even get real exotic and add some raisins. We're pretty much purists but I wouldn't want you to miss the possibilities especially if they are going to "Slap You Silly."

Go HERE

to check out the Pioneer Woman's

Public Service Announcement on Jalapenos!
I am linking up to:
Strut-your-stuff-Thursday
Show Us What Your Working With Wednesday
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Here At Home

Here at home..........I have my own little slice of Green Acres and it is the only place I want to be. Being in the midst of the city, it is easy to forget that life doesn't have to be hurried and complicated. At least not always and rarely simple. 

When the kids were growing up, we wanted them to have the experience and responsibility of caring for animals. For most people this would mean a puppy to raise. But not for us.....we went for a small herd of "pygmy" goats. Now, somehow these goats got mislabeled or mixed up with the regular size variety which came as a surprise down the road.

My thinking was that along with the lesson plan on responsibility, I could press these goats into service clearing the undergrowth which covered an acre or two behind our house. Smugly, with a pencil over my ear and pad full of calculations, I informed the big man of our house, that this would be a cheap prelude to landscaping. And, on top of that, the goats would be well fed for a couple of months without needing extra feed. As a future goal, I had an eye on renting out one or two of the better eaters to my neighbors suffering from similar landscape issues. How well this was planned with all expediences addressed. 

I'll leave you with the thought that this was a good idea! Those of you with any knowledge of goats or other animals of this ilk will see what my future held. More about this another time...........

Hobbies and Passions

My Hobbies


For purposes of clarification, my hobbies mostly have the pre-fix "re-".......as in, redesign, remake, refurbish, restore, redecorate, reassemble, reupholstery, repair, rethink, reengineer, reuse, rehab, reinvent, replant, repaint, rearrange......this could go on for a bit more but recounting these endeavors makes me tired....I need to rest and relax!


My Passions


Sewing, whether it be curtains, dresses, slip covers, silk shawls, pillows. Put me in a fabric warehouse, and I start to hyperventilate. My steady and faithful, 18 year old Singer machine is kept up and running.


Painting, my idea of fun is going through all of "oops!" paint cans at Home Depot. I've bought enough cheap paint to match every designation on the color wheel, and from flat to glossy! It is important to be ready for the next whim that settles over me ....maybe paint a mural on the storage shed, stencil a cabinet or two, paint some prayer boxes, refinish a salvaged table....now, just tell me what can start those creative juices flowing better than paint!


Cooking for an appreciative audience is the best legal "high" that I can imagine. Finding that audience over here is a little problematic but when I do...oh, my! It is a challenge to trick out a recipe and make it my own way. You can bet that my way will include a short cut or three.

She's Just Not Right

SHE'S JUST NOT RIGHT!...............But who needs to be right. Perfection can be boring, boring, boring. So, since being right is not an option, I am constantly on the prowl for the offbeat, lighter side of reality....which, on a good day, can lead all aspects of my homelife into random pandemonium. I can never recall life being otherwise. Perhaps it is the law of attraction put into practice. Not really sure on this point; just the way it is. Please understand, I am not promoting this kind of lifestyle. It is simply my own interpretation of the life that comes and parks itself in the driveway; for good or for not so good, it is there to stay. With that being the case, why not tweak reality a bit. Now, if this sounds appealing to you..............hike up those panties and let's go have fun.