A Hodge Podge Day

Fashbacks of grammar school keep popping up as I sip my coffee.  Seriously, I've been drinking this stuff since I discovered it in about 1979.  I think that makes it an antique.  I have to laugh at all the stuff I see nowadays in antique stores because most of it is in my cupboards and I use them every day.

Back in grammar school, we had the opportunity to be in a band.  I doubt very much that happens today.  The school had a music teacher and instruments.  We didn't change classrooms like they do now, we stayed in one room the entire time ... except on Fridays we got to head over to the music room.  What kid didn't want to do that?  

If you didn't have an instrument, they gave you one to use.  I played the trumpet.  Crazy, yeah?  Turns out I was pretty good at it and was picked for the Honor Band that played a concert in town.  I'm thinking 1960 or so.  Thanks for the memories Frances!

Okay, time to get moving.  I've been sitting WAY too much.  The sun was just coming up when I hit the road.  

At long last the colors are starting to change and I head around the corner.  I look at these and think ... gee, I'd love to have one of those in my yard.  Then shades of terrible gardeners come through the mist.  Nope ... they will end up requiring too much work from me.  I've sure gotten lazy in my old age.

This house on the corner always makes me wonder.  There are never less than ten cars parked here at any one time.  Doesn't matter if it's morning, noon or night ... there are ten cars.  I wonder who lives there?  I wonder how they fit that many people into one house!  The best part is their gardener is just as bad as mine!  

Here and there the photographer in me will jump out for a few seconds.  I love the autumn colors, but I'm very happy I don't see them all over my yard.

By now this section including my driveway would be completely covered with leaves.  Not really pretty leaves either.  Two and a half miles later, I'm back admiring my concrete.  I really have to get out more often!

Good news ... the gentleman whose wife and mother are in the antique business said he would take all of the antique furniture that's been stored in my garage.  I would rather it go to someone who will take care of it than it end up in the dump.  I was even happier when he said both his wife and her mother have a huge doll collection since her father used to work in a factory that made them.  They would be thrilled to have them.  How cool is that!  I was in the garage until late last night, sorting through stuff.

In the meantime, I had a hankering for potato salad.  Rarely do I eat such things any more, but I was really craving something substantial.  First however, I had to repair the pot.  This cookware is as old as the hills. Way back when, they actually used screws to keep the handle on.  

This is significant because I just threw away a pot that landed on the floor when the handle broke.  There was no way it could be fixed.  They just made stuff better in the old days.

Okay here we are.  TA DA!!!!  The tree is done .. almost.  It needs a couple more little things here and there, and of course an angel on top.  It's 7' tall, but you could probably take it down to 6' ... and maybe two feet wide.  

Quick and easy, it's got three sections that go together, then you just spread the branches out.  I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet.  Maybe I'll get another one and decorate it appropriately, like that picture.  The best part, it will take less than 15 minutes to take down.  It's a win-win!  Know what else?  I even found the remote control to plug in and use in turning the lights on and off.  Woohoo!!

But WAIT!  What's this?  I woke up to find ANOTHER box under the tree.  What could THAT be??

Guess we'll have to find out later since I'm off to the big town of Fresno to visit with two of my bestest RV friends.  We're going to have a BOIL!!