A Little Autumn Walk

Our town has some wonderful walking/bike paths resulting from the "rails to trails" program, and yesterday I asked Dan if we could walk a section that I've always wanted to explore.  Don't ask why we haven't; you know how it goes.  So we drove a short distance, parked, and began to walk.  The weather was perfect, sunny but definitely cool.  Our first steps took us into an area that seemed almost tunnel-like with bright colored trees and bushes everywhere.  There was a little creek to the side and the sound of the water caught my ear.  A spillway has recently been created and it made a lovely, peaceful spot.

A little further down the path, we discovered a row of trees, each with a plaque dedicated to a student from our high school who had passed away much too young.  

I had no idea such memorials existed, but I recognized several names, and one in particular, a young seventeen-year-old who, as a boy, had attended the school where I taught  for many years.  

As we continued, we discovered a small park (who knew?) that made me want to have a picnic immediately!  I think we shall have to return soon with a bag of sandwiches, some fruit, and something warm to drink.  A hidden treasure!  I kept marveling over this area that I never knew existed.  

Below, a horse chestnut is about to pop.

And, oh, the gorgeous leaves!

It was a most restorative walk.  Peaceful, beautiful, and perfect.  I think we must do it again soon.

Just A Phone Call Away

I always think I need to have pictures, but guess what--I have no new pictures.  I do have a new cell phone! And here's the story.  About six years, or more, ago, Ann and Eric gave Dan a cell phone for Father's Day so he could call home when he's out and about in the woods.  With the proliferation of cell phones, pay phones had all but disappeared from the landscape.  For years, when Dan was on his way home, he would stop at one to tell me where he was and when he'd be home, but it was getting harder and harder to find one to use.  The cell phone was actually for both of us--for Dan to use and for me to have peace of mind.

So, Dan carried that phone with him for years, until that one became so outdated he had to buy a new one, and then he took that one.  The operative word, however, is work.  The only time he remembers to take it with him is when he's working.  And I appreciate that!  But whenever we'd just be on the move, chances were very good that it was not with him--it was home, in the drawer in the kitchen.  "Rats!" we would say, when we'd think of need for it, "We don't have the phone again!"  

Tuesday, grandson Cameron had a soccer game at a school in the neighboring town.  I knew where it was supposed to be and even printed out directions to get there.  Upon arriving at the school, we noticed a football team was practicing in the field.  Hmmm.  The game must have moved to the high school field, so we made our way across town and into the general vicinity of that school. And yes, there were mumblings in the Explorer about the fact that the cell phone was in the drawer and we couldn't call Ann to find out what was up.  I was heard to say, "This is it! I am going to get my own cell phone and it's going to live in my purse!" And Dan agreed.

Meanwhile we were having no luck finding the high school. We could see it, but we couldn't figure out how to get there.  As we wound around and around the hills, we finally spotted a lady walking her dog and asked her.  We were close!  Following her directions, we found it and parked and headed for some soccer games we could see in the distance.  A young woman walked by us and hearing our ponderings over which team might be Cameron's, asked who were were looking for.  When we told her, she said their game was at the school we had first gone to.  We told her there was football practice going on and she asked if we'd gone to the lower fields. Of course we hadn't because we didn't know there were lower fields, which it turns out, were only accessible by driving a few blocks past the school and turning left and following a winding street which led to the other side of the school.

So, back across town we went, figuring we'd all but missed the game, but knowing we had to explain what had happened.  When we got there, we spotted Ann on a hill, looking for us, as she had been doing for about forty-five minutes.  She had begun to suspect (correctly) what had happened, but of course, couldn't call us.  

We did get to see most of the second half of the game, but missed Cameron's score (of course) which was early in the first half.  His team won!  They haven't had a lot of wins, so this was sweet.  

As soon as we left the game, we went to the store and bought my phone.  It's nothing fancy, but I can run it and I've even learned to text.  The important part is that it's in my purse and next time we'll be able to call. I've put Ann's number in my contacts!   

Pumpkins!

Somebody had way too much fun with a couple of bags of little pumpkins!

 Love these varigated ones!

Here's another with a tiny white one.  ♥

A whole basket full!

And another tiny white one.

Our local Safeway had mixed bags of these little guys for a pittance, so of course I had to buy one.  Then another, and then another for Ann.  They are just the perfect accent for fall and make me smile every time I see them. And yes, there are more scattered around the house, but I thought four pictures were enough.

It's October!!  ♥

A Quilting Mystery

When we were down at Bruder Bear's over Labor Day, Karen reminded me that they have a quilt given to them by my dad's sister, Betty Jane.  According to our aunt, the quilt had been made for our great-grandfather Cummings by his mother.  Karen had showed it to me briefly some years ago, but this time we got it out and examined it carefully.  

It's beautiful, made with gorgeous fabric, possibly silks, and obviously not made from scraps.  

Isn't it gorgeous?  The center is all done and quilted by hand.  The borders, however, are quilted by machine. Here's a corner with our great-grandfather's initials, GC for George Cummings.  

The mystery?  Well, another corner had the date 1865, also done by machine.  And here's where I need answers that I'll never get.  George Cummings' mother was Mary and family history has her suffering from "consumption" from an early age.  I have a sampler made by her when she was thirteen and it says she was "abed."  In my family searchings, I have found the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Missouri census for the family. Mary was listed in 1850 and 1860, but a new wife is listed in the 1870 census, along with several small children who were born from 1864 on.  So, how did this quilt get an 1865 dating? Did the new wife finish it up and use her sewing machine? (I guess this is why today's quilters are told over and over to make labels for their quilts.  I confess, I don't do it very often.)  

George Cummings enlisted in the U.S. Missouri Second Cavalry in 1862 when he was eighteen and saw action through the next three years of the Civil War including the battle of Gettysburg.  Sometime during his absence, his mother died, apparently without completing the quilt she was making for him.  I like to think that the second wife finished it out of respect for Mary and love for her husband and his son.  But we'll never know.  It is interesting to note that the first child born to the new wife was named Mary.

George William Cummings in 1929, a year before his death in 1930 at age 85.  (Photo taken behind the Clearwater Tribune building following an interview with him and a confederate Civil War veteran for the Lewiston Morning Tribune.)

More Zucchini Stuff

When I recently wrote about zucchini, I mentioned in a comment that I had a recipe that we loved and said I would do a post on it.  It's one I created the summer of 1982 when we had not much money and a glut of summer squash.  It's been a keeper and we've even managed to finally grow enough zucchini that I've made it again this summer.

Summer Squash Skillet

1/2 pound burger

8 oz can tomato sauce

1/3 cup water

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

3 medium summer squash/zucchini

diced green peppers (opt)

Topping:

1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Stuffing 

2 T butter, melted

Brown burger in large skillet.  Add sliced squash (and optional peppers) and lightly stir fry.  In a small bowl, mix rest of ingredients and pour over meat and veggies. Cover and let simmer for about ten minutes. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over squash mixture.  Cover and continue simmering on low for about five more minutes.  

We set the skillet on a trivet and serve right from the pan.  It makes a tasty, inexpensive, complete meal. Enjoy!

My dishes are Longaberger Heritage Green, and I'm blessed to have these great shallow soup bowls that work perfectly for one-dish meals like this.  

Here's how the whole dinner looks in the pan:

Next time I'll use my new pan!  ♥

Yada, Yada

Boy, this retired life is hard to keep up with.  And Dan and I have come to conclusion that days are shorter than they used to be.  Don't really know how this can be, but I've heard it from lots of other, um, older people. Anyway, it seems that there isn't as much time to get things done as in the past.  I taught two machine embroidery classes at the shop last Thursday, worked there as usual on Friday, and then after our traditional Friday night date at a local Mexican restaurant, Dan and I found ourselves so tuckered that we were in bed around eight!  Yikes!  

Then on Saturday, Dan got up early to split wood for Dad and Mom, loaded it and we took off for their house where Bruder Bear and nephew JR were already hard at work on a few chores.  Dan had taken a load down on Friday, too, so he was able to avail himself of some good help with the unloading both days. 

John and Dan worked on putting a new light/heat lamp/fan in the ceiling of one of mom and dad's bathrooms, and in between, all the guys went out for a little practice shooting with their muzzle loaders in anticipation of hunting later this fall.  By all accounts, some more practice will be needed.  

It was a fun and productive day and we all had a great time.  Bruder Bear drove his new truck up and we had fun giving it the once over.  It's a beaut!  

Sunday was church and a nap.  Monday, we decided to head for Costco because certain necessary supplies were running out.  I know I've said it before, but I love Costco!!  It's better than a trip to Disneyland for sure. As usual, in addition to those necessary supplies, we found other items that seemed to find their way into the cart.  (I got a gorgeous new 5-quart stainless pan that I've drooled over for months.  Can't wait to use it.)

Tuesday and Wednesday have come and gone, housework, keeping up with some Bible study lessons, a little cooking...and here we are on Thursday night.  Back to work at the shop tomorrow.  Saturday I'll be cooking up a storm to provide some food for a family of four whose wife and mother is just recovering from breast cancer surgery.  They're special friends and so I want to make some good stuff.  And so, the days and weeks pass.   ♥

The Shingles and Me

I got the shingles for Christmas last year, and even though it rhymes with jingles, let me assure you there's nothing festive about them.  Oh, they are rather red, but again, nothing festive.  So when I went to the doctor for the second time (the first one was young and inexperienced and didn't recognize what I had), in addition to saying, "Shingles!  You've got shingles," she mentioned my blood pressure was high.  I said it was probably due to the fact that, until that moment, I didn't know what was wrong with my arm and suspected some horrible, dread disease, possibly resulting in my arm falling off.  Anyway, a follow-up appointment was scheduled for me to check out the situation.

I dutifully took myself to the doctor (a new one recommended by the lovely lady doc who had recognized my shingles) and he said, yup, it looks high.  I said I didn't want to take a bunch of meds and amazingly enough, he agreed to let me try without, concentrating on diet and exercise.  He also mentioned the DASH diet which gave me a starting point.

I went home, researched DASH and ordered several books from Amazon.  By this time it was early January and the exercise issue was a real dilemma.  There was snow outside, and ice, and it wasn't looking good for walks which was his recommendation.  As I was talking about all this to Ann, she mentioned that my old NordicTrack was languishing in her basement because, as she put it, she had a two-year-old.  The whole family brought it over that night and left it for me.  My exercise issue was solved.  (Of course, I had to use it myself, but thanks be to God, I have used it five days a week since then.  We're talkin' real miracle here, folks.)

I got my DASH books and set about reading them.  Of course, one main course of action is to limit salt intake, but another is to eat a lot of grains, fruits, and veggies. And not in chip form!!!  When you start limiting foods based on sodium content, it's amazing what gets tossed from your diet.  I began to try many new foods and cooking methods.  A new row of spices showed up on my shelf.  Good thing I enjoy cooking!  It has actually been, for the most part, fun, and I look at it as a challenge. Some good stuff has resulted and even Dan says he enjoys it.  

Oh, a couple of points I've almost forgotten to mention: it worked!  After two follow-up visits to the doc, he turned me loose, saying it was a pleasure to work with someone who actually did the right thing.  And second, a totally unexpected benefit has been my new shape.  I had long tried to lose some pounds, with no luck.  The combination of my new diet and the NordicTrack knocked off twenty pounds and tightened quite a few of this old girl's muscles (formerly known as dimpled flab).  Who knew?!?  

I have tossed almost all my old clothes and purchased new ones and it's actually been fun!  And it's helped me to keep motivated.    I have to confess, I'm still not a lover of exercise, but I force myself to the family room each morning and get on and go.  I tell Dan I feel like an alcoholic, but instead of a drink, I'm just one missed morning away from going back to my old ways.  I also confess to slipping a few chips into my mouth on occasion, but I guilt up pretty fast and swear off for at least a week or so.  

On the food front, one of my favorite new lunches is a huge salad.  In my old days, a salad was just a way to add croutons, olives, cheese, and yummy salad dressing. After reading labels, it turned out that wasn't such a good idea.  Right now my current fav is:  a huge bowl of spring mix greens, strawberries, blueberries, a little reduced fat feta cheese, sliced chicken breast (home cooked on my George Foreman), and sliced almonds.  I make my dressing using olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar.  It's yummy!

I have to say, getting the shingles was a blessing.  And outside of not knowing for a few days what I had, it wasn't awful like you hear on the ads on TV.  I have some residual scarring, more like polka dots, but I can't complain.  Dan says the scars are on muscle, not flab.  ♥