My really weird Asian beans taste like a combination of asparagus and green beans....very good.

Word of the Day

The ness - A series of positive or complimenting words that all end in "ness" like greatness, coolness, awesomeness, sweetness, sexiness, etc.

Rebates. My Mom called me yesterday to remind me that I needed to fill out my rebate forms for the things that "free" items that I bought at the store on Thursday. Once I get my rebates back, the items I bought will have been "free"...except for postage. So, I filled out all my rebates and then got a couple of birthday cards ready to mail out. GI Joe and Mr. T both have birthdays coming up. And then, I put all the coupons that my Mom gave me to give to Sarge in an envelope and got that all ready to mail out. Lots of mail, ready to go out and I couldn't go anywhere because I needed to stay home because I was expecting the glass guy to come out to replace the windshield on The Gator. So, I called my folks and my Dad came over, on his way to the post office, to pick up my mail to bring to the post office. Done. My rebates are in the mail but they'll be sent to my Arizona house. These rebates all have to be used as money at a local store here in Wisconsin but I can save them all up to use next summer.

Meanwhile, while I was still waiting for the glass guy to come, I canned four quarts of ripe tomatoes and canned the two quarts of blackberry juice that I'd got on Thursday night. The glass guy didn't get here to replace my windshield until around 2:30 PM and it took him over an hour to do what he needed to do. Not too shabby, he vacuumed out my car and washed ALL my car windows, inside and out. Nice.

#1 Son and his girlfriend...who I think I'll call Truffles (in my blog) because she makes really awesome truffles, yummy, are going to be coming late/later tonight. I spent most of the morning clearing and cleaning up all my canning stuff. I've really spread all that stuff out so it's handy when I need it but with company coming, I had to unspread it so we can at least sit down for meals. When it's just me, I don't bother sitting at the kitchen table so the kitchen table has become fair came for canning spread. Besides, I've invited my folks to join us on Sunday for dinner and cards. Maybe I can talk #1 Son and Truffles into helping me pick blackberries again so we can have them for dessert on Sunday night. We'll see. If not, I'll just make rootbeer floats. I may do that anyway and just steam juice the blackberries for next summer's wine.

So, then I get a call from Sis, who is in Washington (the state), and she wants me to pick her beans, cukes, and tomatoes because when she called Mom, Mom told her that Dad was having a hard time remembering to take care of it for her and she didn't want any overly ripe cukes left in the garden. Dad isn't messing up but...I agreed to go check on Sis' garden tomorrow and again on Tuesday. Then, I was reminded that I should go out and check my own garden but my Mom called to tell me she had LOTS of beans and so I offered to can them for her and that I'd pick them up when I go over to check on Sis' garden. Then, coating my arms with bug repellent (organic), I went out and picked a colander full of beans (I'm going to have to do some canning on Monday), a few zucchini (I'm thinking Ratatouille for dinner on Sunday), and the first of my sweet corn. I've got sweet corn!

I cooked up my seven tiny ears of sweet corn for lunch. Yummy! Of course, a couple of the ears were kind of starchy...I should have picked earlier....but they were really tasty. I've never grown corn before so I didn't know when to pick it. I still have more corn out in the garden that I suspect is ready to pick. Maybe I'll pick it and serve it while #1 Son and Truffles are here. I think that would be a fair reward for them helping me bring in and store the rowboat for the winter...and for the box of jam that I made for them.

Random Thought of the Day

If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see.

- Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Baby Thornless Blackberry Bush

Word of the Day

Tentaculating - The act of waving one's arms about and talking complete nonsense.

It's going to be hot and HUMID today. I'm already gathering the things that I need to bring over to my folks' place today when I go over there. We're going to be driving into the city today for my Mom's appointment with her eye doctor. After we get back, I need to be prepared for berry picking. Despite the heat and humidity, I'm wearing long jeans. Real jeans. You can't go out picking blackberries without the armor of real, honest to goodness, jeans....or maybe chaps. The spines on those bushes are vicious. So are the mosquitoes. I've also got an old long sleeve denim shirt set on the pile of things to bring with me to protect me from spines and mosquitoes. Of course, a hat is necessary as well. The berry bushes normally grab hold of my hat several times while berry picking but there's no way I go out berry picking without my hat to protect me from the deerflies which tend to circle around my head when I'm outside....especially when it's hot and humid outside. Last, but not least, I'll bring along some heavy duty mosquito spray.

With all the rain we've been getting, I expect a whole new hatch of mosquitoes to join the clouds of the mosquitoes that are already out there. I do remember years that the mosquitoes have been just as bad but I can say truthfully that I haven't seen them this bad since I was a kid and I've never seen the really tiny mosquitoes that I'm seeing out there this year. Clouds of tiny mosquitoes, joining up with the bigger mosquitoes that we're used to seeing. Where did they come from? I don't react from the bites from the bigger mosquitoes anymore...though I'm not to fond of sitting still while anything bites me, but, these tiny mosquitoes are making me welt up and itch. These new mosquitoes seem to be more resistant to mosquito spray as well. Not good.

Mosquitoes, blackberry thorns, deerflies, heat and humidity....all reasons why I'm really not looking forward to getting out there to pick blackberries today. There is a reason why I planted some thornless blackberry bushes by my driveway this spring. Too bad that they're just baby bushes right now and unlikely to produce for at least a couple more years....if the deer don't eat them. Oh well...something to look forward to. Until then, it's been several years since we've had any blackberries worth picking. The last time I had enough berries to can in order to make blackberry wine was 2004. One can never take the gifts from Mother Nature for granted. So, I'll go out and pick while the picking is good. I've been wanting to make a batch of blackberry wine. There haven't been enough blackberries out in the woods...not even enough to make jam. Finally, we've got a really good year for blackberries. Lots of berries. So, I'll get out there to pick on my folks' side of The Lake today and then come back here to pick the berries on my side of The Lake. If I get enough berries, I can juice them, can the juice, and bring that canned juice back to Arizona with me so I can make BlackBearry Wine.

Tonight will be a perfect night for cleaning and steam-juicing blackberries. Big Bang Theory is on tonight and Ancient Aliens.

Random Thought of the Day

What does PU stand for (as in "PU, that stinks!")?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you have the creative urge, it isn't going to go away. But sometimes it takes a while before you accept the fact.

- Hugh Macleod

Mom and me with the really weird squash we bought at the farmers' market

Word of the Day

Tellum - The complete opposite of a mullet; Short in the back, long in the front.

It's been a long and wonderful spring and summer here at The Lake. I've been keeping busy with gardening, cooking, brewing wine, enjoying visits with friends and family, berry picking, jam-making, fishing and canning. I left Arizona, heading to The Lake via Huntsville, Texas and Gretna, Nebraska on April 3rd. I'm leaving The Lake, heading back to Arizona, via Gretna, Nebraska and Huntsville, Texas, on September 29th. My garden needs to hustle because it's time to start thinking about putting The Lake to bed for the winter.

A picture is worth a thousand words so here's a summary of what has happened since the end of March and the last time I blogged.


Welcome Tammy!


Me and Tammy (Picture taken on April 6, 2011)


Celebrating the birth of Tammy


Rocking Out at Home(Picture taken on April 7

My new grand-daughter, Tammy, was born on April 5. I arrived in Lufkin, Texas, checked into my hotel, and headed to the hospital...just in time to see my daughter Sarge before she was rolled into surgery for her c-section delivery. Welcome, Tammy! She weighed in at 7#, 15 oz. and measured 19 and 1/2 inches long/tall. I took a lot of pictures, most of which will be saved until they can be dragged out and shown at some future, really embarrassing moment...for Tammy.


Kylee in Snowy Wisconsin


A Cold Welcome to Wisconsin

I left sunny Texas on April 9th, continuing on my way to The Lake, via Gretna, Nebraska where I enjoyed a short visit with DD Daughter, GI Joe, and grandchildren, Ms. N and Mr. T before continuing on to a not so sunny Wisconsin on April 12th. Thankfully, my road was clear but it was a bit iffy. Lots of snow. Good thing I packed my flannel-lined jeans and had plenty of firewood out in the garage for nightly fireplace fires. Kylee, with her thick coat, loved the cold. Me? Not so much.


Enjoying the Warmth of May


New Garden Support for the Raspberries


Hidden Support for a Rickety Old Split Rail Fence

As soon as the frost was out of the ground, I got busy with getting my flower gardens rejuvenated with a fresh layer of bark mulch, cutting back my raspberry bushes, stabilizing my slit-rail fence by the driveway, and adding some much needed support for raspberry canes near the garage. My Dad was a huge help with the fencing projects. Dad has been a great help this summer. He also helped me fix a torn screen door, adding a screen guard to protect it in the future from little fingers and sharp claws, and helping me fix the door out to my back deck which was de-laminating.


#1 Son and Girlfriend

Although I wasn't able to get the dock and boats in before the opener of fishing season, I did end up getting everything in by the following weekend. My son and his girlfriend have enjoyed using the boat a few times this spring and summer.


Three Sister Garden Experiment


Tomatoes


Deck Garden


Kylee and the Chipmunk


Waiting While May Gardens Grow

I got all my gardens planted by Memorial Day. Unfortunately, we got some late summer frost so I had to drag out sheets to cover things so they wouldn't freeze. this year I decided to experiment in my kennel garden with a Three Sister method of planting. Corn, pole beans and squash. At the ending of this summer, I can say that this experiment wasn't all that successful. The chipmunks kept digging out the corn and bean seed. I ended up trapping and transporting eleven chipmunks. As I couldn't tell if I was trapping the same two chipmunks over and over again, I decided to mark them with fluorescent paint before releasing them. Since I haven't seen and orange fluorescent chipmunks running around my yard, I've decided that there were just a bumper crop of chipmunks this year. My apologies to those poor people who have spotted weirdly marked chipmunks to their yards and have wondered if they might have been drinking too much. Aside from chipmunks, the corn kept toppling over so I ended up having to bring in supports, the pole beans went crazy and tried to choke out the corn, the squash kept producing male blossoms (which I enjoyed eating)and very few squash, and the corn doesn't really look like it will produce viable corn for eating. I also experimented with growing sugar snap peas and okra in my Earthboxes. Again, I don't think I'll repeat this experiment...or...I'll try again but keep Kylee off my deck. I had trouble getting the peas and okra to sprout in the Earthboxes, so I ended up having to replant. And then, Kylee ate the pea plants out of two of my Earthboxes. I ended up replanting yet again with Asian beans...which are producing, finally. The sugar snap peas that did survive in two my Earthboxes produced nicely so...maybe I'll try again next year. As for the okra, only four plants made it out of sixteen and those four haven't produced anything as yet. It definitely wasn't worth the effort or space in an Earthbox. As for my tomato plants. Despite the continuing problems with the dreaded blight, I've been canning V-8 to bring to Sarge for her step-daughter and I'll be canning diced tomatoes to keep here and bring to Arizona.


Father's Day at Carol's Place

We celebrated Father's Day at Sis' place and enjoyed a nice game of 500 Rummy afterwards. This was our first session of dinner and games for the summer. We've really enjoyed these nights with my folks. Sis and I have traded off on hosting our dinner and a game nights. 500 Rummy, Monopoly, and Fan Tan. Lots of fun.


Wild Oyster Mushrooms

The wild oyster mushrooms benefited from our June rains. Sis called me and told me to get my butt over to her neck of the woods because they were growing EVERYWHERE! So, I got over there and I picked 20# of these wonderful oyster mushrooms. I fried them up and froze them. They really taste great in chicken marsala. Yummm! I'll be bringing some home with me when I return to Arizona.


Pinot Grigio


Bottling Shiraz


Dad Helped with the Labels

Sis and I decided to leave off making our traditional summer wines in favor of making a couple of kit wines this summer. We made a really nice Pinot Grigio and a VERY nice Shiraz. Very tasty.


Happy Early 4th of July!


Enjoying the Buffet





DD Daughter and Tammy


Mr. T loved the beans Sis made


Sis and her Hubby


#1 Son and His Girlfriend


Sis and Tammy


HTP


Great-Grandma and Tammy


Froggy and Mr. T


Poor Ms. En


Hospital Bear


A Smiling Ms. En, enjoying the fireworks

Tom flew in from Arizona on July 2nd to spend a couple of weeks up here at The Lake. Sarge and Tammy flew in from Texas on July 2nd to spend three weeks with me here at The Lake. #1 Son and his girlfriend helped by picking everyone up at the airport. I drove to The Big City to help transport everyone to The Lake. Meanwhile DD Daughter, GI Joe and Ms. En and Mr. T drove up from Nebraska to spend one week with us here at The Lake. We had a FULL HOUSE! How wonderful to have the entire family here at The Lake! We missed D Buddy but maybe he'll be able to join us next summer.

We celebrated our Nation's birth on July 3rd with friends and family. I set up two additional tables out on our deck with much needed umbrellas to protect from the sun. Even with the additional tables, some of us had to eat inside. I'm glad Sis and her friends were able to help out. The celebration started on July 3rd and finally wound down in the early hours of July 4th with a second meal of leftovers. We had brats, beans, salad, and dessert. Poor Ms. En had a run-in with a sparkler that sent her to the emergency room with some nasty burns. A hospital bear that the nurses gave her made her feel lots better. We all felt so bad for her but she was smiling by the end of day, enjoying the fireworks that #1 Son and his girlfriend, Sarge, and my nephew Luke set off from the dock.


Getting together with HTP's Sis at a Chinese Buffet


Italian Family Reunion in The Big City


HTP and Tammy


Brunch at The Bluehills Supper Club


Eating at The Mall of America


Tammy is Worn out at The Mall of America

With very little time with the entire family, it was hard to fit everything in that we wanted to do, but we tried. All too soon it was time to say goodbye to family. #1 Son and his girlfriend left on July 5th but came back to drive HTP to the airport on the 17th. DD Daughter, GI Joe, Ms. En and Mr. T headed home on July 9th after an Italian family reunion in The Big City. HTP headed home on July 17th after a traditional family brunch at The Bluehills Supper Club. Sarge and Tammy headed home on July 21st but not before we had to make an obligatory trip to The Mall of America. It was sad to see everyone go. So quiet.


Kylee and the Crawfish


Yummm! Crawfish!

Kylee has been fascinated with my crayfish trapping. Here at The Lake, crayfish trapping is bountiful during the hot summer months. Unfortunately, I haven't spent too much time out on the lake doing any fishing so I've run out of bait for my traps. Maybe next time #1 Son and his girlfriend will find the time to come up to spend one more weekend up here before I head on back to Arizona. However, the weather is starting to cool off along with the water temperatures. Crayfish trapping needs warm temperatures.


Beaning Mom with One Weird Squash

In August my folks and I visited the farmers' market in the city. I picked up enough cucumbers and dill to make twelve quarts of dill pickles and one really strange Asian squash that tastes much like zucchini.

One of my best friends, her husband and daughter came to visit for a weekend. My friend wanted me to plan lots of activities for her husband to take care of while they were here....so I did. However, while they were here, her poor husband helped me replace the boards on my dock bench and then he had to go swimming when the drill battery fell into the lake. Yes, he was able to retrieve the battery. He re-nailed in some siding that was drooping and he replaced my kitchen faucet with a brand new one that works far better than my old one. I'll have to see if I can figure out more projects for next summer.

Unfortunately, none of us thought to take pictures during their visit, but, we picked blackberries, enjoyed the last of the summer raspberries, made ratatouille from the first of my eggplant, enjoyed brats on the grill, steaks on the grill, and sampled the Pinot Grigio and Shiraz wine that Sis and I bottled earlier in the summer. Good times.


Marigolds

And so, on this last day of August, I posted a final picture of the marigolds that I planted from seed at the end of June. It's a perfect day for blogging. Last night it rained and it's still drippy and dreary outside. I'd planned to go out berry picking but it's just too wet outside today. Tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow? In July, Mom had cataract surgery on her left eye. Tomorrow I'll be heading to the city with my folks so my Mom can consult her doctor for getting cataract surgery on her right eye. Summer is winding down but there's much that still needs doing.

Random Thought of the Day

Why are the little styrofoam pieces called peanuts?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

- Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

Ms En - Phoenix Zoo - March 3, 2011


Old Grey Frog - Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center - March 27, 2011

Word of the Day


Teletalktic - Describing one who talks frequently on the phone.


Since I haven't blogged for so long, I decided to post a review using pictures.

We planned a baby shower for my daughter Sarge at the end of February. A friend of Sarge's planned the shower. Since so many of the people we invited, including DD Daughter, had to bring their own children, we decided that Chuck E Cheese's would be the best choice when it came to location. While I flew over to Texas from Arizona, DD Daughter drove down from Nebraska with Ms. En and Mr. T. and a trunkload of baby things for Sarge. We all had a great time!


DD Daughter and Ms. En at the Rainforest Cafe at The Galleria in Houston - February 26, 2011



Mr. T at Sarge's Baby Shower in Conroe, Texas - February 27, 2011


Ms. En at Sarge's Baby Shower in Conroe, Texas - February 27, 2011



Cindy, Laura, Adrienne and Sarge at Sarge's Baby Shower in Conroe,Texas - February 27, 2011



Sarge Opening Her Baby Shower Gifts - Conroe, Texas - February 27, 2011

After flying home from Texas, I quickly baby-proofed my Arizona house in preparation of a grandchild invasion. DD Daughter, Ms. En and Mr. T drove from Texas to Arizona for a short visit and respite from the cold temperatures of their home in Nebraska. We did a lot of shopping and visited the Phoenix Zoo.


Old Grey Frog and Ms. En Riding the Carousel - March 3, 2011


DD Daughter with Ms. En and Mr. T at the Phoenix Zoo - March 3, 2011

Meanwhile, Kylee and I have been working really hard at our obedience classes. She, once again, graduated at the top of her class. If I worked with her more she'd do even better.


Graduation Day - March 19, 2011

At the end of March, a couple of my best friends met in Vegas for a Vegas Gal Weekend. We try to get together on annually for this sort of thing. It's fun to just get away with the girls. This year, on our first day, we hiked the Vegas Strip from The Riviera down to the Luxor with stops at Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum and some of the newer casinos, lunch in Paris, and a show (Menopause, the Musical) at the Luxor, followed by another long hike back down The Strip to pick up our casino shuttle at Harrah's. On our second day, we hiked Red Rock Canyon, exploring their new visitor center and enjoyed a picnic. We jammed our only two full days with activities.


Old Grey Frog and The Duke - March 26, 2011



Old Grey Frog and her friend Linda up on stage at the end of Menopause, The Musical - March 26, 2011


Hiking in Red Rock Canyon - March 27, 2011


Picnic in Red Rock Canyon - March 27, 2011


Old Grey Frog and Friends at Sam's Town - March 28, 2011

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (back home in Arizona), HTP had to buy a new computer to replace his old one (power supply died) and our water heater sprang a leak. Poor HTP. What a mess! Nothing like having to deal with a flooded garage full of boxes with who knows what is in those soaked boxes (I'll find out soon). And, surprise, surprise, the tile guy who had told us that he wouldn't be able to tile our back patio until mid-April called. He could start our project on the very day that I'd be coming home from Vegas...not that I'm complaining. I'm thrilled that I now have a beautifully tiled back patio.


Tiling Our Arizona Back Patio - March 28, 2011


Our Newly Tiled Patio in Arizona - March 30, 2011

And so, we've arrived at the last day of March. My daughter, Sarge, called on March 29th to tell us that the doctor has planned the induced delivery of our new grand-daughter on April 5th. So...I'm packing and will be heading off to Texas on Sunday, April 3rd. Panic time! I was expecting this but there's no getting around the fact that packing and loading a car for a LONG roadtrip is always a bit of a panic. HTP won't be able to come with me this summer since he'll be working. I'll be driving all by my lonesome...except for Kylee. So...

April 3, will find me in Las Cruces, NM. April 4, will find me in Sonora, Texas. April 5, will find me in Lufkin, Texas...where Sarge is having her baby. She'll either be able to go home (Huntsville) on April 6th or April 7th. I'll be staying with Sarge, D Buddy and the new babygirl (name as yet to be determined) for two nights before continuing on my merry way toward Omaha, Nebraska. I'll stop one night near Oklahoma City enroute to Omaha. I figure I'll be spending two nights in Omaha before continuing on to The Lake...where...I'll be for the rest of the summer. But...first I've got to pack.

Random Thought of the Day

Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.

Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)