You Bought WHAT For Your Birthday?

 Overnight low of 72 degrees.  That's pretty warm for this part of the country, but the high only reached  95 on this day.  Apparently the extreme heat warning was from our Governor and it was for the homeless.  I doubt they got the message since most, if not all of them do not have cell phones.

It didn't bother Mr. Cooper in spite of my mis-programming the A.C.  In my defense, it's a new fancy one that my neighbor installed when my last one died.  You have to set it for every time you want it to change throughout the day ... then change it EVERY day.  There's no "copy" that I can find.  I was wondering why it didn't turn on when it said 86 degrees inside.

The squash thought it was perfect weather, but the rest of my garden was suffering and wilting, kind of like Cooper and I.  LOOKY HERE!  We have yellow squash!!!!  AND I harvested another ten cherry tomatoes.

But there was REAL work to be done.  My hitch needed to be removed from the truck bed.  I sometimes forget what time I actually get up.  I knocked on the neighbors door at 7:30.  Everyone doesn't get up as early as I do, but he was kind enough to put on his boots and come help me.  BEST NEIGHBORS EVER.

It's very easy with this hitch.  You just lift it out and set it on the garage floor.  Having messed up my back previously, I wasn't taking any chances.  How did you get this thing IN HERE he asked.  Oh I just lifted it up.  

I don't need it any more since the fifth wheel is gone, and now I have room to take my bicycle for new tires.  

But FIRST ... let's put that vacuum together.  This is unlike any other I've worked with.  Apparently it comes apart at several places so you can carry it upstairs and still vacuum. I just want it to clean the carpeted bedrooms.  It worked, though I didn't get far before it came apart in my hands.  Big sigh ... apparently you are supposed to listen for the CLICK.  

I headed to the sewing room for a quick test drive.  Wasn't I SHOCKED to see this after only doing half the floor.  YIKES!!  Either there was lots of dirt in there, or this vacuum is a hundred times better than my old Dyson, because most of that looks to be dog hair.  Cooper doesn't shed and Jessie never went in there.  This is from the previous owner?????

Oh gosh ... I don't even want to TRY my bedroom!  I should be happy that it works so very well ... an A++ in my book ... but vacuuming is not my favorite pastime.  And I see lots of it in my future.

With that, I headed on off to town.  Sometimes you see things that make you say .... hmmmmmmm.  This is a Guardian Mobility Transport van.  It's my recommendation that you NEVER call them.  Before turning on to this road, he was completely over the line, in the oncoming lane FOUR TIMES in one mile.  Then another three times along this short section of road.  I'm sure he's looking at his phone or texting.  Whoever was inside is probably dead from a heart attack! 

I hit the grocery store for a quart of milk, though for the life of me I can't remember why I needed milk, and this perfect bag for the baby shower gift.  Alexa is from Hawaii.  Sadly, I won't be going because I have another barbecue to attend.  

The REAL reason for going to town was this!  A stock tank to be used as a raised bed NEXT year.  In the meantime, I think it's going to become my hot tub.  Fill it up, leave it in the sun and VOILA!!  

As it turned out, it was so very hot in the afternoon that all my new plantings were very sad and drooping to the ground.  I knew they needed a little shade, but I couldn't figure out what I would use.  At last it hit me ... I have several dog kennel panels that might work as a temporary fix.

You have to use what you've got.  The panels didn't offer any shade, but worked to hold up the old trellis I found, along with an old camp chair, sitting over the peppers.  They should get plenty of sun until they get bigger, but won't die from the sun's flames.

With many things still on my to-do list, I called it a day.  It was just too hot and I'm too frugal (my new word) to run the AC.  I found these new "cheaper" ice cream cones at the store ... where I stood in front of the open door for ten minutes, you know, just to cool off a bit.  They are made with REAL ice cream instead of the fake stuff.  I know, not on my diet.  I'm sacrificing the ham and cheese.

And so another month has slipped by, adding another year to my total, and what did I do?  I bought myself a vacuum cleaner.  There's something wrong with this picture.

Today I've got ribs to smoke, maybe come up with a new garden cover, or at least something to prop it up so I can use my hot tub/swimming pool.  More vacuuming will ensue and another trip to the store since I forgot the two tomato cages I need.  

High today 101, so I better get with the program before we all burst into flames. 

If You Build It .........

 WEATHER ALERT!!  Get out your fans, head bands and shorts.  DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.  It's going to be a SCORCHER ... TAKE COVER.  That from the local news station.

No kidding, that was the weather report yesterday.  It's predicted to reach all the way up to ............. wait for it ............ 101 degrees.  WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!  

I laughed.  Seriously?  We've regularly experienced 110 to 113 in the summer, and they are sending out severe heat warnings at 101?  It's going to be a very LONG summer.

Cooper spent much of it sleeping yesterday.  His days of playing the ball game for hours on end, appear to be over.  I can't say I'm going to miss crawling all over the floor looking for the lost ball under the furniture.  Doggy Yoga has come to an end.

We headed out yesterday, but didn't get far.  Just down the street a bit to the Oleanders, he started walking funny.  Not a walk, but not a trot either, and was throwing his back end around.  Uh oh ... that's not good.  Back to the house we went, where I found a big sticker in his foot.  WHEW!  That was a close one.  We're back to normal now, so I went out for a 2 miler.  I have to admit, as much as I really do NOT want to take the time or exert the energy to walk, I certainly do feel better because of it.

On the way back home, I met Lizzie at the door.  This tiny kid doesn't move when you walk by.  Maybe she was asleep in the sun ... or thought if she froze she wouldn't be noticed.  She hangs out at my back door every day.

A quick check of the garden resulted in another haul of tomatoes.  That worked out perfectly since I just finished off the last bunch.  No zucchini yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on them.  The REAL tomatoes ... the big ones ... are just hanging out not doing much.  Hopefully they will hit a growing streak soon.

I had a couple of quick projects for the van, including finding some way to cover the vent and block out the sun.  The pillows I normally use would not work since this one does not have the inset.  It's pretty flat to the ceiling.  I drug out my industrial velcro, cut a couple of pieces and stuck this insulated Reflectix over the opening.  It will work just fine, though I have to say, being undercover, the van doesn't get near as hot as I expected it to.  I'm still working on the second project, which I'll show you later.

I took a quick break from Veteran quilt making to finish off this one,  It's weird ... LOUD ... and not at all what I pictured.  It will be a perfect donation to an Elks Event ... and a nice write-off to boot.

And THAT'S when I heard the driveway alarm, to see THIS had been delivered.  Of all the things I wanted delivered in ONE DAY, this was not one of them.  You all know I'm not about vacuuming.  Jeeves the robot has been doing a fine job of the hardwood floors, but the carpeted area?  Not so much.  

My drag-around-on-the-floor vacuum has become too much work!!  And so I ordered an upright since my 20 year old one has been relegated to the garage for the last five years.  

I left it in the box all day long.  If I unpack it, I'll have to USE it.  That means ... well you know ... actually VACUUMING three rooms.  I stared at it all day.

Okay ... okay ... I'll at least unpack it, because now it's late in the day.  But wait ... what's this?  I have to actually BUILD IT?  As in try to figure out the pictures and put it together?

I hesitated because IF YOU BUILD IT, you have to USE IT!!  That quickly turned the tide.  Hey, at least I got the box OPEN.  At this point it's still sitting there.  Maybe, just MAYBE, I'll get it put together today.  

On the other hand, we are starving for an adventure.  My plan of five days off camping got waylaid by the Baby Shower I forgot, followed up by a nice invitation for a barbecued steak by a pool on Sunday.  You can't beat THAT!!

I guess my adventure will only be to the grocery store for baby gift wrapping paper, with a stop at Starbucks for a Cooper Pup Cup.  He's never had one before, so I think we'll try it out.  In the meantime, I'll be parked in front of the ice chest full of ice sitting in front of the fan to be EXTRA sure I don't pass out from the EXTREME heat wave!!

Reminiscing .....

 Good Morning California!!  It was almost a pristine sky on this day in May, as it disappears into June very shortly.  I'm just shocked at how fast the days are flying by when there's absolutely nothing going on.  Fast days when you're busy?  Yup!  Fast days when you're NOT busy?  That's just weird.

The good news ... the tomatoes are tomatoeing quite nicely.  I did discover if you leave them on the vine longer ... as in several DAYS ... they are MUCH sweeter.  This one is apparently a VERY happy camper.

The squash is squashing quite nicely!  There have now been nine blossoms.  I think I better start looking for squash recipes on the internet.

And the roses are getting a haircut.  This young kid of a gardener who just went out on his own ... he's doing a VERY good job.  There's just one of him, so it takes him more than ten minutes to get it done, but he's very particular and even makes those crazy baseball diamond patterns on the front lawn.  We only do two roses at a time because that's all that will fit in the bin.

I spent the morning helping an Elks friend with his computer ... a printing problem, and ended up at the lodge with a budget problem.  Here's the thing ... the budget is a GUESS of how much money we MIGHT bring in, and a GUESS of how much money we MIGHT spend.  No one EVER looks at the budget for anything once it's done, including me.  This comes back to bite me later.

With nothing else going on, I sat on the patio and reminisced, pondered really, why I was so inundated with skunks a few years ago.  Thank the Good Lord I haven't had any since I installed the steel prongs along the bottom of the fence.  Truly, I haven't even SMELLED one ... and believe me, I know that smell.  Yes, there's a black and white one in the cage.

Nope ... no raccoons and no opossums either.  Those two I would like to have seen more of.  Sadly, it's too citified around here now.  There's no critters to see and no coyote howls to hear any more.  

I was interrupted in my thoughts when the timer went off.  There was a lodge night meeting that I was not looking forward to.  Since folks were rampantly depleting the bank accounts for things that were unnecessary (I won't go into details), I decided to explain the actual expenses of this lodge.  They are HUGE.  It's like trying to keep a multi-million dollar business above the water line.  

I was met with applause from most and outrage from others.  I was also raked over the coals by one guy because I did the budget by myself.  That's what happens when I ask for help with it, and NONE of them show up, including him.  Someone had to be an adult and get it done by the deadline.  I'm too old for this nonsense and am quickly getting an I-don't-care-any-more attitude.  

I might have had a nice shot of whiskey when I got home, but alas, there was none to be had.  Mr. Cooper and I once again sat on the patio reminiscing about that Bar Harbor Maine trip I took, including this view of Niagara Falls.

It was all due to this wonderful lady and her husband ... Barbara and Tom Westerfield.  Sadly, they have since hung up their keys.  This lady got us clear across the U.S. and back without hitting one single tornado ... and there were MANY.  Talk about a good navigator!!!  She was the BEST!!!

They were also responsible for this ... me crewing on a hot air balloon.  Yes, we are actually holding that thing down on the ground before takeoff on a night flight.  And yes, both Jessie and Cooper were my company on this trip.  

After about 90 minutes of good thoughts, I was finally able to crash with Coop.  I've got five days off ... well four really, since there is a baby shower right in the middle.  I think Cooper and I will be taking off on a jaunt tomorrow ... because TODAY is going to be NAP DAY ... all day long!!

Wine and Cake ... OH BOY!!

 AND ....... it's Magic Castle of Bingo day once again.  Gosh ... it feels like it's almost EVERY day around here.  I barely get enough sleep to make it through the day ... and then Bingo happens and I'm falling asleep at the wheel.  Well not the wheel, but you know what I mean.

I began the day by trying to save this squash.  The gopher did a number on it, not to mention being transplanted and regaled with hot sun all day long. Yesterday, it was flat as a pancake, a little worse for wear.  This morning, having put the chair over it for shade, it's doing MUCH better! 

A quick walk around found all these guys VERY happy with the warm sun.  I call these Ladys of the Nile.  Whoohoo they are ready to burst out in blue!

It didn't take long for the early hour to arrive.  If I can make it to the Lodge by 1:30, I can put in my order for a BLT with salad.  The days of fried chicken fingers and corn dogs are gone.  And now, so too are the chili cheese dog ... no bun.  Two weeks in a row, I got sick from eating that at Bingo.  On this day, I went to the kitchen with a few questions.  

How do you heat the chili?  And more importantly, what do you do with the leftovers?  Wasn't I shocked to hear it's kept in a crock pot on low for almost 8 hours.  Leftovers are bagged up and stuck in the freezer, to be reheated ... on low ... the next week.

NO .. NO .. NO!  That's probably why I got sick.  Throw that stuff out!  It's not worth saving $2.00 worth of chili for someone to get sick.  They complied.

That brought me to this.  Sometimes it's just less hassle if I say yes instead of no thank you.  We discussed the chili over a small glass of white zin.  

In no time, it was GO time as we all headed downstairs.  That's funny ... where's the crowd?  I expected a full house, but only 89 diehards showed up.  It's graduation week around here, so we expect everyone is out with their graduates.  

Eighty is our minimum number to break even.  On this night, we had 85.  Instead of $250 for every pot, we barely squeaked by and paid $150 for ten of the games (22 games in total).  Unfortunately, that was made worse by the fact that two of our best callers were absent.  Oh my goodness ... in 30 minutes, we were 30 minutes behind schedule.

My first challenge was our one guy who has had multiple strokes.  I feel bad for him ... I really do .. but he should NOT be driving, yet here he is every week.  It's interesting to note that he walks very VERY slow, hardly lifting his feet at all ... unless you happen to catch him outside where he walks MUCH easier and faster.  Hmmmmm .........

For whatever reason, on this day he decided to test me.  He sent one of the helpers to tell me I didn't give him one of the game sheets.  Yes we did ... and we even put them in a bag so he could carry them.  I finally relented.  THAT was a mistake.  

After the next game, HE himself came to the table and told me he didn't get either speed game.  Maybe he dropped them???  He can't speak either, so just mumbled at me, getting really angry and loud.  NO I said ... I can't give you any more free games.  That's not fair to everyone else in the room.  He actually smiled as he pulled out some money to pay me for two more.  See what I mean?  They try to cheat you all the time.  When the game came around, I checked his table.  Sure enough, there were all the cards sitting in front of him.  

By now the peasants have grown weary of being way behind schedule.  I admit, I was too.  Even the King had to call on this day, and they harassed him mercilessly.  I just smiled and had a piece of my cake that now looks like someone sat there with a fork and nibbled at the flowers.  I didn't care one bit!!

It woke me up enough to begin the closeout with the new recruit.  I try not to overload her with things like "don't give away all the $5 bills or you will have to go buy more" ... and how to quickly and easily count out 126 $20 bills instead of taking five minutes.  

On this night however, the Infernal Machine showed her his bad side.  She was $25.00 short.  I might have been able to figure that out, but it was already an hour past the time my chariot turns into a pumpkin.  It's hard to think when you are being asked many questions about why.  I counted the money again, and it was what it was.  

I'll check it again today when I go back in.  Big sigh ... we are obliged to work with the Grand Lodge, whose accounting system is made for a large company like IBM.  To say it's complicated is putting it mildly.  They don't like some of our budget items, so it's a problem.  Between that, my dentist appointment and a rescheduled Trustee and Board meeting tonight, I do not see ANY sleep in my future.  

I'm pretty sure however that I DO see a Starbucks stop coming up VERY soon!

Happy Friday!!!

 Some days I do everything perfectly, but some days I put the laundry in the fridge.  Just kidding ... it's Friday, right?  Wishful thinking!  It's BINGO Tuesday of course!!

On Memorial Day, the kid and I spent very little time on the couch.  There were plants to water, ants to wash away (they have taken up residence in the tomato pots) and measurements to take in the van.  I found a clever idea ... take out the oh-too-heavy sink cover and replace it with a perfectly sized bamboo cutting board.  Orders were placed as the kid slept.  

I did just a bit of sewing, but there was no time to finish.  I gathered up the all important Ortega green chilies and mayo.  

In no time, I got a call to please come earlier to the barbecue for the Honor Guard.  Off I went at the appointed hour.  HOWEVER ... I've only been to this location twice.  Too bad I didn't have the address.  I drove around for 15 minutes before finally calling one of the Honor Guard.  I would have called the hostess ... or rather I DID call the hostess ... but she never answers her phone.

It was chaos when I finally entered the kitchen.  There wasn't a clear spot to set anything down.  At least I knew my anointed task ... make these bread things often shared by one of our Bingo ladies.  Here's the recipe, but be careful, they are addictive.  

One cup mayo, 2 cups cheddar cheese, one can Ortega chilis.  Cut and toast two baguettes.  DO NOT BURN THEM.  Okay ... THREE baguettes because one set off the smoke alarm.  While warm, cover with the cheese mixture and broil.  Serve when cool so you don't burn the roof of your mouth badly.  Hey, I warned her!!  I think I ate ten of these things.

Sadly, there are no pictures ... not one.  We quickly ran out of green chilis, so we substituted drained Rotel tomatoes with chilis.  Not bad, but not near as good.  We sat and talked for quite some time before the tri-tip finally went on the grill. 

 There's one thing for sure ... they know how to cook beef.  Sliced thin ... it was amazing.  Add to that scalloped potatoes (that we almost forgot to put on the table), green salad, Mac n Cheese, potato salad, deviled eggs ... it was a FEAST!  

Then came the BIG SURPRISE!  They had a HUGE cake in the outdoor fridge with my name on it.  You know the one ... the biggest one Costco makes.  It was all white with big white roses.  No pictures of that either because we immediately cut it up and ate half of it.  

Boy was I surprised when she also handed me a huge ... very heavy ... bag.  By now I'm stuffed to the gills and beyond .. but when I saw this GIANT container of M&M's in the bag, I opened it up and we all partook!!  Possibly there was a little food fight as M&M's went flying across the table!

I'm sad I didn't get any pictures ... nor did anyone else.  We were all just having too much fun.  

They wouldn't let me help clean up, which honestly I didn't mind.  That kitchen looked like an explosion happened inside.  I sat in the sun and marinated in bread and WAY too much food until time to head home.   Talk about blowing the diet ... TWICE!  Actually, three days in a row.  It's going to take some fortitude to get back in line.

I checked the zucchini once again to find three more blossoms.  This stuff is going crazy.  So far my new plantings are doing well, except for the yellow squash that was about 6" tall.  Apparently a gopher lives on my little hill and he ate one.  The remaining one, though very much worse for wear, got transplanted to the other side of the yard.  Today I'll check and see if he lives or not.

It was a long day, so Mr. Cooper and I made our last trip outside while it was still light.  Wasn't I surprised to find Kitty Kitty munching away on the cat food I bought just for that purpose.  I was pretty surprised he didn't see or hear us ... he just kept eating.  Maybe on the nights I don't feed him, he'll catch that dang gopher!!

It was a wonderful day in spite of overeating ... which considering the way I feel this morning, I hope to never do again!!!    Food comas are BAD when you finish it off with SUGAR OVERLOAD!!

It's time to put on my Bingo armor before I crash once again, since food comas also keep me up all night long.  HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

REMEMBER THE FALLEN

 It's just another holiday for most ... a three day holiday ... but to many of us, it's more than that ... much more.  We celebrate our fallen soldiers who gave their lives that we could live in Freedom.  The list is long ... and today we honor their sacrifice.

Thanks to those men and women, yesterday was just another wonderful day, even if it was little boring.  Mr. Cooper started his day out right with a nap.  Did I mention he had a bath?  Well he sure doesn't look like it!!

Off we went into the wild blue yonder with me running along behind.  There is one little stretch of walking in order to scan his territory, but from then on, it's hang on Mom ... and I'm running just to keep up with him.  We are going further and further since like his Mom, he has gained TWO pounds.  That's a lot for a little kid.  Hey, if I'M on a diet, HE'S on a diet.

The difference is, back at the house, he crashes on the couch and I pursue other less interesting things like sewing yet another binding.  I also did a little phone checking.  I have three whole days coming up and I really wanted to take the van out.  Where to go ... where to go.  

Then it dawned on me.  If I can't find room in an RV park, I can always check into a hotel.  And so the search was on.  This was what I found.  A nice little room with a view, nothing fancy, or so I thought, until I tried to book it.  Oh the words that came out of my mouth!!  Look at the price per night!!!  Who in the world stays THERE?  My plan was short lived.

So on to the Indianapolis 500.  I've been trying to watch the Cowboy Channel for rodeos, but they have only been showing National Final reruns.  What's up with that?  I happen to have their email address, so I sent the question to them.  

Wasn't I surprised when they responded immediately.  They said there's new programming in the works, but I don't know ... sounded fishy to me.  Since the Owner passed away, things have changed.  Maybe it's a ruse to see how many people will sign up for PAY per view.  Cowboys are broke ... and mostly cheap like me ... so good luck with that.  Maybe it's how much THEY have to pay the rodeos to air them!

SO ..... On to the race!  These are the fast boys.  They go upwards of 240 mph hour around that track.  Honestly, I can't imagine.  I freaked out going 125 in my Corvette.  Compare that to the stock car guys who only run around 190.  They had several wrecks before they even started the race.

It's all about fuel usage and tires.  How long do you draft to keep fuel in your tank and how fast do your tires heat up to keep you on the track, not to mention being lucky enough to stay out of the wrecks that always happen.  This year's winner ... the first Spaniard to ever win the 500 ... Alex Palou.  His dad cried.  And of course he drank MILK on the brickyard.

Really, I'm not a race car fan, though I did love PLAYING race car driver many times in my younger days of owning a GTO, but watching it passes the time when I'm sewing.

I spent MORE time outside, and look what I found.  A close inspection of the tomato pots revealed a haul of red.  The little green one just fell off.  Yup they taste like cherry tomatoes!  I'm already making a list of neighbors who are rarely home since I counted seven ... yes SEVEN little zucchinis.

If you're going to grow them, you better eat them.  This recipe calls for big slices of tomato, but since I had a bunch of little ones from the store, I just threw them in instead.  This chicken has a soy sauce marinade with lots of garlic, on top of thick onion slices.  Bake in the oven, top with mozzarella, easy peasy.  I know, this rather resembles parmesan since that's all I had.

I definitely need to hone up on my serving skills.  Do NOT use a spoon to get the chicken out of the pan.  It fell off in 1/2 inch deep sauce, causing it to fly EVERYWHERE.  What a mess to clean up ... and that grease will probably NEVER leave my shirt!!  The good news ... it tasted pretty darn good!!

And so ended the day with me making a long list of things to do.  I need a horse trough for a raised garden, new drip line so I don't have to water the tomatoes every day, more tomato cages, and a laundry list of other items.  

Instead of doing that today however, I will be honoring our local Honor Guard who honors our fallen with amazing ceremonies at the National Cemetery several times a week.  My good friend Kathy and I are pulling out all the stops with a big barbecue, including appetizers, in her back yard.  

I'll be remembering all the kids I went to high school with that never came back from the wars. 

REMEMBER THE FALLEN .....