A MOTHER'S DAY STORY

I remembered that I do have a very special memory of my Mother.
My Mom was still in recovery after her first bout with breast cancer. I also had a small medical situation , so we both had to go all the way to the City four times a year for our quarterly checkups.
Anyway, it was rather interesting that almost all of the sales ladies who helped when we were clothes shopping, to take us for sisters. It usually happened when Mom asked an opinion about a garment she had on. Or maybe if I was trying on something. I would say,"Mom', etc".
The sales lady would say, in a startled way, " Mom?" You are Mother and daughter?"
"I believed you to be sisters!"
The restuarnt waiters did too.
The first time it happened, we were quite startled. Then we remembered that there were people up home, Who have always known us, that occasionally got us mixed up.
"No, we are Mother and daughter." I would add, " we are best friends too."
After a few times this occurred, Mom finally asked me if it bothered me, to be taken for sisters.
"No, not a whit. I am proud we could be sisters. It's not that I may appear too mature. It is that you look much more youthful then you think you do." I replied.
Mom, was at 'that' age when women begin to take a second look in the mirror and wondering. My Mom never did look her chronological age. Both of us were NOT sun bathers. And staying out of the sun sure keeps the skin smooth and clear.
So, after that when someone exclaimed, " I thought you sisters!". We would just reply, "that's ok, we very often are taken for sisters". And thank you for the lovely compliment."

TIME OUT

WHAT CAN I SAY?

I really don't have anything light and amusing to say. There is too much disgusting going on out there. I can't do anything about it. That makes me angry.
Bullying, abuse. Children and women mistreated. Unacceptable, totally.

HORSES FOREVER

In one my previous posts, I told about how my older brother and I lost our soft toys.
Well, these are successful surviors of the measles. I got the 'big' measles at the beginning of summer vacation. The summer between the 6th and seventh grade. I got them from someone in town.
I was quite sick and spent two weeks in bed. In low light, semi-darkness. When my fever finally broke, I was bored and asked for something to play with. I told Mom, I didn't want my doll or monkey, because I might lose them. She said what else is there? Oh, how about my horse figures. They can be washed and sterilized with some Lysol. Mom blinked and said, oh, yeah. Ok. So, I played with my horses and I didn't break them because, I was still in bed. I only played with one or two at a time. Had a lot of horse adventures. Wish I could remember some of the imaginary adventures so I could write them down. The pink horse is: Pinky, the palomino is: Twinkle Toes,
The pony on front left is: Patches, and the one front right is: Lady.
I came through the measles ok. No left over side affects.
Then, poor Mom, my baby brother came down with them. And he was a terror. House arrest for his time. Because, he wouldn't stay in bed. So, Mom dressed him warm and we kept all the blinds down. And we had to lock the doors.

NO PICTURES AGAIN

WHAT THE FRIG IS GOING ON? I CAN'T POST PICTURES WITH MY BLOG. AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. I SEE OTHER BLOGGERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. WE GET VERY DISGUSTED. TAKES THE FUN OUT OF IT.
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OK. NEW PROTOCOL, IN ORDER TO POST PICTURES. TOTALLY NEW AND STUPID. I found it over on the help page. But, took awhile to make it work. But now have the picture for my previous post.

APATHY AND ENNUI

Goodness, but, I just can't seem to get excited enough about anything to write about.
Very dull, I have 'finally' figured out why it has always been hard for me to get back to making my little projects. I take too long to make something. I guess I have a short attention span. I become bored, and then I just have to do something else, And I get in a hurry and I can't hurry, or the item would not be worth saving. What I have had to do is get myself to a point, of being calm and centered, so I could then apply myself . And I have to get myself interested again.
It has always seemed, that when I get started on a project, all goes well for a day or two, maybe three, if I'm lucky, Then 'BOOM'!!! Something, ALWAYS, happens to break up my peace. Always, and ever. Therefore, I guess, I end up becoming reluctant to start again.
Drawing is one of the things I can do, that be done quickly, in between interruptions. Another was to do a water color. I could do something in five minutes. I do Chinese style brush painting.
It was much more so at home. In my own home I had a little more control. However, time for myself, was always hard to maintain. Life has always been too much with me.
Now, I fill the time with reading. Playing on my computer and watching tv. Only I do find I watch TV a lot less. There is getting to be more and more that is just plain crap, and therefore, less and less to watch. Programming in the line of animal house, appealing to the dumbed down young people. Grossness, no manners and disgusting behavior, seems to rule.
But that is another story. I'll vent later.

APRIL-SWEET PEAS

Did you know that the flower of the month for April is 'Sweet Peas'? I had a hard time finding any sort of picture. These are 'species' . I was looking for the Commercial style of flower. The kind we used in flower shops. They are bigger and have more blooms per stem. I wanted to do a drawing. But, this does not show how the plants grow.
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http://www.classicnatureprints.com/pr.Vicks%20Flowers?N=A

DOLL GENESIS

I thought that I had made my doll Willowby in '71, but, turns out I didn't get to working on her until '72. Because as I discovered, it wasn't until then, that my dear friend-CM told me about the wonderful: Susan Sirkis', 'Wish Booklets". ('Joy and Riches'!!!) Ms. Sirkis had designed an entire series of period fashions from the 19th. Century for dolls. She had included a pattern for a cloth doll to dress. If one didn't have an antique fashion doll. Then over a number of years, I made a complete wardrobe for my Willowby doll. And here I thought it all only happened a year earlier. Willowby is the lucky possessor of a wardrobe of at least 35 outfits. In between sewing for her, I was working on a lot of other things too. I was making wooden toys assembled of various wooden findings. And I was designing and sewing small animals of felt and fur fabric. Later at a Miniature dollhouse collectors show, I saw the wonderful mini felt dolls made by an Artist named Betsy Heistand. ( unfortunately, she got caught by cancer and is no longer with us.) Her dolls were not high priced, but yet were just out of my reach. However, I saved my money and finally became the proud caretaker of one of her little 5 1/2" dolls.
I came home and designed something similar.
These are all dollhouse size

THOUGHTS-AFTER MIDNIGHT

For some reason, I have not been able to sleep the lately. And I had been doing rather well, about getting some real rest, with an unbroken sleep. Makes me wonder if there is anything going on, somewhere, regarding people I know, or maybe relatives. There is no way for me to find out.
My cousin Avis in her last letter, told me our Aunt Nettie had been quite ill with pneumonia. But, was home again and better. Nettie is my Dad's youngest sister. The last one left of her family. When she is gone, there will be no longer any of that generation. My generation is then next. And we are already somewhat thinned out.
Avis told me my high school class had another get together last June. She said, wish you were there. I wrote and told her, *not* no way, ever. I went twice and the experience was a *Titanic* rate disaster both times. Those people seem to think they knew me. NOPE, no way. They only saw what I allowed them to see. I had created a 'persona' to use in order to survive. Same thing happened in Jr. College. A lot of people do the same thing. At least, I hope so. They probably just aren't aware of it.
Whether we are aware or not, each person has many facets. Like the face of a diamond, we reflect many hues. Changing in the light. Depending on the situation.
I go over my life, and follow the path, mentally, that brought me here. To this person I am, and to where and how I live now. Don't try to pigeonhole me, even by naming me a non-conformist. Because, I always follow the rules. I just choose not to be a sheep. Unlike almost everyone else, I always knew who I am and what I wanted to do.
These are things I think about in the dark. Always at night, I ponder life, the human condition and the world, as it spins on it's pole and makes it's eliptical way around the Sun.

GARDENING

What is funny to me, when I finally got around to thinking about it. I always liked flowers. Growing up we didn't really have a garden. But, my Grandma did. She had a lovely garden. Lots of variety. They also grew vegetables for food. But, we didn't have a garden perse' at our house. I do remember growing various vegetables at different times. Including potatoes, just for the fun of it. The only flowers were Hollyhocks. Mom liked Hollyhocks. They are quite a nice flower. Just the name is unfortunate. Later we had a rose garden of twenty roses.
When we were first married, I became heavy into potted plants. We lived on the top floor of an apartment building. On one end and there was an iron railing. I bought a small metal flower cart and soon had it filled with begonias, fuchsias, colored leaf geraniums and coleus. That was outside. I then found African Violets. Well, I ended up with fifty of them. They were a lot of work. However they are so beautiful. They were in the front room and took up a quarter of my Hb.'s desk in the bedroom. Under the 'Gro-lux' light.
When ever we moved, I never really looked for a good place for gardening. I looked for space and floorplan. I then just utilized whatever outside space there was. As long as there was a small space where I could have some flowers I could look at. Something beautiful.
At our first house, we planted a rose garden. I also had fuchsias and pansies. they attracted several pretty hummers.
The people who bought that house tore out everything and put in a cement slab. Cut down the peach tree too.
At our second house. There was already an easy care type garden. We left it that way. Just added a few roses. We were too busy to garden much anyway. Oh, I did have a very nice Pieris Japonica. It died. Hated the move.
So where we live now. I am just going to use potted things. As long as there is something to cover up the dirt. My alyssum is not in good condition at all. I am hoping it will come back. About five of the roses are putting out a few buds.
I end up not being able to do any yard work anymore. At our first house, I worked a lot outside.
After I began my making dolls and soft toys. The gardening went down. My Hb. does most of it now. It's true, plants respond well to intense attention.
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Orig. Collage by: CGZ
2004

EASTER LILY

Well, finally the stores stocked the lilies for Easter. We were going a bit miffed. Hb. brought this one home Thursday, it was just waiting for warmth and light to do it's thing. It is just right, there are two flowers and both opened. It is not a tall one. But, it is nice.
When I was young, I was a bit puzzled as to why a male rabbit delivered eggs on a religious Holiday. My parents didn't have the answer, really, but, said the rabbit thing came from a folk and fairy story. So, I knew about fairy stories. And then there was some sort of merging with the Christian beliefs. Because the days came together on the calender. (well, almost.) That is one of the things that sent me off reading everything on myth and folktales I could get my hands on. I was an adult before I found books on the origins of Christianity. And how it replaced many older faiths. I learned a great deal. And it was most enlightening. Joseph Campbell helped me get some of the story straight.
However, in way I still like the bunny story, only to me it is properly a female.

SPRING!!!!!!

Spring, maybe by the calender. But, trees here have been blooming mightily.
One day recently , I being in a whimsical mood, looked around and said, Geez I'm bored, i have nothing to play with, I've played with what I have. I need a new toy, because, I've used everything already. If you saw what I have, you could see, I was being silly.
Well, a couple of days later, he came home with this little green pixie doll. She is cute and very whimsical. She is good for both Spring and St. Patrick's day.
(I will put up her photo as soon as Blogger is noticed by those that should fix it.)
TAH-DAH! Here she is! Sage Veridiant

MINI-MUFFINS

Ok, I am not hung up on corn stuff. But, my Hb. found these mini-corn muffins at a market somewhere and bought them for us. He likes to go hunting for different kinds of eats. The little muffins are made in Canada. They were ok. But, had an odd back taste. Maybe the oil, or the corn. I forgot to check the entire ingrediant list. But heating took it away. And they had to buttered, 'before' heating. Otherwise they crumbled. They are one bite size. But, I made a-four bite size of them. To make them last longer.
I thought you might like to see them. Be good for teatime.

FORTY SHADES OF GREEN

Blogger is on the fritz again. So, skip today.
Oh, ok, tonight it seemed to work.
Whatever. I have been so sick so much. I just don't want to write anything.

CORNBREAD FOLLIES

I guess this could be another: 'Adventures in Cooking' entry.
I was watching an Emeril Live show. It was "Mississippi Memories". Southern cooking. That show was so funny. There must have been Gremlins infecting the set. What could go wrong, did.
Anyway, he made cornbread in an iron skillet. Well, when he took the cornbread out for the oven. He popped it on the cutting board, the bread came out broken. Mostly intact , but one side crumbled. Oh, my. The texture looked right though, not too dry, not too damp.
I haven't had a decent piece of cornbread since I left home. Exception, is, my friend Caro she is a great cook. And so is her family. Caro, makes a good pan of cornbread. also, Split Pea Soup. Several times when I was visiting her. That was an tasty supper she would serve.
I liked Mom's cornbread. Now Mom wasn't a super cook. But, a plain cook. My Dad didn't care for fancy stuff. So, she cooked for his taste. She just talked to his Mother for that.
Mom's cornbread, came out on the crispy side. But, that was the woodburning cookstove. The oven gauge never did work. She would sort put her hand in the oven, and felt the temperature. The bread was not too dry, and not too moist. Just a little crumbly. But, hot with butter melting on it, terrific. ]
Any time I ordered cornbread at a restaurant, or at a buffet. Too moist, just soggy and heavy textured. And tasting of too much baking soda. Glah. At a small upscale restaurant in the city, I ordered corn biscuits with my dinner. and even though they had a little jalepeno in them, still, too moist and too much baking soda. I still haven't found a good cornbread.
When I was still cooking, I tried cornbread a few times. I didn't get the hang on it. I only made it for the two of us. It wasn't nice enough to serve my friends.
But, ha,ha I made a fairly good bannock. I made that for our breakfast on the weekends, many times. I can't remember if I served it out.
I can't make good biscuits either. Touch on the heavy side. My Dad's Lady friend Helen, made great biscuits. No, wonder, because she came from Oklahoma. She cooked real country style. And no, I do not feel I am being disloyal to my Mother's memory.
Mom made an excellent roast beef. My Dad loved roast beef. Her baked chicken and turkey was always just right.. I'll talk about vegetables at another time.
Have you had any cooking adventures?