The Decision.

This is my first time at this meme....so be gentle....lol.... the prompt is in blue. There are ( i think i counted right)100 words. I'm pretty sure i'm right, cuz i had to delete one word.
And, hopefully, i did this according to the rules. My mind has a tendency to skip a rule or two sometimes, without letting me know until it's too late.
So, without further ado.....
i am linking this to........

Saturday Centus - Week 12

The decision was made. No turning back.
AnnieLee, sitting next to me, was rambling on about the past.
"Do you remember the promises's.....?" "Blah blah blah was all i heard. I was thinking, driving six hours is a long time on the road. Six hours spent singing car-aoke and taking in the picturesque scenery, but mostly reminiscing about the good old times.
But those days were long gone and my mind was in a different place now. Or was it? My pulse quickened as i passed the road sign which read "Medford 27 miles". 

After 14 years of hearing the same words, non-stop, i had come to the end of my rope. Just a few more miles and i would be rid of her. Just a bit past Medford and peace will be mine. And her's. 

It is time to set her free, this ghost of love long lost. Time to put her soul to rest.

It is time to let her go. 

The Redheads in the Family

Linking up with Jenny Matlock for RAINBOW RED at...
Alphabe-Thursday

I was agonizing over RED. What could i post about that was RED? It was my mother's favorite color, and she had RED everywhere in her house, and on her lips, fingernails and toenails, plus the clothes she wore. She really loved RED.
I think, if she had been just a bit braver, she would have painted the walls RED, and had RED carpet. Thankfully she didn't. Her place already had a RED glow when the sun shone through the RED curtains. I don't think i could have stood much more.
And strangely, me? Not so much. It's okay, but, not as an EVERYTHING color. 
What to post?
Then as i was commenting on someones else's RED post, saying most of the dolls i make have red hair, it hit me... well duh!
So, here they are, the RED heads of the family, a few of the dolls i have made over time.

Bags Here, Bags There, Bags Bags Everywhere.

I am linking up with Emily at chatting at the sky for.......



Come over, join the fun.


I like making things. I like making bags, toys, pincusions, or, sometimes i just embroider on a piece of fabric, hoping i'll find a use for it later.
I love the feel of a needle and thread in my hand. I love to use my sewing machine.
I need something to do with my hands while we watch t.v at night, so i try to always have some kind of project going that needs handsewing done on it.
I am un-wrapping a few of the bags i have made lately.

The Last Blooming of the Garlic

It's time to head on over to the Little Red House for......
Mosaic Monday

Six years ago i planted an elephant garlic clove in a tire in my backyard. It grew. And it grew.
Which surprised me to no end, i had never grown garlic before.
It got taller, and taller, until finally, it stopped growing UP and started building a flower. By then it was over seven feet tall.

I said "WOW". In fact, i said it every day.

When i thought it was time to pull it and enjoy the rewards, i cut off the stem and dug it up. It was huge. And oh so good.
I forgot about it.

Come the next spring, there it was, peeking out of the dirt, pushing it's way up. It grew. And grew.
I didn't know about the little 'bulbetts', and that it would multiply. I was amazed.
It was just as tasty as the first time. Only, this time i ate the bloom too. Oh yum.

That garlic came up every year after that. Last year, as we were moving to this house, i spotted it, little green shoot pushing it's way out of the dirt again. I couldn't just leave it there, it had become a tall tale of the family. Plus, the dang bulbs were delicious, and big enough to share with the kids.... so, we gently dug it up and replanted it in a huge pot on the deck.
It grew. And grew. For the last time.
It was beautiful and tall and strange, and oh so tasty.
As silly as it is, i missed that dang garlic coming up this year.
Thankfully, i got pictures of it's last blooming.
Here is my 'Garlic Mosaic'.

I thought i was a poet.

Once upon a time, i thought i was a poet. A writer of magic words, i was sure wisdom flew out of the end of my pen.
But then i remembered. And wrote this.
1979

"Do not go beyond the fence!"

What parents teach their kids. It's what they teach us in school, and it's what husband's and wives say to each other.

"Do not go beyond the fence!"

Zoo's have it on both sides.

"Do not walk on the grass!"

They plant miles and miles of beautiful, soft, green, fragrant grass and tell us to "KEEP OFF!"  Hmmmmm.

"Help keep our country clean and green."

Now this one is superior to most. There are bombs powerful enough, and men insane enough, to make hash of us all. And they tell US to keep our country clean and green.

"Day use only...no overnight camping."

My favorite. Tell me, what is the point in using a place only in daylight? Do boogie-men and monsters come out at night?

So what. We could use a few more boogiers.

As for monsters, look around, they are everywhere and it is daylight.

G is for.................

     Linking up to...................    

I didn't find Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday until she was on the letter W, so i only got to do W,X,Y, and Z.
Now, today is the end of Alphabe-Thursday, and we are to use any letter we want, or repost and old one.
Hmmmm.....what to do what to do.
A could be for, uh, ANSWER, but i don't have one.
How about L, for i'm LOST!

But then..... but then as i was sitting looking out the window, watching the dawn, the first beam of sun popped through the leaves of the sweet gum tree. And it shook me to my core. It looked like a jewel that had been hiding in the tree, waiting for that one certain, special beam of light to hit it. It blasted color and sparkle through the leaves.
Then it moved on and hit the little orange flowers sitting on the deck, changing them to fireworks of the morning. As it crawled along the deck it lit first one marvel, then another.
A young walnut that fell too early off the black walnut tree.
A spider web stretching from the pineapple lily to the twisty sunflower my granddaughter has been trying to grow.
A lady bug resting on a stem of my one lonely tomato plant. She awoke with sun in her eyes, and began to stir, looking for breakfast.
As the light moved around the corner, it slid into the cup of one of the calla lillies where a small green frog had taken up residence. It lit him up like a piece of fine jade.
Then it hit me. Right in the face. Ah, what a glorious morning it is.
So, how about G is for Great Good Morning!

Darlin' Daisy gets a haircut.

Linking to Chatting at the Sky for.....


This is my fur sweetie, Daisy. She is a long-hair chihuahua, 11 years old this month. She's been with us since she fit in the palm of my hand. She weighs less than 5 lbs.
The weather has turned over hot, so it was time for her yearly haircut. It totally changes how she looks.
The first photo is before, and the next is after. Isn't she the cutest though!

Alexis's first ' real' bike.

This is linked to...........
Mosaic Monday


Granddaughter Alexis, got her first 'real' bicycle 2 years ago. She was thrilled. Her very own new bicycle. I shot these photos from our front deck as she was zooming back and forth, grinning ear to ear, hair blowing in the wind. Such joy.

Z is for ZIPPER

And once again i am linking up with



Never, i mean never, forget your friends that you stashed away in an open zippered pocket somewhere. They get a little upset and tend to escape and get into trouble.

"  Reach! Grab my hand!"  

 "  Come on! Stretch! We've got to get out of these zippers before
she comes back!"  

"  Thats it! Just a bit further!"  

 "  Okay, i've about got'cha now...a little bit more...

t

... there we go. Lets get gone!"  

And that, dear friends, was the great ZIPPER escape.
Now you all know i really am nuts around the bend a bit crazy in the head.
Giggle.

In the Hills of Oregon

This is my first time to link up with A Southern Daydreamer for...



My Old Guy drives a belly-dump, hauling rock for logging roads in the hills.
Every day he sees beauty. Here is some of it.

Early morning fog that hides the valley's below.

Then, as the fog lifts it all comes into view.

And, headed back down the mountain, they drive along a river and the green is amazing.

The Invasion

 It's TUESDAY again, and i am linking up with Emily at............



I like to sew. I make bags, toys, cusions, baby blankets, pincusions, and whatever else comes to mind.
Sometimes it's like being taken over by aliens.
Like two weeks ago. I started making turtles and birds. I made 8 turtles, 5 birds and one snail in two days.
I had been invaded.

Then i started hearing "oooooh, they're so cute! i want one. can i have one?" This from my daughters.
Now these critters are not toys, they are strictly 'look at' things, and of course, when the mom's got to pick out theirs, the little ones were wanting some for themselves. I guess i have to make some kid friendly ones now.

But, even though it makes me feel great when my girls gather around to oooooh and ahhhh over the things i make, when my big 6 ft. bear of a son-in-law said to daughter Blue, "where's my turtle? i want a turtle. it's not fair you women get all these things!"....well, i was floored.
This big guy who refuses to eat with pink plastic picnic ware because pink is a 'girl color', was whining about not getting a turtle. Will wonders never cease.
John now has his own turtle. He's happy. Me too.

The recipe for my 'From Seed to Yum' zuccini bread.

Anja requested this recipe...so for anyone who wants to try it, here it is.
Let me give you fair warning though, it  tends to disappear fast.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans, or 4 mini-loaf pans. I always use the mini pans, for some reason it makes a big difference, and the bread comes out with just a bit of a crunch around the edges. Very yummy.

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups of grated zuccini
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) (i never use nuts)
Beat the eggs until they are frothy, gradually add the sugar. Stir in the oil and vanilla.
Beat until thick and lemon colored.

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients until well blended. Stir this into the egg mix. Pour the batter into the pans, about 3/4 full. Bake for 1 hour, or until done. Cool 10 minutes.

From Seed to Yum

Isn't it amazing though...that slimy little seed goes into the ground, pushes up a green seedling, which then turns into gorgeous huge leaves and joyful yellow blossoms, and then into green tasty squash that then becomes the most yummy bread you can imagine. Oh yeah. This little vegi is well loved around here. The flowers are tasty too!
My my my.
Summer love.

Join us, won't you?
for

Mosaic Monday 
at the Little Red House.

Ice Water

 


In the hot hot days we are having, a glass of good ole' ice water is the perfect thing.
It tinkles and clinks. It cools a hot forehead and wets a dry hot throat.
Ice water.
Just for the joy of it.

Y is for Yard Crew

When we first moved into this house a year ago, the Yard needed a lot of work. The grass was knee high, the plants were wild and wooly and going everywhere.
So, my wonderful Yard Crew set to work. They dug, planted, raked, washed, watered, mowed and weeded.
 
They worked very hard, so we fed them good food cooked on the grill by my Old Guy.
It was a great day, family all around, sun shining, music in the background, laughter, food, babies fussing.
It does not get better than that.

 

Here it is again, Alphabe-Thursday at Jenny Matlocks place.
Come on over.

I was a cook.......

at the 1260 Inn on the Al-can Hwy. way back in 1984-85. The Al-can Hwy. was (is?) the one road to get from the lower 48 to Alaska.
The 'then' owner hired me over the phone. She asked me, "do you make pies?"  "Yes" i answered, "but i won't bake on the job. I'm not making pies." Her comeback was, "well you have to make pies!"
  "Nope. Not gonna make pies. Find somebody else."
"Wait. wait. okay. you don't have to make pies. I'll make the pies. You're hired."

Just like that. I was a cook. At an Inn. During the busy season. Oh boy.  Not only was it the busy season, but there was also road repair and construction going on, and since places to eat and sleep were far and few between, we got a lot of business.

We opened the dining room doors at 5 a.m, and closed at 9 p.m. Long days.
Some days i was cook/dishwasher/cashier/waitress, all at once. Some days i was just the cook.
When i first started she put me on as the dinner cook, which meant i started work at noon, doing a little of this and that, getting my kitchen ready for the dinner rush. That included coming up with a nightly special. A different special every other night. I stuck pretty close to the norm for the first week, but then got bored with the same words on the sign, over and over again. So i got goofy. Fridays i put 'Fried Chicken Lips' on the board. Wednesday it was 'Tuna Casserole with crushed Snail Shell topping', and Sunday was 'Grab it before it gets away snake bites'.  Oh, i had fun. So did my customer's. I was a hit. I joked and talked with people, took special orders. Mrs. owner wouldn't do anything special for anyone. She was not pleasant.

After a few weeks she changed me over to the breakfast shift, which i actually liked a lot more. I made the biggest, softest, fluffiest pancakes in the state. When you ordered a stack from me, you got a 'stack'. Mrs. owner didn't like that, she wanted to go as cheap as possible, like pancakes the thickness of a quarter, sandwiches so empty they were scary. Me, i liked pleasing my customers, making them smile. 
I think she must have fired me a half dozen times, but it only lasted a few minutes. There were no more cooks within miles, and it would take weeks to get another one. Which, being the brat i am, i took advantage of. I didn't do anything wrong, i just wouldn't cheat or short people. 

Every once in a while she would get after me about the pies. Threatening me. Oh was i scared. Ha.  Usually the threats came when there was a tour bus on its way. They always stopped for coffee and pie. She had to make the pies. She hated me then. I didn't much like her anytime, so it didn't bother me a bit. 

This photo below was taken one night about midnight, the night before my day off. I had just picked up a 6 pak of Coors, the bartender, 'Capt. Quirk', was calling out to me...."Linda sweetheart, you can flip my cakes any ole' day!" 

I was so alive that year. I was sizzling with it. I was full of piss and vinegar and loving it all. 
Even though this photo is such a terrible shot, hard to see any detail, when i look at it i can see the sparks flying off of me, and the stars dancing around my head. I can hear my laughter and feel how my body glowed and moved so smoothly and easy. 
It was a good time.

Sleepytime boy in blue.

Linking up to........................
http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/


This is grandson Eddie. These were taken when he was just a week old, he is 12 weeks now.

Ashlyn's eating habits.

 Linking up to................

Mosaic Monday

Granddaughter Ashlyn used to fall asleep while eating almost every night. Her mom got some great photos of these times, and i think they are precious.
I wonder what she'll think when she's 16, and see's them.

Jerry

 

A year ago we found out that our dear friend, Jerry, had been murdered by his son.
We had just moved into this house, and were getting ready for his yearly visit from Colorado, when we were informed of this horrible thing that had happened.

I have been feeling down and sad this day, wishing he was here with us again. I had so wanted him to see this house and enjoy having his own room while he was here. We were so looking forward to him meeting the new baby this year.
But, it is not to be.

With all of this sadness in my heart, are also wonderful memories of him. These i will share with you.

We first met him in 1999, when he came out from Colorado with daughter Lisa. He was quiet and cheerful and such a nice man. He stepped into the heart of this clan with ease and grace.
He would come out every year after that. Sometimes twice, for Thanksgiving and again in the summer. He would stay with us for a week, then go off to visit his grandkids in Nevada before heading back home to Colorado.
He and my Old Guy would take long drives in the hills and woods, talking and having fun, and when they got back they would both fall asleep watching a movie. Never failed. I would look at them there, each in his own chair, heads back, snoring a little, and i would think how nice it was to see them together, brother's of the heart.
My daughter's all loved him like a brother. They would go out dancing, or to the beach, or hiking. His yearly visit was such a sweet gift to us all.

The last year he was here, he stopped off for a few days on the coast. He knew i hadn't been there in a long time, and he knew how much i missed the sea and beach, so when he got here he handed me a grocery bag, in it was a Snapple bottle full of sea water, sand and sea air. There was a little pile of shells and stones, and a little piece of driftwood he had collected from the beach for me. The bottle had to be thrown out after a while, it had a few tiny creatures in it too, which began to smell a bit. But, that gift, that wonderful thoughtful gift from my friend, was the most precious thing to me. I still have the stones, and the shells, and the little piece of driftwood. They live in a place of honor on my shelf, here in my room. As i'm sitting here, i can turn my head to the left and see them there. My gift. My treasure. Given to me by a man who had the heart of an angel. A man who loved his family with all that was in him.

Sometimes, when i think of him, i wonder, just what must he have been thinking when he realized who it was that was his murderer. Oh the sorrow that must have overtaken him at that moment. It is like a knife in my soul to think of it. So, when those thoughts come, i turn my head and look at the gift, and i see his smile.
He is gone. But he is always here. And oh so missed.

X is for Xcellant!

Linking to...............


My oldest daughter, Lisa, has gone back to school. She is 48 this month. She was terrified of math, but, on her first math test she came away with an A+.
What could be more Xcellant?